All language subtitles for Alfred Hitchcock s01e04 Dont Come Back Alive.eng

[Alfred Hitchcock themed score]

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.

But have you ever thought
of being away from the little woman for seven years?

You have?

Well, in that case, you will
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 will follow
immediately after this illustrated lecture...

on the virtues
of our sponsor's product.

[clicking]

May we see
the first slide, please?

[birds chirping]

(Mildred)
Frank, is that you?

I don't know for sure.
What does Frank look like?

Let me see.
He's dark and distinguished, handsome, lots of personality.

You must be thinking
of Gregory Peck. No, silly.

If I'd wanted Gregory Peck,
I'd have married him.

Why didn't you
put the car away? I thought we'd go see him.

Who?
Gregory Peck.

At the drive-in movie, silly.
That would be wonderful.

What's this?
I thought it would be nicer to eat in here.

Well, this is nice.
Good dinner, bottle of wine, movie...

just what we need
to celebrate.

Frank, you got a job.
Why didn't you tell me right away?

I wanted to surprise you.

I am a salesman, madam.
Salary plus commissions.

That's good, isn't it?

No limit to what I can earn.

What's the matter?

I don't get the job
until next month, Mildred.

Frank.

Yes, I know we need it now.
Bills, insurance payments, back rent.

We'll have to struggle
through it somehow. Mr. Willard called today.

If we don't have
the rent by Monday, he's going to evict us.

We can't say
we weren't expecting it.

That's the trouble if you
don't own your own home.

How many times have I said it?
If we just owned our own home....

We will someday, darling.
You just watch.

Of course, it won't
be next year. But now that you'll be working--

I know.
But suppose the bottom falls out of this job...

the way it did
out of the last one?

Frank, that last job
lasted over four years.

Nothing lasts forever.

But you don't understand,
dear.

Even if it does last
a few years, say six or seven, I'd be 60 then.

And 60-year-old men just
don't get jobs. That's what scares me, Mildred.

Too old to be employed,
too young for old-age pension.

Eat your salad, dear.
We'll get along, we always have.

Yeah, on what?
On what I'll save in the next 10 years?

There's always our
insurance policies, if we can keep up the payments on those.

Sure, we'd have $200 or $300.
It's not an endowment, you know.

One of us has to die.

And I've been thinking that
it wouldn't be a bad idea.

Frank, don't talk like that.

Now, I know it's discouraging,
but we'll work it out.

I love you.

You're worth a lot more
to me than $25,000, and you remember it.

All right, honey,
I promise not to do myself in.

What I really had in mind
was to spike your wine with a little arsenic.

That's an entirely
different matter.

But wouldn't it be safer
if I just fell down a well...

and was never heard of again?

That way you could
report the matter to the insurance company...

collect the money,
and have a wonderful time.

No one has to die.

No one has to die.
Not actually.

If the insurance company
believed that either of us were dead...

we'd get the $25,000.
Don't you see?

If you were to disappear,
just vanish completely...

and I reported you dead,
it would be the same thing.

It wouldn't at all.
If it were as simple as that...

all the dishonest people in
the country would be doing it.

Why, it's stealing.
But think of what it would mean to us.

It would mean security,
no more worrying about bills...

and that little place
in the country we've been thinking about for so long.

It would be wonderful,
but you can't fool an insurance company like that.

They'd have to have proof.

They wouldn't just
take your word for it. Sure, they'd demand a body.

But you know, after a certain
length of time, a missing person is considered dead.

You know, you hear
about courts declaring people legally dead.

Frank.

Frank.

How long would
I have to be.... Seven years.

But, of course,
that 's just when we'd need it most.

I'd be more than 60 then.

And we wouldn't have to worry,
not for a minute.

We'd get a nice,
quiet little place in the country.

Just relax and enjoy life.
But seven years, Frank.

I know, honey.
But we could meet occasionally...

after it all blows over.

You know, we could have
dates secretly, and I could court you all over again.

We'd never get away with it.
Would we?

Of course,
you would have to...

have to move, rent an
apartment under another name, in Los Angeles, for instance.

Change your
appearance a little.

If I had a new dress
and wore glasses. I really do need glasses, Frank...

and maybe dyed my hair.

