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A pitchman tries to stall his death by making a big sales pitch to Mr. Death in this classic Twilight Zone episode. IMDb provides cast and crew information, plot summary, trivia, goofs, quotes, and user and critic reviews.
- (6.1K)
- Drama, Fantasy, Horror
- Robert Parrish
- 1959-10-09
Lew Bookman is a kindly sidewalk pitchman who sells and repairs toys, notions, and trinkets, and is adored by the neighborhood children. One day, Bookman is visited by Mr. Death, who tells him that he is to die at midnight of natural causes.
Nov 9, 2018 · Episode 1 - One for the Angels. In the inaugural episode of the Twilight Pwn, John & Fred get together to discuss the Twilight Zone episode "One for the Angels." Topics include Rod...
- 35 min
- 12.7K
- TheTwilightPwn
- Episode Details
- Themes
- Response and Analysis
- Technical Information
- Trivia
- External Links
Title Sequence
This episode's title sequence again made use of the revised "fifth dimension" introduction:
Episode Summary
A sidewalk pitchman, Lew Bookman, makes a living selling toys, notions, and trinkets. It's seen that all the children in the neighborhood enjoy this gentle, kindly man. One summer day Mr. Bookman is accosted byDeathand told that he is to die at midnight. Lew argues that his life's work as a pitchman is not quite complete, and convinces Mr. Death to give him enough time to give one last, great sales pitch—"one for the angels" as Lew puts it. Once Mr. Death agrees, Bookman announces his intenti...
This episode deals heavily with the theme of death and its inevitability. This is assisted by having death personified in the character Mr. Death, depicted as a strict but not unpleasant bureaucrat who must complete his task or suffer the collapse of all reality. Also examined is the contrast between the age of children and the age of the elderlyan...
Antecedents
1. This tale is reminiscent of the 1957 film The Seventh Seal, by Swedish director Ingmar Bergman. In the film, a medieval knight returning home from a crusade finds Death has come to claim him. He challenges Deathto a game of chess, in order that he may be reunited with his wife after ten years apart. The grim figure accepts, with the knight's life depending upon the outcome of the game. 2. A somewhat similar portrayal of death had been used in the 1934 film, Death Takes a Holiday, which wou...
Notes and Annotations
1. The title refers to the lead character's dream of someday making a sales pitch that is big enough that the sky will open up; "a really big pitch, one for the angels." 2. "Pitchman" defined: 1. 1.1. pitchman (plural pitchmen) 1.1.1. 1. A salesman, especially, one who aggressively markets wares from a street stall, or a carnival or side show act. 1. Cheating Death is also a common theme in folklore: 1.1. In Greek mythology, Zeus once ordered Thanatos (a Greek psychopomp) to chain Sisyphus in...
Cast
1. Rod Serling as Narrator (voice only); uncredited 2. Ed Wynn as Lewis "Lew" Bookman 3. Murray Hamilton as Mr Death 4. Dana Dillaway as Maggie 5. Jay Overholtsas Doctor 6. Merritt Bohnas Truck Driver 7. Mickey Maga as Ricky; uncredited
Crew
1. Rod Serling(writer; executive producer: Cayuga Productions) 2. Buck Houghton(producer) 3. George T. Clemens(director of photography) 4. Lyle Boyer(film editor) 5. Millie Gusse(casting; credited: Mildred Gusse) 6. George W. Davis(art director) 7. William Ferrari(art director) 8. Rudy Butler(set decorator) 9. Henry Grace(set decorator) 10. Ralph W. Nelson(production manager) 11. Edward O. Denault(assistant director (credited: Edward Denault) 12. Franklin Milton(sound; credited: Frank Milton)...
Production Companies
1. Cayuga Productions 2. Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) (in association with)
The toy Robby The Robot featured in this episode is the Nomura 1957 Robby Mechanized Robot (aka the Kitahara #1). Someone in the prop department applied a sticker of a blood shot human eye onto its..."Ed Wynn was a sweetheart," recalls Dana Dillaway. "He gave me a box of European chocolates after the filming was finished. I remember saying his character's name, 'Lou', about a million times duri...In consideration of Ed Wynn's advanced age, the night-time scenes were filmed during the day, with tarpaulins pulled over the set to give the illusion of night.This episode takes place from July 19 to July 20, 1960.A classic TV episode about a man who tries to cheat death by hiring a hitman to kill him. Find out the cast, crew, plot, and trivia of this 1959 sci-fi drama on IMDb.
Oct 2, 2020 · "One for the Angels" was the second Twilight Zone episode aired and had a very different tone from the pilot. Rod Serling based the episode off an old teleplay he did with the same title,...
- 5 min
- 109.7K
- Channel Awesome
Watch a street salesman evade Death and face a moral dilemma in this classic sci-fi story. One for the Angels is the second episode of season 1 of The Twilight Zone, a TV anthology series that explores humanity's hopes, despairs, prides and prejudices.
