This is the first episode of TZ where the title is a bit of a spoiler. But, as usual, from the mind of Rod Serling, nothing is ever quite what it seems.
We meet Arch Hammer (prolific and eventual forty year dramatic TV actor, Harry Townes) as he checks into a seedy hotel in New York City. He's another small time crook similar to Fred Renard, the threatening thug played by Steve Cochran in the previous episode, titled "What You Need."
Here though, this guy already has what he needs: Hammer can manipulate his features to alter his appearance and he has a very specific agenda.
First, he visits a nightclub after an orchestra member (Ross Martin) was killed in a traffic accident and romances the band's songstress, his mourning girlfriend (Beverly Garland), wearing her late beau's face.
Then, he boldly marches into the lair of a big bad criminal named Penell (Bernard Fein), wearing the face of the partner (Phillip Fine) the kingpin killed so he wouldn't have to split the loot and took the whole stash! And when Penell sent his henchmen to kill him "again," Hamner changes his face to a boxer he sees on a poster (Don Gordon) and throws them off the scent.
The problem for Hammer is that boxer is a local guy, and when he stops at a kiosk, still wearing the pugilist's puss, he comes face to face with the fighter's father (Another eventual four decade television actor, Peter Brocco). There was some trouble at home because the boxer ran away, breaking his mother's heart and dad holds that grudge. Rather than explain who he really is, Hammer flicks the man aside and heads back to his hotel.
There, as he hastily packs bags for the romantic rendezvous with his nightclub singer, a detective enters. He got Hammer on charges and as he was about to escort his quarry on a trip to Central Booking, Hammer changed his face back to the boxer in a revolving door and the detective goes off looking inside the lobby again.
Just when Hammer thought he got away with it all, that boxer's dad, who stalked him to that locale, pointed a gun at who he thought was his son and fired.
As Hammer died, his face contorted through the four faces we saw him use.
Of course, if Hammer reverted to the face of the Jazz musician instead of the boxer, he would have escaped. And you would have thought he was about to do that anyway, as he was headed to run away with his ill gotten lucre and the club chanteuse. It's the smallest mistakes that can change everything in The Twilight Zone.
I give "The Four of Us Are Dying" a 7 out of 10.
We meet Arch Hammer (prolific and eventual forty year dramatic TV actor, Harry Townes) as he checks into a seedy hotel in New York City. He's another small time crook similar to Fred Renard, the threatening thug played by Steve Cochran in the previous episode, titled "What You Need."
Here though, this guy already has what he needs: Hammer can manipulate his features to alter his appearance and he has a very specific agenda.
First, he visits a nightclub after an orchestra member (Ross Martin) was killed in a traffic accident and romances the band's songstress, his mourning girlfriend (Beverly Garland), wearing her late beau's face.
Then, he boldly marches into the lair of a big bad criminal named Penell (Bernard Fein), wearing the face of the partner (Phillip Fine) the kingpin killed so he wouldn't have to split the loot and took the whole stash! And when Penell sent his henchmen to kill him "again," Hamner changes his face to a boxer he sees on a poster (Don Gordon) and throws them off the scent.
The problem for Hammer is that boxer is a local guy, and when he stops at a kiosk, still wearing the pugilist's puss, he comes face to face with the fighter's father (Another eventual four decade television actor, Peter Brocco). There was some trouble at home because the boxer ran away, breaking his mother's heart and dad holds that grudge. Rather than explain who he really is, Hammer flicks the man aside and heads back to his hotel.
There, as he hastily packs bags for the romantic rendezvous with his nightclub singer, a detective enters. He got Hammer on charges and as he was about to escort his quarry on a trip to Central Booking, Hammer changed his face back to the boxer in a revolving door and the detective goes off looking inside the lobby again.
Just when Hammer thought he got away with it all, that boxer's dad, who stalked him to that locale, pointed a gun at who he thought was his son and fired.
As Hammer died, his face contorted through the four faces we saw him use.
Of course, if Hammer reverted to the face of the Jazz musician instead of the boxer, he would have escaped. And you would have thought he was about to do that anyway, as he was headed to run away with his ill gotten lucre and the club chanteuse. It's the smallest mistakes that can change everything in The Twilight Zone.
I give "The Four of Us Are Dying" a 7 out of 10.