Second official episode of George A. Romeros' 'Tales from the Darkside' TV series is lightly enjoyable, if never terribly surprising. It's practically a two character piece until the end, with two elderly gentlemen locked in a nifty game of cat and mouse. Lovable Keenan Wynn and solid George Petrie are Duncan Williams and Jack Blaine, respectively, a pair of unrepentant, dastardly "businessmen" in the habit of making wagers. One day Duncan offers Jack the sum of $1 million for the sale of Jacks' immortal soul. Jack doesn't take this too seriously as he's an atheist and doesn't really believe in the concept of souls. However, he has a change of heart when he finds out that he's dying, and pleads with Duncan to void the contract. Duncan, a truly greedy, rotten s.o.b., delights as Jack even offers him an additional $1 million to forget the whole thing. However, neither Duncan nor Jack realize that another party has taken a heavy interest in their shady doings and has nasty things in store for them; this is an individual, who, shall we say, will not be denied their wish. Wynn and Petrie are very capable veterans who just act the Hell out of this material. Wynn, as we could expect, is particularly delicious. The finale is fun stuff, rather reminiscent of Scrooge receiving his late night visit from *his* old partner Jacob Marley. The rotting, "peeling flesh" makeup effects are decently done and there is some nice atmosphere. The sight of the words PAID IN FULL burnt into a mans' skin is simply very cool. Overall, an unmemorable but good episode. Seven out of 10.
12 Reviews
An alright time waster.
shellytwade13 January 2022
Interesting but lousy executed
Bored_Dragon27 October 2017
Story about two old men who didn't choose the means to get reach. One of them claims he does not believe in existence of soul, so the other one decides to teach him a lesson by offering him one million dollars to buy his soul. As he does not believe in it he has no reason not to sell it and earn his easiest million ever. But once contract was made they both start to realize that some things are not meant to play with. Idea is interesting, but episode didn't succeed to stay on the level till the end.
6/10
6/10
"Another million won't kill me..." Decent episode.
poolandrews15 September 2007
Warning: Spoilers
Tales from the Darkside: I'll Give You a Million starts as rich businessman Duncan Williams (Keenan Wynn) convinces his supposed friend Jack Blaine (George Petrie) to sell his soul to him for a million dollars with the intention of selling it back to him for a large profit, a contract is written up & the deal is binding. Then shortly after Jack gets the news from his doctors that he has less than two months left to live, in a desperate attempt to get his soul back he offers to return the million to Duncan but he refuses as he wants a lot more in his con trick. Holding out for more money proves fruitless to Duncan though as Jack dies, disappointingly Duncan is left with a useless piece of paper but Duncan gets a surprise visit from someone he isn't expecting...
Episode 2 from season 1 this Tales from the Darkside story originally aired in the US during October 1984, the first of five Tales from the Darkside episodes to be directed by John Harrison he also is credited with the story & as it's music composer (he was also the zombie in Dawn of the Dead (1978) in the infamous screwdriver in an ear scene!) I thought this was quite good. The script by Mark Durand & David Spiel has an OK premise, a strong plot point to hook you & a pretty satisfying twist ending that doesn't make 100% sense but as a 20 minute horror anthology piece it's not too bad at all. There are several things in I'll Give You a Million which don't sit well with me though, for a start the basic agreement between to two businessmen is just daft & if Jack was prepared to sell his soul for a million because he didn't believe in soul's why is he in such a hurry to buy it back? Once he's dead it ain't going to make any difference anyway, right? How did Duncan know Jack was so near death? What if Jack lived for another 10 years, how would he have made a large profit on his silly plan then? To be honest the story has holes in it & I simply can't overlook them totally but as a one off little horror tale I'm prepared to let some of the more questionable points of the plot go & just enjoy it for what it is which is how you should approach it as well.
I complained about the opening titles during my IMDb comments for episodes 1 & 2 & I still think they are terrible although they have changed the font for which 'Tales from the Darkside' is spelt during the opening credits, these aren't anywhere near the instantly recognisable, memorable & iconic opening title sequences & theme music for show's like Star Trek, Doctor Who, Tales from the Crypt, The Twilight Zone, the X-Files or Tales of the Unexpected. This is well made, this one tries to be scary & there's a decent rotting zombie at the end along with some words burned into the skin on someone's chest. The acting is good & the cranky Duncan Williams is well played by Keenan Wynn complete with a very manly handlebar moustache!
I'll Give You a Million (I wish...) is a decent way to spend 20 odd minutes, it's a neat enough story with a twist that isn't going to change your life but provides perfectly good entertainment if you don't have much time to spare & can catch it on telly...
