Mr. And Mrs. North (TV-1952) SURPRISE
Mr. And Mrs. North (TV-1952) SURPRISE
"Mr. and Mrs. North" was a classic American television series that aired in the early 1950s, bringing to life the crime-solving adventures of a married couple in New York City. The show was based on the characters created by Frances and Richard Lockridge, which first appeared in novels and later adapted into radio plays before making the leap to the small screen.
The episode titled "SURPRISE," which aired on November 28, 1952, is a quintessential example of the series' blend of mystery and comedy. In this episode, the Norths attend a birthday party that takes a dark turn when one of the guests, a lecherous actor, is found stabbed to death. The murder weapon? Concealed within a model ship. This plot twist not only adds to the intrigue but also showcases the show's clever writing and the Norths' knack for amateur sleuthing.
What made "Mr. and Mrs. North" stand out at the time was its sophisticated wit and the palpable chemistry between the leads, Barbara Britton and Richard Denning. The show's format was ahead of its time, often featuring more complex and engaging plots than many of its contemporaries. It's no surprise that the series has left a lasting impression, remembered fondly by fans of classic television mysteries.
For those interested in revisiting this gem from the golden age of TV, episodes can be found on various online platforms, offering a nostalgic trip back to a time when couples solved crimes in between charming domestic squabbles and the streets of New York were a backdrop for intrigue and suspense. "Mr. and Mrs. North" remains a delightful watch, capturing the essence of 1950s television and the enduring appeal of a good mystery.
"Mr. and Mrs. North" was a classic American television series that aired in the early 1950s, bringing to life the crime-solving adventures of a married couple in New York City. The show was based on the characters created by Frances and Richard Lockridge, which first appeared in novels and later adapted into radio plays before making the leap to the small screen.
The episode titled "SURPRISE," which aired on November 28, 1952, is a quintessential example of the series' blend of mystery and comedy. In this episode, the Norths attend a birthday party that takes a dark turn when one of the guests, a lecherous actor, is found stabbed to death. The murder weapon? Concealed within a model ship. This plot twist not only adds to the intrigue but also showcases the show's clever writing and the Norths' knack for amateur sleuthing.
What made "Mr. and Mrs. North" stand out at the time was its sophisticated wit and the palpable chemistry between the leads, Barbara Britton and Richard Denning. The show's format was ahead of its time, often featuring more complex and engaging plots than many of its contemporaries. It's no surprise that the series has left a lasting impression, remembered fondly by fans of classic television mysteries.
For those interested in revisiting this gem from the golden age of TV, episodes can be found on various online platforms, offering a nostalgic trip back to a time when couples solved crimes in between charming domestic squabbles and the streets of New York were a backdrop for intrigue and suspense. "Mr. and Mrs. North" remains a delightful watch, capturing the essence of 1950s television and the enduring appeal of a good mystery.
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FunTranscript
00:00Mr. and Mrs. North, starring Barbara Britton and Richard Denning.
00:30Darling, I don't see why you can't tie a tie, why any child can do it.
00:51Is that why you can't?
00:52You just have to pretend to yourself that you're tying a shoelace.
00:56I can't tie shoelaces either.
00:58Oh, no, you don't, Jerry North.
00:59My wifely services stop right there.
01:04I'd like to challenge that.
01:06Couldn't we skip this party tonight?
01:08No, we could not.
01:09Betty Norman's been simply a lamb about helping me with my charity theatricals.
01:13Oh, now we're not going to the home of that frustrated ex-actress.
01:16Oh, that's very unkind of you, Jerry.
01:18She's very talented and was a great actress in her day.
01:20Not according to Edwin Booth.
01:23You've become very sarcastic and cynical since you
01:26arranged to publish that book by wealthy Dean.
01:28Dean is very wise and witty and shares my opinion of ex-actresses.
01:33Well, he's going to be there at the party tonight, though I can't think why.
01:36You two can go off in a corner and be wise and witty.
01:40Oh, now look what you've done to that tie.
01:43If you want to garrot me, why not use piano wire?
01:46You know, that was a favorite weapon of the commandos.
01:49Tipping off went ahead.
01:50That would save you from tying any more of my ties.
