A married couple stands to inherit 30,000 British pounds when the wife's aunt riding with them dies, but while in Mexico their car with her body inside is stolen.A married couple stands to inherit 30,000 British pounds when the wife's aunt riding with them dies, but while in Mexico their car with her body inside is stolen.A married couple stands to inherit 30,000 British pounds when the wife's aunt riding with them dies, but while in Mexico their car with her body inside is stolen.
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Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe story is a variation of the Urban Legend often called "Grandmother on the roof rack" which was current in the US and western Europe from at least the late 1940s.
- GoofsEarly in the show, when talking with the Mexican border guard, there are three people in Evan's car (him as the driver, his wife next to him, and the wife's aunt in the back seat). But, in the very next clip, as the car is slowing to park alongside a curb, only Evan the driver, is in the car. And, after the car has stopped, all three people are now magically back in the car.
- Quotes
[introduction]
Alfred Hitchcock: [Two men looking like Hitchcock in large sombreros covering their faces are sitting asleep and snoring away on opposite ends of a huge hardcover book with its text block facing the camera; the real Hitchcock on the left of the book wakes up and turns to the audience] Good evening, senors and senoras, and members of our little "Book of the Week" club. Originally, I was to play a different role, but I proved to be a rather bulky bookmark.
[gets up]
Alfred Hitchcock: Tonight's little volume takes us to exotic nearby Mexico, home of the tortilla, the bullfight, and the 40-hour coffee break. It is called, "The Diplomatic Corpse". Allow me.
[goes to book and opens the cover, then looks back at the audience]
- SoundtracksFuneral March of a Marionette
Written by Charles Gounod
He is one of the main good things about "Diplomatic Corpse", which is yet another episode that could have been a good deal better than it was. The premise was very intriguing and something worthy of Hitchcock, but the execution was only slightly above mixed bag quality. "Diplomatic Corpse" is not one of the worst 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' episodes, it isn't even one of the worst of Season 3 or of Henreid's episodes, but it is not one of the best and not up to the same level as the very strong start that Season 3 had.
There are things that are done well. It is particularly worth seeing for the performance of Lorre, who has a ball in a role that suits him perfectly, plays to his strengths and almost like the writers etc had him in mind. He is incredibly entertaining to watch and wonderfully smarmy. George Peppard and Mary Scott aren't as good, but carry the story very convincingly and although their characters are frustrating they aren't dull.
"Diplomatic Corpse" has some tight, thought provoking and entertaining writing, Lorre's calculations and deductions are a hoot. There are moments of good suspense in the second half. Henreid's direction isn't routine or static, while the episode looks slick enough and Hitchcock's bookending is typically ironic. The theme music is delightful still.
However, "Diplomatic Corpse" does suffer primarily from that the story is very silly and often illogical, too much of the first half doesn't make sense and a lot of the decision making from the couple has the viewer throwing their hands in the air going "what?" Isobel Elsom also goes too far on making her character as loathsome as possible, the character is a caricature and Elsom overacts.
Also wish that the ending was better, after some suspenseful build up it then really runs out of mileage and ends in an anti-climactic, rushed and cop out way.
Overall, not a bad episode at all elevated by Lorre, but the story really brings it down. 6/10.
- TheLittleSongbird
- Oct 14, 2022
Details
- Runtime30 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1