The Third Alibi
The Third Alibi is a 1961 British thriller film directed by Montgomery Tully and starring Laurence Payne, Patricia Dainton, Jane Griffiths and Edward Underdown. Plot. Musicals composer Norman Martell's (Laurence Payne) is having an affair with his wife Helen's (Patricia Dainton) divorced half sister, Peggy (Jane Griffiths). Peggy repeatedly asks him to obtain a divorce and marry her; he finally agrees when she becomes pregnant. His wife refuses his request out of sibling rivalry and suggests that the child's father may be someone else's. Martell cannot just leave his wife, as she  manages his royalty income. Instead, he plots her murder, using the tape recorder he uses in his composing to establish an alibi. Critical reception. "TV Guide" gave the film two out of four stars, calling it a "tight little thriller"; and BFI Screenonline wrote, ""The Third Alibi" benefits distinctly from the assured economy of his (Tully's) direction. Compact, low-key, but exciting...this later work is, characteristically, constructed with precision; and moves smoothly and swiftly towards an effective and ingenious denouement."