09x02 - A Nice Touch

Episode transcripts for the TV show "Alfred Hitchcock Presents". Aired: October 2, 1955 – June 26, 1965.*
Watch or Buy on Amazon Merchandise

American anthology series featuring dramas, thrillers and mysteries.
Post Reply

09x02 - A Nice Touch

Post by bunniefuu »

x

[Music]

good evening

sorry to keep you waiting but i had to

make my bed

it will surprise you i know but to be

perfectly honest

this is not really my bed i'm making it

for my brother

he insists on coming home late at night

and making a great deal of noise in the

dark

before he tumbles into bed i thought

that this orthopedic mattress

would be precisely what he needs to cure

him of that bothersome habit

our story does not concern a bed like

this but it does

take place in a sleepy little town

apparently nothing

much ever happens in lindvale but i have

the uneasy feeling that if we watch

closely

something will in case you're doing the

driving

linvale lies just on the other side

of this one-minute billboard

[Music]

ah

[Music]

hey

[Music]

[Music]

hey mister you see flipper i think he

came back here

why my cat i'm looking for him

well look somewhere else but he came

around the side of your house

well he was trespassing just like you a

take off

you hear what i said

[Music]

sheriff's office oh i'd like to speak to

the sheriff please

uh well i'm sorry ma'am he's all tied up

right now

well when can i talk to her it's rather

urgent it's urgent

yes so if you could have him get in

touch with me as soon as possible

do you want to hold on while i just get

a pencil yeah

do you uh just uh want to give me your

name and address it's

mrs logan walnut lane

yes ma'am i'll give you the sheriff your

message

tell him it's important all right

how's that sharon henry you're a regular

wizard with a pair of scissors

thanks how about some half tonic hmm

what do you got

sweet lilac evergreen or a wild tiger

it's that green bottle over there

it's it's pretty potent stuff sure tell

me he goes over big with the ladies

maybe i better leave well enough alone

morning sheriff i just got a phone call

who's mine in the store well i just got

a phone call from a lady named

logan she says that she has to talk to

you she says it's urgent urgent

last time i saw that word was a

crossword puzzle

but that's what she said probably some

old spencer with a cat up a tree

is that uh mrs logan up on walnut lane

yeah

will not rain that's no spencer henry

she's a widow heard she moved into the

archer house a couple of months ago

oh is that the one yeah i've seen her

around town she's kind of pretty

well maybe his fate ben you and a

good-looking woman like that something

might develop

sure all right i'll take a ride out

there

well you don't have to see a band always

give her a call

unless maybe i've wet your appetite

look at that charlie we got a barber

who's a regular cupid

hey mister you seen a cat why are you

missing one uh-huh

i think you ran away well that's too bad

you're the sheriff aren't you that's

right well maybe you can find him

his name's flipper he's sort of gray

i'll keep an eye peeled

uh yes uh sheriff whister ma'am you call

my office

oh yes please come in

i uh hope i didn't call you away from

anything well it wasn't important

what can i do for you well it

it's something that might only be my

imagination i

almost feel like a fool bringing your

way out here

why don't you let me be the judge of

that you see i'm new here and

i don't want to get involved in

something that's none of my business

i've been debating with myself for the

last three days but

well i had to tell someone mind being a

bit more specific

well that's just it it's nothing i can

quite put my finger on

maybe you better come upstairs beg

pardon

i'll have to show you

oh take a look through the window at the

yard next door

it's been going on like that for the

past three days

the drinking yes he doesn't seem to want

to do anything he just

hangs around the house all day

that's harry jarvis isn't it you know

him

oh by sight i know most of the people in

this town by sight

he's in real estate never knew he was

much of a drinker

well he only started a few days ago

after his

wife disappeared

i'm not quite sure i follow you oh it's

a lot of little things

ever since i moved in i used to hear

them arguing they used to shout so loud

they'd keep me awake and all of a sudden

the argument stopped

and you haven't seen her since no oh

once

she used to walk her dog in the mornings

a little white mongrel named timmy but

for the past three days she hasn't come

out of the house

when was the last time you saw her late

friday afternoon

she was out there sitting in a deck

chair

he was mowing the lawn once or twice i

saw him look at her

she didn't notice she was playing with

the dog

but you should have seen the expression

on his face

he looked like he wanted to k*ll her

well mrs logan this is all

pretty circumstantial maybe his wife is

sick or she might be visiting relatives

i can think of a hundred different

explanations but

why does he do his own laundry

and why does he sit in the yard all day

about eight years ago we had a homicide

