"The Twilight Zone" The Four of Us Are Dying (1960)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

John Brahm

Writers:

George Clayton Johnson (story)
Rod Serling (teleplay)

TV Series:

"The Twilight Zone" (1959)

Original Air Date:

1 January 1960 (Season 1, Episode 13)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy | Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Plot:

A man who can change his face to look like other people uses his ability to improve his life regardless of his affect on others. |

Plot Keywords:

Musician | Disguise | Selfishness | Narrator | Impersonation

Cast

Harry Townes	...	Arch Hammer
Phillip Pine	...	Virgil Sterig
Ross Martin	...	Johnny Foster
Don Gordon	...	Andy Marshak
Harry Jackson	...	Trumpet Player
Bernard Fein	...	Penell
Peter Brocco	...	Pop Marshak
Milton Frome	...	Detective
Beverly Garland	...	Maggie

Runtime:

25 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Cayuga Productions

Trivia:

The industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails most likely named a song after this episode. It is off their 2008 release called "The Slip." Similarly, they also have a song called "Where Is Everybody?" on their album "The Fragile" (1999). "Where Is Everybody?" is also the name of the very first Twilight Zone episode.

Quotes:

Ramon: [answers the door] Excuse me, sir, Mr. Penell is not at home this evening.
[Sterig pushes Ramon out of the way]
Penell: Who is it, Ramon?
Virgil Sterig - Gangster: It's *me*, Mr. Penell.
[Penell, in shock, drops his beer and smashes the television]
Virgil Sterig - Gangster: Picture tubes are expensive, but you can always get yourself another beer. Imported, isn't it? I always liked your taste, Mr. Penell.

Multiple Personalities

Once you've bought into the premise, you will find this a pretty intriguing episode. It's about a man who can change himself by concentrating hard. He can see a poster and make a chameleon like transfer to that person. Unfortunately, he is a really bad guy whose motives are always questionable. He enjoys his transformations, but always uses them for evil, or at worst a disrespectful self promotion. Unfortunately for him, one of his incarnations confronts the father who hates him because he has brought shame and degradation to his family. This man has only one thing in mind. To see justice done. When you live by the sword, you die by the selfsame sword and this man is no different. It's well done, thought the cheesy transformation scene at the end isn't very well done. It's a theme that Serling employed a couple of other times in his canon of works.