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Title

The Locked Trunk

Plot

A woman takes her revenge spree too far when she tries to get even with her sister who stole the man she had long cherished a crush on. She must pay a high price for it.

Episode

0868

Air Dates

  • First Run - July 21, 1978
  • Repeat - January 18, 1979

Actors

Writer

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Rating

129
114     15


11 Responses to Episode 0868

I have long since noticed that Henry James' characters NEVER do the sensible, obvious thing that everybody else would most assuredly do to resolve their dilemmas!

V

I enjoyed this episode. The evil sister came across as suitably reprehensible. I wonder how many evil sibling episodes there have been in RMT. I seem to remember twin brothers, who both turned out to be bad apples.

T. Withdrow

This episode was not rated very highly but I enjoyed it more than some others that are rated higher. It's interesting how the hateful sister's arrogance and selfishness led to her demise. It's hard to not feel like she "got what was coming to her." Didn't you cheer for the first sister at the end?

Patrick Shavers

I was happy to see revenge served.

Castor T.

Wow, I rememberd this one from its original airing, although my memory of it was so vague I thought perhaps I dreamt it. Maybe I fell asleep while it was on the first time around. I couldn't help but wonder what the sister saw when she opened the wardrobe. Just invisible hands, or maybe a horrible rotting face? That's the power of radio right there.

Nancy

Beautiful Rosalind Wingate vows she will make life miserable for her plain-jane sister, Perdita, when wealthy and handsome Arthur Lloyd chooses Perdita for his wife. And Rosalind is very successful. Perdita dies after giving birth to a daughter, and Rosalind snares Arthur. But Perdita still has an ace in the hole: a locked trunk full of her best clothes that Rosalind desperately desires.

Jack

I rate this episode ★★★★★ for EXCELLENT. For starters, Roy Winsor wrote a perfect adaptation of Henry James’ classic “The Romance Of Certain Old Clothes.” The characters, the time period, the location setting, the plot points, and even the shocking ending were all there. The final scene was so good, it would leave you “breathless.” The title for this episode is fitting. Another way to title it would be “Revenge On Rosalind.” In our Host’s Prologue, E.G. Marshall brings up Henry James with his ghosts of the mind. In ACT-1, jump into where this ghost story take place. Furthermore, pointing out how Henry James got inspired to write ghost stories; the ghost in the mind. In ACT-2, understanding the delusion of the percussion, hence our main antagonist is a victim of a ghost that’s not willing to accept things the way they are. After the turn of events in the 2nd Act, E.G. Marshall points out a moral that determination is a virtue and our antagonist’s determination succeeded. But in ACT-3, things took a turn for the worse for her. After the finale, E.G. Marshall concludes that her mind was filled with obsession and she got what she deserved. In his Epilogue, our Host notes that we must learn to accept success and failure. Unfortunately, our main villain expected success and that became her undoing and the cause of her death. Our Host’s narrations were on point and stayed focused on the ghosts in the mind. The sound effects of doors, wedding guests murmuring, door taps, bell toll, howling wind, horses galloping and neighing, birds chirping, and handing over the key were supportive in this tale. The music was perfect. A mixed variety of dramatic tunes that brought tension between family and lovers and the themes of frightful problems to rise up. And best of all, the cast: Patricia Elliott (as Rosalind Wingate: the evil sister), Russell Horton (as Arthur Lloyd: the suitor), Ann Pitoniak (as Mrs. Wingate: the mother), Gordon Gould (as Bernard Wingate: the son), and Betsy Beard (as Perdita Wingate: the good sister). These 5 put on a terrific show, particularly Betsy Beard & Patricia Elliott. Betsy Beard had a soft, delicate, and dainty voice that made her character lovable. As for Patricia Elliott, her voice was strong and domineering, which made her character someone you’d love to hate. The majority of this story was Drama, but with a dose of the supernatural in the end, was a satisfying one. Fans of Henry James’ stories would love this episode. Until next time…pleasant dreams.

Russell

For once, Patricia Elliott is cast appropriately. Her voice is so grating that she is best cast as a villain, or a despotic queen, etc. I can't stand her voice or mannerisms, and her characters automatically come across as cold and unlikable. That said, I don't think Perdita Wingate is very nice or forgiving either. I wouldn't call her the "good" sister because she is also full of hate and revenge. Both sisters were jealous of each other. I am not so sure that Perdita would have accepted it if it had been her sister that he had chosen over her.

Amy

In all fairness, I can think of a very episodes where Patricia Elliott's characters didn't come across as cold and unfeeling. However, there is a tendency for her to come across that way.

Amy

*a very few episodes.

Amy

I did like this episode. Part of this story was used in “The Haunting of Hill House”on Netflix (which I believe was based loosely on a Henry James novel. I am not sure why some do not care for the voice of Patricia Elliott. Her voice is one of my favorites!

Susan


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