1.41 --- Tooth and Consequences
 Directed by : Robert DowneyWritten by : Haskell Barkin Starring : David Birney, Kenneth Mars First aired : 31st of January, 1986. Dr. Myron Mandel (David Birney) is a hapless dentist, unable to deal with the stress of his calling, as well as with less-than-desirable public reputation dentists enjoy. After seeing his umpteenth receptionist quit and a beautiful young woman reject his advances, he decides to finally pull the plug on his own life and hang himself. He is saved by the tooth fairy (Kenneth Mars, The Producers, The Parralax View), who is a tall, bearded man, rather than a classic fairy. Myron, certain he's hallucinating, wishes for recognition and love of mrs. Bixby, and to his amazement both are soon granted - mrs. Bixby is madly in love with him, and he just can't shake off new patients coming in. But now a different problem rises - he can't deal with his newfound popularity ! He escapes the raging mob of his fans-patients and boards the first train out of town, finding himself in a cargo wagon with a bunch of hobos. Turns out, the hobos were dentists too - all forced to live elsewhere thanks to the tooth fairy. *** A funny little episode directed by Robert Downey Sr. (last seen directing Children's Zoo), Tooth & Consequences is good fun, but ultimately nothing special. David Birney is most pleasant to watch, and pay close attention to the scene when he and mrs. Bixby fall in love - Downey directs that one in full operatic fashion, with both actors hamming it up with real grandeur. Oh, and the actress who plays mrs. Bixby, Teresa Ganzel, uncannily resembles Britney Spears (the fact that mrs. Bixby's character is a bit of an airhead helps, too). TZ Trivia : both IMDB and Marc Scott Zicree credit Mitzi McCall, here appearing as one of patients, with a role in classic TZ episode The Hitch-Hiker (22nd of January, 1960.). The crowd over at TZ Café forums begs to differ - with some rather knowledgable fellows claiming this could very well be a phantom credit. The truth, as they say, is out there. |
posted by Mairosu at 6:43 PM
Comments on "1.41 --- Tooth and Consequences"
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Anonymous said ... (12:17 AM) :
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The Philosopher said ... (3:37 PM) :
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Adrock said ... (9:00 PM) :
post a commentVoici le cas typique d'épisodes que je n'aime pas dans la TZ : un épisode qui essaie d'etre drôle mais qui ne l'est pas, un acteur horripilant et une morale à 2 balles.
Au secours...
Ma note : 1.5/5
I have to agree with the commenter above. Sacré bleu! What a terrible episode. Worst I've seen so far. Way too absurd. I did have to laugh though when he started kissing her armpit when she falls in love with him. Horrible acting all round. The tooth fairy acts like a guy they pulled out of a bar.
Well, that was a pointless one. Usually "Twilight Zone" is about sad nebbishes who get a second chance ("Night of the Meek", "A Message from Charity"), or evil cads who get a well-deserved commeupance ("The Misfortune Cookie"). This one is about a guy who ... either squanders his second chance, or gets bamboozled by the devil (check out the "tooth fairy"'s snappy red shirt and tell me that's not a clue). The overacting is fun, for a while, but the writer had *no idea* how to end this thing, hence the last scene in particular screaming of a three-months-later rewrite.
For those of you who grew up in the States watching "Family Ties" at about the same time as this episode aired, that's David Birney (as Dr. Mandel) as in the husband of "Family Ties"' Meredith Baxter Birney. True story.