The Alfred Hitchcock Hour - A Home Away from Home

Introduction

"A Home Away from Home" was originally broadcast on 27/Sep/1963 as part of the second season of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour.

Synopsis

The mentally ill Dr. Fenwick is a supporter of the therapeutic value of role-playing in psychiatry. He kills the head of the sanitarium where he is a patient and assumes the man's identity. He locks doctors and nurses in the attic and gives their responsibilities to other patients. Things run rather smoothly until Natalie Rivers, the niece of the sanitarium head, arrives for a visit. Since she has never seen her uncle before, Fenwick tricks her into thinking he is her uncle. Natalie discovers her real uncle's body, and not knowing who he is, asks Fenwick to call the police. He pretends to call the police and a patient pretending to be a detective shows up to look things over. Eventually, Natalie discovers the entire staff of the sanitarium locked up in the attic. Fenwick tries to prevent her from telling anyone, but is stopped by police. It seems that the patient playing the detective became so immersed in the role that he thought it was his profesional duty to inform authorities. (TV.com)