The Twilight Zone (TV Series) Mr. Garrity and the Graves (1964) User Reviews

Be careful what you ask for--you might just get it!!

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 29 January 2008]

A man arrives at a small town and offers to resurrect the dead. At first, the townspeople are dubious, but when it seems like he might just be able to do it, the people are excited...until they begin to fully appreciate the impact of this miracle. Ultimately, the twist you'd expect from The Twilight Zone is indeed present and it ends in a very satisfying manner.

This is an excellent episode and I liked how what initially seemed like a straight drama actually had a subtle comedic twist. While it had a ton to say about human nature, it said it in a truly ironic and clever fashion that made me smile. Not the very best the series had to offer, but a definite notch above the norm.

The Secret Of Happiness

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 14 September 2018]

This Twilight Zone story examines the possibilities of whether one would really like to be reunited with friends and family. John Dehner stars in this Twilight Zone story about a man who claims he can do just that.

Dehner offers to do that for the citizens of Happiness, Arizona and such like Sheriff Norman Leavitt, Saloon owner Stanley Adams, Percy Helton, J. Pat O'Malley and others want to see him do it. Dehner makes believers out of them when he makes a dead dog come back to life.

Of course on second thought a lot of these citizens aren't sure they want some of those dear departed back. Better they stay departed and that's where Dehner cashes in.

Of course there's an interesting twist for an ending to this episode that should not be missed.

a Gothic tale in a small ghost town

[ron_tepper · 8/10 · 5 October 2007]

Mr Garrity and his Graves was one of the best episodes from a very dismal year towards the end of the series run. The previous commentator gave the plot away.My feeling is a little different about his criticisms of the "Occult Afterthought". I couldn't disagree more. Without that somewhat predictable and yet still shocking ending there would be no point in even telling the story.Isn't it interesting how influential this episode was on George Romero's "Night of the Living Dead".Wasn't it interesting how his "Little Girl Lost" influenced Poltergeist and so on.I guess there comes a time when people stop coming up with novel ideas and just steal those ideas from previous works. The reason these films still succeed is because new generations don't remember the earlier works.

"Mr. Garrity and the Graves" is one of last TZ season's best

[chuck-reilly · 9/10 · 27 October 2009]

John Dehner plays Jared Garrity in the Twilight Zone's final season entry "Mr. Garrity and the Graves." Simply put, Garrity is a conman in the Old West who claims that he can raise the dead. When he arrives at the dead-beat town of Happiness, Arizona, he finds the perfect group of suckers for his next scam. Seems that Happiness has had a rash of killings and nearly everyone left in the town has recently lost a loved one. When Garrity announces his fantastic and supernatural skills to them, he's at first greeted as a savior. But after further review, the townsfolk begin to realize that they may not want to ever see their dearly departed brethren again after all. Unfortunately, allowing Mr. Garrity to perform his magical act has already opened up a "can of worms" for the good citizens of Happiness. It may cost them more dearly to have him cease and desist his actions.

John Dehner, who could portray a good-natured scoundrel better than anyone, is perfectly cast as Garrity. Dehner's list of television credits was one of the longest in the history of the medium; his well-worn features and baritone voice were fixtures on the tube for many years. Another familiar face, J. Pat O'Malley, is also in the cast as a local named Gooberman. He gets all excited about his late wife returning until he remembers that she used to beat him up on a regular basis. And he's not the only one in the town who soon has regrets about seeing their dearly departed relatives and friends. Veteran character actor Stanley Adams (Jensen the bartender) is also aboard and provides some good comic moments in this entry. The directorial duties are handled by Ted Post ("Hang 'em High") who does his usual competent job. Writer/creator Rod Serling wrote the teleplay although there's no doubt that this tale has been told many times over in many different guises.

Resurrection Day, TZ Style

[dougdoepke · 5 August 2006]

How many folks would like their dearly beloved dead to return to life. That's the premise of this clever little half-hour, played strictly for laughs. Not the most promising comedic material you might think. However, the light touch avoids tricky matters of taste. John Dehner turns up in an Arizona backwater town circa 1890, claiming supernatural powers to raise the dead. Nonetheless, skeptics turn believers when he resurrects a road-kill dog before their very eyes. The town, of course, is filled with humorous types, such as J. Pat O'Malley whose dear departed 240lb. wife entertained herself by breaking his arm, "six times, total". Guess how eager he is for her return.

