Studio One (TV Series) The Death and Life of Larry Benson (1954) User Reviews

An excellent teleplay whose script was hijacked by "The Andy Griffith Show".

[planktonrules · 9/10 · 11 October 2010]

During the late 1940s and through the 1950s, they were some doing some incredible things with television dramas. Some of the very best talent available started working in TV, not Hollywood and they created some amazingly good live television plays. Why live? Well, they really hadn't perfected the use of taped broadcast and instead did plays that were written for weekly shows like "Playhouse 90" and "Studio One". However, since there was a time zone difference between the East and West Coast, rather crude Kinescope copies were rebroadcast out west--and because of this we still have copies of many of these wonderful programs.

This particular episode is not a famous one but still deserves to be seen--particularly for some very good acting and an interesting script--a script that was later ripped off, believe it or not, by "The Andy Griffith Show". Because I'd seen this later variation on "The Death and Life of Larry Benson", it was pretty easy to guess where the plot was headed. Still, regardless of this, it is an exceptional show.

It begins with a family preparing for the homecoming of their son from the Korean War. It seems he's been gone three years and was assumed dead. Yet, now the Army has notified them that he'd been in the hospital and was about to be sent home. But this home is NOT the same home the young man left--his parents had split up and were estranged. Yet, for this homecoming, Dad has returned after a one year absence and everyone is excited. Their excitement, however, is muted when the young man gets off the train and they find it is NOT their son--even though he insists he is!! There's much more to it than this, but I'd rather not say more--it would spoil the show.

Aside from a very interesting plot, I liked seeing Chester Morris in this teleplay. He was an excellent actor who is mostly forgotten today--and in this show he gave one of his finer dramatic performances. He also appeared in other "Studio One" shows--and I liked him quite a bit in their show "The Arena".

Overall, a very thought-provoking and well-crafted show--one not to be missed.

Perhaps my favorite "Studio One" episode (of the few I've seen)

[Miles-10 · 9/10 · 22 May 2013]

Peg Hillias as Freda steals this episode even though Chester Morris as her estranged husband, Sam, and Skip Homeier as the soldier who claims to be their son are excellent, too. Lee Remick does a lot with a small part as the daughter, though shunted aside by the drama created by her new "brother." The story is strange and yet strangely moving. It captures an unusual glimpse into the adaptability of the human mind trying to cope with tragedy. This is not just true of the war veteran played by Homeier, but also of the family trying to deal with the intrusion into their lives of "The Boy" who has replaced their son. Is he welcome or not? Freda's approach is at once the sanest and yet the most disturbing. If it is acceptable to everyone, what really is wrong with embracing a delusion that might seem beneficial to everyone? The Boy needs a family and they need a son, but should they accept this fiction? The story seems to end with the family provisionally accepting this conceit. They seem to want to make this work, but is that enough when reality might threaten to tear apart their pretense at any time?

Profound Treatment of War Loss - The Death and Life of Larry Benson

[arthur_tafero · 7/10 · 17 June 2021]

As I tell my students, writing is the most important part of any film production. This film is proof of that principle. Even with B actors and poor production values the film soars to heights that modern films can only dream about. This is do to the writing and script. Not to be missed. The story of one soldier becoming the missing son of a family hoping to reunion with that son is a heartfelt experience and will require at least two hankies. It is good to have a cry once in a while. Highly recommended.

Who's Hijacking Who?

[lrrap · 9/10 · 1 January 2017]

One of the other IMDb reviewers claims that the plot of "The Death and Life of Larry Benson" was ripped off for an episode of "The Andy Griffith Show". And while I'm not debating the point (I can't recall the show he has in mind, and he doesn't mention its title), but I AM writing to cite the fact that the main plot device of "Larry Benson" was SURELY inspired by William Saroyan's 1943 screenplay (later novelette) "The Human Comedy."

A BIG TIME "borrowing" which, in the case of Reginald Rose, is somewhat disappointing. I was hoping to see a "tip of the hat" to Saroyan in the final credits, but none appeared.

In Saroyan's work, the young Marcus McCauley goes off to war (WWII), where he befriends a young man named Tobey who was raised an orphan and has no family, home, sense of belonging, etc.... he's a drifter with no identity. Through their army friendship, Tobey becomes immersed in Marcus' own personal story-- his family, home, the girl next door, the town of Ithaca---to the point that he feels he has personally experienced everything about Marcus' life. He decides that traveling to Ithaca after the war and becoming a part of the McCauley family's world is his destiny.

Tragedy strikes when Marcus is killed in action, which leads to the final scene of the film where the recently discharged Tobey arrives in Ithaca and meets Marcus' younger brother Homer (Mickey Rooney) on the street. I'll stop here, but the central idea/concept of Rose's "Death and Life of Larry Benson" bears an unmistakable similarity to Saroyan's screenplay, which Rose then elaborates and develops into his teleplay.

But who knows? Maybe Saroyan lifted this basic premise from a previous source, as so often happens in the literary world.

That being said, "Death and Life of Larry B" is an outstanding example of the potential power of TV's "Golden Age"...when "message" dramas were the rage. Acting, directing, camera work, and design are all first-rate. There's barely a false note anywhere---except perhaps the too "tidy" final minute. Still, a very moving, compelling show, with Peg Hillias as the mother especially good.

Worth your time to find and view---particularly when you stop and realize that it was produced under the pressures of live TV performance.

Note on the "Studio One" DVD set: For a little comic relief mid-way through the show, you'll enjoy the Westinghouse commercial with Betty Furness who, though blind-folded, still manages to lay her hands on and correctly identify the meat, cheese, butter, and soda in her well-stocked refrigerator---a feat unequaled, I'm sure, in the annals of live TV or any other medium.

LR

Allegorical drama on the effects of war on soldiers and their family.

[christopherspiteri · 10/10 · 23 August 2021]

It is 1954, the korean war is over and Larry Benson.is coming home after contacting his family over a year from when he was declared missing in action. His father returns to the family house, after having left over a year previously due to his inability to deal emotionally with the loss of his only son, in order to accompany his wife and daughter to the train station for the arrival of his son. Something is though very wrong, the young man who descends from the train claiming to be Larry Benson is not him. The impostor intriguingly knows all the details about Larry's life and is totally convinced that he is Larry. Great writing and a great cast headed by thirties star Chester Morris as the father and Lee Remick in one of her earlier telvision role make for compelling drama about the catastrophic effect of war and loss on average people. Not to be missed.