Original Air Date: April 8, 1960
Writer: Rod Serling
Director: Ron Winston
“If you don’t believe, Bolie, it won’t be true. That’s the way magic works.”
“In this corner of the universe, a prizefighter named Bolie Jackson, 183 pounds and an hour and a half away from a comeback at St. Nick’s Arena. Mr. Bolie Jackson, who, by the standards of his profession is an aging, over-the-hill relic of what was, and who now sees a reflection of a man who has left too many pieces of his youth in too many stadiums for too many years before too many screaming people. Mr. Bolie Jackson, who might do well to look for some gentle magic in the hard-surfaced glass that stares back at him.”
-Rod Serling
An aging boxer named Bolie Jackson (played by Ivan Dixon) is preparing for his next big fight. He is good friends with a local neighborhood boy who lives in the same building named Henry (played by Stephen Perry) and Henry’s mother Frances (played by Kim Hamilton). Frances is delighted to have Bolie around since he can take Henry out to takes him out for walks and to ballgames. Shortly before leaving for the fight, while gazing in the mirror, Bolie tells Henry all about his past fights by showcasing the scars on his face: one in St. Louis in 1949 by a guy named Sailor Levitt, a “real fast boy,” another at Memorial Stadium in Syracuse New York by an Italian boy who “fought like Henry Armstrong” and whose fists were “like a windmill” (this was the first time Bolie ever got his nose broken twice in a single fight), and in another fight in Miami, Florida, the guy got Bolie up against the ring post and wailed on him with his laces. All these fights have left a long history of scars across the greying face of Bolie, who describes himself as a “tired old man trying to catch a bus, and the bus is already gone, left a couple years ago.”
Henry tells Bolie that he will make a “big tall wish” for Bolie in the upcoming fight so he can fight like a “tiger.” And Henry’s mother Frances tells Bolie that Henry’s wishes aren’t just the wayward whims of a child. Recently, while needing $15 for the rent, Henry made a big tall wish and suddenly a check arrived in the mail for $15 from a lady Frances used to do “some nursing work for on the island.” But Bolie simply brushes this aside as he greets his many fans and well-wishers in the neighborhood while en route to the fight.
In the locker room, the mood is somber. Bolie is wrapped up by his trainer Joe Mizell when a sleazy manager-for-hire shows up named Harvey Thomas shows up and antagonizes Bolie, intimating that he will be betting in favor of his opponent, Joey Consiglio. In a fit of rage, Bolie, punches Thomas but misses and hits the wall, busting four of his knuckles and possibly breaking his right hand. Predictably, the fight goes terribly and Bolie is knocked out.
However, something miraculous occurs. The screen suddenly freezes to photographs not unlike La Jetée (1962) (a brilliant way to present a supernatural occurance). Suddenly, Bolie finds himself standing in the middle of the ring with his hand in the air. He has, in fact, somehow won the fight. Apparently, Bolie is the only person who remembers when he broke his hand and lost the fight. When Bolie returns home, he confronts Henry who begs him to believe in magic and to accept his “big tall wish,” but Bolie is jaded and skeptical. At the end of the episode, his fortunes are reversed. Bolie’s hand is returned to broken and he loses the fight. He goes back home to Henry, defeated, and the boy says: “I ain’t gonna make no more wishes. I’m too old for wishes.” But Bolie sorrowfully replies: “Or maybe… maybe there is magic. And maybe there’s wishes, too. I guess the trouble is… there’s not enough people around to believe…”
“Mr. Bolie Jackson, 183 pounds, who left a second chance lying in a heap on a rosin-spattered canvas at St. Nick’s Arena. Mr. Bolie Jackson, who shares the most common ailment of all men, the strange and perverse disinclination to believe in a miracle, the kind of miracle to come from the mind of a little boy, perhaps only to be found in the Twilight Zone.”
