One for the Road story
Based on the true story of Michael Malloy. During the Great Depression, Michael Malloy is tricked into signing an insurance policy so Tony Maroni and his fellow barflies can collect the money once he drinks himself to death, only to learn that they're dealing with much more than they expected. Directed by: Thomas Carter. Story by: James D. Bissell.
6 total · 1 choice · 3 major · 2 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| insurance fraud | choice | The story turns on a group of friends conspiring to murder an alcoholic old man in order to collect on a life insurance policy they'd taken out on him for just that purpose. |
| alcohol abuse | major | Michael Malloy was a happy-go-lucky drunk. |
| poison murder | major | Toni Maroni and his fellow barflies gave Michael Mallory kerosene laced whisky and left him in a pile of snow to die. When Mallory somehow survived the attempt, they fed him a sandwich full of tacks and rat poison. Astonishingly, Mallory ate the sandwich without any apparent ill-effects. |
| unkillable attribute | major | Mallory survived being poisoned with kerosene, then antifreeze, then rat poison. He also survived being buried passed out in snow, and likewise thrown off a bridge into freezing water. In the end he appeared with a somewhat smug demeanor. While these events were never explained, the viewer must ponder the possibility that Mallory was somehow impervious to attempts on his life. |
| capital punishment | minor | It was mentioned that Toni Maroni and his accomplices were to be executed. |
| law enforcement | minor | A beat cop caught Toni Maroni and his fellow barflies tossing Michael Malloy off a bridge into the frozen waters below. |