Original Air Date: March 24th, 1961 (Season 2 Episode 21)
File Under: Telekinesis
Written by: Charles Beaumont
Directed by: Richard L. Bare
Cast: Dane Clark, Buddy Ebsen, Christine White
Synopsis: A man that can move objects with his mind becomes a pawn to his greedy friend. They win tons of money, but his power gets abused and they lose it all.
Portrait of a man who thinks and thereby gets things done. Mr. Jimbo Cobb might be called a prime mover, a talent which has to be seen to be believed. In just a moment he’ll show his friends, and you, how he keeps both feet on the ground and his head in… The Twilight Zone.
Why I love it: “The Prime Mover” is a funny little episode with a cliche moral about greed. Perpetually losing gambler Ace uses his telekinetic pal Jimbo to win big in Vegas, but ends up losing it all to gangster Phil Nolan in a high stakes dice game. We find out Jimbo purposely stopped using his telekinetic powers to fix the dice game in order to teach his best friend a lesson about greed, and to help him remember what’s most important in life.
Best scene: Well who can forget the creepy scene in Las Vegas where Ace buys himself Sheila the cigarette girl, and then pays off her supervisor too!
And what’s cuter than Ace proposing to his girlfriend Kitty at the end of the episode, only to have her leave it up to a coin toss?
Mmmm… roast beef dinner only $1.25!
I do love any “Twilight Zone” episode involving a trip to Las Vegas, because honestly how cool are these stock film reels of 1960s Las Vegas? And nothing’s more fun than a gambling montage!
Scariest scene: None! This is a purely comedic episode.
Moral of the story: Friends trump money, oh and the house always wins. But we all already knew that.
Fun fact!: Buddy Ebsen, who plays the telekinetic Jimbo Cobb, was originally cast as the Tin Man in “The Wizard of Oz”! However, after falling ill due to an allergy to the makeup required for the Tin Man outfit, Ebsen was replaced by Jack Haley.
Some people possess talent, other people are possessed by it. When that happens, the talent becomes a curse. Jimbo Cobb knew, right from the beginning. But before Ace Larson knew that simple truth he had to take a short trip to… The Twilight Zone