Episode 2 from season 1 this Tales from the Darkside story originally aired in the US during October 1984, the first of five Tales from the Darkside episodes to be directed by John Harrison he also is credited with the story & as it's music composer (he was also the zombie in Dawn of the Dead (1978) in the infamous screwdriver in an ear scene!) I thought this was quite good. The script by Mark Durand & David Spiel has an OK premise, a strong plot point to hook you & a pretty satisfying twist ending that doesn't make 100% sense but as a 20 minute horror anthology piece it's not too bad at all. There are several things in I'll Give You a Million which don't sit well with me though, for a start the basic agreement between to two businessmen is just daft & if Jack was prepared to sell his soul for a million because he didn't believe in soul's why is he in such a hurry to buy it back? Once he's dead it ain't going to make any difference anyway, right? How did Duncan know Jack was so near death? What if Jack lived for another 10 years, how would he have made a large profit on his silly plan then? To be honest the story has holes in it & I simply can't overlook them totally but as a one off little horror tale I'm prepared to let some of the more questionable points of the plot go & just enjoy it for what it is which is how you should approach it as well.
I complained about the opening titles during my IMDb comments for episodes 1 & 2 & I still think they are terrible although they have changed the font for which 'Tales from the Darkside' is spelt during the opening credits, these aren't anywhere near the instantly recognisable, memorable & iconic opening title sequences & theme music for show's like Star Trek, Doctor Who, Tales from the Crypt, The Twilight Zone, the X-Files or Tales of the Unexpected. This is well made, this one tries to be scary & there's a decent rotting zombie at the end along with some words burned into the skin on someone's chest. The acting is good & the cranky Duncan Williams is well played by Keenan Wynn complete with a very manly handlebar moustache!
I'll Give You a Million (I wish...) is a decent way to spend 20 odd minutes, it's a neat enough story with a twist that isn't going to change your life but provides perfectly good entertainment if you don't have much time to spare & can catch it on telly...
Don't bet with Satan!
BandSAboutMovies17 June 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Duncan Williams (Keenan Wynn) and Jack Blaine (George Petrie) are both businessmen who have destroyed lives to get where they are. As they grow older, they rely on one another to have someone to argue with. Their latest issue? Duncan has offered one million dollars for the soul of Jack.
Oh what a contract! Within 24 hours of death, all rights to Jack's soul go to Duncan. If Duncan dies before taking the soul, the contract is null and void. The only exception? If Duncan dies of foul play, the million has to be paid back with interest because Jack may have previously been involved with killing someone.
Seeing as how Jack is an atheist, he takes the wager, but when he learns that he has a short time to live, he tries to cancel the contract. Except that Jack learns that his liver is giving out and that he'll soon die, so in a panic, he buys his soul back and Duncan makes a million dollars on the deal.
The next day, Duncan learns that Jack died and his telegram was not sent until after he died, which fulfills Jack's end of the contract. Because 24 hours have passed, Duncan is now the official owner of Jack's soul and unable to profit on the deal. But what if someone who is an expert on signing away souls wants them both?
Director John Harrison, who also directed the movie for the series, also wrote the story, which was turned into a screenplay by David Spiel and Mark Durand.
This may be a humorous story, but it uses the time well and doesn't seem like it ever gets slow. There's nothing like rich and evil people getting destroyed by their own schemes.
Oh what a contract! Within 24 hours of death, all rights to Jack's soul go to Duncan. If Duncan dies before taking the soul, the contract is null and void. The only exception? If Duncan dies of foul play, the million has to be paid back with interest because Jack may have previously been involved with killing someone.
Seeing as how Jack is an atheist, he takes the wager, but when he learns that he has a short time to live, he tries to cancel the contract. Except that Jack learns that his liver is giving out and that he'll soon die, so in a panic, he buys his soul back and Duncan makes a million dollars on the deal.
The next day, Duncan learns that Jack died and his telegram was not sent until after he died, which fulfills Jack's end of the contract. Because 24 hours have passed, Duncan is now the official owner of Jack's soul and unable to profit on the deal. But what if someone who is an expert on signing away souls wants them both?
Director John Harrison, who also directed the movie for the series, also wrote the story, which was turned into a screenplay by David Spiel and Mark Durand.
This may be a humorous story, but it uses the time well and doesn't seem like it ever gets slow. There's nothing like rich and evil people getting destroyed by their own schemes.
A tongue in cheek episode, but it was pretty good.
TOMNEL2 August 2006
This episode deals with two old men. One gives the other one his soul for a million dollars, but when he finds that he is dying he tries to buy his soul back. The episode is pretty well executed but the plot is kind fo predictable and the end of the episode looks kind of lame. However I do recommend this episode, especially for the great performances by the two old men playing a fun game of cat and mouse. This was the third episode aired and the show eventually found what it was and picked up from humor episodes like this and went to pure horror!!
