One for the Angels

The pitchman Lou Bookman (Ed Wynn) is unexpectedly visited by Mr. Death (Murray Hamilton) that tells him that his time has come. Lou appeals to live more to make a big pitch as he has always dreamed on. Mr. Death accepts the request but tells him that he has to take someone else with him. When he selects the girl Maggie Polanski (Dana Dillaway), who is Lou's neighbor, the old man has to take a decision.

"One for the Angels" is another great episode of "Twilight Zone", with the story of a street vendor that tries to cheat death and finds that it is not easy, bringing a tragic consequence to a little girl. The conclusion is perfect for this tragicomic show. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Além da Imaginação - One for the Angels" ("Beyond Imagination - One for the Angels")

Note: On 25 Mar 2018 I saw this episode again.

I enjoyed the performances: Ed Wynn was lovable as the friendly pitchman, and Murray Hamilton was perfect as Mr. Death. The Twilight Zone has endured because of inspired writing and has been sustained by the incredible talent that it attracted. Ed Wynn is perfect as the pitchman who loves children. Note that there is nothing at all perverted about this, as we might expect today. That's something to love about "One for the Angels" too. I highly recommend this one to all. It's thought provoking and completely enjoyable. Watch it and try to imagine such inspired TV viewing today. The caliber of talent, Ed Wynn, Murray Hamilton, their performances were first rate, in my opinion. The child actors were fairly typical for the time period. But I think that anyone watching this with an open mind will enjoy it. Please...don't try to put too much into it. Just allow yourself to be drawn into the drama. It's an amazing feeling.

One for the Angels typifies the best in a Twilight Zone episode; a lovely mix of spooky, charming, science fiction, dark twists, and just plain funny. Ed Wynn is brilliant as the Pitch Man and neighborhood avuncular figure who meets the embodiment of death. How he handles both the news and his apparent fate make for an entertaining episode. Our parting lesson is not as grandiose in presentation as in other Zone episodes (which is actually welcomed), and the simplicity of it leaves the viewer with a smile. Justly delightful.

Death comes to claim beloved door-to-door salesman Lew Bookman, who is beloved by the local children, but Bookman convinces Death to allow him to stay alive long enough to make the pitch of a lifetime. When Death suspects that Bookman is simply playing for time, he decides to take a substitute.

"One for the Angels" is Serling's first great Twilight Zone script, anchoring itself in well- defined characters with believable (under the circumstances) emotional stakes. With a different actor in the lead, the Bookman character might seem too good to be true; in Ed Wynn's hands, however, the character's warmth and bond with the children of the neighborhood is genuine, and his charm at putting off Death is equally believable (again, given the circumstances). Equally impressive is Murray Hamilton (an often-underrated character actor) as Death, taking an otherwise metaphysical figure, and imbuing him with genuine stakes (maintaining the balance of the world) while at the same time adding a bit of subdued sympathy for the plight of his mark.

To be sure, this is not a perfect episode, as the "pitch of a lifetime" does leave a little to be desired. Nonetheless, the balance between the Wynn and Hamilton characters makes the story strangely believable on its own terms, and deeply affecting. In other words, the definition of a classic Twilight Zone episode.

I have been almost obsessed with The Twilight Zone for years, having collected pretty much all episodes; however, it was "One For The Angels" to truly launch me to the "twilight zone" one night. Perhaps it was Ed Wynn's fine performance to combine with the Storyteller's all-engulfing warmth that made the magic tangible. I remember that night and that episode made me a believer and advocate of art's pretence to Truth, rather than remaining a crippled rationalist. All meaning is suddenly revealed, if only we have the subtlety of senses needed en route for The Twilight Zone. The poetry of this episode, even though much lighter, can compare in its depth and fineness with 1985's "Toys Of Caliban". (Great acting by Richard Mulligan there, too.)