One for the Angels
"One for the Angels" is the second episode of the first season of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone, written by Rod Serling and directed by Robert Parrish.[1] It originally premiered on CBS on October 9, 1959.[2] Starring Ed Wynn as the aging street peddler Lew Bookman, the episode depicts Bookman's fateful encounter with Mr. Death (Murray Hamilton), who informs him that midnight marks the end of his life, prompting Bookman to cleverly bargain for a delay using his lifelong salesmanship skills to ultimately save a young neighbor girl, Maggie Polanski (Dana Dillaway).[2][3] The story unfolds on a sweltering summer night in a tenement neighborhood, where Bookman, a beloved but struggling pitchman in his late 60s, learns of his impending death from a mysterious stranger representing Death, who carries a ledger of scheduled departures.[3] Desperate to avoid his fate, Bookman convinces Death to grant him time for "one for the angels"—his dream of delivering the ultimate sales pitch—leading him to abandon his stand and retire from peddling.[4] This delay shifts Death's focus to Maggie, an innocent child in the building who is struck by a truck and faces terminal illness unless Bookman fulfills his bargain.[4] In a climactic act of sacrifice, Bookman returns to the street at 11:45 p.m. and unleashes an elaborate, heartfelt pitch to the heavens, distracting Death long enough for midnight to pass and sparing Maggie's life, after which Bookman departs peacefully with Death at 12:01 a.m.[3] Framed by Rod Serling's narration introducing the episode within the Twilight Zone, the episode explores profound themes of mortality, redemption, and selfless heroism through its blend of whimsy, tension, and emotional depth.[3] Notable for showcasing Ed Wynn—renowned for his comedic roles in vaudeville, Broadway, and films like Mary Poppins (1964)—in a major dramatic performance late in his career, the installment highlights Wynn's range and earned acclaim for its uplifting tone amid supernatural elements.[5] With a runtime of approximately 25 minutes, it remains a fan-favorite classic, emphasizing the series' early establishment of moral parables wrapped in speculative fiction.[2]Background
Episode Context
"One for the Angels" served as the second episode of the first season of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone, created by Rod Serling and broadcast on CBS.[2] The episode, bearing production code 173-3608, originally aired on October 9, 1959, shortly after the series premiere.[6] The Twilight Zone ran from 1959 to 1964, presenting standalone stories in a 25-minute black-and-white format that delved into supernatural, psychological, and moral dilemmas, often with twist endings.[7] As an early installment, "One for the Angels" contributed to establishing the series' signature narration style delivered by Serling, which framed each tale with poetic insight and thematic foreshadowing.[6] Rod Serling's creative vision profoundly influenced the anthology's structure, enabling explorations of human nature through speculative fiction unbound by conventional broadcasting constraints.[8]Production Details
"One for the Angels" was written by Rod Serling, who adapted the script from an earlier teleplay originally broadcast on the Cincinnati anthology series The Storm and later on the national program Danger. The original story featured a pitchman attempting to save his brother from hitmen, but Serling revised it into a tale of mortality and self-sacrifice specifically to showcase the talents of comedian Ed Wynn, drawing inspiration from a pitchman he remembered from his childhood.[9] The episode was directed by Robert Parrish, a film director and friend of Serling's whose work on The Twilight Zone included this installment along with "A Stop at Willoughby," "Mr. Bevis," and part of "The Mighty Casey." It marked Parrish's debut in television directing, during which he voiced concerns over the 30-page script and compressed three-day shooting schedule, ultimately resolved by producer Buck Houghton through simplified camera setups to fit the production's tight constraints.[9][2] Cinematography was handled by George T. Clemens, the series' primary director of photography, whose black-and-white work contributed to The Twilight Zone's signature atmospheric visuals, including the urban tenement street sets used here to evoke a gritty, nocturnal New York environment.[9][2] The episode's music consisted entirely of stock cues from the CBS library, prominently featuring selections from Bernard Herrmann's "Outer Space Suite," such as "Time Suspense," to build tension during key scenes like the climactic pitch sequence, without any original composition.[10][9] Filming took place over three days at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer studios in Culver City, Los Angeles, primarily on the backlot's tenement street set, where night scenes were captured during daylight hours using tarpaulins to block light and simulate darkness, exemplifying the series' resourceful approach to low-budget production.[9]Synopsis
