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Run For Your Life
Starring Ben Gazzara
Episode:
How to Sell Your Soul for Fun and Profit
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To contact us, click Homepage link above
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Synopsis: When Paul makes a satirical toast behind the Iron Curtain, racing-car driver Janos Takacs (Eric Braeden) courteously joins in and finds himself in prison. Paul tries to make up for his frivolous action by freeing him with the help of his sister Marika Takacs (Gia Scala) and former prisoner Istvan Zabor (Telly Savalas). With Jeremy Slate as Pete Gaffney, David Lewis as the Consul, Paul Bertoya as Miklos Visnyel, Robert K. Cunningham as the Assistant Consul, Alexander De Noszody as the Doctor, George Tatar as the Conductor, Peter Scott as the Policeman, Leslie Tabani as Attendant
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Episode 5
First broadcast on
October 18 1965
Teleplay by Frank Fenton
and John Thomas Davis
Story by John Thomas Davis
Directed by Steve Previn
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SEE INDIVIDUAL PHOTOS OF ENTIRE CAST AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE
and watch a video clip from the episode on the same page!
Creative Team
Producer
Jo Swerling Jr.
Associate Producer
Paul Freeman
Music
Pete Rugolo
Director of Photography
Lionel Lindon A.S.C.
Art Director
Frank Arrrigo
Film Editor
Carl Pingitore A.C.E.
Unit Manager
Willard Sheldon
Assistant Director
Chuck Colean
Set Decorators
John McCartey &
Perry Murdoch
Sound
David H. Moriarty
Color Coordinator
Robert Brower
Color by Pathe
Editorial Dept. Head
David J. O'Connell
Musical Supervisor
Stanley Wilson
Costumes by Burton Miller
Makeup
Bud Westmore
Hair Stylist
Larry Germain
Links to Other Episodes
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Miklos keeps taunting the Americans about their country
Janos politely joins in Paul's toast
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The Plot:
After serving in the role at a motor race on the Mediterranean, Paul's driver friend Mike Gaffney invites him to be his navigator at an event behind the iron curtain.
In the Eastern Europe location, following the trials, he and Paul are joined in a café by fellow drivers Miklos Visnyel. and Janos Takacs along with his sister.
Miklos makes a point of voicing anti-American sentiments, goading Paul, who remarks, “if you stop telling me the official line on my country, I'll stop telling you the truth about it.” In response to Miklos' toast to “workers' democracies everywhere” (to which all politely raise their glasses), Paul proposes one to “free governments everywhere, freely chosen by free people.”
Miklos counters that Paul means capitalist governments, and Janos intervenes, pointing out that Paul raised his glass to Miklos' toast, and they should offer him the same courtesy. Janos repeats Paul's lines, and Miklos rises and leaves, looking censorious.
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Janos is arrested while working on his car
The consul advises Paul to leave immediately
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The next day, as the men are working on their cars, Janos is arrested.
Feeling responsible, and wanting to help Janos, Paul consults the American consul who says that the driver will be tried for advocating subversive ideas at a public gathering.
The consul suggests that Paul too could be made an example of, and the best thing for him to do is leave the country immediately.
The consul makes a point of having Paul personally escorted by one of his staff on the train leaving the country.
Though he gets aboard, Paul alights before the border, and returns. He is is drinking with Pete when the consul spots him from a nearby table, and sends his assistant over to tell Paul that if he gets in any trouble, the responsibility is all his own.
It appears that he is being followed, but Paul gives pursuers the slip, and goes to visit Janos' sister. She confirms that her brother is now in prison with an eight-year sentence.
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Pauls offers to help Janos escape
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Paul says he wants to help, that he tried to leave, and tell himself what happened wasn't his responsibility, but he feels that her brother is in prison over Paul's making a game of something that shouldn't have been. She tells him to leave and forget the matter because there is nothing he can do, and Paul says he'll leave when he's at least tried to free Janos.
Marita repeats that it's impossible, but talks about a resistance hero from the war, who was imprisoned in the same place, escaped, was recaptured, and then released.
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Zabor is very friendly, but suspicious of Paul
Paul shows Zabor a letter to prove he is genuine
Zabor regards Paul's story as a secret police trick
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Paul makes inquiries and finds him. “You let anybody in?” Paul inquires, surprised, and Istvan Zabor replies, “no man is just anybody. You're a man knocking on another man's door.”
