The Far-Off House

"The Far-Off House" is the story of a woman who returns home after a trip to find that someone has been living in her house.

It is a dark and stormy night at the train station in Waverly. Mr. Richards, the stationmaster, tells his two employees, Archie and Charlie, to go home. Charlie, the newstand attendant, reminds him that he has to wait for his mother. She is across the street at the movies because she is afraid to stay home alone at night. A recent unsolved murder has everyone in town unnerved. The two of them agree that it just isn't safe to stay in your own home.

Suddenly, Mrs. Collins taps on the window and asks for help with her luggage. She has just returned to Waverly from a three week visit with her mother. Charlie likes Mrs. Collins, but his attention makes her nervous.

The storm outside is howling, and Charlie thinks it would be safer for Mrs. Collins to stay at a hotel in town. He warns her numerous times that she should not to go back to her home.

Before she can decide, Archie brings in her luggage. When she offers him a tip, Archie pushes the money away. He snaps at her to never offer him a tip again. Mrs. Collins and Charlie are baffled, but Charlie explains by telling her that Archie is new at the station.

Charlie's mother then arrives and seems suprised to see Mrs. Collins back in town. Everyone assumed that she had left because there was something wrong with her marriage. For a while, they even thought that it might have been her husband who did it...

Mrs. Collins doesn't know what they are referring to. Charlie's mother explains that Mrs. Collin's gardner, Buddy Jackson, was murdered while she was away. Some people think that young, good-looking Buddy may have been killed by a jealous husband. Then, Charlie's mother reminds Mrs. Collins that her garden was the last one Buddy worked on before he was killed.

Mrs. Collins is now very upset. She wants to go home to her house on Indian Neck Road. Charlie tells her over and over again that it isn't safe. So of course, she goes home. On her way out the door, Charlie's mother asks Mrs. Collins if her son "seems better" to her. She says that she was told to put Charlie in a sanitarium, but she thinks that a job and a mother's love are all that he needs. Uh-oh!

After Archie delivers Mrs. Collins to her home, she offers him a tip, and he slaps her hand away again! Archie tells her that serving her has been a pleasure, and he leaves.

Mrs. Collins then walks through the dark and empty house towards the kitchen, turning on the lights as she goes. Suddenly, we are startled by the presence of a man in the room behind her!

Run Mrs. Collins!! Run!!...Oh wait... It is a studio technician. An arm comes and quickly yanks him out the picture. Yes, it was a mistake, but for a second or two it was scary!

Despite that goof, we are still focused on this story. In fact, despite a number of mistakes in this episode, the suspense is strong enough that the bloopers aren't too distracting.

As soon as Mrs. Collins enters her kitchen, she realizes that someone has been in her house. Who could it have been? She is troubled by this, and calls Charlie's mother for help. Charlie's mother thinks that Mrs. Collins should come back into town. It isn't safe for her to be home alone with the storm, the possible power outage, the recent robberies in the area, and the killer on the loose. Oh yeah, and the telephone service might go out, too. Just then, their telephone call is cut off. Later, the phone does work again, but only so her husband's secretary can tell Mrs. Collins that Mr. Collins won't make it home that night.

Now, Mrs. Collins is stuck. She can't get back to town, and soon she finds out that there is someone in the house with her. Is Mrs. Collins really as dumb as we think she is, or is she tougher than we know?

"The Far-Off House" (episode #125) was written by Victor Wolfson, and starred Judith Evelyn, Douglas Watson, and Henry Jones. This episode aired on December 4, 1951.