The Girl, the Gold Watch & Everything

In the review listed initially on the site, it's said that the first thing Robert Hays does when he uses the watch is to undo the bikini top of a young girl. Actually, this isn't QUITE true: It's his girlfriend, played by Pam Dawber (who has a beautiful southern accent and a racy sense of humor) who does that, and Hays looks a bit (though not too) disapproving.

I remember first seeing this movie on reruns when i was 4. I'm 22 now and love the fact that i was able to find a copy of this movie and the sequel. The movie was so ahead of its tim. I'm surprised that anyone got the concept. The part of the movie that always pops up in my head is when our hero stops time just before some baddies cap him and his honey. I can't remember and its been a few years since i viewed the tape, but i think somehow the hero reverses the direction the bullets were flying. Anyways, the story was excellent, the sequel was great, and the only movie dealing with time travel that has comes even close to this original idea (besides the HOLY Back to the Future Trilogy) is Frequency. Ok , maybe Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure (you have to admit, the way they got out of jail was cool.) TNT played this movie and its sequel about 3 or 4 years ago during a late night shift (midnight to 4am.) They might do again sometime soon.

I only had the pleasure of seeing this movie once. But have been trying to find a copy or another playing of it... The script was very good and it kept me waiting for what was going to happen next. I saw this movie 12 years ago and still have not found another listing for it sense. I would like to view it with my family, As it was late when I viewed it last time and every else had retired for the night. but after all these years I am loosing hope of getting to view this movie again. All of the actors in this movie performed with great realism that really had me hooked on this movie. I would recommend it to all age groups as it has a great story line, Just like the book it was created from written by John Macdonald.

I loved this fresh concept and remember talking about it and the awsome power the watch would give the bearer for years after with one of my friends. I don't know if I have seen it since the first air date, but, I still remember the premise of many of the seens, like never stop time while your in a moving vehicle or you'll hit the dashboard at 60mph.

I also remember the sequil was good. Allthough it still bothers me that in the first seen of the sequil the uncles video message says that they would have already figured out that if they used the watch a certain number of times in so long it would never work again.

Recently I saw a video at my library called "Clockstoppers" it was from Nickelodian Productions and was geared toward young male teens. It wasn't in the same leage as I remember the "Gold Watch" Pair being in, but, It definately provided a fix for a movie I've wanted to see again for years and I would say it's worth the time to see it.

The problems with "Clockstoppers" were; It tried too hard to explane the science of something made up for a movie. It tried to be to hip, allthough the target audience might not mind.

John D. MacDonald's book, "The Girl, the Gold Watch, & Everything," was the basis for the 1980 movie and its sequel, as well as an episode of "The Twilight Zone" and the movie, "Clockstoppers" (2002), the latter two adaptations without credit.

In a comment, "Considered a ripoff by some..." (7 February 2005) by runar-4, it was noted that "Episode #5.4 of 'The Twilight Zone' ..., 'A Kind of Stop Watch,' has a storyline that is nearly identical to that of 'The Girl, the Gold Watch & Everything'" (the movie). The reason: John D. MacDonald's book, "The Girl, the Gold Watch, & Everything," was the uncredited basis for "The Twilight Zone" episode, even though the actual credit for the episode was, "Written by Rod Serling (based on an unpublished story by Michael D. Rosenthal)."

Both Michael D. Rosenthal and Mile Korologos had "unpublished stories," which were credited as the basis for episodes of "The Twilight Zone," specifically "A Kind of Stopwatch" (Script 124) and "Mr. Garrity and the Graves" (Script 152), respectively. There is speculation that Michael D. Rosenthal and Mile Korologos were pseudonyms for Rod Serling himself. Both John D. MacDonald and Philip José Farmer (who wrote the story credited to "Mile Korologos") protested to the producers of "Twilight Zone," to no avail.

In the same comment by runar-4, it was suggested that, "One of the contributing factors to the misunderstanding is that the novel quickly went out of print." However, the novel was not out of print when the movie was made. In fact, "The Girl, the Gold Watch, & Everything" was more-or-less continuously in print, appearing in 24 printings through June 1991.