Hand, The

2536.THE HAND (1960-England). With DEREK BOND. This intriguing mystery begins in a Japanese prisoner-of-war camp in Burma, where three British captives are tortured in order to get them to confess information on their regiment’s position and strength. When the first man refuses to give more than his name, rank and serial number, a Japanese officer amputates his right hand with a machete! The second man is interrogated, and he too suffers the same gruesome fate. Fourteen years later, in London, a harmless old drunk named Charlie Taplow is spotted by a policeman on his beat. Charlie is clutching a thick wad of pound notes in his left hand, but his right hand has been amputated. The souse tells the authorities he sold his hand for 500 pounds to a man named Roberts. Scotland Yard’s Inspector Munyard sets out to investigate, and what follows is a taut tale of suspicious telephone calls and shoot-outs and suicide. At the crux of this puzzle stands the mysterious Mr. Roberts. Who might this curious fellow be? It will take all of Inspector Munyard’s detecting skills to unsnarl this tangled web of events and hidden identities. In the end, will he be able to solve the incredible mystery of the amputated hand? 65 minutes. Crime Mystery Suspense