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Interlock

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Hilde, a young German refugee, works as a companion to Mrs. Price, a wealthy and beautiful invalid. Hilde's fiancé, Paul, is a pianist, now employed at a bakery and practicing at night for what he hopes will be a great career. Hilde brings Paul and Mrs. Price together in the hope that Mrs. Price will take an interest in the young musician, and she does. But Hilde's plans go awry as Mrs. Price's interest in Paul grows to an extent beyond Hilde's expectations. Mrs. Price, seemingly so charming and pitiful, harbors a dark past and a present plot which the young immigrant couple's love and idealism may not be strong enough to withstand.

93 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 1956

19 people want to read

About the author

Ira Levin

75 books1,729 followers
Levin graduated from the Horace Mann School and New York University, where he majored in philosophy and English.

After college, he wrote training films and scripts for television.

Levin's first produced play was No Time for Sergeants (adapted from Mac Hyman's novel), a comedy about a hillbilly drafted into the United States Air Force that launched the career of Andy Griffith. The play was turned into a movie in 1958, and co-starred Don Knotts, Griffith's long-time co-star and friend. No Time for Sergeants is generally considered the precursor to Gomer Pyle, USMC.

Levin's first novel, A Kiss Before Dying, was well received, earning him the 1954 Edgar Award for Best First Novel. A Kiss Before Dying was turned into a movie twice, first in 1956, and again in 1991.

Levin's best known play is Deathtrap, which holds the record as the longest-running comedy-thriller on Broadway and brought Levin his second Edgar Award. In 1982, it was made into a film starring Christopher Reeve and Michael Caine.

Levin's best known novel is Rosemary's Baby, a horror story of modern day satanism and the occult, set in Manhattan's Upper West Side. It was made into a film starring Mia Farrow and John Cassavetes. Ruth Gordon won an Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for her performance. Roman Polanski, who wrote and directed the film, was nominated for Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium.

Other Levin novels were turned into movies, including The Boys from Brazil in 1978; The Stepford Wives in 1975 and again in 2004; and Sliver in 1993.

Stephen King has described Ira Levin as "the Swiss watchmaker of suspense novels, he makes what the rest of us do look like cheap watchmakers in drugstores." Chuck Palahniuk, in , calls Levin's writing "a smart, updated version of the kind of folksy legends that cultures have always used."

Ira Levin died from a heart attack at his home in Manhattan, on 12 November 2007. He was seventy-eight at the time of his death.

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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
Profile Image for Carol.
1,370 reviews2,352 followers
December 31, 2020
It's Christmas time in INTERLOCK. The setting for this Ira Levin play is Manhattan several years after WWII in the home of a very wealthy, beautiful and scheming invalid, Mrs. Price. She has a dark past and a sordid agenda.

There's a maid-servant Lucille, a driver, Everett, her companion, Hilde, and Hilde's talented, piano-playing boyfriend Paul, both immigrants from Germany.

As the story evolves, we find that two males and three females in the same household just don't mix!

Not my favorite Ira Levin, but still a decent read!

Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews

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