With a roast beef dinner going for a buck and a quarter at the Happy Daze Cafe, it wouldn't take a whole lot to live like a king back in the Sixties. I also noticed that coffee and donuts went for twenty cents; I wonder how many donuts it took to make the limit. Boy, those were the good old days.
The Twilight Zone tackled addiction to gambling a second time with this entry. The first season offered #1.17 - The Fever, in which a character fell victim to the seduction of a one armed bandit. In this episode, Ace Larsen (Dane Clark) tries to take advantage of his buddy Jimbo Cobb (Buddy Ebsen), who's mental feats of levitation offer the potential for millions in the grand casinos of Las Vegas. Funny, but I still recall names like the Silver Slipper, The Thunderbird, The Dunes and The Flamingo, but I have no idea if any of them are still around. I kind of doubt it.
You know what would have really made this a memorable show is if Jackie Gleason showed up as Big Phil Nolan. That's all I could think of when I saw all the overweight gangsters show up in Ace's hotel room. That would have been very cool, especially with a few side bets on a billiard table. Think of the possibilities.
This is one of those TZ episodes I don't ever recall seeing before, having been there at the beginning when the series first got started. I think it held a lot more potential than what it actually delivered, but it still managed to put across it's message well enough. What's unusual is that Ace came full circle without regrets, happy enough in the knowledge that he still had his girl and that a good friend is more valuable than money. For what it's worth, I'd like to think old Jimbo laid down on purpose, which contrary to the way his character was portrayed, would have made him the smartest guy in the room.