Two from Levinson and Link

MOST of you may know Richard Levinson and William Link from their names appearing on high-quality TV mystery series like Columbo and Murder, She Wrote; on just five occasions, however, our authors did 

publish under a different byline, an amalgamation of their two middle 

names (see second story below). 

OUR first story, though, features the two collaborators using their real names and their inside knowledge of television production to tell the 

tale of a man troubled by an ominous dream that inexplicably seems 

to follow a . . .

(1) "Shooting Script."

By Richard Levinson (1934-87; Wikipedia HERE; the ISFDB HERE; and the IMDb HERE) and William Link (1933-2020; Wikipedia HERE; the ISFDB HERE; and the IMDb HERE). Both summarized in Wikipedia (HERE).

First appearance: Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, April 1959.

Reprints:

  Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Sampler Fall 1959 (var.3)

 Suspense (Australia), December 1960

 Suspense (U.K.), December 1960

  Shooting Script and Other Mysteries, 2021.

Short short story (9 pages).

Online at Archive.org (HERE).

   "He sat down in a chair and let the gun drop to the rug. Then he waited patiently for the darkness."

MOST people consider eavesdropping merely as bad manners, but on very rare occasions it can be deadly . . .

Principal characters:

~ The man, the woman, Al Standish, Carol, Red Holliday, Earl Babitz, Lederer, Rowe, the female vocalist, the harmonica player, and Merrick (offstage). 

References:

- "knowledge of television production" (HERE; Wikipedia and HERE; howstuffworks).

- "bright, burning kleigs" (HERE; Wikipedia) "and small baby spots" (HERE; Wikipedia).

- "KCAB" (HERE; Wikipedia).

- "the mike boom" (HERE; Wikipedia).

THE next story more than adequately explains why . . .

(2) "Suddenly, There Was Mrs. Kemp."

By Ted Leighton (Richard Levinson and William Link).

First appearance: Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine, April 1959.

Reprints:

  Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Sampler, Fall 1959 (var.3)

  Suspense (Australia), January 1961

  Suspense (U.K.), January 1961

  Shooting Script and Other Mysteries, 2021.

Short short short story (6 pages).

Online at Archive.org (HERE).

   "You'd be surprised what I see from my window. Really."

The song warns us: "Never smile at a crocodile." Excellent advice for this particular blackmailer . . .

Principal characters:

~ Walt Hannis, Rose (deceased), Mrs. Kemp, Billy (feathered), and the district attorney's secretary.

Comment: The basic premise of this story is very reminiscent of a major subplot complication for the killer in the first regular season Columbo episode (WARNING! SPOILERS! HERE; IMDb).

Typo: "siad Hannis".

Resources:

- As per FictionMags, here are the Ted Leighton stories (ss = short story; ar = article):

  "Suddenly, There Was Mrs. Kemp," (ss) Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, April 1959 (above)

  "The Hundred-Dollar Bird’s Nest," (ss) Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, August 1959

  "Memory Game," (ss) Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, September 1959

  "Teddy Wilson," (ar) Escapade, March 1968

  "Moondog: Guru Unto Himself," (ar) Escapade, May 1968.

- We've communed with Levinson and Link (or Link flying solo) on several previous occasions: (HERE), (HERE, with a related off-site article HERE), (HERE), and (HERE).

The bottom line:

Unless otherwise noted, all bibliographical data are derived from The FictionMags Index created by William G. Contento & edited by Phil Stephensen-Payne.

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