(1878-1954) well-known
American stage, radio and movie actor. One of his films, On Borrowed
Time (1939), tells the story of an
old man (played by
Barrymore) who is trying to raise his grandson after the
death of the young
boy's parents and the
loss of his own wife.
Death (in human
form) next comes to claim
Barrymore but is chased up a tree and is unable to come down until
Barrymore releases him.
Barrymore and
Death engage in long philosophical discussions about
life and
death and
Barrymore begins to realize that while
Death has been trapped up the tree, nobody in his town has died-something which is both good and bad. Realizing he can not
hold Death up the tree forever,
Barrymore begins to prepare himself for dying.
Death tricks the grandson into climbing up the tree and makes him
fall and
break his neck. Unable to die, the
boy is faced with
living the rest of his
life as a paralyzed cripple.
Barrymore seeing the foolishness of his actions lets
Death down from the tree to claim both of them. The last
scene is
Barrymore and his grandson
walking together in a heavenly sheep pasture.