in lynn vale

man got clubbed with a bottle in one of

those taverns out by the highway

that's just about it this is a peaceable

town

well i i told you it might only be my

imagination

but if you could have seen the way he

looked at her

well look there's no sense and i are

going off half cut

before we start assuming things why

don't i do a little quiet checking

would that make you feel better oh

i think so good i'll give you a call

tomorrow

well i just as soon deal with mr jarvis

himself if you don't mind

i see where can i set up an appointment

uh-huh okay i'll call back next week

yeah the name is uh johnson

that's right bye-bye

that was his real estate office i get

the feeling they haven't seen him lately

well maybe he's just gold-breaking maybe

kind of pointless though considering

he's the boss

no i got to do some checking on this

baby

wonder who his friends are oh i can tell

you that

him and doc wyatt are big buddies

charlie you amazed me

how did you know that i see them all the

time up at the country club

they're always playing golf together

country club

you getting social on me when ain't that

i just caddy up there every once in a

while you don't pick up a couple of

books

moonlighting huh just on sundays it's my

day off sheriff

i wouldn't want to stand in the way of a

man's self-improvement

now what about jarvis well

he doesn't seem to have many friends

just just to stop quiet

well i guess i better have a talk with

him

you knows around walnut lane see what

you can find out from the neighbors

but charlie uh do it quietly

i don't want any phone calls

oh sheriff they said you wanted to see

me yes sir sorry to bother you doctor oh

it's not bother

rather look at your faith than the

babies i've been in delivery all morning

well this won't take long

take all the time you like you look

healthy so i assume that this is

official

sort of i understand you're a friend of

harry jarvis

harry i don't know if he is i was

wondering if you'd noticed any

well changes in him lately it's funny

you should ask

he has been out of sorts the past few

days seems to be worrying about

something

thank you senator strain it's possible

probably worried about business problems

happened to the best of us

well i guess it didn't serious then

thanks doctor

appreciate it if you keep this

confidential so it's me

uh i wonder if his wife has noticed

anything

have you seen her lately by the way

margaery not for quite a while

though she is coming to see me tonight

oh no she's coming in for a checkup

you mean she'll be in your office

tonight uh-huh eight o'clock

are you sure of course i'm sure come and

see for yourself

excuse me miss uh i just want to see if

my watch is right i have

past state that's what i have

well maybe i might be fast

well wasn't she here yet she's usually

on the dot

uh give mrs jarvis a ring and see what's

keeping her yes doctor

oh what is it well that appointment was

canceled

i forgot to tell you i substituted mrs

phillips when you're out of luck sheriff

she canceled oh she didn't cancel doctor

it was her husband

her husband yes he called a few hours

ago

what's the trouble sheriff oh nothing if

you want to why don't you give her a

ring

no uh i have a feeling mrs jarvis

sitting in

thank you thanks scotland

[Music]

got myself into now let's see i'll leave

excuse me girls

sheriff whister oh come in what a

pleasant surprise

oh mrs burgin that i'm not disturbing

anything oh no no no no it's just the

girls come over for a little bridge a

little tea

would you like a cup of tea oh no thanks

not just a little cup

i keep telling my husband i never see

the sheriff anymore

well i've been kind of busy man i was

just thinking about you the other day

do you know that new teacher over at

school miss gunderson

oh you want to give her a call you would

have a lot in common

and if you're interested in slides she

has the most wonderful collection

all of those marvelous european

cathedrals well ma'am

oh i know you think i'm a matchmaker but

remember sheriff after all you're the

last bachelor left in town

oh well that's not exactly true you know

there's uh uh

charlie my deputy and tom down at the

firehouse ah but you

you're the prize catch oh if i wasn't

married

i'd be running after you myself well

that that's very flattering mrs bergen

um

i wonder if you would mind if i asked

you a couple of questions

police business well in a way you know

mrs jarvis don't you

of course marjorie and i are co-chairman

of the home for the agent committee

well have you seen her recently no no i

haven't

and it's rather odd if you ask me she

missed a meeting of the famous books

club the other day

and it was one of her favorites too mo

be d*ck

well did she call to let you know she

wasn't coming no her husband called me

he said she wasn't feeling well

have you talked to her since i can't

reach her every time i call her her

husband says she's either out or washing

her hair

well thanks mrs bergen you've been very

helpful oh

what's it all about sheriff you can

trust me

well it's nothing serious just routine

ah you're being very mysterious

but i won't pry oh just a minute

[Music]

