A Most Unusual Camera

After knocking off a curio shop, criminal Chester Dietrich (Fred Clark) and his wife Paula (Jean Carson) find an old camera amongst the stolen goods and discover that it is able to take pictures of the near future.

A light-hearted tale with broad comedic characters, this is one of The Twilight Zone's more amusing episodes, with an absurd ending that sure takes some swallowing.

Having realised what the camera is capable of, Chester and Paula go to the races to make their fortune, accompanied by Paula's none-too-bright brother Woodward (Adam Williams), who has recently broken out of jail. When the trio find out that the camera is limited to 10 pictures per owner, they argue about what to do next with dreadful consequences.

In the episode's bonkers finalé, both Chester and Woodward fall to their death out of the hotel window while squabbling over the camera. Paula quickly gets over her shock when she realises that the money they have made is now all hers, but her delight is short lived when a sneaky French waiter (Marcel Hillaire) helps himself to her ill-gotten gains. In a series of silly contrivances, Paula ends up falling out of the window, quickly followed by the waiter. It doesn't make much sense, and there is definitely no deep meaning or philosophical message to be had (except, perhaps, that old adage 'crime doesn't pay'), but it's still quite a lot of fun.