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Mary offers them whiskey, distracting a few of them from the hunt through the house. After they make a fruitless search around the house and surrounding area, Mary is reminded the leg of lamb is just about done and offers it to the policemen. She points out they have already been working through and past the dinner hour and that the meat will otherwise go to waste; they hesitate but accept in the end. During the meal, as Mary sits nearby but does not join them, the policemen discuss the murder weapon's possible location. One officer, his mouth full of meat, says it is "probably right under our very noses." Mary, overhearing them, starts giggling and laughing at the fact she got away with it.
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Seemingly in a trance, Mary fetches a large leg of lamb from the deep freezer in the cellar to cook for their dinner. Patrick, his back to Mary, angrily calls to her not to make him any dinner, as he is going out. While he is looking out of the window, Mary suddenly strikes
Patrick in the back of the
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as the police detective in charge of the investigation. At the very end of the program, because network practices of the time would not allow a murderer to get away with their crimes, Hitchcock returns to explain that Mary
Maloney finally was caught after trying to bump off her second husband in the
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Mary realizes
Patrick is dead and begins, coldly and practically, to think about what to do. Thinking about her unborn child, she decides to cover up the murder. She prepares the leg of lamb and places it in the oven to destroy the evidence, then considers an alibi. After practicing a cheerful mask
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Mary
Maloney is a pregnant housewife waiting for her husband, Patrick, to return home from his job as a police detective. When he returns, Mary notices he is uncharacteristically aloof. Although it is not explicitly stated, it is suggested that Patrick has asked for a divorce as he states she "will
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as the police detective in charge of the investigation of her husband's murder. This episode ends slightly differently from the original story: having finished the leg of lamb, the four police officers get up and leave the kitchen. The last of them stops and turns back, looking intently at the leg
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When the policemen (who are all friends of her husband) arrive, they ask Mary questions and look at the scene. Considering Mary above suspicion, the police conclude
Patrick was killed by an intruder with a large blunt object, likely made of metal. As the men search the house for the murder weapon,
145:
and some innocuous remarks to make in conversation, she visits the grocer and chats blandly with him about what to make for
Patrick's dinner. Upon her return to the house and to the room where her husband lies dead on the floor, she acts surprised and starts crying, then calls the police.
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Hitchcock presents this episode from a supermarket setting, where he is given a ticket "for blocking an aisle during the rush hour", even though he claims to have been in the slow lane. In the story proper, Patrick declares that he is leaving Mary, played by
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same manner. Apparently, her second husband "was the forgetful type and had forgotten to plug in the freezer", making the meat "as soft as jelly".
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their husband with a frozen leg of mutton which she then serves to the detectives who come to investigate the murder?"
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bone resting on the serving platter. He then scrapes the contents of the platter into the kitchen bin.
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The
Irregulars: Roald Dahl and the British Spy Ring in Wartime Washington
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75:. Originally broadcast on April 13, 1958, this was one of only 17
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49:. It was initially rejected, along with four other stories, by
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112:"Lamb to the Slaughter" demonstrates Dahl's fascination with
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Ah, Sweet
Mystery of Life: The Country Stories of Roald Dahl
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in 2009. The story was adapted for Dahl's
British TV series
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head with the frozen leg of lamb, killing him instantly.
83:. The episode was ranked #59 of the Top 100 Episodes by
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Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka and the
Chocolate Factory
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in September 1953. It was adapted for an episode of
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Roald Dahl: The Storyteller, by Jason Hook, page 21
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93:. Dahl included it in his short story compilation
1003:The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Three More
1363:Works originally published in Harper's Magazine
677:The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Six More
637:Over to You: Ten Stories of Flyers and Flying
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8:
1358:Tales of the Unexpected (TV series) episodes
188:for Roald Dahl's British television series
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733:The Collected Short Stories of Roald Dahl
329:(Episode S3.E28 "Lamb to the Slaughter")
1062:Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
1030:The Bells of Hell Go Ting-a-ling-a-ling
859:Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory
347:(Episode S1.E4 "Lamb to the Slaughter")
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32:Lamb to the Slaughter (disambiguation)
608:Some Time Never: A Fable for Supermen
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824:Roald Dahl's Guide to Railway Safety
466:Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator
1348:Films directed by Alfred Hitchcock
1228:Roald Dahl Museum and Story Centre
1216:Roald Dahl's Book of Ghost Stories
987:The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar
661:Twenty-Nine Kisses from Roald Dahl
184:In 1979, the story was adapted by
25:
1338:1958 American television episodes
1171:Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
923:Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
816:Memories with Food at Gipsy House
749:The Great Automatic Grammatizator
442:Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
301:James Bond, the man and his world
106:What Have I Done to Deserve This?
867:Danny, the Champion of the World
522:The Giraffe and the Pelly and Me
474:Danny, the Champion of the World
220:Dahl, Roald (1 September 1953).
124:: "Why don't you have someone
27:1953 short story by Roald Dahl
1:
1233:Roald Dahl Children's Gallery
765:Roald Dahl: Collected Stories
251:"TV Guide's Top 100 Episodes"
808:Measles: A Dangerous Illness
701:More Tales of the Unexpected
498:George's Marvellous Medicine
1353:Short stories by Roald Dahl
1379:
1210:Short stories bibliography
29:
1155:James and the Giant Peach
907:James and the Giant Peach
546:The Vicar of Nibbleswicke
434:James and the Giant Peach
327:Alfred Hitchcock Presents
159:Alfred Hitchcock Presents
64:Alfred Hitchcock Presents
1343:Fiction about mariticide
1131:Roald Dahl's Willy Wonka
321:Library of Short Stories
109:, with a leg of mutton.