uh what's this miss gundersen's

telephone number

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

hi come up with anything

well it's hard to say i talked to most

of the neighbors and i tried not to

raise any eyebrows

i think i did a pretty good job charlie

get to the point has anyone seen mrs

jarvis

no not for three days

she hasn't even taken the garbage out

well that still doesn't prove anything

no but it's kind of strange the way i

hear it is she used to be all over town

all the time

clubs and meetings it seems that she

used to spend hardly any time with her

husband

hmm oh by the way that mrs logan called

you this morning she wanted a car right

back

well why didn't you leave me a note i

couldn't find a pencil

[Music]

hello sheriff worcester ma'am oh

i've been trying to reach you all

morning why what happened

now i'm sure something's wrong last

night mr jarvis came out into his

backyard

and he started digging in his garden

digging

can you think of any reason on earth why

i'd do a thing like that

only one and i'm not sure i like it

tell you what mrs logan suppose i

dropped by your place tonight

oh i wish you would i'll be expecting

you

thank you all right

well what you want problems charlie

problems

see you in the morning oh say uh do you

know that new teacher up at the school

uh

miss gunderson oh sure the fat one

uh-huh

may not come out again tonight but you

can

see the hole

i i went to bed early last night

and then i heard him working in the

garden first i thought i was dreaming

but

there he was in his shirt sleeves he had

a shovel

he was whistling to himself while he dug

whistling and

digging after a while i went back to bed

but i could still hear him

just doesn't make any sense well it

makes a lot of sense

he's probably k*lled that poor woman and

he's going to bury her out there

now now we can't jump to conclusions

what else can we do you said yourself

she didn't show up for the

her doctor's appointment no one's seen

her for days it's got to be m*rder

[Music]

see why don't you go down there and

arrest him

on what charge there's no law against a

man digging in his own backyard

sheriff i don't understand why you're so

hesitant well because i don't want a

suit for false arrest

what more do you need it's obvious he's

digging a grave out there

[Music]

what is it i think he saw me

get away from that wonder

[Music]

well he's gone he must have frightened

him away he looked straight at me

now he knows i've been watching him well

it was bound to happen sooner or later

sheriff i don't like it i'm alone here

if he decides i know something

that's him maybe not i didn't hear any

car drive

up who else could it be better answer it

it's all right i'm here

[Music]

i'll be two feet away

[Music]

i'm jarvis your next-door neighbor

oh hell can i come in oh

yes of course

is there something i can do for you

you tell me i beg your pardon

i saw you spying on me from your bedroom

window why

spying i think you're mistaken i just

happened to look out oh just happened

huh

i heard a noise and i was curious i

suppose you think it's funny me digging

in the garden at night

well it's really none of my business

that's exactly right it's none of your

business

but i wouldn't want you to get the wrong

idea you see i like to do my gardening

at night

during the day it's too hot too many

bugs

but after dark it's cool quiet

you can hear yourself think well that's

perfectly understandable i'm glad you

feel that way

maybe now you'll stop watching me

honestly mr jarvis i had no intention

forget it i think we understand each

other

oh mr jarvis i'm new here and

this town isn't very friendly

so well uh i'd like to get to know you

and your wife better

maybe you two could come over for dinner

one evening i'm sorry i

my wife doesn't like to go out much but

we're

right next door to each other i said she

doesn't like to go out

besides you've probably seen enough of

us from your bedroom window

[Music]

you heard that i heard now do you

believe me

well i never said i doubted janet's

logan that still doesn't prove anything

all he's done is calling his next-door

neighbor

the way he talked to me the way he

looked at me

that still doesn't prove he's burying

his wife in his backyard

sheriff wisdom do like me

of course i do man then remember this

he knows that i saw him if he did k*ll

his wife

then i am a thr*at to him think about

that

aristotle once said that a play should

have a beginning

a middle and an end but what did he know

today a play must have a first half a

second half and the station break

you have seen only one of these the

other two

follow

[Music]

so

[Music]