-Rod Serling
My Thoughts on “The Big Tall Wish”
An impressive rarity for an early 1960s television show, “The Big Tall Wish” features a nearly all-black cast. Rod Serling was a known civil rights advocate who was at least partly inspired to create The Twilight Zone as a protest against network censorship demands for his scripts like “Noon on Doomsday” about the Emmett Till murder. He once remarked the following regarding the plight of Black actors at the time: “Television, like its big sister, the motion picture, has been guilty of the sin of omission… Hungry for talent, desperate for the so-called ‘new face,’ constantly searching for a transfusion of new blood, it has overlooked a source of wondrous talent that resides under its nose. This is the Negro actor” (as quoted in The Twilight Zone Companion by Marc Scott Zicree).
“The Big Tall Wish” presents a heart-wrenching tale overlaid with a beautiful, downbeat harmonica-rich score by Jerry Goldsmith. This is a sentimental, magical episode and another true delight from Rod Serling. The fact that it presents a nearly all African-American cast only adds to its importance. Notably, the fight scene in this episode is told in a string of quick cuts showing nervous people’s hands and reactions in the audience, and then the miraculous moment of the “big tall wish” is conveyed through a frozen string of photographs. George T. Clemens demonstrates his extraordinarily prowess in this episode as we see shots of a pair of hands clutching a microphone, covering a person’s eyes, clinging to another person’s coat sleeve, gripping a bag of “popped corn,” and so on, rather than showing us two fighters leveling punches at each other. It lends credence to the old idea that by showing less onscreen, the intensity actually increases. “The Big Tall Wish” is another gem from the first season.
Credits:
- Director: Ron Winston
- Ronald Winston, often credited as “Ron Winston” (1932-1973) was a native of Detroit. After getting married, he settled in New York City with his wife, Gayle Hamby Winston, a fundraiser for the Kennedy political dynasty. He would frequently fly back and forth between New York and California for film work in Hollywood. Throughout his career, he directed episodes of the Johnny Carson Show, Studio One, Playhouse 90, United States Steel Hour, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Hawaii Five-O, and others. He directed three episodes of The Twilight Zone (“The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street,” “The Big Tall Wish,” and “Stopover in a Quiet Town“). He died in Los Angeles, California at the age of 40 in 1973 of a heart attack. He was en route to the airport to catch a plane when he got stuck in traffic and suffered a heart attack. His widow, Gayle, returned to her native North Carolina mountains after his death and became an award-winning restaurateur.
- Written by: Rod Serling
- Music: Jerry Goldsmith (with harmonica solos)
- Director of Photography: George T. Clemens
- Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson
- Art Directors: George W. Davis and Merrill Pye
- Film Editor: Bill Mosher
- Assistant Director: Kurt Neumann
- Set Decorations: Henry Grace and Keogh Gleason
- Sound: Franklin Milton and Philip Mitchell
- Starring:
- Ivan Dixon…..Bolie Jackson
- Ivan Nathaniel Dixon III (1931-2008) was best known for his role as James “Kinch” Kinchloe, a POW radio expert in the 1960s sitcom Hogan’s Heroes, and for his starring roles in the 1964 independent drama Nothing But a Man and the Emmy-nominated 1967 television film The Final War of Olly Winter. He doubled as Sidney Poitier in films like The Defiant Ones (1958), Porgy and Bess (1958), A Raisin in the Sun (1961), and A Patch of Blue (1965). He also appeared in television shows like Have Gun – Will Travel, Laramie, Perry Mason, I Spy, The Waltons, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., and others. He appeared in two episodes of The Outer Limits (“The Human Factor” and “The Inheritors”) and two Twilight Zone episodes (“The Big Tall Wish” and “I Am the Night—Color Me Black“). In addition, he directed many television episodes, such as The Bill Cosby Show. Active in the civil rights movement from 1961, Dixon served as president of the Negro Actors for Action. He and his wife had four children, two of whom predeceased him. After retiring from acting and directing, he relocated to Hawaii to run a radio station, before needing to return to the mainland of the United States due to health reasons. Dixon died in 2008 due to complications related to kidney failure.
