The Twilight Zone (TV Series) In Praise of Pip (1963) User Reviews

One last bet

[bkoganbing · 8/10 · 18 March 2013]

Small time bookie Jack Klugman has little to show for his life, but a son played by Bobby Diamond, late of the Fury series, who is now serving as one of our first combat troops in Vietnam. Diamond is wounded and on the operating table fighting for his life.

Halfway around the world Jack Klugman who is an reflective mood returns money that some poor young schnook bet and lost with him which doesn't please his bosses. That leaves in a crisis of his own after he's wounded by those selfsame bosses.

This episode though the title character is that of Diamond belongs to Jack Klugman who gives an impassioned performance as Max Phillips the bookmaker who makes one last bet with the forces of the universe. And those forces collect. Also note young Billy Mumy who even with black and white photography disguising his red hair and freckles doesn't quite look like a kid who would grow up to be Bobby Diamond.

Klugman really shines in this episode, especially in his scenes with Mumy who comes to him while he's wounded as his son when he was a child whom he never was a proper dad for.

Jack Klugman's fans should not miss this one.

"Hey Pop, you're my best buddy. You always were".

[classicsoncall · 8/10 · 14 July 2010]

For me, one of the most poignant and emotional episodes Rod Serling had to offer, and not really having anything to do with the main story itself. This is one of relationships, father and son specifically, and it's based on an idea of how things could have gone an entirely different way if the father (Jack Klugman) had been a stronger influence in the life of his son (Billy Mumy and Bobby Diamond in age specific roles). I have to admit the episode brought me to tears, and helps me come to grips with what could have been my own shortcomings as a father. But it goes both ways you know. One son turned out to be a professional, and another a chronic substance abuser. So how does one succeed and fail at being a parent at the same time? It's why I choke when I see stories like these, and then spend somber moments reflecting on them well after they're over.

From the vantage point of history, "In Praise of Pip" is also remarkable for it's early mention of Vietnam. The original air date was 9/27/1963 - John F. Kennedy was still alive and weighing his options for escalating the conflict. In hindsight, this might be one of the most surreal TV episodes in the history of television. I would make reference to a similar and equally astounding treatment of future cultural significance to the 5/29/1960 airing of a TV Western - 'The Rebel' - starring Nick Adams as a Rebel soldier. The episode I'm referring to is 'Night on a Rainbow", which dealt with the burgeoning problem of drug abuse at a time well before it garnered front page prominence on the national scene. As I come across these frozen moments in time, I marvel at the prescience and wisdom of screen writers for committing them to film for the benefit of future generations.

So it's remarkable to me how these Twilight Zone stories, (some, not all), have this unique ability to touch the viewer some half century after they originally aired. Even more remarkable if you were there like I was, to see them the first time around. Today the stories mean something entirely different than they did fifty years ago, yet they still manage to impart some relevance no matter what one's age might be.

Worth seeing for Klugman's performance alone...

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 21 June 2010]

This episode had two really interesting things going for it. First, Jack Klugman performs here with less hair than usual. I still think he's wearing a hair piece (like he usually did while acting) but it's more subdued and smaller--probably because of the age his character was supposed to be in this show. Second, his grown son is serving in Vietnam and is severely--possibly mortally wounded in a place few Americans really thought about in 1963--a small and unimportant country called 'South Vietnam'.

The show begins with a shot of a young soldier on a stretcher in South Vietnam. He's obviously been badly wounded. Then, suddenly the scene changes to the US. The soldier's father (Klugman) is the subject of most of the rest of the show. Klugman is a bit of a loser--a bookie who seems to always end up on the short end of things. Here, for once, he takes pity on a young guy--and gets himself in hot water with his mobster boss. Things go very badly and Klugman is seriously wounded- -at which point he voices a desire to see his injured son, Pip, one more time. And, since it's the Twilight Zone, his boy, aged 10, returns (in the form of Billy Mumy). And, together, they have one last night together as they play at the local amusement park.

