Episode 61: The Ant and the Elephant

Monday, September 19, 1966

My name is Victoria Winters. The great house on Widow’s Hill stands as a dread reminder of a past that will not die. It casts its shadows far into the night, reaching out to another house, a cottage, into which the past has suddenly and unexpectedly intruded.

Burke makes everything awkward by crashing the dinner party for Vicki at Sam and Maggie’s. 

When Sam points out that you can’t just walk into someone’s house and invite yourself to dinner. Burke guilt trips everyone, saying they would have forced him to stay in the old days, and finally, Maggie relents.

Burke claims he forgot Vicki was going to be there.

He only wants to talk about his manslaughter conviction or Bill Malloy’s death.

Burke goes over the whole accident story again, ostensibly for Vicki’s benefit.

He recounts being on the witness stand and looking out at Roger and his intended bride, but only seeing Collinwood, the symbol of the Collins family, who owned the cannery and the fishing fleet and put money into the pockets of half the people in town. He felt like an ant trying to crush an elephant.

Burke says he was driving (and drunk) when they left the tavern, but then Roger decided he should drive and took over the wheel.

Sam goes to the kitchen and doesn’t come back. Maggie reports he is gone. Burke says he’s running from himself.

Sam goes to the hotel and tries to get the clerk to give him Maggie’s letter. He says he can’t give it to Sam unless Maggie says so.

Maggie calls the Blue Whale, but Sam isn’t there. Burke tells Maggie and Vicki he thinks Sam had something to do with Bill’s death.

Under Burke’s questioning, Vicki tells about the night Bill came to Collinwood and argued with Roger. 

Maggie says if Sam knew Burke was innocent, he would have walked into the courtroom and said so.

Burke leaves.

Maggie and Vicki discuss the situation. 

Vicki thinks Bill might have jumped to a wrong conclusion. 

But Maggie wonders why Sam ran off.

Burke returns to the hotel. The clerk can’t believe that Bill just fell in the water—even though Sam says anything can happen.

Sam was there?

Yes, and he tried to get a letter Maggie left in the safe too.

Sam calls out to Burke from the restaurant. 

If Burke wants to have a private talk, they can go up to his room and have it now.

        Cast, In Order of Appearance

Victoria Winters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  Alexandra Moltke

Sam Evans. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .David Ford

Burke Devlin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mitchell Ryan

Maggie Evans  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kathryn Leigh Scott

Mr. Welles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Conrad Bain

Fashion by Ohrbach’s

Directed by John Sedwick

Story created and written by Art Wallace

Episode 11: The Trojan Horse

Monday, July 11, 1966

My name is Victoria Winters. Collinwood sits, as it has for almost a hundred and thirty years, in brooding isolation on the crest of Widow’s Hill. The secrets of the past have not yet been opened to me, but I’ve come this far and I must wait. It’s a strange home for me, but even stranger for those who’ve spent their lives within its walls.

Carolyn tells her mother that Burke was kind enough to drive her home, so the least they can do is offer him a drink. “And he’s really not a monster, after all.”

Liz invites Burke into the drawing room. She tries to keep Carolyn out, but she “wouldn’t miss it for the world.”

Burke says he came home because he was homesick. He advises Carolyn that if she went away for a while, this room wouldn’t seem so gloomy. Carolyn, who just turned down an offer to do just that, says she’d be willing to try it.

Carolyn, over Burke’s phony objections, tells Liz he’s leaving in two days. Liz and Burke agree that Carolyn talks too much.

Mr. Welles captures his audience

Sam arrives at the hotel drunk and the desk clerk, Mr. Welles, advises him he’s in no shape to visit his daughter. He tries to get Sam to join him for a cup of coffee or three. He mentions Burke is staying there. This should hardly surprise Sam, but it does. They go to have coffee.

Mr. Welles criticizes coffee commercials on TV. He exchanges information for Sam’s sips of coffee. He tells Sam that Carolyn Stoddard came to see Burke and stayed for an hour or an hour and a half. They left together, very friendly.

Liz asks Carolyn to help her get some ice, and then asks her about the two days. Carolyn says she promised not to tell (promises are meaningless to Carolyn), and then tells Liz all about the paper. “How do you know he didn't put it there so you could see it?” Carolyn says she thought of that, but then he got the phone call. (Which we know he also arranged.)

Sam decides he needs to make a phone call. Liz answers, but she’s not sure where Roger is. Sam hangs up when he hears Burke’s voice.

Burke says he’s been admiring the paintings. He claims whatever happened ten years ago is past history. Burke wonders what she would ask if she were selling the house. Liz tells him it’s not for sale. In his experience, everything is for sale. He’d also like to see Roger, his one-time good friend, to assure him he’s not out for revenge.

Sam returns to the restaurant. Mr. Welles notes that was a long phone call. Sam says he went to the bar. Sam is freaked out that Burke (“the Trojan horse”) is at Collinwood.

Burke tells Liz that, “as many places as you run to, you can never get away from who you are.” Liz expresses sympathy for his time in prison, but he says she must know how it feels, since she’s still there. He says the worst prisons are those inside ourselves.

Carolyn returns with the bucket of ice.

The phone rings and Carolyn goes to answer it. It’s Joe. Carolyn tells him she’s hoping their troubles will soon be over. The ghosts are gone. They have a date that night for dinner and a movie.

Liz sends Carolyn to find Roger, who’s on the grounds somewhere, to join them in the drawing room.

Cast, In Order of Appearance

Victoria Winters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alexandra Moltke

Elizabeth Collins Stoddard . . . . . . . . . . Joan Bennett

Burke Devlin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mitchell Ryan

Carolyn Stoddard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  Nancy Barrett

Mr. Welles (Hotel Clerk) . . . . . . . . . . . Conrad Bain

Sam Evans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  Mark Allen

Fashion by Ohrbach’s

Directed by Lela Swift

Story created and written by Art Wallace