01:53Jerry North, you stall long enough.
01:56You finish dressing.
01:57We are going to the surprise birthday party for Betty Norman's husband tonight.
02:02Surprise party?
02:04Of all the infantile undertakings.
02:07Turning out the lights, hiding behind sofas,
02:09and everybody screaming surprise like a pack of babbling banshees.
02:13How can her husband stand for it?
02:15He doesn't know about it.
02:16That's what makes it a surprise.
02:18That's the first logical thing you've said tonight.
02:22What does he do for a living, poor fellow?
02:24He's a highly respected doctor.
02:26Now, that'll all change tonight.
02:30Zip, please.
02:35Are you quite sure you won't change your mind?
02:38No.
02:40I wouldn't disappoint Betty for anything.
02:42Besides, Pierce Duncan's going to be there.
02:45Pierce Duncan?
02:46I thought that uncured ham was dead.
02:48I've seen these old pictures on television twice.
02:51You're cute.
02:52I love you very much.
02:53Do you want a stone?
02:54No.
03:02Sneaking in the servant's entrance.
03:04I wish I were dead.
03:05Quiet, Jerry North.
03:06You'll get your wish.
03:11And ask for Joe.
03:14Oh, it's you.
03:15Yes.
03:15This is my husband, Jerry.
03:17How do you do?
03:18How do you do?
03:20Is your husband in?
03:21No.
03:22Then why are we whispering?
03:23I just like cold.
03:25Come in.
03:25Some of the others are here.
03:31That's why I swam home.
03:34Good evening.
03:35Oh, I think I'll leave.
03:38Darling, these are the North.
03:40This is Edna Lawson.
03:42Hi.
03:42Pierce Duncan.
03:43How do you do?
03:44Mrs. North.
03:47I smell something burning, Jerry.
03:49And I think it's you.
03:51I'm even glad to see you here, Dean.
03:53Oh, there are times when I undertake excursions
03:55into the, shall we say, seamy side of life.
03:58Permit me, Mrs. North.
04:05I'm the idiot who thought he was dead.
04:07There have been times when I wished he were.
04:12Attention, everyone.
04:13I want to tell you exactly how I planned the surprise.
04:16I've arranged with the switchboard downstairs
04:18to ring me the moment Leslie comes in the lobby.
04:20When the call comes in, I'll put out the lights
04:22and we'll all hide.
04:23There.
04:24I doubt if you have a closet to fit me.
04:26Anywhere.
04:27It doesn't matter.
04:28Behind sofas and things.
04:30Well, if the lights are out, why do we have to hide?
04:32Because I'll put them on again when Leslie comes in.
04:35He thinks we're going to the theater tonight.
04:37I'm rather confused, Mr. Duncan.
04:40No one as beautiful as you must ever
04:42be confused about anything.
04:45Well, I didn't know whether one should bring a gift to someone
04:47one had never met before.
04:49There are many gifts I'd like to bring you, Mrs. Norman.
04:54We mustn't spoil the surprise.
04:57Is Pierce taking good care of you, Pam?
05:00No, but I'd like to.
05:03Tell us about your new play.
05:05Well, it isn't a new play, really.
05:07It's the one I'm touring in.
05:09But I have been thinking of getting a new leading lady.
05:11Tell me, Mrs. Norman, has Pierce by chance
05:15spoken to you about replacing me?
05:17Mm-hmm.
05:20Yes?
05:22The doctor is arriving.
05:24Oh, dear.
05:25Now, everybody, please remember exactly how I planned it.
05:28Oh, what was I supposed to do?
05:31Put on the record player?
05:32I'll do it, Mrs. Norman.
05:34Thank you so much.
05:36Danny, you see that the doctor goes right upstairs.
05:39Take him a drink.
05:39That'll keep him out of here.
05:41Yes, Miss Norman.
05:41Well, you'd better go on.
05:45Now, everybody, hide.
05:46I must confess, I feel foolish crawling
05:49around behind a sofa.
05:50Yes, if you spoil my surprise, I'll kill you.
06:03We've been hiding for 20 minutes.
06:04Is he never going to come?
06:06Well, that's why he's hiding.
06:09Why can't we change it to post office?
06:12Really?
