Three O’Clock

Originally Aired: March 10, 1949

Suspense #331, "Three O'Clock," stars Van Heflin as Paul, a watch repairman consumed by jealousy who plants a bomb in his own basement, set to explode at three o'clock when his wife Francie returns from shopping. After wiring an alarm clock to a box of explosives, Paul heads back to his shop to establish an alibi. But before he can leave, two burglars break into the supposedly empty house. Duke and his partner discover Paul in the cellar and, despite his desperate attempts to warn them, tie him up and gag him before fleeing with their loot. Now Paul finds himself bound to a pipe in his own basement, helpless and alone, watching the clock tick toward three o'clock.

With over an hour until detonation, Paul frantically tries to free himself while wrestling with conflicting emotions about his wife. As the minutes slip away, he vacillates between justifying his murderous plot and desperately hoping Francie will return home early to save him. The irony of a watchmaker being at the mercy of time itself creates unbearable tension as Paul realizes the only people who knew his location have abandoned him to face the consequences of his own deadly scheme.