July 13, 2023- number 121, 122

Spoilers

“In Praise of Pip”

Season five of the original Twilight Zone kicked off with an emotional banger.

Jack Klugman returned for his fourth installment of the anthology series after being featured in “Death Ship,” “A Game of Pool,” and “A Passage for Trumpet.” All three of these episodes are very solid to excellent, but, in my opinion, “In Praise of Pip” is the best episode of the series featuring Klugman. It is certainly the most powerful performance from the actor.

“Submitted for your approval: one Max Phillips. A slightly-the-worse-for-wear maker of book, whose life has been as drab and undistinguished as a bundle of dirty clothes. And though it’s very late in his day, he has an errant wish that the rest of his life might be sent out to a laundry, to come back shiny and clean. This to be a gift of love to a son named Pip. Mr. Max Phillips, homo sapiens, who is soon to discover that man is not as wise as he thinks. Said lesson to be learned in the Twilight Zone.”

Max’s son, Pip, is in the Vietnam War and is wounded badly, so badly that they believe that he is dying. The sent a telegram to Max, a lowly bookie who cons young people into making poor gambling bets, that told him that his son was dying. Jack Klugman’s performance for the rest of this episode was heart-breaking.

The young kid who had been conned by Max was being roughed up by the loan shark, Max’s boss Mr. Moran’s goons. Max, after hearing the sad news about Pip, insisted that Moran return the money to the kid he had conned and Max attacked Moran and his henchman, being shot in the gut in the process.

Max wondered about the streets after killing Moran, clutching his wound. He arrived at a closed amusement park, one where he had taken Pip when he was a kid. He saw 10-year old Pip at the park and the pair spent the next hour having fun and spending time together. However, it was time for Pip to leave, telling his father that he was dying. Max prays to God to not take Pip and to take him instead. Max then died on the ground of the amusement park.

Later that year, Pip returned to the amusement park, having survived the surgery that would save his life, thinking about his father.

Admittedly, the story may not have had a classic Twilight Zone ending, but the performance by Jack Klugman, and also Billy Mumy, who also appeared in “It’s a Good Life” and “Long-Distance Call,” does a great job as young Pip.

“Steel”

Rock’em, Sock’em Robots arrive in The Twilight Zone.

“Sports item, circa 1974: Battling Maxo, B2, heavyweight, accompanied by his manager and handler, arrives in Maynard, Kansas, for a scheduled six-round bout. Battling Maxo is a robot, or, to be exact, an android, definition: ‘an automaton resembling a human being.’ Only these automatons have been permitted in the ring since prizefighting was legally abolished in 1968. This is the story of that scheduled six-round bout, more specifically the story of two men shortly to face that remorseless truth: that no law can be passed which will abolish cruelty or desperate need—nor, for that matter, blind animal courage. Location for the facing of said truth: a small, smoke-filled arena just this side of the Twilight Zone.”

Starring Lee Marvin, their boxing robot broke down just before a fight he desperately needed. Marvin decided to take the place of the robot and pretend to be one himself. The robot he wound up facing beat the crap out of him and he gets knocked out in the first round, meaning he only got half of the money he needed.

That was about it. Not sure what the episode’s purpose was. Boxing had been banned in this “near-future” episode, set ten years after its initial release. The story lacked any real oomph and the boxing scenes were not very well executed.

And nobody’s head popped off their shoulders like they should in Rock’em, Sock’em Robots!