Dehner is so good at portraying eloquent scalawags. Here you can just about see him twirling his moustache as he counts the money. Story really plays out like an old Jim Garner episode from the Maverick series and is almost as satisfying. My one complaint-- they could have left off the occult after-thought. But then this is the Twilight Zone, not Maverick.

Worth digging up.

[darrenpearce111 · 8/10 · 20 November 2013]

I never expected to like this one as the subject matter seemed unappealing. Also the old western-set stories tend not to be true classic TZ. When you get into it 'Mr Garrity' has some darkly satirical things to say about human nature. John Dehner (also in series one -'The Lonely') plays the mysterious, composed Garrity arriving in a town called Happiness professing to be able to raise the dead. This might be a little slow building, but I found it increasingly pleasing as the story unfolded. On something of a tangent to 'The Last Rights Of Jeff Myrtlebank' in series three, although there are more plot twists and turns in 'Mr Garrity'.

The last scene really makes this one 'come to life' as it were.

Get on up

[Calicodreamin · 6/10 · 24 June 2021]

Decent storyline and twist ending, I wasn't sure where this was going and was pleasantly surprised. No special effects. The characters were well acted.

Simple and Memorable Classic Ghost Story

[Hitchcoc · 9/10 · 26 April 2014]

Mr. Garrity, a shyster in a plaid suit, shows up in a little western town that has a deserved reputation for violence. Boot Hill contains 128 bodies, most of whom were gunned down or the products of gun play of some kind. The con man goes to the saloon and after a bit of small talk, tells the bartender that his profession is that of one who raises people from the dead. The sheriff and some of the local yokels come to the bar to meet this guy. After a bit of laughter and some accusations, a noise is heard outside. A dog has been killed by a wagon, even though he has no marks on his body. Mr. Garrity says he will resurrect the dog but forces everyone to turn their backs. Lo and behold, the dog leaps to life and takes off like a shot, down the Main Street, and out of town. People are aghast. Mr. Garrity tells the townspeople that he intends to release all the souls in the graveyard that night. At first they are overjoyed by the prospect. After he goes to do his duty, he comes back to a group of very worried people. The first of the undead comes walking through the fog and we begin to hear that the survivors aren't too happy with the thought of the dear departed rejoining them. You guessed it. They want Garrity to send them back. Of course, there is quite a fee for this and they are more than willing to pay. As is usually the case, the story doesn't end there and that's why one needs to hang on till the end. This is one of the more entertaining episodes, with Serling's tongue planted firmly in his cheek.

The Not-So Dead

[AaronCapenBanner · 6/10 · 8 November 2014]

John Dehner stars as Jared Garrity, a traveling peddler/con man who arrives in the old west town of Happiness, Arizona to make a most unique proposition to its residents: For a price, he will resurrect the dead loved ones so that they can be reunited. To demonstrate, he resurrects a seemingly dead dog, but the citizens soon realize that they don't want the dead back, so offer to pay Garrity to not bring them back(a variation on traditional extortion!) However, it seems that some powers are not all an act... Well cast episode has a wry sense of humor, though doesn't amount to much, with a twist ending as sinister as it is ironic.

Predictable Twist is Still Great

[wilddon · 8/10 · 10 July 2009]

In the Twilight Zone episode, "Mr. Garrity, and the Graves", one can generally figure what is going to happen, but it is still fun to watch how it plays. The appearance of a particularly heavy-set woman, at the end, is especially hilarious. Despite being comedic, this episode still leaves things wide-open enough to cause a person to think. About what one should be thinking, I am not sure, but it's a great story. John Dehner does a tremendous job of playing the con artist. All of the townspeople we see, especially the late townspeople returned, are great characters. This episode does indeed come from the much maligned fifth season, but the story does a good job of sticking to the original Twilight Zone format.

Funny and Witty Episode

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 7 November 2023]

In 1890, in Happiness, Arizona, Mr. Jared Garrity arrives with his wagon and goes to a bar to drink beer. He meets the bartender Jensen and learns that his brother recently died. Soon he discloses to the locals that he has the gift to bring the dead to life. A wagon runs over a dog in the street and he uses his gift to resurrect the animal. Then he goes alone to the cemetery and when he returns to the bar, he tells to the residents that he has resurrected all the dead. But Jensen asks him to return his brother to the grave, and he says that this would demand much effort from him, but Jensen pays a large amount to him. Then the other folks in town do the same and pays the conman to let the dead resting in peace. Later, something happens in Happiness.