- Ivan Dixon was paid $750 for his role in this episode.
- Steven Perry…..Henry Temple
- Steven Perry (1952-present) was a child actor who sometimes went by the name “Stevie Perry” or “Stephen Perry.” He appeared in films like Sidney Poitier’s A Raising in the Sun (1961), and The Sound and the Fury (1959). This was his only Twilight Zone appearance. Per IMDB, he had a total 18 acting credits. As far as I can tell, he is still alive as of the time I am writing this review.
- Kim Hamilton…..Frances Temple
- Kim Hamilton (1932-2013) had a career that spanned more than a half century, from the early 1950s to 2010. Her early film credits included the 1959 noir film Odds Against Tomorrow opposite Harry Belafonte, and The Leech Woman in 1960. She was one of the first African-American actors to appear in the soap opera Days of Our Lives and was the only African-American to appear in a speaking role on the show Leave It to Beaver. Hamilton portrayed Songi in the Star Trek TNG episode “Final Mission” and also, in an uncredited role, Helen Robinson in the 1962 film adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird. She was the film’s last surviving African-American adult cast member with a speaking role. She was married twice (in 1997, she married Werner Klemperer, who played Colonel Klink on Hogan’s Heroes) and had two children (one of whom predeceased her). She died in 2013 four days after her 81st birthday in Los Angeles, California.
- Walter Burke…..Joe Mizell, Bolie’s trainer
- Walter Burke (1908-1984) was a recognizable small stature Irish-American character actor who often played leprechauns and other similar typecast characters. He appeared in films like All The King’s Men (1949), M (1951), How The West Was Won (1962), My Fair Lady (1964), and others, as well as television shows like Sugarfoot, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Playhouse 90, One Step Beyond, Rawhide, Have Gun – Will Travel, Bewitched, The Munsters, I Spy, Batman, Perry Mason, Hogan’s Heroes, Lost In Space, The Wild Wild West, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Gunsmoke, I Dream of Jeannie, Mission: Impossible, Bonanza, and others. He appeared in one episode of Rod Serling’s Night Gallery (segment: “Deliveries in the Rear”) and two episodes of The Outer Limits (“The Invisibles” and “The Mutant”). He died in 1984 in Los Angeles, California of emphysema.
- Henry Scott…..Harvey Thomas, the sleazy manager-for-hire
- Henry Scott (1922-1981) was a former stage actor who turned to Hollywood. He appeared in shows like Green Acres and The Dick Van Dyke Show. He appeared in two episodes of The Outer Limits (“The Hundred Days of the Dragon” and “Cold Hands, Warm Heart”) and two episodes of The Twilight Zone (“The Big Tall Wish” and “The Thirty Fathom Grave“). Per IMDB, he had a total of 18 acting credits between 1958 and 1966. He died in Los Angeles, California in 1981.
- Ivan Dixon…..Bolie Jackson
- Extras:
- Mike Lally…..Handler (uncredited)
- Mike Lally (1900-1985) was an actor and assistant director. He appeared in more episodes of Columbo than any other actor besides Peter Falk. He also had uncredited roles in films like The Sting (1973), and popular television shows like Bonanza, Gunsmoke, and many others. He made four uncredited appearances in The Twilight Zone (“One for the Angels,” “The Big Tall Wish,” “The Silence,” and “To Serve Man“). He was married to Pauline Wagner and died in 1985.
- Joseph Glick…..Handler (uncredited)
- Joseph Glick (1905-1978) was an extra in films like M (1951), A Star Is Born (1954), Around the World in 80 Days (1956), Some Like It Hot (1959), Ocean’s Eleven (1960), Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961), and others. He appeared in episodes of Batman, Gunsmoke, The Monkees, Bonanza, Have Gun – Will Travel, and others. He made uncredited appearances in two Twilight Zone episodes (“Elegy” and “The Big Tall Wish“). He also was an extra in the classic episode of Star Trek “The City on the Edge of Forever.” He died in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles in 1978.
