The evil Ellen Pritchard
Ellen Pritchard (Susan Oliver; 1932-1990) is the main villainess from "Spare Parts," the 20th and antepenultimate episode of Circle of Fear (airdate February 23, 1973).
Introduction[]
Ellen Pritchard is the wife of well known doctor Phillip Pritchard, who died suddenly entering the episode's events. She was shown leaving her husband's funeral and speaking fondly of him, and it was later revealed that Phillip had his eyes, hands, and vocal cords donated--with respective patients Penny Wiseman, Chuck, and Joseph Moretti being the recipients. The surgeries were performed by Dr. Stephen Crosley, a friend and protege of Phillip's, though afterwards, Phillip's ghost began to affect and control each of the patients.
Moretti, under Phillip's control, used Stephen's voice to call Ellen and arrange a meeting with him at the hospital, and after Ellen arrived, she found herself pursued by the three patients before finding Stephen, who had been accosted by the trio. After Stephen denied arranging the meeting, Ellen began to figure out that Phillip was appearing through his three donor recipients, and that he was after Ellen.
Reveal[]
Ellen's evil smile after killing Phillip
Ellen revealed to Stephen that her marriage to Phillip was an unhappy and hostile one, with Phillip often accusing Ellen of having affairs (one of them with Stephen), and using his belief to deny Ellen's demand for a divorce. She later ended up speaking to Phillip through Moretti, as she faced accusations of killing her husband, with Ellen stating that Phillip's death was an accident. After Stephen subdued Chuck and Penny, Ellen escaped, but ended up entering the hospital's cold room, which locked from the outside.
Stephen's frantic search for Ellen saw Penny uses her newly instilled eyes to see what appeared to be Ellen behind a window pane, after which the trio fell back under Phillip's control and took him to the cold room; sealing themselves in. Ellen pleaded for Stephen to help her, only for Phillip (through Moretti) to state that Ellen was the only one who could get them all out, demanding that Ellen reveal the truth about her husband's death. Ellen again refused, but Penny later stated that she saw everything and revealed what truly happened.
A flashback scene to the night in question saw Ellen starting Phillip's car just as her husband called for her and entered the garage. At that moment, Ellen turned heel by locking Phillip in the garage, doing so as part of her plan to have the carbon monoxide fumes kill him. The callous villainess watched and glared as Phillip failed to open the car doors due to them being locked, while the fumes were slowly succumbing him. Phillip banged the windows in an attempt to break them, but couldn't due to the strong glass, and his pleas for help were met with cold and evil indifference from Ellen, who cemented her sadistic heel persona with a fiendish smile as she watched Phillip die.
At that moment, the evil Ellen confessed to killing her husband, stating that she did so out of hatred. Ellen's confession resulted in Phillip releasing his control over his recipients, and afterwards, Georgia Grant (one of the nurses) opened the door to the cold room, while revealing that Phillip sent her to the room and adding that he couldn't open it due to having no hands. Ellen gave an incredulous laugh over Georgia's statement, and she was arrested (off-screen) for her husband's murder, with Stephen revealing that Ellen would face trial.
Trivia[]
- Susan Oliver also appeared on Thriller as the evil Edith Landers, and played a villainous female prisoner on The Andy Griffith Show.
Gallery[]
Videos[]
Circle Of Fear (TV 1973) -01x20 - Spare Parts