History Recap / TheTwilightZone1959S1E17TheFever

!!The Tropver:

* {{Irony}}: I’m the beginning, Franklin utterly detests gambling. He soon becomes the biggest gambling addict the casino owner has ever seen.

* TheGamblingAddict: Franklin, who abhors all types of gambling, travels to Las Vegas with his wife (who won a contest) and is forced by a drunk to put a dollar token into a slot machine, winning some money in the process. Despite his efforts to run away from the machine, he hears it literally calling his name, and winds up addicted to the point where he thinks it's alive, and he might be right.

* KarmicTransformation: Of the non-physical kind. Franklin looks down on all the other casino patrons and thinks of himself as morally superior, but once he wins some cash at a slot machine, he ends up becoming a gambler far worse than any of ''them''. Even the owners have never seen a case of gambling as bad as his.
* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: The events of most of the episode could easily be explained by Franklin becoming increasingly unhinged through obsession and lack of sleep, or by the existence of a living slot machine, like he thinks. It's subverted at the end when the slot machine moves after his death.
* NotSoImaginaryFriend: Or enemy, in this case. Everyone thinks that Franklin is hallucinating the haunted slot machine. At the end, it rolls up to his body and spits out his last dollar, before disappearing into the night...
* OffscreenTeleportation: During the final scene, the slot machine starts warping around the Gibbs' hotel room, appearing before Franklin whenever he tries to run away. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] since it seems, in this case, to be a hallucination, given that Flora can't see it.

* {{Greed}}: Franklin is very greedy. At first, he’s a stingy miser who refuses to indulge in gambling, only agrees to go on the trip to Vegas because it’s free, and boasts that he understands the value of money. Once he wins ten grand from the slot machine, he becomes tempted to try again by the hope of winning even ''more'' money.

* {{Greed}}: Franklin is very greedy. At first, he’s a stingy miser who refuses to indulge in gambling, only agrees to go on the trip to Vegas because it’s free, and boasts that he understands the value of money. Once he wins 10 grand from the slot machine, he becomes tempted to try again by the hope of winning even ''more'' money.
* {{Hallucinations}}: After Franklin wins 10 grand in tokens from the slot machine, he hallucinates about his stack of tokens getting taller and taller as he’s tempted to try and win at the slot machine again.

Franklin Gibbs is not at all happy about being dragged to Las Vegas on a trip won by his wife Flora. He detests all forms of gambling, resents the effort on the casinos' staff to get money out of his pocket, and constantly denounces the gamblers around him for blowing through their finances. However, a drunk gives him a coin and forces him to put it into a slot machine. Franklin suprisingly wins, and this unexpected success leads him to rationalize playing the machine again (under the excuse of getting rid of his previous "dirty" winnings) gradually growing addicted himself. But the Twilight Zone has a terrifying symbol of Franklin's problem -- a living slot machine that won't stop haunting him.

* HauntedTechnology: {{Zigzagged}}. A seemingly possessed slot machine follows Franklin around, calling his name. It's said to be a hallucination created by Franklin's insomnia and addiction that ultimately drove him to suicide, but is ultimately subverted later, as it turns out that there ''is'' a haunted slot machine.

* {{Jerkass}}: Franklin. He begins the episode as a condescending, self-righteous, and unpleasant man. But then he turns into a selfish, desperate gambling addict.

* NotSoImaginaryFriend: Or Enemy in this case. Everyone thinks that Franklin is hallucinating the haunted slot machine. At the end, it rolls up to his body and spits out his last dollar, before disappearing into the night...

* RealAfterAll: The ending reveals that the slot machine ''was'' sentient, as it appears outside the casino and spits Franklin's last silver dollar--the one it "stole" from him--into his hand after he falls from his window.

* TheScrooge: Franklin. He wouldn't even have taken the trip if it hadn't been a paid-for prize his wife won.

* TheGamblingAddict: Franklin, who abhors all types of gambling, travels to Las Vegas with his wife (who won a contest) and is forced by a drunk to put a dollar token into a slot machine, winning some money in the process. Despite his efforts to run away from the machine, he hears it literally calling his name, and winds up addicted to the point where he thinks it's alive, and he might be right.

Cranky Franklin Gibbs is not at all happy about being dragged to Vegas on a trip won by his wife. He resents the effort on the casinos' party to get money out of his pocket and constantly denounces the gamblers around him. However, then a drunk gives him a coin and forces him to put it into a slot machine. Franklin wins. This unexpected success leads him to rationalize playing again (under the excuse of getting rid of his previous "dirty" winnings) and then to become addicted. But the Twilight Zone has a terrifying symbol of Franklin's problem -- a living one-armed bandit that won't stop haunting him.

->'''Creator/RodSerling''': Mr. Franklin Gibbs, visitor to Las Vegas, who lost his money, his reason, and finally his life to an inanimate metal machine, variously described as a "one-armed bandit", a "slot machine", or, in Mr. Franklin Gibbs' words, a "monster with a will all of its own." For our purposes, we'll stick with the latter definition, because we're in the Twilight Zone.

