Product Details

• Actors: Rod Serling, Robert McCord, Jay Overholts, Vaughn Taylor, James Turley
• Writers: Rod Serling
• Format: Black & White, HiFi Sound, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: 20th Century Fox
• VHS Release Date: January 1, 1998
• Run Time: 100 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6302098564
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #328,988 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Jack Klugman Performance, September 8, 2004

By 

Michael (Washington, D.C. area) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Twilight Zone: A Passage For Trumpet/ The Four of Us Are Dying [VHS] (VHS Tape)

"A Passage for Trumpet" is my favorite TWILIGHT ZONE epsiode of all. Authored by Rod Serling, it is the story of a depressed, alcoholic jazz musician who commits suicide and is given a second chance in that famed "middle ground between science and superstition". I am a huge fan of Jack Klugman, and "A Passage for Trumpet" is a prime example of this great character actor's talent. Klugman uses his expressive, "oddly intense" face and his inimitable way with language to draw us into the life of this sad, tormented character. His "But when I'm drunk..." monologue is beautifully delivered. One must also admire Klugman's excellent miming of the trumpet playing: he moves his lips and body with the swelling of the music so that one can hardly tell he is not really playing the instrument. The performances of Klugman and of John Anderson as a certain musical stranger raise this episode to the level of a masterpiece, as does its visual inventiveness: I would particularly point out the various metaphors for "passage", the mirror trick (where Joey fails to see his reflection), and the visual puns inherent in the ceiling lamps and in the name of the whiskey bottle in the bar (drinking and playing the trumpet are interchanged in this episode). Although it could be thought of as Serling's version of IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE, the episode has a mood all its own, consistently gentle and poetic.

"The Four of Us Are Dying", also written by Serling, concerns a man who can assume the face and identity of other men; his deceptions and toying with others' emotions eventually trap him. This film noir-like episode may require a second viewing to fully absorb it (as it did for me). It is nevertheless a fine episode involving interesting themes such as the various "faces" we show to people. The percussive, angular musical score is by Jerry Goldsmith and perfectly complements the story. If there is anything that ties these two ZONES together - besides that they are both superb - then it must be the nocturnal, urban setting, the jazz musical scores, and the theme of "ghosts" returning to former haunts. This tape is a winner all around.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Passage from Death to Life, May 28, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: The Twilight Zone: A Passage For Trumpet/ The Four of Us Are Dying [VHS] (VHS Tape)

In all, Jack Klugman starred in four episodes of The Twilight Zone. These include the deeply moving "In Praise of Pip" (made in 1963) and this excellent 1960 episode, "A Passage for Trumpet." With his "odd, intense face" (Rod Serling's description of the character Klugman plays) and his "everyman" persona, Klugman is ideal in the role of Joey Crown, a disillusioned jazz musician who commits suicide after selling his beloved trumpet. Joey then undergoes an IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE-like progression from despair to gratitude for the joy his talent can give. He learns to appreciate the beauty in life, and in a touching conclusion the sound of his trumpet attracts the attention of a nice young woman. Klugman's performance, the fine supporting cast, the evocative musical score, the marvelous camera work, and - of course - writer Serling's combination of darkness and sentiment make "A Passage for Trumpet" well worth seeing.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great second episode too!, November 17, 1999

By 

JazzLover - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Twilight Zone: A Passage For Trumpet/ The Four of Us Are Dying [VHS] (VHS Tape)

In the second episode on this video, "The Four Of Us Are Dying", Ross Martin of the original Wild Wild West television series guest stars as a man with the ability to change himself so that he appears like anyone else he chooses.