My rating: Good episode. 22 mins. TV PG V
My rating: Good episode. 22 mins. TV PG V
Is 'A Million' Worth It?
duran00727 January 2006
The second ongoing episode of 'Tales From The Darkside', 'I'll Give You A Million' focuses on two millionaires whom have left no means unturned to rise to the top of their game, including murder. On one Thursday night, Duncan Williams (Keenan Wynn) decides to test the faith of his friend Jack Blaine (George Petrie) by offering one million dollars for his eternal soul. Jack balks, but is eventually convinced to sell his soul to Duncan (who included provisions where Jack would get both his money and highest interest allowed by law if Jack were to die by unnatural causes, same with himself). Bad move, since Jack soon learns he has cancer and only has about a month to live. Duncan is skeptical, refusing to accept Jack's offer to return the money and to void the contract. Only after Duncan is offered an additional million dollars does he reconsider. By this time, however, it's too late. Jack dies, and Duncan is left with a worthless contract. Or is he? Not quite, as Jack returns from the grave in spirit form and tries to convince Duncan to accept the soul. Duncan ends up having a heart attack due to seeing his friend (whose body was cremated), and as he lies dying on his bed, a well-dressed man appears in the room. The man speaks cryptically about the details of the contract before throwing it behind him... the paper bursting into flames. It's the Devil (Brad Fisher), and he's claiming the reward of these two evil mens' souls. Before he returns to Hell, he glares at the body of Duncan Williams, whose chest bursts with three flaming words: Paid In Full. An excellent episode of the series with great performances by Keenan Wynn and George Petrie. The highlight performance is that of Brad Fisher, who despite not looking like the typical Devil, pulls off the coldest, most sinister approach I've ever seen anyone take. You fear him not by his looks, but by his sheer evil. He's almost amused by their little game, yet stayed out of it until they'd ruined themselves by bargaining with impossibly high stakes.
Be careful when trying to buy a soul it's a deal with the devil!
blanbrn22 February 2009
Warning: Spoilers
This "TFTD" episode "I'll Give You A Million" from season one is clever it's really a cat and mouse game between two old men. The actors portraying the two old men were unknown probably B listers or has beens. Anyway the plot is that of two old and crude business men who like to spend time together and have laughs, only oddly one comes up with the idea that he wants to purchase the others soul! Well he does, yet as they say be careful you never know maybe their will be a clause in the contract! As the one purchased becomes ill with liver cancer and he dies quickly. Then the episode makes an odd and evil twist as when the soul returns enter the devil to take over the leftovers if you know what I'm saying! Overall pretty good and well done episode especially since it was one of the earlier ones made.
Neat episode
Woodyanders18 January 2013
Warning: Spoilers
Shrewd and ruthless millionaire Duncan Williams (the always excellent Keenan Wynn) pays his friend Jack Blaine (the equally fine George Petrie) a million dollars for his soul. However, Duncan learns the hard way that there's literally hell to pay for making this ill-advised deal after Jack dies from cancer. Director John Harrison, working from a tight and compelling script by David Spiel and Mark Durand, relates the engrossing story at a steady pace, builds a good deal of tension, and pulls out the goosepimply stops for the pleasingly macabre conclusion. The central premise offers a nifty meditation on faith, mortality, and consequences. The two leads play off each other well, with Wynn a particular stand-out as one very cruel and wily old bastard. Bradley Fisher makes a cool last reel appearance as a smoothly malevolent incarnation of the devil. Harrison's shuddery score hits the spine-tingling spot. A worthy show.
The Price of a Soul
claudio_carvalho10 March 2022
The millionaires Duncan Williams and Jack Blaine know each other for a long time and have raised their fortunes in dirty businesses. They like to dispute money against each other all the time. One day, Duncan offers one million dollars for the soul of the atheist Jack and after a while, he accepts and signs a contract. When Jack learns that he is ill with a short period life, he offers another million dollars to break their contract, but Duncan in principle does not accept. But soon he has a tragic phone call that will affect his life.
"I'll Give You a Million" is a silly and funny episode of "Tales from the Darkside". The conclusion is predictable. My vote is six.
Title (Brazil): "I'll Give You a Million"
"I'll Give You a Million" is a silly and funny episode of "Tales from the Darkside". The conclusion is predictable. My vote is six.
Title (Brazil): "I'll Give You a Million"
I'll Give You a Million
Scarecrow-8810 September 2011
Warning: Spoilers
"Business is business."
