A Critical History of Television's the Twilight Zone, 1959-1964 078643886X, 9780786438860

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A Critical History of Television’s The Twilight Zone, 19 5 9 – 19 6 4

A Critical History of Television’s The Twilight Zone, 19 5 9 – 19 6 4

Don Presnell and Marty McGee

McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers Jefferson, North Carolina, and London

The present work is a reprint of the library bound edition of A Critical History of Television’s The Twilight Zone, 1959– 1964, first published in 1998 by McFarland.

To Martha: my wife, best friend, research assistant, and proofreader — D.P. To the three ladies in my life: Caitlin, Olivia, and Cassie — M.M.

LIBRARY

OF

CONGRESS CATALOGUING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA

Presnell, Don, ¡966– A critical history of television’s The Twilight Zone, ¡959–¡964 / Don Presnell and Marty McGee. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-7864-3886-0 softcover : 50# alkaline paper 1. Twilight zone (Television program) ¡97¡– II. Title. PN¡992.77.T87P74 2008 79¡.45'72 — dc2¡

I. McGee, Marty, 98-36576

British Library cataloguing data are available ©¡998 Don Presnell and Marty McGee. All rights reserved No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. On the cover: Rod Serling, host of The Twilight Zone (CBS/Photofest); image of television set ©2008 Photodisc Manufactured in the United States of America

McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers Box 6¡¡, Je›erson, North Carolina 28640 www.mcfarlandpub.com

CONTENTS Preface

¡

Introduction

5

Part I • History

9

Part II • The Episodes Season Season Season Season Season

29 31 70 99 138 159

One Two Three Four Five

Appendices 1. Chronological List of Episodes 2. Writer Biographies 3. Principal Writers and Their Twilight Zone Credits 4. Directors and Their Twilight Zone Credits 5. Principal Actors and Their Twilight Zone Credits 6. Close… But No Zone: Stories Never Filmed 7. Rod Serling’s Lost Episodes 8. Genres, Themes, and Plot Devices

197 200 213 218 222 232 239 242

Notes

253

Bibliography

26¡

Index

267

v

PREFACE For such a popular and well-remembered series, The Twilight Zone has generated a surprisingly small number of critical commentaries and episode guides. The earliest source of valuable information about the show was Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone Magazine (¡98¡–¡989), an excellent magazine that contained articles discussing various aspects of the show: interviews with writers, actors, and directors who worked on The Twilight Zone; original short stories that served as the basis for particular episodes, as well as original new fiction by up-and-coming or established writers (Stephen King made a few appearances); and, best of all, regular reprints of original Twilight Zone teleplays. The first full-length biography of TZ creator Rod Serling, who died in ¡975, was not written until ¡4 years later. Joel Engel’s Rod Serling: The Dreams and Nightmares of Life in the Twilight Zone (Chicago: Contemporary, ¡989) is an important book, packed with information about Serling and The Twilight Zone. Despite his necessary focus on Rod Serling’s entire life (before, during, and after the show’s original run), Engel still manages to discuss The Twilight Zone at great length. Unfortunately, sources are only scantily documented, and the book is not even indexed. Another Serling biography appeared in ¡992, Gordon F. Sander’s Serling: The Rise and Twilight of Television’s Last Angry Man (paperback edition, New York: Plume-Penguin, ¡994). Sander’s work is more concise and direct but has considerably less discussion of The Twilight Zone. Nevertheless, it too is an important work. Visions from The Twilight Zone, by Arlen Schumer, is a handsome book devoted to classic images and stills from the series; its sole focus is an aesthetic appreciation of the show’s striking black-and-white cinematography and tableaux, though it does contain two good essays by J. Hoberman and Carol Serling. A must for Twilight Zone fans is The Twilight Zone: The Original Stories (New York: MJF Books, ¡985), which collects all of the original short stories — except for John Collier’s “The Chaser,” which presented permissions problems — that Rod Serling bought and commissioned to be adapted for Twilight Zone episodes. The book includes an introduction by TZ writer Richard

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Preface

Matheson, as well as eight of his original stories that became classic episodes. Several tales by TZ regular Charles Beaumont are also included among the 30 collected stories, in addition to Lynn Venable’s “Time Enough at Last” and Damon Knight’s “To Serve Man,” both of which would number among the series’ most unforgettable episodes. The most recent work on The Twilight Zone is Peter Wolfe’s In the Zone: The Twilight World of Rod Serling (Popular Press, ¡997). In the Zone is well written and avoids the droning, arcane tone of much academic writing. Since Wolfe is an English professor, his focus is of course literary, and he makes a thorough and compelling analysis of the show that reminds us of one reason The Twilight Zone was so successful: the writing, which was always Serling’s first concern. As Serling himself said, “Scripts were written with an eye towards the literacy of the actor and the intelligence of the audience.”1* Though not intended as a reference or companion book, In the Zone makes an accessible, entertaining, and interesting read. Into the Twilight Zone: The Rod Serling Programme Guide (London: Virgin, ¡995), by Jean-Marc and Randy Lo‡cier, is a thumbnail episode guide to all of Rod Serling’s film and television output, including The Twilight Zone, The Loner, and Rod Serling’s Night Gallery, as well as later television reincarnations of The Twilight Zone. It contains minimal information, but is useful as a quick-reference guide for episode titles and airdates. The most important work thus far is indisputably Marc Scott Zicree’s The Twilight Zone Companion. The first edition of this invaluable work was released in ¡982 (New York: Bantam); the second edition, only slightly updated, was reprinted by a di›erent publisher (Los Angeles: Silman-James Press) in ¡992. Zicree was involved with Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone Magazine and had access to virtually all materials and information regarding the show. He also conducted interviews with many people, apart from Rod Serling, who were responsible for creating The Twilight Zone: producer Buck Houghton, writers Richard Matheson and George Clayton Johnson, and many others. His book contains plenty of behind-the-scenes commentary and fairly detailed information regarding the show’s history and all ¡56 episodes. An especially nice feature is Zicree’s transcription of all Serling’s voice-over prologues and epilogues. Zicree’s Companion, however, can be slightly puzzling for the reader. For example, after reading about “The Grave,” which was originally shown on October 27, ¡96¡, we are presented with the next entry, “Nothing in the Dark,” which was aired January 5, ¡962. No reason for the three-month gap between these episodes is given; during the original series run, eight other episodes aired in succession between “The Grave” and “Nothing in the Dark.” Thus, even though dates are given, Zicree’s work provides no sense of the show’s *References in the text are to the Notes beginning on page 253.

Preface

3

original airdate continuity. Zicree’s approach is perhaps intended to be a chronological narrative history of the show, with episodes discussed in the order they were produced; if this is the case, however, an explanation would have made the approach more meaningful. At any rate, no explanation is provided. The Twilight Zone Companion, then, retains a monographic feel, a quality that seems to be at odds with a “companion” book. Also, its research value is diminished by a less-than-thorough index and some erroneous episode airdates, and critical discussion for several episodes is either negligible or entirely absent. Nevertheless, the importance of Zicree’s book cannot be overstated. The book you are now reading is a labor of love for both of us. After many discussions of The Twilight Zone, we are both convinced that it is the best television series that has ever been aired. We have worked to make our book as comprehensive and complete as possible; it is a reference work that covers the show exhaustively. First, you will find a detailed history of The Twilight Zone, from its conception through ¡964, the year of its fifth and final season. Serling’s post–Twilight Zone work is briefly explored, as are the Twilight Zone television revivals of the mid–¡980s and the ¡983 theatrical release, Twilight Zone—The Movie. We focus almost exclusively on the original series since that is what we know and love best. To analyze the “new” Twilight Zone episodes from the ¡980s — or, for that matter, Rod Serling’s Night Gallery, Serling’s less successful series from the ¡970s — would be spreading ourselves thin. (We do, however, include to some extent Twilight Zone—The Movie [¡983], as three of those segments are remakes of original, and far superior, TZ episodes. Our entry for “Kick the Can” [02-09-62], for instance, includes plot synopses and discussions of both the original episode and the theatrical remake.) After the history comes a complete episode guide. We include the title, original airdate, and the most complete cast and credits ever published for each episode. Entries also include plot synopses and extensive notes, commentary and discussion. Where applicable, we discuss episodes and how they bring to life their original source materials (short stories, radio plays, anecdotes, and original teleplays). Take for example the pilot episode, “Where Is Everybody?” (¡0-02-59). First we consider Serling’s original teleplay. What choices were made in bringing the script to life on the screen? Were the choices successful? How and why, or why not? Next we consider the short story Serling adapted from the episode and included in his story collection Stories from The Twilight Zone. As our discussion demonstrates, Serling made at least one significant change to the plot. These kinds of considerations are always exciting for fans of any show, and in the case of The Twilight Zone, have not been addressed at length until now. At the end of our book, we include several detailed appendices, including a list of all the episodes in chronological (airdate) order; information on

4

Preface

writers, directors, and actors, with their Twilight Zone credits; synopses of episodes never filmed; and lists of themes and plot devices found in many Twilight Zone episodes. May this book deepen your appreciation of Rod Serling’s masterpiece anthology series. We hope you have as much fun reading it as we had writing it. Don Presnell Marty McGee

INTRODUCTION “The Twilight Zone.” The words connote anything strange, unusual, or just plain weird. Mention the Twilight Zone to someone, and you will invariably get a reaction. Certainly the phrase will conjure up memories of the classic television series of the same name. It even carries a musical tag: Anytime an unusual event takes place, or when things don’t go as expected, there will always be someone present who will take it upon himself to mimic the famous Marius Constant guitar lead from the show’s title sequence: “Do-do-doo-do do-do-doo-do.” The number of people who can instantly recall a favorite episode or scene, or at the very least can automatically launch into the pulsing melody of the theme music, seems — as the show’s creator, Rod Serling, says in narrated prologue —“as vast as space and timeless as infinity.” Some people retain the picture of Burgess Meredith sitting on the steps of a library after a nuclear holocaust, having “Time Enough at Last” (¡¡-2059) to read all he wants to, without anyone around to bother him; that is, until he reaches down to pick up a book and breaks his glasses, forcing him to spend the rest of his life alone, without the company of either people or the printed word. Many viewers may have reconsidered air travel after watching “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” (¡0-¡¡-63), in which a pre–Star Trek William Shatner goes berserk (an understatement, even with Shatner) after “seeing” his flight being sabotaged by a gremlin attempting to destroy one of the plane’s wings. Others are quick to remember Robert Redford as the handsome figure of Death trying to convince an elderly woman that there is “Nothing in the Dark” (0¡-05-62), that perhaps death isn’t the terrible experience we often imagine it to be. Few have forgotten the adage “ If something is too good to be true, it usually is,” learned when outer space visitors o›er “To Serve Man” (03-0262)— an o›er eagerly accepted until the characters discover that the aliens are speaking in a culinary context! These are but a few of the many unforgettable moments from an anthology series that has endured the test of time (nearly 40 years) and remains vivid in the minds of travelers who have entered The Twilight Zone, either in its original ¡959–¡964 run or during the three subsequent decades of syndication. The Twilight Zone is hard to pin down and paste with labels. Just what is it that makes the series perpetually popular in so many realms — from pop

5

6

Introduction

culture to academic studies to science-fiction fandom? (Incidentally, the show’s popularity isn’t limited to the United States; it is known on French television, for example, as La Quatrième Dimension [The Fourth Dimension].)1 The show has been imitated, parodied, and alluded to by countless anthology dramas, sitcoms, and variety shows. As recently as ¡997, the show even appeared as the subject of a Looney Tunes comic book homage-takeo›, with Bugs Bunny on the cover, assuming the famous Rod Serling prologue pose and inviting readers to enter “another book, a comic not only of words and pictures, but of the mind, a standup act in a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of the imagination. That’s the ‘Rabbit Season’ sign up ahead — your next stop, The Looney Zone!”2 What makes The Twilight Zone endure as a classic, a show that ubiquitous film critic Leonard Maltin — in a cover blurb for Marc Scott Zicree’s The Twilight Zone Companion— calls “possibly the best TV series of all time”?3 How do two of the series’ episodes —“To Serve Man” (03-02-62) and “ It’s a Good Life” (¡¡-03-6¡)— end up, over 30 years after they were made, on TV Guide’s list of the ¡00 greatest episodes of all television series of all time?4 How is the show still able to speak to us today, without seeming trite, dated, or culturally irrelevant? The answers to all these questions are diverse: Some are personal, some are universal, and some are merely categorical. First, at the most basic aesthetic level, The Twilight Zone can best be described as the ultimate Rorschach: No matter how many people have seen the series, they all see something di›erent. In Danse Macabre, his survey of science fiction and horror in film, television, and literature, Stephen King directly addresses the diverse nature and appeal of the series: Of all the dramatic programs which have ever run on American TV, [The Twilight Zone] is the one which comes close to defying any overall analysis. It was not a western or a cop show (although some of the stories had western formats or featured cops ’n’ robbers); it was not really a science fiction show … not a sitcom (although some of the episodes were funny); not really occult (although it did occult stories frequently — in its own peculiar fashion), not really supernatural. It was its own thing…5

King is absolutely correct. The Twilight Zone is, in varying degrees, all of these — science fiction, fantasy, horror, western, comedy, crime/detective, drama (historical, domestic, or any other “type”)— and more. So, at this surface level of aesthetic and genre appeal, it is clear that The Twilight Zone endures because it doesn’t slavishly adhere to one concept, principle, or plot. On another level, The Twilight Zone remains a paradox. It is invariably referred to as “science fiction”— just look at this work’s bibliography and note all the references to science fiction and fantasy — yet ultimately it is not science fiction. True, many episodes are ostensibly set in “far o› ” places, planets, or worlds. And yes, many episodes involve alien visitors, outer space, or time travel. But whatever the setting, whatever the premise, the focus remains

Introduction

7

the same: ourselves. Herein lies the secret to the success and consistent high quality of The Twilight Zone. To viewers then and now, the show has o›ered lessons on what it means to be human, from our admirable qualities and strengths to our shameful fears and prejudices. Marc Scott Zicree, author of the indispensable The Twilight Zone Companion, touches on one aspect of the show’s (and Rod Serling’s) concern with humanity: The Twilight Zone was the first, and possibly only, TV series to deal on a regular basis with the theme of alienation — particularly urban alienation…. Repeatedly, it states a simple message: The only escape from alienation lies in reaching out to others, trusting in their common humanity. Give in to the fear and you are lost.6

Zicree continues along similar lines: Most importantly, with few exceptions the characters inhabiting The Twilight Zone were average, ordinary people: bank clerks, teachers, petty hoods, salesmen, executives on the rise or decline. It took no great leap for us to identify ourselves with these frail and vulnerable souls and imagine that perhaps in some flight of fancy, some slight tangent from the reality of the ordinary routine, what happened to these characters might very well happen to us.7

In the Zone, art imitates as well as reflects life, regardless of whether we like the portraits of ourselves that are painted by the show. Lest we sound too sociological or professorial, let us emphasize that The Twilight Zone was an all-around good, solid program, regardless of what area we choose to dissect and analyze. The writing — headed by the TZ triumvirate of Rod Serling, Charles Beaumont, and Richard Matheson — was sharp, incisive, and thought-provoking, and was always the first concern. The story was the thing, not a reliance on special e›ects and explosions. The music — composed by, among others, Bernard Herrmann and Jerry Goldsmith — was evocative of any number of emotions and atmospheres. The black-and-white cinematography — at any given moment ethereal, surreal, or otherworldly — was at once comfortingly nostalgic yet suggestive of other times and places. The acting — whether from stars, future stars, character actors, or unknowns — was dependable, consistent, and in many episodes, unforgettable. Fittingly enough, two of The Twilight Zone’s most important contributors can best describe the success and appeal of the show. Earl Hamner, Jr.— who along with George Clayton Johnson rounded out the cadre of frequent TZ writers, and who went on to create The Waltons— sees in The Twilight Zone the primal human desire to communicate through stories: The Twilight Zone was an embodiment of great storytelling. Back when we all sat around fires and had animal skins for clothing, there were great stories told around campfires, and those same principles are at work in The Twilight Zone. So it doesn’t surprise me at all that it has universal and lasting appeal. They’re great stories well told.8

8

Introduction

Buck Houghton, who produced the series’ strongest (the first three) seasons and was, after Serling, the most important creative voice on the show, gives the most succinct and accurate critical appraisal of the show: “ It must have a crackling resonance in common human experience.”9 Like any great work of art or literature, The Twilight Zone embodies and generates multiple layers of meaning, interpretation, and value. It is literary without being pretentious, commercial without being simple-minded or derivative. It entertains with substance, and it instructs without being overbearing. (Granted, Serling’s writing at times can be a bit heavy-handed, but it is always intelligent, penetrating, and heartfelt.) The Twilight Zone is, in the words of its creator, “a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination.” The Twilight Zone is also a show that stays with viewers throughout their lifetimes. Many first encountered the show during childhood. Yet everyone involved with the show was puzzled by its popularity with kids, as producer Buck Houghton recalls: “The appeal to children was a complete surprise to us. We never thought of that. I don’t think CBS did, either; it was on at ten o’clock. We got a lot of nasty notes from parents saying ‘You’re keeping the kids up!’”10 This appeal to children, though not anticipated by the show’s creators, is evident. Young people quickly focus on the most basic elements of plot (Martians, space or time travel, talking dummies, grotesque creatures, and so forth) and enjoy the story on a superficial level. It might be rare for a youngster to fully realize that “Eye of the Beholder” (¡¡-¡¡-60), for instance, is more about prejudice than about a frightful-looking bunch of doctors and nurses. Then again, kids are in many ways more intelligent than adults, more honest and more eager to learn — certainly more likely to learn than some of the protagonists in the Zone. As TZ writer Charles Beaumont commented, “Maybe that’s because kids are hungry for the full play of their imagination while elders are inclined to fear it.”11 After their attention has been captured by The Twilight Zone, perhaps both children and adults take the show for what it truly is: a collection of good stories that show us familiar things in new ways. In this vein, a Twilight Zone episode can accurately be called a parable. Thus Rod Serling can be seen as a “video Aesop, using the show … to comment metaphorically on the aspects of human behavior and the human condition.”12 The appeal of The Twilight Zone may be paradoxical, but it is never lost on the fans. By returning to those ¡56 episodes, we can always go back again and again to the Zone, though in reality we have never left it, since we and our world — from our best to our worst — are ultimately what The Twilight Zone is all about. May all of us return wiser, more compassionate, and more mindful of our own humanity after entering The Twilight Zone. Enjoy the journey.

Part I

HISTORY

ROD SERLING WAS one of the most prolific and acclaimed writers of live television drama in the ¡950s. Serling helped define television as a dramatic art form with “Patterns,” a powerful dramatization of a corporate power struggle that aired January ¡2, ¡955, on Kraft Television Theater; and “Requiem for a Heavyweight,” a touching story of an over-the-hill boxer that aired October ¡¡, ¡956, on Playhouse 90— the first original 90-minute show ever written for television. Serling won Emmys for each teleplay, and he won a third in ¡957 for his Playhouse 90 adaptation of Ernest Lehman’s short story “The Comedian.” Financially and artistically, he was an unqualified success. In January ¡958, Serling signed a $250,000 contract to pen four screenplays for MGM. It came as a big surprise when, in ¡959, Serling announced that he planned to develop a weekly series of fantasy and science fiction stories, one that would eventually become The Twilight Zone. “To go from writing an occasional drama for Playhouse 90, a distinguished and certainly important series, to creating and writing a weekly, thirty-minute television film,” said Serling, “was like Stan Musial leaving St. Louis to coach third base in an American Legion little league.”1 Serling’s announcement came as a shock to many who questioned his decision to leave the field of serious drama, stop probing social issues, and enter the “less important” otherworld of science fiction. To many, the decision seemed impulsive and illogical, a step down for the gifted scribe. Even television interviewer Mike Wallace asked Serling why he no longer planned to write “anything important” for television. But to Serling, the decision was the right one. But how had Serling come to this decision? The main reason was his growing dissatisfaction with network sponsors and their imposed forms of censorship. In ¡956, U.S. Steel demanded changes in Serling’s “Noon on Doomsday” script for United States Steel Hour, which was loosely based on the Emmett Till case. Till was a black, ¡4-year-old boy who was kidnapped and murdered in Mississippi. His murderers were acquitted by an all-white jury. After U.S. Steel had its say, Till was an unnamed foreigner killed somewhere

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Part I : History

in New England by an all–American boy in a temporary fit of insanity. Similarly vicious cuts were grudgingly made to Serling’s “A Town Has Turned to Dust” (involving scenes of adultery, suicide, and lynching) and “The Arena” (involving the U.S. Senate). Serling’s angry response to the changes reveals the absurd extent of sponsor intrusion: “By the time ‘A Town Has Turned to Dust’ went before the cameras, my script had turned to dust,” fumed Serling. “They chopped it up like a roomful of butchers at work on a steer.”2 Science fiction gave Serling much more flexibility in developing his political and social themes in a safer context. The censors would not allow two senators to engage in current political debate, but they could not stand in the way of two Martians saying the same thing in allegorical terms. “There won’t be anything controversial in the new series,” Serling disingenuously said on The Mike Wallace Show. “ I don’t have to fight anymore. I don’t want to battle sponsors and agencies. I don’t want to fight for something I want and have to settle for second best … which is in essence what the television writer does if he wants to take on controversial themes.”3 Serling did not have to keep fighting in The Twilight Zone. As his wife Carol pointed out, “The TV censors left him alone, either because they didn’t understand what he was doing or believed that he was truly in outer space.”4 The growing popularity of series television also played heavily upon Serling’s decision. Live television shows were quickly becoming extinct in the late ¡950s — close to ten were going o› the air every year. The Twilight Zone, then, was Serling’s replacement for that shriveling market, a new arena to express his ideas (as well as ideals) and limitless imagination. “Rod felt that drama should be an assertion of social conscience,” explained Carol Serling. “He found that in The Twilight Zone, through parable and suggestion, he could make the same point that he wanted to make with straight drama.”5 In ¡957, Serling submitted “The Time Element” script to William Dozier, CBS’s vice president of West Coast programming. A time-travel fantasy he had written shortly after graduating college, it was an hour-long expansion of the 30-minute Serling script that had aired on The Storm in Cincinnati, back when Serling was a contributing writer to the brand-new television anthology show. In the story, Pete Jenson has a recurring dream in which he is in Honolulu on December 6, ¡94¡— the day before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. He tries to warn people of the impending air strike, but no one believes him, including the press. (Censors objected to the hero taking his warning to the military and being ignored.) He explains his dream to a psychiatrist, Dr. Gillespie, and insists that the events are real, that he is actually traveling back in time. Dr. Gillespie is skeptical of the time travel theory. Jenson then dozes o› on the psychiatrist’s couch. His dream picks up where it last left o›: It is the morning of December 7, ¡94¡, and he cries out, “ I told you! Why wouldn’t anybody listen to me?” as an explosion rocks the building he is in. Dr. Gillespie awakens with a start in his o‡ce. He is alone and has no

