A man desperate for a job holds down a corner stool at the local bar, unable to afford a drink, until an older man promises him that “what you need” is coming soon. Moments later, the phone rings with a much-hoped-for job offer. Another man at the bar, harboring a more dangerous desperation, follows the old man in the hopes that he can also score a miracle. Reluctantly, just such a minor miracle is handed to him by the old man, but that isn’t enough: he wants a steady string of “what you need” and he’ll stop at nothing to get it.
teleplay by Rod Serling
based on a short story by Lewis Padgett (pseudonym for Henry Kuttner)
directed by Alvin Ganzer
music by Van Cleave
Cast: Steve Cochran (Fred Renard), Ernest Truex (Pedott), Read Morgan (Lefty), Arline Sax (Girl in Bar), William Edmonson (Bartender), Doris Karnes (Woman), Fred Kruger (Man on Street), Norman Sturgis (Hotel Clerk)
Notes: A dark and somber Christmas episode by any measure, What You Need isn’t really overtly a “Christmas special”…but perhaps has a warning for those who aren’t appreciative of their gifts. Arline Sax was later known by the stage name Arlene Martel.
LogBook entry by Earl Green
