- [afterword]
- Alfred Hitchcock: [Hitchcock is standing to the right of the pot and looks upset] I've never been so insulted in my life. I've been dropped from the menu. The chef claims I'm not tender enough. But of course, that means I shall be back another time with a new story. Until then, good night, and bon appetit.
- [looks glumly to his right as the camera pulls out to reveal a bespectacled young lady with bare shoulders inside the simmering pot reading a book]
- [introduction]
- Alfred Hitchcock: [Hitchcock is in his suit standing in a huge cooking pot with a roaring fire underneath it] Good evening, fellow gourmet. Have you ever been in a position where the success or failure of a dinner party depended entirely on you? Of course, all this is not without its compensations. It is always reassuring to learn that other human beings still find you desirable. And, I am the main course. It will be horrible to go through this and be nothing but an hors d'oeuvre. Confidentially, they are miserable chefs. I certainly would never cook a pot roast with its shoes on. Actually, I still haven't explained why I'm here. It seems that one of the natives was condemned to death, and as a last request, was granted the right to indulge in a hearty meal. I'm proud to say, i was his first choice. And now, while I'm coming to a boil, suppose you watch tonight's story, which is also about a condemned man.
- [brings up a ladle from inside the pot, tastes from it, and throws some salt from a shaker into the pot]