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Gaven Sra
Ms. Ostrom
Mini English 10, 2.2
Oct. 24, 2013
Chasing the Details
Is it possible for something to be better than the original? With technology, it
seems like the latest gadget outshines everything else. John Collier is the writer of a short
story called “The Chaser”. There is an episode of “The Twilight Zone” and it is based
around that short story, but it has it’s own variations in plot. Robert Presnell Jr. wrote the
teleplay for it. The short story was written in 1951, while the teleplay was written nine
years later in 1960. The TV adaptation is essentially an extended version of the short
story. It manages to blow its previous counterpart out of the water with its exceedingly
high-quality storytelling. Between the two, the teleplay conducts the plot better.
The prolonged TV edition extends the story to construct an interesting reimagining, which outshines the original in many areas. The episode adds an introduction
with a scene at a phone booth, the consumption of the love potion and the aftermath. This
intro shows the conflict in the way of a man’s love. Even when Leela (Roger’s target of
affection) picks up, it isn’t long before she hangs up on Roger. Roger holds up the line
for the phone booth and has to tell the man behind him to “… she hung up on me, I have
got to call her back and make sure she isn’t sore.” It really tells you that he is determined
to turn around her perspective of him. The events that happen after meeting the old man
add to the viewer’s attachment to the characters. The short story felt like it didn’t give
you a chance to emote for the character. The old man is the most intriguing face in the
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teleplay but the short story doesn’t make us wonder about him as much. As a character,
the old man seems to be static in a story where it looks like every other character is
dynamic. Despite this, he manages to be thought provoking through his foreshadowing
words. The teleplay sprinkles little tid-bits of detail about the old man, which all create
symbolism that connects him with the devil. It seems like in the short story, his identity is
far more understated and elusive. “… they substitute devotion. For scorn, adoration. Give
one tiny measure of this to the young lady-its flavour is imperceptible in orange juice,
soup, or cocktails-and however gay and giddy she is, she will change altogether. She will
want nothing but solitude and you" (2) the old man says as he elegantly words his
sentences. That section of text only perpetuates the display of his wisdom, although it
doesn’t make us more inquisitive about his mystical persona. The tiny piece of the plot
that the short story presents doesn’t include the completion of the old man’s forewarning.
The old man keeps cautioning the protagonist about how much value the poison will
have. Roger/Alan really proves as the protagonist, that he is weak, but more so in the
teleplay. Included in the TV adaptation is a scene where Roger returns to purchase the
poison. The so-called “glove-cleaner” (2) is advertised by the old man to be, “… five
thousand dollars, never a penny less. One has to be older than you are, to indulge in that
sort of thing. One has to save up for it.” (2) It sets up a prediction that the poison will end
up being more valuable than the love potion. The written short story fails to follow up on
proving this prediction that most of us will have. The teleplay on the other hand, goes
ahead and shows you the complete aftermath. It contains scenes where the importance of
the old man’s prices is further proven. This is shown through the constant, annoying
affection shown by the protagonist’s intended lover. Even through the insinuation of the
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pregnancy, you could tell that the protagonist should’ve been more careful. In the
elongated TV edition, there is more development so it generates a better understanding of
the characters and events than the text does.
Presnell Jr. excels at conveying the same message as the original while altering
things a bit. He uses the same point of view as the story, however he juices out as much
as he could with it. In a way, it feels like Collier mysterious introduction and ending
didn’t feel fulfilling enough. Even though it is supposed to make you feel like you want
more, the storytelling leaves you with a feeling of emptiness that can’t be shaken. Maybe
Presnell Jr.’s version isn’t the shortest version while it doesn’t squander and feel hollow
either. It doesn’t have the explosiveness to blow Collier’s classic out of the water but it
does overshadow it with its larger scale of foreshadowing and symbolism.
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Works Cited
Collier, John. “The Chaser.” Tales of Mystery and Suspense. Ed. Theodore W.
Hipple. Boston: Allyn, 1977. 257-60. Print.
Presnell, Robert, Jr. “The Chaser.” Teleplay. The Twilight Zone, ep. 31, 1960
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There are some discrepancies between the two as well. The protagonist’s
unreciprocated lover in the episode is called Leela while she’s called Diana in the
original story. In the short story, the protagonist name is revealed to be Alan but
Roger in the “The Twilight Zone” version of the story. John Collier’s piece of
literature only talks about the glove-cleaner and uses it as foreshadowing. In the
“The Twilight Zone” episode, they actually show that he uses it. All of this adds up to
a fair comparison of the TV adaptation to the original.
First, there are some similarities you can observe. Alan/Roger is doubtful when the
old man tells that he has love potions in both versions. He makes sure that he isn’t
being fooled but he ends up being hoodwinked anyways. In the TV rendition of “The
Chaser”, the protagonist goes to the old man without any interaction with him
before they meet at his office. It is the same in the short story. In both versions, the
protagonist will do anything so that his love will love him back. He ends up buying
the love potion even though the old man keeps hinting towards a bad future if
Alan/Roger uses the product.