Excellent little tale about the "rights" to one's eternal soul as it pertains to an offer by one millionaire (the great Keenan Wynn, whose mean and nasty here) to another (George Petrie) . Yep, Duncan offers one million dollars to Jack Blaine for his eternal "nonexistent" (Blaine is an atheist who doesn't believe in an eternal soul) soul. Accepting this offer will be a grave mistake Blaine will soon regret. Suffering from liver disease, Blaine learns that he has one month maybe two and, after contemplating his decision to accept the offer, commissions Duncan to cancel the contract to no avail. Duncan's plan all along was to get Blaine to offer an additional million dollars so that the contract would become obsolete, but this evil scheme backfires—Blaine dies before he can give Duncan the million. Let's just say, Duncan receives a visit *from beyond the grave*. Wynn, whose age shows as he struggles with the shakes, and Petrie's elderly business sharks, who see blood in the water and always go for the kill (the opening scene has them riding in a limo, celebrating the foreclosure of a victim over some champagne, immediately earning them instant revile), get what's coming to them and it is wholly satisfying. Seeing a worsening Blaine appealing to Duncan for the contract to be terminated is pathetic (it's hard to pity someone who has treated mankind so harshly), and Duncan's cold refusal especially cruel.
**Major spoiler**The creepy make-up job on the corpse of Petrie is of the "peeling dead flesh" variety, certain to appeal to zombie fans as he carries his green, misty soul in a glass case with a lock, a very unusual (and surreal) visual as the frightened Duncan suffers a coronary, falling backwards on his bed, Ole Beelzebub popping up as a handsome Bradley Fisher in a tailored suit, with a red rose he sniffles, a *devilish* grin, knowing that it is collection time. The "Paid in Full" burned into Wynn's chest is a cool visual, as he will be the actual loser of the contract deal in a funny bit of irony (the contract stipulated that if the buyer dies before collecting the seller's soul, it is null and void). The Devil has become the ultimate winner regarding the business deal between Duncan and Blaine.
"I came to collect."
Excellent little tale about the "rights" to one's eternal soul as it pertains to an offer by one millionaire (the great Keenan Wynn, whose mean and nasty here) to another (George Petrie) . Yep, Duncan offers one million dollars to Jack Blaine for his eternal "nonexistent" (Blaine is an atheist who doesn't believe in an eternal soul) soul. Accepting this offer will be a grave mistake Blaine will soon regret. Suffering from liver disease, Blaine learns that he has one month maybe two and, after contemplating his decision to accept the offer, commissions Duncan to cancel the contract to no avail. Duncan's plan all along was to get Blaine to offer an additional million dollars so that the contract would become obsolete, but this evil scheme backfires—Blaine dies before he can give Duncan the million. Let's just say, Duncan receives a visit *from beyond the grave*. Wynn, whose age shows as he struggles with the shakes, and Petrie's elderly business sharks, who see blood in the water and always go for the kill (the opening scene has them riding in a limo, celebrating the foreclosure of a victim over some champagne, immediately earning them instant revile), get what's coming to them and it is wholly satisfying. Seeing a worsening Blaine appealing to Duncan for the contract to be terminated is pathetic (it's hard to pity someone who has treated mankind so harshly), and Duncan's cold refusal especially cruel.
**Major spoiler**The creepy make-up job on the corpse of Petrie is of the "peeling dead flesh" variety, certain to appeal to zombie fans as he carries his green, misty soul in a glass case with a lock, a very unusual (and surreal) visual as the frightened Duncan suffers a coronary, falling backwards on his bed, Ole Beelzebub popping up as a handsome Bradley Fisher in a tailored suit, with a red rose he sniffles, a *devilish* grin, knowing that it is collection time. The "Paid in Full" burned into Wynn's chest is a cool visual, as he will be the actual loser of the contract deal in a funny bit of irony (the contract stipulated that if the buyer dies before collecting the seller's soul, it is null and void). The Devil has become the ultimate winner regarding the business deal between Duncan and Blaine.
"I came to collect."
A pretty fun straight horror themed episode, with some minor plot holes.
b_kite28 October 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Duncan Williams (Keenen Wynn) and Jack Blaine (George Petrie) are two elderly businessman. They talk about how cold-hearted they can be, but, Duncan tells Jack he has an offer for him and will tell him that night as a surprise. The offer is that Duncan will give Jack one million dollars in exchange for his eternal soul. Jack taking it all to be rubbish and not believing in an afterlife agrees. But, when Jack start to fall sick, he wants his soul back. A deal which both he an Duncan will come to regret. I always loved Keenen Wynn he was always good at playing a**hole characters and he's really good here. Our story is straight up horror and its a really enjoyable tale all together. My only problem like another reviewer stated is that it does have some questionable answers, like how did Duncan know Jack was close to death, so he could get his money back?. And since Jack doesn't believe in the whole mess why is he so in a hurry to get his soul back when he finds out he's sick. The whole plan by Duncan is stupid and would never work, and of course it doesn't, but, I still enjoyed the episode for what it was a fun straight horror tale. This was also the first of eight tales directed by James Harrison who is also created with the story and music.
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