History

13

appointments for the day, so he orders a drink in a nearby bar to calm his nerves. On the bar’s wall he notices a picture of Pete Jenson. He looks vaguely familiar, but Dr. Gillespie cannot put a name to the face. The bartender says the picture is of Pete Jenson, a former barkeep there who was killed at Pearl Harbor. CBS bought the script for $¡0,000, but it was promptly shelved, primarily due to its length and “science fiction” content. Producer Bert Granet added: “The network people and the agency people didn’t like unfinished stories, like ‘The Time Element,’ which left the audience hanging. I can’t tell you how much they didn’t want to do it. They liked their stories neat and wrapped with a bow.”6 Still, Granet persuaded CBS’s top brass to give the green light for production. With a budget of approximately $¡35,000, Granet hired director Allen Reisner (who had worked with Serling before) and a strong cast that included William Bendix, Martin Balsam, Darryl Hickman, and Jesse White. “The Time Element” aired on Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse on November 24, ¡958. After its broadcast, Desilu received more phone calls, telegrams, and letters for “The Time Element” than for any other drama CBS ever aired. The newspaper reviews were glowing. Jack Gould of the New York Times said: “The humor and sincerity of Mr. Serling’s dialogue made ‘The Time Element’ consistently arresting. And Mr. Serling wisely left the individual viewer to work out for himself whether the play’s meaning was that even with fresh knowledge of the past no one will heed its lesson, that to be out of step with the crowd is to only invite ridicule.”7 CBS, realizing its error in putting Serling’s script on the back burner, decided to make a pilot of The Twilight Zone. Serling had intended all along for “The Time Element” to be the series pilot, but that hand had already been played. Instead, he wrote a new script entitled “The Happy Place.” A somber, depressing play about euthanasia in a futuristic totalitarian society, it was rejected by CBS due to its subject matter. William Self, who had been hired by William Dozier to be the executive in charge of production of “The Happy Place,” saw the story as too charged and o›beat: “ It was, I thought, very downbeat and depressing. An interesting episode but it would never sell as a series.”8 Self persuaded Serling to come up with another pilot. Serling then suggested “ I Shot an Arrow into the Air,” the story of a young boy, a social outcast, who forms a bond with another outcast, a visitor from outer space. (A ¡960 Twilight Zone episode shared this same title but otherwise bore no resemblance to this proposal.) But both Dozier and Serling agreed that the premise was not strong enough to serve as the crucial series pilot. After a summer vacation spent brainstorming, Serling submitted another pilot, “Where Is Everybody?” to Self, which the CBS director of program development and overseer of The Twilight Zone project felt could sell the series. “Where Is Everybody?” was a simple story of an amnesiac who finds himself all alone in a small town — there are no people to be found anywhere. It is ultimately revealed that he has hallucinated the whole thing — he is really

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Part I : History

an astronaut trainee whose mind has snapped during an isolation experiment. According to Serling, he had come up with the idea while “wandering alone on a film lot among its set of cities one night,” which “induced a severe sense of isolation.”9 The pilot was shot in nine days at a budget of approximately $75,000— very expensive for a 30-minute pilot in ¡959. It was screened in New York before prospective sponsors on March 8, ¡959. General Foods signed on as the series’ main sponsor, and Kimberly-Clark (maker of Kleenex tissue) fell in as secondary sponsor. Soon after, Serling and CBS came to terms. The contract stipulated that Serling’s company, Cayuga Producers, produce The Twilight Zone. Further, Serling was bound to write at least 80 percent of the first season’s scripts. In return, he would own 50 percent of the series plus the original negatives; CBS would own the other half. As Self explained, “The reason [the pilot] sold was, first, it was a very good show, and, secondly, CBS wanted it on the air. They wanted it because they thought that it was good. If it hadn’t been good, they wouldn’t have put it on. Rod’s written a lot of pilots that didn’t get on.”10 Serling admitted that another factor besides his reputation and the quality of the show had to do with the selling of the series: “Let’s not kid ourselves about Twilight Zone. A lot of luck was involved in selling that to anyone. It was a show no one wanted to buy.”11 Buck Houghton, soon to be hired as producer of the series, believed that Serling’s reputation had a lot to do with it. “Nobody but a guy with the muscle that Rod had could have gotten a science-fiction series launched.”12 Serling now had the green light to produce the first 26 episodes of The Twilight Zone. His first job was to find a producer. William Self declined the o›er, and Serling’s personal choice, film producer John Champion, was rejected by CBS because of his lack of experience in television. Self suggested Buck Houghton, his former script editor on Schlitz Playhouse of Stars, who had served as producer of the television series China Smith, Wire Service, Meet McGraw, Yancy Derringer, and Man with a Camera. Houghton looked over the first two Twilight Zone scripts, met with Serling, and was immediately hired. For the first three years of the series, Houghton was responsible for taking the words in a script and translating them into fantastic images on film. His approval was needed on almost every decision, including casting, scoring, editing, and the purchase of outside scripts. Director Douglas Heyes, who would direct “Eye of the Beholder” (¡¡-¡¡-60) and “The Invaders” (0¡-27-6¡), among numerous standout episodes, noted: “Houghton was knowledgeable in all of the craft areas, [including the] below-the-line areas such as budgeting. Buck really brought something to the series that had a lot to do with the look. When you got into postproduction, Buck was a good, professional, workmanlike producer, and was a major factor in the look of the show.”13 Next came the assembling of the rest of the production crew. Bob Keats was hired in makeup, William Ferrari signed on as art director, Ralph W.

History

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Nelson as production manager, Mildred Gusse as casting director, and George T. Clemens as director of photography. Clemens, a veteran of such films as High Noon and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, helped give The Twilight Zone its distinctive look. Serling later said that the top-notch production crew had much to do with The Twilight Zone’s success. “ I think we had a very special quality on our show due to the personnel who worked on it. That makes the di›erence all the time.”14 Full production began in June ¡959, with the crew renting space and facilities at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios. Twenty episodes were to be produced, each being given one full day of rehearsal followed by three days of shooting. At the time, it was an extremely generous schedule. Serling displayed a total commitment to the series. Every morning in the months leading up to the show’s debut, he would rise at five or six and begin dictating scripts into a tape machine, often acting out the parts. It would usually take three or four of his ¡2- to ¡4-hour workdays for Serling to bang out a completed script. “ I’ve been wanting to do a show of this kind — a series of imaginative tales that are not bound by time or space or the established laws of nature — for many years,” said Serling at the time. “So I had a backlog of story ideas. You could say many of the stories were written in my mind.”15 As involved as he was with the series, Serling knew where not to stick his nose. Unlike many executive producers, he let the other members of the production team do their own jobs without incessant disruptions or distractions. Yet, everyone knew that the final word belonged to Serling. “There are very few writers or producers who can stay away, but Rod was amazing that way,” remembered director Buzz Kulik, who helmed many Twilight Zone episodes, including “A Game of Pool” (¡0-¡3-6¡) and “On Thursday We Leave for Home” (05-02-63). “Rod would never come onto the set because he felt that it would be intrusive. Every once in a while I would hear from him, if he had seen some dailies or something. It was an amazing organization. Working the way those people worked was just a sheer joy. They had Ralph W. Nelson as production manager, absolutely a brilliant old man, and Buck, and Rod. And they would get nine scripts and put them together, and get them in as good shape as they could, and then you’d shoot them. Most shows you would be getting pages the day you start shooting, or they would still be writing when you were shooting. Never on The Twilight Zone. That work was done and it was ready to go. It was such a well-oiled, organized operation.”16 In nine months, Serling wrote 29 of the first season’s 36 episodes. His science fiction, horror, and fantasy tales had pulsating under their exteriors strong themes of humanity and morality. Lessons in cosmic justice were often taught in The Twilight Zone. Serling told the Marion (Ind.) Leader-Tribune: “This is something I’ve wanted to do for years. Television hasn’t touched it yet. Sure, there have been science-fiction and fantasy shows before, but most of them were involved with

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gadgets or leprechauns. The Twilight Zone is about people — about human beings involved in extraordinary circumstances, in strange problems of their own or of fate’s making.”17 In spite of his prodigious talent and output, Serling knew he could not write all of the first season’s episodes. Serling, a big-time advocate of opportunities for new writers, declared an open invitation for unsolicited manuscripts. Incredibly, his sta› received ¡4,000 in the first five days, mostly from nonprofessionals. The staff read through about 500 of those, but none met the high standards or special demands that Serling had established for the show. Opting for a more traditional method, Serling invited a group of established West Coast writers to a screening of the pilot. Two writers who attended that screening were Richard Matheson and Charles Beaumont. Together with Serling, they would end up writing all but one of the first season’s scripts and most of the entire series. Best friends who broke into television at the same time, Matheson and Beaumont would pitch ideas to Serling and then develop those ideas into teleplays. Even while they were regular contributors to The Twilight Zone, the prolific pair was also writing novels, short stories, screenplays, and scripts for other series.

The First Season After four months of production, The Twilight Zone debuted on Friday, October 2, ¡959. Its ten P.M. competition that night was NBC’s Gillette Cavalcade of Sports (a boxing program in its ¡¡th season) and ABC’s The Detectives, a Peter Gunn–inspired action show starring Robert Taylor. Eighteen million viewers tuned into “Where Is Everybody?” but the numbers were much lower than what Serling anticipated — a 2¡ or 22 rating and a 33 share. The critical acclaim came pouring in after the show’s debut. Cecil Smith of The Los Angeles Times called it “the finest weekly series of the season, the one clear and original light in a season marked by the muddy carbon copies of dull westerns and mediocre police shows.”18 According to the New York Herald Tribune’s John Crosby, The Twilight Zone was “certainly the best and most original anthology series of the year.”19 Terry Turner of the Chicago Daily News paid the following compliment: “Twilight Zone is about the only show now on the air that I actually look forward to seeing. It’s the one series that I will let interfere with other plans.”20 “ In the field of imaginative drama, Rod Serling has few peers,” said Jack Gould in the New York Times.21 Another group particularly enthralled with the series was children. The show garnered strong ratings among ¡2 to ¡5 year olds. “The appeal to children was a complete surprise to us,” admitted Houghton. “We never thought of that. I don’t think CBS did either; it was on at ten o’clock. We got a lot of nasty notes from parents saying ‘You’re keeping the kids up.’”22

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The Twilight Zone was never a ratings bonanza, however. The third episode, “Mr. Denton on Doomsday” (¡0-¡6-59), scored a ¡6.3 Nielsen rating and was trounced by ABC’s 77 Sunset Strip. “We were always on the edge of getting canceled [due to low ratings],” pointed out Houghton.23 In the first two months, Serling and the CBS brass kept a watchful eye on the less-than-fabulous Nielsen ratings. It took a little while before its audience warmed up to it, but The Twilight Zone was now regularly winning its time slot. Thirty-five percent of television viewers tuned in to the sixth episode, “Escape Clause,” which made it the highest rated Friday night show on November 6, ¡959. That share enabled Serling and company to breathe a collective sigh of relief. The show was soon attracting a weekly audience of close to 20 million loyal viewers. The CBS mailroom once received 6,000 fan letters in an ¡8-day period. The first season would eventually end up with an average Nielsen rating of ¡9.0. Ending a two-month production hiatus, CBS announced on February ¡0, ¡960, that The Twilight Zone would continue for the rest of the season with General Foods and Kimberly-Clark staying on as sponsors. Production on the final ten episodes of the first season then resumed until coming to a halt in April of ¡960. A number of first-season episodes were undoubtedly among the best ever produced for the show: Serling’s nostalgic fantasy of a man who travels back in time to his own childhood in “Walking Distance,” which aired October 30, ¡959; Serling’s “Time Enough at Last” (¡¡-20-59), a funny but tragic episode (based on the Lynn Venable short story) of a bookworm who is the sole survivor of a nuclear bombing (the first shown on American television); Beaumont’s chilling tale of a man’s series of frightening dreams, “Perchance to Dream” (¡¡-27-59); Serling’s look at what neighbor will do to neighbor under the threat of alien invasion, “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” (03-04-60); Beaumont’s exploration of a 2,000-year-old man’s immortality in “Long Live Walter Jameson” (03-¡8-60); and Serling’s “The After Hours” (06-¡0-60), an unsettling story of an animate mannequin. Writer and Twilight Zone authority Marc Scott Zicree notes that “had the series ended [after the first season], The Twilight Zone would still have been a television landmark.”24 The show garnered a number of prestigious awards in the spring of ¡960. The Twilight Zone won the first of three Hugo Awards for Best Dramatic Presentation at the ¡8th World Science Fiction Convention. The series also won awards from Limelight, Radio and Television Daily, and Motion Picture Daily. On an individual basis, Buck Houghton won a Producers Guild Award for Best Produced Series, and John Brahm picked up a Directors Guild Award for “Time Enough at Last.” The Twilight Zone was renewed by CBS for a second season on May ¡¡, ¡960. Colgate-Palmolive replaced Kimberly-Clark as series sponsor, joining General Foods.

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On June 2¡, ¡960, Serling won his fourth Emmy Award (first for The Twilight Zone), for Outstanding Writing Achievement in Drama. Accepting the award, he said, “ I don’t know how deserving I am but I do know how grateful I am.” After the ceremonies, he told reporters, “Actually, it was probably the happiest moment of my professional career.”25

The Second Season By the time “King Nine Will Not Return” kicked o› the second season on September 30, ¡960, the success of The Twilight Zone seemed like a sure thing. The show received 500 letters and 50 unsolicited story ideas per week. Twilight Zone fan clubs had sprung up in 3¡ states. Two collections of Serling-penned short stories adapted from a few of his TZ episodes —Stories from The Twilight Zone and More Stories from the Twilight Zone— were best sellers. (A third volume, New Stories from The Twilight Zone, was published in ¡962, though unlike the other two it was ghostwritten for Serling.26) Twilight Zone comic books, record albums, and board games were everywhere. Twenty-nine episodes were produced in the second season, down seven from the first year. With production costs rising to an average of $50,000 per episode, CBS began to look for ways to save a few dollars. The network decided to cut costs by videotaping six episodes instead of filming them. Tape was cheaper than film, and editing costs were slashed because most of the editing was done in real time as one camera shot switched to another as in live television. The shows would ultimately be transferred from tape to ¡6mm film for broadcast. By doing so, around $6,000 could be saved per episode. The six shows were taped at CBS Television City in Los Angeles. Four cameras were used, each being hooked up to monitors in a booth manned by the technical director and the director. Because this procedure (quite common for today’s situation comedies) was more similar to live television than to film, Houghton hired only directors who had a background in live television. “Actually, I enjoyed the experience on tape,” confessed Houghton. “ It was like getting a new set of toys that were di›erent than I’d used before.”27 Serling, however, was not happy with the limited range of story and locale possibilities that went along with the experience of videotape. He told Douglas Brode in Show magazine that he disliked the tape medium because it was an awkward hybrid of live television and film. Serling even admitted the disastrous results achieved by the six videotaped episodes: “The Lateness of the Hour” (¡2-02-60), “Night of the Meek” (¡2-23-60), “The Whole Truth (0¡20-6¡), “Twenty Two” (02-¡0-6¡), “Static” (03-¡0-6¡), and “Long Distance Call” (03-3¡-6¡). The second season also marked Serling’s debut as onscreen narrator at the beginning of each episode. CBS felt this would lend a much-needed dose of

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continuity and identity to the anthology series. Serling was not the first choice as narrator, however. In early screenings of the series pilot, the narrator’s rumbling voice belonged to Westbrook Van Voorhis of the March of Time newsreel fame, but his elocution just wasn’t right. Interestingly, Orson Welles was then considered as narrator. He was in exile from Hollywood and living in England in ¡960. Ted Ashley of the Ashley-Steiner Agency, which represented Serling, flew to London and met with Welles to discuss the project, but his e›orts at negotiating a salary proved futile. More or less out of necessity, Serling was then given a shot as narrator. “[They] looked at me and said, ‘Hell, at least he’s articulate and he speaks English, so let’s use him,’” joked Serling. “Only my laundress knows how frightened I am!”28 During the first season, Serling’s narrations were o›camera — he could be heard but not seen. Starting with the second season, he stepped in front of the camera to deliver the episode prologues. Serling overcame his nervousness in front of the camera and became one of the most recognized personalities on television. With his penetrating eyes, ruggedly handsome looks, and clenched staccato delivery, Serling embodied The Twilight Zone, becoming a cultural icon much like Alfred Hitchcock did by hosting his own series. The second season produced more than its fair share of classic episodes, including Serling’s “Eye of the Beholder” (¡¡-¡¡-60), a shocking morality lesson about the perception of beauty, a technical tour de force, and perhaps the series’ most popular episode; Beaumont’s “The Howling Man” (¡¡-04-60), a melodramatic horror tale starring the Devil himself; and Matheson’s “The Invaders” (0¡-27-6¡), a virtually dialogue-free thriller featuring a remarkable performance by Agnes Moorehead. All three episodes were directed by Douglas Heyes, unquestionably one of the finest directors ever to work on the series. “Rod encouraged you to do whatever you thought [would] be imaginative with his scripts,” explained Heyes. “ I was able to try all kinds of things that I had always wanted to experiment with…. Most of my e›orts were done right there in the camera — on the set. Twilight Zone made it possible to do that. They encouraged you to give your best. Many of the things I tried would not have been possible in any other atmosphere, but on The Twilight Zone I had this freedom — thanks, mainly, to Buck Houghton and Rod. I sat in on every cutting session. They worked right with you on the cutting, and it came out the way you wanted it. I was spoiled early on because Rod encouraged me to do everything I could.”29 The series was near its creative peak in the second season. As this became self-evident, actors were scrambling to snatch up juicy and prestigious Twilight Zone roles. “That second year, I can’t think of anyone who turned down a chance to do the show,” recalled George T. Clemens, director of photography. “Even if they had to cut their pay in half.”30 Jack Warden, star of “The Lonely” (¡¡-¡3-59) and “The Mighty Casey”

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(06-¡7-60), who had served alongside Serling in the ¡¡th Airborne Division of the U.S. Army, elaborated on the series’ appeal to actors: “You’re never any better than the situation, and [Serling] created such a great situation for performance. That was one of the reasons so many actors wanted to work with Rod, because the parts were exciting and the situations were so di›erent. When my agent said anything about a Twilight Zone, I said, ‘Oh God, take it.’ I didn’t even have to read it, I knew it’d be something exciting to do.”31 The spring of ¡96¡ brought with it many more awards for the show’s second season. Serling picked up another Emmy — his fifth — for Outstanding Writing Achievement in Drama. George Clemens, whose brilliance was showcased in episodes such as “Eye of the Beholder” (¡¡-¡¡-60) and “The Invaders” (0¡-27-6¡), won an Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography for Television. The show was also awarded another Hugo and the ¡96¡ Unity Award for Outstanding Contributions to Better Race Relations.

The Third Season Beginning with the third season, The Twilight Zone found itself with a new main sponsor. Liggett & Myers (American Tobacco Company) replaced General Foods, alternating every other week with Colgate-Palmolive. Serling agreed to do a plug for American Tobacco’s Chesterfield and Oasis cigarettes after each Liggett & Myers–sponsored episode. Overall, the show’s high level of quality was maintained in the third season. The ¡96¡-62 campaign featured a host of standout episodes, including George Clayton Johnson’s “Nothing in the Dark” (0¡-05-62), a provocative exploration of old age and the fear of death; Serling’s “ It’s a Good Life” (¡¡03-6¡), a horrifying tale of a 6-year-old boy who exudes telekinetic control over an entire town; Matheson’s “Little Girl Lost” (03-¡6-62), about a girl who falls through a hole between dimensions; and Serling’s “To Serve Man” (0302-62) which delivers one of the series’ most shocking twist or surprise endings. Serling also handed out more than a few heavy-handed messages in the third season. In “Death’s-head Revisited” (¡¡-¡0-6¡) he tackled the Holocaust; the U.S.-Japanese conflict in World War II was explored in “A Quality of Mercy” (¡2-29-6¡); “The Passersby” (¡0-06-6¡) touched on the emotional destruction wrought by the U.S. Civil War; and the Cold War and Fidel Castro were reflected in “The Mirror” (¡0-20-6¡). “However, as always, Serling’s most e›ective soapbox remained The Twilight Zone,” notes Serling biographer Gordon Sander. “ In retrospect, probably the most striking quality about the scripts he wrote for the third season was the way they closely reflected current events and personalities about which the creator felt strongly.”32

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At the close of the third season, The Twilight Zone found itself still searching for a sponsor for its fourth season. Apparently, the sponsors were turned o› when CBS expressed a desire to move the show to Wednesday nights at 7:30. Ralston Purina had o›ered to be sponsor if CBS would start either 30 minutes earlier or later. They argued that The Twilight Zone would be crushed in the ratings by the highly popular western Wagon Train, which aired at 7:00 on NBC. CBS, though, insisted on 7:30, and The Twilight Zone remained sponsorless. With no financial backing for The Twilight Zone, CBS programmed Fair Exchange, a new family-oriented sitcom, into its time slot for the fall. Before Serling and his agent knew it, The Twilight Zone was o› the air. Surprised and shocked, they frantically negotiated to keep the show on the air. Faced with the prospect of unemployment if The Twilight Zone was not renewed, producer Buck Houghton accepted a job o›er from Four Star Productions to work on The Richard Boone Show. “Losing both wasn’t a choice I could conscientiously face myself with,” explained Houghton.33 In the spring of ¡963, Hubbell Robinson, the CBS programmer most responsible for the inception of Playhouse 90 and The Twilight Zone, persuaded Serling to do a series of one-hour episodes to be used as a replacement series for, ironically, Fair Exchange, the show that had earlier replaced The Twilight Zone. Eighteen such episodes were ordered by the network, and Herbert Hirschman was hired to produce these shows. Earlier, near the end of season two, CBS had considered lengthening the show but ultimately decided not to. One person who felt the hour-long format was a bad idea was Houghton. “ I begged [Serling] not to go to an hour,” he recalled. “The problem was that suspension of disbelief— how long? And while they made some good ones, they made some very bad ones because of their inability to hold that belief. They had to have two miracles in the same show, and that the audience won’t stand for. That was my position, and I begged them not to go to an hour because I thought they could not be done well. Rod wanted The Twilight Zone to keep going. I didn’t realize how tired he was but I was tired and he was tired. But he wanted The Twilight Zone to go on in any form it could.”34 Serling was indeed extremely fatigued and burned out. Even as early as April ¡96¡, toward the end of the second season, Serling had admitted as much: “ I’ve never felt quite so drained of ideas as I do at this moment…. I’ve written so much I’m woozy.”35 Tired of network politics and sponsorship concerns, Serling was gradually becoming less involved with the show. Desperate for a change of scenery, he accepted a five-month teaching sabbatical at his alma mater, Antioch College, in Yellow Springs, Ohio. From September ¡962 through January ¡963 he taught two undergraduate courses, “Mass Media” and “Writing in Dramatic Form.” He would still host the show and mail in his scripts, but his production input would be severely minimized. In fact, Serling’s supervision and creative participation greatly decreased over the

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show’s last two seasons. With the departure of Houghton and the teaching sabbatical of Serling, The Twilight Zone had to make out in its day-to-day operations without its two stars, two men who had complemented each other perfectly and who had more to do with the show’s success than anyone. Big changes awaited the show over the next two years. For starters, “The” was removed from the title, and the show now had a new name for the fourth season: Twilight Zone. With its new producer and new time length, the name change was indeed symbolic. The new Twilight Zone— with its structural and creative shift — only faintly resembled the old version which had enchanted millions for three years.

