The Rip Van Winkle Caper

"The Rip Van Winkle Caper" is episode 60 of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone , and is the 24th episode of the second season. It originally aired on April 21, 1961 on CBS, and was written by series creator and showrunner Rod Serling, and was directed by Justus Addiss. Opening narration Plot Four men are fleeing from the law in a truck after stealing $1 million worth of gold bars from a train bound from Fort Knox to Los Angeles. The thieves, consisting of scientist/mastermind Farwell, demolitions expert De Cruz, firearms expert Brooks, and mechanical engineer Erbie, hide in a secret cave in Death Valley, California. Farwell has hidden a set of suspended animation chambers in this cave, which they will use to sleep for approximately 100 years; after that time, he expects that they will be able to sell the gold without raising suspicion. De Cruz has reservations about the plan, but all four men enter the chambers. When they wake up, all that remains of Erbie is his skeleton, his chamber having been cracked by a falling rock. De Cruz offers to guard the gold in the back of their truck while Brooks drives to civilization, but Brooks does not trust De Cruz and insists that he drive. De Cruz kills Brooks by running into him with the truck, but when the brakes fail, he bails out and the truck crashes into a ravine. Farwell and De Cruz now must walk through the desert in the summer heat, carrying as much gold as they can on their backs.