Episode no. Season 1
Episode 31 Production code 173-3636 | Directed by Douglas Heyes Original air date May 13, 1960 | |
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Written by Teleplay by
Robert Presnell, Jr.
Based on the story "The Chaser" by
John Henry Collier | ||
"The Chaser" is episode 31 of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.
Plot
Roger Shackleforth is desperately in love with Leila. He visits an old professor named Daemon for advice on how to win her. The professor, after some resistance, sells Roger a love potion for $1.00. After its administration, Leila falls madly in love with Roger and marries him, but soon her love becomes stifling. Roger returns to the professor to buy his "glove cleaner" (really a poison), for $1,000 which is all Roger has in the world. Daemon cautions Roger that the "cleaner," which is odorless, tasteless, and completely "undetectable," can only be used once before the user loses his nerve. After Roger leaves, the professor muses, "First, the 'stimulant'. . . and then the 'chaser.'"
When he gets home, Roger prepares a glass of champagne with the new potion. Just as he is about to give Leila the glass, she reveals that she is pregnant, which shocks Roger into dropping the glass. He tells himself he could not have gone through with it, anyway. On his terrace, Daemon is relaxing with a cigar, puffing smoke rings that turn into little hearts before the professor disappears.