The Fourth Season The new hour format presented particular challenges to the show’s creative personnel. As Richard Matheson pointed out, “The ideal Twilight Zone started with a really smashing idea that hit you right in the first few seconds, then you played that out, and you had a little flip at the end; that was the structure.”36 Now, the crew had to figure out how to suspend the audience’s disbelief for a whole hour instead of 30 minutes. As Houghton put it, “By the time the fortieth minute comes along, you gotta be walking on water to keep an audience.”37 The man whose job it now was to meet that challenge, and who was recommended by both Serling and Houghton, was Herbert Hirschman. He had served as story editor, director, and associate producer on Playhouse 90, and his pre–Twilight Zone credits included producing Perry Mason, the Hong Kong series, and Dr. Kildare. Hirschman’s diverse background in stage, film, and live television helped prepare him for Twilight Zone’s grueling shooting schedule — one day of rehearsal, six days of filming, and a final day of set pickups. Episodes were shot back-to-back. For this reason, Hirschman hired Robert W. Pittack to alternate with George Clemens as director of photography on every other episode. Although uncredited, Hirschman also created the memorable main title sequence for the fourth season opening. “ I wanted to find some things that were interesting…. I supervised the making of the props and I came up with the notion of the things floating through the void. Rod wrote the narration and that sparked in me the symbols that I wanted to use.”38 It wasn’t long, though, before Hirschman would have to be replaced. After his CBS contract expired on January ¡, ¡963, he accepted an o›er to produce Espionage in London, a joint NBC-BBC production. Bert Granet, who had already produced Serling’s “The Time Element” for Desilu Playhouse in ¡958, was hired to replace Hirschman. Having produced the show that was responsible for the creation of The Twilight Zone, Granet was the logical choice. The revised Twilight Zone made its debut on Thursday, January 3, ¡963,

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at 9 P.M.— one day and one hour earlier than viewers had grown accustomed to seeing the show. The ratings su›ered under the new format and time slot — the season average of ¡6.3 was the lowest of any Twilight Zone campaign. “Our shows this [fourth] season were too padded,” concluded Serling. “The bulk of our stories lacked the excitement and punch of the shorter dramas we intended when we started five years ago and kept to for a while. If you ask me, I think we had only one really e›ective show this season, ‘On Thursday We Leave for Home.’”39 “On Thursday We Leave for Home” (05-02-63) was Serling’s engrossing story of a power struggle among colonists and a rescue party that lands on their space outpost. James Whitmore gives a powerful performance as William Benteen, the colony’s unbending, self-appointed leader, who is ultimately doomed by his autocratic philosophy. Other fourth season highlights include “The Bard” (05-23-63), Serling’s delightful take on the television industry in which William Shakespeare is magically conjured up and employed as a modern-day ghost writer; Matheson’s “Death Ship” (02-07-63), in which a threeman spaceship crew investigates what appear to be their own dead bodies at a crash site; and Beaumont’s “ In His Image” (0¡-03-63), a thought-provoking tale of a murderous robot who tracks down and confronts his identical human creator. Overall, however, the fourth season o›erings “could not sustain the pace and intrigue of the best half-hour shows,” says Serling biographer Joel Engel.40 Furthermore, Serling himself had become one step removed from the miseen-scène of the episodes. For all of season four, instead of being on the sets during production, he filmed his onscreen prologues separately (as well as in front of a plain background apart from the main set of the episodes) between other commitments and activities. Despite the presence of a number of quality episodes, the fourth season experiment had obviously failed for CBS. The network decided to shorten the show back to half an hour. Twilight Zone was renewed for a fifth season in the spring of ¡963, with Procter & Gamble aboard as sponsor. The show was also moved back to Fridays, though it now aired at 9:30 P.M. instead of ¡0:00. Joel Engel has called season four the series’ “least creative and most awkward season.”41 However, this critical appraisal more accurately describes the fifth and final season. After four years and ¡20 episodes, Twilight Zone was becoming derivative and self-imitative. The quality and innovation of previous seasons were fading. For one thing, some of the show’s best and brightest directors — among them Douglas Heyes and Buzz Kulik — were no longer lending their talents to Twilight Zone. More importantly, the writing in the fifth season was a level or two below the show’s norm. That spelled trouble, because the story was always the strength of the show’s appeal. Serling himself conceded, “Toward the end I was writing so much that I had begun to lose my perspective on what was good or bad.”42 In addition, the fifth and final

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season contained the most outside teleplays — those not written by Twilight Zone regulars Rod Serling, Charles Beaumont, Richard Matheson, George Clayton Johnson, or Earl Hamner, Jr.— of any season, with no fewer than seven entries from first-time Twilight Zone writers. One good feature, though, was that Serling had returned to the sets to film his onscreen prologues. Gone were the “distant” openings of season four; Serling was back in the mise-enscène as he had been in the first three seasons.

The Fifth Season Three of the fifth season’s best episodes were penned by Richard Matheson —“Steel” (¡0-04-63), “Night Call” (02-07-64) and “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” (¡0-¡¡-63). “Nightmare,” the celebrated episode of an airline passenger who thinks he sees a gremlin on the wing of the airplane, was directed by a young Richard Donner (who would later direct, among many other films, Superman and the Lethal Weapon films). “Nightmare” is a perfect example of a basic fear that was exploited repeatedly on The Twilight Zone. “The worst fear of all,” said Serling, “is the fear of the unknown working on you, which you cannot share with others.”43 Donner, who directed six episodes of the fifth season, recalled, “Those scripts were so well-honed by the time we got them, that it was just a pleasure to go in and shoot them.”44 One-third through the production schedule, Granet abruptly left Twilight Zone for The Great Adventure, a CBS series produced by John Houseman that was coming in way over budget. William Froug, a writer-producerdirector with extensive radio and television credits (which later would include Bewitched and Gilligan’s Island), was hired to replace Granet. Unfortunately, Froug’s conception of the series did not mesh with that of his predecessors. Six of the 23 episodes he produced were written by newcomers to the series. Most of these scripts relied on gimmicks and abandoned The Twilight Zone’s established moral code. Froug also abandoned many of the scripts Granet had in production, including Matheson’s “The Doll” (years later produced on Amazing Stories) and Beaumont’s “Gentlemen, Be Seated,” to name a few. In late January ¡964, several weeks after Serling turned 39, CBS announced that Twilight Zone was not on its fall schedule. On February 5, ¡964, Serling told Daily Variety that he had canceled Twilight Zone. “For one reason or another, Jim Aubrey [then president of CBS] decided that he was sick of the show,” said Froug. “He claimed that it was too far over budget and that the ratings weren’t good enough.”45 Actually, Twilight Zone was not a top ten show, but its fifth season ratings average was ¡8.4, just six-tenths of one point o› the first season’s average. And, the purchase of television rights for the award-winning French short “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” (02-28-

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64)— the only one of the ¡56 episodes not produced expressly for the series — had put the show back under budget for the season. Two follow-up shows proposed by Serling in the next couple of months were nixed. The Chase (later retitled Jeopardy Run) would have been a James Bond–type adventure series set in exotic locales of the Orient, but CBS ultimately balked at the show’s proposed budget. ABC planned to develop Twilight Zone into a horror series, but Serling and ABC president Tom Moore had conflicting visions as to the direction of the proposed project. “Moore wanted the show, but he wanted Rod to change it significantly,” recalled casting director Larry Stewart. “He wanted it to be all science fiction and horror, and to have the name changed to Witches, Warlocks and Werewolves [taken from a ¡963 paperback anthology Serling had edited]. Rod said no, and that was the end of it. Rod was a man of incredible integrity. He wasn’t about to screw around with Twilight Zone.”46 Serling instead pitched to Moore a series called Rod Serling’s Wax Museum. The series would open with narrator Serling next to a wax figure of that particular episode’s leading character. The series, according to Serling’s proposed prologue, would feature “stories of the weird, the wild and the wondrous; stories that are told to the accompaniment of distant banging shutters, an invisible creaking door, an errant wailing wind that comes from the dark outside.” One week after Serling submitted his proposal to Moore, the two men met. But they never really saw eye-to-eye, and the project was dropped two days later, on March 20, ¡964. (The proposal would come to fruition a few years laters as Rod Serling’s Night Gallery.) Twilight Zone was now o‡cially history, and Cayuga Productions closed its doors. The last of the show’s ¡56 episodes to air was “The Bewitchin’ Pool,” on June ¡9, ¡964. Serling was credited as writing 92 of the episodes. Shortly after the series went o› the air, Serling sold his rights (he owned 50 percent of the show) to CBS. In hindsight, watching the series flourish in the lucrative world of syndication, it might have seemed, as Engel put it, “a marvel of miscalculation,” but Serling needn’t have worried — he was one of the wealthiest writers in the country. With the show so frequently over budget, CBS assured Serling that they would never fully recoup the costs. They did, of course — many times over — but at the time it seemed like a good move for Serling.

After the Zone Serling went on to win a record-setting sixth Emmy — the only writer ever to do so — in ¡964 for “ It’s Mental Work”— his adaptation of the John O’Hara short story — an episode of Bob Hope Presents The Chrysler Theatre. In ¡965, Serling started a new half-hour existential western series on CBS called

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Part I : History

The Loner. Apparently his unconventional, emotion-filled “adult” scripts did not please CBS executives, who wanted more chases and gunplay. The series, which starred Lloyd Bridges as former Union Army o‡cer William Colton, was canceled in midseason after 26 episodes. Serling’s next major venture into television was as host and major contributor to Rod Serling’s Night Gallery, an anthology series that debuted on NBC during the ¡970-7¡ season. But Serling was not involved in the production of the series, which sacrificed quality for frights and shock value. “ I wanted a series with distinction, with episodes that said something,” stated Serling in a letter to the producers at Universal. “ I have no interest in a series which is purely and uniquely suspenseful but totally uncommentative on anything.”47 Night Gallery did have its bright moments — most notably in Serling’s two Emmy-nominated scripts, “The Messiah on Mott Street” and “They’re Tearing Down Tim Riley’s Bar”— but they were few and far between. The show failed to live up to Serling’s expectations and reputation. “On Twilight Zone,” he said, “ I took the bows, but I also took the brickbats, and properly, because when it was bad it was usually my fault. But when it was bad in Gallery I had nothing to do with it — yet my face was on it all the time.”48 Because he was bound by contract, Serling played out the role of indi›erent and frustrated Night Gallery host until its cancellation following the ¡972-73 season. Rod Serling died during open-heart surgery on June 28, ¡975, but the legacy of The Twilight Zone lives on. Today, nearly 40 years after the show first hit the airwaves, The Twilight Zone is still a worldwide television favorite, via syndication through Viacom. All ¡56 episodes have been distributed on videocassette, and multi-volume laserdisc boxed sets have also been released. Daily satellite and cable television broadcasts — including occasional day-long Twilight Zone marathons on the Sci-Fi Channel — have attracted new legions of fans. Serling had planned for a Twilight Zone feature film as early as ¡963 (two of the three stories he wanted to film were eventually adapted into Night Gallery episodes), but it would be another 20 years before such a film would finally be made. Twilight Zone—The Movie consisted of four short 30-minute segments, three of which were remakes of original Twilight Zone episodes —“Kick the Can” (directed by Steven Spielberg, who made his professional directorial debut ¡4 years earlier in the “Eyes” segment of Serling’s Night Gallery), “ It’s a Good Life” (directed by Joe Dante), and “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” (directed by George Miller). John Landis directed the untitled first segment, which dealt with a bigot (played by Vic Morrow, who was killed in a helicopter mishap during filming) who travels through time to get a dose of his own hatred. Twilight Zone veteran Richard Matheson contributed screenplays for all three adapted segments; in “Kick the Can” he shared onscreen credit with George Clayton Johnson and Josh Rogan (aka Melissa Mathison). Twilight

History

27

Zone—The Movie premiered in June ¡983 to poor box o‡ce receipts and mostly bad reviews. The remakes were apparently too familiar to moviegoers; what’s more, none were improvements over the original episodes, despite the talent behind and in front of the camera. Over the years there have been several attempts to revive The Twilight Zone on the small screen. Serling batted the idea around with Houghton in the ¡970s, and Francis Ford Coppola tried to talk CBS into such a venture in ¡980. By the mid-eighties, though, the network felt like it should take action before an outside company should come in and diminish the project’s profitability. Carla Singer, then CBS vice president of drama development, hired Philip De Guere to update The Twilight Zone for the ¡980s television viewing audience. The shows would be an hour long, consisting of two or three segments. De Guere assembled a seasoned group of producers, writers, and actors. The show ultimately stumbled, though, due in large part to a rushed production schedule, a lousy time slot (8 P.M. Saturday), and intense competition from four other anthology shows (Spielberg’s Amazing Stories, a revival of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Tales from the Darkside, and HBO’s The Hitchhiker). All told, 35 episodes aired between September ¡985 and July ¡987. Another 30 episodes were later filmed in Toronto, Canada, to create enough episodes to assemble a syndication package for sale to independent stations around the country. John Anderson, who starred in four top-notch Twilight Zone episodes — “A Passage for Trumpet” (05-20-60), “The Odyssey of Flight 33” (02-24-6¡), “Of Late I Think of Cli›ordville” (04-¡¡-63), and “The Old Man in the Cave” (¡¡-08-63)— said that the show was a very rare experience. “We had no idea that it would become a way of life for two generations of people,” he admitted. “ It elevated for a brief time the quality of TV. It still does. A week doesn’t go by that someone doesn’t say, ‘Hey, I saw you on Twilight Zone.’”49 Buck Houghton explained that the show’s long-lasting popularity was due in large part to its being tales of boundless imagination instead of rigid science fiction. “There was no science hardware involved, no magic machines, no interstellar travel,” he said. “ It was about people with common problems who encountered fantasy. What would it be like if you could go back to the town where you were born and raised, and see that it’s just the way it was at the time? That’s something you can relate to very easily, and that was the key to the show’s success.”50 George Clayton Johnson shares a similar outlook. “These were realistic fantasies about seemingly average people on average streets — a timid book clerk, a frightened old woman, an ambitious pool shark, a desperate old man in a rest home — each of whose lives would be filled by some extra ordinary magical factor.”51 Ralph Senesky, who directed “Printer’s Devil” (and, later, episodes of Star Trek andThe Waltons), feels that Twilight Zone was a true television classic. “They’re timeless morality plays,” he o›ers. “Each show was like

28

Part I : History

an O. Henry short story. It’ll continue to play on and on. I’m not sure that things that are being done today will be around in 30 years.”52 “Serling invited the viewer into a universe of wonder, magic, and delight,” observes writer Marc Scott Zicree. “ It is this sense of wonder, along with Serling’s deep human concerns, that make his show timeless and universal.”53 As a result, we never tire of return journeys through The Twilight Zone. The “signpost up ahead” always leads us to intelligent and thought-provoking entertainment, and The Twilight Zone endures as a television masterpiece.

Part II

THE EPISODES

SEASON ONE October 2, ¡959–July ¡, ¡960 Friday nights, ¡0:00 P.M. “Where Is Everybody?”

of the greatest episodes, it is certainly a very e›ective one that paved the way for the series. In fact, Zicree credits the episode as the sole impetus for getting the series on the air.¡ Perhaps the only big fault with the episode is the general’s “speech” on “man’s hunger for companionship” after Ferris is removed from the isolation booth; it is one of those occasional moments during the series when Serling’s pen momentarily takes over during the middle of the action. The general’s words would fit much better in Serling’s closing narration, though they would certainly not be missed (and would not change the story) if excised entirely. Aside from this point, the episode remains firstrate. As the ostensibly amnesic Mike Ferris, Earl Holliman (winner of a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award in ¡957 for his role in The Rainmaker) gives a perfectly modulated performance, progressing from befuddlement to frustration, and finally to desperation and panic, without overacting. As for Serling’s criticism of the “endless monologue,”2 the writer himself seems to be too harsh in his judgment. Ferris talking to himself is a continual reminder of his frustration and confusion; in fact, his musings on personal identity (or the

Original Airdate: October 2, ¡959; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Robert Stevens; Producer: Buck Houghton; Music: Bernard Herrmann; Director of Photography: Joseph LaShelle, A.S.C.; Art Direction: Alex Golitzen, Robert Clatworthy; Film Editor: Roland Gross, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: Joseph E. Kenny; Set Decorations: Russell A. Gausman, Ruby Levitt; Sound: Leslie I. Carey, Vernon W. Kramer; Makeup: Bud Westmore. Filmed at Universal International Studios.

CAST

Mike Ferris: Earl Holliman; Air Force General: James Gregory. Also Paul Langton, James McCallion, John Conwell, Jay Overholt,* Carter Mullaly, Gary Walberg, Jim Johnson.

Synopsis: A man dressed in a plain jumpsuit wanders through a deserted town in search of both his identity and other people. Uncertain of how he got there, the man seems sure that he is dreaming and will soon wake up. The man in the jumpsuit is astronaut Mike Ferris, who has been in isolation training to assess human stamina under simulated orbit conditions during space travel. Notes and commentary: “Where Is Everybody?” is often unfairly overlooked as a classic episode of The Twilight Zone. Though the series pilot is not one

*In all of his subsequent TZ appearances, this actor is listed as Jay Overholts.

31

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Part II : The Episodes

lack thereof ) are actually more of an extended soliloquy than an “endless” monologue, and they in fact echo Hamlet’s “To be or not to be” soliloquy. One of several visual reminders of Ferris’s dilemma is his discovery of a book rack filled with copies of a book entitled The Last Man on Earth. Just before that, Ferris even quotes a famous literary character who questions his own sanity, Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Ferris borrows Scrooge’s words to rationalize his own situation: “You may be an undigested bit of beef, a blot of mustard, a crumb of cheese, a fragment of an underdone potato. There’s more of gravy than of grave about you…” In addition, the scene of Ferris crashing directly into the theater lobby mirror is quite unexpected and makes a stunning (literally) visual impact. It is the first of many unforgettable images from The Twilight Zone. Rod Serling got the idea for this episode from at least two di›erent sources. He had been reading an article about astronauts and isolation experiments. Serling also said that he got the idea after taking a walk through an abandoned movie studio lot, where the unused sets and props, and the absence of actors, created within him “a kind of encroaching loneliness and desolation, a feeling of how nightmarish it would be to wind up in a city with no inhabitants.”3 Serling’s original teleplay for the episode contains a couple of major departures from the final version. First, when Ferris gets caught in the phone booth, he breaks the glass in order to open the door and cuts his hand. He then squeezes his hand, trying to get more blood to flow. This “pinch me I’m dreaming”– type scene would have made a nice

touch, but its absence is no major drawback. The teleplay also contains a scene where Ferris enters a bank and sets o› the bank alarm; he races to the alarm, rips out the wires, and proceeds to take large amounts of money outside, where he lights a cigar with one of the bills and continues talking/thinking aloud. This type of scene — in which a character commits acts with impunity — was wisely removed but would be used later in more appropriate episodes, such as “A Kind of a Stopwatch” (¡0-¡8-63). The biggest change in the plot of “Where Is Everybody?” was made after the episode aired. After the show began its ascent in popularity, Bantam published Stories from The Twilight Zone (¡960), a collection of Rod Serling stories that he adapted from six first-season episodes. In the short story version of “Where Is Everybody?” Serling makes a monumental change. At the end, as Ferris is being taken away in an ambulance, he feels in his breast pocket and removes a ticket stub that he had taken from the movie theater during his ordeal. This scene would have definitely added to the episode’s impact, though it works well enough without this surprise ending. In addition, had Serling used this ending, chances are that the episode would have scared o› network executives and potential sponsors (Serling’s first two pilot attempts had already done just that), and The Twilight Zone may never have become a series. Serling biographer Joel Engel o›ers another perspective on the revised story ending of “Where Is Everybody?”4 He says that Earl Holliman (Ferris) suggested to Serling during filming that the character, after being trapped in the phone booth, rip out a page from the phone book, put it in his pocket, and

33

Season One (¡959-¡960) discover it at the end of the story. Serling’s reply to Holliman was simply, “You’re wrong.” Why Serling made such a change is not known, but the ending of his later story adaptation is surprisingly similar to Holliman’s suggestion, the only di›erence being the movie ticket in place of the page from the phone book. This episode also brings with it another curious bit of Twilight Zone history. In order to get quality writers for the series, Serling screened this pilot episode for several important and established science fiction and fantasy writers, among them Richard Matheson, Charles Beaumont, and sci-fi master Ray Bradbury. According to Engel, after the screening of “Where Is Everybody?” Bradbury “privately accused Serling of stealing” from “Here There Be Tygers,” a story Bradbury had planned to submit for The Twilight Zone (see also pages 232–233).5 However, the story bears little, if any, resemblance to Serling’s teleplay and episode. Bradbury’s story is about a group of explorers who land their rocket on a mysterious planet; whatever thoughts enter their minds are instantly brought to life on the planet. One man ends up flying, and another imagines (and creates) many beautiful women. Complications arise, though, and with the exception of two of the men, the crew members eventually leave the planet after their personal, as well as scientific, discoveries. The only remote similarity between Serling’s story and Bradbury’s is the broad idea of how imagination can manifest itself as reality in a person’s psyche. Both stories then diverge in di›erent directions. While not the most memorable TZ episode, “Where Is Everybody?” holds up well as a competent study of human

isolation and loneliness, themes that recur throughout the series.

