The Twilight Zone - Mr. Garrity and the Graves

I just love “Mr. Garrity and the Graves”. It is a very cold November evening here as we head towards the meat of Holiday Season for the end of the year, with Thanksgiving (many of us celebrate this for different reasons than what this particular event is known for), Christmas, and New Year’s Eve/Day upcoming. I think I watched this during 4^th of July as part of a personal marathon, but I would have to circle back to know for sure. Just the same, I wanted to give this episode an official review for the blog. This is a lot of fun, I think, because of the wonderful conman antics of the clever “charlatan”, Jared Garrity (John Dehner, who was in one of the series’ first episodes, “The Lonely”, but in this episode is the star) and the cast of Happiness, Arizona, wanting him to “keep their 128 dead in their graves” as he offers his unique “services” of “bringing loved ones back to life”. He claims to have visited Boothill Cemetery and could almost see the earth already moving, the graves just ready to yield the dead, a full resurrection. Whether it be the boozing, limp-legged brother of the boasting bartender (Stanley Adams), proud of his town’s “cleaning up its act”, or the “retired” gunslinger the celebrated “stern” sheriff (Norman Leavitt) put to rest, Happiness receiving the resurrections of these unscrupulous former citizens would not be particular ideal. The drunkard (J Pat O’Malley) who spends his days (and nights) in the bar keeping himself “full of the spirits”, is always quick to speak about his “loving wife of 250 pounds” and the broken arm he was left with SEVEN times, and the sheriff’s greatest cheerleader (the incomparable Percy Helton), among others, appeal to Garrity not to bring back their buried dead.

Garrity has tricks, too. To him, this is a complete con job. A dog that can actually play dead, capable of staying totally still, while Garrity arrives to “heroically” bring it back to life with some performance chants. He has a partner (John Mitchum), who spends some time in town to get acquainted with the locals, learns a bit about their histories, especially the dead in the nearby graveyard, and later reports back to Garrity with the goods that will allow him to work his con over them, preying on their own guilt and fears (many of them, like the sheriff who shot the gunslinger in the back at night, or the bartender who might have been responsible for the “errant” bullet that hit his brother, just want to make sure their past stays right in that cemetery) in order for a quick cashgrab.

Dehner is a hoot as the chatty Garrity, sort of sliding in this town, casually mentioning his abilities in his “trade”, using a convincing cadence and monitoring the reactions of the townfolk to see if he can get one over on each of them. And he does because they are so comfortable in their roles as “respectable members in the peaceful confines of the once violent Happiness” they would be willing to do just about anything (forking over $1000, $750, and $500 to Garrity, as compensation for his keeping them put) to keep their town free and clear of those dead 128. The twist of just how capable Garrity really is, the zombies of that town rising up and making plans to get even with those they left behind, couldn’t bookend this episode any better. He just didn’t know how skilled he really was at raising the dead!

This cast is just gold. I couldn’t help but think of “The Grave”, with its running list of great character actors/faces, wanting to watch it after enjoying “Mr. Garrity and the Graves” again. Those in Happiness, when Garrity isn’t even there, have completely accepted an alternate passing of those in the cemetery, gladly complicit in blithely supporting false reasons for why many of them are dead, or so happy with where their lives are currently (a woman has remarried, doesn’t miss her first husband at all, and wants to keep her life uncomplicated), that Garrity poses a threat to their idyll.

But seeing Dehner work is a real pleasure. His Garrity is so obviously a master manipulator, plying his trade on many before even entering Happiness in his little cart with his name printed on the side and a little lantern lighting his way out of town once he finished swindling folks, that one can’t help but admire his gift for gab and inherent skill to influence cash from those duped because he understands human nature and its many flaws and secrets. Adams’ cheery delivery to Garrity about Happiness’ recovery from a notoriety they wish to put behind them to Leavitt’s self-congratulatory role in cleaning up the town; Garrity capitalizing on their true natures is part of the episode’s charm. And I rarely disliked an episode set in the Old West, so that was another plus in its favor with me.

I truly believe as new viewers make their way through the up and down final season, “Mr. Garrity and the Graves” might just serve as a pleasant surprise, an unexpected gem they weren’t anticipating. In long series, particularly anthologies, they often have those episodes which sort of hideaway, leaving you unaware of how much of a treat they can be. I think this one is such an example. 4/5