Try to Die on Time

Episode aired Dec 4, 1973
Not Rated
50m

IMDb RATING

6.9/10

138

YOUR RATING

Crime Drama Mystery

A chronic gambler, pretending he has cancer, sells chances on the hour of the day he will die at $10,000 apiece. The winner gets all 24 tickets. The gambler actually doesn't have cancer (he ... Read allA chronic gambler, pretending he has cancer, sells chances on the hour of the day he will die at $10,000 apiece. The winner gets all 24 tickets. The gambler actually doesn't have cancer (he has Lou Gehrig's disease, ALS, instead), and plans to commit suicide at an appointed time ... Read allA chronic gambler, pretending he has cancer, sells chances on the hour of the day he will die at $10,000 apiece. The winner gets all 24 tickets. The gambler actually doesn't have cancer (he has Lou Gehrig's disease, ALS, instead), and plans to commit suicide at an appointed time so that a specific person will get the money. But as the gambler talks to his doctor outsi... Read all

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.9/10

138

YOUR RATING

5User reviews

See production info at IMDbPro

Photos4

User reviews5

6.9138

Featured reviews

VetteRanger

Interesting but unlikely

Jack Carter plays a man with a terminal illness who has sold a lottery on the hour of his death. Twenty-four tickets at ten thousand dollars each, and when he dies someone will win $240,000.

Having been told he has six months to live, he throws a bash at the seven-month mark. I deducted stars because the medicine of his illness doesn't match the portrayal in this show. It would have drug out for an extended period and he wouldn't have been up and walking around toward the end, or for a LONG time toward the end. The bettors would have had to wait some years for someone to collect.

Still, it made for an interesting episode if you over look that little error.

3greg-beaulieu

Impossible to Understand

This strikes me as one of those film noir-type plots that are so complicated nobody, not even the writer, can keep track of all the loose ends. I watched this episode 3 times back to back and still cannot tell you who did what and why, or explain all of the bedlam that takes place. Not a good episode.

8RedbirdCraig

Sorry, Plankton

Plankton, I hate to break the news to you but Jack Carter is currently alive. I agree that he suffers from terminal unfunniness, though. And I agree that this plot is very complicated- either that or I'm not very bright. Then again, both are possible.

I think overall this season was when the episodes started to show some better writing and more interesting plots. I think having Al Harrington added to the cast really helped because he seemed more professional and was a better actor than Zulu. Zuni's character seemed as much for comic relief as anything whereas the Ben character was more of a "full member" of the Five-0 team.

Trivia
Near the end of the episode when Ben, Chin and Steve are in McGarrett's office, they speak to each other using a fake a "script", expecting to be heard by the person bugging the office. At one point a reel-to-reel tape recorder is shown, with a piece of green tape over the manufacturer's name. All that is visible is "3300"; what is being covered up is the brand name TEAC. The full name of this recorder is "TEAC A-3300", a recorder from 1972.