Mr. Garrity and the Graves

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.

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.

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")

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.

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.