The Trade-Ins

Yes, yes, yes, it's for me one of the best of the whole show, because it's such a brilliant, moving, riveting story, but a bit sad too, because it exposes the old age, and for this reason maybe it would not be advised to show it to any folk fearing to grow old. In a way, some moments of this story reminded David Fincher's THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON; I mean some spirit and atmosphere related to love and aging between a man and his sweeheart. Not the same plot. A terrific moral in the end. Which deserves no comment. It is so obvious. Beautiful but maybe not for all kinds of audiences. For instance the old ones and the youngest too.

Mr. John bolt and Mrs. Marie Bolt go to the New Life Corporation to see new bodies for them. Mr. Johnn feels a great pain and the manager Mr. Vance shows many bodies to them. But the price is US 5,000 for each one and the couple can only afford for one trade. What will Mr. And Mrs. Bolt do?

"The Trade-Ins" is a nice tale of love of "The Twilight Zone". The story of a couple that cannot afford o buy new bodies when the procedure does exist is a great love story. The ultimate sacrifice of Mr. John Bolt is a great proof of his love for his wife. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "A Troca" ("The Trade")

Joseph Schildkraut and Alma Platt play John & Marie Holt, who have been married for 50 years, but now need some help, since John suffers from frequent pain, and they plan to visit the New Life Corporation where they can have their minds transferred into younger, fit bodies. Unfortunately, they only have enough money for one, so Marie insists it be John, though he still tries to get the money by either gambling, or receiving sympathy, with little practical success... Nicely acted and touching episode rings all the right bells, though I always found it odd that the company couldn't have given poor Marie a two-for one break on her operation, which would have been fantastic public relations! Oh well...

The acting is very believable, perhaps the best in the series, with convincing character decisions. And it's extremely touching.

Schildkraut expertly plays the old man, who's in severe chronic pain. He's actually an actor playing the old man who himself is an actor- acting at pretending he's not in, and not always succeeding.

Really, all four main characters do excellent work here. The gambler is played as well as a top actor in an Oscar level movie, and it's a fairly small role.

I'm also very happy that it didn't have some very sad twists that you expect in this show.

Slender, sentimental tale courtesy TZ. A devoted elderly couple learn of a youth restoration clinic, and since their 50-year marriage has been so happy, at the same time he is in some pain, they consult. Trouble is the clinic charges $10,000 each for a new youthful body, but the couple has only enough for one replacement. So what will they do since separation from one another seems unthinkable.

The episode resembles John Frankenheimer's movie Seconds (1966) that came out about the same time. Here, it's hard to know where the plot is going—will they get the extra money, is the clinic on the level, will something unexpected happen. We're really rooting for them since the oldsters seem genuinely devoted. Apparently (IMDB), Schildkraut's real life wife died during production, which no doubt deepened an already moving performance. And, oh yes, baldy Theo Marcuse had a different look at a time when only he and Yul Brynner sported slickened pates. Here he turns in an unusually nuanced card dealer in a brief supporting role.

All in all, it's a different type entry that may not appeal much to the younger crowd, but is not without its subtle virtues.