“One for the Angels” Original Airdate: October 9, ¡959; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Robert Parrish; Producer: Buck Houghton; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, William Ferrari; Film Editor: Lyle Boyer; Assistant Director: Edward Denault; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Rudy Butler; Casting: Mildred Gusse; Sound: Frank[lin] Milton, Jean Valentino; Animated Title: U.P.A. Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Lewis J. Bookman: Ed Wynn; Mr. Death: Murray Hamilton; Maggie Polansky: Dana Dillaway; Doctor: Jay Overholts; Truck Driver: Merritt Bohn; Little Boy: Mickey Maga.*

Synopsis: Slick sidewalk salesman Lewis J. Bookman is visited by Mr. Death, who has come to accompany Bookman on his final departure — his death — at midnight. Bookman cons Mr. Death into granting him a delay of execution, but then learns that Mr. Death’s alternate choice is eight-yearold Maggie Polansky. Bookman must decide to make the big pitch for his life or Maggie’s. Notes and commentary: Serling had Ed Wynn in mind for the title role when he wrote “One for the Angels.” (The two-time Emmy-winning Wynn had already starred in Serling’s critically lauded television drama “Requiem for a Heavyweight” on Playhouse 90 in ¡956.) The story was an adaptation of the same-name teleplay that aired on The Storm in Cincinnati, and later before a nationwide audience on Danger, CBS’s half-hour drama series. In the original story, a sidewalk salesman uses

*This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

34

Part II : The Episodes

his pitch to gather a crowd and protect his punk brother from a gang of hitmen.6 Serling changed the story and made it much better, giving it depth, warmth, and sensitivity. Bookman learns how to accept death with dignity, and he sacrifices his own life so that an eightyear-old girl might be able to live hers. Despite Wynn’s pronounced delivery and slight lisp — not exactly what one would expect from a slick, fast-talking pitchman — his performance has a rich depth and subtlety. Director Robert Parrish — an Academy Award–winning editor but television newcomer — elicits from Wynn an involved, complex portrayal of a man who has never had much success in life but is well-loved by all who know him and has hopes of someday making it big and doing something that will make him remembered. But, with Wynn’s limited oratory skills, it is even more bewildering why a seemingly focused, business-like figure such as Mr. Death would become completely flustered, mesmerized, and utterly unaware of his mission at the very mention of Oriental silk thread for 25 cents a spool. (In the original television script, Bookman’s big pitch attracts a crowd of eager buyers, just minutes before midnight.) Still, Wynn’s otherwise superb performance — sincere, a›able, and a›ectionate — is the thread that holds “One for the Angels” together. Wynn would appear in one more Twilight Zone episode, season five’s “Ninety Years Without Slumbering” (¡2-20-63). His son Keenan — who, coincidentally, had acted with father Ed in the Playhouse 90 “Requiem for a Heavyweight”— would star in Richard Matheson’s “A World of His Own” (070¡-60), the final episode of The Twilight Zone’s first season. Anne Serling-Sutton, Rod’s daugh-

ter, wrote a faithful short story adaptation of “One for the Angels” that appeared in The Twilight Zone: The Original Stories (¡985).

“Mr. Denton on Doomsday” Original Airdate: October ¡6, ¡959; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Allen Reisner; Producer: Buck Houghton; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, William Ferrari; Film Editor: Bill Mosher; Assistant Direction: Edward Denault; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Rudy Butler; Casting Director: Mildred Gusse; Sound: Frank Milton, Jean Valentine; Animated Title: U.P.A. Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Al Denton: Dan Duryea; Dan Hotaling: Martin Landau; Liz Smith: Jeanne Cooper; Henry J. Fate: Malcolm Atterbury; Charlie: Ken Lynch; Leader: Arthur Batanides; Man: Bill Erwin; Doctor: Robert Burton; Pete Grant: Doug McClure.

Synopsis: Town drunk Al Denton, a former fearless gunfighter who has lost all his nerve and self-respect, is given a second chance at life when a peddler named Fate gives him a potion that temporarily makes Denton the fastest gun in the West. However, Denton must first face gunslinger Pete Grant, who has also been given a vial of the magic potion. The showdown proves a blessing in disguise for both men, especially Denton. Notes and commentary: In this the second aired episode of The Twilight Zone, Serling begins his exploration of what will become another recurring theme of the series: redemption and a second chance at life. Dan Duryea gives an appropriately soft-spoken and subdued performance as the down and defeated Al Denton. A young Martin Landau, in the role of Dan Hotaling, shows absolutely no inhibitions in playing

35

Season One (¡959-¡960) the zealously villainous character. (He would return as a Soviet defector in season five’s “The Jeopardy Room” [04¡7-64].) Though no music director is listed in the credits, the music here is particularly e›ective, a simple harmonica melody that creates a sad, mournful, and elegiac tone, which is exactly what Denton’s life has become. The real star here, though, is Serling’s teleplay. Serling tells a simple tale about human redemption in the midst of ugly and unnecessary violence. Serling’s writing here achieves a nice balance. The antiviolence message is unmistakable, but no character is given excessive dialogue that comes o› as an intrusive “written” speech, a fault that sometimes slips into a Serling teleplay. Nor does Serling make the mistake of leaning too heavily on allegory. The character of “Fate” here is used sparingly but e›ectively, stepping in to help steer the protagonist toward a second chance. Again, Serling could have spread the allegory much more broadly— for instance, Liz Smith’s name could have been “Patience” or “Hope”— but the result would have been far less dramatic. Serling combines a simple plot, a touch of allegory, and restrained but thoughtful dialogue to make “Mr. Denton on Doomsday,” The Twilight Zone’s first trip to the Old West, a successful one.

“The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine” Original Airdate: October 23, ¡959; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Mitchell Leisen; Producer: Buck Houghton; Music: Franz Waxman; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George

W. Davis, William Ferrari; Film Editor: Bill Mosher; Assistant Director: Edward Denault; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Rudy Butler; Casting: Mildred Gusse; Sound: Frank[lin] Milton, Jean Valentino; Animated Title: U.P.A. Filmed at MetroGoldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Barbara Jean Trenton: Ida Lupino; Danny Weiss: Martin Balsam; Jerry Hearndan: Jerome Cowan; Marty Sall: Ted De Corsia; Sally: Alice Frost; Jerry Hearndan in Film: John Clarke.*

Synopsis: Aging screen actress Barbara Jean Trenton spends her days watching her old films on an old ¡6mm projector in the private screening room of her home. Turning her back on a world that above all values youth, she longs to be near her old costars in a world where she will never grow old on the flickering screen. Notes and commentary: Ida Lupino, star of director Raoul Walsh’s High Sierra (¡94¡) and They Drive by Night (¡940) and herself a director of several feature films, has the distinction of being the only woman to ever direct a Twilight Zone episode —“The Masks” (03-20-64)—and the only person to ever star in one episode and direct another. As Barbara Jean Trenton, she is simultaneously bitter toward the Hollywood system — which has no romantic leading roles for actresses in their forties — and warmly nostalgic of her golden age, of fond embraces by debonair young men and endless summer evenings by the pool. She has been betrayed by her own body and Father Time. Lupino displays an impressive emotional range as Trenton, and Martin Balsam is equally convincing as her agent, Danny Weiss. (Balsam is also good as a murderous wax museum employee in “The New Exhibit” [04-04-

*This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

Part II : The Episodes

36

63], a later Twilight Zone from season four.) Viewers may also recognize Jerome Cowan (the aging Jerry Hearndan) from a classic film of years gone by. Cowan starred — albeit briefly — as Miles Archer, the murdered detective partner of Sam Spade (Humphrey Bogart) in John Huston’s noir classic The Maltese Falcon (¡94¡). This episode hearkens back to the ¡950 masterpiece Sunset Boulevard, a black comedy about Hollywood and its washed-out stars. If you hear echoes in the musical scores for each, it is no mere coincidence—Franz Waxman composed both scores, winning an Academy Award for Sunset. “The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine” was directed by Mitchell Leisen, one of the first directors hired by producer Buck Houghton when he was assembling a production crew for the first season. Leisen also later directed “Escape Clause” (¡¡-06-59) and “People Are Alike All Over” (03-2560) in the first season, but “Shrine” is his greatest Twilight Zone achievement.

“Walking Distance” Original Airdate: October 30, ¡959; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Robert Stevens; Producer: Buck Houghton; Music: Bernard Herrmann; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, William Ferrari; Film Editor: Joseph Gluck, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: Edward Denault; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Rudy Butler; Casting: Mildred Gusse; Sound: Frank[lin] Milton, Jean Valentino; Animated Title: U.P.A. Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Martin Sloan: Gig Young; Martin’s Father: Frank Overton; Martin’s Mother: Irene Tedrow; Martin Sloan (¡¡ years old): Michael Montgomery; Wilcox Boy: Ron-

nie Howard; Charlie: Byron Foulger; Attendant: Sheridan Comerate; Soda Jerk: Joseph Corey; Teenager: Buzz Martin; Woman: Nan Peterson; Mr. Wilson: Pat O’ Malley; Mr. Wilcox: Bill Erwin.*

Synopsis: Advertising executive Martin Sloan leaves New York and decides to visit his hometown, Homewood, where he has not been for many years. Flooded with reminiscences, Sloan realizes that he has somehow been brought back in time to his childhood in Homewood, where he encounters his parents and his younger self. Sloan learns a valuable lesson about the cherished past and the realities of the present. Notes and commentary: Many people feel that “Walking Distance” is a Rod Serling roman à clef, a fictional representation of Serling’s lifelong infatuation with his own childhood in Binghamton, New York. Serling turns in another good teleplay here, a truly poignant tale of attempting to return to the glories of childhood. Gig Young (who would go on to win an Academy Award for his supporting role in They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? [¡969]) does a good job conveying Sloan’s desire to leave the corporate rat race and return to a more peaceful and idyllic time from the past. Young’s furrowed brow and hopeful eyes reflect Sloan’s desire to return to his past and claim the one summer that, as his father reminds him, is allotted to everyone only once. An equally important part of this episode is Bernard Herrmann’s music, a soft and tender score that continually evokes feelings of nostalgia and complements the protagonist’s literal and metaphorical journey to find himself again. Also, director Robert Stevens returns after “Where Is Everybody?” (¡0-02-59) to provide another piece of competent direction.

*This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

37

Season One (¡959-¡960) As with “Where Is Everybody?” Ray Bradbury felt that with “Walking Distance” Serling had stolen another of his ideas, this time from Bradbury’s short story “Black Ferris.”7 And again, Bradbury’s charge is misdirected. “Black Ferris” is about a man who rides a ferris wheel backwards several times in order to turn into a child. He then ingratiates himself with a local widow, steals her money, and returns to the ferris wheel to ride the wheel forwards and return to an adult without being discovered. Two young boys discover his plans, though, and damage the brake mechanism of the wheel, causing the wheel to revolve continuously and eventually turn the greedy man into a skeleton with a bag of money. The only similarity to “Walking Distance” is the broad conceit of being magically able to return to one’s childhood. Otherwise, the two stories have no resemblance in either plot or theme. Serling’s short story adaptation of “Walking Distance” is included in the Stories from The Twilight Zone collection from ¡960. The only appreciable di›erence between story and teleplay is the story’s opening exposition of Martin Sloan’s disgust with life and work in the city and his decision to drive away to Homewood. Another Serling episode with which “Walking Distance” is often compared is “A Stop at Willoughby” (05-06-60), a much darker story about another disa›ected business executive who flees the corporate grind in search of solace and comfort in the idealized past.

“Escape Clause” Original Airdate: November 6, ¡959; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original tele-

play; Director: Mitchell Leisen; Producer: Buck Houghton; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, William Ferrari; Film Editor: Bill Mosher; Assistant Director: Edward Denault; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Rudy Butler; Casting: Mildred Gusse; Sound: Frank[lin] Milton, Jean Valentino; Animated Title: U.P.A.* Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Walter Bedeker: David Wayne; Mr. Cadwallader: Thomas Gomez; Ethel Bedeker: Virginia Christine; Doctor: Raymond Bailey; Cooper: Wendell Holmes; Adjuster #¡: Dick Wilson; Adjuster #2: Joe Flynn; Guard: Nesdon Booth; Judge: George Baxter † ; Subway Guard: Allan Lurie†; Janitor: Paul E. Burns.8

Synopsis: The Devil o›ers hypochondriac Walter Bedeker immortality and indestructibility in exchange for his soul. Bored with his new-found imperviousness, however, Bedeker turns to murder in an attempt to test the electric chair. Notes and commentary: The second episode produced in the first season schedule, “Escape Clause” makes two points: that the Devil can’t be fooled, and that man cannot overcome his own mortality. Walter Bedeker is a truly wretched and pathetic character. From the opening scenes, the viewer is never given the chance to feel any sympathy for this bitter, rude, loud-mouthed (and ultimately, greedy) man. Bedeker is hated by all, so there is a sense of poetic justice when he gets his comeuppance in the end. What’s really perplexing, though, is how Bedeker could receive the life sentence from Judge Cummings, when the electric chair was the penalty for firstdegree murder. Bedeker purposefully

*This credit does not appear in the episode’s end titles. † This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

38

Part II : The Episodes

acts like a cold-blooded, unrepentant, unremorseful killer during the trial, and he refuses to cooperate and work on a defense strategy with his attorney. Yet, the lawyer overcomes all of these adversities and gives what must have been the greatest summation in court history. Aside from the illogical verdict, “Escape Clause” is a pretty solid episode, but nothing special among the numerous standouts of the first season. This episode also marks Beelzebub’s first appearance on The Twilight Zone. As was the case in most all of The Twilight Zone episodes depicting the Devil or Death incarnate, the evil characters are neatly dressed, calm, cool, and calculated. In his only other Twilight Zone role —“Dust” (0¡-06-6¡) from the second season — Thomas Gomez plays Sykes, another shady character with an o›er (magic dust that changes hate into love) that seems too good to be true. Gomez was an Academy Award nominee in ¡947 for his supporting role in Ride the Pink Horse, a film noir directed by and starring Robert Montgomery. David Wayne (winner of two Tony Awards, for ¡947’s Finian’s Rainbow and ¡954’s The Teahouse of the August Moon) would join the gallery of enemies as the Mad Hatter in the Batman television series of the sixties. Though one reference lists a janitor as part of the cast, no such role exists in the episode. The original teleplay, however, does have such a character at the beginning of the story. He is in Walter’s room repairing the radiator. Fed up with Walter’s whining, the janitor retorts, “So if you do die, Bedeker — and you go where you’re goin’— as far as the temperature goes, you ain’t gonna be able to tell the di›erence!” As with

two similar “ghost” characters from “The Midnight Sun” (¡¡-¡7-6¡), the janitor must have been edited out of the episode (perhaps because of time constraints) at the last minute. Interestingly, in Serling’s original television script, Satan was dressed in a loud suit, bow tie, and small Stetson hat. When filmed, the bow tie was ditched in favor of a necktie, and the Devil lost his Stetson. In addition, some background information about Walter is omitted. In the teleplay, Ethel tells the doctor that Walter has quit five jobs within the year. She also says she only married Walter out of pity: When they were dating, Walter told Ethel that he was su›ering from TB and only had one week to live.

“The Lonely” Original Airdate: November ¡3, ¡959; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Jack Smight; Producer: Buck Houghton; Music: Bernard Herrmann; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, William Ferrari; Film Editor: Joseph Gluck, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: Edward Denault; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Rudy Butler; Casting: Mildred Gusse; Sound: Frank[lin] Milton, Jean Valentino. Filmed at Metro-GoldwynMayer Studios and Desolation Canyon in the Death Valley National Monument.

CAST

James A. Corry: Jack Warden; Captain Allenby: John Dehner; Alicia: Jean Marsh; Adams: Ted Knight*; Carstairs: James Turley.*

Synopsis: Convicted criminal James A. Corry is serving a 50-year sentence in solitary confinement on a dry, barren asteroid nine million miles from Earth. Feeling sorry for Corry and trying to help him fight loneliness, Captain

*This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

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Season One (¡959-¡960) Allenby secretly brings Corry a robot made in the exact form and image of a female human being, capable of speech, reason, and emotions. Months later, when Allenby and his crew arrive to tell Corry he has been pardoned and must return to Earth, Corry is faced with the di‡cult decision of leaving his beloved companion Alicia behind. Notes and commentary: Airing only six weeks after “Where Is Everybody?” (¡0-02-59), Serling’s “The Lonely” also deals with the theme of human isolation and loneliness. This episode makes a good companion piece to the pilot episode, only now the protagonist can fight the maddening e›ects of loneliness, ironically enough, through companionship with a nonhuman. Serling’s short story adaptation of “The Lonely” is included in More Stories from The Twilight Zone (¡96¡), another volume of Serling’s prose adaptations of some of his TZ teleplays. The story follows the teleplay closely; the only change Serling makes is Corry’s original “crime.” While the episode has Corry say only that he killed in selfdefense, in the story he witnesses his wife being run over by a speeding, presumably drunk driver, whom Corry proceeds to remove from the car and strangle with his bare hands. Either way, this point is not crucial to the plot, and the television episode comes out the better of the two. “The Lonely” is neither a classic TZ episode, nor is it a weak one. It is simply a solid entry—capably acted, directed, and photographed — in the Twilight Zone canon, and the first to be filmed (though not entirely) on location. Mary Tyler Moore Show fans will spot a young Ted Knight as the testy and obnoxious crew member Adams. A decade later, Jean Marsh became cocreator and star

of the popular British television series Upstairs Downstairs (¡970–¡974). She also starred in Alfred Hitchcock’s Frenzy (¡972). Jack Warden (later an Emmy Award winner in ¡97¡ for his supporting role in Brian’s Song, directed by Twilight Zone veteran Buzz Kulik) returned for another appearance later in season one in “The Mighty Casey” (06-¡7-60). “The Lonely” was also the first episode to be shot after The Twilight Zone had been given the go-ahead as a series.

“Time Enough at Last” Original Airdate: November 20, ¡959; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: “Time Enough at Last,” a short story by Lynn Venable; Director: John Brahm; Producer: Buck Houghton; Music: Leith Stevens; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, William Ferrari; Film Editor: Bill Mosher; Assistant Director: Edward Denault; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Rudy Butler; Casting: Mildred Gusse; Sound: Frank[lin] Milton, Jean Valentino; Animated Title: U.P.A. Filmed at Metro-GoldwynMayer Studios.

CAST

Henry Bemis: Burgess Meredith; Mr. Carsville: Vaughn Taylor; Helen Bemis: Jacqueline de Wit; Woman in Bank: Lela Bliss.

Synopsis: Meek bank teller Henry Bemis loves to read but is constantly persecuted for his passion of words. After global nuclear war, Bemis realizes he is the sole survivor with all the time in the world to read all the books he has always wanted to read. Notes and commentary: Serling adapted Lynn A. Venable’s unengaging short story of the same name (reprinted in The Twilight Zone: The Original Stories [¡985]) into one of The Twilight Zone’s most memorable, tragic, and engaging episodes. Serling took the bare

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Part II : The Episodes

bones of Venable’s stark short story and fleshed out the characters, situations, and emotions. Almost all of the dialogue was created by Serling; there are only four sentences of dialogue in the Venable short story, spoken by Bemis’s wife in flashback. Venable’s tale is also weakened in that the “twist” ending is blatantly foreshadowed — early on, the hopelessly myopic Bemis makes a mental note to have a spare pair of his thick-lensed glasses made and to have his current ones tightened because they slip a little down the bridge of his nose. With Serling greatly expanding the story and even throwing in some much-needed humor, the viewer can’t help but sympathize with and care about what happens to poor Henry Bemis — for who hasn’t wished at one time to stop and enjoy the things that get pushed back in the rush of everyday life? Burgess Meredith, in the first (and best) of his four Twilight Zone starring roles, is simply wonderful as Bemis, fake mustache, inch-thick glasses, and all. Vaughn Taylor (Mr. Carsville) and Jacqueline de Wit (Helen Bemis) also deliver fine performances. (Taylor would later appear in four more episodes.) In addition to the acting, the show’s sets are terrific — the soundstage that served as the after-bomb wasteland and the MGM backlot flight of steps, in particular. The episode also assured its place in American television history by being the first one to show the atomic bomb being dropped on U.S. soil. 9 John Brahm’s direction is tight and assured — for his e›orts he was awarded a richly deserved Directors Guild Award. Meredith (later an Emmy winner for his supporting role in ¡976’s Tail Gun-

ner Joe) himself has commented on the episode’s impact and popularity: “ I don’t think I’ve done any other project that people talk to me more about than [“Time Enough at Last”]. Roughly every two or three months, someone comes up to me and mentions [it]. It’s gotten to the point where when they first approach me, I almost know what they’re going to say.”¡0 No matter how many times one views the episode, it is always funny, tragic, and thought-provoking.

“Perchance to Dream” Original Airdate: November 27, ¡959; Writer: Charles Beaumont; Source: “Perchance to Dream,” a short story by Charles Beaumont; Director: Robert Florey; Producer: Buck Houghton; Music: Van Cleave; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, William Ferrari; Film Editor: Joseph Gluck, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: Edward Denault; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Rudy Butler; Casting: Mildred Gusse; Sound: Frank[lin] Milton, Philip Mitchell; Animated Title: U.P.A. Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Edward Hall: Richard Conte; Dr. Rathmann: John Larch; Maya/Miss Thomas: Suzanne Lloyd; Girlie Barker: Eddie Marr*; Rifle Range Barker: Russell Trent*; Stranger: Ted Stanhope.*

Synopsis: Edward Hall is afraid to fall asleep, he tells his doctor, because of a series of recurring dreams involving the mysterious Maya the Cat Girl, whom Hall is convinced is trying to kill him. If he falls asleep again, Hall says, the dream will resume, and he is certain that he will jump o› the roller coaster and die. Hall leaves the o‡ce but is troubled by the presence of the doctor’s receptionist, Miss Thomas,

*This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

Season One (¡959-¡960) who bears an uncanny resemblance to Maya. Hall’s session with the doctor comes to a violent and shocking end. Notes and commentary: It would have been fascinating to be able to gauge viewers’ reactions to this episode when it aired in November ¡959. “Perchance to Dream” was the first TZ story not written by Rod Serling and the first episode penned by Charles Beaumont, who would go on to contribute many classic stories through the series’ run. Another point to keep in mind is that this episode was the next to air after Serling’s “Time Enough at Last” (¡¡20-59), an unforgettable Serling episode that became an instant classic and is considered by many fans the best episode ever. Just as original viewers were still reeling from the impact of “Time Enough at Last,” along came Beaumont’s bold and bizarre tale of the fine line between dreams and reality and their intersection with death. Indeed, the story’s title comes from Hamlet’s famous soliloquy on the same subjects: To die, to sleep — To sleep, perchance to dream — ay, there’s the rub, For in that sleep of death what dreams may come, When we have shu·ed o› this mortal coil, Must give us pause. (III.i.63-67)

Richard Conte captures all of Hall’s emotions, running from disorientation and confusion to paranoia, anxiety, and true fear. Suzanne Lloyd is especially impressive as the sultry, seductive, and sinister figure that leads Hall, literally, through his waking dreams. But the real stars of this episode are the plot, direction, and cinematography. Charles Beaumont’s teleplay represents the first of his many contributions that “[dis-

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play] virtually no sentimentality but [reveal] a strong morbidity and an almost clinical fascination with the horrific.”¡¡ One can spot a Beaumont episode almost instantly, without even looking at the credits. Complementing Beaumont’s story are Robert Florey’s direction and the camerawork of George T. Clemens. Both combine to create a literal and visual nightmare. Multiple camera angles and focus techniques build an uncomfortable, unsettling, and surreal atmosphere. The carnival, supposedly a place of fun, becomes a place of psychological taunting and game-playing. Hall is repulsed by and scared of Maya, yet he is always drawn to her. The sexual underpinnings are unmistakable, and there is plenty of fodder here for Freudians. However, Florey and Clemens know how to get the most out of suggestion. Maya’s wild dance and her taunts to Hall at the highest point of the roller coaster may be interpreted in numerous ways. The sights, sounds, and images merge with Van Cleave’s quivering and pulsing music to make the suggestiveness, anxiety, and surrealism stand out all the more. “Perchance to Dream,” as Charles Beaumont’s inaugural entry in The Twilight Zone, is a highly original and wildly fantastic success. Beaumont adapted the episode from his own short story of the same name, reprinted in The Twilight Zone: The Original Stories (¡985). In the story, Edward Hall’s name is Philip, and he has been awake for 72 hours instead of 87. Also notable in the short story is the absence of the dream sequence in which Hall and Maya walk through the fun house. Otherwise, the story and teleplay are essentially the same.

