"The Black Shawl" stars Dame May Whitty and Maureen O'Sullivan in a weird story about an Englishwoman who engages a home companion to live with her...and the person hidden in her home.
As the episode opens, Susan Applebie tells us that she is about to be murdered. Only three days earlier, she had been enjoying herself at the town fair, but then she met Elizabeth Masters.
Mrs. Masters approached Susan at the fair with an offer of employment as a home companion. She told Susan that her primary responsibilities would be to brew tea and chit chat, and for that, she would be well paid. Susan agreed because she and her fiance needed the money, but when her fiance heard about her new position with the strange old woman, he wasn't pleased. Despite his concerns, she started her new job the next night.
Now, Susan is imprisoned in the house of a madwoman who has a peculiar grudge against home companions.
"The Black Shawl" was written by Richard R. Lewis and produced/directed by William Spier. This episode was the first of Dame May Whitty's four appearances on Suspense, but it was Maureen O'Sullivan's only appearance. This episode aired on July 27, 1944.
. Download Suspense_1944.07.27_TheBlackShawl.mp3
(Image from Wikimedia Commons)
Great, creepy story and the lead actresses are fantastic. This reminds me of the movie "Die! Die, My Darling" with Stefanie Powers. The novel that the movie is based on is good, too, but I can't remember the title and author.
Posted by: Grigs | March 25, 2008 at 09:48 PM
I will definitely put Die!Die!My Darling on my list of movies to watch! Thanks, - Christine
Posted by: cmillinsf | March 26, 2008 at 09:03 AM
The novel is "Nightmare" by Anne Blaisdell and it's good,too.
Most classic movie fans would get on my case for not saying that Tallulah Bankhead was the star of the film. I've just always been a fan of Ms. Powers, especially her 1960's work.
Posted by: Grigs | March 26, 2008 at 06:43 PM
Thanks for the info about Nightmare. I'm ordering a copy of Die! Die! My Darling today. I'm really curious about it now. Best - Christine
Posted by: cmillinsf | March 27, 2008 at 08:55 AM
Hi Grigs,
You are right. Die! Die! My Darling is very similar. Jeez, Stephanie Powers really takes a beating from Tallulah Bankhead in that movie! I kept waiting for the dead son to pop out of the woodwork too, but he doesn't. Thanks for the recommendation. - Christine
Posted by: cmillinsf | April 09, 2008 at 10:54 AM
You're welcome. Stephanie Powers vs. Tallulah Bankhead was a battle for the ages and Tallulah's maid was no picnic either. I'm going to have to find that movie and watch it again.
Posted by: Grigs | April 15, 2008 at 01:48 PM