tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318310043864039191.post4404882811950888827..comments2024-03-20T15:28:13.030-05:00Comments on The Twilight Zone Vortex: "The Rip Van Winkle Caper"JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14808904189056290207noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318310043864039191.post-18380599817775974492022-06-11T09:42:54.421-05:002022-06-11T09:42:54.421-05:00Another baffling plot hole is that the technology ...Another baffling plot hole is that the technology to put a human into suspended animation would be worth a hell of a lot more than the million in gold they stole.Bizarro Bowlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09861331828290126707noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318310043864039191.post-38024122273442907452020-07-26T16:36:41.714-05:002020-07-26T16:36:41.714-05:00Glad to see the connection made with The Treasure ...Glad to see the connection made with The Treasure of the Sierra Madre. Considering the parallels, Serling may well have had the earlier story in the forefront of his mind, both movie and novel. His closing narration strengthens the case.<br /><br /><br />Unfortunately the science fiction element with its plot twist works against the theme of gold corrupting a man's soul. Go with one or the other but not both. They're redundant in a way and lessen each other's emotional pull. That really leaves only one choice. Without the SciFi (or some other fantastic element) you have Alfred Hitchcock Presents rather than The Twilight Zone. <br /><br />Then why 100 years? What could possibly go wrong after all that time? Rip Van Winkle himself only slept for twenty. Makes no sense. <br /><br />And so this is where we are after a disappointing ending to what started out as a great episode. Grousing and picking holes in everything. What, having the thieves kill each other off before making it out of the desert? Unforgivable. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04786798285568108881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318310043864039191.post-10344224021857822302020-05-23T21:46:08.285-05:002020-05-23T21:46:08.285-05:00To Robert M. Blevins: Yes, I do watch a lot of MeT...To Robert M. Blevins: Yes, I do watch a lot of MeTv, especially since my &$%/_#$@ cable company took my life's blood, TCM, away from me. MeTv has a number of felicities; among other things, they show all the episodes of "M*A*S*H" UNCUT. (The other networks make more cuts than Sweeney Todd). I agree with you that "King Nine" was pretty much of a clunker, although Rod Serling's overall batting average was pretty terrific. (I can even forgive him for "Mr. Bevis" and "Cavender Is Coming", which is a LARGE statement.) My favorite episode is either "A Game of Pool", "Night of the Meek", "Miniature" or "Jess-Belle", and all for the same reason: the BRILLIANT acting. (I'd also love to locate a pair of the shoes from "Dead Man's Shoes" in my size.) Good luck to you and yours in this dark time.Thomas DiMaggiohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15528586971282008329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318310043864039191.post-82850908926979139282020-05-23T03:14:22.504-05:002020-05-23T03:14:22.504-05:00LOL I see Thomas DiMaggio watches MeTV as well. Th...LOL I see Thomas DiMaggio watches MeTV as well. The Rip Van Winkle Caper aired tonight. I like this episode, but it would have been better to develop it into one of the few hour-long episodes, rather than trying to fit everything into approximately 22 minutes of air time. (Most TV is 44 minutes per hour, with 16 minutes of commercials, credits, etc.)<br /><br />Yes, they also filmed A Hundred Yards Over the Rim in the Lone Pine, CA setting, but that was a much better episode. One of my all-time favorites, because as implausible as the story was, it really worked well. King Nine Will Not Return was a total loser. Put that one at the bottom for the Lone Pine episodes, with Van Winkle in the middle, and Rim at the top. FYI: Some remains of the gas station/cafe still remain from the Rim episode of the Twilight Zone. Also filmed in the same general area at Zabriski Point, Death Valley, was the famous sci fi movie, 'Robinson Crusoe on Mars'. It's not far away, some miles east of Lone Pine. Robert M Blevinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15561033008399399048noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318310043864039191.post-53546829963270773092020-05-23T00:33:16.792-05:002020-05-23T00:33:16.792-05:00I've always wondered about one aspect of the g...I've always wondered about one aspect of the gold theft. If the thieves had succeeded in every other regard, and the gold had retained its value in the future, exactly how would they have gone about converting it into money? To whom can you simply present a bar of gold (much less a truckful of such bars) and say "Here, buddy; give me cash in the amount of this bar's