hey

hello sheriff what do you want i'd like

to talk with you mr jarvis

is this police business yes sir i'll

come in

the place needs a good cleaning but i

guess you can see that for yourself

then again i wasn't expecting any

company

well i'll try to be brief is your wife

at home

my wife why there was an automobile

accident in town yesterday

i'm investigating it and we think maybe

your wife was a witness

must be some mistake one of the drivers

of the cars gave a pretty good

description of her

that she was walking her dog so if i

could just

talk with her a few minutes

she isn't here well i can come back

tomorrow no no i mean she's away

oh vacation well something

like that she's uh she's been gone for

three days

so she couldn't have been witnessed any

accident i see

well just for the record so we can write

it off uh where can we get in touch with

her

no she went upstate uh she was gonna

write me and tell me the name of her

hotel but

i haven't heard from her yet and she's

been gone three days

that's right tell me did she take the

dog with her

yeah yeah she took the dog any more

questions

no that's all thanks for your

cooperation

oh you can uh go out the front door

[Music]

sheriff

not kind of late aren't you sonny i can

stay up as long as i want


find your cat yeah it was home under the

bed good

what'd you see on that jarvis floor why

isn't he your friend he's nobody's

friend always he can get me on my cat

timmy uh timmy's his dog isn't he

tell me something son have you seen him

today

oh mr jarvis no the dog sure

i saw him this afternoon he was sitting

in the window

boxing up a storm your positive it was

timmy

yep honestly got two dogs thanks

[Music]

[Music]

food

look now mrs bergen why did you do a

thing like that

i was only trying to help after all it

was obvious you were suspicious about

something

so i just i just baked a cake and went

over there

i really wasn't in any danger that's not

exactly the point

when mr jarvis answered the door i said

i want to see marjorie

i said i have a new recipe that she's

interested in

mocha madre is very fond of mocha

well what did mr jarvis have to say for

himself

he was positively rude he said marjorie

isn't well

and he grabbed the cake and he slammed

the door in my face

wait a minute you mean to say he didn't

say his wife was out of town

oh of course not why would marjorie go

out of town she hasn't been anywhere

since i've known her and that's years

excuse me sheriff worcester

it's me sheriff a little while ago he

hopped in his car and he drove off

you follow him yeah he went right to

bell's hardware store

i'm across the street right now hey wait

a minute

charlie

[Music]

charlie

charlie charlie

i'm all right here i'm registered listen

he just got in his car and drove off

he had a package with him should i

follow him no you stay where you are

i'll meet you

he's got to run mr bergen what's he up

to do you think he's

done something to marjorie tell you what

ms bergen if he has you'll be the first

to know

well howdy sheriff sorry uh you come for

your fishing rod sheriff no

i'll pick that up next week hmm uh

actually uh

i came to inquire by one of your

customers oh who's that

harry jarvis i understand he was just in

that's right mind telling me what he

bought

well let me see he uh he picked up a

sack of grass seed

mm-hmm anything else yeah

a can of rat poison that was it

seemed like he was in a hurry well

thanks mr bell

come on charlie

well the grass is easy to figure he

wants to see the garden but

why the rat poison well maybe he has

is it rats that his wife isn't dead yet

do you mean you think he's kind of

locked up in that house

no he wouldn't take a chance like that

why the poison

well like i said maybe he has this

charlie get in touch with al and tell

him to meet us at mrs logan's house

tonight

what fun we're going to see if jarvis

has dropped anything that holey's been

digging

and charlie bring shovels

[Music]

my

coffee charlie oh uh actually i'd like

something a little bit uh

stronger ma'am charlie you're on duty

uh coffee will be fine

how long are we gonna keep waiting on

that guy sheriff

you got anything better to do well no no

but

that whistling's getting on my nerves i

wish you'd learn a tune

yeah he's been at it since before you

came

first he started digging

now he's covering up did he put anything

in the hole

he might have i i couldn't watch that

carefully because he kept looking up

here i'm afraid sheriff he might do

something to me

after last night i don't want to take

any chances

all right we may as well move in

charlie now let's go

charlie get the shovels sheriff

[Music]

you'll let me know what happens just

watch from the window

you can see for yourself

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

right

what are you doing here sorry mr jarvis

we're gonna have to do a little digging

what you've got no right to go around

here digging into my garden

that busy body next door she calls you

didn't she

there i just saw her at the window

she called you didn't she we got a tip

mr jarvis

we want to know why you come out here

and dig at night

i can't dig in my own property a man

can't dig in his own property

you've got to admit it looks mighty

suspicious i'm sorry i'm eccentric

do i have to plan my life to suit you

charlie well

excuse me

[Music]

