Twilight Zone: Season 1, Episode 32 A Passage for Trumpet
(20 May 1960)
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Twilight Zone: Season 1, Episode 32 A Passage for Trumpet
(20 May 1960)
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| Watch Episode 0Share... |
| Episode complete credited cast: | |||
| Rod Serling | ... |
Narrator
(voice)
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| Jack Klugman | ... |
Joey Crown
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| John Anderson | ... |
Gabriel
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Frank Wolff | ... |
Baron
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Mary Webster | ... |
Nan
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James Flavin | ... |
Truck Driver
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| Ned Glass | ... |
Pawnshop Man
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Musician Joey Crown is down on his luck. A recovered alcoholic, he can't find work because no one trusts him. Broke, he hocks his trumpet but then steps in front of truck which knocks him onto the sidewalk. He awakens in a strange world where no one can see him and he presumes he's died. He eventually bumps into someone who can in fact see him, a fellow horn player who tells him that it's still within Joey's power to decide on life or death. Written by garykmcd
Entry is really more of a human interest story than anything else, although occult does play a role. Actually, the episode is distinguished by a truly exquisite performance from Klugman, whose down-and-out jazz musician remains a beautifully shaded study in urban despair. It's a low-key masterpiece. Lordly John Anderson also adds strong presence as mysterious goateed stranger. Message is uncharacteristically uplifting one for series, but not inconsistent with Klugman's desperate effort to express himself in jazz riffs. Episode also includes strong series feature: the use of stylized urban sets to heighten prevailing mood, especially nighttime mood. However, it's the human interest dimension that carries this delicately wrought entry.