The Time Element

Season 1 - Episode 6: The Time Element
Overview
A patient visiting a psychiatrist complains of recurrent dreams in which he imagines he is living in Hawaii just before the attack on Pearl Harbor. A series of flashbacks shows him living with his knowledge of what has happened in the seventeen years since, betting on sure winners in sports events, but also seeking to warn a newly-married couple, newspaper editors, and anyone else who will listen that they will be attacked by the Japanese. Everyone is either too interested in a good time or too determinedly patriotic to give heed; the man only gets punched on the jaw. In the end the psychiatrist is left looking at a blank couch, and to steady his own nerves he goes to a bar to get a drink. There he learns his patient was killed at Pearl Harbor.
Episode Information
TV Show
Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse
Season
Season 1
Episode Number
6
Air Date
November 10, 1958
Runtime
60 minutes
Rating
4.0/5
Guest Stars

William Bendix

Alan Baxter

Darryl Hickman
Ensign Janoski

Joe DeRita

Jesslyn Fax

Don Keefer
Crew
Allen Reisner
Director

Rod Serling
Writer