* AnAesop: "Don't gamble", or, maybe, "if you gamble, don't become obsessed." Most of all, "''Anyone'' can be instantly hooked to gambling, don't let your guard down just because you say you don't like gambling."
* BigNo: Flora screams one of these after Franklin falls to his death. It's particularly painful since she has to watch it happen.
* DisneyVillainDeath: What ultimately gets Franklin.
* DutchAngle: Used for a shot of Franklin at the slot machine after he's become obsessed and screams at his wife to leave him alone.
* HauntedTechnology: {{Zigzagged}}. A seemingly possessed slot machine follows Franklin around, calling his name. It's said to be all a hallucination created by Franklin's insomnia and addiction that drove him to suicide, but is ultimately subverted later, as it turns out there ''is'' a haunted slot machine.
* TheGamblingAddict: Franklin Gibbs, who abhors gambling, travels to Las Vegas with his wife (who won a contest) and is forced by a drunk to put a dollar token into a slot machine, and winds up winning some money. Despite his efforts to run away from the slots, he hears the slot machine literally calling his name, and winds up addicted to the point where he thinks it's alive, and he might be right.
* InsaneTrollLogic: Franklin's excuse to go back to gambling. He says that the money he won before is tainted and immoral, and he can't keep it, in good conscience, so he's going to...go back to "feed it to the machine".
* {{Jerkass}}: Franklin. He begins the episode as a condescending, self-righteous and unpleasant man and then changes into a selfish, desperate gambling addict.
* KarmicTransformation: Of the non-physical kind. Franklin looks down on all the other casino patrons and thinks of himself as morally superior and ends up becoming a gambler far worse than any of ''them'' (Even the owners have never seen a case of gambling as bad as his).
* MaybeMagicMaybeMundane: The events of most of the episode could be explained by Mr. Gibbs becoming increasingly unhinged through obsession and lack of sleep or by the existence of a living slot machine, like he thinks. Subverted at the end when the slot machine moves after his death.
* NotSoImaginaryFriend: In this case, a Not So Imaginary Enemy. Everyone thinks Franklin is hallucinating the slot machine. Then, at the end, it rolls up to him and spits out a coin, before disappearing back into the night...
* OffscreenTeleportation: During the final scene, the slot machine starts warping around the Gibbses' hotel room, appearing near Franklin whenever he tries to run away. [[JustifiedTrope Justified]] since it seems, in this case, to be a hallucination, given that Flora can't see it.
* PsychologicalProjection: Franklin has total disdain for all forms of gambling, and seems to think that inserting one coin will instantly turn anyone into a hopeless addict. This is exactly what happens to ''him''.
* RealAfterAll: The ending reveals that the slot machine ''was'' sentient, as it appears outside the casino and spits Franklin's last silver dollar--the one it "stole"--into his hand after he falls from his window and dies.
* RedHerring: The opening narration and the first part of the story initially gives the audience the impression that Flora will be the one to fall prey to a gambling addiction, seemingly ruling out her strict and [[TheScrooge stingy]] husband. As it turns out, ''Franklin'' ends up being the victim of the titular gambling fever.
* RoboSpeak: Played for horror with the machine saying "FRANK-LIN." It's a metallic voice that's accompanied by the jingling sound of silver dollars, suggesting that it's coming from the depths of the device.
* SayMyName: The machine endlessly repeats "FRANKLIN...FRANKLIN...FRANKLIN..."
* TheScrooge: Franklin. He wouldn't even have taken the trip if it hadn't been a paid-for prize.
* SleepingSingle: Franklin and Flora, a married couple, sleep in two separate single beds. Perhaps justified, as their relationship is somewhat fraught.
* TruthInTelevision: Franklin telling himself that the slot machine has got to pay off finally after he's been playing for such a long time might sound familiar to psychologists or veteran gamblers. (In fact, this line of thinking is actually called the GamblersFallacy.)
* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: The drunk that forces Franklin to put the coin in the slot machine sets up the plot, making Franklin become a gambling addict and then dead.
----

* CaptionContest: Flora Gibbs enters a caption contest and wins an all expenses paid trip to UsefulNotes/LasVegas.

* DutchAngle: Used for a shot of Franklin at the slot machine after he's become obsessed and screamed at his wife to leave him alone.

->'''Creator/RodSerling''': Mr. and Mrs. Franklin Gibbs, three days and two nights all expenses paid at a Las Vegas hotel, won by virtue of Mrs. Gibbs' knack with a phrase. But unbeknownst to either Mr. or Mrs. Gibbs is the fact that there's a prize in their package, neither expected nor bargained for. In just a moment, one of them will succumb to an illness worse than any virus can produce. A most inoperative, deadly life-shattering affliction known as the Fever.

* SleepingSingle: Well of course a married couple would be sleeping in two single beds.