Part II : The Episodes

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“Judgment Night” Original Airdate: December 4, ¡959; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: John Brahm; Producer: Buck Houghton; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, William Ferrari; Film Editor: Bill Mosher; Assistant Director: Edward Denault; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Rudy Butler; Casting: Mildred Gusse; Sound: Frank[lin] Milton, Jean Valentino; Animated Title: U.P.A. Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Carl Lanser: Nehemiah Perso›; Barbara: Deidre Owen; First O‡cer: Patrick MacNee; Captain Wilbur: Ben Wright; Maj. Devereaux: Leslie Bradley; Bartender: Kendrick Huxham; Mr. Potter: Hugh Sanders; First Steward: Richard Peel; Second Steward: Donald Journeaux; Engineer: Barry Bernard; Lt. Mueller: James Franciscus; Little Girl: Debbie Joyce.*

Synopsis: Carl Lanser, a German passenger on the S.S. Queen of Glasgow, has a strange feeling of déjà vu, as if he has experienced this all before and has already met the other passengers. He also feels a sense of impending doom and a helplessness to avoid the freighter’s terrible fate. Notes and commentary: “Judgment Night” is a well-written, well-executed ghost story with plenty of mystery and atmosphere. Ubiquitous character actor Nehemiah Perso›— in his only TZ role — is electrifying in the lead role, and his fine supporting cast includes Ben Wright — who would return to The Twilight Zone in “Death’s-head Revisited” (¡¡-¡0-6¡) and “Dead Man’s Shoes” (0¡-¡9-62)— and Patrick MacNee (The Avengers). The only miscasting is James Franciscus (Mr. Novak) as Mueller, the Nazi lieutenant who

speaks as if completely unaware that a German sailor will, at the very least, use a German accent. This episode marks the Twilight Zone directorial debut of German-born John Brahm, who would go on to direct ¡¡ other episodes, making him the most prolific director in the history of the series. The use of real U-boat footage and sets borrowed from the just-completed film The Wreck of the Mary Deare— starring Gary Cooper and Charlton Heston — adds immeasurably to the realism of the show. This episode is, in e›ect, a World War II era reworking of Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (¡798), in which a sailor shoots an albatross of good omen and is forever condemned to roam the earth (and tell his story to whomever will listen) as penance. This episode also features the first of several known cases of censorship on The Twilight Zone. The show’s sponsor, General Foods, objected to a cup of tea being ordered up to the bridge by the first o‡cer. The makers of Sanka co›ee feared that such a line could have subliminally caused loyal co›ee drinkers to defect, so the line was changed to “a tray” being sent up.

“And When the Sky Was Opened” Original Airdate: December ¡¡, ¡959; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: “Disappearing Act,” a short story by Richard Matheson; Director: Douglas Heyes; Producer: Buck Houghton; Music: Leonard Rosenman; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, William Ferrari; Film Editor: Fred Maguire; Assistant Director: Edward Denault; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Rudy Butler; Casting: Mildred Gusse;

*This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

Season One (¡959-¡960) Sound: Frank[lin] Milton, Jean Valentino; Animated Title: U.P.A. Filmed at MetroGoldwyn-Mayer Studios

CAST

Colonel Clegg Forbes: Rod Taylor; Major William Gart: James Hutton; Colonel Ed Harrington: Charles Aidman; Amy: Maxine Cooper; Bartender: Paul Bryar; Nurse: Sue Randall; Medical O‡cer: Joe Bassett; Girl in Bar: Gloria Pall*; Investigator: Logan Field*; O‡cer: Oliver McGowan*; Mr. Harrington: S. John Launer*; Nurse Two: Elizabeth Fielding.*

Synopsis: After the crash of an X-20 experimental aircraft in the Mojave Desert following a 3¡-hour flight, 900 miles into space, one of the two surviving astronauts is troubled by the fact that there were originally three crew members. Subsequent events call into question the nature of reality as well as the actual existence of the astronauts themselves. The men perhaps are being beckoned by an unknown dimension they had penetrated while in space. Notes and commentary: This episode is the first of two that Rod Serling adapted from Richard Matheson short stories. (The other one, “Third from the Sun,” aired several weeks later on January 8, ¡960.) However, the adaptation is a loose one, as Matheson himself has noted: “‘Disappearing Act’ was not really adapted at all, only the smallest aspect of its premise being used.”¡2 Matheson’s story (which was reprinted in The Twilight Zone: The Original Stories [¡985]) is a writer’s epistolary account of how everyone and everything around him — wife, best friend, mistress, home — begin to vanish and become nonexistent through the course of a week. The story ends when a sentence is abruptly cut o› in the middle of a word — the writer himself has finally ceased to exist while writing the story-

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letter. As to the nature of these disappearances, Serling said, “ I felt there was no rationale there. At least if I’m dealing in outer space, I can say Something, Someone. In the original short story, there was nothing…”¡3 As Matheson points out, Serling kept the premise and constructed an entirely di›erent plot. More than likely Serling tailored the plot around space travel and “spacemen” in order to maximize the impact by cloaking then-current events in fantasy and the bizarre. Keep in mind that the episode aired near the end of ¡959 while the U.S.–Soviet space race was at full throttle. The Soviets had launched the Sputnik satellite in ¡957, and the United States had followed suit by launching Explorer in January ¡958. One could fault the episode, then, as being dated, but there is nothing here to detract from the drama. Director Douglas Heyes — in his first Twilight Zone e›ort — squeezes every ounce of paranoia and dread from Taylor, Aidman, and Hutton; and George T. Clemens utilizes a series of precise camera swirls and carefully placed angles to capture the men’s unfolding surprise and discoveries. Rod Taylor (Forbes) would go on to star in The Time Machine (¡960) and in Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds (¡963). Charles Aidman (Harrington) would later star in another TZ episode — season three’s “Little Girl Lost” (03-¡6-62), adapted by Richard Matheson from his own short story of the same name — that deals with traveling between dimensions, a possibility hinted at in “And When the Sky Was Opened.” Aidman also stepped into Serling’s role as narrator of the ¡985 television revival of The Twilight Zone.

*This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

Part II : The Episodes

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“What You Need” Original Airdate: December 25, ¡959; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: “What You Need,” a short story by Lewis Padgett (pseudonym of Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore); Director: Alvin Ganzer; Producer: Buck Houghton; Music: Van Cleave; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, William Ferrari; Film Editor: Joseph Gluck, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: Edward Denault; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Rudy Butler; Casting: Mildred Gusse; Sound: Frank[lin] Milton, Jean Valentino; Animated Title: U.P.A. Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Fred Renard: Steve Cochran; Pedott: Ernest Truex; Lefty: Read Morgan; Girl in Bar: Arline Sax; Bartender: William Edmonson; Woman: Doris Karnes; Man on Street: Fred Kruger; Hotel Clerk: Norman Sturgis; Woman on Street: Judy Ellis; Waiter: Frank Allocca; Photographer: Mark Sunday.

Synopsis: Pedott, a magical peddler who knows just what people need before they actually need it, is exploited and threatened by Fred Renard, a toughguy loser. His life at risk, Pedott knows just what Renard needs. Notes and commentary: The short story “What You Need”— reprinted in the ¡985 collection The Twilight Zone: The Original Stories—was written in ¡945 by Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore (under the pseudonym Lewis Padgett). Peter Talley runs a shop on Park Avenue called “We Have What You Need.” Tim Carmichael is a snoopy journalist who asks Talley what kind of business he runs, but gets no straight answers. Carmichael does some investigating and notices that Talley’s customers are upper class citizens who pay large amounts of money for neatly wrapped parcels, the contents of which are unknown to them. Carmichael asks

what he needs, and Talley gives him a pair of scissors. The scissors save his life later that evening when his scarf gets caught in a Linotype machine. When Carmichael returns to the shop, Talley explains that a scanner in his back room enables him to see into the future and locate future crises that might endanger a person’s life, health, or happiness. After hearing this, Carmichael insists on being a permanent customer, joining a select few. Talley initially resists, but gives him a pair of plastic-soled shoes. It turns out that Talley looked into the scanner and discovered that in ten years Carmichael would shoot him through the head and seize the power of the machine. Wearing the smooth-soled shoes, Carmichael slips on a crowded subway station platform and falls into the path of a train. Like other men of evil, Carmichael is given what the world needs — his death. Serling made many changes to the story in writing his teleplay — most notably in changing the scientist to a sidewalk salesman and the scanner to a suitcase of odds and ends. Serling chose to make him elderly, too, so audiences could relate to and sympathize with him better. He also gave Pedott a soft spot in his heart for romantics — witness the pairing up in the bar of Lefty and the brunette. Serling stuck to the basic premise, though, of the protagonist using his special powers to save his own hide at the end—in each case thanks to a slick-soled pair of shoes. The second-rate acting—Steve Cochran is particularly guilty as Fred Renard — and follow-the-dots direction from Alvin Ganzer in this episode are atypical of the first season. Nevertheless, “What You Need” works much better than “Dean Man’s Shoes” (0¡-¡9-62), a similar episode from the third season.

Season One (¡959-¡960) Also in season three, Ernest Truex (the magical peddler Pedott) would return to star in George Clayton Johnson’s tender classic on aging, “Kick the Can” (02-09-62).

“The Four of Us Are Dying” Original Airdate: January ¡, ¡960; Writer: Rod Serling ; Source: “All of Us Are Dying,” an unpublished story by George Clayton Johnson; Director: John Brahm; Producer: Buck Houghton; Music: Jerry Goldsmith; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, William Ferrari; Film Editor: Joseph Gluck, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: Edward Denault; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Rudy Butler; Casting: Mildred Gusse; Sound: Frank[lin] Milton, Jean Valentino; Animated Title: U.P.A. Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Arch Hammer: Harry Townes; Hammer as Virgil Sterig: Phillip Pine; Hammer as Johnny Foster: Ross Martin; Hammer as Andy Marshak: Don Gordon; Trumpet Player: Harry Jackson; Penell: Bernard Fein; Pop Marshak: Peter Brocco; Detective: Milton Frome; Maggie: Beverly Garland; Man in Bar: Bob Hopkins*; Man Two: Pat Comiskey*; Busboy: Sam Rawlins.*

Synopsis: Arch Hammer has the ability to metamorphose into the likeness of other people. In his room at the “Hotel Real,” Hammer peruses some newspaper obituaries of people he plans to impersonate: musician Johnny Foster, in order to become involved with a singer, Maggie; and Virgil Sterig, a crook who was recently killed and thrown in a river. When his plans go slightly awry, Hammer thinks quickly and escapes by assuming the identity of boxer Andy Marshak. Hammer’s predicament worsens when he encounters Andy’s elderly father, who has decided

45

to confront his son about the contempt and indi›erence he has shown to his loved ones. Notes and commentary: Serling’s teleplay is an adaptation of “All of Us Are Dying,” a short story by George Clayton Johnson, who in season two would begin to contribute some of the most memorable TZ episodes. The original story — unpublished for 22 years until it appeared along with Rod Serling’s teleplay in the May ¡982 issue of Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone Magazine— is about a boy who learns that he can assume the shape and appearance of other people. As an adult, he goes from town to town assuming identities and bilking money from people, as much as $¡0,000 a year. He stops at a gas station, though, and is beaten to death by the attendant, a person he has done something to (the reader is not told what) in one of his previous identities. This scene, of course, Serling turns into the confrontation in which Pop Marshak shoots his “son” (Hammer). As written in the teleplay, the scene in which the detective accosts Hammer in the hotel room has Hammer “morph” into Johnny Foster while getting his coat out of the closet, momentarily fooling the detective and getting a jump out the door. This scene asks the viewer to believe that the detective would be gullible enough to actually check the closet while Hammer runs for the door. The TZ crew wisely changes this scene to the more believable one with Hammer losing the detective at the revolving door. Once again, a combination of strong elements makes for a solid episode. Serling’s writing here is lean, tight, and devoid of any overdone prose. The snappy dialogue gives the episode a film

*This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

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Part II : The Episodes

noir feel, especially with the street scenes and all the less-than-reputable characters. Credit must also go to casting director Mildred Gusse for assembling the actors to play Hammer and those he impersonates. Each actor is perfect in his particular role. Harry Townes is truly convincing as a shifty, chameleon-like opportunist; Ross Martin is smooth as the suave and confident Hammer/Johnny; Phillip Pine (Hammer as Virgil Sterig), as Serling calls for in his teleplay, has “the face of a hood, plain and simple”; and Don Gordon, with his irregular facial features and solid build, brings Hammer’s incarnation of prizefighter Marshak to life. Ross Martin appears again in season four’s “Death Ship” (02-07-63) before moving on to his most famous role as Artemus Gordon in The Wild Wild West. The ever-reliable and inventive director of photography George T. Clemens, as in “And When the Sky Was Opened” (¡2-¡¡-59), uses cleverly placed camera setups to pull o› Hammer’s metamorphoses. This is one of the things that makes The Twilight Zone so great : its refusal to rely on special e›ects. “Morphing” would not come along for over 30 years, but Serling and company use inventive cinematography here instead of special e›ects that would certainly appear dated today. Director John Brahm’s brisk pacing and Jerry Goldsmith’s jazzy score e›ectively underscore Hammer’s increasing greed and euphoria.

“Third from the Sun” Original Airdate: January 8, ¡960; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: “Third from the Sun,” a short story by Richard Matheson; Director: Richard L. Bare; Producer:

Buck Houghton; Director of Photography: Harry Wild, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, William Ferrari; Film Editor: Bill Mosher; Assistant Director: Edward Denault; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Rudy Butler; Casting: Mildred Gusse; Sound: Frank[lin] Milton, Philip N. Mitchell; Animated Title: U.P.A. Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

William Sturka: Fritz Weaver; Carling: Edward Andrews; Jerry Riden: Joe Maross; Jody: Denise Alexander; Eve: Lori March; Ann: Jeanne Evans; Guard: Will J. White*; Loudspeaker Voice: S. John Launer.*

Synopsis: Scientist William Sturka and test pilot Jerry Riden learn that allout nuclear war will be waged in 48 hours. Their plan to steal an experimental space craft and escape with their families to a habitable planet is threatened by nosy coworker Carling and the authorities. Notes and commentary: Richard Matheson’s short story “Third from the Sun” was published in his collection of the same name in ¡950 and reprinted in The Twilight Zone: The Original Stories (¡985). The story is simple but e›ective. Instead of the evening before, as in Serling’s adaptation, Matheson’s story begins the morning of the escape. Matheson’s characters are nameless and mysterious — the only thing the reader knows is that they fear a nuclear holocaust will take place “in a few years” and decide to make a break for the skies. They do this with relative ease — there are no conflicts, antagonists, or crises in Matheson’s story. There is no slimy character like Carling — Edward Andrews, later the hit-and-run artist in “You Drive” (0¡-03-64)— to loathe and sneer at. Understandably, Matheson focuses on the emotions and motivations of

*This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

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Season One (¡959-¡960) the characters and downplays the details in building up to the twist revelation at the end. In his second adaptation of a Richard Matheson story — Serling had earlier adapted Matheson’s story “Disappearing Act” into “And When the Sky Was Opened” (¡2-¡¡-59)— Serling keeps Matheson’s basic plot but fleshes out the characterizations and creates more conflicts. He also heightens the dramatic tension by shortening the countdown to the Bomb from a few years to a couple of days. One strength of the episode is the striking camerawork by Harry Wild. Director Richard L. Bare — who later directed six other Twilight Zone episodes, including “Nick of Time” (¡¡-¡860) and “To Serve Man” (03-02-62)— opted to use wide-angle lenses and tilted camera angles for most of the shots, even close-ups. The results are somewhat disconcerting, provocative, and startling. In one particularly memorable shot, the camera is positioned underneath a clear glass table on which Sturka (Fritz Weaver), Riden ( Joe Maross), and the others are playing cards. The dark silhouettes of the cards are scattered around the edges of the frame, as Sturka and Riden try to keep their “poker faces” under the inquisitive drilling of Carling. The background ceiling looks striated, almost cloudlike. It is a truly out-of-this-world shot in a restrained episode that keeps its feet firmly planted on the ground for the most part. Both Fritz Weaver (Sturka) and Joe Maross (Riden) would make one more return each to The Twilight Zone. Weaver (winner of a ¡970 Tony Award for Dramatic Actor, for his role in Child ’s Play) becomes the totalitarian state chancellor who judges Romney

Wordsworth to be “The Obsolete Man” (06-02-6¡), while Maross returns as a monomaniacal astronaut who gets crushed to death by giant “spacemen” in “The Little People” (03-30-62). Sturka’s daughter (Ann) and Riden’s wife ( Jody), incidentally, were named by Serling after his two daughters.

“ I Shot an Arrow into the Air” Original Airdate: January ¡5, ¡960; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay, based on a story idea by Madelon Champion; Director: Stuart Rosenberg ; Producer: Buck Houghton; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, William Ferrari; Film Editor: Bill Mosher; Assistant Director: Edward Denault; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Jerry Wunderlich; Casting: Mildred Gusse; Sound: Frank[lin] Milton, Jean Valentino; Animated Title: U.P.A. Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios and Death Valley National Monument.

CAST

Corey: Dewey Martin; Colonel Donlin: Edward Binns; Pierson: Ted Otis; Langford: Harry Bartell; Brandt: Leslie Barrett.

Synopsis: The “Arrow One,” the first manned space flight, loses all contact with mission control center. The crew, unbeknownst to mission control, has landed on what they believe to be an asteroid in the same orbit as Earth. Combative and temperamental crew member Corey goes to great lengths to ensure his own survival, going as far as murder. The realization of their true location, though, makes complete Corey’s downfall. Notes and commentary: The idea for “ I Shot an Arrow into the Air” came from Madelon Champion. Rod Serling and wife Carol were having dinner with John and Madelon Champion, friends of theirs in California. Serling had just received the green light in ¡959 from

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Part II : The Episodes

CBS for The Twilight Zone, and the network wanted more teleplays in addition to the pilot. This came up at the dinner, and Champion told the basic story premise to Serling, who had her write up a treatment and submit it. He paid her $500 on the spot and adapted the idea into a TZ episode. ¡4 Once again, the TZ crew would return (after the earlier episode “The Lonely” [¡¡¡3-59]) to Death Valley for location shooting. The episode’s title comes from the first stanza of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s The Arrow and the Song: I shot an arrow into the air, It fell to earth, I knew not where.

The premise of this episode is a neat little twist, but a few points of execution weaken the overall e›ect. If “And When the Sky Was Opened” (¡2-¡¡-59) narrowly avoids being dated, then “ I Shot an Arrow into the Air” appears dated right from the start, as this episode was also conceived and created during the height of the U.S.-Soviet space race. It is hard today to accept the notion of a such a technological shortcoming as losing all contact with a spacecraft, especially when it has never even left the continent. (Then again, problems with the Challenger space shuttle, the Hubble telescope, and the Mir space station are all reminders of imperfection.) In addition, trained astronauts hopefully would be able to make an accurate assessment of their surroundings. However, these points do not a›ect the episode nearly as much as the ending does. During Corey’s walk, after Corey has killed both Pierson and Donlin, there is an authorial intrusion of sorts, as o›camera narrator Serling makes a series of comments on Corey’s selfish and cowardly actions and attitudes. Corey

then stops, sees the telephone pole and road sign, and begins to weep as the camera pans up into the starry Twilight Zone of the title sequence. The problem is that viewers do not need to be told how selfish and cowardly Corey has been; that should already be apparent. Serling’s narrative intrusion displays a rare lack of confidence in the sophistication of his viewers. As a result, Corey’s ultimate recognition of his predicament and its consequences feels rushed and somewhat forced; we see only an obligatory sigh of “What have I done?” before the closing dissolve and Serling’s voice-over epilogue. Thus, the dramatic payo› is weakened. Seven episodes later, Serling will again address human behavior and civility during crisis situations in the immediate classic, “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” (03-04-60). The conceit of delaying the revelation of an episode’s true setting is used more memorably in “Third from the Sun” (0¡-0860)— Serling’s second adaptation of a Richard Matheson story — which aired the week before “ I Shot an Arrow into the Air.”

“The Hitch-Hiker” Original Airdate: January 22, ¡960; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: “The HitchHiker,” a radio play by Lucille Fletcher; Director: Alvin Ganzer; Producer: Buck Houghton; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, William Ferrari; Film Editor: Bill Mosher; Assistant Director: Edward Denault; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Rudy Butler; Casting: Mildred Gusse; Sound: Frank[lin] Milton, Jean Valentino; Animated Title: U.P.A. Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios and various exterior locations.

CAST

Nan Adams: Inger Stevens; Sailor: Adam Williams; Mechanic: Lew Gallo;

Season One (¡959-¡960) Hitch-Hiker: Leonard Strong; Counterman: Russ Bender; Gas Station Man: George Mitchell; Highway Flagman: Dwight Townsend*; Waitress: Mitzi McCall*; Mrs. Whitney: Eleanor Audley.*

Synopsis: After a blow-out on a cross-country vacation drive, Nan Adams is continually beckoned by the same hitch-hiker on the side of the road. Adams eventually comes to the terrifying realization of who the hitch-hiker really is and what he wants from her. Notes and commentary: “The HitchHiker” was the only Twilight Zone episode based on a radio play — Lucille Fletcher’s ¡94¡ play of the same name which aired on The Mercury Theatre on the Air, starring Orson Welles in the lead. Serling bought the rights from Fletcher and slightly reworked the play, changing the main character from Ronald Adams to Nan Adams (named after the family nickname of his daughter Anne). Otherwise, Serling changed little in the main plot structure. (And the filmed episode di›ers from Serling’s original television script in a handful of minor details, most notably: Adams is 3¡ years old instead of 27; her fatal car accident occurs in New Jersey instead of Pennsylvania; and she makes her pay phone call from Gallup, New Mexico, instead of Tucson, Arizona.) According to a ¡960 press release, Serling wrote his adaptation of the radio play in only six hours. Fletcher said later that she did not approve of the gender change of the main character, adding that such a change actually minimizes the dramatic e›ect of the television episode. Actually, it is the performance of Inger Stevens (in her first-ever television role) that makes “The Hitch-Hiker” so e›ective. (She would return to The Twilight Zone one

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more time, in Serling’s “The Lateness of the Hour” [¡2-02-60] from season two.) Stevens’s gradual descent into terrified paranoia is utterly convincing as she plays her role with a deft balance of nervousness, rationality, and vulnerability. The terror and fear she displays are easily identifiable, because hasn’t almost everyone been spooked at one time or another by a strange-looking person who seems too surreal to be real? As death personified, Leonard Strong is a blank-faced, emotionless, nonmenacing hitch-hiker whose lines are few but chilling. (“Going my way?” is unsettling indeed, although this line was not in the original radio drama.) This was Mr. Death’s second appearance on The Twilight Zone— Murray Hamilton played a decidedly more neatly-attired and verbose incarnation in “One for the Angels” (¡0-09-59). Befitting the eerie and mysterious tone of the episode, one of the credited actors never appears in the story. In Serling’s teleplay, a waitress in the cafe scene briefly chats with Nan. However, the scene is missing entirely from the episode, perhaps a victim of last-minute editing. Thus, the “mystery” waitress goes the way of several other missing minor characters in episodes such as “Escape Clause” (¡¡-06-59) and “The Midnight Sun” (¡¡-¡7-6¡). Evidence of this episode’s enduring popularity and “classic” status is the take-o› (entitled “Le Hitchhiker”) of the episode in The Looney Zone, the Looney Tunes comic book parody of The Twilight Zone. In this version, a female skunk (Penelope) travels across the country and is pursued by none other than … Pepe Le Pew!

