Kick the Can

Simple, lasting truth .... "Kick the Can" has a special personal appeal to many of us Baby Boomers because we've lived the stories from both ends of the characters' timelines.

I first saw the episode in 1962 at 12 yrs old but didn't understand the emotional pathos involved in Grandparents wanting to return to the childhood I happily took for granted. Now that I'm 67 I could be a resident of the Old Age Home in the show and trust me, I GET IT NOW!

Ernest Truex plays Charles Whitley, an elderly resident of Sunnyvale Rest Home, where he is unhappy living at. His hopes of living with his son are dashed, so Whitley seems to retreat into a fantasy world where all you have to do is play an old childhood game called Kick the Can in order to be young again. His friend Ben Conroy(played by Russell Collins) thinks he is going senile, but the other residents join in, forcing the Superintendent(played by John Marley) to take drastic action, but it turns out that none will be needed... Fondly remembered episode is no classic, being a bit corny and thin, but it still remains an entertaining entry with a timeless message.

George Clayton Johnson wove a story around a childhood game, like tag, in which the kid who kicks the can releases all the 'captured' kids in the game. Old age has captured the residents of Sunny Vale, an old people's home. A sad beginning has Charles Whitley (Ernest Truex) having his hopes dashed of going to live with his son. Whitley starts acting nostalgic and his curmudgeonly but well meaning friend, Ben Conroy (Russell Collins), becomes concerned that he may be going senile.

Magical, funny, sad, but ultimately delivering a pleasant afterthought in Serling's epilogue, this is a charming episode. The relationship between the two contrasting old guys is good and Truex plays Whitley's childlike ways brilliantly.

As written by a few posters here, we have seen this episode in our youth and now in our 60's our perspective has changed. Like Hitchcoc stated, do we actually want to go back to childhood? Was it really our happiest time? Growing older is natural; we grow older from the day we are born. Perhaps I would view Whitley as a nuisance as well. As a recently retired teacher, students would ask me about growing older and death. I would tell them not to fear it; as we near the end, we grow smaller and smaller until we fit in the hand of God. On the other hand, Whitley,s insatiable desire to recapture youth is contagious and his exuberance is attractive. The healthiest outlook is one of balance, I suppose - accepting the aging process while keeping healthy and living life to it,s fullest. I was intrigued by the fact that Truex,s real life son played his on screen son in an uncredited role. That his son put him out of the car due to his own responsibilities is an example that being more youthful does not make one happier or more compassionate.

KICK THE CAN takes place in an old folks home, and in the general vicinity of the front of this rest home. Don't worry, I WILL NOT GIVE AWAY THE ENDING. The surprise ending is one of the best of the T.Z. series, and it is a charming and satisfying one, but I WILL NOT GIVE IT AWAY. KICK THE CAN, starring Ernest Truax, and WALKING DISTANCE, starring Gig Young, are the two T.Z. episodes that concern nostalgia for childhood. The story gets off the ground when Mr.Truax makes plans to leave the confines of the old folks home, and to move in with his son. But Mr.Truax is somewhat disappointed when he discovers that his plan was really a misunderstanding, that is, his son had never invited him to move in. At any rate, Mr.Truax continues to live in the old folks home, and the viewer will be amused by Mr.Truax's penchant for running through the water sprinkler, and for amusing himself with other juvenile antics. At one point, Mr.Truax borrows a crumpled tin can that had been used by a neighborhood boy for playing kick the can, and he keeps it as a souvenir for himself. A continuing theme in this story, is that Mr.Truax continuously harps at his elderly colleagues to enjoy themselves, and to play kick the can. Russell Collins plays a cantankerous old man, who is steadfast in his refusal to engage in childish games. However, Mr.Truax is successful with persuading the other residents to "let go" and to engage in a childhood game or too. Tension is provided in this story, because the manager of the old folks home tries to prevent the old people from engaging in any childhood shenanigans. At any rate, there is a surprise ending which I DO NOT DISCLOSE HERE. Mr.Truax has an engaging, calm voice and demeanor. Unfortunately, Mr.Truax is in only one other T.Z. episode, WHAT YOU NEED, where he reprises the role of somebody who confronts a problem and responds with infinite calmness.