The time is 1934 and Prohibition was over. We find ourselves at an Irish bar somewhere in New York City. The place isn't flourishing, just several regular drunks showing up, from middle to old age. The old Irishmen love their whiskey and keep asking for it despite little or no funds to pay for their drinks.
One of them, Mike Malloy, wonderfully played by Douglas Seale, keeps passing out. Everyone thinks he's a few days from his demise. They get an idea: sign him up for insurance, and when he drinks himself to death, they will all benefit. By "all" I mean the owner, the bartender and two other drunks. All of these guys, by the way, are played by familiar actors.
Anyway, the gist of the story is "greed," of course, which rears its ugly head with the insurance policy and the unbelievable fact that old Malloy won't die. It's incredible because, in the three weeks since the insurance policy was signed, the old "sod" had downed 27 bottles of rye whiskey, 14 bottles of vodka, five bottles of scotch. Numerous times he falls unconscious on the bar room floor, only to awake later and announce "I'm thirsty,"
Mr. Malloy won't die. The four greedy conspirators now are almost broke themselves, and they are getting desperate.The bartender, played by a full head of haired-Joe Pantoliano, has an idea: give him beer. "It's said that if you give an Irishman lager for a full month, he's a dead man."
That idea is ignored but not the one to pour kerosene into the whiskey to kill poor old Mr. Malloy. When that doesn't work, they try antifreeze, turpentine, burying him in the snow, rat poison.......nothing kills him!
Finally, something works....or does it....and does justice prevail? The actors in this episode are such pros that it makes it an interesting show. I have some question about the ending, regarding some credibility issues. Nonetheless, this episode will keep you wondering just what is going to happen to Mr. Malloy.
One of them, Mike Malloy, wonderfully played by Douglas Seale, keeps passing out. Everyone thinks he's a few days from his demise. They get an idea: sign him up for insurance, and when he drinks himself to death, they will all benefit. By "all" I mean the owner, the bartender and two other drunks. All of these guys, by the way, are played by familiar actors.
Anyway, the gist of the story is "greed," of course, which rears its ugly head with the insurance policy and the unbelievable fact that old Malloy won't die. It's incredible because, in the three weeks since the insurance policy was signed, the old "sod" had downed 27 bottles of rye whiskey, 14 bottles of vodka, five bottles of scotch. Numerous times he falls unconscious on the bar room floor, only to awake later and announce "I'm thirsty,"
Mr. Malloy won't die. The four greedy conspirators now are almost broke themselves, and they are getting desperate.The bartender, played by a full head of haired-Joe Pantoliano, has an idea: give him beer. "It's said that if you give an Irishman lager for a full month, he's a dead man."
That idea is ignored but not the one to pour kerosene into the whiskey to kill poor old Mr. Malloy. When that doesn't work, they try antifreeze, turpentine, burying him in the snow, rat poison.......nothing kills him!
Finally, something works....or does it....and does justice prevail? The actors in this episode are such pros that it makes it an interesting show. I have some question about the ending, regarding some credibility issues. Nonetheless, this episode will keep you wondering just what is going to happen to Mr. Malloy.