The End of the World (1958) User Reviews (9)

Things Haven't Changed Much

[mitchrmp · 9/10 · 10 September 2011]

In this episode, we see a man...a stranger, no less...ride into town and convince everyone that the world is coming to an end. Conveniently, this is going to happen at midnight. Oh, but wait! The good news is that the stranger has something he can sell the citizens if they want to protect themselves. Amazingly, he also has something for the cattle. So for a price, the world will NOT come to an end...

The whole town is panicked and willing to spend their hard earned money to keep themselves alive...They don't stop to wonder how a huge rock falling from the sky is going to protect them from these mere material things they are asked to buy. How is one town's investing going to save the whole world? Hoby is just passing through when he rides into the town. Because the Sheriff (never liked Greer as a sheriff anyhow) doesn't want to do anything to stop the madness, Hoby orders him to take off his badge. With the badge forcibly removed by Hoby, he takes over in the name of the State of Texas.

As insane as all this sound, I remember something similar happening when I was in high school. The world was going to come to an end by some major event, and people started stocking up on the supplies they would need...It really made no sense to me - how mere supplies was going to keep the world coming to an end...

SOOOOO Freaky!

[mapletub · 10/10 · 11 January 2017]

See the earlier review about this episode as a bizarre premonition of the 2016 election. I swear my ears did a double-take at the beginning when Hobie came in and asked the saloon girl if the new visitor had a name, and she said "Trump." Hobie thoughtfully replied "I bet it fits..." There were also a few other parallels not yet mentioned:

The conman Trump alarms the populace with his tales of the outside threat, then literally tells them that he can "build a wall" to protect them.

At another point, when Hobie questions his honesty, Trump threatens to sue him! (How often do people threaten to sue people in your average western?)

The media were mighty amused when it was recalled just after the election that The Simpsons once "predicted" President Trump. I think MeTV should get a copy of this episode of Trackdown over to The Daily Show asap.

In conclusion, let's appreciate the words of the local judge in this episode: "When we were kids, we were all afraid of the dark. Then we grew up, and we weren't afraid anymore... it's funny how a Big Lie can make us all kids again."

Trump the conman - and his wall

[hoangngoctuan-25470 · 10/10 · 10 January 2019]

Somehow this film is prophetic: exactly 60 years after the fictional Trump, there appears the realistic Trump. But everything now is of a much larger scale. 60 years ago, the petit fictional conman wanted to build a wall around a town. Now, a huge realistic conman wants to build a wall around a nation. 60 years ago, the fictional Trump said: "I am the only one. Trust me. I can build a wall around your homes that nothing will penetrate. You ask how do you build that wall. You ask, and I'm here to tell you." Now, everyone can hear the realistic Trump say very similar things, again and again. However, there is a difference between the fiction and the reality. The fiction was fun. The reality is terrible.

Funny how Prophetic...

[rmyers1968 · 8/10 · 7 January 2017]

There are spoilers in this review

I could not resist writing a review of this after watching it today.

The flimflam man is called Mr. Trump. He makes statements like "The world is coming to an end and only I can save you." and "Only I have the answer." Essentially, Mr. Trump misleads a whole community into buying into his lies. To add to things, it appears the law enforcement of the area appear to be in league with Mr. Trump to help him get his way... (Sort of like what the FBI did for the real Mr. Trump for the elections).

The parallels to this episode and the 2016 presidential elections are pretty funny. The episode was pretty good on its own, but the way it nearly predicts what was to come is pretty funny... Oh one last thing, the Hero of the story who is actually trying to save the town from themselves ends up being Bonked on the head and knocked out (like the democrats that got knocked out of the race)... Just makes me smile when Life imitates art and wanted to share it.

A Fascinating Episode

[brian_m_hass · 9/10 · 22 January 2019]

In this episode, a man comes to town claiming that he can save the residents from the coming end of the world. The residents of the town are driven to the point of panic and are willing to do anything to save themselves. Texas Ranger, Hoby Gilman, is skeptical of the man's claims.

The story about the Texas Ranger's attempts to debunk the man's apocalyptic claims is a story about human nature itself. Facing a possible threat, frightened people will give into fear rather than respond rationally. In the absence of information, people will respond desperately to any threats which they do not understand.

The story itself is riveting. The Texas Ranger's problem of convincing the frightened citizens of the fraudulent nature of the apocalyptic claims is an interesting one. One moral of the story is that fantastic claims need to be supported by solid evidence.

In 2019, interest in this episode increased due to comparisons between the con man in this episode and the 45th U.S. President. Of course, any similarities between a sitting U.S. President and a character in a 61 year old television episode were strictly coincidental; since, one of the episode's morals was that supernatural claims are false.

The episode is very entertaining. Robert Culp is always excellent in any role that he plays. Lawrence Dobkin is great in the role of the con man. The story also comes with a great message about the need for skepticism in the face of fantastic claims. This episode is highly recommended.