Zabor offers Paul a drink and is very convivial, but believes him to be a agent for the secret police.
He says he doesn't remember names or faces, and is a harmless old man writing a satirical attack on western culture.
Paul tells him he should publish it in America. “You should call it, `how to sell your soul for fun and profit.”
Paul relates the incident (which has been reported in the papers), and says that he wants Zabor to help him free Janos from prison.
Zabor laughs, and says, he thought the secret police had forgotten him.
Paul is incredulous that Zabor would think him to be one of them, and so shows him a letter about his terminal illness.
Zabor had said that Paul's conscience would be troubled no more than six months, but that could be half of his remaining life, Paul tells him.
But Zabor just compliments the intricate plot to draw him out, and indicates that Paul should report back that he is still writing the right book. But as a prize for Paul's performance, he offers him a ticket to a soccer game.
Believing that the secret police are watching him, Paul asks Pete Gaffney to watch his room, saying he'll stay up all night reading the local hotel room Bible, Das Kapital, but Paul says he wants Pete to stay awake.
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Paul says that he has to have hope despite the odds
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Paul spends the night at Marika's apartment, and she asks what happened with Zabor, and shows her the soccer ticket. He asks her about logistics of visiting her brother in prison.
She repeats that the situation is hopeless - one chance in a thousand that her brother could get out. But Paul, thinking of the odds for a cure to his disease, says, “one chance in a thousand is hope.
One chance in a thousand has often been enough.”
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Zabor gives Paul a message at the game
Zabor and Paul drink to life and success of their plan
Marika and Paul have an emotional parting
Zabor and Paul say goodbye
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At the soccer game Zabor sits down beside Paul, and leaves a message to meet him in the matches he borrows from Paul to light a cigarette.
Paul is followed to the rendezvous, but thwarts the man. Zabor continues to challenge Paul, saying, “you're being followed by the police, an innocent fool is in prison because of you, and I could be killed for just talking to you.”
He then admits that he is writing a book, not the one which is merely a deception, but one which will take the society, and tear it apart.
But being a man of deeds, not words, he has come up with a plan to spring Janos, and declares that one way or another, he will be free tomorrow - out of prison or dead.
It sounds like Zabor too is dying, and he quotes the line, “he has the most time who has none to lose.”
The plan goes into action, and Marika learns her part which involves getting some pills to her brother on a visit.
These make him ill, and doctors send him for hospitalization - in the community hospital.
When he stops, the ambulance driver is knocked out, and Paul and Zabor (dressed as a medical attendant) hijack it, and drive the vehicle away. Paul gives Janos an antidote to the pills which made him feverish. After dumping the ambulance, they hide out beside a road, where race drivers are testing their cars.
They put an obstacle in the road to make one stop. .Paul and Zabor overcome them and take their overalls and helmets, and Janos and Paul quickly put them on. When the last car has passed, Zabor and Paul bid farewell.
“I won't be seeing you again. It's not an easy thing to say,” he tells Zabor who replies, “you have given me a rare thing, Paul. A renewal of faith. It is like oxygen to a man smothering,” and he promises that Paul will live to read his book.
Janos and Paul drive away in the racing car, and then divert to the border where they make it through the barrier at high speed, defying the gunshots of the guards, onto the road to freedom
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 Notes & Comments: A typically journeyman episode of Run For Your Life, How to Sell Your Soul for Fun and Profit again places Paul as a catalyst for the plot but leaves him as basically a mannequin to be decorated by the acting and actions of others, mostly walking through the scenes.
To it's credit, the story moves quickly, and seldom loses the viewer's attention. Even though the scenes with the dissident hero go on a bit, they are peppered with interesting dialogue.
The farewell scene with the sister seems gratuitously passionate, and one would have wanted some basis for it to have it make any sense.
and watch a video clip from the episode on the same page!
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Telly Savalas as
Istvan Zabor
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Gia Scala as
Marika Takacs
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Eric Braeden
as Janos Takacs
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Jeremy Slate
as Pete Gaffney
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David Lewis
as the Consul
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Paul Bertoya as
Miklos Visnyel
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Robert K. Cunningham
as the Assistant Consul
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Alexander De Noszody
as the Doctor
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George Tatar as
the Conductor
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Peter Scott as
the Policeman
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Leslie Tabani as
the Attendant
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