"Mr. Garrity and the Graves" is a funny and witty episode of "The Twilight Zone". It I visible from the beginning that Jared Garrity is a charlatan, but his scam is disclosed in the end. But the twist in the very end is hilarious and worthwhile watching. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "A Ressurreição dos Mortos" ("The Ressurrection of the Dead")

The Twilight Zone : Mr. Garrity and the Graves

[Scarecrow-88 · 9/10 · 5 July 2015]

Latter-series gem, directed by Ted Post, loaded with a plethora of delightful characters featuring rich comic faces, has John Dehner (last seen in the marvelous TZ episode, The Jungle) riding into a western town notorious for its history of violence (128 dead in the cemetery on the outskirts of town), now called Happiness. He claims he can resurrect the dead, offering to do so for the locals in Happiness, soon realizing (not necessarily to his surprise) that they aren't keen to see their loved ones return. With a steep price tag, Dehner's Garrity can reverse his magic, but will the locals pay?

Only flaw to this episode I could find was the disappearance of a supposed member of the cemetery. Explaining this parlor trick the episode doesn't, but it is a gaping logic hole in an otherwise brilliant storyline development. Charlatanism isn't an unknown component in the western, so the clever results of this episode don't necessarily surprise as much as amuse. But the twist regarding how Garrity "doesn't even realize his own talent" is a real charmer. Top to bottom, the comic casting is impeccable. Not a blight to be found in the cast, with especially fun work from Stanley Adams (the giant carrot in the infamous Lost in Space episode, The Great Vegetable Rebellion), J. Pat O'Malley as the town drunk who goes on and on about his heavy (but not ugly) deceased wife Zelda until it is confirmed she would return to him, Norman Leavitt as the haughty and almighty sheriff who gulps and worries when learning that the notorious gunslinger he supposedly put down in a legit gunfight would be coming back to town, and Percy Helton (who has a way of agreeing with everyone and always complimentary of them, even though he has to sometimes think back to what they actually said!) with that chatty and cheery disposition. The way the town seems so nosy and busybody, and how Garrity knows so much about each member (how they *really* don't want their dearly departed to come back to them) is a hoot. How Garrity uses a dog and accomplice only for the TZ to do what it does best at the very end—seeing it all play out with a wink and a grin—is just a thing of beauty. Why I use reverence for this show: Mr. Garrity and the Graves is such an example.

We love our deceased... As long as they remain deceased.

[Coventry · 7/10 · 16 January 2023]

"Mr. Garrity and the Graves" is a fairly fresh and inventive story, and considering season five of "The Twilight Zone" mostly exists of recycling of older themes and ideas, it's honestly one of the more satisfying episodes!

Set in 1890, in a little Arizonan town with the gloriously ironic name Happiness, a sly traveling con-man named Garrity arrives and offers his unique services to the townsfolk. Garrity claims to be able to resurrect the dead, and Happiness just happens to be a town with more dead bodies in the graveyard than living residents in the streets. But when the people realize Garrity really does hold the power to resurrect the deceased, they are not too eager to be reunited.

What I loved most about this episode is how the script makes a sudden U-turn regarding the willingness of people to have their "loved ones" back. Us, horror fans, have seen so many movies in which desperate and grieving people wish for their dead relatives back, but their wishes seriously backfire when granted. In "Mr. Garrity and the Graves", it doesn't even come to that! People - all of us - are naturally born hypocrites that simply pretend to miss their loved ones. I like the idea, and the unexpected and grisly twist at the very end only makes the installment even better.

Really bad writing and cheeseball direction - not the TZ's finest moment

[mojoguzzi-879-68498 · 1/10 · 22 March 2017]

How in the world anyone can praise this episode is a puzzle. The script is a mess. It's corny and poorly developed, with no attempt to capture the feeling of the era. The acting is hammy and the characters are paper thin.

One glaring example of how ridiculous the script is, is when the huckster fleecing the town demands a thousand dollars for his services from his first sucker... and the townspeople in this desolate Old West town - when skilled laborers earned about 25 cents an hour - open up their wallets and pull out hundreds of dollars each to pay him.

Ironically, while The TZ was known for its moralistic stories this one has no real moral twist, just a cheeseball coda that will leave any discriminating viewer wincing. The final round of dialog is the tritest I've ever heard in any filmed entertainment.

