History Recap / TheTwilightZone1959S1E3MrDentonOnDoomsday

Denton admits that his alcoholism was born of fending off an endless parade of challengers, trying to build their reputations by taking him on, the last of which was a teenage boy. Denton knows that it's going to happen all over again, and is proven right when he receives a challenge from one Pete Grant (Doug [=McClure=]). Denton tries to practice, but all he learns is that his earlier feat was just a fluke. The night before the duel, Denton meets a peddler by the name of Henry J. Fate (Malcolm J. Atterbury), who goads him into buying an elixir that will make him an expert marksman for about ten seconds. Denton buys it, but knows that he's just prolonged his end by about one duel.

Denton admits that his alcoholism was born of fending off an endless parade of challengers, trying to build their reputations by taking him on, the last of which was a teenage boy. Denton knows that it's going to happen all over again, and is proven right when he receives a challenge from one Pete Grant (Doug [=McClure=]). Denton tries to practice, but all he learns is that his earlier feat was just a fluke. The night before the duel, Denton meets a peddler by the name of Henry J. Fate (Malcolm J. Atterbury), who goads him into buying an elixir that will make him an expert marksman for about 10 seconds. Denton buys it, but knows that he's just prolonged his end by about one duel.

->'''Creator/RodSerling:''' Mr. Henry Fate, dealer in utensils and pots and pans, linaments and potions. A fanciful little man in a black frock coat who can help a man climbing out of a pit—or another man from falling into one. Because, you see, Fate can work that way...in the Twilight Zone.

->'''Creator/RodSerling:''' Mr. Henry Fate, dealer in utensils and pots and pans, linaments and potions. A fanciful little man in a black frock coat who can help a man climbing out of a pit—or another man from falling into one. Because, you see, Fate can work that way...in the Twilight Zone.

-----

Al Denton (Dan Duryea) is the drunken laughingstock of the town, so desperate for beer that he even goes as far as singing drunken songs at the bequest of young bullies led by Dan Hotaling (Creator/MartinLandau). One day he finds a gun lying on the ground. The bullies take notice and try to goad him into a shoot-out, as Denton used to be hot stuff. Denton tries explaining that he doesn't have it anymore, but the gun goes off, shooting the bully's gun out of his hands. While this wins the town's respect and awe, Denton feels he's gotten himself in trouble.

Denton admits that his alcoholism was born of fending off an endless parade of challengers, trying to build their reps by taking him on, the last being a teenage boy. Denton knows that it's going to happen all over again, and is proven right when he receives a challenge from one Pete Grant (Doug [=McClure=]). Denton tries to practice, but all he learns is that his earlier feat was just a fluke. The night before the duel, Denton meets a peddler by the name of Henry J. Fate (Malcolm J. Atterbury), who goads him into buying an elixir that will make him an expert marksman for about 10 seconds. Denton buys it, but knows that he's just prolonged his end by about one duel.

At the saloon, Denton meets Grant, a young hopeful who thinks he's unbeatable. Denton sees that Grant has a bottle like the one he bought from Fate, and realizes that they've been set up. The two gunslingers shoot their guns out of each others' hands, causing minor damage that has ended their ability to pull a trigger. Denton tells his young rival that they've been given a chance for a better life, as now neither of them will be able to shoot a gun in anger. Before riding out of town, Fate tips his hat to Denton.

* TheAlcoholic: Al Denton was once the fastest gun in the West but he became a severe alcoholic when the latest man to challenge him turned out to be a sixteen-year-old boy. Like all of the others, he killed him. Denton gets a second chance from a peddler named Henry J. Fate.

* BlastingItOutOfTheirHands: A subversion of the usual effects of this trope, as both men suffer permanent damage. Grant's reaction isn't clear, but Denton is thrilled to finally be free from having to prove himself.

* DrowningMySorrows: Denton fell into a habit of trying to drink away his bad memories of killing challengers as a gunslinger at some point in the past.

* HowTheMightyHaveFallen: Before he found the gun Fate left for him, Denton was once a famed gunslinger who men for miles around would challenge to a duel. After a moral dilemma caused by shooting a young man dead, Denton's been reduced to a drunkard who sings to entertain the bullies who pick on him.

* KickTheDog: Hotaling gets his kicks making Denton feel like dirt, begging like a dog for free alcohol and singing just to amuse him and his friends.

* TheWildWest: Land of six-guns, shootouts, bars with batwing doors...

----

[[caption-width-right:350:''"Just a service of Henry J. Fate, just so you might remember [[DoubleMeaning the night Fate stepped in]]"''.]]

* ArtisticLicenseMedicine: Getting shot in the hand with a .45 caliber revolver is bloodless, doesn't have them howling in pain, and ol' Doc can bandage it up in less than a minute. In reality, their hands with have been mangled to the point that amputation would have probably been necessary.