You'd look 10 years younger.
No one would recognize you.

I guess I have let myself go.
And maybe get a job again.

It would help out
on the insurance payments...

we'd have to keep those up,
wouldn't we? Yes. It won't be easy.

Seven years,
that's an awfully long time. It's just as long for you.

I could stand it,
as long as we could keep seeing each other.

In secret, I mean.

And it wouldn't really
be stealing, would it? If we kept up the payments.

It really would be our money,
wouldn't it?

Now I don't care about that.
What can they prove?

As long as we do it right,
this scheme is foolproof.

Come on, we'll drink a toast.

To the next seven years.

To the next seven years.

Are you ready?
I think so.

Now here's the key
to the Los Angeles apartment.

I told the agent it was
for a Miss Mary Pearson.

The initials are the same.
No danger of mistakes.

Now I'll telephone your sister
you're taking the bus.

But she always picks me up
when I baby-sit for her.

Don't you think it's odd,
my taking a bus?

I'll tell her
that you had some errands, and that'll cover it.

As soon as I phone,
we'll drive straight into LA.

You'll have to
be back here by 7:00.

As long as we follow
the plan I've laid out, we'll be all right.

Hello, Ed? This is Frank.

Ed, would you tell Lucy
that Mildred had some errands to do...

and that she's taking
the bus over to your place?

You can't get
in touch with her?

No, that's quite all right.

Lucy went into town at noon
and is coming straight here to pick you up at 6:30.

We can't do it now.
How do you like that woman?

You never can depend on her,
always upsetting our plans.

We'll just have to put
it off till next week.

No, if we put it off now,
we'll never do it.

Come on, honey,
if we hurry we can still make it.

And we have to make it.

All right, Frank.

[horn honking]

When will I see you, Frank?

I'll work it out.
I'll write you in a couple of days.

[horns honking]

Come on, dear, come on.
I won't be back in time.

All right, Frank.

Goodbye, dear.

[crickets chirping]

[doorbell buzzing]

[doorbell buzzing]

(Frank)
Lucy.

What took you so long?
I've been ringing for five minutes.

I was taking a nap,
I didn't expect you. You see, Mildred took the bus.

Why should she take a bus?
I've always come for her.

I know all that. She had some
errands to do. I called you. Ed said you'd already gone.

Why didn't you think
of calling me earlier? Then it would have saved me the trip.

Well, at first, Mr. Kettle,
it just seemed like an ordinary mix-up.

Then later,
when Lucy got home...

and found that Mildred
hadn't arrived yet, we began to be worried.

Then, when there was no trace
of her by midnight...

we called the police.
Of course, they didn't take it seriously.

It had only been a couple
of hours, or so, you see.

But then the next day
when there was no trace of her...

I began to get
in a sort of panic, and I called the police again.

You know,
it was 24 hours before they sent a man...

around here from
the Missing Persons Bureau.

I imagine they took
a little more interest...

when they found out
about the insurance policy.

Yeah, they certainly did.

They've been questioning me
for two whole days.

You understand, Mr. Partridge,
I'm just an insurance man.

You don't have to answer
any of my questions, if you don't want to.

I have nothing
to hide from the police or the insurance company.

Thanks very much.

Now, how is it you didn't
drive your wife yourself?

She wouldn't hear of it.

I'd been working around
the house all day, and she knew that I was tired out.

Very thoughtful of her.

I believe you told
the police that you took a nap after she left.

Yes, as a matter of fact,
Lucy had to ring several times before she could wake me.

She says it was
more than five minutes.

Being asleep, naturally,
I wouldn't know about that.

Your sister-in-law
says that you had dirt stains on your clothes.

Don't you believe
everything that Lucy says.

She's never liked me.
But there were dirt stains.

I'd been working
in the garden.

I wanted to get some fresh air
to clear my head.

I'm a little muddled,
Mr. Partridge.

I thought you were sleeping.
Well, I was, this was earlier, you see.

Well, before I had the nap.

The clothes were dirty,
you were perspiring, out of breath, agitated.

That doesn't sound much to me
like a man who'd just awakened from a nap.

Your wife has
mysteriously disappeared...

and you have a $25,000
life insurance policy.

You know, Mr. Partridge...

to me, that comes out murder.
Murder?

