Mr. Garrity and the Graves

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")

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.

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.

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.

Mr. Garrity, a shyster in a plaid suit, shows up in a little western town that has a deserved reputation for violence. Boot Hill contains 128 bodies, most of whom were gunned down or the products of gun play of some kind. The con man goes to the saloon and after a bit of small talk, tells the bartender that his profession is that of one who raises people from the dead. The sheriff and some of the local yokels come to the bar to meet this guy. After a bit of laughter and some accusations, a noise is heard outside. A dog has been killed by a wagon, even though he has no marks on his body. Mr. Garrity says he will resurrect the dog but forces everyone to turn their backs. Lo and behold, the dog leaps to life and takes off like a shot, down the Main Street, and out of town. People are aghast. Mr. Garrity tells the townspeople that he intends to release all the souls in the graveyard that night. At first they are overjoyed by the prospect. After he goes to do his duty, he comes back to a group of very worried people. The first of the undead comes walking through the fog and we begin to hear that the survivors aren't too happy with the thought of the dear departed rejoining them. You guessed it. They want Garrity to send them back. Of course, there is quite a fee for this and they are more than willing to pay. As is usually the case, the story doesn't end there and that's why one needs to hang on till the end. This is one of the more entertaining episodes, with Serling's tongue planted firmly in his cheek.