A Twist Within a Twist

[hgmickey · 10/10 · 2 October 2017]

This is a wonderful episode with some brilliant performances by some top notch actors: John Dehner as the would-be con artist, Garrity, Norman Leavitt as the sheriff who might not have been the town's top gun after all...especially when Garrity reminds him of the shady details of the sheriff's supposed showdown with a noted outlaw, Stanley Adams as the barkeep who first paid Garrity to make sure his brother stayed dead, and J. Pat O'Malley as the town drunk...and battered husband, as later revealed. After Garrity supposedly resurrects a dead dog, the townsfolk are ecstatic, and then increasingly unnerved by the possible return of their not-so-dear departed.

As great as the ending scene of the departed actually coming out of their graves (with one remarking about Garrity's underestimating his resurrecting ability) was, one more scene with the departed confronting the townspeople would have packed an extra punch. Consider the following:

The Sheriff facing the outlaw who he actually shot in the back; The drunk facing his wife who had broken his arm six times previously; The bartender facing his brother who was embezzling from their business who he actually shot.

Aside from that, this is an enjoyable episode; probably the best from the last season when the series finally ran out of gas.

Spooky and amusing

[kellielulu · 9/10 · 3 September 2022]

I have always enjoyed this one. Happiness is just the most recent name for this tiny Arizona town. It's obviously set into a nice quiet existence until Garrity arrives There are some questions that are not answered. How does the first of the dead returning suddenly disappear? It could be another example of Garrity's " powers " but he and his partner are unaware he has them. Why do the citizens of Happiness carry so much cash on them? There are other questions. Yet an episode like this it's easier to overlook It's a story about gullibility and people maybe who don't miss the dearly departed nearly as much as they claim it's about those traits that we posses that we don't want to brag about not bad ones just flawed ones. The ones that make us human but not the most admirable qualities .

The episode works because the actors play their parts so well and we see ourselves not good or bad . The tone is just right not too serious but there is a sense of uncertainty among the townspeople we can feel their tension.

The spookiest part though comes at the end and you realize Garrity is likely opening the town of Happiness to a lot of violence and bloodshed. I suspect the town's name changed once again.

Send 'em back.

[BA_Harrison · 6/10 · 18 April 2022]

Slick con-man Jared Garrity (John Dehner) fools the good folk of Happiness, Arizona, into thinking that he has resurrected their dead, his miraculous services completely free of charge. However, when the people consider the ramifications of the situation, and decide that they would like the dead to remain that way, Garrity names his price.

A light-hearted, tongue-in-cheek tale from the not-so-wild West, Mr. Garrity and the Graves is a reasonably fun episode with likeable performances and confident direction from Ted Post (Hang 'Em High, Magnum Force). I do, however, have a couple of issues with the story...

1) Garrity's actor friend, who poses as the barman's brother... how does he pull his disappearing trick right in front of the townspeople?

2) In the final scene, it transpires that Garrity possesses the exact same supernatural power that he pretends to have, but knows nothing about it. Coincidence much?

"Tonight, happiness will reign in Happiness, Arizona!"

[classicsoncall · 8/10 · 11 September 2010]

What a perfect scam! The grift to end all grifts! John Dehner's great as the scoundrel Jared Garrity, plying the good and not so good folks of Happiness, Arizona for a crack at bringing the dead back to life. Now there's an idea to appeal to most everyone, until you've had some time to think about it. Do you really want that nagging wife back? Or the gunman who made your reputation as a sheriff under somewhat suspect circumstances? Garrity's found a way to cash in on doing nothing! Well except for a little advance work to soften up the citizens for the kill, but hey, it's a beautiful set up.

One of the great things about watching these shows is getting a glimpse of life in simpler times. A nickel for a cold beer! You know, by the time I was of legal age to drink, that same mug at the Happiness Saloon would have cost a whole quarter! Boy, those were the days.

The other thing I thought about while watching this episode today with my thirty year old daughter was how unfortunate she is to have missed all those great character actors of the era - Dehner, J. Pat O'Malley, Norman Leavitt, and Percy Helton. These guys showed up just about every night on some TV program or other during the Fifties and Sixties. One of the great things about being a kid back in the day.

The only complaint I have about this episode was the ending. We didn't have to get the 'Thriller' routine to make a point about Garrity's unassuming power as a resurrector. It would have been better in my view to see him off as a con-man pure and simple, the way he thought of himself and the way he was. It made him much more likable that way.

One of the best episodes of the show

[joshayres83 · 10/10 · 20 January 2020]

I loved this episode. The Acting was really good the ghosts were creepy. And he plays such a good conman.