*This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

Part II : The Episodes

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“The Fever” Original Airdate: January 29, ¡960; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Robert Florey; Producer: Buck Houghton; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, William Ferrari; Film Editor: Joseph Gluck, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: Edward Denault; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Rudy Butler; Casting: Mildred Gusse; Sound: Frank[lin] Milton, Jean Valentino; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Franklin Gibbs: Everett Sloane; Flora Gibbs: Vivi Janiss; Public Relations Man: William Kendis; Photographer: Lee Millar; Floor Manager: Lee Sands; Cashier: Marc Towers; Drunk: Art Lewis; Sheri›: Arthur Peterson; Girl: Carole Kent*; Croupier: Je›rey Sayre.*

Synopsis: After winning a contest, Flora Gibbs receives a free trip to Las Vegas. When Flora puts a nickel into a slot machine, her husband Franklin chastises her for throwing away their money and disavows gambling as wrong and immoral. Just before leaving, Franklin thinks he hears his name being called from the “mouth” of the slot machine when it dispenses silver dollars. He immediately becomes obsessed with beating the machine and, ignoring his wife’s pleas to stop, succumbs to the allure and “fever” of the one-armed bandit. Notes and commentary: Serling got the idea for “The Fever” when he and his wife Carol had taken a weekend trip to Las Vegas, in ¡959, to celebrate Serling’s signing of the contract with CBS to begin The Twilight Zone. While Carol seemed to have a bit of gambling luck, Serling “became enslaved by a merciless one-armed bandit.”¡5 The

episode boasts two solid performances. Everett Sloane — who back in ¡955 had acted in “Patterns,” the TV drama that launched Rod Serling to television and literary fame — is brilliant as the possessed and feverish neophyte gambler Franklin Gibbs, and Vivi Janiss gives a beautifully restrained performance as the long-su›ering and forbearing Flora. The episode also benefits from the use of repetition, montage, and closeups during all of Franklin’s gambling scenes. All three create a frantic and feverish pace, mood, and atmosphere. “Nick of Time” (¡¡-¡8-60), a season two episode from Richard Matheson, visits similar thematic territory and makes a good companion piece for “The Fever.” In Serling’s short story adaptation of “The Fever,” found in the Stories from The Twilight Zone collection, Serling humorously describes how Flora won the trip to Las Vegas: “She had written in to a national contest explaining in exactly eighteen words why she preferred Aunt Martha’s ready-mix biscuits to any other brand.”¡6 He also adds the fact that Franklin goes on to lose at least $3,800 to the slot machine. Serling’s ending for the short story departs significantly from the episode. For some reason, Serling ends the story telling us that a year after the incident in Las Vegas, Flora attended a church bazaar in her hometown. She began screaming and shrieking after someone had decided to bring in an old and worn “one-armed bandit” slot machine to the bazaar.

“The Last Flight” Original Airdate: February 5, ¡960; Writer: Richard Matheson; Source: Original teleplay; Director: William Claxton; Producer: Buck Houghton; Director of

*This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

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Season One (¡959-¡960) Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, William Ferrari; Film Editor: Joseph Gluck, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: Edward Denault; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Rudy Butler; Casting: Mildred Gusse; Sound: Frank[lin] Milton, Jean Valentino; Animated Title: U.P.A. Filmed at MetroGoldwyn-Mayer Studios and Norton Air Base in San Bernardino, California.

CAST

Flight Lt. Decker: Kenneth Haigh; General Harper: Alexander Scourby; Major Wilson: Simon Scott; Air Marshal Mackaye: Robert Warwick; Corporal: Harry Raybould; Guard: Jerry Catron; Jeep Driver: Paul Baxley*; Truck Driver: Jack Perkins*; Stunt Pilot: Frank Gi›ord Tallman.*

Synopsis: Flight Lieutenant William Terrance Decker, a member of the ¡9¡7 British Royal Flying Corps, mysterioiusly lands at a modern-day American base. Realizing he has traveled forward in time and has been given a second chance to prove his heroism and help save thousands of lives, he makes a daring attempt to escape and encounter the same white clouds that brought him there. Notes and commentary: Filmed at Norton Air Base in San Bernardino, California, “The Last Flight” is an absorbing, well-plotted tale by Richard Matheson (the first non–Serling teleplay to be produced for The Twilight Zone). Adding to the authenticity of the episode, a vintage ¡9¡8 Nieuport biplane owned and operated by veteran stunt pilot Frank Gi›ord Tallman was used in filming.¡7 Matheson’s script was so well-written that the only real change came in the title — from “Flight” to “The Last Flight.”¡8 The story is wholly e›ective because it draws the viewers in and doesn’t allow them to take their

eyes o› the screen. Decker’s plight holds the audience’s attention because it is well played out and executed. “The Last Flight” makes a perfect companion piece to Serling’s excellent “King Nine Will Not Return” (09-3060), another story of a combat pilot who is transported back and forth between alternate realities.

“The Purple Testament” Original Airdate: February ¡2, ¡960; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Richard L. Bare; Producer: Buck Houghton; Music: Lucien Moraweck; conducted by Lud Gluskin; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, William Ferrari; Film Editor: Bill Mosher; Assistant Director: Edward Denault; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Rudy Butler; Casting: Mildred Gusse; Sound: Frank[lin] Milton, Jean Valentino; Animated Title: U.P.A. Filmed at MetroGoldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Captain Phil Riker: Dick York; Lieutenant Fitzgerald: William Reynolds; Sergeant: William Phipps; Captain Gunther: Barney Phillips; Colonel: S. John Launer; Smitty: Michael Vandever; Orderly: Paul Mazursky; Freeman: Marc Cavell; Jeep Driver: Warren Oates; Man with Harmonica: Ron Masak.

Synopsis: A U.S. Infantry platoon is engaged in combat in the Philippines in ¡945. Lieutenant (“Fitz”) Fitzgerald seems particularly upset after the report of four soldiers killed in action. He shows Captain Riker a list of four names he had written before the last round of combat; the list contains the names of the four dead soldiers, and Fitz swears that he wrote the names a day before the men were killed. Fitz is confident that whenever he sees a

*This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

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Part II : The Episodes

mysterious bright light bathe a soldier’s face, that person will soon die. Notes and commentary: “The Purple Testament” is the first of several Twilight Zone episodes to be set during World War II. It is also one of the best. The prologue narration, using the metaphor of the painter’s palette for soldiers in combat, represents some of Serling’s best writing. The episode itself is a fine mixture of war drama and paranormal experience. No inconsistencies in plot or logic are present, and the sparingly used special e›ect of the “death light” lends a haunting quality to the drama. In fact, the ostensibly simple light e›ect was created through manipulation of lighting levels and overexposed film.¡9 Film and television bu›s will recognize Dick York (television’s Bewitched), Warren Oates (one of Sam Peckinpah’s The Wild Bunch [¡969], as well as Bill Murray’s constantly perturbed Sergeant Hulka in Stripes [¡98¡]), and Paul Mazursky (occasional actor, and director of such films as Moscow on the Hudson [¡984]; Down and Out in Beverly Hills [¡986]; and Enemies, A Love Story [¡989]) in early roles. All three actors would return to The Twilight Zone: York in “A Penny for Your Thoughts” (02-03-6¡); Oates in “The 7th Is Made Up of Phantoms” (¡2-06-63); and Mazursky in “The Gift” (04-27-62) and “He’s Alive” (0¡-24-63). Surprisingly, in over 35 years since the episode aired, no one has commented on Serling’s slip in the closing literary reference to Shakespeare. The “purple testament” of the title comes not from Richard III but from Richard II, as Richard speaks to Northumberland: He is come to open The purple testament of bleeding war. (III.iii.93-94)

Serling would next take The Twilight Zone to World War II in “A Quality of Mercy” (¡2-29-6¡), an episode from season three. Without a doubt, Serling’s real-life combat experience in the Philippines during World War II makes its way into both episodes and lends the stories an especially authentic dramatic touch.

“Elegy” Original Airdate: February ¡9, ¡960; Writer: Charles Beaumont; Source: “Elegy,” a short story by Charles Beaumont; Director: Douglas Heyes; Producer: Buck Houghton; Music: Van Cleave; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, William Ferrari; Film Editor: Joseph Gluck, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: Edward Denault; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Budd S. Friend; Casting: Mildred Gusse; Sound: Frank[lin] Milton, Jean Valentino; Animated Title: U.P.A. Filmed at Metro-GoldwynMayer Studios.

CAST

Jeremy Wickwire: Cecil Kellaway; Kurt Meyers: Je› Morrow; Peter Kirby: Don Dubbins; Captain James Webber: Kevin Hagen.

Synopsis: Lost in space, three astronauts land on an Earth-like asteroid which turns out to be a cemetery where the exclusive can spend eternity doing what would make them most happy. The caretaker of Happy Glades, though, will do anything to assure the continued serenity of the cemetery. Notes and commentary: Charles Beaumont’s second teleplay of the first season is an adaptation of his own short story, which is reprinted in The Twilight Zone: The Original Stories (¡985). Beaumont did make a number of changes in translating his tale to the small screen. First, the various still life scenes and spectacles that the astronauts witness are of a decidedly di›erent nature—

53

Season One (¡959-¡960) they encounter a butcher shop and its raw flesh, a spooky temple, an operating room procedure, and a “reading man” perched atop a ladder in a library. The tableaux in the teleplay are less morbid and more in tune with peaceful, eternal slumber. In the short story, the astronauts reveal to Mr. Greypoole (the caretaker) that they escaped from Earth on the verge of another war — the “Last War” in which the X-Bomb would be set o›. All they want now is a new start, and they ask for Greypoole’s help. Greypoole, though, cannot agree to let them begin life at Happy Glades, because at Happy Glades there is no hatred or war or prejudice, just brotherhood. Greypoole leads them back to their ship, slips them the “Eternifier” wine, and it is here that they will be frozen forever. As Wickwire, Cecil Kellaway — a twotime Academy Award nominee for his supporting roles in The Luck of the Irish (¡948) and Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner (¡967)— makes a much kinder, gentler, more grandfatherly-like caretaker. (In season four’s “Passage on the Lady Anne” (05-09-63), another Charles Beaumont story, Kellaway plays one of the ghostly elders aboard a mysterious steam liner.) Wickwire is supposed to be the robot in this episode, but even more sti› are the performances turned in by the triumvirate of astronauts. Another handicap is the real-life extras who, try as they might, cannot keep perfectly still in Happy Glades. The visible twitching and shifting would seem to completely undermine the show’s credibility, but these small movements are minimized by a camera that is constantly panning and tracking. Director Douglas Heyes lived and learned on “Elegy”; for his next foray into filming “still life”—“The After

Hours” (06-¡0-60)— he used mannequins instead of real actors. Heyes’s master works, however, still lay ahead: “Eye of the Beholder” (¡¡-¡¡-60) and “The Invaders” (0¡-27-6¡).

“Mirror Image” Original Airdate: February 26, ¡960; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: John Brahm; Producer: Buck Houghton; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, William Ferrari; Film Editor: Bill Mosher; Assistant Director: Edward Denault; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Budd S. Friend; Casting: Mildred Gusse; Sound: Frank Milton, Jean Valentino; Animated Title: U.P.A. Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn Mayer Studios.

CAST

Millicent Barnes: Vera Miles; Paul Grinstead: Martin Milner; Ticket Agent: Joe Hamilton; Woman Attendant: Naomi Stevens; Old Woman: Terese Lyon; Husband: Ferris Taylor; Bus Driver: Edwin Rand.

Synopsis: Millicent Barnes sits alone inside a bus depot, waiting for a bus to Bu›alo. She looks in the restroom mirror and sees her immediate reflection, but she also sees herself sitting on the depot bench behind her. Millicent hesitantly shares her strange experience with Paul Grinstead. She discusses the possibility of converging parallel worlds in simultaneous existence, where each person has an alternate or counterpart identity stepping into this world and taking over in order to survive. Grinstead is convinced that Millicent is ill and needs help, but soon changes his mind. Notes and commentary: Director John Brahm returns from “The Four of Us Are Dying” (0¡-0¡-60) to helm another episode dealing with the theme of personal identity. Not surprisingly, in The Twilight Zone many people are

54

Part II : The Episodes

often not what — or in many instances, where— they appear to be; from the hospital of “Eye of the Beholder” (¡¡¡¡-60), to the travelers of “The HitchHiker” (0¡-22-60), to the intrusion of parallel worlds and identities in “Mirror Image.” Serling’s “Mirror Image,” though, is not a Twilight Zone of redemption, second chances, or resignation to death. It is instead one of cosmic Darwinism, where individuals are overcome by their parallel-world doppelgängers, who ensure their own survival with no regard for their present-world identities. This process is made all the easier when people like Millicent are written o› as insane by others, who do not believe until it is too late. Despite its dark and foreboding tone — or perhaps because of it —“Mirror Image” is a compelling first season episode. Vera Miles and Martin Milner both turn in good performances here. Two years before, Alfred Hitchcock had wanted Vera Miles to star opposite Jimmy Stewart in ¡958’s Vertigo (coincidentally another penetrating study of personal identity). Since Miles was pregnant, the role was given to Kim Novak instead. Milner went on to costar as Tod Stiles in Route 66 before beginning his best-remembered role as O‡cer Pete Malloy in the police drama Adam-¡2. Serling would again explore the notion of parallel planes of existence in “The Parallel” (03-¡4-63), an hour-long episode from season four.

“The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” Original Airdate: March 4, ¡960; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Ronald Winston; Producer: Buck Houghton; Music: Rene Garriguenc; conducted by Lud Gluskin; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.;

Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, William Ferrari; Film Editor: Bill Mosher; Assistant Director: Edward Denault; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Rudy Butler; Casting: Mildred Gusse; Sound: Frank[lin] Milton, Jean Valentino; Animated Title: U.P.A. Filmed at Metro-GoldwynMayer Studios.

CAST

Steve Brand: Claude Akins; Mr. Goodman: Barry Atwater; Charlie: Jack Weston; Tommy: Jan Handzlik; Woman One: Amzie Strickland; Don: Burt Metcalfe; Tommy’s Mother: Mary Gregory; Man One: Jason Johnson; Mrs. Brand: Anne Barton; Mrs. Goodman: Lea Waggner; Woman Next Door: Joan Sudlow; Pete Van Horn: Ben Erway; Charlie’s Wife: Lyn Guild; First Alien: Sheldon Allman; Second Alien: William Walsh.

Synopsis: Residents of Maple Street figure a flash of light overhead one evening to be a meteor, until strange things start happening. Soon, neighbor turns against neighbor as the panic-stricken crowd turns accusatory and starts to run wild and riot in the streets. Notes and commentary: Robby the Robot is nowhere to be found on Maple Street, but other elements of the ¡956 science fiction classic Forbidden Planet can be — the aliens’ suits were used in the film, and the shot of their space ship zooming away from the camera is actually from the film. The shot from Forbidden Planet was flipped upside down and projected backwards to achieve the final image of “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street.”20 Also, the street set is one used for MGM’s popular Andy Hardy (played by Mickey Rooney) film series.2¡ Serling comments e›ectively on the human condition here, saying that man’s worst enemy is not necessarily bombs and explosions, but himself. The monsters on Maple Street (or any street, for that matter) are not little

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Season One (¡959-¡960) green men with rayguns; they are the human beings that dwell there. In the minds of men, thoughts, attitudes, and prejudices are weapons that can kill and destroy, Serling says in the episode’s epilogue. The full-scale riot scene is particularly e›ective, with its rapid-fire editing and allegations of violence. It is both powerful and unsettling, fascinating and repulsive. The acting, too, is strong, especially Claude Akins (the authoritative voice of reason) and Jack Weston (the impulsive voice of panic and fear). Both actors would return to The Twilight Zone, Akins in “The Little People” (03-30-62) and Weston in a lighter, comic turn in “The Bard” (0523-63). Serling’s commentary on mankind’s primeval behavior is incisive and even more relevant in today’s age. As a study of mass hysteria and pent-up personal suspicion, “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” is essentially Rod Serling’s TZ spin on Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible (¡953). In fact, Miller was one of Serling’s literary heroes22— the other was Ernest Hemingway — and the influence is unmistakable. The idea for the episode most certainly originated back in ¡948, when collegian Serling wrote “The Button Pushers,” a “parable about the self-destruction of civilization, as bemusedly monitored by a coven of cruel, unseen gods.”23 This radio drama is obviously a precursor of “Monsters.” Serling’s short-story adaptation of the episode was included in his Stories from The Twilight Zone (¡960) collection. The story follows the episode closely until the final two pages, where Serling tacks on a silly ending that would have ruined the episode: After all the commotion and panic has dis-

appeared with the rising of the sun, all that remains of Maple Street is burnt houses and dead bodies strewn all over the street and on some burnt-out porches. The following week, some new residents arrive to inhabit Maple Street. These new residents show “great character” and have two heads each! Luckily, the episode doesn’t stoop to such inanity, and “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” endures as one of the greatest episodes of the entire series (not to mention television in general). “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” is also a capsule ¡950s American history lesson, for it captures both the finger-pointing McCarthyism and the widespread Cold War fear of nuclear fallout of that deceptively optimistic decade.

“A World of Di›erence” Original Airdate: March ¡¡, ¡960; Writer: Richard Matheson; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Ted Post; Producer: Buck Houghton; Music: Van Cleave; Director of Photography: Harkness Smith; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, William Ferrari; Film Editor: Joseph Gluck, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: Edward Denault; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Rudy Butler; Casting: Mildred Gusse; Sound: Frank[lin] Milton, Jean Valentino; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at MetroGoldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Arthur Curtis (Gerald Raigan): Howard Du›; Brinkley: David White; Marty: Frank Maxwell; Nora: Eileen Ryan; Sally: Gail Kobe; Endicott: Peter Walker; Marian: Susan Dorn; Kelly: William Idelson.

Synopsis: Arthur Curtis, 36, seems like an ordinary business executive. But when he sits down in his o‡ce to make a phone call, Arthur turns around to discover that he is on a movie studio set, with a technical crew and a director.

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Part II : The Episodes

He is perplexed and bewildered to find that everyone thinks he is an actor by the name of Gerald Raigan. Curtis realizes that the movie set holds the only connection to his past. Notes and commentary: Only two weeks after Rod Serling’s “Mirror Image” (02-26-60) was aired, The Twilight Zone again explored the nature of personal identity, and the nightmares of losing it, in “A World of Di›erence.” This episode represents Richard Matheson’s second original TZ teleplay and fourth story for the show. (His first two stories, “Disappearing Act” and “Third from the Sun,” were adapted by Serling into “And When the Sky Was Opened” [¡2-¡¡-59] and “Third from the Sun” [0¡-08-60], respectively.) Director Ted Post makes an impressive directorial debut here, using an array of techniques to make Arthur Curtis’s transition from fiction to reality—or, more appropriately, from reality to alternate reality — dizzying, confusing, and all-too-real. Post would return to direct three more episodes, all written by Rod Serling and from the show’s final season: “Probe 7, Over and Out” (¡¡-29-63), “Mr. Garrity and the Graves” 05-08-64), and “The Fear” (05-29-64), the penultimate episode of the entire series. Post would later direct feature films: Beneath the Planet of the Apes (¡970); Hang ’Em High (¡968), Clint Eastwood’s first American western; and Magnum Force (¡973), the first sequel to Eastwood’s Dirty Harry (¡97¡). Howard Du›, as Arthur Curtis/Gerald Raigan, gives an excellent performance that conveys all the anger, disbelief, and stupefaction that Curtis experiences the minute he “walks o› the set.” Du› ’s performance is complemented by Van Cleave’s score, a shrill, eerie, and unrelenting string arrangement.

Casting note : Assistant director Kelly is played by William Idelson, actor friend of Matheson’s who would go on to cowrite the second season episode “Long Distance Call” (03-3¡-6¡) with Charles Beaumont. Idelson later was a successful writer-producer of television comedies such as The Bob Newhart Show and Love American Style. In ¡972, Du› appeared in “There Aren’t Any More MacBanes,” an episode of Rod Serling’s Night Gallery. A similar premise — a man’s discovery that his entire world is more fiction than reality — was explored in Jim Carrey’s ¡998 box o‡ce smash The Truman Show, a direct descendant of Arthur Curtis and his predicament in “A World of Di›erence.”

“Long Live Walter Jameson” Original Airdate: March ¡8, ¡960; Writer: Charles Beaumont; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Tony [Anton] Leader; Producer: Buck Houghton; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, William Ferrari; Film Editor: Bill Mosher; Assistant Director: Edward Denault; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Rudy Butler; Casting: Mildred Gusse; Sound: Frank[lin] Milton, Jean Valentino; Makeup: William Tuttle; Animated Title: U.P.A. Filmed at MetroGoldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Professor Walter Jameson: Kevin McCarthy; Professor Samuel Kittridge: Edgar Stehli; Laurette Bowen: Estelle Winwood; Susanna Kittridge: Dody Heath.

Synopsis: Professor Walter Jameson admits to inquisitive colleague Samuel Kittridge that he is over 2,000 years old, resulting from immortality experiments. A mysterious old woman is seemingly the only other person who knows of Jameson’s immortality, which Jameson now considers a curse.

