The psychotic Caroline Hardy
Caroline Hardy (Cloris Leachman; 1926-2021) is the main villainess from Alfred Hitchcock Presents' final half-hour episode, "Where Beauty Lies" (airdate June 26, 1962).
Introduction[]
Caroline Hardy is the older sister of actor Collin Hardy, and the episode showed her in a passionate make-out session with Paul Ross, which was interrupted by the sudden appearance of a woman named Julie, who Paul revealed as his wife. Afterwards, Caroline returned home to Collin, where her insecurities were revealed, as she had often envied the attention Collin received as an actor and also felt unattractive, while dismissing Collin's attempts to convince her otherwise.
In addition, Caroline wasn't fond of the time Collin spent away from her, mainly with his girlfriend Joan Blake. In an attempt to make it up to his sister, Collin offered to take Caroline out for dinner, just the two of them, and as they dined, Caroline was all smiles, happy to be spending time with her brother. However, Joan arrived and informed Collin about an engagement that they had to get to, and despite Caroline wanting to go with them, Collin ordered a taxi for his sister.
Heel Turn[]
Caroline awaiting Collin's arrival
The following day saw Caroline repainting the house when Collin arrived and voiced his displeasure over the paint fumes, while mentioning that he hoped the paint job would be done while he was in Boston, as it would be something to occupy Caroline's time while he was away. Collin's statements alarmed Caroline, as she found out that she wouldn't be going with him; a trip she often participated. In response to Caroline voicing her enjoyment, Collin stated that the trip was for the rehearsals and that they were a bore; adding that Caroline only went with him to please her brother.
After Collin left, Caroline found out that Joan would be going on the trip with Collin, leading to Caroline tossing a picture of her brother in anger. The headshot ended up burning accidentally, and upon seeing the image, Caroline turned heel and devised a sinister plan to prevent Collin from leaving her. After sending Mr. Burns, the main painter, away, the villainess set up the fireplace and poured a flammable chemical on the kindling, and later waited as Collin returned home. Collin lit up the fireplace, and as a result of his sister's tampering, a small explosion occurred and burned his face.
Caroline was informed that Collin was blinded as a result of the explosion, and she happily took care of her brother, who became insecure and reclusive over the loss of his looks. Her attempts to comfort her brother only resulted in Collin attempting to convince Caroline to have a life of her own away from him, while continuing to lament on his face, adding that the doctor did all he could to restore his face to normal, only to end up badly damaged. Collin stated that his blindness kept him from seeing how grotesque he looked, but as shown shortly afterwards, Collin's face wasn't disfigured, and Caroline had lied to her brother about the loss of his looks so she could have him all to herself. The villainess smiled over the apparent success of her plan, though Hitchcock's narration revealed that the evil Caroline was arrested and convicted for her actions.
Trivia[]
- Caroline Hardy was the final villainess from the half-hour Alfred Hitchcock Presents, but not from the overall series that included The Alfred Hitchcock Hour.
