The Night the World Ended story
Practical joker Halloran convinces homeless man Johnny that the world will end at 11:45 that night. With nothing to lose, Johnny steals liquor, breaks into a toy store to give presents to homeless children, and kills the security guard who tries to apprehend him. When Johnny realizes what Halloran did, he takes a gun and shoots him at 11:45. Directed by: Justus Addiss. Story by: Fredric Brown, Bernard C. Schoenfeld.
15 total · 2 choice · 3 major · 9 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| actions have consequences | choice | Before he shot Mr. Halloran, Johnny said that every "joke has to have a payoff", arguably the point of the story. |
| facing death | choice | Johnny believed the end was neigh, so took to the bottle, swiped some expensive Cognac from a bar, scared an old lady, and shot dead a toy store security guard. |
| alcohol abuse | major | Johnny was begging for drinks and swiped two expensive bottles of Cognac from under a bartender's nose. |
| approaching astronomical object event | major | Gullible old Johnny fell for it when a prankster showed him a newspaper with a lead story explaining that Mars was going to collide with Earth at 11:45 PM. |
| practical joking | major | The story concerned the mean spirited antics of practical joker Mr. Halloran. |
| human childhood | minor | A trio of street kids had the night of their life when Johnny helped them to break into a toy store. |
| ironic twist of fate | minor | Mr. Halloran pranked gullible old Johnny into thinking that the world would end at 11:45 PM, but it was Mr. Halloran's world that came to an end at 11:45 when a spiteful Johnny shot him dead at that precise moment. |
| law enforcement | minor | A department store security guard tried to intervene with Johnny's revelry and was shot dead for his troubles. |
| looting | minor | Johnny thought the world was coming to an end, so went on a one man looting spree. |
| mental illness | minor | Felicia came to think that Johnny was dangerously insane. |