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The Time Element

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.

English
  • Originally Aired November 10, 1958
  • Runtime 45 minutes
  • Network CBS
  • Created December 18, 2012 by
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  • Modified December 18, 2012 by
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Name Type Role
Rod Serling Writer
Martin Balsam Guest Star
Darryl Hickman Guest Star
William Bendix Guest Star
Allen Reisner Director