In Praise of Pip Review

[Cori aka ChrisSCrush]

The 1963 episode of The Twilight Zone, “In Praise of Pip,” is Billy Mumy’s third and final appearance on the original classic series.

The story follows Max Phillips, a tired and discouraged bookie played by Jack Klugman. Max receives the distressing news that his soldier son, Pip, is wounded in South Vietnam and not expected to live. This is one of the earliest depictions of the Vietnam war on a drama television series. Pip, played by Robert Diamond, is shown being brought into the field hospital to undergo surgery.

After being injured in a fight, Max goes to the amusement park where he and Pip passed many happy hours. There he mysteriously meets a ten-year-old version of Pip, played by Billy Mumy. The episode is touching and affecting. One thing I noticed on this viewing is that Pip’s nickname for his father is “Pop” and near the end a revolving sign reading “Pop” appears.

I had seen all of The Twilight Zone before, but watching all three of Billy’s episodes back to back, I noticed something worth mentioning in all three reviews. In Billy’s first and third episodes, the high dramatic point is the actor playing his father delivering an impassioned plea that his son’s life be spared. Philip Abbott does wonderfully in “Long Distance Call” as does Jack Klugman with “In Praise of Pip.” In the middle episode of the three, “It’s a Good Life,” the high dramatic point is a man pleading with the actor playing Billy’s father to end his son’s life. Just an interesting little observation...in The Twilight Zone.