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Season One (¡959-¡960) Notes and commentary: The concept of immortality is explored for a second time in The Twilight Zone in Charles Beaumont’s “Long Live Walter Jameson.” Serling’s “Escape Clause” takes a darkly comedic look at how one man tries to cheat Mr. Death, but “Long Live Walter Jameson”— with the original working title “Forever and a Day”24— is utterly serious and straightforward, and it succeeds because of its fine cast and talented production team. Kevin McCarthy —Invasion of the Body Snatchers (¡956), The Howling (¡98¡), Twilight Zone—The Movie (¡983), Innerspace (¡987)— portrays Jameson as a modest, unassuming man who has not called attention to himself or his immorality. Instead, he has been content for centuries to stay in the background, slipping from one “role” to another and finding love and attention whenever he can. McCarthy turns in one of the best—and most popular—performances of the series. (Only nine years before, in ¡95¡, he had been nominated for an Academy Award as Bi› Loman in the film version of Arthur Miller’s classic Death of a Salesman.) Director Anton (Tony) Leader — who later superbly directed TZ ’s “The Midnight Sun” (¡¡¡7-6¡) and many episodes of Lost in Space— keeps things firmly grounded in “Walter Jameson”; never does he revert to camp or patronizing the viewer. Perhaps the greatest strength of the episode is Charles Beaumont’s writing. The absorbing and thought-provoking script explores what on the surface could be an absurd fantasy, but Beaumont digs deeper and turns the premise into a real, convincing drama. The other star might be the one who receives the last credit — makeup artist William Tuttle. Tuttle and director of photography George T. Clemens help

make Jameson’s technically challenging metamorphosis a believable and e›ective scene. Age lines were drawn on McCarthy’s face in red makeup, and when key lights with red filters were used, the lines were not visible. However, when green filters were raised, Jameson aged 20 years without having to use cuts. To achieve the second and third changes, rubber pieces were cast from a life mask made of McCarthy and then glued to his face.25 Five years later, the talented Tuttle would become the first makeup artist to receive an Academy Award, for The Seven Faces of Dr. Lao (also scripted by Beaumont). The plot of “Long Live Walter Jameson” would be recycled — with a female lead and dark, sinister overtones — in “Queen of the Nile” (03-06-64), a season five episode from Jerry Sohl and Charles Beaumont. And, in another connection to the past life of Walter Jameson, Kevin McCarthy’s character in Twilight Zone—The Movie (¡983) is named “Uncle Walt.”

“People Are Alike All Over” Original Airdate: March 25, ¡960; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: “Brothers Beyond the Void,” a short story by Paul Fairman; Director: Mitchell Leisen; Producer: Buck Houghton; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, William Ferrari; Film Editor: Fred Maguire; Assistant Director: Edward Denault; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Rudy Butler; Casting: Mildred Gusse; Sound: Frank[lin] Milton, Philip Mitchell; Animated Title: U.P.A. Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Samuel Conrad: Roddy McDowall; Teenya: Susan Oliver; Warren Marcusson: Paul Comi; Martian # ¡: Byron Morrow; Martian # 2: Vic Perrin; Martian # 3: Vernon Gray.

Synopsis: Two men stand behind a

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fence at the launch site of their Marsbound spacecraft. Marcusson, an astronaut, looks forward to the journey and the possibility of extraterrestrial life-forms. Conrad, on the other hand, is a biologist afraid of what they will find on Mars. The craft is launched and eventually crashes on Mars. Just before he dies, Marcusson insists that whoever is on the outside is bound to be just like them. Conrad’s subsequent experiences with the Martians will prove that Marcusson is indeed correct. Notes and commentary: “People Are Alike All Over” is topped only by Serling’s earlier season one episode “Time Enough at Last” (¡¡-20-59) as an early example of just how powerful, indelible, and unsettling a Twilight Zone ending can be. This episode is another of Serling’s biting and negative studies of just how quickly the facade of “humanity” can dissipate and reveal self-interest, greed, and indi›erence to others. (The Martians please Conrad with every known amenity and gesture of friendship, only to trap him for their own observation, learning, and research.) In this respect, the episode is similar to “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” (03-04-60), another Serling-written episode that aired three weeks earlier. Later, in season three, Serling will present another tale of aliens with ulterior motives and gullible humans in “To Serve Man” (03-02-62), whose ending is presaged by and similar to “People Are Alike All Over.” The last scene here brings the episode to full ironic circle: The frightened Conrad stands behind a fence with Marcusson at the beginning and ends up behind a more imposing structure of confinement, a literal cage. This is Serling at his most cynical; he turns in a masterful adaptation of Paul Fair-

man’s short story (not to mention a better title). Serling masterfully utilizes situational irony here (man relegated to a powerless creature under scientific observation) as well as the powerful verbal irony of the title. To make all of this work, Serling makes two critical changes in adapting Fairman’s story. In the story reprinted in The Twilight Zone: The Original Stories [¡985]), it is only Marcusson who goes on the mission to Mars, and Conrad is the one who confidently theorizes early on that “people are alike all over” due to “a fixed formula — a pattern of behavior built upon basic instincts to meet certain physical needs and spiritual conditions.”26 This episode becomes an especially significant one in the TZ canon, for Serling will treat the very same ideas and premises in his film script for Planet of the Apes (¡968), for which he wrote the first draft. (Coincidentally, Roddy McDowall — an Emmy and Tony Award winner in ¡960 for Not Without Honor and The Flying Cock, respectively — stars in both.) Those who are quick to attack Serling as a sentimentalist — in “The Big, Tall Wish” (04-08-60), for example, which aired two weeks after this episode — apparently forget to revisit not-so-optimistic episodes such as “People Are Alike All Over.” Trekkers will notice the presence of Susan Oliver as the beautiful Martian Teenya, six years before her exotic dance in the classic Star Trek episode “The Menagerie.”

“Execution” Original Airdate: April ¡, ¡960; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: An unpublished short story by George Clayton Johnson; Director: David Orrick McDearmon; Producer: Buck Houghton; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction:

Season One (¡959-¡960) George W. Davis, Merrill Pye; Film Editor: Joseph Gluck, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: Kurt Neumann [Jr.]; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Keough Gleason; Sound: Frank[lin] Milton, Philip Mitchell; Animated Title: U.P.A. Filmed at MetroGoldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Joe Caswell: Albert Salmi; George Manion: Russell Johnson; Johnson: Than Wyenn; Elderly Man: George Mitchell; Reverend: Jon Lormer; Judge: Fay Roope; Bartender: Richard Karlan; Cowboy: Joe Haworth.*

Synopsis: At his hanging, unrepentant cowboy Joe Caswell is plucked from the past by a time-travel machine and sent 80 years into the future. Caswell confronts petty thief Paul Johnson, neither man knowing that cosmic justice awaits them both. Notes and commentary: In George Clayton Johnson’s original unpublished story, there are two scientists, not one, who use a time machine to transport a nineteenth-century killer from a hangman’s noose and into the present. The scientists ultimately realize what a mistake they have made, and they try to reverse the process. The killer escapes but is later shot by a policeman. The wound proves fatal, and the killer reappears back in the noose to get his just dessert.27 In adapting the story, Serling eliminated one of the scientists (the remaining role went to Russell Johnson, later the Professor on Gilligan’s Island) and created another criminal (Than Wyenn), a modern-day counterpart to Joe Caswell. Serling also created a lot of talk about right and wrong, justice and retribution, which is delivered in such a heavyhanded way by the characters that it bogs down the episode. What’s more, the sleazy Wyenn is never quite con-

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vincing as the contemporary petty thief. He holds his gun out, practically begging Caswell to grab it. It is hard to believe that Johnson could hurl the much bigger, more menacing Caswell across the room and then choke him with a drawstring without a struggle. And then, while looking for a hidden safe, Johnson shows his utter stupidity by first turning on the time machine and then blindly backing into the glass-enclosed time chamber, as if a hidden treasure were lurking amidst the beeps and throbbing lights. Then, right on cue, the chamber door comes down from out of nowhere, trapping him. Albert Salmi, though, deserves — and would later get — better material. With his haggard appearance and slurred drawl, he truly looks the part of an Old West gunslinger. (Neville Brand — who later played a guilt-ridden bigot in “The Encounter” [05-0¡-64]— was originally cast as Caswell but was sick and couldn’t commit, so the part went to Salmi.28) Salmi’s performance nearly redeems the episode, but he alone cannot grant a stay of “Execution.” Both Salmi and Johnson are given a reprieve, however, and later star in two more memorable episodes: Johnson in “Back There” (0¡-¡3-6¡) and Salmi in “Of Late I Think of Cli›ordville” (04-¡¡63). Ironically, both episodes deal with time travel. Salmi is also e›ectively cast as a grizzled infantry sergeant in Serling’s World War II drama “A Quality of Mercy” (¡2-29-6¡).

“The Big, Tall Wish” Original Airdate: April 8, ¡960; Writer: Rod Serling ; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Ronald Winston; Producer: Buck Houghton; Music: Jerry Goldsmith;

*This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

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Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Merrill Pye; Film Editor: Bill Mosher; Assistant Director: Kurt Neumann; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Keogh Gleason; Sound: Frank[lin] Milton, Philip Mitchell; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at Metro-GoldwynMayer Studios.

CAST

Bolie Jackson: Ivan Dixon; Henry Temple: Steven Perry; Frances Temple: Kim Hamilton; Joe Mizell: Walter Burke; Harvey Thomas: Henry Scott; Other Fighter: Charles Horvath*; Announcer: Carl McIntire*; Referee: Frankie Van.*

Synopsis: Bolie Jackson is an aging boxer preparing for his comeback fight. He tells his friend Henry, a small child who looks up to him, that boxers do not need scrapbooks but instead have their battered and worn faces to tell of their pasts. Unused to such pessimism, the innocent young Henry promises that he will make a “big, tall wish” for Bolie to win the fight. After a boxing match like no other, Bolie Jackson learns, as he tells Henry, that there are wishes, but not enough people are around to believe. Notes and commentary: As early as ¡948, when he was a student at Antioch College, Rod Serling was already writing boxing stories. An early story, “The Good Right Hand,” reveals Serling’s “flair for creating memorable, if somewhat sentimentalized characters and writing taut dialogue.”29 Even more than “Patterns”— Serling’s television drama of corporate greed that made him an overnight sensation — his boxing drama “Requiem for a Heavyweight” (broadcast by CBS on Playhouse 90, October ¡¡, ¡956) remains in the minds of many as Serling’s greatest work outside The Twilight Zone. In “The Big,

Tall Wish,” Serling addresses the themes of faith, redemption, and self-respect. Like Al Denton in “Mr. Denton on Doomsday” (¡0-¡6-59), Bolie Jackson is a down-and-out man who has seen his better days and wants a chance to redeem himself and regain his self-esteem. Also like Denton, Bolie does not “win” from the event or contest itself, but from the knowledge gained after the encounter. Bolie makes a comeback not as a boxing champion but as a man who learns through defeat the powerful (but often unrealized) potential of faith. Both Ivan Dixon (who later became a Hogan’s Heroes regular as Sergeant James Kinchloe) and Steven Perry give beautiful and tender performances. Their chemistry together makes the relationship between Bolie and Henry a very warm and believable one. “The Big, Tall Wish” is a nice change of pace from Serling’s cynical, though excellent, stories from the previous weeks (namely, “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” [03-04-60]— also directed by Ronald Winston — and “People Are Alike All Over” [03-25-60]). It is emotional and sentimental, but the strong writing and two lead performances keep it from becoming maudlin. The episode is also a historic one in that all of the main characters are African Americans, certainly a rare, if not the first, instance during the early days of television and the burgeoning civil rights movement. Serling’s story adaptation of “The Big, Tall Wish,” from More Stories from The Twilight Zone (¡96¡), remains faithful to the teleplay and is one of Serling’s betterwritten short stories.

“A Nice Place to Visit” Original Airdate: April ¡5, ¡960; Writer:

*This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

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Season One (¡959-¡960) Charles Beaumont; Source: Original teleplay; Director: John Brahm; Producer: Buck Houghton; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Merrill Pye; Film Editor: Joseph Gluck, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: Don Klune; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Keogh Gleason; Sound: Frank[lin] Milton, Philip Mitchell; Animated Title: U.P.A. Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Rocky Valentine: Larry Blyden; Mr. Pip: Sebastian Cabot; Policeman: John Close*; Croupler: Wayne Turner*; First Beautiful Girl: Sandra Warner*; Dancing Girl: Barbara English*; Crap Dealer: Peter Hornsby*; Midget Policeman: Nels Nelson*; Parking Attendant: Bill Mullikin.*

Synopsis: Shot during a robbery attempt, Rocky Valentine believes he must be in Heaven when all of his wishes are granted by his “guide,” Mr. Pip. Bored with constant winning, he wonders what the “Other Place” must be like. Notes and commentary: The last of Charles Beaumont’s first season episodes is definitely a notch or two below “Perchance to Dream” (¡¡-27-59), “Long Live Walter Jameson” (03-¡8-60) and “Elegy” (02-¡9-60). In fact, “A Nice Place to Visit” is built all around the very last line in the show — that Rocky Valentine is in Hell, not Heaven, eternally doomed to live too easy a life, whereas before nothing ever came easily or was handed to him on a silver platter. A fitting punishment, indeed. Originally, Beaumont had Rod Serling himself in mind to play Valentine, but Serling turned down the o›er. Instead, Larry Blyden — who later played the lead in “Showdown with Rance McGrew” (02-02-62) and won a Tony Award for his role in the revival of A

Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (¡972)— was cast in the lead. Blyden’s hammy, uneven performance nearly sinks the episode, but thank goodness for the life jacket provided by Sebastian Cabot in the role of Mr. Pip. With his dark hair and beard bleached white, Cabot may have come o› as angelic, but there is a sinister undertone and a refined sense of irony behind that persona that unfolds in the final revelation. With that laugh of his echoing throughout all eternity, the “Other Place” really must be Hell. Indeed, the original working title of this episode was “The Other Place.” The casting of Cabot is masterful, for he was almost always playing gentle and caring characters. He is best remembered for three roles in particular: the genteel valet Mr. French of television’s Family A›air; Santa Claus, in the ¡973 television remake of Miracle on 34th Street; and as the voice of the loyal panther Bagheera in Disney’s animated The Jungle Book (¡967).

“Nightmare as a Child” Original Airdate: April 29, ¡960; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Alvin Ganzer; Producer: Buck Houghton; Music: Jerry Goldsmith; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Merrill Pye; Film Editor: Bill Mosher; Assistant Director: Don Klune; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Keogh Gleason; Sound: Frank[lin] Milton, Philip Mitchell; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Helen Foley: Janice Rule; Peter Selden: Shepperd Strudwick; Markie: Terry Burnham; Doctor: Michael Fox; Police Lieutenant: Joe Perry; Little Girl: Suzanne Cupito.*

*This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

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Synopsis: As schoolteacher Helen Foley steps into her apartment, she sees a quiet little blond-haired girl sitting on the steps. The girl, whose nickname is Markie, seems to know everything about Helen, how she feels and what she thinks. When they hear a knock on the door, Markie gets scared and runs away. The stranger at the door introduces himself as Peter Selden, who years ago worked for Helen’s mother before she was murdered. This was a traumatic event for Helen, who can only remember being in bed and screaming. Helen gradually realizes that her two recent guests aren’t really strangers after all. Notes and commentary: While suspension of disbelief is always a crucial ingredient in appreciating and enjoying a Twilight Zone episode, “Nightmare as a Child” asks a bit too much of the viewer toward the conclusion. The resolution here is uncomfortably forced, as Selden — who has already waited for nearly 20 years — seems much too eager to reveal his identity as the killer. Though he has expected Helen Foley (named after one of Rod Serling’s favorite high school teachers) to eventually remember seeing the killer’s face, there is no indication that Helen’s everyday behavior has changed enough for Selden to become concerned. He must have noticed something to make him come to her door after so many years, but the viewer is never told what. In addition — even if one ignores the fact that Foley could never prove Selden was the killer — Selden, if he was so concerned about being discovered, could have arranged any number of ways to kill Helen without going directly to her apartment! The struggle between the two at the end is an awk-

ward and unconvincing reminder of this point. As with “ I Shot an Arrow into the Air,” Serling’s “Nightmare as a Child” is a really good premise diminished by a couple of plot holes and a hasty resolution. Also, it is di‡cult to sympathize with such grim and brooding characters as Helen and her younger self (Markie). “Nightmare as a Child” is one of the few Twilight Zone episodes devoid of any fantasy elements; that is, Helen’s recovered memory is an actual event that could really take place in the everyday world. Other TZ episodes that are “reality-based” include “Where Is Everybody?” (¡0-02-59), “Nick of Time” (¡¡-¡8-60), “The Arrival” (0922-6¡), “The Silence” (04-28-6¡), “The Shelter” (09-29-6¡), “One More Pallbearer” (0¡-¡2-62), and “The Jeopardy Room” (04-¡7-64).

“A Stop at Willoughby” Original Airdate: May 6, ¡960; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Robert Parrish; Producer: Buck Houghton; Music: Nathan Scott; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Merrill Pye; Film Editor: Joseph Gluck, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: Don Klune; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Keogh Gleason; Sound: Frank[lin] Milton, Philip Mitchell; Animated Title: U.P.A. Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Gart Williams: James Daly; Mr. Misrell: Howard Smith; Jane Williams: Patricia Donahue; Conductor #¡: Jason Wingreen; Helen: Mavis Neal; Conductor #2: James Maloney; Boy One: Billy Booth*; Boy Two: Butch Hengen*; Trainman: Ryan Hayes*; Man on Wagon: Max Slaten.*

Synopsis: Advertising executive Gart

*This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

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Season One (¡959-¡960) Williams, sick of his high-pressure job and fast-paced life, yearns desperately to live a quiet, serene life. One night on his commuter train, Williams hears that the next stop is Willoughby, an ¡888 city featuring a train station, horse-drawn carriages, a bandstand, and laid-back townspeople. Notes and commentary: “A Stop at Willoughby” bears a resemblance to another first season o›ering, “Walking Distance” (¡0-30-59). Both concern the plight of an advertising executive in his late thirties who is weary of the fastpaced world he lives in and longs for a return to childhood pursuits and hometown fellowship. Martin Sloan takes a fantasy journey in “Walking Distance” to where he grew up, and things haven’t changed one bit — even the part about him being a child at the time! “Willoughby” is also a wistful, nostalgic destination for Gart Williams ( James Daly, who five years later would win an Emmy for his supporting role in Bird in a Cage), but it is clearly a dream that exists as an escapism in his own mind. He doesn’t know the people of Willoughby, but they’re people he would like to know and relate to. The viewer knows that Martin Sloan cannot actually change the past, but the past can change him if he looks to relive those memories in the present. Happily, in Willoughby Gart Williams has finally found peace and acceptance in a society where he fits in quite nicely. If “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” (03-04-60) resembled Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, then “A Stop at Willoughby” may be viewed as Serling’s Twilight Zone version of Miller’s Death of a Salesman (¡949), in which Willy Loman fails to attain the “American Dream” in a society that has passed him by and leads him to commit suicide. It

is a universal desire to be loved and accepted simply while being oneself, and for this reason “Willoughby” is deeply moving and enduring. Those looking for evidence that The Twilight Zone was actually quite autobiographical in nature need look no further than here or “Walking Distance.” As Joel Engel has noted: “Written at a time of major uncertainty over whether the series [The Twilight Zone] would be renewed, and also in a probable state of exhaustion, ‘A Stop at Willoughby’ reflects Serling’s abiding nostalgia for his hometown [Binghamton, New York] and childhood.”30 One item of interest : the “Bradbury account” mentioned in this episode is undoubtedly a reference to one of Serling’s favorite science fiction writers, Ray Bradbury. Also notice Serling’s choice of name for Gart Williams’s boss. Williams is stuck in the high-pressure world of advertising, and he is made even more despondent by the relentless rants and demands of his boss, Mr. Misrell (a Dickensian name that sounds very similar to “miserable” or “misery”).

“The Chaser” Original Airdate: May ¡3, ¡960; Writer: Robert Presnell, Jr.; Source: “The Chaser,” a short story by John Collier; Director: Douglas Heyes; Producer: Buck Houghton; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Merrill Pye; Film Editor: Bill Mosher; Assistant Director: Don Klune; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Keogh Gleason; Sound: Frank[lin] Milton, Philip Mitchell; Animated Title: U.P.A. Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Professor A. Daemon: John McIntire; Leila: Patricia Barry; Roger Shackleforth: George Grizzard; Homburg: J. Pat O’Malley; Fat Lady: Marjorie Bennett; Blonde

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Lady: Barbara Perry; Tall Man: Rusty Wescoatt; Bartender: Duane Grey.*

Synopsis: Roger Shackleforth, desperately in love with a woman named Leila, goes to see Professor A. Daemon, who o›ers Roger a potion that will help him get rid of his “love” problem. Instead, Roger wants a potion that will make Leila fall in love with him. The irascible Daemon complies and gives Roger a love potion, at one dollar his cheapest item and one that Daemon says is overpriced at that. The potion works only too well, so Roger again consults the professor for advice and learns that “perfect” love carries a price. Notes and commentary: “The Chaser” represents the only first season story not written by one of the chief TZ writers (Rod Serling, Charles Beaumont, and Richard Matheson). Robert Presnell turns in a witty script filled with touches of spicy situational humor. The scene in which Leila calls Roger her “sweet little rabbit,” causing Roger to realize she is pregnant, is wonderfully played, among several others. “The Chaser,” an earlier treatment of which aired in ¡95¡ on The Bill Rose Television Theatre, is a sly and somewhat cynical juxtaposition of the two extreme views of love. Roger, along with his desire for Leila, represents the idealized and romanticized notion of total love. His type of love, in the end, is too much. Professor A. Daemon, on the other hand, is caustic and cynical about love. He feels that love is no good and discounts it as folly. Also, remove the “a” from his last name —“A. Daemon” becomes “a demon”— and it becomes obvious why he is opposed to love. John Collier’s story of the same name

(which appears in his collection Fancies and Goodnights [¡95¡]), from which Presnell adapts his teleplay, uses di›erent names for Roger and Leila and none for Daemon, though the story heavily implies that this man is the devil. Also di›erent is the plotting. Collier’s story is only one scene long, when Roger (Alan in the story) visits the professor for the first time and explains his situation. The scene is virtually the same in both media; Presnell comically fleshes out Roger’s dilemma in the teleplay with the scenes between Roger and Leila. Collier’s story is spare and foreboding, strongly hinting that the lovestruck man will eventually become dissatisfied with the love potion and return to purchase the “chaser” that will “remove” his lover. (As a side note, the asking price for the “eradicator” potion in Collier’s story is $5,000, considerably more than the $¡,000 in the episode!) Another Collier short story, “Evening Primrose,” served as the inspiration for Rod Serling’s living mannequin drama “The After Hours” (06-¡0-60), also directed by Douglas Heyes. Among the screenwriting credits of adapter Robert Presnell, Jr., are Frank Capra’s Meet John Doe (¡94¡, story only), the Desi Arnaz musical Cuban Pete (¡947), The Guilty (¡947), Man in the Attic (¡954, a remake of Twilight Zone director John Brahm’s ¡944 thriller The Lodger), The Rawhide Years (¡956), Screaming Eagles (¡956), Let No Man Write My Epitaph (¡960), and ¡3 West Street (¡962). The latter film was cowritten by Bernard Schoenfeld, author of the Twilight Zone episode “From Agnes — with Love” (02-¡4-64). George Grizzard (Roger Shackle-

*This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

Season One (¡959-¡960) forth) went on to win an Emmy Award as Outstanding Limited Series or Special Supporting Actor, in ¡979’s The Oldest Living Graduate.