06:13I'll call him.
06:16You nearly ready, darling?
06:18Be right down there.
06:19Don't mind my tie.
06:21He'll be right down.
06:27Hello, darling.
06:30Thanks for setting up a drink.
06:31I needed it.
06:32Hard day, darling?
06:33More usual.
06:34Too many sick people who can't afford to see me
06:36and too many spoiled people who can.
06:39What's this play we're seeing tonight?
06:40Never mind about that.
06:42You sit right down here.
06:44And have a nice glass of champagne.
06:46Since when does my taking you to the theater
06:48call for champagne?
06:49Have you forgotten?
06:50It's your birthday.
06:51Surprise.
06:52Surprise.
06:53Surprise.
06:54Surprise.
06:55You can't surprise.
06:56You're holding yourself.
06:57I give you my word.
06:58Where's Hagen's birthday?
07:01What, did Pierce come too?
07:02Right.
07:03Where the heck is everybody?
07:04I thought he was right here.
07:06Ah!
07:14Oh!
07:26Now, jury, you're absolutely sure no one left this room
07:29from the time the body was discovered
07:31until I arrived with a medical examiner?
07:32Absolutely.
07:33There's sliding doors behind those curtains,
07:35and I closed and locked them.
07:36Then I locked the French doors and this door,
07:38and I didn't open them again until you knocked.
07:40How about that door?
07:41Well, I was hiding right behind the chair.
07:44Sure, no one went in or out.
07:45Well, that knife must still be in this room,
07:47and I'll be darned if I know where.
07:48We've taken the whole place apart.
07:50I must say, this is quite a surprise party.
07:53Was Duncan a close friend of yours, Doctor?
07:56Well, I'd hardly say that, Lieutenant.
07:58He was closer to my wife.
07:59They shared a common interest in the theater.
08:02I see.
08:03Any idea who might have done it, Mrs. Norman?
08:06It's horrible.
08:08Horrible!
08:09Why would anyone want to do such a thing?
08:12I thought it made the party.
08:14You're a cruel, vicious man.
08:16Oh, nonsense.
08:17I just don't happen to agree with the theory
08:19that the sudden death of a man
08:20automatically improves his character.
08:22But who would have a motive to kill him?
08:24I'd say almost anyone who ever saw him act.
08:28Now, according to where you were all hiding
08:30when the lights were out, you were...
08:33Where were you, Miss Lawson?
08:36I'm not exactly sure.
08:38Bill.
08:42I was behind that chair,
08:43and Jerry was back here, closest to the body.
08:46Thank you, darling.
08:47Actually, I was, shall we say, equidistant,
08:51and though I don't mourn his death,
08:53the actual act of murder
08:54involves just a little too much physical effort.
09:01You worked for him, didn't you?
09:03Yes, sir.
09:04Why'd you leave him?
09:05We had a little trouble, but the police cleared me.
09:08Didn't Duncan accuse you of trying to blackmail him
09:11with a letter some foolish woman had sent him in the mail?
09:15Miss Lawson tells me that you resented
09:17Duncan's attention to your wife, Jerry.
09:19I did.
09:20Thank you, darling.
09:21But not to the point of killing him.
09:23Any jury in the country would have acquitted you if you had.
09:27Now, uh, Mrs. Norman,
09:29how definite were your plans to return to the theater?
09:32Poor Pierce and I had talked about it.
09:35Doctor, didn't you resent Duncan's attempt
09:38to break up your home?
09:39Quite naturally,
09:40I feel that a wife's place is at home with her husband.
09:43When we were married,
09:44I was under the impression
09:45she'd given up all thoughts of ever returning to the theater.
09:48Then you certainly had a motive.
09:50Yes, I suppose I did.
09:52However, there are five witnesses to the fact
09:54that I was out of the room when it happened.
09:59All right.
10:00You can all go home,
10:01but don't any of you try to leave town.
10:03My dear lieutenant,
10:05should you be in Philadelphia tomorrow evening
10:08at approximately 8.30,
10:09a visit to the town hall
10:10will reveal my presence on the lecture platform.
10:13That's fine.
10:14And exactly at 8.35,
10:15you'll be behind bars.
10:17And that goes for the rest of you.
