This episode didn't work for me, though die-hard fans of the series will no doubt love it despite its many shortcomings. I just thought that the idea of a main character, a professor, was a case of a man behaving incongruously. In other words, given that he's a professor, he SHOULD have acted in a much more reasonable and less dopey manner. This and one other problem with the plot made this passable entertainment at best.
The episode begins with Johnson having a debate of sorts with some friends (including a bald Ramond Bailey) at his local men's club. It's about whether a person COULD change history IF he could travel back in time. In a strange twist, Johnson leaves the club and is magically transferred back to April, 1865--the day of the Lincoln assassination. At no point do they explain why and how this happens--a serious weakness of the episode. However, the big weakness is that Johnson behaves like an idiot. Despite there being a bazillion clues that it's 1865, it takes him a long time to realize this. Next, when he realizes that Lincoln will be killed later that night, he runs around behaving like a mad man--ranting and raving and showing no finesse in dealing with those around him--yet he's supposed to be an intelligent and well-educated man! Then, later, when he meets John Wilkes Booth, he fails to recognize this and stupidly blunders into a trap!! Then, without any explanation, he's transported back to 1961.
Any plot that makes a main character behave THIS dumb is pretty poor. Having Johnson try to stop the murder and yet failing despite reasonable actions and behaviors would have been an interesting episode--sort of like "The Time Tunnel" episode where they could not convince the captain of the Titanic to stop the ship. The problem was not the idea but the execution as well as providing no reason for the time travel other than it was cool! There was a redeeming aspect of the film. What they did with the doorman at the club and his grandfather was a nice touch--too bad the rest of it is sub-par for the series.
Oh, and Russell Johnson did not just play a professor here and on "Gilligan's Island", but he did this in several other roles, such as the movie THIS ISLAND EARTH. I guess he just had that sort of look about him. Also, aside from "The Beverly Hillbillies", I don't think I've seen Raymond Bailey wearing a toupee, so his bald head in the episode is how you normally would have seen in on TV in the 50s and 60s.
The episode begins with Johnson having a debate of sorts with some friends (including a bald Ramond Bailey) at his local men's club. It's about whether a person COULD change history IF he could travel back in time. In a strange twist, Johnson leaves the club and is magically transferred back to April, 1865--the day of the Lincoln assassination. At no point do they explain why and how this happens--a serious weakness of the episode. However, the big weakness is that Johnson behaves like an idiot. Despite there being a bazillion clues that it's 1865, it takes him a long time to realize this. Next, when he realizes that Lincoln will be killed later that night, he runs around behaving like a mad man--ranting and raving and showing no finesse in dealing with those around him--yet he's supposed to be an intelligent and well-educated man! Then, later, when he meets John Wilkes Booth, he fails to recognize this and stupidly blunders into a trap!! Then, without any explanation, he's transported back to 1961.
Any plot that makes a main character behave THIS dumb is pretty poor. Having Johnson try to stop the murder and yet failing despite reasonable actions and behaviors would have been an interesting episode--sort of like "The Time Tunnel" episode where they could not convince the captain of the Titanic to stop the ship. The problem was not the idea but the execution as well as providing no reason for the time travel other than it was cool! There was a redeeming aspect of the film. What they did with the doorman at the club and his grandfather was a nice touch--too bad the rest of it is sub-par for the series.
Oh, and Russell Johnson did not just play a professor here and on "Gilligan's Island", but he did this in several other roles, such as the movie THIS ISLAND EARTH. I guess he just had that sort of look about him. Also, aside from "The Beverly Hillbillies", I don't think I've seen Raymond Bailey wearing a toupee, so his bald head in the episode is how you normally would have seen in on TV in the 50s and 60s.