Alfred Hitchcock Presents - The Orderly World of Mr. Appleby

Introduction

"The Orderly World of Mr. Appleby" was originally broadcast on 15/Apr/1956 as part of the first season of Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

The story was later refilmed for Roald Dahl's UK TV series "Tales of the Unexpected".

Synopsis

Laurence Appleby is an antique dealer who owes his business associates thousands of dollars. His wife refuses to let him borrow from her insurance policy. Deciding to murder her, he consults a book on accidental deaths and finds a perfect method: killing her by pulling a rug out from under her. He succeeds, and later marries a wealthy widow who agrees to pay his debts. His habit of spending most of his time in his shop, however, makes his new wife angry. Appleby's debts begin to grow and his new wife refuses to pay them. He then plots to kill her the same way he did his first wife. Unfortunately, the new Mrs. Appleby has read the book on accidental deaths and informs her attorney about her husband's method of murder. She tells her attorney to call the police if anything happens to her. The attorney reads the letter and calls Mrs. Appleby to see if she is all right. As she moves to get the phone, she accidently trips on a disheveled rug and falls to her death. (TV.com)