The Old Pro story
Loretta Burns is under the mistaken impression that her husband Frank is really a former engineer. Frank is actually a retired hit man. When a man threatens to tell Loretta about Frank's past, Frank kills him and his partner. Hearing the news Frank's ex-boss insists that Frank return to work. He tell Frank that if he doesn't his wife may end up getting rubbed out. Directed by: Paul Henreid. Story by: H.A. De Rosso, Calvin Clements.
8 total · 2 choice · 3 major · 3 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| blackmail | choice | Frank was being blackmailed by Cullen, and later his old boss Nicholson. |
| having a skeleton in the closet | choice | Central to the story was Frank's dark secret: that he was a retired hitman. |
| hitman occupation | major | Frank was a retired hitman. |
| husband and wife | major | Frank was hiding from his wife, Loretta, that he was a retired hitman. |
| murder | major | Frank killed two men, and everyone was speaking about murder under the euphemism "engineering". |
| facing death | minor | In his sketch, Alfred Hitchcock purported to be near his demise as he was buried in sand, the tide rapidly coming in. |
| fishing | minor | Frank went fishing, and appreciated his wife's understanding. |
| journalism | minor | Frank's blackmailer said he ran or wrote for a newspaper or something along those lines. |