Colonel Drebin has just published a book by an attractive new author Constantine Bellows. The theme is the sanctity of marriage. When Drebin learns that the writer's own marriage is in jeopardy, he implores O. Henry to investigate. "How can I merchandise a treatise on the sanctity of marriage when the writer's own marriage has come apart at the seams?" How love overcomes all obstacles in a whimsical twist ending.

"The O. Henry Playhouse" is a 1957 single season, 39-episode TV series. O. Henry (William Sydney Porter) is considered one of America's greatest writers of short stories. His writings are laced with humor and irony and often end with a sly twist ending. Veteran character actor Thomas Mitchell stars in each episode as writer O. Henry himself as he relates his stories to his publisher, his housekeeper, a barber, a bartender, or the cop on the beat. In some episodes, O. Henry meets his characters as he discovers firsthand the story he will later write. This unique storytelling method gives great insight into the famous author's creative process.

You can read the original literary version of "The Hypotheses of Failure" HERE and compare it with the many changes in the film adaptation. "The Hypotheses of Failure" is one of 13 episodes in volume three of "The O. Henry Playhouse." The films have been beautifully restored on DVD by the home video label ClassicFlix!