So is this a very good episode? Well, the answer isn't 100% clear. from an acting point of view, it certainly is as it gives Klugman a wonderful chance to show what a fine actor he really is. He certainly should have felt proud of his performance--and it could bring you to tears--particularly with his final conversation with Pip. I'd give this aspect of the show a 10. But, as a show from the anthology series goes, it was only okay. The twist wasn't that interesting to me and the entire thing came off as a tad heavy-handed. Not bad--just not all that great, either--at least when it comes to irony and creepiness (which this clearly lacks). Still, it was good and played more like a mini-movie than an episode of the series. Worth seeing for Klugman alone!

'The good part of me! The clean part of me!'

[darrenpearce111 · 10/10 · 8 December 2013]

This one always gets better and more meaningful over time. A splendid, much more succinct, and meaningful variation on the other 'golng back' Zones. At the heart of this story is a message that the most important and rewarding role in life is as a parent. Something that can become all too apparent too late. For Max Phillips (Jack Klugman) his son Pip is the only redeeming part of his life. When he hears that Pip is near death in an army hospital in Vietnam Max quickly turns against his squalid life of working for a despicable bookie. This scene is played wonderfully well by Klugman. It is a portrait of a man waking up and being true to himself at last. But is he too late where it really matters ? Rod Serling was serving overseas in WW2 when he lost his father. I don't know how much that may have been an emotional spur for this truly fine story of love between a father and son. This is undeniably written from the heart, and for me it ranks among the best three of all ventures into The Twilight Zone.

Beautifully Acted Episode Right In Serling's Wheelhouse

[chrstphrtully · 9/10 · 6 July 2009]

One of Rod Serling's strengths as a writer was his ability to relate to the underachiever, and his desire for redemption. These teleplays -- "Requiem for a Heavyweight", "Mr. Denton on Doomsday", "The Big Tall Wish" -- shy clear of the pedantic tone many of his "message" scripts would take. In many ways, "In Praise of Pip" ranks with them at the top of Serling's work because (1) the redemption is earned by the underachiever's standing up for what is right, (2) the redemption is not without cost, and (3) the story is grounded in superb writing and a heartbreaking performance from Jack Klugman -- the definitive portrayer of good-hearted underachievers.

Bookie Max Phillips, who has essentially sacrificed his life to booze and to being a shill for a sleazy boss, takes pity on one of his clients, a young man who has embezzled the money to bet on a nag recommended by Max. At the same time his boss confronts him, Max learns his son is dying in Vietnam, and decides to take a stand. His actions give him an hour with his son as a 10-year old boy in a nearby amusement park -- the best memories of his life. Max's self-awareness of how he has screwed up this relationship makes the moments in the amusement park poignant without being cloying, and the finale makes its point gently, noting that we remember those who taught us by the small lessons, rather than the grand plans.

Serling's teleplay -- one of his last great ones -- is as good as anything he had written for the series. It is clear he knows Max Phillips, and that he's less interested in making a grand political point than in telling a story about a man's love for his child, and the awareness that we sometimes sacrifice the importance of these relationships for our own petty wants and needs. Likewise, Joseph Newman's direction and the cinematography shifts from the spare, desolate shooting of Max's roominghouse and his boss' lair, to the warm light bathing his son (Billy Mumy) and the amusement park, beautifully realizing what each of these means to Max. Newman also wonderfully cites Orson Welles' "The Lady from Shanghai" and an elegantly spooky final shot of Max.

Above all, however, is Klugman's superb performance. He is utterly believable as the jaded bookie, and equally believable as the father desperate for reconciliation with his son. He was clearly one of the favorite actors on "The Twilight Zone", delivering four great lead performances (only Burgess Meredith would provide as many). "In Praise of Pip" shows why Serling and the shows producers held him in such regard.

"In Praise of Pip" ....an early use of Vietnam in storyline

[chuck-reilly · 7/10 · 12 February 2008]

Leave it to Rod Serling to mention the War in Vietnam in America's living rooms when most of the population had never even heard of the place yet. In 1963, Vietnam was as far removed as some of the alien planets that Serling had been writing about. The plot here is simple but heartfelt and direct. Jack Klugman plays a bookie with a soft heart who finds out that his son is dying in Vietnam. After entering the "Zone", he encounters his son ("Pip") as a very young boy (Billy Mumy) while in an amusement park and decides to sacrifice himself in order that his son might live. Simply put, it's all about the love a father has for his child.

