He's Alive
Encyclopedia
"He's Alive" is a fourth-season episode of The Twilight Zone
. It tells of an American
neo-Nazi who is inspired by the ghost of Adolf Hitler
. A personal passion of Rod Serling
, it concludes that figures such as Hitler will always be alive so long as prejudice
and ignorance
persist.
), the leader of a small and struggling Nazi
group, is visited by a shadowy figure who teaches him how to enthrall a crowd. The figure also instructs Vollmer to arrange the death of one of his followers, Nick, thereby creating a martyr to rally everyone around. Following the figure's instructions and assistance, Vollmer is considerably more successful and his group's following grows. However, the elderly Jewish man Vollmer lives with, Ernst Ganz (Ludwig Donath
), spent nine years in Dachau and strongly disapproves of Vollmer's politics. Ernst disrupts a rally, accusing Vollmer of being "nothing but a cheap copy" of Adolf Hitler. After the failed rally, responding to the shadowy man's accusation that Vollmer has the instincts of a rabbit, Vollmer demands to know who his mysterious benefactor is.
The man in the shadows reveals himself to be Adolf Hitler
and he orders Peter to kill Ernst, which he does. Hitler congratulates him for this and asks him how it felt. Peter replies that he felt immortal. Hitler's thundering response: "Mr. Vollmer! We ARE immortal!" Suddenly, police arrive to arrest Peter for his connection with Nick's death; he is shot while fleeing the scene. Peter stares at his bullet wound, astonished by the pain...and by the sight of his own blood. He addresses the police: "There's something very wrong here...Don't you understand that I'm made out of steel!?"
Hitler leaves the dying Vollmer, off to look for another worthy candidate.
The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)
The Twilight Zone is an American anthology television series created by Rod Serling, which ran for five seasons on CBS from 1959 to 1964. The series consisted of unrelated episodes depicting paranormal, futuristic, dystopian, or simply disturbing events; each show typically featured a surprising...
. It tells of an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
neo-Nazi who is inspired by the ghost of Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
. A personal passion of Rod Serling
Rod Serling
Rodman Edward "Rod" Serling was an American screenwriter, novelist, television producer, and narrator best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his science fiction anthology TV series, The Twilight Zone. Serling was active in politics, both on and off the screen and helped form...
, it concludes that figures such as Hitler will always be alive so long as prejudice
Prejudice
Prejudice is making a judgment or assumption about someone or something before having enough knowledge to be able to do so with guaranteed accuracy, or "judging a book by its cover"...
and ignorance
Ignorance
Ignorance is a state of being uninformed . The word ignorant is an adjective describing a person in the state of being unaware and is often used as an insult...
persist.
Summary
Peter Vollmer (Dennis HopperDennis Hopper
Dennis Lee Hopper was an American actor, filmmaker and artist. As a young man, Hopper became interested in acting and eventually became a student of the Actors' Studio. He made his first television appearance in 1954 and appeared in two films featuring James Dean, Rebel Without a Cause and Giant...
), the leader of a small and struggling Nazi
Nazism
Nazism, the common short form name of National Socialism was the ideology and practice of the Nazi Party and of Nazi Germany...
group, is visited by a shadowy figure who teaches him how to enthrall a crowd. The figure also instructs Vollmer to arrange the death of one of his followers, Nick, thereby creating a martyr to rally everyone around. Following the figure's instructions and assistance, Vollmer is considerably more successful and his group's following grows. However, the elderly Jewish man Vollmer lives with, Ernst Ganz (Ludwig Donath
Ludwig Donath
Ludwig Donath , was an Austrian actor who appeared in many American films.-Life:Donath graduated from Vienna's Academy of Dramatic Art and became a prominent actor on the stage in Berlin. When Hitler came to power in 1933, he returned to Vienna and was active there in theater and film and until the...
), spent nine years in Dachau and strongly disapproves of Vollmer's politics. Ernst disrupts a rally, accusing Vollmer of being "nothing but a cheap copy" of Adolf Hitler. After the failed rally, responding to the shadowy man's accusation that Vollmer has the instincts of a rabbit, Vollmer demands to know who his mysterious benefactor is.
The man in the shadows reveals himself to be Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
and he orders Peter to kill Ernst, which he does. Hitler congratulates him for this and asks him how it felt. Peter replies that he felt immortal. Hitler's thundering response: "Mr. Vollmer! We ARE immortal!" Suddenly, police arrive to arrest Peter for his connection with Nick's death; he is shot while fleeing the scene. Peter stares at his bullet wound, astonished by the pain...and by the sight of his own blood. He addresses the police: "There's something very wrong here...Don't you understand that I'm made out of steel!?"
Hitler leaves the dying Vollmer, off to look for another worthy candidate.