Light and Enjoyable.

[rmax304823 · 8/10 · 15 April 2013]

The last season of "Twilight Zone" was running out of steam, but this story is so imbued with irony and hypocrisy that it's thoroughly entertaining.

Much of the credit must go to John Dehner as the con man who promises to bring back to life the 128 dead people buried in Happiness, Arizona's Boot Hill. He proves his powers by bringing a dead dog back to life. (He uses a Sanskrit mantra associated with Tibetan Buddhism: "Om mani padme hum," but it might as well be "abracadabra".) The townspeople in the saloon claim to miss their loved ones. But, upon rethinking the matter, one by one they realize that the dead folks were no good after all. The bartender's brother was a thief and the bartender shot him in the back. The town drunk's wife weighted 240 pounds and broke his left arm several times. The sheriff doesn't want to have to face his enemy, the gunslinger Lightnin' Jack, again.

They beg Dehner to keep Boot Hill as it is but he demurs. It was a big job to resurrect the dead to begin with. Putting them back will be an even more Herculean task. He refuses to undo the resurrection. But when the good folks press money on him, he reluctantly accepts the bills -- except for one good-looking young girl who says her husband was buried with a bull whip. She, Dehner smiles at, pulls against his chest, and gallantly allows her to keep her five hundred dollars, probably copping a feel at the same time.

The weakest part of the episode is the end. Outside of town, Dehner picks up his two accomplices in the scam -- an actor (John Mitchum, Robert's brother) and a dog who has learned to play dead -- and the wagon disappears into the night. When he's gone and all is quiet, the ground rumbles and the dead bodies push their way out of their graves. It's the only supernatural element in the story and would better have been left out.

Another fairly shoddy entry.

[fedor8 · 2 April 2022]

Very dumb set-up, because in order to fake being a miracle-maker, Garrity did just that, perform miracles. Because how else could he have orchestrated the stunt with his pet, and how could he have made his fellow con-artists disappear? Also, how could they know WHEN to go away i.e. How could they know when exactly it is that Garrity struck a deal to get the zombies go back? By SMS texting?

The premise also relies on the incredibly far-fetched notion that all townsfolk want to avoid the resurrections. Too stupid. By the time the zombies really appear, nobody gives a hoot about the story.

Uncommonly Stupid TZ Episode

[jollyjumpup · 2/10 · 3 September 2022]

Twilight Zone was noted for its smart, provocative writing. This episode is just the opposite.

The simple-minded script falls short on every count. Set in the Old West when the average wage was around $15 a week, the small town people in this mess all seem to carry hundreds of dollars in their wallets. In case you flunked math, it'd be like everyone in a small town today walking around with thousands of dollars in their wallets.

And there's no comeuppance for the scammer. He simply rides out of town as the dead return. It's the townies who will face their wrath. The scammer and his partner get away with their ill-gotten gains.

This seems to be the only thing the writer ever had produced. I suspect he was a friend of the producer.

There's also no explanation for how the scammer's accomplice literally vanishes into thin air before the townspeoples' eyes. The effect looks cool but makes no sense in the context of the story. Almost unbelievable is how a dozen men could so easily be convinced a dog playing dead was actually dead.

The only thing interesting about this episode is the cast. Some good actors wasted on a cheesy episode.

Excellent episode and some explanations

[bmulkey-86714 · 10/10 · 3 December 2022]

Best ep of season 5. The acting is very good even though many actors are familiar. Director Ted Post as usual turns everyone into their characters like he does in all his TV shows and movies. Though John Dehner acts excellently all on his own as always. Here are the explanations. Everyone in town is loaded with cash as they confiscated it from the dead people in the cemetery. As to the supernatural trick. Easy!!!!! The assistant of Garrity's merely had a prematurely invented microphone, head phone and special projector that projects images unto open air. Dig the dark haired and thin beautiful girl walking back to town after having been resurrected back to life at the end. She is a real treat to behold.

Hhhmmm......

[sscal · 9/10 · 12 June 2019]

Interesting episode what with the Western motif and making light of resurrecting the dead....but, first off, how is it that a beer costs a nickel, but the lowest fee to halt the "miracle" is $500! And they are all walking around with it (shouldn't it be stashed in their mattresses?!). On a more serious note, I don't think today we would be making light of domestic violence, i.e. the drunk,s wife Zelda breaking his arm six times. I found that distasteful, but I,m thankful that in 2019 such a situation would likely not be used for comic relief.