On face value, there's nothing unique about this entry in the series except for Serling's prognostications about a far away war that was about to become front page news. The acting from Klugman, who was virtually a "Twilight Zone" regular, is excellent as is the supporting players (Mumy and Bobby Diamond as the older Pip). After viewing this episode, one is left to wonder how many fathers would have done the same thing for their own sons if given the opportunity in this or any other war.

One of the first TV Shows to mention the Vietnam war

[coop-16 · 9/10 · 3 January 2012]

In 1963, Most Americans were barely aware of our increasing involvement in Vietnam. However, three TV shows pioneered in Using it as a theme. Many people forget that the character who replaced Buzz Murdock on Route 66 was a Vietnam veteran. Several of the episodes allude to his experiences in Vietnam. That forgotten, under-rated, college drama, Channing, had an episode called A Window on The War, in which Don Gordon enrolled at Channing, in part to "get back" at a pro-war Professor.Finally, there was this wonderful episode of the Twilight Zone. Jack Klugman plays a slightly sleazy bookie, who cares about one thing, his son "Pip" ( Imagine! A bookie who reads Dickens!) Klugman learns that his place has been wounded in battle in some place called "South Vietnam' So, these sadly washed up man decides to offer God his life in exchange for that of his son. A moving morality tale.

a fair trade

[Calicodreamin · 7/10 · 21 June 2021]

A moving episode about a fathers love and the wish for a fair trade; the bookie side plot was a bit forced. Acting was great from the whole cast.

A Tour de Force for Jack Klugman

[Hitchcoc · 9/10 · 10 December 2008]

This is incredibly cinematic for a TV show. The use of the hall of mirrors is remindful of The Third Man and Harry Lime. I'm sure there was a little of that in Serling's mind when he did this episode. This is an excellent story. It begins with a soldier, lying on a litter, ready to be taken to an evac hospital. He has little chance of survival. Cut to Jack Klugman's character, a cheap bookie who has no prospects. His son Phillip, called Pip, is the soldier. He is the only thing of significance in the man's life. He worries about him and expects news from time to time. He is, of course, at the beck and call of the guy who runs the book. Anyway, Klugman gets news that his son is dying in Vietnam (a place that many didn't know very well as of yet). To save another young man, he takes a bullet from a thug, retaliates, and goes on the run, rapidly losing blood. This is where Pip comes in. He appears as a child, giving Klugman's character a chance to spend some time with him. The man is known as a guy who has never made a sacrifice for anyone. Now he gets his chance. Very good episode.

Loving Father

[claudio_carvalho · 6/10 · 10 October 2023]

In Vietnam, Private Pip is seriously wounded by fragments of a grenade. Meanwhile, his father, the bookmaker and conman Max Phillips, learns that his son is near-death. He has an argument with his partner and his bodyguard, kills them both and is also wounded. He goes to an amusement park where he meets Pip when he was ten years old, spending a long period with him.

"In Praise of Pip" is a sentimental episode of "The Twilight Zone". The plot is beautiful, and Billy Mumy has excellent participation. This is the first episode of the Fifth Season of "The Twilight Zone", again with twenty-five minutes running time. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Tributo à Pip" ("Tribute to Pip")

One of my very favorite episodes

[everyman2 · 10/10 · 3 July 2008]

This has always been a favorite of mine. I have always liked Jack Klugman but I don't think he has ever turned in a better performance.

The scene when he gets the news of his son being wounded, is played so subtlety yet powerfully. The few scenes where he gets to be with his son, as a boy, are beautiful. When he begins to try to bargain with God and his voice begins to break and becomes almost inaudible, as he pleads for his son's life, well it just was a great bit of acting. I tear up every time I see those last scenes.

The Twilight Zone has so many great episodes. Rod Serling has to be one of the all time great American writers. His ability to speak to societal issues, while still being entertaining was his true talent. I remember seeing his Playhouse 90 teleplay, "Requiem for a Heavyweight" in high school English class. It was an incredible piece of American theater.

