In Praise of Pip 

A wearied bookie, learning of his grown soldier son Pip dying in South Vietnam, gets to spend one last delightful hour with a ten-year-old version of him at an amusement park.

Director:

Joseph M. Newman

Writers:

Rod Serling, Rod Serling (created by)

Stars:

Jack Klugman, Connie Gilchrist, Bobby Diamond

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
Jack Klugman	...	Max Phillips
Connie Gilchrist	...	Mrs. Feeny
Bobby Diamond	...	Pvt. Pip (as Robert Diamond)
Bill Mumy	...	Young Pip (as Billy Mumy)

Storyline

In the early 1960s, small-time bookie Max Phillips (Jack Klugman) hates his life. His only pride is his son, Pip, who is serving the U.S. Armed Forces in Vietnam. When a young man uses company funds to place a bet with Max, the man loses the wager. Max then returns his money, which angers Max's bosses.

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Plot Keywords:

bookie | amusement park | shooting gallery | injured leg | reference to robin hood | 

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Genres:

Fantasy | Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

TV-PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 September 1963 (USA)

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cayuga Productions, CBS Television Network

Technical Specs

Runtime:

25 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

One of only three The Twilight Zone (1959) episodes to feature the line "Submitted for your approval" during Rod Serling's opening narration, which is probably the phrase most closely associated with the show that comes from those monologues.

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Goofs

When Jack Klugman receives a phone call from his landlady, he has a cigarette in his left hand. It's still there as he hangs up the phone, but after a cut to another camera angle, the cigarette is gone.

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Quotes

Max Phillips: Work the gun, not the jaws.

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Connections

Featured in Not Fade Away (2012)

User Reviews

A Tour de Force for Jack Klugman

This is incredibly cinematic for a TV show. The use of the hall of mirrors is remindful of The Third Man and Harry Lime. I'm sure there was a little of that in Serling's mind when he did this episode. This is an excellent story. It begins with a soldier, lying on a litter, ready to be taken to an evac hospital. He has little chance of survival. Cut to Jack Klugman's character, a cheap bookie who has no prospects. His son Phillip, called Pip, is the soldier. He is the only thing of significance in the man's life. He worries about him and expects news from time to time. He is, of course, at the beck and call of the guy who runs the book. Anyway, Klugman gets news that his son is dying in Vietnam (a place that many didn't know very well as of yet). To save another young man, he takes a bullet from a thug, retaliates, and goes on the run, rapidly losing blood. This is where Pip comes in. He appears as a child, giving Klugman's character a chance to spend some time with him. The man is known as a guy who has never made a sacrifice for anyone. Now he gets his chance. Very good episode.