A Game Of Pool

Starring Wade Williams

Adapted for radio by Dennis Etcherson, Joe B. Cerning

Orignally written by George Clayton Johnson

I have, in my possesion, two collections of Twilight Zone episodes, Fan Favorites and More Fan Favorites. Contained in these compilations are fourty episodes of the original Twilight Zone episode. When I have the episode on video, and when I feel compelled, I’ll partake in both versions and talk about them both. Important to note is that the tv show is half an hour in length, while the radio drama is a full (radio) hour. I’ll be curious to see how plots get lengthened, or in the case of this one, cut. I listened to a game of pool long before I watched it.

The plot of this episode is simple, a man named Jesse Cardiff swears that if he could only challenge the late great Fats Brown at billiards, he could prove to the world that he was the best at the game. He gets his wish, with the stakes of the game being his life. In a close game, he wins and becomes the greatest pool player of all time, with an obligation after death to face challengers the same way Fats faced him.

The differences in the presentation of Fats and Jesse between the two adaptations is fascinating. Fats is played roughly the same between the two, a man who can keep his edge but still sweats when faced with a challenge. I love the characters incredibly deep, sonnerous voice in the radio adaptation, it’s amazing to listen to and really adds to the character. In the tv show, Jesse has some confidence in his skill but the stakes are always on his mind, from the start of the game all the way to when he wins. Meanwhile, in the radio adaptation Jesse is far cockier, gloating as he plays. I think I prefer the cockier reading of Jesse, but Jack Klugmans performance in the tv episode is phenomenal all the way through.

In the tv episode, Jesse mentions never dating a girl before because it would take too much time away from the game. Jesse has a girlfriend in the radio adaptation, who I think only exists to give exposition on Fats Brown and Jesses overacheiving personality. She dumps him before Jesse goes to play the game. In the tv episode, I think Jesse breaks the fourth wall? After Fats vanishes from the pool hall he looks towards the camera and says ‘you saw it.’ we, the audience, were the only witnesses of his achievement. Although this could also be referring to Rod Serling, who makes an appearance with a pool cue at the start of the episode, but I doubt it.

A word must be said about the audio mixing in these radio dramas. It sounds like a pool ball bouncing around the table. I’d believe the audio was recorded as they really played. It’s great foley, but not clean. When the sounds of the table come on theres a small bit of noise in the background, which inst present in moments of purely dialogue and background music. Since this episode was only ever available digitally this is something in the final mix, not an artifact of cassette hiss or CD artefacting. I didn’t notice it on my first listen, and you probably wouldn’t either before I laid it out in plain english.