Don't Come Back Alive Alfred Hitchcock Presents Season 1, Episode 4 Episode #4 First aired: 23 October 1955 Hitchcock time: 1:40 Story time: 22:05 Total episode time: 24:59 My rating: 7/10

Director: Robert Stevenson    Teleplay: Robert C. Dennis    Associate producer: Joan Harrison    Director of photography: Reggie Lanning    Art director: Martin Obzina    Editorial supervisor: Richard G. Wray    Film editor: Edward W. Williams    Music supervisor: Stanley Wilson    Set decorator: James S. Redd    Sound: Hugh McDowell    Assistant director: James Hogan    Wardrobe supervisor: Vincent Dee    Makeup: Ted Coodley    Cast: Sidney Blackmer, Virginia Gregg, Robert Emhardt.

Plot summary: Frank Partridge (Sidney Blackmer) arrives home and tells his wife Mildred (Virginia Gregg) that he has landed a job as a salesman. The problem is he doesn't start until next month and their rent is already overdue. Frustrated, and facing potential eviction, Frank devises a scheme whereby Mildred should 'disappear' for seven years, after which they can claim a fraudulant $25,000 from their insurance policy as she would be declared legally dead. Frank rushes the plan through and sends his wife to Los Angeles to get her out of the way until after the long duration. An insurance man, Mr. Kettle (Robert Emhardt) comes to Frank's home to take some details but he becomes increasingly suspicious that Frank may have actually murdered his wife in order to claim on the insurance. Whilst Kettle is at the house Mildred telephones and insists on meeting with Frank because she is being kept in the dark about everything but Frank tries to play it smooth because he knows Kettle can hear his end of the conversation. Once again, Kettle expresses his concerns about the situation claiming he heard a woman's voice on the phone and tells Frank he's on to him and 'it's only a matter of time' before he is exposed as a murderer. Frank meets Mildred in a library where they discuss how their scheme is not going as they had planned and so Frank suggests Mildred stays away for a bit longer. She reluctantly agrees. A couple of months pass and the couple are set to meet up for Christmas when the insurance man turns up at Frank's house and sees him with a wrapped gift that resembles perfume, adding to the suspicion that Frank has a new secret woman in his life. When Kettle invites himself along for the journey Frank has no alternative than to not show up as planned to avoid exposing their scam. Six years have now passed up and still Kettle continues to persecute Frank at his house to remind him that he still suspects some kind of devious scheme is going on. With just two days to go before the matter will be resolved Mildred suddenly turns up at the house and demands a divorce due to her husband's apparent neglect of her. That was not a good idea on her part...

Hitchcock's prologue: (47 secs) "Good evening ladies and gentlemen. And especially the gentlemen. All of you have, at one time or another, speculated on how it would be to be separated from your wife for a week or a weekend. Ah, but have you ever thought of being away from the little woman for seven years? Oh you have? Oh well in that case you'll be even more interested in tonight's play called 'Don't Come Back Alive'. It's a homey little story of intrigue, jealousy, avarice and fraud. It was follow immediately after this illustrated lecture on the virtues of our sponsors' product. [Hitch turns to the side] May we see the first slide please." Hitchcock's epilogue: (53 secs) "By way of tidying up our story I feel obliged to tell you that Mrs. Partridge eventually received, what is termed, a decent burial. Whilst this did not make her feel any better, knowing it may allow you to rest more easily. Well that's our story for this evening. All of our show including the following commercial is on film. However, the corpse on tonight's program originated live in New York City. I'll be back in a minute. [fade out for commercial; fade in] And now if you don't mind, I shall stage a disappearance of my own. But don't be alarmed I shall not stay out of sight for seven years. Just seven days. When I reappear, it will be to tell you another of our little fairy stories for grown-up children."

My opinion: As the tension begins to rise the viewer can be forgiven for suspecting that the husband will finally get rid of the snooping insurance rep, or maybe the wife will get her revenge on the husband for neglecting her for so long. A good episode with a rather feel-good, yet morbid finale.

! SPOILERS ! Frank kills Mildred and buries her in the garden and for all intents and purposes looks to have got away with it until the insurance rep shows up and starts digging up the garden as a gesture of peace after all the years of hounding the husband. Ooops.

Trivia: •Gregory Peck's name is mentioned multiple times in the opening scene. Peck starred in Hitchcock's "The Paradine Case" (1947). •The insurance man had already accused Frank of the murder of his wife when he says he could hear a woman's voice on the phone when Mildred calls the house to talk to Frank. He then says 'it's only a matter of time', but if he suspected that the woman's voice on the phone was indeed Mildred's then surely he must know that she is not dead and therefore Frank could not be guilty of her murder? •Irene Tedrow has one brief scene when she comes to Frank's house at night to pick up Mildred (who had already gone). She notices that Frank has dirt on his jacket - a clue she provides to the police. She plays Lucy, the sister of Mildred. •Frank is set to meet Mildred on Christmas in a small restaurant called Vallardi's but he never shows up. •Western Fidelity Life Insurance Co. is the name of the company Frank pays into each year for seven years, beginning in 1948 and ending in 1955. •The letter Mildred sends to Frank is dated Sept. 26, 1954.

	Sidney Blackmer Frank Partridge
	Virginia Gregg Mildred Partridge
	Robert Emhardt Mr. Kettle
	Irene Tedrow Lucy
	Edna Holland Librarian

CREDITS This page was last updated on: 04 October 2026