Lamb to the Slaughter
| "Lamb To The Slaughter" | |
|---|---|
| Alfred Hitchcock Presents episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 3 Episode 28 |
| Directed by | Alfred Hitchcock |
| Written by | Roald Dahl |
| Story by | Roald Dahl |
| Teleplay by | Roald Dahl |
| Presented by | Alfred Hitchcock |
| Produced by | Joan Harrison |
| Featured music | Charles Gounod |
| Cinematography by | John L. Russell |
| Editing by | Edward W. Williams |
| Original air date | April 13, 1958 |
| Running time | 30 min. |
| Guest appearance(s) | |
|
Barbara Bel Geddes |
|
"Lamb to the Slaughter" (1953) is a short story by Roald Dahl. It was initially rejected, along with four other stories, by The New Yorker, but was ultimately published in Harper's Magazine in September 1953. It was adapted for an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents and starred Barbara Bel Geddes and Harold J. Stone. Originally broadcast on April 13, 1958, it was one of only 17 AHP episodes directed by Hitchcock himself. The story was subsequently adapted for Dahl's British TV series Tales of the Unexpected. Dahl included it in his short story compilation Someone like You. The narrative element of the housewife killing her husband and letting the policemen partake in eating the evidence was also used by Pedro Almodóvar in his 1984 movie What Have I Done to Deserve This?, with a leg of ham of mutton.
"Lamb to the Slaughter" demonstrates Dahl's fascination with horror (with elements of black comedy), which is seen in both his adult fiction and his stories for children. The story was supposedly suggested to Dahl by his friend Ian Fleming: "Why don't you have someone murder their husband with a frozen leg of mutton which she then serves to the detectives who come to investigate the murder?". The episode was ranked #59 of the Top 100 Episodes by TV Guide in 2009.
Mary Maloney, a housewife devoted to making a sweet home for her husband, and heavily pregnant with their first child, awaits her husband Patrick return home from his job as a local police detective. Mary is very much content in her marriage, and believes her husband to be as well. When he returns, Mary notices that he is uncharacteristically aloof and assumes that he is tired from work. After having more to drink than usual, Patrick reveals to Mary what is making him act strangely. Although it is not explicitly said, one can infer that Patrick asked for a divorce as he states that "she will be looked after".
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