I'll never forget Patricia Collinge's performance in "The Little Foxes". She played the pathetic, tragic Birdie, one of the people left smashed and broken by the ruthlessly evil Hubbard family. She was one of the stars in the original Broadway production. In "The Cheney Vase" she plays a vastly different character, a resilient invalid who is determined to keep her late husband's prized "Cheney Vase" in the family. Darren McGavin plays Lyle, a shifty museum assistant who has just been sacked but with the help of a forged letter of recommendation is able to secure a position of trust at the home of Martha Cheney.
His cheerful, indispensable demeanour quickly becomes that of a jailer as, with all her staff gone, Martha finds she is a prisoner. Lyle's plan is to get his hands on the Cheney vase, sell it and retire to Acapulco!! But Pamela, the smitten secretary, who helped secure him employment at Mrs. Cheney's, has had enough of his ruthless ways - he has also found someone else (Ruta Lee as a dizzy maid) a bit more congenial. She calls the curator and manages to relay an urgent message about the doings up at the Cheney residence before Lyle decides to get rough. But dear old Mrs. Cheney has an ace up her sleeve - enough to thoroughly bamboozle Lyle who's favourite expression is "why doesn't something good ever happen for me"!!!
Under-rated George MacCready does well as the museum curator and ditto Carolyn Jones who is good, as usual, as the captivated secretary.
His cheerful, indispensable demeanour quickly becomes that of a jailer as, with all her staff gone, Martha finds she is a prisoner. Lyle's plan is to get his hands on the Cheney vase, sell it and retire to Acapulco!! But Pamela, the smitten secretary, who helped secure him employment at Mrs. Cheney's, has had enough of his ruthless ways - he has also found someone else (Ruta Lee as a dizzy maid) a bit more congenial. She calls the curator and manages to relay an urgent message about the doings up at the Cheney residence before Lyle decides to get rough. But dear old Mrs. Cheney has an ace up her sleeve - enough to thoroughly bamboozle Lyle who's favourite expression is "why doesn't something good ever happen for me"!!!
Under-rated George MacCready does well as the museum curator and ditto Carolyn Jones who is good, as usual, as the captivated secretary.