A glitch in the matrix

[loctothebraininsane · 8/10 · 29 January 2019]

Amazing the parallels between this episode and reality 60 years later. If someone would have told me what happens in this episode without seeing it I wouldn't believe it. Sometimes this exact same type of thing happens in other TV and movies. (Simpsons and Family Guy have predicted lots of things and Back to the Future has some eerie parallels to 9/11) The answer certainly is not that the directors and producers were in on anything but that we live in an extremely persistent highly complex simulation of some sort. Sometimes the system glitches and the future is foretold. Usually not in any exact way but pretty close and certainly more than a coincidence. As for the quality of the show itself yeah it's pretty well shot and acted.

Confirmation Bias

[bigshambala · 8/10 · 30 January 2019]

Amazing how people see what they're predisposed to see. There is no actual wall in the movie, its an umbrella. The guy is Walter, not Don - lots of Trumps in the world. The imbiciles he tricks are not just gullible, but delusional. Trump in the movie is stealing money for HIMSELF - MAGA Trump gets no money from the wall. Many Democrats and Republicans want a wall for the same reasons that celebrities and politicians have walls around their houses - so it's not like a town full of sickos. Fact: Walls are 95% effective against real threats, not imaginary meteors. This movie is clearly over-the-top propaganda against certain types of religious people. The parallels to president Trump are weak. Too bad this movie couldn't have been twilight zone-esque with an unexpected meteor shower at the end after the parasols were put away - just as a mere coincidence. No one gets killed except Walter, everyone else gets rich selling meteors.

Timeless tale on how we all get Trumped

[gizmomogwai · 7/10 · 15 January 2017]

You could have sworn this episode was a hoax, made in 2016 to look like it was made in 1958- but there was already an IMDb review from 2011. I saw The End of the World existed on Snopes, and it's available to see on YouTube. It's drawn a lot of attention as a classic example of life-imitates-art; a man named Trump rides into town, is initially accused of selling snake oil, threatens to sue a dissenter, and then claims to be the only one who can solve a problem. People swarm to support him as he promises to build "a wall."

Spooky, but "the wall" is really only mentioned once, and it's actually little parasols handed out at $75 a pop. I'm not sure what year this series is supposed to be set in, but adjusting for inflation, you can be sure that was a heavy investment a century ago. Trump rides in on poor production values, and in a better time you would simply assume a rational people would run him out as quickly as he appeared. But don't be so arrogant. There's a reason why this episode attracted a positive IMDb review before 2016- just look at those tacky looking UFO cults that have inspired mass suicides. Or those cheap YouTube videos that had people shaking that Obama was the anti-Christ in 2008. People are gullible, making this episode's message, a Big Lie turns grown men into children, timeless, transcending beyond merely 1958 and 2016.

The Art of the Steal

[kapelusznik18 · 5/10 · 28 January 2017]

***SPOILERS*** Strange to say the least "Trackdown" episode involving this snake oil or magical umbrella salesman Walter Trump,Lawrence Dobkin, who convinces the people of the town of Kappa Texas that the end of their world will come at exactly at midnight November 14, 1887 unless they buy his umbrella's that contain this element to repel the asteroid shower of deadly Magnaium that's to strike the town that evening. Taking advantage of the townspeople's fear of doom Trump also claims that he would create a wall-"A Beautiful Wall"-made of magical umbrella's that would keep the town of Kappa and it's population safe but at the cost of $75.00 for each umbrella per customer.

It's Texas Ranger Hoby Gilman,Robert Culp, who sees Trump for what he really is a con artist and tries to talk the people in not to go along with his crazy prediction only to be sabotaged by the town sheriff Chet Farrow,Dobbs Greer,who's secretly working with Trump! And is planning to split the loot, some $2,500.00, with him after the con job-as well as Trump skipping town- is over. Not knowing that Trump is playing him for a fool like he is together with the gullible people of Kappa.

***SPOILERS*** It's when Gilman was about to expose Trump to the people of Kappa as the con artist that he is that Farrow whom Trump was to split his ill gotten loot with realized that he's been had or conned by Trump and turned on him. With Trump now out of the way Farrow tried to make a deal with Gilman to split the loot among themselves only to have the honest and law abiding Gilman turn him over to the local Texas Ranger and state justice department to stand trial for his actions.

P.S Made years before anyone ever heard of "The Donald"-Now Preasident Donald J. Trump-this long forgotten episode of "Trackdown" has by now achieve cult or "Twilight Zone" status in bringing the surname of "Trump" to the attention to the public, as well as the "Beautiful Wall" that he's now pushing,years before he or the media ever made him world famous. Mind boggling plot with the fictional not real life Mr. Trump out to put one over on the public in conning them into building his "Beautiful Wall" made up not with bricks or mortar but hundreds of $75.00 each "Mary Popopins" like magical umbrella's to save the town from utter destruction! Who in the end is double-crossed by his partners-A fictional Valdimar Putin or Vice-Prsident Mike Pence-whom he was about to leave high & dry by checking out of town with their share of the loot!