The Rip Van Winkle Caper

"The Rip Van Winkle Caper" is episode 60 of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone , and is the 24th episode of the second season. It originally aired on April 21, 1961 on CBS, and was written by series creator and showrunner Rod Serling, and was directed by Justus Addiss.

"The Rip Van Winkle Caper"
The Twilight Zone episode
Episode no.Season 2
Episode 24
Directed byJustus Addiss
Written byRod Serling
Production code173-3655
Original air dateApril 21, 1961 (1961-04-21)
Guest appearances

Opening narration

Introducing four experts in the questionable art of crime: Mr. Farwell, expert on noxious gases, former professor, with a doctorate in both chemistry and physics; Mr. Erbie, expert in mechanical engineering; Mr. Brooks, expert in the use of firearms and other weaponry; and Mr. De Cruz, expert in demolition and various forms of destruction. The time is now, and the place is a mountain cave in Death Valley, U.S.A. In just a moment, these four men will utilize the services of a truck placed in cosmoline, loaded with a hot heist cooled off by a century of sleep, and then take a drive into The Twilight Zone.

Plot

Four men are fleeing from the law in a truck after stealing $1 million worth of gold bars from a train bound from Fort Knox to Los Angeles. The thieves, consisting of scientist/mastermind Farwell, demolitions expert De Cruz, firearms expert Brooks, and mechanical engineer Erbie, hide in a secret cave in Death Valley, California. Farwell has hidden a set of suspended animation chambers in this cave, which they will use to sleep for approximately 100 years; after that time, he expects that they will be able to sell the gold without raising suspicion. De Cruz has reservations about the plan, but all four men enter the chambers.

When they wake up, all that remains of Erbie is his skeleton, his chamber having been cracked by a falling rock. De Cruz offers to guard the gold in the back of their truck while Brooks drives to civilization, but Brooks does not trust De Cruz and insists that he drive. De Cruz kills Brooks by running into him with the truck, but when the brakes fail, he bails out and the truck crashes into a ravine. Farwell and De Cruz now must walk through the desert in the summer heat, carrying as much gold as they can on their backs.

Along the road, Farwell discovers he has lost his canteen and begins trading gold bars to De Cruz in exchange for some of his water, one bar per drink. When De Cruz doubles the price, Farwell strikes him with a bar and kills him. Farwell gathers up as much gold as he can carry and continues on, but is forced to discard it gradually as the weight becomes increasingly burdensome. Finally, weak and dehydrated, he collapses.

Farwell regains consciousness and finds a man standing over him. He feebly offers his last gold bar in exchange for water and a ride to the nearest town, but dies before the man can respond. The man returns to his futuristic car and tells his wife that Farwell is dead. He remarks about the oddity of Farwell offering him a gold bar as if it were valuable. She reminds him that people once used gold for money, but he points out that was a long time ago, before mankind found a way to manufacture it.

Closing narration

The last of four Rip Van Winkles, who all died precisely the way they lived, chasing an idol across the sand to wind up bleached dry in the hot sun as so much desert flotsam, worthless as the gold bullion they built a shrine to. Tonight's lesson - in The Twilight Zone.

Production notes

The futuristic car carrying the couple who find the dying Farwell is a leftover prop, somewhat modified, from MGM's 1956 film Forbidden Planet.

See also

References

  • DeVoe, Bill. (2008). Trivia from The Twilight Zone. Albany, GA: Bear Manor Media. ISBN 978-1-59393-136-0
  • Grams, Martin. (2008). The Twilight Zone: Unlocking the Door to a Television Classic. Churchville, MD: OTR Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9703310-9-0
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