May 29, 2023- number 2

“One for the Angels”

Spoilers

“Louis J. Bookman. Age 60ish. Occupation: pitchman. Formerly a fixture of the summer. Formerly a rather minor component to a hot July, but throughout his life, a man beloved by the children, and therefore a most important man. Couldn’t happen you say? Probably not in most places, but it did happen…in the Twilight Zone.“

Episode two of the first season of The Twilight Zone featured that tag above from Rod Serling, the narrator of the series, about a pitchman who was in the business of trying to cheat death.

Mr. Bookman, played by well-known comedic actor Ed Wynn, was approached by a mysterious man, played by Murray Hamilton. That man turned out to be Mr. Death, and Mr. Bookman tried to weasel his way out of his fate. Told he was destined to die in his sleep at midnight, Mr. Bookman took advantage of a loophole to be granted a stay.

However, Mr. Death was forced into making new arrangements and, instead of Mr. Bookman, he was prepared to take young girl Maggie (Dana Dillaway) in his place.

Bookman had been friends with the children in the area and Maggie was especially close, so he was determined to prevent Mr. Death from taking the 8-year old.

“One for the Angels” was another character piece focusing in on Louis Bookman. A man who was used to getting by in his life with his voice, making pitches to everyone around him. However, he was a good man and could not stand the idea that the little girl would be a collateral victim of his avoidance of death. He set out on with his plan to sacrifice himself to save the girl the same way he lived his life… through a pitch for the angels.

This episode was sweet and enjoyable. Having the little girl’s life in the balance gave Lou Bookman a chance to show how wonderful of a man he was, and, despite his enthrallment of Mr. Death by his pitch was a tad weird (I mean, wouldn’t Death be able to already find the best ties available?), things like that happen in the Twilight Zone.

I thought at first that this would devolve into something very dark, as I had read in the graphic novel The Twilight Man, that many episodes of the show were considered dark, this one wound up in an almost heroic manner. Ed Wynn was the heartbeat of the episode and does a great job of creating a man that was ultimately likeable and full of caring.