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

sarah yeah you better come here

something buried here

[Music]

make out what it is yeah

keep

there's something down there all right

[Music]

want to start talking no

charlie let me have your life

[Music]

what is it

can you make it out

jeff it's a dog

what

all this digging and it ain't nothing

but a dead dog

what did you expect a body

[Music]

i hated myself for doing it not a cruel

man

and the dog was sick anyway

marjorie being gone i suppose i just

wanted to put it out of its misery

so i dug the hole and bought the rat

poison

yep to the dog who else would i give it

to

[Music]

wait a minute you mean you were looking

for her

you mean that character next door said

that i might have m*rder*d marjorie

let's be frank mr jarvis there's still

some mystery as to your wife's

whereabouts

but to assume that i k*lled her but

you've been giving everybody in town a

different story

you've told some people she was sick and

you told me she was on vacation

and with that hole you're digging out

and back i guess it did look a little

suspicious

well i've learned one thing anyway

you can't keep a secret in lynn vale

what kind of secret

marjorie left me sheriff she walked out

four days ago

just like that no explanations

walked in and told me we were through

packed her things took our reserve

cash and her jewelry and that was that

after years of marriage

i'm sorry to hear that mr jarvis

do you uh no she planning a divorce

who knows i don't even know why she left

me

what does go on in a woman's mind

sheriff

don't ask me sure we had our fights we

we argued a lot but to wake up one

morning and

find your wife pack in a suitcase

it's a little hard to live with i

guess i did go overboard drinking and

isolating myself probably i did take it

all out on the dog

she loved that thing i was just somebody

who brought the paper home

do you mind if i um take a look through

the house

no i'll help yourself i guess this had

to come out anyway

might have been a little easier if that

busy body next door had kept their

blinds closed

[Music]

sheriff worcester

you saw what we dug up yes the dog

i suppose i should have known why why

should you have known

because this is linville things like

that just don't happen here

what did he tell you that his wife had

left him that's all there is to it

she'll probably sue for divorce you mean

to say you believe that

sure i do it happens every day then

you're taking him out his word

well what else can i do i've searched

the house in the garage

her jewelry is gone personal effects

suitcases everything

then why did he lie to everyone

the poor guy's ashamed he didn't want to

know that she'd left him

as a matter of fact he's hoping she'll

come back when she runs out of money

oh it's the most far-fetched story i

ever heard

look mrs logan i've made a fool out of

myself and dug up a man's garden

if he wanted to he could get me in a lot

of trouble but he's been pretty decent

about it he's gonna let it drop

and that's just what i'm gonna do let it

drop suppose you're wrong

bring me some proof then i'll act but

until you do

i'm just gonna forget it sheriff

i don't feel safe with that man around

that's something wrong i tell you well

there's nothing to fear you just call me

if anything happens

it would be too late then i'm sorry man

but

there's nothing i can do i just can't

arrest him on your say-so you've made

yourself

perfectly clear good night

no reason uh why we can't be friends i

think there is

good night

[Music]

tell you one thing boys don't ever get

married

you should have told me that five years

ago yeah well thanks for helping us out

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

anytime

[Applause]

so

so

[Applause]

[Music]

oh

[Applause]

[Music]

foreign

[Music]

i still can't believe it what a chance

we took

it worked in it what did he say when he

left

give me some proof then i'll act but

until you do

i want to forget about it fine that's

exactly what we want

[Music]

we got work to do

[Music]

so

it's a good thing they never looked in

your yard

[Music]

give me a hand

[Music]

do you need some help no you fill in the

hole

i'll take care of things over here

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

hmm

[Music]

[Music]

so

hello mr jarvis sheriff what are you

doing back here

came for the dog what can we come in

well i was just getting ready for bed

well this won't take for just a minute

but i don't understand i i thought this

was all cleared up

well there's a city ordinance against

burying animals on residential property

we'll just dump in this basket and be on

our way but i i filled a hole in again

look i'll left i'll dig it up in the

morning then you come back to the door i

wouldn't think of bothering you mr

jarvis we bothered you enough already

charlie and i can take care of it yeah

but i don't you worry about a thing mr

jarvis

[Music]

darling here

you'll need this

[Music]

[Applause]

[Music]

i think our story is further evidence to

support my belief

that in cases like this there is nothing

quite so good as burial at sea

it is simple tidy and not very

incriminating

one word of warning however if you take

your wife on a sea voyage

buy her a round trip ticket no matter

what your plans may be

next week i shall return with a story

some commercials

and more friendly tips for happy

husbands until then

good night

[Music]

so

[Music]

you
Post Reply