I didn't kill my wife.
I loved her.

And I haven't tried
to claim the $25,000.

You will.

But you'll have to produce
the body to prove she's dead.

How in the world
can I produce a body?

We'll help you.

We'll give you all
the help we can, Mr. Partridge.

Good day.

[birds chirping]

What's going on here?
What are you doing? Hello, Mr. Partridge.

You have no right to do this.
You're ruining my roses.

I know. Isn't it a shame.

Floribunda.
I grow them myself. You won't find anything here.

Then you've got
nothing to worry about. Except your roses, of course.

You still think I killed her?

I know you killed her.
I just have to prove it.

Aren't you going to watch?

No, I'm going in
to get myself a drink. May I offer you one, Mr. Kettle?

No, thanks.

Seems I underestimated you.

I was positive we would
have found it by now.

But we will find it,
because we have time on our side.

It requires seven years
to presume death.

And if necessary,
we'll keep searching the whole seven years.

[phone ringing]

[phone continues ringing]

Better answer it, Partridge.

Hello.
Frank.

I had to call.
I couldn't stand it any longer.

Yes, I know.
I've been very busy.

You see, my wife
disappeared a week ago.

No, I can't talk to you now--
But I've got to see you.

You haven't
written me about anything that's happening.

Will you try to meet me
somewhere this week?

Yes, of course.
Do you promise?

Yes, I promise.

Sounded like a woman's voice.
It was a friend of ours.

Don't you mean yours?

$25,000 and another woman.

It all fits a
very familiar picture.

Well...

as I said,
it's just a matter of time.

These are all 14-day books.

Two cents a day,
for every day after that time.

That'll be 30 cents, please.

30, 40, 50, $1. Thank you.

Frank, I've missed
you so much. Why couldn't we have met before?

I didn't dare risk it, honey.

The police,
the insurance people have been all over the place.

They think I killed you.
No. Well, I'll have to come back right away.

It's too late.
We'll have to go through with it.

But we won't be able
to meet for a while.

You know, Kettle,
the insurance investigator...

he thinks that
I have a girlfriend.

Oh, Frank.
We'll have to be very careful.

I think it'll be much safer
if you were further away.

I wouldn't know where to go.
I thought of San Francisco.

It's a big enough place.
You could lose yourself.

You could get a job.

It'll only be a matter
of a few months, honey.

Maybe just till Christmas.
I promise I'll spend Christmas with you.

We'll be together
at Christmas, all right?

[phone ringing]

Hello? Yes, I was
calling San Francisco.

Hello, Mildred. This is Frank.
Frank, is everything all right?

Yes, just fine.
We'll be together tomorrow.

You mean, I can come back now?
No, of course not. I'm coming there.

I've already made
plane reservations to fly up in the morning.

I can't believe it.
It's been so long.

Are you really coming?
I'll be there.

And I have a
Christmas present for you. I've got one for you, too.

But I didn't think I'd ever
be able to give it to you.

Darling, I'm going to cry.

Now, don't cry.
We'll be together tomorrow.

Where shall we meet?

It doesn't matter. Anywhere.

Let's eat first at Vallardi's.
That's down on Fisherman's Wharf.

[birds chirping]

Thought I'd better drop
in on you again.

Wouldn't want you to think
I'm neglecting you.

Haven't you got
anything better to do than to keep hounding me?

Why, I haven't bothered you
for a couple of months.

But today, I got to thinking,
"This is Christmas...

"and I'll bet Mr. Partridge
is getting sentimental."

Seems I was right?
For the lady friend?

I've told you 1,000 times,
I haven't got a lady friend.

I love my wife.

But your wife has been dead
for five months.

And here you are
with a Christmas present.

Perfume?

You wouldn't be
giving perfume to anyone but a lady, would you?

This is for my wife's sister,
Lucy.

Well, that's certainly very
forgiving of you...

considering she
practically accuses you of killing her sister.

I'm doing this
for Mildred's sake. She would want it that way.

I'll ride over with you.
You don't mind, do you?

It isn't as if
you were calling on a lady friend, is it?

[birds continue chirping]

*[music playing on radio]

I guess my friend
isn't coming.