value." This question is all the more intriguing in light of the fact that DeCruz, Farwell and the others would, for obvious reasons, have no underworld contacts in the future, no credit history, NOTHING that would lead anyone to trust them enough to take part in such a huge transaction. Come to think of it, that could, in itself, have been the basis for an ironic resolution of this episode: a fortune in gold that can't be translated into usable capital.Thomas DiMaggiohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15528586971282008329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318310043864039191.post-87084293174047016082020-01-01T21:46:41.250-06:002020-01-01T21:46:41.250-06:00All very good points. You really have to suspend y...All very good points. You really have to suspend your disbelief for this one to work. JPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14808904189056290207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318310043864039191.post-71510767843849775712020-01-01T21:02:00.962-06:002020-01-01T21:02:00.962-06:00If you want to get really picky, the truck's t...If you want to get really picky, the truck's tires would have deflated and the rubber would have rotted away as well as the gaskets and all the seals in it. In addition, the battery would have been dead, so a truck sitting there for a hundred years would have been totally useless.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12708947431404359281noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318310043864039191.post-46896989790718852632018-08-31T22:53:05.857-05:002018-08-31T22:53:05.857-05:00Thanks, Engineer Robert! I had exactly the same t...Thanks, Engineer Robert! I had exactly the same thought! Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13810640884349495115noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318310043864039191.post-32042066022329255382017-11-05T11:01:29.786-06:002017-11-05T11:01:29.786-06:00Focusing on the actors, props, location shooting, ...Focusing on the actors, props, location shooting, and the twist ending omits a HUGE problem with the episode: The ABSURDLY illogical actions of the DeCruz character. Here they are, in the blistering desert, at least 30 miles from the nearest town, and DeCruz decides the best thing to do is to DESTROY their means of transportation out of the desert! This makes no sense whatsoever. Not only does this mean over a day's walking in the blistering heat with only a canteen of water, it ALSO means they're severely limited by the amount of gold they can carry (Gold is VERY heavy. A knapsack full of it would easily weigh over a hundred pounds). This makes the motivation for killing one of the robbers absurd, since the cost of having to share with him is FAR outweighed (pun intended) by the weight limitation imposed by the destruction of the truck. I give this episode (barely) a D for that reason.Engineer Roberthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01025657826187841626noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318310043864039191.post-15970213749934739352014-08-13T20:26:04.921-05:002014-08-13T20:26:04.921-05:00I softened up the Herrmann reference so as to be c...I softened up the Herrmann reference so as to be clear of my intent. Thanks for the feedback! JPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14808904189056290207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318310043864039191.post-91315579592908837382014-08-12T07:23:36.573-05:002014-08-12T07:23:36.573-05:00You were clear--I was tired and not reading attent...You were clear--I was tired and not reading attentively.Jack Seabrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02216640325305820140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318310043864039191.post-54418456243277324712014-08-11T22:26:44.011-05:002014-08-11T22:26:44.011-05:00Thanks, Jack. It was Beregi, Sr. that worked with ...Thanks, Jack. It was Beregi, Sr. that worked with Lang in the '33 Mabuse. Beregi, Jr. Is featured in this episode. Sorry if that was unclear. <br /><br />Don't get my intention wrong, I too am a huge Herrmann fan. I was referring to how much mileage the show got out of his music, reusing and recycling his scores endlessly, even using his old radio scores as well. No disrespect intended toward Herrmann. Thanks for reading! JPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14808904189056290207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318310043864039191.post-39577870427233352472014-08-11T21:46:33.821-05:002014-08-11T21:46:33.821-05:00Thanks for the interesting review, Jordan. I did n...Thanks for the interesting review, Jordan. I did not know Beregi was in the '33 Mabuse. That was one heck of a movie! I cringed when you called Hermann an old workhorse, though--surely he deserves better than that! He's my favorite film composer.Jack Seabrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02216640325305820140noreply@blogger.com