10:20Come on, Edna.
10:21I'll take you home.
10:26Thank you for a fascinating evening.
10:29Whatever are you planning for your next birthday?
10:32I'll see you out.
10:33Excuse me, please.
10:35I'll get your things in a minute, Mr. North.
10:37Don't bother. I'll find them.
10:53Something to hear?
10:54No, no.
10:55What's the matter, darling?
10:56Are you ill?
10:57I'm afraid so.
10:59Jerry!
11:00Jerry!
11:02What is it?
11:05What's the matter?
11:06Let me have a look at it.
11:11Just a minute. I want to get my bag.
11:14Betty, would you get me a cold cloth for my head?
11:16Certainly, darling.
11:18Jerry, the knife. I found it.
11:20Where?
11:21Right there on the boat.
11:23Don't touch it.
11:24The murderous prince must still be on it.
11:29My God, you're right.
11:30We've got to tell Bill Wigand.
11:31Let's get out of here.
11:34Oh, I'm all right now. Really, I am.
11:36I just felt a little faint.
11:38We must be running along.
11:40And please, both of you,
11:42don't let this bother you very much.
11:44Good night, Doctor.
11:45I'll call you in the morning, Betty.
11:47Thank you, darling.
11:48We'll find a way out.
11:49Good night.
11:53Lieutenant Wigand, please.
11:56Hello?
11:57Hello, Bill.
11:58We're in a phone booth just around the corner
12:00from Dr. Norman's apartment.
12:03Bill, we found the knife.
12:04Pam, you're seeing things.
12:06But we both saw it.
12:08It was hidden in the ship's model on the bar.
12:10It was?
12:11Yes.
12:12And a drop of blood fell on my hand.
12:14What?
12:15I wiped it off with my handkerchief.
12:17Well, hold on to it.
12:19I'll get it to the lab.
12:20And if the type matches the blood of the body,
12:22that fixes the murder weapon.
12:24You two go on home,
12:25and I'll call you from the Norman department.
12:27If I need you.
12:33Well, Doctor?
12:35I'm asking you, Lieutenant,
12:37to have the common decency to stop badgering me.
12:40I've told you I spent all afternoon in surgery
12:42and the whole morning in the charity clinic.
12:44I came home to dress and take my wife to the theater.
12:47I didn't forget it was my birthday.
12:49The killer didn't.
12:50He gave somebody a present.
12:52A murder.
12:54I'm as much in the dark as you are.
12:56And I must say I am a little surprised
12:58that you'd listen to the hysterical ravings of Mrs. North.
13:01She's very familiar to me.
13:02She swears she saw the knife.
13:04So does Jerry.
13:05I can't help what they swear.
13:07Leslie, please don't upset yourself.
13:09Lieutenant, my husband is operating
13:11very early in the morning.
13:12All right, all right.
13:13I apologize.
13:14But I just came back because Mrs. North
13:16swore to me that she saw the murder weapon
13:18stuck in the ship's model.
13:19She also fainted after you left.
13:21It's very possible she imagined all this
13:23while she was unconscious.
13:24Maybe.
13:25I wish to heaven she'd keep out of my murder cases.
13:28I wish we all had.
13:31Come to bed, darling.
13:37Jerry, he was tying his tie.
13:39Hm?
13:40Who?
13:41What?
13:42Dr. Norman.
13:43He called down that he was tying his tie.
13:45How do you tie a ready-to-wear tie?
13:47It comes tied.
13:48You're back on that again.
13:50Any child can do it.
13:52You've got ties on the brain.
13:56There's something fishy about that tie.
13:59Hm.
14:08Yes?
14:09Mrs. North is calling on two, Doctor.
14:12Mrs. North?
14:13Yes, Doctor.
14:20Yes, Mrs. North?
14:22I wonder if I might see you sometime today, Doctor.
14:25Professionally, that is.
14:28I've been having these persistent headaches
14:30and you remember my fainting in your apartment last night.
14:33What about your own physician, Mrs. North?
14:36Oh, dear, Dr. Breckenridge is on his vacation just now
14:40and I'm nearly out of my mind.
14:42I'd be so grateful.
14:44Just a moment, please.
14:46Miss Collins?