His scripts for The Twilight Zone always had a special twist, that set them a part from the other writer's materials.

Poor start of the 5th and final season

[Coventry · 4/10 · 15 September 2022]

Said it before and I'll say it again, "The Twilight Zone" tales are at their weakest when they are overly sentimental, melodramatic, and dealing with themes such as repent and atonement! Harsh, dark, and disturbing Sci-Fi; now that is what we want to see! Well, correction, that is what I want to see. Unfortunately, it seems like one of writer/creator Rod Serling's favorite topics, together with the sappy theme of returning to one's childhood. "In Praise of Pip" even has a bit of both, and thus I personally found it a dull, eye-rolling, and forgettable episode. Two notably elements are the strong performance by Jack Klugman (as an alcoholic and arrogant, but grieving father) and one of the first and earliest inclusions of the Vietnam War in a movie/TV-show.

There isnt even supposed to be a war going on there ...

[rcaliendo-424-345328 · 10/10 · 22 May 2020]

I can't watch it. It's so well done and affecting that it brings me to tears every time as I am reminded of my own failings as a parent. Just reading the reviews and composing my own right now bring me right back to the heavy emotional state that this beautiful, but heart wrenching episode elicits. To me there are two equally compelling storylines here, the explicit one and the one only to be revealed over time and indicating Mr. Serling's prescience.

First, Klugman is a tour de force as the aging bookie, weighed down by a lifetime of bad decisions, who gets and takes his last shot at redemption. No one could play this kind of character as well as him as he - along with Burgess Meredith - crystalizes his legacy here, effectively as one of the TZ's actors in residency. He is so powerful, yet vulnerable, an absolute master of his craft working some Sterling's best, most poignant writing.

The second story line speaks to, what might be seen as Mr. Serlings' foresightedness. The release date was 27 September 1963. JFK had a little less than two months to live. The American public knew, and cared very little at that point in time about our nation's latest proxy war with communist forces and ideology ... the "conflict" in Vietnam. Kennedy, by his own admission was ambivalent about his intentions for the conflict with many, to this day, claiming that, had he lived, he would have withdrawn after the 64 election. We were still in the phase of sending "advisors" there, not actual combat troops. By years end, we would have over 16,000 advisors there with a little less than 200 total deaths since the beginning of our involvement. The first actual combat troops would arrive in March of 1965 under LBJ. At peak, by 1968, we would have over 550,000 troops deployed and by wars end, in 1975, over 58,000 American deaths. Estimates of "enemy" deaths range from 1 to 3 million people.

What is initially remarkable here is that it was one televisions earliest mentions of Vietnam, if not the very first. References to Vietnam anywhere, other than on the news were so rare and actually jarring to see and hear, even later on in the war and especially on entertainment TV. I know that on Route 66, one of the lead characters was called out as a Vietnam vet and, perversely, on the Munsters, when Herman was being given a baseball tryout, Manager, Leo Durocher, so awed by Herman's strength power, exclaimed that he didn't "know whether to sign him with the Dodgers or send him to Vietnam". To this day, given the polarizing tendencies of Vietnam, those sorts of references can actually be disturbing or at least disquieting.

Klugman's exasperated line: "There isn't even supposed to be a war going on there" might not have carried a lot of weight during the first broadcast in 1963, but given what Vietnam would become in less than two years and the fact that the overwhelming number of episode views would come later in syndicated reruns, that line would come to have both agonizing and ironic gravitas.

Jack Klugman's finest acting

[rerunwatcher · 10/10 · 2 January 2023]

I really like Jack Klugman. I loved Quincy and The Odd Couple. But on this episode of The Twilight Zone I think he does his absolute finest acting. He was on several episodes of The Twilight Zone, those were pretty good shows. But "In Praise of Pip" he really shows how great an actor he was. If a person does not feel emotion while watching this episode they must be a Sociopath or something. The emotion in this episode simply pours out of the television. I am currently watching a New Year marathon of The Twilight Zone and this is the only one I have written a review of. And of course fabulous child actor Billy Mumy is good too. He was on several episodes also. He was a good kid.

Where is our Rod Serling of today?

