Retro Holiday TV: The Messiah on Mott Street

Tony Roberts & Edward G. Robinson

Night Gallery, created and hosted by Rod Serling, ran for three seasons on NBC in the early 1970s. The anthology series generally featured tales of horror and the supernatural, with a touch of murder and madness thrown into the mix. While he didn't have the same amount of creative control he enjoyed on The Twilight Zone, Serling managed to contribute some of Night Gallery's finest episodes, including the elegiac "They're Tearing Down Tim Riley's Bar" and the sentimental holiday tale, "The Messiah on Mott Street." A holiday story on the macabre and eerie Night Gallery? Well, let's remember that Serling also penned the classic Christmas episode "Night of the Meek," featuring Art Carney, for The Twilight Zone.

"The Messiah on Mott Street," is the story of Abraham Goldman, an older gentleman who's critically ill, but hasn't lost his strength of spirit. His grandson Mikey lives with him in an apartment in a somewhat shabby New York neighborhood. Abraham's doctor, Morris Levine, believes that he should be admitted to the hospital, but the stubborn Mr. Goldman doesn't want to leave his home. He feels that Mikey might get taken away from him by social services if he's unable to care for the boy any longer. The old man is also waiting for a check from his brother, who owes him a considerable amount of money, which he feels will improve their situation.

Abraham is visited by an apparition he believes is the Angel of Death, but he refuses to accompany the specter of darkness to the other side. He tells Mikey that they need to find the Messiah, who will restore his health and help them in their desperate situation. Mikey goes out into the streets to locate the Messiah, encountering an ersatz Santa Claus and a doom-spouting religious fanatic, before a man named Buckner rescues him from the frightening zealot. Mikey, believing Buckner to be the Messiah, brings him home, only to discover that his grandfather's condition has deteriorated. Dr. Levine fears Abraham may not survive the night. Is the mysterious Buckner really the Messiah, and will the elder Goldman be saved?

"The Messiah on Mott Street" is a fabulous episode, featuring excellent performances from Edward G. Robinson as Abraham, Tony Roberts as Dr. Levine, Yaphet Kotto as Buckner and Ricky Powell as Mikey. The script is terrific, featuring some wonderful dialogue in the humanist style which Serling is often celebrated for, including a marvelous exchange between Roberts and Kotto in Goldman's apartment. Much like his later work as Sol in Soylent Green, Robinson brings real dignity to the character of Abraham, and shares some poignant scenes with Powell as Ricky, and Roberts as Dr. Levine, who still makes house calls! The episode was directed by Don Taylor, who also helmed Escape From The Planet of the Apes, and Damien: Omen II. 

"The Messiah on Mott Street," was originally paired with a second entry entitled "The Painted Mirror," and broadcast as part of Night Gallery's second season during 1971-72. This is one of my favorite episodes of the series, and it could really be classified as both a Christmas and Hanukah tale. It's one of Serling's finest latter day stories, featuring his penchant for celebrating the best aspects of humanity through tales of downtrodden characters who are gifted with small, but often memorable moments in their lives that some folks might even refer to as miracles. The hopeful finale brings to mind some of his strongest work for The Twilight Zone, and this exceptional story is worth a watch, especially during the holiday season.

If you're looking to check out "The Messiah on Mott Street," or some of the other episodes of Night Gallery, Amazon has the show available to stream, though there is a charge to view the series, even for Prime members. Additionally, the show has been issued on DVD, and Kino Lorber video has released the series on Blu-ray in remastered editions, featuring insightful commentaries for every episode by genre experts like Tim Lucas, Kim Newman, Gary Gerani and Amanda Reyes, and filmmakers such as Guillermo Del Toro, who does the honors for "The Messiah on Mott Street."