14:47Yes, Doctor?
14:48What time is my next appointment?
14:50Two o'clock, Doctor.
14:51And, Doctor, don't forget you have a luncheon appointment at one o'clock.
14:54Well, thank you.
14:57I can see you at 12.30.
14:59Oh, that's very kind of you, Doctor.
15:01I'll be there.
15:02Goodbye.
15:27Medical Register?
15:29Can you tell me who's taking care of Dr. Breckenridge's patients
15:32while he's away?
15:36Dr. Breckenridge is not away.
15:39Oh, no.
15:40No, never mind.
15:42I'll get in touch with him myself.
15:44Oh, no.
15:45No, never mind.
15:47I'll get in touch with him myself.
16:00Miss Collins?
16:01Yes, Doctor?
16:02Would you mind going to lunch at 12 today?
16:04Not at all, Doctor.
16:14Oh.
16:36Come in, Mrs. Lord.
16:38Won't you sit down?
16:44Well, first of all, Doctor, I'd like to make an apology.
16:47I think perhaps one is doomed.
16:51You mean about the knife?
16:53Well, that's exactly why I'm here.
16:55If I can have such illusions,
16:57it's perfectly clear that I need help.
16:59Medical help.
17:00But it looked so real.
17:02Did it?
17:03Oh, yes.
17:04And Jerry saw it, too.
17:06Do you suppose he's as sick as I am?
17:09It's very likely a case of mutual hypnosis.
17:13You saw what you wanted to see,
17:15and your husband agreed with you
17:17because he's tied to you emotionally.
17:19Why, how clever you are, Doctor.
17:21Why, that's a brilliant analysis.
17:23Perhaps you had better call the lab
17:25and tell them that the blood on my handkerchief
17:28was an illusion, too.
17:30The lab?
17:31Yes.
17:32You see, when I reached for my bag on the bar,
17:35a drop of blood fell on the back of my hand,
17:38a completely imaginary drop of blood
17:40from an obviously hypnotized knife.
17:42I see.
17:43Is it any wonder that I have headaches, Doctor?
17:46No.
17:47No, it isn't.
17:48But I'm quite certain they'll go away.
17:53You need a rest, Mrs. North.
17:55A long rest.
18:01In the meantime...
18:10Take these.
18:11Oh, thank you.
18:12I'll get you some water.
18:26There you are.
18:34I never could take pills.
18:36Well, I can't tell you how much you've helped me.
18:40I'm better already.
18:41Well, I'm very glad to have been of service, Mrs. North.
18:47Goodbye.
18:48Goodbye, Mrs. North.
19:10Nonsense.
19:11Mr. Dean, I don't consider murder a joke.
19:14On the contrary, I find the spectacle
19:16that you are making of yourself, Lieutenant, most amusing.
19:19All right, now.
19:20There are three people in this room
19:22with a motive strong enough to commit murder.
19:25Miss Lawson, jealousy, both personal and professional.
19:28Fear that Mrs. Norman might replace you in the company
19:31and possibly in Duncan's affections.
19:33I resent that, Lieutenant.
19:35Resent away.
19:36You're a natural for the jealous husband role.
19:40Perhaps I am.
19:41But jealousy would hardly make it possible
19:43for me to reach from an upstairs bedroom
19:45to down here behind the sofa.
19:47And you, Danny.
19:48You had a very strong motive, too.
19:50Fear of exposure as an accused blackmailer
19:52might have meant your job.
19:54Good servants are hard to find, Lieutenant.
19:56Why should I kill when jobs are plentiful?
19:58Jerry, where's Pam?
19:59Now, don't tell me you suspect her.
20:01Well, I'm getting worried.
20:02I haven't seen Pam since this morning.
20:04She made a mysterious phone call and then disappeared.
20:10Never mind.
20:11I'll get it.
20:12I do hope he comes back with the murderer.
20:14Then I can be off to Philadelphia.
20:16Hello, everybody.
20:19Oh, Pam, where have you been?
20:21I've had the most fascinating day.
20:23I've been at the police laboratory
20:25watching them analyze things.
20:26What things?
20:27Oh, the usual things they have in labs.
20:29Slides and smears and pills.