[chomsky8 · 8/10 · 14 October 2007]

Taking on the Vietnam War in 1963, Always taking on some nonsense from our society. Such a writer. As written in another comment on Rod..." Is there a writer that exists today that is as hard-hitting and prodigious as Serling was?

I hold him in awe not only because he did so much work, (and high-quality work at that) but also because so much of his stuff still holds up so well even today.

I mean, The Twilight Zone will be hitting the half-century mark in two years, yet there seem to be a lot of younger people who like and identify with the stories.

And for the life of me, I can't think of anyone else who's written for TV that can make the same claim (but perhaps you can)." Exactly.

Powerfully acted episode!

[UniqueParticle · 10/10 · 22 May 2019]

Similar to another episode, "The Game of Pool" with Jack Klugman starring, this was so well done in every way and very heartfelt while devastating at the same time. Outstanding one that should remain as the one of the best!

unforgettable for definitely positive reasons

[daviddaphnered · 10/10 · 13 May 2017]

While some of Rod Serling's "The Twilight Zone" episodes were far-fetched and, at the same time, ridiculous and sometimes even frightening, this particular episode was an anomaly to all of that, and was very touching, and even bordered on the spiritual and/or religious. In this particular episode, a no-good bum of a father (played excellently by Jack Klugman) learns that his son is seriously wounded in Vietnam.(This was filmed in 1963, only shortly after the US was involved in the real southeast Asian war.) Klugman learns of this after he himself is wounded because something goes wrong in a bet he has made with somebody, and that man shoots him. While he is wandering about in a closed amusement park, the surreal takes place. He wanders through and sees his son as a boy of about eight or nine, and his son reminds him, in so many words, that he could have been a better father. After that is over, the father takes into serious account all that his son has said, and believes that his son was right. It is then that the father prays a prayer that, though irreverent-sounding, is very sincere, nonetheless: he prays that if he God would take his wretched self that Klugman is, just let his son live. While I'll not give away the ending. I will say that this is, in many ways, one of my favorite episodes of this series. A very heart-warming story.

Didn't do much for me.

[BA_Harrison · 5/10 · 13 April 2022]

In Praise of Pip is notable for being one of the first TV shows to mention the war in Vietnam. Pip is a young soldier seriously injured in the conflict. His father, Max Phillips (Jack Klugman) is a drunken, two-bit bookie who works for ruthless gangster Moran (S. John Launer). When Max learns that his son is dying, he makes a last ditch effort for redemption that leaves him with a bullet in his gut. Stumbling into a deserted fairground, Max asks God to let him see his son one more time; shortly thereafter, he sees Pip as a ten year old (Bill Mumy) and spends some precious time with him, after which the boy disappears. Max then offers to trade his life for that of his son.

A tale of regret, a tale of redemption, a tale of fatherly love, this is typically saccharine schmaltz from Serling that is saved somewhat by a strong performance from Klugman and the fact that it only runs for 25 minutes, the show returning to the shorter format after season four's hour long episodes. Serling's sentimental story seems to have done the trick for American viewers, for whom the Vietnam war will always be an emotive subject, but it didn't hit me in the feels as intended, possibly 'cos I'm from the other side of the pond and not quite old enough to remember the war, and possibly because I'm dead inside.

Truly ahead of its time

[roberteleejefferson · 8/10 · 3 July 2008]

In 1963, the year of the first broadcast of this episode, I was a junior in college in the ROTC program and within a year would be requested to indicate my first assignment. As another said, Vietnam did not really exist in the minds of the American public to any degree and to me was just another name on a sheet of places to be stationed. Although I have seen this episode a number of times, I had never seen the beginning when the name of the country is flashed on the screen. What a shock that was even though I found out that it was not Serling's idea to use that country but rather Laos. Good story and performances but I can say that my father would not be able to relate to Klugman. To him it was duty, honor, and country and you did what you had to do.

All For Him

[AaronCapenBanner · 8/10 · 5 November 2014]

Jack Klugman stars as Max Philips, a small-time bookie who is in a frantic state upon learning that his son Pip was wounded while fighting in Vietnam, which inspires him to give a second chance to a young bettor his son's age. This angers Max's bosses. who put a bullet in him, but only wounded, Max goes to an old amusement park to see Pip(played by Bill Mumy) young again, which gives him a second chance to be a better father, and offer God a deal to swap one life for another... Heartfelt episode to begin the fifth season sees a welcome return to the half-hour format, and an excellent performance by Klugman, leading to a satisfying end.

