Thomas Burke’s 1929 short story about a serial strangler was considered a classic mystery in a brief time after its publication. The plotline of an insane, random killer, who otherwise held a responsible and respected position, was fresh at the time. The story was adapted often for radio, theater, and television. This Suspense version stars Claude Rains and Vincent Price.
Peter Lorre was originally planned for the newspaper reporter’s role, but was replaced by Price. It’s a British story, but Price does not use a British accent in his portrayal while the other actors do. Performer and researcher Keith Scott notes that “a lot of people assumed Price was in fact English, because of his cultured theatrical delivery and somewhat plummy tones.” Perhaps he did not need the accent to succeed in the role as listeners had this perception. Forcing a strong accent may have not presented well for him. Rains and Price are very good in their roles.
From today’s vantage point, the story seems predictable because the plot device of an insane, random killer is much more common in fiction and its media productions than it was more than 80 years ago. In its time, however, it was disturbing. It’s not a spoiler alert, because the story is so well known, to say that the police sergeant is the perpetrator of the crimes, the very person in charge of the investigation. It’s likely that the 1931 readers gasped at that revelation.
In 1949, it received the award “best mystery story of all time” by the Mystery Writers of America. A few years earlier it was announced as “the greatest of mysteries” by a panel of writers and mystery connoisseurs. The source of that accolade has yet to be identified in research for this episode, but that comment is frequently cited. For more background, including the original story, go to https://www.editoreric.com/greatlit/books/Hands-of-Mr-Ottermole.html
This is the first Suspense adaptation by Ken Crossen, well-known mystery writer for the pulps and books, a radio and television writer, and screenplay author. He was one of the founders of the Mystery Writers of America. In addition to Suspense, his work also was presented on The Saint, and Molle Mystery Theater, Ellery Queen and likely others. For television, he wrote for 77 Sunset Strip, Perry Mason, and others. Crossen was the creator of the pulp character The Green Lama. That character was featured in a short-lived radio series of the same name. It is highly sought by classic radio fans who are disappointed that so few episodes of that short series have survived. Further details about Crossen’s career can be found at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kendell_Foster_Crossen
The Hands of Mr. Ottermole was performed twice on the Suspense television series. No kinescopes have been found. The story was performed on 1949-06-28 with Ralph Bell and on 1950-11-28 with Lawrence Fletcher. Television fans are familiar with the story from Alfred Hitchcock Presents where it was the thirty-second episode of the second season, airing in May 1957.
Many thanks to researcher Karl Schadow that the original story was published in the February 1929 edition of The Story-teller. Many resources list the date of original publication as 1931, which is incorrect.
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https://archive.org/details/TSP481202
THE CAST
CLAUDE RAINS (Sergeant Ottermole), VINCENT PRICE (“Mr. Newspaper Man”), Lou Krugman (Harry Whybrow), Ben Wright (Smithers), Raymond Lawrence (Joyner), Alec Harford (Pub character), unknown (Flossie / Woman), Paul Frees (Signature Voice)
COMMERCIAL: Bill Johnstone (Hap), Sylvia Simms (Operator), Harlow Wilcox (Announcer)
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