Phyllis Dietrichson

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Phyllis Dietrichson is a fictional character James M. Cain's novella Double Indemnity. In the 1944 film adaptation, she was played by Barbara Stanwyck.

In both the novella and film, she convinces her insurance agent, Walter Neff (Fred MacMurray) to help her murder her husband. They make it appear that he fell off the back of a train by accident. This is done after they trick him into taking out a life insurance policy with a double indemnity clause, then murder him. The aim is to collect twice as much as normal from the insurance agency.

[edit] Trivia

• The character was based upon real-life murderer Ruth Snyder.^{[citation needed]}

• The character was ranked as the #8 film villain of the first 100 years of American cinema by the American Film Institute in the AFI's 100 Years... 100 Heroes and Villains.

• In the novella, the character was named Phyllis Nerdlinger, which was changed by the screenwriters, who thought it too comical. Also, in the novella, the character was clearly disturbed, and had committed several other murders.