User Reviews

MacDonald Carey stars as talented but struggling artist Hector Vane, who has a loving wife(played by Joan Tetzel) but no money, and is about to pawn a prized painting when he is surprised by a new owner(played by John Emery) who has already redeemed the soul of the previous owner, and offers Vane the same deal of money and success in exchange for his soul, but will have 90 days to redeem his ticket, which can be achieved by offering a soul in a portrait, but finding such a subject proves a challenge, and holding on to his ticket even more so... Chilling episode has superb performances by the leads, a sinister aura of dread, and a stunning, pull-the-rug-out-from-under-you ending that will not be easily forgotten.

This is the best of all the Thriller episodes I have see so far. When I saw it was written by Robert Bloch, I knew it would be good. We are treated at the beginning to the final moments of a man who has accumulated a ton of money, only to be tossed into the pit of hell by the Prince of Darkness. Soon we cut to an artist and his wife, getting by meagerly, living in a dumpy apartment, eating soup (all they can afford). He goes to a pawnbroker to try to get a few bucks to get through the week, leaving one of his paintings. Before he leaves, he has pawned his soul, trading it for three months of success. As is the case in these archetypal offerings, he begins to spend the money he is now rife with like crazy, even taking a mistress over his loving wife. The deal is that he must paint a portrait of a person whose soul will now take the place of his. I won't begin to ruin the final moments of "The Devil's Ticket," but suffice it to say, it is a masterwork of irony (and ultimately justice). The performances are very good. It continues the theme that when dealing with the Devil, he will come out ahead, even when one feels he has all the chips.

After seeing his Ripper story adapted by Barre Lyndon, Robert Bloch did the teleplay this time around, resulting in one of the very best episodes. We open in a pawnshop where the miserly owner (Robert Cornthwaite) delights in counting his cash reserves, nervously awaiting the arrival of an unwelcome visitor. The terrified man cannot disobey when a powerful voice issues instructions unseen behind a closed door; we never see him again. When a starving artist, Hector Vane (Macdonald Carey), calls on the sinister new pawnbroker (John Emery), the stranger casually dismisses Hector's attempted cash-in to offer a special bargain: in exchange for one year of fame and fortune, the beleaguered painter must deliver a portrait of a human soul. On the way, he must contend with a seductive temptress (Patricia Medina, Mrs. Joseph Cotten) while keeping the fearful truth from his trusting wife (Joan Tetzel, Mrs. Oscar Homolka). The only man who ever married the unconventional Tallulah Bankhead, John Emery effortlessly steals the show, with a brief appearance as a psychiatrist from Hayden Rorke, best known as Dr. Bellows on I DREAM OF JEANNIE. The attractive Joan Tetzel would later appear in "An Attractive Family" (pun intended) while Patricia Medina would star opposite Boris Karloff himself in "The Premature Burial."

OK---why does Macdonald Carey just stand there and let Patricia Medina destroy the new painting, which more-or-less damns him to eternal torment?

Other than this one directorial mis-cue (yeah, maybe he's so shocked by her hysteria that he CAN'T move..), "the Devil's Ticket" is, in my opinion, as close to perfection as "Thriller" gets. Bloch's script is superbly structured and paced, the direction is first-rate, and the performances, especially John Emery's, are outstanding. I feel that there is not a wasted frame in this film, which seems to improve with each viewing. Yes, it's the first "Thriller" I ever saw (on 4/18/61) but no, I don't feel that my judgement is affected by sentiment, since I never regarded it as one of the really cool "spooky" shows; but upon re-encountering it in the mid '80's, I realized that this episode is practically flawless in its storytelling, both written and visual.

Emery strikes an uncanny balance (thanks to Bloch's writing,): courtly and polite, sly and amusingly witty...with a nasty hostility lurking just beneath the surface. Here's a "Thriller" that contains comparatively little of the gloom of the great horror episodes; much of the settings have a brightness that reflects Hector Vane's new-found social status, which somehow makes the creeping terror all the more exciting....as the months, weeks, and days tick away while Hector seems to be getting NOWHERE; his life continues to spin out of control, as he desperately attempts to outwit Satan himself.

The final encounter between Carey and Emery, played out in an upscale bedroom of all places, is masterfully directed and played. And whereas many may have guessed that Vane paints the Devil, how many anticipate Bloch's FINAL twist? Anyone who guessed it back in '61 would have been a bit too clever to be entertained by "Thriller".

Incidentally, John Emery bore a distinct resemblance to John Barrymore, even down to the famous profile. Emery was actually married for a while to Tallulah Bankhead--an experience that he probably drew on when preparing to play the Prince of Hades.

Special mention to Robert Cornthwaite who, as usual, acquits himself superbly as Spengler, the pawnbroker-- a nifty one-man mini-drama to set this engrossing drama/black-comedy in motion.

But what's with that '50's space-age, ICBM-tipped, double-barreled brassiere that Patricia Medina wears in Act 3? Holy Cow, Hector, watch out...you'll put 'yer eye out on that thing!

Morton Stevens' score is excellent-- strings, piano, harp, and occasional percussion. I especially like that ghostly wooden rapping sound that punctuates the gloom of the pawnshop; and notice how the low strings keep repeating that mysterious rising 5-note motif during this scene, which soon is transformed into a "high-society" waltz, complete with cocktail piano, as we are whisked into the montage that depicts Hector's rise to the top; but as the euphoria fades, there's John Emery perched on the stool in his pawnshop, diligently paging through his ledger. GREAT STUFF from the guys who gave us "Thriller"!

And how bizarre that Morton Steven's grand, lounge-like waltz--which so effectively underscored the sequence as Hector painted his wife's portrait--- now accompanies the closing credits, after we have just witnessed him get fried. There's something just a tad repulsive about it--in a GOOD way.

"Devil's Ticket" might be the underdog/best of all "Thrillers". LR

As a child, I watched Thriller mainly to see the legendary Boris Karloff introduce each episode. The episodes themselves were like little plays and adult-oriented, so I was less interested in the show itself. As n adult, I am watching episodes on youtube, and appreciating them for what they are. Some are crime stories and some are supernatural in nature. All episodes star one or two name actors of the era. This creepy episode features MacDonald Carey as a starving artist who makes a deal with the Devil (John Emery). It is fairly easy to guess where it is headed, but there is a novel twist at the very last minute that was harder to predict. The captivating Patricia Medina plays Carey's mistress. Robert Bloch wrote both the story and teleplay. I must say Emery hams it up beautifully as the Devil.

On "The Twilight Zone" there were many episodes featuring Satan...and these often are among the best shows of the series. In "The Devil's Ticket", "Thriller" takes on the Devil genre...with only mediocre (at best) results.

Hector Vane (MacDonald Carey) is a frustrated painter. While he knows he's good, no one else seems to care. Taking advantage of this, the 'Pawnbroker' (John Emery) arrives....and offers to make him a famous artist IF he agrees to paint a painting of someone....and the painting will somehow magically steal that person's soul. And, like a pawn ticket, when he gives this painting to the Pawnbroker, he receives his own soul back....or at least that is what they agree upon. Ultimately, of course, this all comes to bite Vane in the butt...but how?

There are a few problems with this one. First, Vane's way out of his predicament is very easy...and the loopholes are many and the one he tries is VERY obvious...too obvious. Second, you never really care much about the story nor the actors....as it's all very flat and unfulfilling.