* TheAlcoholic: Al Denton was once the fastest gun in the West but he became a severe alcoholic when the latest man to challenge him turned out to be a sixteen-year-old boy. Like all of the others, he killed him. Denton gets a second change from a peddler named Henry J. Fate.

* ArtisticLicenseMedicine: Getting shot in the hand with a .45 caliber revolver is something is bloodless, doesn't have them howling in pain, and ol' Doc can bandage it up in less than a minute. In reality, their hands with have been mangled to the point that amputation would have probably been necessary.

At the saloon, Denton meets a Grant, a young hopeful who thinks he's unbeatable. Denton sees that Grant has a bottle like the one he bought from Fate, and realizes that they've been set up. The two gunslingers shoot their guns out of each others' hands, causing minor damage that has ended their ability to pull a trigger. Denton tells his young rival that they've been given a chance for a better life, as now neither of them will be able to shoot a gun in anger. Before riding out of town, Fate tips his hat to Denton.

* DrowningMySorrows: Denton is doing this up until the beginning of the episode.

* MissKitty: Liz (Jeanne Cooper), a saloon girl who takes pity on Denton.

* SignificantName: The peddler is Henry J. '''Fate'''.

* BlastingItOutOfTheirHands: A subversion to the usual effects of this trope, as both men suffer permanent damage. Grant's reaction isn't clear, but Denton is thrilled to finally be free from having to prove himself.

* HowTheMightyHaveFallen: Before he found the gun Fate left for him, Denton was once a famed gunslinger who men for miles around would challenge to a duel. After a moral dilemma with shooting a young man dead, Denton's been reduced to a drunkard who sings to entertain the bullies who pick on him.

* KickTheDog: Hotaling gets his kicks making Denton feel like a dirt, begging like a dog for free alcohol and singing just to amuse them.

* ThePerilsOfBeingTheBest: Mr. Denton, it turns out, used to be a famous gunslinger, but all the challenges from would be gunfighters who wanted to beat him to take his fame for themselves, (particularly the young ones) and the subsequent deaths on his conscience psychologically broke him and turned him into a shell of his former self.

Al Denton (DanDuryea) is the drunken laughingstock of the town, so desperate for beer that he even goes as far as singing drunken songs at the bequest of young bullies led by Dan Hotaling (Creator/MartinLandau). One day he finds a gun lying on the ground. The bullies take notice and try to goad him into a shoot-out, as Denton used to be hot stuff. Denton tries explaining that he doesn't have it anymore, but the gun goes off, shooting the bully's gun out of his hands. While this wins the town's respect and awe, Denton feels he's gotten himself in trouble.

Al Denton (Creator/DanDuryea) is the drunken laughingstock of the town, so desperate for beer that he even goes as far as singing drunken songs at the bequest of young bullies led by Dan Hotaling (Creator/MartinLandau). One day he finds a gun lying on the ground. The bullies take notice and try to goad him into a shoot-out, as Denton used to be hot stuff. Denton tries explaining that he doesn't have it anymore, but the gun goes off, shooting the bully's gun out of his hands. While this wins the town's respect and awe, Denton feels he's gotten himself in trouble.

Al Denton (Dan Duryea) is the drunken laughingstock of the town, so desperate for beer that he even goes as far as singing drunken songs at the bequest of young bullies led by Dan Hotaling (Martin Landau). One day he finds a gun lying on the ground. The bullies take notice and try to goad him into a shoot-out, as Denton used to be hot stuff. Denton tries explaining that he doesn't have it anymore, but the gun goes off, shooting the bully's gun out of his hands. While this wins the town's respect and awe, Denton feels he's gotten himself in trouble.

* BabiesEverAfter: Implied to be Denton's future someday. The doctor looks at Denton's injured hand and remarks this will be a story to tell Denton's grandchildren someday, given that's how long he may live now.

* TheWildWest
* WeirdWest

* TheDogBitesBack: Downplayed. Denton didn't mean for his new gun to scare Hotaling, but after a shot or two, he makes it clear that they should stop demeaning him if they know what's good for him.

-->'''Creator/RodSerling:''' Mr. Henry Fate, dealer in utensils and pots and pans, linaments and potions. A fanciful little man in a black frock coat who can help a man climbing out of a pit—or another man from falling into one. Because, you see, Fate can work that way...in the Twilight Zone.

At the saloon, Denton meets a Grant- a young hopeful who thinks he's unbeatable. Denton sees that Grant has a bottle like the one he bought from Fate, and realizes that they've been set up. The two gunslingers shoot their guns out of each others' hands, causing minor damage that has ended their ability to pull a trigger. Denton tells his young rival that they've been given a chance for a better life, as now neither of them will be able to shoot a gun in anger. Before riding out of town, Fate tips his hat to Denton.