Two-bit bum Arch Hammer (Harry Townes) has a very special talent: he can alter his appearance just by thinking of a different face. He intends to use this amazing power to his advantage, but doing so isn't easy in The Twilight Zone.
I love the general idea of this episode of The Twilight Zone—a man who can change his face tries to use his unusual talent to improve his fortune—but it does suffer from several major plot holes: how does Arch Hammer know so much about the lives of the people whose identity he assumes? How does he know how they would behave? And how the hell does he change his voice so that he can effectively mimic them? Are we to assume that he takes on an entire persona when he makes the change—voice, mannerisms, memories and all? If so, why didn't he recognise his own father when he became boxer Andy Marshak? All of these awkward questions make this one of the less satisfactory episodes of Season One.
On a more positive note, the performances are great, the transformations are effectively handled by director John Brahm, and a cool, jazzy, noirish, nocturnal atmosphere adds to the overall fun of the piece.
I love the general idea of this episode of The Twilight Zone—a man who can change his face tries to use his unusual talent to improve his fortune—but it does suffer from several major plot holes: how does Arch Hammer know so much about the lives of the people whose identity he assumes? How does he know how they would behave? And how the hell does he change his voice so that he can effectively mimic them? Are we to assume that he takes on an entire persona when he makes the change—voice, mannerisms, memories and all? If so, why didn't he recognise his own father when he became boxer Andy Marshak? All of these awkward questions make this one of the less satisfactory episodes of Season One.
On a more positive note, the performances are great, the transformations are effectively handled by director John Brahm, and a cool, jazzy, noirish, nocturnal atmosphere adds to the overall fun of the piece.