1089:Tales of the Unexpected
1046:Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
792:Boy: Tales of Childhood
784:The Mildenhall Treasure
741:The Roald Dahl Treasury
693:Tales of the Unexpected
345:Tales of the Unexpected
239:(subscription required)
222:"Lamb to the Slaughter"
191:Tales of the Unexpected
179:Tales of the Unexpected
90:Tales of the Unexpected
55:, but was published in
939:Roald Dahl's Esio Trot
757:Skin and Other Stories
709:The Roald Dahl Omnibus
685:The Best of Roald Dahl
482:The Enormous Crocodile
79:episodes directed by
39:Lamb to the Slaughter
18:Lamb to the slaughter
1312:Revision controversy
1291:Wade-Dahl-Till valve
30:For other uses, see
1038:You Only Live Twice
979:Matilda the Musical
67:(AHP) that starred
1333:1953 short stories
1107:Musicals and plays
1033:(1966, unfinished)
418:Children's fiction
167:Barbara Bel Geddes
137:be looked after."
116:(with elements of
103:in his 1984 movie
69:Barbara Bel Geddes
1320:
1319:
1147:The Golden Ticket
1123:Fantastic Mr. Fox
1073:Television series
931:Fantastic Mr. Fox
565:Children's poetry
226:Harper's Magazine
58:Harper's Magazine
16:(Redirected from
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1179:Fantastic Mr Fox
1054:The Night Digger
955:Revolting Rhymes
843:Film adaptations
645:Someone Like You
573:Revolting Rhymes
458:Fantastic Mr Fox
450:The Magic Finger
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1205:Bibliography
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1022:Film scripts
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669:Switch Bitch
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581:Dirty Beasts
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426:The Gremlins
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303:,2005. p. 47
300:
292:
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255:. Retrieved
245:
230:. Retrieved
225:
215:
198:as Mary and
196:Susan George
189:
183:
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147:
143:
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118:black comedy
111:
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94:
88:
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62:
56:
50:
41:" is a 1954
38:
36:
1274:Phoebe Dahl
1268:Sophie Dahl
1244:Olivia Dahl
1223:Gipsy House
1187:The Witches
1139:The Witches
971:The Witches
891:The Witches
776:Non-fiction
629:collections
627:Short story
554:The Minpins
514:The Witches
365:(2021 film)
317:Online text
253:. Rev/Views
153:Adaptations
122:Ian Fleming
43:short story
1327:Categories
1264:(daughter)
1258:(daughter)
1252:(daughter)
1250:Tessa Dahl
1246:(daughter)
1115:The Honeys
1092:(1979–88)
899:Four Rooms
800:Going Solo
717:Two Fables
589:Rhyme Stew
411:Roald Dahl
207:References
47:Roald Dahl
1305:To Olivia
1262:Lucy Dahl
1011:The Twits
653:Kiss Kiss
538:Esio Trot
490:The Twits
228:. Harpers
81:Hitchcock
1198:See also
1096:episodes
1081:'Way Out
851:36 Hours
85:TV Guide
1163:Matilda
947:The BFG
915:Matilda
875:The BFG
832:My Year
530:Matilda
506:The BFG
319:at the
194:, with
1308:(2021)
1300:(2020)
1240:(wife)
1219:(1983)
1190:(2023)
1182:(2016)
1174:(2013)
1166:(2010)
1158:(2010)
1150:(2010)
1142:(2008)
1134:(2004)
1126:(1998)
1118:(1955)
1084:(1961)
1065:(1971)
1057:(1971)
1049:(1968)
1041:(1967)
1014:(2025)
1006:(2024)
998:(2023)
990:(2023)
982:(2022)
974:(2020)
966:(2017)
958:(2016)
950:(2016)
942:(2015)
934:(2009)
926:(2005)
918:(1996)
910:(1996)
902:(1995)
894:(1990)
886:(1989)
878:(1989)
870:(1989)
862:(1971)
854:(1964)
835:(1993)
827:(1991)
819:(1991)
811:(1986)
803:(1986)
795:(1984)
787:(1946)
768:(2006)
760:(2000)
752:(1998)
744:(1997)
736:(1991)
728:(1989)
720:(1986)
712:(1986)
704:(1980)
696:(1979)
688:(1978)
680:(1977)
672:(1974)
664:(1969)
656:(1960)
648:(1953)
640:(1946)
619:(1979)
611:(1948)
592:(1989)
584:(1983)
576:(1982)
557:(1991)
549:(1991)
541:(1990)
533:(1988)
525:(1985)
517:(1983)
509:(1982)
501:(1981)
493:(1980)
485:(1978)
477:(1975)
469:(1972)
461:(1970)
453:(1966)
445:(1964)
437:(1961)
429:(1943)
371:
363:Mutton
353:
335:
257:4 July
232:30 May
126:murder
114:horror
995:Wonka
369:IMDb
351:IMDb
333:IMDb
259:2016
234:2017
132:Plot
71:and
367:at
349:at
331:at
77:AHP
45:by
1329::
283:,
224:.
403:e
396:t
389:v
299:,
261:.
236:.
37:"
34:.
20:)
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