Mr. Denton on Doomsday (16 Oct. 1959)
"The Twilight Zone" Mr. Denton on Doomsday (original title)

The town drunk in the old-west faces his past when Fate lends a hand.

Director:

Allen Reisner

Writer:

Rod Serling

Stars:

Rod Serling, Dan Duryea, Martin Landau

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
Rod Serling	...	Narrator (voice)
Dan Duryea	...	Al Denton
Martin Landau	...	Dan Hotaling
Jeanne Cooper	...	Liz
Malcolm Atterbury	...	Henry J. Fate
Ken Lynch	...	Charlie
Arthur Batanides	...	Leader
Bill Erwin	...	Man
Robert Burton	...	Doctor
Doug McClure	...	Pete Grant

Storyline

The town drunk in the old-west faces his past when Fate lends a hand.

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Plot Keywords:

old west | fate | over the hill | twilight zone | magic potion | 

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Genres:

Fantasy | Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 October 1959 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cayuga Productions, Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

25 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

French title: 'La seconde chance'

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Goofs

TV antennas can be spotted in the distance.

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Quotes

Narrator: [Closing Narration] Mr. Henry Fate, dealer in utensils and pots and pans, liniments and potions. A fanciful little man in a black, frock coat, who can help a man climbing out of a pit - or another man from falling into one. Because, you see, Fate can work that way - in The Twilight Zone.

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Soundtracks

"Stenka Razin"
(uncredited)
Russian folk tune
played throughout

User Reviews

A redemption play, well told.

It was nice to see an aging yet durable Duryea once again in a leading role. And he more than holds his own.

I thought it an inspired touch of casting on Serling's part to cast this once uber-villain in a part that could singularly reveal both aspects of this character in one, brief 1/2-hour episode. Martin Landau was effective as the black-clad heavy (a role hauntingly foreshadowing his role in "North By Northwest"), and it was a singular pleasure seeing a nearly post-pubescent Doug McClure in what may qualify as a cameo at the conclusion. Morality tales can be tricky, but once again Serling the supreme storyteller, pulls it off with aplomb.

It always amazes me how these wonderful B&W episodes still hold up after all these years (and multiple viewings) later. I never, ever seem to grow tired of watching them. I noticed that many years later they tried (in vain) to bring back this much venerated series, only to have it fail miserably. When you combine superior writing, inspired directing, and casting the strongest character and leading actors alive into one television program, it's a tough combination to beat.

On my very favorite TZ episode, "Walking Distance," the sound track was actually written by, for my money, the greatest film composer of all time, Bernard Herrmann ("Psycho," Citizen Kane"). That fact, more than just about anything, stands in tribute to the kind of talent that Serling's landmark TV series attracted. After all of the great television I've enjoyed over the years, there is no one series that has engendered the kind of devotion and wonder that these thought-provoking episodes inspire in their loyal following, myself heartily included.