User Reviews

The best part about this episode is Burgess Meredith. He has always added a certain panache to the delivery of his lines. I don't think any actor would be better for the role of The Devil. The way he works that old printing press, whirling those monstrous disasters out of his evil imagination. There's such glee in it.

Robert Sterling is OK as the down-on-his-luck publisher--I remember him as 'ghost' George Kirby in the TV version of 'Topper'. Pat Crowley is a bit shrewish as the Girlfriend. But Meredith is best--it's great seeing him light that crooked cigar with fire from his own hand. I enjoyed the climax much better as a 10 year old when I first saw it--but this is an above-average TZ in the hour-long format.

Burgess Meredith sure knew how to pick his spots, or at least have Rod Serling pick them for him. This was his fourth Twilight Zone appearance, and at least a couple of them were Top Ten contenders (#1.8 - Time Enough at Last and #2.29 - The Obsolete Man). Sure, he had a clunker as well with #2.19 - Mr. Dingle the Strong, but everyone's entitled to a mistake now and then. You have to get a kick out of his character here. He's one of the all time great devils in disguise, and as a newspaper reporter, when he writes the news, he REALLY writes the news.

I don't know when he first used the gesture, but how many times have you seen Meredith go for the finger to the nose gimmick. I'm pretty sure he pulled it off at least a couple of times in the 'Rocky' pictures. Then there's the neat Jeff Myrtlebank trick with the fingertip cigar lighter. I can overlook the lack of originality on that one because it was just plain cool.

What might have been the best thing about this episode was the way Douglas Winter (Robert Sterling) was given the opportunity to write his own twist ending. Taking the matter into his own hands as it were, he manages to render his contract with the printer's devil null and void. Managing to beat the clock and Mr. Smith's deadline, editor Winter got the scoop when it counted, just in time to make the first edition in the far reaches of the Twilight Zone.

The title "Printer's Devil" tells you what this episode is about. It dosn't try to trick you in any way about who Mr. Smith really is.

This episode is about a owner/editor of a newspaper. A new newspaper came into town and is running him out of business. After losing one of his last employees to the competition and being almost bankrupt he calls it quits. When he is thinking about committing suicide who should stop him but Mr. Smith. It also just so happens that Mr. Smith is also print press operator and a reporter. All this helps get the paper running again but at what cost.

What this episode dose very well is it uses the question of who really believes in the devil in this modern age. Even though this episode was made in the 60's the question still works today.

What a fantastic "Twilight Zone" episode.

The first time the 'devil' ever did something that actually benefited man...and, woman, and, such a beautiful woman Patricia Crowley is, imagine that!?!?

This is such an unlikely "Twilight Zone" episode in the way that 'Mr. Smith,' the devil, actually HELPS people in desperate need.

Unlike 'Pip' and other versions of the devil, this devil is actually helpful and likable...but, when was Burgess Meredith ever unlikable?

The devil saves a newspaper business that's run by a likable boss who has a beautiful girlfriend and everyone lives happily ever after!?!? This is something that's not expected in the "Twilight Zone."

Excellent story...Charles Beaumont!

For me, personally, this episode first aired on February 28, 1963 - my sister's birthday; the year my Son's mom was born; and, an overall lucky time for me.

Thank you, Son, for asking me to watch this! :)

It's an amusing and suspenseful comedy about a failing newspaper whose editor (Sterling) acquires an elderly all-around expert newspaperman as an employer. That would be Burgess Meredith. He makes a few alterations to the dilapidated linotype machine and begins digging up sensational stories that demolishes the rival newspaper and puts Sterling's paper on the map.

There is no question but that Meredith has saved the paper and, to humor the old man, Sterling signs a paper giving Meredith his soul after death. But something fishy is going on. Meredith the linotype operator begins banging out stories even before Meredith the reporter has had time to discover them.

And if, at first, the stories are about someone winning the lottery (before he knows he's won), the scoops become more damaging and even lethal. The high school principal is a bigamist. Two honeymooners drown. The rival paper burns down. By this time we know who Meredith is. The only improvement I would make is that, since Meredith's headlines always turn out to be true, he should have gone beyond the mayor's bigamy and into the surreal like some of our supermarket tabloids. How about NINE YEAR OLD GIVES BIRTH TO THREE-HEADED GOAT?

