Twilight Zone episode review — 5.32 — Mr. Garrity and the Graves

Episode 5.32 “Mr. Garrity and the Graves”
Original air date: May 8, 1964
Writer: Rod Serling
Director: Ted Post

Rating: 8/10

In the old west, John Garrity (John Dehner) arrives at a small town called Happiness, Arizona. At the local saloon, he makes some small talk with the bartender, and learns that a few years ago, Happiness had some massive problems with murders, and like half the town’s population is buried up in Boot Hill Cemetery.

Garrity mentions that he’s in the business of bringing people back from the dead. At this point, a crowd gathers, and reminisces about their dead loved ones. He says he’ll bring them back, but some of the townsfolk begins to worry. For one, the sheriff is worried about the town outlaw that he killed without honor, is coming back, and a wife that would frequently beat her husband will come back.

As a figure approaches from the cemetery, the townsfolk all agree to pay for it to be undone. The person disappears and Garrity goes on his way with his partner, who had been the figure coming from the cemetery. As they go by the cemetery, though, a bunch of people rise from the grave and head down to the town.

This episode is pretty humorous and definitely interesting. Dehner’s performance is quite good, and all in all, this is one of the more compelling western episodes of The Twilight Zone.