- Charles Horvath…..Joey Consiglio (uncredited)
- Charles Horvath (1920-1978) was a longtime stuntman and World War II veteran. He appeared, often uncredited, in television shows like The Lone Ranger, Have Gun – Will Travel, One Step Beyond, Bonanza, Wagon Train, Rawhide, Batman, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., The Wild Wild West, I Dream of Jeannie, Gunsmoke, I Spy, Lost in Space, Mission: Impossible, The Andy Griffith Show, and movies like Around the World in 80 Days (1956), Spartacus (1960), and others. He died in 1978 in Woodland Hills, California.
- Wesley Gale…..Tenant (uncredited)
- Carl McIntire…..Announcer (uncredited)
- Dan Terranova…..Rodie (uncredited)
- Frankie Van…..referee (uncredited)
- Mike Lally…..Handler (uncredited)
The Twilight Zone Trivia:
- Rod Serling was once a boxer while serving as a paratrooper in the army during World War II. He enjoyed a string of 17 wins but in the 18th fight, his opponent was a professional boxer who broke Serling’s nose in two places (much like the incident Bolie mentions in this episode). The injury led Serling to give up the sport, though he always maintained a level of taste for the sport. Serling’s favorite fighter was Joe Louis but he grew up rooting for Joe Dempsey’s big comeback. He once remarked, “A good fighter is a piece of art” (Martin Grams, Jr. includes many other woderful Serling quotations in his guide book Unlocking The Door To A Television Classic).
- Rod Serling wrote other celebrated boxing stories like “The Good Right Hand” and “Requiem for a Heavyweight.”
- As the story goes, boxer Archie Moore was initially slated to play the lead in this episode but the casting attempt failed. Months later, when Moore was knocked out by Yvon Durelle in 1961, he described his knockout as followed: “Man I was in the Twilight Zone!”
- In order to achieve the unique shot beneath the ring looking up at the referee, part of the floor was replaced with glass.
- Jerry Goldsmith offers a wonderfully unique score in this episode featuring a harmonica.
- The boxing match in this episode takes place at St. Nicholas Arena (or “St. Nick’s Arena”) which was the name of a boxing arena in New York City: the St. Nicholas Rink. Other fights posted at the arena in the episode include: Sunny Linkwood vs Kavo Otcello, Nick Scarbine vs Johnny Ellerton, Joe Fythe vs Honey Sirota. The general cost of admission is $11.25, reserved is $11.75, and ringside is $12.00.
- Originally cast in the lead role was champion boxer Archie Moore, who later exclaimed, “Man, I was in the Twilight Zone!” when describing the punch delivered by his opponent Yvon Durelle.
- Ivan Dixon and Stephen Perry were reunited the following year after this episode in the 1961 Sydney Poitier film A Raisin in the Sun based on the celebrated play by Lorraine Hansberry.
- One of the signs visible when Bolie walks through the neighborhood reads: “Madam Maria – Palmist.”
- The number of Bolie’s townhouse is #558.
- In an episode of One Step Beyond (“The Last Round”) guest starring Charles Bronson, a poster can be seen hanging on the wall in the arena manager’s office promoting the Bolie Jackson and Joe Consiglio fight. Both programs were filmed at MGM around the same time.
- This episode was filmed at MGM, the exteriors were shot at Lot 2, a tenement street often called “Brownstone Street” which is featured in several other Twilight Zone episodes: “One for the Angels,” “The Fugitive,” “The Jungle,” and “Five Characters in Search of an Exit.”
- After this episode aired, The Twilight Zone was awarded the 1961 Unity Award for Outstanding Contributions to Better Race Relations.
Click here to return to my survey of The Twilight Zone series.
Click here to read my reflections on Rod Serling’s short story “The Big, Tall Wish.”