And Meredith is superb in the role. He always has a crooked cigar clenched between his teeth. Those cigars remind me of the De Nobilis that the Italian men in my neighborhood would soak in wine before lighting up while they sat around playing bocce ball. He also has an eye for the women. He whispers an improper suggestion to pretty Secretary Pat Crowley, who slaps him and stalks off. Camille Franklin is Molly, the waitress in the local bar, and when Sterling is unable to pay for the drinks, Meredith hands her some bills, telling her to keep the change as a reward for her prompt service -- all the while ogling her chest. And when she strolls away, Meredith remarks to Sterling, "She moves fast -- for a big one." The ending is suspenseful and a little edgy but all is happily resolved, and Sterling's soul is saved, which is more than we can hope for some of us.

Had I never seen the several other earlier episodes of "The Twilight Zone" involving pacts with the Devil, this one surely would have been a very memorable show. However, considering how late it came and how well the top had already been covered almost the exact sort of material in the episode "Escape Clause", and the Devil was also the subject of many other shows in the series. As a result, the episode needs to lose a point or two for lacking originality.

The show begins with a small and sad little newspaper about to be shut down because circulation is so low. The final straw is when the linotype machine operator quits--so the owner knows it's finally time to close up shop for good. However, out of the blue, a brilliantly talented linotype operator (Burgess Meredith) shows up and offers his services. The guy not only is inhumanly fast, but he begins coming up with one fantastic scoop after another. In fact, some times his stories seem to come out too fast--as if whatever he writes on the machine MUST come true. This is especially bad, since some of the stories involve serious injuries and crimes! It's obvious this devilish man has extraordinary powers--so when he offers to do more IF the owner gives him his soul, it certainly comes as no surprise. What is a surprise, and a nice one, is the snappy and well thought out ending--making a familiar idea still worth watching.

