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5/10
It's all Colman
bkoganbing10 February 2021
This For Star Playhouse drama is a basically one man show for Ronald Colman and if you're like ,e and could listen to Ronald Colman recite the phonebook than this small show is for you.

Except for a couple of appearances by Francis Pierlot as a hotel porter it's all Colman. He's on the telephone talking with the wife and mistress as he plans to leave the one and run off with the other.

Colman certainly has the most civilized of consciences as he goes over life's options. Only Ronald Colman could have made this entertaining.
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Trivial
lor_25 March 2024
Warning: Spoilers
Guest artist Ronald Colman has the episode to himself, basically recurring monologues on the telephone in a lousy screenplay by a nonentity Milton Merlin (whose only claim to fame is working on "The Millionaire" series).

Looking dapper and distinguished, Colman plays a man staying at his private club who is preparing to divorce his wife and then marry a young beauty, Lenore, to honeymoon in Europe. He's smug and looking forward to the future, just phoning his two women and various others to clear up some necessary details.

Fantasy gimmick has Colman's reflection in a full-length mirror turning out to be his alter ego, which (without speaking) makes its displeasure with his behavior known and literally walks out on him, through the door's reflection in the mirror. This spurs some self-reflection by Ronald, wondering in Descartes fashion about "who am I?".

He decides to take this crisi seriously and calls wife and makes jup with her, deciding to return home to his marriage and cancel his running away with Lenore.

Referring to the mirror image as "My Better Judgment", Colman becomes smug again and the reflection returns, a very lousy ending. With just one other actor in the minor role of a club employee who sees Colman in the mirror while Colman can't, this solo performance lacks the dramatic material of say, "The Human Voice" and amounts to a wasted half-hour.
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3/10
Just say no....
planktonrules11 July 2015
Throughout the run of "Four Star Playhouse", the show underwent tons of changes--not just the name of the show but the actual four stars. Instead of the initial four, the cast kept changing and dozens of different actors and actresses starred in the show (thus necessitating the name change). Towards the end of the run, Frank Lovejoy and Ronald Colman ended up replacing some of the original actors--and "The Man Who Walked Out on Himself" is a Colman vehicle.

Unlike any other episode I've seen, this one is essentially a one man show. While a butler BRIEFLY appears, the entire rest of the show is nothing but Ronald Colman playing a cad-like man who has walked out on his wife and is planning on marrying his mistress.

The problem with all this is that the show comes off as very self- indulgent. There's just too much Colman and the plot never becomes very interesting. Clearly unless you are a huge Colman fan, you'll find your attention span tested with this one.
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