Twilight Zone: The Big Tall Wish (1960)
Reviewed by Geno McGahee
Little Henry has a big one. Should I end the review here and leave it open so that you can draw your own conclusions? Probably not. I’m more responsible than that. Little Henry has a big wish that he has made. He has a friend…a much older friend named “Bolie Jackson.”
Bolie (Ivan Dixon) is a boxer on the tail end of his career, destined to lose and pitted against a younger up and comer that will certainly send him packing in a couple of short rounds. This is not going to be pretty, especially when you figure in that Bolie has broken his right hand right before the fight, making him easy pickings. Only a super wish could stop him from losing.
In the first round, down goes Bolie and the referee counts, but Henry (Stephen Perry) wishes as hard as he can and time freezes. Suddenly, Bolie’s opponent is on the mat and the count is on ten and we have a major upset. Bolie is back! Holy Molie, way to go Bolie!
Now, unfortunately Bolie doesn’t believe in magic or wishes. His spirit was shot down a long time ago and his refusal to believe in the magic of a wish reverses his fortune and puts him back on the mat, counted out, and a loser in the boxing match. Remarkably, this situation makes him believe but it was too late. It was too late Bolie!
Overall, this tale was not as good as I hoped. I am a huge boxing fan and I expected more bang for the buck if you will, and I will. You cannot find a bad Twilight Zone tale, and this is not a bad one, but I would say that it was average.
Ringside Report Rating:: 7/10. Float like a butterfly, Sting like Bolie.