I know that whenever I decide to review one of the scarce hour long episodes of The Twilight Zone, I usually start by saying most of the hour ones are not that good. Maybe it's a coincidence (or the fact I deliberately review the ones I like best before the ones I dislike), but this one I consider one of the best of the whole series. It helps that we have an excellent actor who has been in tons of movies and tv shows of various types, but the plot itself really pulls you in. The story begins with Doug Winter (Robert Sterling) getting frustrated in his office at The Dansburg Courier, his failing newspaper company. A rival firm, The Gazette, is forcing him into bankruptcy. Douglas' employees desert him when he is unable to pay them, and soon, the only remaining one is Jackie Benson (Pat Crowley), his girlfriend. Doug decides he can't go on like this and drives to a remote bridge in the evening to commit suicide. He is approached by a strange man named Mr. Smith (Burgess Meredith), who apparently knows Doug as the editor of the newspapers he reads. Smith says he wants to join the Courier, a foolish move in Doug's eyes since it is essentially dead. However, when Smith arrives at the building, he demonstrates his inhuman skill with a linotype machine by writing an entire article in a matter of seconds. Both Doug and Jackie are amazed, but Doug still doesn't want to hire him, saying he owes a bank 5 grand. Out of nowhere, Smith produces 5000 dollars from his coat pocket. After Smith is hired, he starts pushing out stories of (mostly negative) events within an hour of them happening. Because he's able to get to the news before the Gazette, Smith brings back Doug's company from total ruin. The Gazette's owner, Mr. Franklin, notices Doug's success and offers to buy his entire company, but Doug sticks to his guns. The next day, Smith publishes an article saying the Gazette building has burst into flames. Because the article hit the streets not even 2 hours later, Franklin shows up at the Courier again, threatening legal action over what he believes to be an arson attempt. Franklin leaves, and Doug questions Smith as to what caused the fire. Smith gives him a half answer about it being caused by an electrical system, then dodges the question. Jackie is starting to suspect Smith is actually causing the bad events he writes about, which is how he's able to know about them almost immediately. She asks Doug to fire him, but he refuses, saying he's an excellent employee. Finally, Smith confronts Doug in his office and reveals the true reason why he wanted this job: he's actually the Devil and wants Doug's soul in exchange for his continued employment. Smith goads his boss into signing the contract by telling Doug he's clearly insane if he believes himself to be the Devil, and things like souls aren't real. Soon, Smith is back to writing about things like a newly wed couple meeting their watery deaths in a lake or buildings collapsing, and Doug sees what an evil force he is. Doug tells Smith he is fired, but that's impossible as a contract has already been signed. As a final insult to Doug, Smith writes a new article, which reads Jackie will be involved in a bad car crash at half past 11 that night. Doug pleads with Smith to change it, but Smith says he can't: the machine was altered by him so that anything typed on it comes true. Furthermore, Smith can't take Doug's soul if he's still alive, so Smith insists he will write Jackie died of her wounds unless Doug commits suicide now. Doug leaves in a panic and searches everywhere for Jackie. Little does he realize, she shows up at the Courier shortly after Doug left. Jackie talks to Smith and says she doesn't want him there anymore, and Smith takes it well, saying he is leaving of his own free will. All that he requests is Jackie to drive him to the airport. She accepts. When Smith offers to drive the car instead of her, she also says yes. With the clock only minutes away from 11:30, Doug goes back to the Courier, sits down in front of the linotype machine, and starts writing about how Smith left town at 11:29, and his contract was voided because Doug isn't sure about what it means. Concurrently, Smith attempts to drive at high speed into an oncoming car on a dirt road and sideswipes it. Jackie is alright, but upon looking at the driver's seat, discovers Smith is gone. She is reunited with Doug at the Courier, the latter telling her Smith won't be coming back, and the hellish linotype machine is scrapped. I love this episode. Burgess is great in pretty much everything he's in, and here, he sets in motion a wave of catastrophes just to fill the front pages of the Courier, and he does it with a smile. He's definitely unsettling, with that twisted cigar in his mouth and his complete disregard for how much destruction he causes. He even wants Doug to end his life early so he isn't stuck working for him for a couple of decades. Something really interesting about this episode involves the method Meredith uses to light a cigarette. Instead of using a lighter, he snaps his fingers, and one of them goes on fire. This wasn't some optical illusion, they really set his finger on fire. A wire connected to a battery went up through his sleeve and would produce a spark after Meredith's finger had lighter fluid poured on it. Prior to this, his finger would be submerged in ice water so it wouldn't hurt. Once again, Beaumont delivers a classic, even if Burgess is nothing like the gentle old man he played in his other 3 guest appearances.

Burgess Meredith returns to The Twilight Zone, this time as the Devil, who helps Douglas Winter (Robert Sterling), owner of a struggling provincial newspaper, to make his business a success by printing sensational stories before rival paper The Gazette. The price for these scoops: Winter's immortal soul!

The set up is a familiar one, not just in The Twilight Zone, but in literature for centuries: the Devil demanding the soul in exchange for one's heart's desire, in this case using Winters scepticism to fool the editor into signing the contract. What makes this particular version of an oft told tale so great is Meredith's superb performance, the cigar-chomping actor exuding malevolence and deviancy (even making improper suggestions to Winters' secretary and girlfiend Jackie), and the neat twist, Winter turning the tables on the Devil using his own modified linotype setting machine.

Like so many of the episodes in season four, the story would probably have been better had it been shorter, but at least this one feels more like a 'classic Zone' than many, no doubt largely due to Meredith's presence.

7.5/10, rounded up to 8 for IMDb.

***SPOILERS*** it's when newspaper editor and owner of the Dansburg Courier Douglas Winter, Robert Sterling, was about to end it all by jumping off a bridge that this mysterious man Mr. Smith, Burgess Meredith, showed up and threw him a lifeline. Winter's newspaper had gone bankrupt in competing against the rival Gazette newspaper and now out of work and without a future in the newspaper business he just felt that doing himself in was about the best thing he could do for himself. Mr. Smith who had come to Dansburg looking for a job at Winter's now defunct Courier came up with the $4,800.00 to keep the paper afloat as well as offered to work for the paper as its new print set operator for free until it got back on its feet again.