Opening Narration
The opening narration of "One for the Angels," delivered by series creator and host Rod Serling, introduces the episode's central figure and foreshadows its supernatural twist. The full transcript reads:Street scene: Summer. The present. Man on a sidewalk named Lew Bookman, age sixtyish. Occupation: pitchman. Lew Bookman, a fixture of the summer, a rather minor component to a hot July, a nondescript, commonplace little man whose life is a treadmill built out of sidewalks. And in just a moment, Lew Bookman will have to concern himself with survival—because as of three o'clock this hot July afternoon, he'll be stalked by Mr. Death.[11]This monologue establishes Lew Bookman as an unassuming street peddler, grounding the story in a relatable urban setting of everyday commerce while subtly introducing the fantastical premise of Death as a tangible pursuer.[11] By framing Bookman's ordinary existence as a "treadmill built out of sidewalks," it underscores the episode's exploration of routine life disrupted by the extraordinary, a common motif in The Twilight Zone's anthology format.[12] Serling's narration is characterized by his distinctive grave intonation and deliberate pauses, which build suspense and emphasize key phrases like "stalked by Mr. Death," serving as a signature auditory element that heightens the moral and atmospheric tone across the series.[13]
Plot
Lew Bookman, an aging street peddler known for his exceptional salesmanship, is confronted one afternoon by a man who introduces himself as Mr. Death.[14] Mr. Death informs Bookman that he is due to die at midnight that night due to natural causes. Desperate to avoid his fate, Bookman argues that he cannot go without making "one last big pitch," one worthy of the angels themselves, and persuades Mr. Death to grant him a reprieve until he completes this final sales demonstration.[2] To evade his fate, Bookman packs up his stand and retires from peddling, interacting warmly with the neighborhood children, including a young girl named Maggie who lives in his apartment building. However, Mr. Death soon returns, revealing that Bookman's evasion has caused him to miss his quota. In the meantime, Maggie has been struck by a truck and faces terminal illness; Death now claims her as a substitute, scheduling her death for midnight. Devastated, Bookman vows to intervene and arranges a grand pitch on the street that night, inviting Mr. Death to witness it as his ultimate sales effort.[12][3] As midnight approaches, Bookman delivers an elaborate, captivating presentation of his assortment of toys and trinkets to an assembled crowd, including Mr. Death, who becomes so engrossed in the performance that he overlooks Maggie's appointed time. With the girl spared, Bookman declares this to have been his "one for the angels" pitch, earning recognition from Mr. Death for his masterful skill. Bookman departs peacefully with Death, ascending to a higher realm where his life's work as a pitchman finds its true fulfillment.[15][3]Closing Narration
The closing narration of "One for the Angels," delivered by series creator and host Rod Serling, provides a poignant coda to the episode's events, encapsulating the moral resolution through a reflective monologue.[11]Lewis J. Bookman, age sixtyish. Occupation: pitchman. Formerly a fixture of the summer, formerly a rather minor component to a hot July. But throughout his life, a man beloved by the children...and therefore a most important man. Couldn't happen you say? Probably not in most places, but it did happen...in the Twilight Zone.[11][16]This narration reinforces the episode's resolution, where protagonist Lew Bookman outwits Death by delivering his ultimate sales pitch to distract the supernatural entity, thereby saving a young girl's life at the cost of his own imminent demise—a sacrificial ending that underscores human ingenuity triumphing over fate's inevitability.[17][15] Serling's delivery marks a tonal shift from the episode's earlier ominous undertones, introduced by the personification of Death, to an affirming celebration of Bookman's unassuming yet profound impact on those around him, particularly children who cherished his whimsical pitches.[17] This evolution ties directly to the story's redemptive arc, transforming Bookman from a seemingly insignificant street vendor facing existential dread into a heroic figure whose selflessness elevates his legacy, affirming the ethical takeaway that individual acts of compassion can defy predetermined outcomes and affirm the intrinsic value of every human life.[15][18]