1. The Man Who Thought for Himself
Aired: 9/18/1960
Steve Allen played a bank executive who woke up one morning to find all his actions governed by what his neighbors -and boss thought. In a burst of independence, he decided to paint his house barn red, and when his neighbors objected, he blew his cork and painted it red, white and blue. That raised the roof, and the neighborhood called a meeting to decide whether to sue him for creating a public nuisance. Allen didn't like the colors anyway, and was ready to give in and repaint, but not until he could make his point about conformity before the meeting. This he did so well, everybody congratulated him as a courageous, forward-thinking individualist and urged him to keep the house just the way it was. He started to do this until, with a jolt, he realized he'd fallen into the trap of conformity again, and if he didn’t like the house the way it was, he was darn well gonna change it.