Lamb to the Slaughter
"Lamb to the Slaughter" is a 1954 short story by Roald Dahl. It was initially rejected, along with four other stories, by The New Yorker, but was published in Harper's Magazine in September 1953.[1] It was adapted for an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents (AHP) that starred Barbara Bel Geddes and Harold J. Stone. Originally broadcast on April 13, 1958, this was one of only 17 AHP episodes directed by Hitchcock. The episode was ranked #59 of the Top 100 Episodes by TV Guide in 2009.[2] The story was adapted for Dahl's British TV series Tales of the Unexpected. Dahl included it in his short story compilation Someone Like You. The narrative element of the housewife killing her husband and letting the policemen partake in eating the evidence was used by Pedro Almodóvar in his 1984 movie What Have I Done to Deserve This?, with a leg of mutton.
"Lamb to the Slaughter" demonstrates Dahl's fascination with horror (with elements of black comedy), which is seen in both his adult fiction and his stories for children.[3] The story was suggested to Dahl by his friend Ian Fleming: "Why don't you have someone murder their husband with a frozen leg of mutton which she then serves to the detectives who come to investigate the murder?"[4][5]
Adaptations
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
| "Lamb to the Slaughter" | |
|---|---|
| Alfred Hitchcock Presents episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 3 Episode 28 |
| Directed by | Alfred Hitchcock |
| Written by | Roald Dahl |
| Story by | Roald Dahl |
| Teleplay by | Roald Dahl |
| Presented by | Alfred Hitchcock |
| Featured music | Charles Gounod |
| Cinematography by | John L. Russell |
| Editing by | Edward W. Williams |
| Original air date | April 13, 1958 |
| Running time | 30 min. |
| Guest appearance | |
| Barbara Bel Geddes | |
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 Barbara Bel Geddes, for another woman. The adaptation otherwise follows the original story, with Harold J. Stone 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 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".
Tales of the Unexpected
In 1979, the story was adapted by Robin Chapman for Roald Dahl's British television series Tales of the Unexpected, with Susan George as Mary and Brian Blessed 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 bone resting on the serving platter. He then scrapes the contents of the platter into the kitchen bin.
Haseen Dillruba
The 2021 Indian Bollywood film Haseen Dillruba also draws inspiration from the story.[citation needed]
Mutton
The 2021 Sri Lankan short film Mutton by Sri Lankan filmmaker Hasantha Dissanayake was based on the story of "Lamb to the Slaughter". It has won few international awards from few international film festivals in many countries.
References
- ^ "Lamb to the Slaughter". Harpers. 1 September 1953. Retrieved 30 May 2017.(subscription required)
- ^ "TV Guide's Top 100 Episodes". Rev/Views. Retrieved 4 July 2016.
- ^ Roald Dahl: The Storyteller, by Jason Hook, page 21
- ^ Jennet Conant, The Irregulars: Roald Dahl and the British Spy Ring in Wartime Washington, 2008. p. 333
- ^ Henry Chancellor,James Bond, the man and his world,2005. p. 47
External links
- Lamb to the Slaughter at IMDb (Alfred Hitchcock Presents)
- Lamb to the Slaughter at IMDb (Tales of the Unexpected)
- Online text at Library of Short Stories
- https://www.imdb.com/title/tt15555030/ at IMDb (Mutton | A Hasantha Dissanayake Film)