Jack Klugman and Billy Mumy

[gregorycanfield · 9/10 · 28 August 2022]

My heading refers to the two actors, who are the only reason this episode works. The great Jack Klugman teamed up with the greatest child actor of all time. How good the story is depends on personal taste. Kind of depressing, in my opinion. This was, reportedly, the first TV show to deal with the war in Vietnam. Noteworthy, but it has nothing to do with what makes the episode work. The scenes with Klugman and Billy Mumy are priceless. Whenever I watch Mumy in anything, I don't see any acting. He made me believe everything he did and said. His performance here, where he gets a little scary at one point, may be the best example of his great talent. A very good episode, thanks to Jack and Billy.

Classic McGuffin

[Bill-16 · 9/10 · 25 October 2012]

Vietnam and War have nothing to do with this story.

Hitchcock talked about "McGuffin".. a plot device that had nothing to do with the actual story. "Psycho" had the stolen money early in the movie that ended up having nothing to do with the real plot.

Here it is War and Vietnam.. Pip could just as well have been seriously injured in a mountain climbing accident or hit by a stray bullet in a Bank Robbery gone bad resulting in a shootout on the streets.

Like many TV Dramas of the time, this is about Redemption. Our desire to undo the bad things in our past and just how much we are willing to sacrifice to erase our past sins.

This episode stands out because of Klugman, you really feel his soul being torn out and his desperation.

Did he receive a 'Gift' or just an hallucination? That depends on the viewer.

One pf the First

[tom0212353 · 10/10 · 1 January 2010]

Rod Sterling was one of the first to tackle serious issues. He was the first to criticize the Vietnam War. Why is my son dying there, there is not even suppose to be a war there. Your to child, to young to die! He had to fight with the network and the sponsors. A powerful message against the war. To Bad President Johnson and Robert McMarra did not watch this episode. Rod Sterling has taken on many issues form Racism, to prejudice and he hits the nail on this issue if he were alive today we could be speaking about Iraq. Jack Klugman give one of his best performances. The direction and irony of the amusement park and the hall of mirrors all adds to the message. This is on of the 5 best, up there with To Serve Man and the Howling Man.

In Praise of Scottie Pippen.

[fedor8 · 7 April 2022]

What a stupid title.

"Pip... that's a strange name."

Well, try not to laugh, Mr. Medical Officer, because that young soldier is dying from a wound.

Great line, huh? Nice writing decision too: give a dying kid a stupid name so that it... amplifies the tragedy of the opening scene? Or diminishes it. So stupid...

Klugman was trying so hard to win an Oscar with this... except that no Oscars are given out to TV show episodes... The incessant Serling speeches and heavy-handed Elia Kazan dialog/mood are enough to drive anyone to madness, or at least towards using the fast-forward button. If the unnatural dialog doesn't kill you then the boredom will. Serling projecting his inner playwright: clearly, an unfulfilled wish. He must have fantasized being the next Arthur Miller. Some fantasy...

If you can survive the pathos and shear drudgery of the first half (or so) then you might slightly like the 2nd half.

The first twist is alright, and at least something is happening in these latter stages.

slow moving, but fairly good story

[drystyx · 5/10 · 12 August 2023]

Klugman was apparently a favorite of Serling and others for "ordinary men" roles.

Here, the ordinary man is a bit of a rogue, but not much of one, and he's in trouble with dangerous men.

Meanwhile, his son is perhaps dying of wounds in the war.

The rest is fairly predictalbe, but not in a bad way. What is bad is the slow pacing, and very few TV episodes of this era were near this slow.

The charisma of Klugman carries most of the episodes he appears in, just as his charisma made the Odd Couple series one of the great comedy series instead of an average one.

There really isn't much of a payoff of bang per buck in this episode, but it's just a few bucks for a tinier bang, so it's not the worst, just oen of the dullest episodes.