The X-Ray Camera
Starring: Dennis O'Keefe
Originally aired: 23 October 1947
Plot synopsis: A man wishing to be rid of his wife devises a murderous plan involving an 'x-ray camera' and an unwitting salesgirl.
Favourite line: 'There is a shadowy borderland between hate and love, and there are men who dwell in this land of mixed emotions ...'
Review: This is a fairly routine episode, which is diverting enough, but far from exceptional. O' Keefe gives a solid performance, but the only aspect that really stands out is the (faintly ludicrous) scheme his character comes up with for dispatching his wife. His plan is novel, but - as is often the case in weaker crime stories - unnecessarily, and unrealistically, complicated. One problem with the scheme is its reliance upon the gullibility of a salesgirl the protagonist befriends in a department store, who after barely meeting him, falls for his story about being a private detective and readily agrees to carry out the assignment he asks her to, which involves the x-ray camera of the title. Further weaknesses of the episode are that there are no especially exciting twists or moments of great suspense, and the mistake that leads to the main character's capture is too mundane to make for a very effective denouement.
Rating: * *