With being both a speed whiz on the typing machine and having a nose for news Mr. Smith brings the soon to go out of business Dansburg Courier back into the big time and has the owner of the rival Gazette Mr. Franklin, Ray Teal, try to buy Winter off! As it turns out Mr. Smith seems to get the drop on every big story in town which hits the streets,in the Courier, within minutes after they happened. One of those headline stories has to do with the burning down of the Gazette newspaper offices and printing press which has many in town, especially Gazette owner Mr. Franklin, suspect that Winter was behind it! It's Winter's girlfriend and fellow worker at the Courier Jackie Benson, Pat Crowley, who starts suspecting that Mr.Smith is somehow creating all the headlines himself and thus being able to report them almost as soon as they happen! But the big question in Jackie's mind is just how?

***SPOILERS*** As it turns out Mr.Smith is not Mr.Smith at all but The Devil, The Printer's Devil, in disguise and for the work and success he provided for Douglas Winter he wants his eternal soul that by threatening to have Jackie killed in a car accident Winter is forced to sign-in blood-away! There's a lot of mixed singles in this "Twilight Zone" episode the most confusing one is in how Douglas Winter is able to trick Mr. Smith in not going through with his planned killing of Jackie even though by then the cat was already of the bag with Winter's soul signed away, in him thinking it was all a joke, by him which made whatever Witner was to later do in saving Jackie's life, by blowing his brains out, a moot issue to begin with!

As it turned out Mr. Smith changed his game plan when Jackie slapped him across the face when he got a bit too fresh with her and instead of getting her to sign away her soul, like you would have expect him to, he planned to take her life for doing it. By dropping his guard and being behind the wheel of the death car that Jackie was in Mr. Smith left his magic typing machine unattended which an alert and at the same time desperate,in trying to save Jackie's life, Douglas Winter took full advantage of! And by doing that Winter not only ended up saving Jackie's life but his own soul at the same time!

When the owner's employee mentions he hasn't been paid in 8 weeks, the owner's girlfriend actually tells the employee it was A LITTLE SETBACK and actually criticizes him and tells him to leave the shop! Then she tells the owner how much the owner did for the former employee! And the owner DOESN"T even mention when he will pay him his back pay, when the employee resigns! This all is ludicrous! Who would go without pay for 8 weeks to begin with; RIDICULOUS! Also, the former employee was hired back yet we never see him again?????

This is actually my first time viewing the one-hour TZ episodes. Apparently the longer episodes didn't fit the time slots my local station alloted for the syndicated episodes back in the 70s. I find I'm liking a great many of them, especially this one!

My uncle back in the sixties was a linotype operator at a local publisher, and when his company went to newer publishing equipment, he took one of the linotype machines and put it in his garage - fully operational. He made me several type slugs with my name, and gave me a bunch more, and they were perfect for weighting my model train cars. Later on I had customers who were printers and still used lead type, and scored more of them - sometimes I'd carry a 50 lb box of them to my car. I remember the pot of molten lead in my uncles garage, the sounds and smells. I also got to tour the Cincinnati Enquirer back in the sixties when they still used type, and got to see the whole process from linotype to plates to press. Fascinating. Just out of chance, my career as a computer programmer had me working with a number of printing companies at different stages, so I got familiar with things like 4-color presses, how the paper rolls get turned into finished products like multi-part carbon infused computer forms.

What else to say about Burgess Meredith? The other reviews have summarized the story in detail so I won't, but my spoiler is that this one has a happy ending. Twilight Zone's normal message is that even good guys lose - as in the episode where Burgess becomes the last man alive and just wants to be left alone and read books - but then breaks his glasses. Of course the practical problem solver in me wants to believe he could see well enough to go find some information on how to make eyeglasses, and gets back in business. This episode ends without the "gotcha" aspect.

I have also compared The Outer Limits to TZ, and I've always felt that it suffered being in a one hour format, that the stories would have worked better in the half hour and were typically padded and in the process, made boring. There are some excellent OL episodes but in general it doesn't hold a candle to the Twilight Zone.

I continue to be pleasantly surprised watching the "missing season" of TZ on prime video streaming, and I hope it continues to be available. I have more to discover, in addition to revisiting many old friends.