The Twilight Zone 1.12

What You Need

starring Steve Cochrane, Ernest Truex

directed by Alvin Ganzer

Fred Renard (Steve Cochrane) notices that wandering salesman (Ernest Truex) seems to know exactly what people need. All the salesman has are knickknacks but he always seems to pull out of his box exactly what people need. Renard decides he's going to capitalize on this. The first thing he gets from Renard is a pair of scissors. He takes them but he's highly doubtful until later his scarf gets caught in an elevator door and he needs the scissors to cut his scarf before it strangles him.

Renard is convinced that Pedott, the salesman, can see the future. He insists that the salesman gives him something else. The salesman gives him a leaky pen. Renard laughs at Pedott until he notices that the pen spilled a drop of ink on the list of horse races. Renard bets on the horse that the ink dropped on and wins a few hundred dollars. He tries to use the pen again but it no longer leaks.

Renard catches up to Pedott and asks him for something else. Pedott hesitates so Renard digs in his case and finds a pair of shoes. Renard puts on the shoes. He's not crazy about them. He doesn't understand how they are going to help him. Minutes later he gets hit by a car because he was in the street and couldn't get out of the way because the shoes slipped.

Thoughts

The scene where Renard gets his scarf caught in the elevator door wasn't terribly convincing. It seemed like the elevator was barely moving and that he should have just been able to undo it.

The message here seems to be don't mess with supernatural forces.

This was a good episode. I like it. The performances are all around good. I wouldn't say it was top notch but it did not disappoint.

Notes

I've seen Steve Cochrane in a few movies but this is the only episode of the Twilight Zone in which he appeared. I saw him most recently in Tomorrow Is Another Day (1951).

This is the first of two episodes of this show in which Ernest Truex appeared. I have also seen him in His Girl Friday (1940). He appeared in two episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

This is the first of four episodes of this show that Alvin Ganzer directed. He also directed an episode of Four Star Playhouse.