Monstrous Acts
A Cheery Evening of Terror, Mystery and Suspense
by
Bob Canning
Adapted
from the
Short Stories
of
Jack Ritchie
Dedication
For
Tippi Hedren
With Gratitude to
Steve Reitci
and
Richard Simms
for their Invaluable Assistance
JACK RITCHIE, A Life in 500 Words
John George Reitci was born in a room
behind his father’s tailor shop in Milwaukee,
Wisconsin, on February 26th, 1922. After
high school, Reitci studied at the Milwaukee
State Teachers College. During WWII he
served in the U.S. Army, and was stationed
in the Pacific for several years. To pass the
time, he read a huge amount of mystery
books, and it was through this experience
that he grew to love the genre.
Returning to his hometown of Milwaukee
after the war, Reitci decided to try writing
stories for a living. He sold his first story,
"Always the Season,” to the New York Daily News in 1953. And so, Jack Ritchie,
a professional writer, was born.
Ritchie married a fellow writer, Rita Krohne, in 1954. Rita, under her married
name, wrote a series of historical adventure novels for children. Their first home
together was a secluded log cabin on Washington Island, where during the winter
they battled the elements. With the birth of their first child in 1957, the Ritchies
relocated to a larger house on the island. In 1964, they moved to the mainland,
living in a farmhouse west of Jefferson and raising four children.
Ritchie’s work appeared in an amazing variety of periodicals and newspapers.
He contributed a number of "hard-boiled" stories to Manhunt magazine
throughout the 1950s. Other stories appeared in such diverse publications as
The Philadelphia Inquirer, Smashing Detective Stories, and Good Housekeeping.
Between 1959 and 1982, Ritchie wrote an incredible 123 stories for Alfred
Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine. One of these tales, "The Green Heart,” was
adapted into a film, “A New Leaf,” starring Walter Matthau and Elaine May, and
directed by noted film actress Ida Lupino. Other stories were used in the longrunning television anthology series Alfred Hitchcock Presents.
In the early 1970s, Ritchie created his two much-loved series characters, the
vampire-sleuth Cardula, and Detective Henry Turnbuckle. More television
adaptations followed, with several stories serving as the basis for episodes of the
show Tales of the Unexpected. Ritchie continued to contribute stories to various
publications, most often to Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine. His short story
"The Absence of Emily" won an Edgar Award in 1981 from the Mystery Writers of
America, of which he was a member. By the early 1980s, with over 350 stories
to his credit, and dozens of anthology reprints, Ritchie’s reputation as a short
story writer was second to none. His career was suddenly cut short in April of
1983 when he died of a heart attack at the VA Hospital in Milwaukee.
As has been noted by author Donald E. Westlake, Ritchie never gained the
recognition he deserved. This was undoubtedly because he wrote in the short
story field, as opposed to the more fashionable medium of novels (“Tiger Island,”
Ritchie’s only long-form work, was published posthumously in 1987). But to his
many fans he is still seen as one of the greatest short story writers of all time.
Monstrous Acts is an homage to the man behind those stories.
-- Adapted From Jack Ritchie: An Appreciation
by Richard Simms, London, England
Monstrous Acts
Synopses
Three one-acts adapted by America's leading author of short mystery fiction, the
late Jack Ritchie. (The stories originally appeared in Alfred Hitchcock, Ellery
Queen and Manhunt magazines, from 1960-1981, and rights have been granted for this
adaptation.)
Each play is structured like an episode on the old Alfred Hitchcock Presents TV
anthology show. An actor introduces each one-act with a brief précis, the actors'
and director's names appear in on-screen credits, and musical bits from several Hitchcock
films (Psycho, The Man who Knew too Much, North by Northwest, etc.) accompany the
credits and scene changes.
Act I
BODY CHECK
A hired killer who takes great pride in his work is forced to return to the scene of his
latest crime in Milwaukee’s pricey Brookfield suburb. It seems he may have not killed
his intended victim, or worse, he may have killed the wrong man. When he returns to
check out his work, he finds more than he bargained for. (Duration: 30 Minutes approx.)
POLITICS IS SIMPLY MURDER
Hermione Combs is grooming her lackluster husband Frederick for elected office. But
Frederick is being blackmailed, so in order to protect her husband’s future (and hers, of
course), Hermione must enlist the services of a hitman. Unfortunately, Frederick doesn’t
want his blackmailer bumped off. He wants his ruthless, meddlesome wife offed instead.
(Duration: 40 Minutes approx.)
Act II
THE DEVERAUX MONSTER
Every decent Englishman of wealth and station is expected to have a family ghost or
some other colorful albeit harmless apparition. After all, it’s a British tradition. But pity
the Deveraux clan. They have a hideous monster that has been stalking the moors and
terrifying the villagers for almost a century. But what’s gotten into their monster, now
that the bodies are beginning to pile up? (Duration: 45 Minutes approx.)
NOTE ABOUT THE CAST
Monstrous Acts requires seven actors [5 m/2 f] playing multiple roles of varying ages.
Following is a physical breakdown of the actors in the most general terms:
Male:
Early 30s, husky or slightly overweight
Early 30s, tall and lanky
Mid-30s-early 40s, handsome, leading man type
40s, solidly built
40s-50s, distinguished
Female:
Late 20s-early 30s – sexy, beautiful
40s – attractive, strong
NOTE ABOUT THE SET
Monstrous Acts is performed on a unit set with two US platforms on either end of the
stage.
There will be running along the proscenium, a narrow gravel path (perhaps with some
greenery) that forms an uneven Y-shape at the SL side of the stage.
Furniture and other pieces (including hedges, trees and a boulder) will can come and go if
necessary. These changes will mainly take place between plays while opening credits are
projected on a screen on the US wall.
Last but not least, a sturdy wooden door will be the Onstage Icon throughout all of
Monstrous Acts as it will be prominently used in all three one-acts. It is referred to as
“THE DOOR” in the Stage Directions.