(TV Series)

(1954)

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7/10
Well acted, but not among the best shows in the series.
planktonrules24 January 2015
Charles Boyer stars in this installment of "Four Star Playhouse". He plays a waiter whose wife is ill with some illness they never, ever really talk about--it's just some lingering mystery illness (perhaps TB?). The wife should go to the hospital for treatment, but it's expensive and the family cannot afford it. Eventually, they cannot delay any longer and she'll have to go--and go to the charity ward. The husband is awfully proud and cannot stand accepting this, so he and the son desperately look for another option.

like all the episodes of "Four Star Playhouse", the acting is quite good. William Campbell co-stars as Boyer's son and they both were excellent here. The only negative is the story--it's not particularly strong and the ending seems a bit contrived. Still, an adequate episode of this series is still quite good.
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Boyer Shines in Loose Drama
dougdoepke18 April 2021
Generally speaking, it's a feel-good entry in the outstanding 4-Star series. Boyer may be just a head waiter, but he's also a free-spending aristocratic type at heart, utterly devoted to his afflicted wife (Palmer). One night he retrieves a customer's lost wallet, promising to return it the next night during work. Then, that same first night, his wife's suddenly taken to the hospital and in typical fashion Boyer wants the best accomodations for her. Trouble is he's already deeply in debt because of his free spending ways with no financial recourse left. Plus his generally worthless son (Campbell) steals money to help pay for Mom. Then Boyer notices the wallet and it's full of money, an apparent solution to his and the son's problems. But stealing money will also devastate his aristocratic pride. So what will he do.

Boyer's excellent in a role tailor made for his elevated persona. However actor Campbell appears too old and too unlike the parents to be plausible, an apparent case of miscasting. All in all, however, it's an engaging conflict between the values of pride and devotion, even if rather loose in its drama.
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