[doorbell buzzing]

Remember me, Mr. Partridge?
Of course I do. It's been quite a while.

Here. I brought
your mail in for you.

Nothing very exciting there,
no love letters anyway.

There's nobody to write them.

You really fooled me.
I was sure there was another woman.

You fooled yourself,
Mr. Kettle. I told you that six years ago.

Maybe now you'll believe me.
About another woman? Yes.

You killed your wife
all right, Mr. Partridge.

Though to this day,
I'll be darned if I know what you did with the body.

If you want to read your mail,
go ahead.

It's just bills
and advertisements.

And the number of times
I went down to the morgue.

I figured it was just a
question of time before somebody would find the body.

You told me that last year,
and the year before, and the year before that.

What are you going
to do with the $25,000?

You don't have it yet,
and I don't think you ever will.

But what are your plans?

I'm going away, so far away
that I won't ever have to see you again.

Come now, there's
nothing personal in this. I don't take any moral stand.

Maybe you had a good reason
for killing her.

I told you over and over,
I did not kill my wife.

You've been
persecuting me for years.

I've had about all of this
that I'm going to take.

Now you get out of my house.
Get out.

That's a bad temper
you've got. Is that how it happened six years ago?

I'm warning you.

I think you're about
ready to crack.

You've got another
whole year to go...

and I don't think
you're going to make it.

[door closing]

(Mildred)
Dear friend, I was happy to receive your recent letter...

and must apologize
for being slow in answering.

For one thing,
I had a week off and went up to the mountains.

Lake Tahoe.
It was lovely this time of year.

Hope you are well
and taking care of yourself.

[door opening]

[door closing]

Mildred?
What on earth are you doing here?

I had to see you.

But it's dangerous.
You shouldn't have come.

I was careful. No one saw me.
Only a couple of days to go.

So this is what it's like
after seven years.

It's strange,
I'd always thought of it as being larger.

I guess I'm not much
of a housekeeper. Mildred, you look wonderful.

I suppose one's bound
to change in seven years.

I'm sorry I was irritable,
honey, but you gave me a start.

I can't tell you how good
it is to have you back.

I'm not back.
The time is almost up, dear.

I was just writing you
a letter. In two more days, I go into court.

It's no good.
I want to drop the whole scheme.

I want a divorce.
A divorce?

You want a divorce?
I'm sorry, Frank.

It just hasn't worked out,
our being apart all these years.

Nothing's the same.
I've made a new life.

New interests, new values...

and a new love.
But we love each other.

We always have.
Nothing has changed.

I'm afraid it has.
We've both changed in different ways.

I want to get married again,
and I don't intend to be a bigamist.

What about our plan?
What about the $25,000?

That's out, of course.
But I've been able to save a little money.

About $1,500.
I'd like for you to have it.

$1,500.
I'll come back to life, claim amnesia...

and we'll get a divorce.
Are you listening, Frank?

Yes, I'm listening,
but it doesn't make sense.

I've waited and sacrificed
for seven long years for that $25,000.

Now you want
to pay me off with $1,500.

It's the best I can do.
I don't know you.

You're not Mildred, you're a
stranger coming in here in the middle of the night...

to steal my money, my $25,000.

But you're not going to do it.
You're not going to have my money.

You're dead.
You've been dead for seven long years.

Don't you understand?
You are dead!

[Mildred screaming]

You've been dead too long
to come back now.

[crickets chirping]

[birds chirping]

Well, Partridge, big day?
Off to court.

Get off my property.

Let's not have
any hard feelings. You beat me.

You bet I beat you.
Every step of the way for seven long years.

You were so smug,
so eternally sure of yourself.

What have you got
to show for it?

Rub it in, Partridge.
You're entitled to it.

Been doing some work
in the garden?

I was just doing
a little spading. I'm putting in some floribunda.

Haven't got very far with it.
My back's been bothering me.

Tell you what?
Just to show you there's no hard feeling...

while you're gone,
I'll spade it up for you. No, don't bother.

That's all right.
I'll enjoy it. Good exercise.

I'll have it finished
by the time you get back from court.

[birds chirping]

By way of tidying
up our story...

I feel obliged to tell you
that Mrs. Partridge...

eventually received
what is termed...

"a decent burial."

While 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.

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.

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