DICK POWELL'S ZANE GREY THEATRE: BLACK IS FOR GRIEF (TV)
Summary
One in this western anthology series hosted by Dick Powell, based on the works of Zane Grey.
In this episode, Jeff Anderson returns to his hometown after spending two years fighting the war and is shocked to learn from his friend Sheriff John Bates that his wife Barbara was murdered by an unknown assailant only the night before. Stunned, Jeff muses that he "somehow knew" of the tragedy before he arrived. When the sheriff uncomfortably admits that Barbara "changed" after he left, he realizes that she took up with other men in his absence. Despite John's pleas to let the law handle the situation, Jeff charges off in search of Frank Simmons, one of Barbara's lovers. Frank's wife Sarah swears that her husband is not the killer, though she admits that she knew about the affair, explaining how the two grew close as Barbara, lonely without her husband, sought his help with a variety of household tasks. After several months, though, Barbara decided that he did not "belong" with her and sent him away, breaking his heart. Sarah swears that Frank genuinely loved Barbara too much to kill her, and that despite her resentment, she herself also could not bring herself to harm her husband's mistress.
Frustrated, Jeff next visits Cleve Roarke, whose elderly father Tom admits that his son, longing to escape his unhappy ranch life through his art, was indeed Barbara's other lover. Tom explains that Cleve attempted to convince her to run away with him, though Barbara repeatedly protested that she truly loved Jeff. When Tom found out about his son's plans to take his inheritance and run off with a married woman, he ended up shooting him, though non-fatally, to prevent "his terrible mistake." Tom admits with irony that the affair with Barbara has actually brought him closer to his son as he recuperates. Jeff, now all the more confused about the identity of the killer, returns to the sheriff and laments ever leaving Barbara's side. John tries to convince him to abandon his search, warning him that doing so will not bring her back.
When Jeff visits his mother, he is stunned when she unhappily reveals that he in fact returned to town the night before and reacted with shock and outrage when she attempted to gently break the news of his wife's well-known infidelities. Jeff finally "remembers" that he himself killed Barbara in a blind rage when he arrived at home and found her waiting for another man; he then repressed his knowledge of the incident out of grief and shame. Now aware of the awful truth, Jeff merely tells his mother that "she was lonely," and departs to turn himself in to Sheriff Bates. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: CBS
- DATE: November 30, 1999 8:30 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:25:09
- COLOR/B&W: B&W
- CATALOG ID: B:12321
- GENRE: Drama, western
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama, western; Drama, action/adventure; Murder
- SERIES RUN: CBS - TV series, 1956-1961
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Hal Hudson … Producer
- Lewis Allen … Director
- Aaron Spelling … Writer
- Tom Tryon … Cast, Jeff Anderson
- Mary Astor … Cast, Sarah Simmons
- Beulah Bondi … Cast, Ma Anderson
- Mala Powers … Cast, Barbara Anderson
- Dick Anderson (see also: Richard Anderson) … Cast, Sheriff John Bates
- Chester Morris … Cast, Frank Simmons
- Skip Homeier … Cast, Cleve Roarke
- Tom Tully … Cast, Tom Roarke