jon@sdcrdcf.UUCP (Jonathan Gingerich) (12/07/85)
a I remember reading a very interesting book of short stories that included the story about the man who wagers people cars against their fingers which he amputates. This is the story that was on the pilot for Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Does anyone know the author? (perhaps Heinlein???)
barmar@mit-eddie.UUCP (Barry Margolin) (12/08/85)
The story was originally by Roald Dahl. I know of three televised
versions: the old "Alfred Hitchcock Presents", last year's "Alfred
Hitchcock Presents" movie, and also "Roald Dahl's Tales of the
Unexpected" (the title changed to just "Tales of the Unexpected" when
John Houseman replaced Dahl as the host).
Roald Dahl is also the author of "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory", I
believe (which was the basis for the wonderful film "Willy Wonka and the
Chocolate Factory").
--
Barry Margolin
ARPA: barmar@MIT-Multics
UUCP: ..!genrad!mit-eddie!barmaribyf@ihlpa.UUCP (Scott) (12/09/85)
> I remember reading a very interesting book of short stories that included > the story about the man who wagers people cars against their fingers > which he amputates. This is the story that was on the pilot for Alfred > Hitchcock Presents. Does anyone know the author? (perhaps Heinlein???) My Dad once told me that there was a place he visited while he was in Austrailia (during the big war) where if you could make your cigarette lighter light ten times in a row, they gave you a car, but if you didn't they cut off a finger. He also likes to add that he met a woman driving a new RR that was missing both little fingers and the left ring finger. BTW, We're talking cut off (as in with a butcher knife) not amputated. Addison ihlpa!ibyf My brother? I always thought of him as mom and dad's science project.
bl@hplabsb.UUCP (Bruce T. Lowerre) (12/09/85)
> a > I remember reading a very interesting book of short stories that included > the story about the man who wagers people cars against their fingers > which he amputates. This is the story that was on the pilot for Alfred > Hitchcock Presents. Does anyone know the author? (perhaps Heinlein???) I don't know the author, but this is a very old Hitchcock story. The original tv story stared Steve McQueen as the man with the lighter. It was shown in the early 60's.
barry@adelie.UUCP (Barry A. Burke) (12/13/85)
Several years ago, when I was just in 5th grade, I won an Alfred
Hitchcock anthology of mystery stories which included this story in a
Poster Contest for my parochial school's library. I think the book was
"Spellbinder's of Suspense", but I'm not sure. The book also included a
story about a man who lived on an island, and invited vistors to join
him in a "hunt", with them as the prey! These two stories were my first
real exposure to "Hitchcock Horror", and I've been hooked ever since.
I'm happy to see that this story still carries its special intrigue for
those who've never been exposed to it before. It's that attraction that
makes "classics" (with a lower-case "c"). I only half-wish that people
would READ this type of story first- Television still doesn't do
Hitchcock's collections justice, in my opinion.
--
LIVE: Barry A. Burke, (617) 965-8480 x26
USPS: Adelie Corporation, 288 Walnut St., Newtonville, MA 02160
UUCP: ..!{harvard | decvax!linus!axiom}!adelie!barry
ARPA: adelie!barry@harvard.HARVARD.EDU, barry%adelie.UUCP@harvard.HARVARD.EDUbermes@ihu1n.UUCP (Terry Bermes) (12/19/85)
Didn't Stephen King write a short story about something like this? I believe it's in the book called _Night Shift_.