20:31Darling, have you been poking your nose where you shouldn't?
20:33On the contrary, where I should.
20:35I might as well go home.
20:36Yes, why don't we all go to Philadelphia?
20:38Or anyway, leave here.
20:39Just stay where you are.
20:40Surely you don't want to leave
20:41before finding out who the murderer is.
20:44And you know.
20:46Yes, I know.
20:47Betty, you remember when you were having us
20:49hide behind the chairs and the sofa and things
20:51before you turned out the light?
20:52Yes.
20:53Well, while the light was still on,
20:54the murderer looked in this room
20:56and saw that Pierce Duncan was hiding behind the sofa.
20:59The murderer?
21:00Yes.
21:01And then when you turned out the light,
21:03the murderer came in through that door.
21:07He looked around and saw that everyone's back was turned.
21:17He quietly crept to the sofa
21:23and plunged the knife in Pierce's back.
21:27Then he hid the knife in the ship's model on the bar.
21:31Then he sneaked out the door.
21:34Then he ran quickly upstairs,
21:36the same way he came back.
21:38Upstairs?
21:39Yes, and when you called up to him,
21:41he said that he was tying his tie.
21:44But it was Leslie who called down.
21:47This is an outrage, Lieutenant.
21:49It was also an outrage when you gave me those pills, Doctor.
21:52That was merely a sedative.
21:54They'd have put me to sleep all right permanently.
21:58They'd have put me to sleep all right permanently.
22:01I don't know what you're talking about, Pam,
22:03but what does that have to do with the murder?
22:05Well, it made me think.
22:06Made you...
22:07What?
22:10We've been fools, all of us.
22:12We all assumed that the doctor never came into this room
22:15until after the murder was committed.
22:17We were wrong.
22:18How wrong?
22:19But you all saw him come in.
22:21When we saw him, it was the second time he'd come into the room.
22:24And when he said that he was tying his tie, he was lying.
22:28He was wearing a ready-made tie, like this one.
22:31She's hysterical, Lieutenant.
22:33There's not a word of truth in what she says.
22:35Oh, but you're wrong, Doctor.
22:36The knife proves everything Pam says is right.
22:38The knife?
22:39Yes, Doctor.
22:40Congratulations, Pam.
22:41I had one of my men go through your bag earlier this morning
22:44while you were in surgery.
22:46What operation did you perform with this, Doctor?
22:49Murder?
22:58All right, I did it.
23:02I overheard them planning this party.
23:04I hated Pierce for what he was doing to my wife and our marriage.
23:09And I came home and saw him here.
23:14I guess I went out of my mind.
23:17All right, Doctor.
23:18Well, Lieutenant, I hope you're satisfied.
23:21I've missed my train to Philadelphia.
23:24Pam, that man, he's dead.
23:27Pam, that milk ready?
23:29Yes, darling.
23:30Nice and hot.
23:31So you can sleep.
23:34I, uh, I don't think I'll drink it.
23:36Why not?
23:37Because I'm suddenly not interested in sleeping.
23:40No, no, you don't, Jerry North.
23:42Drink your milk.
23:44I won't.
23:46Very well, I will.
23:47Don't you dare.
23:52Well, anyway, I hope last night cured you of surprise parties.
23:57I wish we'd stayed home.
24:00Well, we're home now.
24:06It's nice having you all to myself, Mrs. North.
24:09Milk?
24:11Mind if I change that order to champagne?
24:15It just so happens I accidentally put a bottle on ice.
24:19I'll match it for who opens it.
24:21Yes, well, I always lose, so I might as well get it.
24:27And just what are you doing here?
24:30Well, don't be an idiot.
24:31You invited me.
24:33I did?
24:34Well, certainly.
24:35You told me to come in no matter how late it was
24:38and read you the manuscript of my new book.
24:42Oh, no.
24:45Chapter One.
24:48Surprise, darling.
24:49Oh, no.
24:58Chapter One.
25:01Surprise, darling.
25:03Mr. and Mrs. North is directed by Ralph Francis Murphy, a John W. Loveden production, produced
25:25by Federal Telefilms, starring Barbara Britton and Richard Denning, featuring Francis DeSales.
25:32This has been a film presentation.