“A Passage for Trumpet” Original Airdate: May 20, ¡960; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Don Medford; Producer: Buck Houghton; Music: Lyn Murray; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Merrill Pye; Film Editor: Joseph Gluck, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: Don Klune; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Keogh Gleason; Sound: Frank[lin] Milton, Philip Mitchell; Animated Title: U.P.A. Filmed at MetroGoldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Joey Crown: Jack Klugman; Gabe: John Anderson; Baron: Frank Wol›; Nan: Mary Webster; Truck Driver: James Flavin; Pawnshop Owner: Ned Glass; Woman Pedestrian: Diane Honodel.*

Synopsis: Down-and-out trumpet player Joey Crown can’t get a gig and decides that life is not worth living. Crown meets a tall tuxedoed trumpeter who teaches him that maybe his life wasn’t so bad after all. Notes and commentary: In the first of his four starring roles on The Twilight Zone (Burgess Meredith also had four lead billings), Jack Klugman gives a powerful yet subtle performance as trumpeter Joey Crown. Klugman (later the recipient of three Emmy Awards, two for playing half of The Odd Couple, opposite Tony Randall) gives Crown a spirit of hope and redemption that rises above his artistic and personal failures. He displays an intensity and dedication that are truly impressive — it looks like he’s really playing that trumpet, yet Klugman was just faking it (albeit convincingly). This episode also marked

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the Twilight Zone directorial debut of Don Medford, who went on to direct four other solid episodes: “The Man in the Bottle” (¡0-07-60), “The Mirror” (¡0-20-6¡), “Death’s-head Revisited” (¡¡¡0-6¡), and “Death Ship” (02-07-63). Interestingly, there was a second scene on the roof of Crown’s building involving a second girl that was part of Serling’s original television script but not the shooting script. Right after Serling’s prologue, an inebriated Crown is blowing a few notes and even warbling a badly-written song (“ I got a right to sing the blues/I got a right to feel low down/I’ve got a right to hang around, down around the river…”) when he notices a girl across the roof. She asks him to play again, but the self-pitying Crown says that he’s played his last note. He explains that there was a time that he would have liked to show a nice new girl like her around the town and let her hear him play, but now he hasn’t the courage to do that. He later gets a second chance on the rooftop with another girl, Nan (like Nan Adams in “The Hitch-Hiker” [0¡-22-60] named after the family nickname of Serling’s daughter Anne). (Another in-joke in this episode is the name of the Houghton Bistro, a nod to producer Buck Houghton.) Apparently, Serling and company felt that one girl and one rooftop scene was enough, so this scene and its excessive self-pity wound up on the cutting-room floor. Another Serling character who drinks to shut out the bad things in life — and is very similar to Klugman’s Joey Crown — is Henry Corwin (Art Carney) of “Night of the Meek” (¡223-60). His shot at redemption is to become Santa Claus! Redemption (made possible by the proverbial “second

*This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

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chance” or “new lease on life”) was a favorite theme of Rod Serling’s, and Joel Engel correctly refers to “A Passage for Trumpet” as Serling’s version of Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life (¡946).3¡ Klugman would later play another character who is given a second chance (but who also must make the ultimate sacrifice of his life) in Serling’s poignant “ In Praise of Pip” (09-27-63).

“Mr. Bevis” Original Airdate: June 6, ¡960; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: William Asher; Producer: Buck Houghton; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Merrill Pye; Film Editor: Bill Mosher; Assistant Director: Don Klune; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Keogh Gleason; Sound: Frank[lin] Milton, Philip Mitchell. Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

James B. W. Bevis: Orson Bean; J. Hardy Hempstead: Henry Jones; Mr. Peckinpaugh: Charles Lane; Bartender: Horace McMahon; Policeman: William Schallert; Margaret: Florence MacMichael; Landlady: Dorothy Neumann; Peddler: Vito Scotti; 2nd Policeman: House Peters, Jr.; Young Lady: Coleen O’Sullivan; Little Boy: Timmy Cletro.

Synopsis: James B. W. Bevis is a likable eccentric whose messy apartment reflects his eclectic interests and hobbies. Perpetually happy and upbeat, Bevis always says hello to anyone he meets while on his way to work. Unfortunately, he also ends up late for work and is fired, and the day just gets worse. Trying to put the bad day behind him, Bevis goes to a bar to get drunk. He meets an older man, J. Hardy Hempstead, who says he is Bevis’s guardian angel. Hempstead then o›ers to make the day start over again for Bevis and make life easier for him. Bevis is in for some big changes.

Notes and commentary: The inevitable comparison is with Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life (¡946), which of course the episode could never measure up to. The episode itself is exactly like the character it presents: ordinary, average, and with no aspiration or pretense of being anything more. This is an innocuous entry in the TZ canon, but herein lies the problem with “Mr. Bevis.” Any episode that follows a host of classic episodes —“Time Enough at Last” (¡¡-20-59) and “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” (03-04-60), among several others — is bound to be disappointing. Perhaps the reason for such an ine›ectual episode may lie in its origins. “Mr. Bevis” was originally planned as a pilot for one of two series that Serling was contractually bound to create for CBS. The series would follow the Bevis character from week to week, with his guardian angel Hempstead always around to help him out of comic predicaments and misadventures. Burgess Meredith was to play Hempstead but declined the role. In addition, the network did not care for the pilot, so Serling turned it into a Twilight Zone episode. Compared to earlier episodes, “Mr. Bevis” seems static and lifeless, almost a weak episode by default; compared to its carbon copy (and failure) “Cavender Is Coming” (05-25-62), however, “Mr. Bevis” is pretty entertaining. When considered outside of The Twilight Zone, “Mr. Bevis” presages the future popularity of the guardian-angel genre. Witness the success of such shows as Highway to Heaven and Touched by an Angel.

“The After Hours” Original Airdate: June ¡0, ¡960; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Douglas Heyes; Producer: Buck Houghton; Director of Photography:

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Season One (¡959-¡960) George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Merrill Pye; Film Editor: Bill Mosher; Assistant Director: Don Klune; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Keogh Gleason; Sound: Frank[lin] Milton, Philip Mitchell; Makeup: William Tuttle; Animated Title: U.P.A. Filmed at MetroGoldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Marsha White: Anne Francis; Saleswoman: Elizabeth Allen; Armbruster: James Millhollin; Elevator Operator: John Conwell; Sloan: Patrick Whyte; Miss Pettigrew: Nancy Rennick.

Synopsis: A run-of-the-mill errand at a department store turns into a nightmare for Marsha White, who meets a living mannequin saleswoman on the mysterious ninth floor. White comes to the slow realization of who she really is and what she is doing in the store. Notes and commentary: Guided by the elaborate, innovative direction of Douglas Heyes and driven by the strong lead performance of Anne Francis — who would later appear as the title character in Earl Hamner’s “Jess-Belle” (02-¡4-63)—“The After Hours” was one of the highlights of an uncommonly high quality lot of first season episodes. “The After Hours” has a creepy, surreal quality to it, and again it is one of those premises that, while fantastical, is really not that hard to relate to. The episode would have fallen short if those mannequins didn’t look so much like the actors, so much of the credit must go to CBS makeup guru William Tuttle and his assistant Charles Schram. They first made molds of the faces of Anne Francis, Elizabeth Allen, and John Conwell. The artists then took the molds, filled them with plaster, and painted on the facial features with acrylics. These duplicate heads were then glued onto mannequin

bodies.32 The results were striking, a technical achievement that lent a needed dose of believability to the premise of the show. Heyes apparently learned a lesson when he used real actors to play inanimate figures in “Elegy” (02-¡9-60)— no matter how still the real stand-ins wanted to be, it was impossible for them to be perfectly still and not move at all. Heyes eliminated this problem by using mannequins in “The After Hours.” The huge, oppressive department store was a set converted from a feature-film newspaper o‡ce.33 The camera takes full advantage of the space, constantly on the move and showing o› the visual flair of George Clemens, the director of photography, and Heyes. Heyes and makeup director William Tuttle would again successfully collaborate on Serling’s “Eye of the Beholder” (¡¡-¡¡-60), another classic episode that benefits from both masterful direction and innovative makeup techniques. Over 25 years later, “The After Hours” was remade as an episode (with the same name) of The New Twilight Zone (¡0-¡8-86).

“The Mighty Casey” Original Airdate: June ¡7, ¡960; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Robert Parrish and Alvin Ganzer; Producer: Buck Houghton; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Merrill Pye; Film Editor: Joseph Gluck, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: Don Klune; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Keogh Gleason; Sound: Frank[lin] Milton, Philip Mitchell. Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Mouth McGarry: Jack Warden; Dr. Stillman: Abraham Sofaer; Casey: Robert Sorrells; Beasley: Alan Dexter; Monk: Don

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O’Kelly; Doctor: Jonathan Hole; Baseball Commissioner: Rusty Lane.

Synopsis: The Hoboken Zephyrs are last place in the National League, 3¡ games out of first, and last in their division. Their manager, Mouth McGarry, is resigned to their losing ways and holds a tryout for less-than-stellar potential players. During the tryout, McGarry is introduced to Casey, a gangly and expressionless left-handed pitcher who delivers a series of unbelievable pitches. McGarry immediately signs Casey to a contract. With Casey, the Hoboken Zephyrs are sure to win the team’s first pennant in 23 years. However, the source of Casey’s unique abilities may cause some problems. Notes and commentary: Anyone familiar with baseball will immediately recognize the Hoboken Zephyrs as a thinly-veiled fictional version of the Brooklyn Dodgers, whose last season before moving to Los Angeles (¡958) saw them finish 7¡–83 and in seventh place. Even Serling’s original teleplay voice-over mentions a few famous Dodger pitchers such as Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale, dialogue that does not remain in the filmed version. In his story adaptation of “The Mighty Casey” in Stories from The Twilight Zone (¡960), Serling actually makes the team the Brooklyn Dodgers. Serling narrates the story almost as a tall tale, using exaggerated characters and incidents — the homer hit o› Casey toward the end travels 700 feet out of the ballpark and into a woman’s window three blocks away, for instance — that are totally unnecessary and come o› like bad jokes. Thankfully, Serling wrote the teleplay first, and the episode is more of an amusing “once upon a time” fairy tale that is enjoyable to watch. Like the

Tin Man in The Wizard of Oz, Casey is given a heart and a new life. “The Mighty Casey” was originally shot with actor Paul Douglas in the Mouth McGarry role. He had been known to be a heavy drinker early in his career, and he now seemed physically worn and unable to catch his breath. The crew thought that he had returned to drinking but discovered that Douglas was experiencing coronary problems while shooting his scenes. Three days after the episode finished shooting, Douglas died of a heart attack. Naturally, the completed episode just did not look right, so it was reshot, with reassembled actors and technical crew, for $27,000 at Serling’s personal expense.34 Jack Warden replaced Douglas and turns in another solid performance, this time with wry humor and light comedy, a marked contrast with his earlier somber TZ role in “The Lonely” (¡¡-¡3-59).

“A World of His Own” Original Airdate: July ¡, ¡960; Writer: Richard Matheson; Source: “And Now I’m Waiting,” an unpublished short story by Richard Matheson; Director: Ralph Nelson; Producer: Buck Houghton; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Merrill Pye; Film Editor: Joseph Gluck, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: Don Klune; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Keogh Gleason; Sound: Frank[lin] Milton, Philip Mitchell; Animated Title: U.P.A. Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Gregory West: Keenan Wynn; Victoria West: Phyllis Kirk; Mary: Mary LaRoche; Rod Serling: Himself.*

Synopsis: Playwright Gregory West finds that he can create real persons just by vividly describing them into his

*This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

Season One (¡959-¡960) dictation machine. He also finds he can “un-create” a person by throwing the tape into the fireplace. Notes and commentary: “A World of His Own”— which reunited Serling with Ralph Nelson and Keenan Wynn, director and costar of his breakthrough Playhouse 90 television drama, “Requiem for a Heavyweight”— was based on an unpublished horror story written by Richard Matheson called “And Now I’m Waiting” (later published in Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone Magazine, March-April ¡983). In the tale, narrator David confronts his brother-in-law Richard about being constantly unfaithful to his wife, Mary. Richard explains that Alice, a character in his last book, became so real to him that Mary believed she was an actual person, and claimed to actually see her. Richard later confides to David that after Alice, everything he imagined came to life — madmen, harlots, demons, corpses, ghouls, and young maidens all taking part in “shrieking, howling orgies.” When David threatens to take Mary away, Richard brings Alice to life. Alice wants to meet Mary, but Richard forbids it and sends her away. David tries to sneak out, but when Richard catches him he declares that a ten-foot cobra will climb up his bedroom door and kill Mary. The scream that Richard hears, though, is from Alice, who has sneaked away to try and meet Mary. Standing over Alice’s dead body, Richard speaks

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for the house to begin burning, and it does. David then realizes that no matter how much he tries, he cannot escape, because he is one of Richard’s characters, too. When this short story was submitted to Rod Serling and Buck Houghton, they reportedly liked the premise but felt the approach was too melodramatic. It was decided to turn it into a comedy, which pleased Matheson. “ It was one of my favorites of the Twilight Zone segments I wrote,” he said. “The cast was perfect and Ralph Nelson’s directorial touch was just right.” 35 In Matheson’s original teleplay, Mary is 36, five-feet-three inches tall, has brown hair and a slim build, and wears a black dress with a single strand of pearls. Mary LaRoche, though, is younger (30), taller (five-feet-six), blonde, nicely built, and wearing a white dress. Apparently blondes have more fun, even in The Twilight Zone. “A World of His Own” is also unique in that it is the only episode in which a character interrupts Serling’s final narration and alters it. Serling, making his only first season on-camera appearance — he would begin on-camera prologues at the beginning of season two in “King Nine Will Not Return” (0930-60)— is “un-created” by Gregory after conceding to the audience that tonight’s episode was “nonsense” and “ridiculous.” Serling’s last words are “Well, that’s the way it goes.”

SEASON TWO September 30, ¡960–June 2, ¡96¡ Friday nights, ¡0:00 P.M. “King Nine Will Not Return”

have not been developed yet. Embry begins to laugh hysterically and falls to the ground in desperation. His recovery in a hospital room generates even more mystery. Notes and commentary: “King Nine Will Not Return” holds a special place in Twilight Zone history. After one season of providing opening and closing narration in voice-over, Serling made his very first on-screen appearance as narrator — though he did make a small cameo in season one’s last episode — and delivered the prologue for “King Nine.” Also, King Nine wasn’t the only thing missing as season two began: Bernard Herrmann’s haunting theme music was replaced by the now-familiar Marius Constant score. “King Nine” was another chance for Serling to turn a then-current event into a Twilight Zone tale. In May ¡959, the wreckage of the Lady Be Good— an American bomber that had disappeared in ¡943 during a World War II mission—was discovered in a Libyan desert. Needless to say, this headline event was tailor-made for The Twilight Zone. Two scenes from Serling’s original teleplay were judiciously removed from the final version. Originally, Serling called for an opening shot of a “large table map” with small markers, along

Original Airdate: September 30, ¡960; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Buzz Kulik; Producer: Buck Houghton; Music: Fred Steiner; Associate Producer: Del Reisman; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Managers: Ralph W. Nelson, Darrell Hallenbeck; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Phil Barber; Film Editor: Bill Mosher; Assistant Director: Kurt Neumann, Jr.; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, H. Web Arrowsmith; Casting: Ethel Winant; Sound: Frank[lin] Milton, Charles Scheid; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed on location near Lone Pine, California, and at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Captain James Embry: Bob Cummings; Psychiatrist: Gene Lyons; Doctor: Paul Lambert; Nurse: Jenna McMahon; British O‡cer: Seymour Green*; British Man: Richard Lupino.*

Synopsis: The King Nine, a World War II B-25 bomber, has crashed in the African desert after leaving from Tunisia to bomb a location in southern Italy. Amid the wreckage and strewn parts in the sand lies an unconscious man, Captain James Embry. After regaining consciousness, Embry surveys the scene and tries to figure out what has happened. Adding to his puzzlement is the fact that he knows all about jets, even though this is ¡943 and they

*This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

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Season Two (¡960-¡96¡) with voice-over radio communication with King Nine, to indicate the events leading up to the disappearance of the bomber. Obviously, such a scene was totally unnecessary in light of Serling’s adequate prologue information. Another original teleplay scene that could have hurt the episode is just after the sand spills from Embry’s shoe; before going back to see Embry, the doctor and psychiatrist actually pause to ask each other where the sand could have come from. The psychiatrist astutely replies that it could have come from a desert or a plane. This scene would have undercut the “enigma” (Serling’s first word from the epilogue narration) and diminished the impact of the ending. “King Nine Will Not Return” is essentially another take on the premise of “Where Is Everybody?” (¡0-02-59), especially with the main character talking out loud during his ordeal. Here, though, Serling allows the character both spoken dialogue and voice-over to convey thoughts and emotions. Serling takes more control of “King Nine” than he did of the pilot. His writing is more confident and assured here, and Serling gives us an ending in keeping with the story, unlike the somewhat static ending of “Where Is Everybody?” (¡0-0259). “King Nine” also benefits from Bob Cummings’ energetic and powerfully emotional performance. (Several years before, Cummings had been equally impressive in Serling’s “Bomber’s Moon” [05-22-58], an installment of the Playhouse 90 dramatic anthology series on CBS. In ¡954, Cummings captured an Emmy Award for Best Actor in a Single Performance, in Twelve Angry Men, which was scripted by Reginald Rose, writer of season four’s “The Incredible World of Horace Ford” [04-¡8-63].)

Buzz Kulik proves an e‡cient director here in the first of his many Twilight Zone assignments.

“The Man in the Bottle” Original Airdate: October 7, ¡960; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Don Medford; Producer: Buck Houghton; Associate Producer: Del Reisman; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Phil Barber; Film Editor: Leon Barsha, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: Darrell Hallenbeck; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, H. Web Arrowsmith; Casting: Ethel Winant; Sound: Frank[lin] Milton, Charles Scheid; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Arthur Castle: Luther Adler; Edna Castle: Vivi Janiss; Genie: Joseph Ruskin; Man from the IRS: Olan Soule; Mrs. Gumley: Lisa Golm; German O‡cer: Peter Coe*; O‡cer #2: Albert Szabo.*

Synopsis: A genie summoned from an old wine bottle grants four wishes to curio shop proprietors Arthur and Edna Castle. Wishing for money and power allows the Castles to look at their lives in a new light. Notes and commentary: The ageold genie story makes its way into The Twilight Zone in Serling’s “The Man in the Bottle.” There’s the requisite smokefrom-the-bottle routine right before the genie makes his grand appearance. Most genies grant but three wishes after being rescued from such cramped confines, but in The Twilight Zone this one generously grant four. Generosity, however, is the only virtuous trait of this genie. He politely grants the first two wishes without any hint of malice (assuming he had nothing to do with the just-happened-to-be-there-whenthe-money-was-flowing appearance of

*This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

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the IRS drone), but on the third wish he really dishes out the mean spirit when, among all the twentieth century dictators, he chooses for Castle the least desirable—Herr Führer himself, Adolf Hitler! (Ironically, Luther Adler also played Hitler in ¡95¡’s The Desert Fox, costarring Cedric Hardwicke, who later played the title character in “Uncle Simon” [¡¡-¡563], and Everett Sloane, the husband addicted to gambling in Serling’s “The Fever” [0¡-29-60].) What’s more, the genie plops Castle down not in a scene from Hitler: The Early Years but Hitler: The Final Day. Castle’s first duty in o‡ce: commit suicide. So much for an inauguration and the like. No apparent motivations are given, then, for the menacing nature of the genie. (Maybe if one spent a few centuries cooped up in an old smelly wine bottle one would have a better idea.) Overall, this episode is quite uninspired and forgettable, especially considering the fine work Serling was doing at the time. “The Man in the Bottle” is also the weakest directorial e›ort from Don Medford, whose other Twilight Zone credits include the above-average trio of “The Mirror” (¡0-20-6¡), “Death’shead Revisited” (¡¡-¡0-6¡), and “Death Ship” (02-07-63). At least actress Vivi Janiss (Edna Castle) gets her husband back in this story. In “The Fever,” Janiss played Flora Gibbs, whose husband succumbs to gambling fever and eventually leaps to his death from a hotel window.

“Nervous Man in a Four Dollar Room” Original Airdate: October ¡4, ¡960; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Douglas Heyes; Producer: Buck Houghton; Music: Jerry Goldsmith; Associate Producer: Del Reisman; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens,

A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Phil Barber; Film Editor: Bill Mosher; Assistant Director: Darrell Hallenbeck; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, H. Web Arrowsmith; Casting: Ethel Winant; Sound: Frank[lin] Milton, Charles Scheid; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Jackie Rhoades: Joe Mantell; George: William D. Gordon

Synopsis: Jackie Rhoades is assigned by a thug named George to kill an old bar owner who refuses to pay protection to George’s racket. Jackie nervously paces the room and tries to talk himself into going through with the job. He even talks to himself in front of the adjustable dresser mirror, where he sees another version of himself smoking a cigarette and talking tough. Jackie’s double, opposite in every other respect but appearance, taunts and baits Jackie; the double demands that he be released so he can take over and live the dreams and goodness that Jackie has passed up and never realized. Notes and commentary: “Nervous Man in a Four Dollar Room” shows Serling at his hard-boiled best. Actually, the story — with its taut, crackling dialogue and dark, uneasy atmosphere— is really a half-hour film noir or, more appropriately, a hard-boiled crime drama. Serling adheres to the genre yet transcends it by infusing it with the supernatural or paranormal device of the doppelgänger, last used in season one’s “Mirror Image” (02-26-60). Accompanying Serling’s potent teleplay is George T. Clemens’s persistently claustrophobic and disturbing cinematography. The camera follows Jackie relentlessly, underscoring his tense and neurotic behavior. Even the scene behind Serling during his prologue is an o›beat and overhead shot of the cramped and stifling room that holds the nervous

Season Two (¡960-¡96¡) man of the title. In addition, the e›ects involving the mirror are seamless and beautifully executed. Douglas Heyes, the veteran TZ director who would next direct the classic episode “The Howling Man” (¡¡-04-60), is as reliable as ever, keeping the pace and movement quick and tight in tandem with the protagonist. Jerry Goldsmith contributes an appropriately menacing and suspenseful score. Joe Mantell does a marvelously manic and fevered turn as the sweaty sycophant, injecting his rapid, clipped speech with a constant nervous chuckle. The restless and jittery Jackie Rhoades makes Franklin Gibbs from “The Fever” (0¡-29-60) seem almost sedate and normal by comparison. Mantell is equally good as Jackie’s tough and stern alter ego. A comparable Serling teleplay in both setting and intensity — where Serling reworks “Nervous Man” and changes the premise — is “The Last Night of a Jockey” (¡0-25-63), an early episode from season five.

“A Thing About Machines” Original Airdate: October 28, ¡960; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: David Orrick McDearmon; Producer: Buck Houghton; Associate Producer: Del Reisman; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Sidney Van Keuran; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Phil Barber; Film Editor: Leon Barsha, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: Darrell Hallenbeck; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, H. Web Arrowsmith; Casting: Ethel Winant; Sound: Frank[lin] Milton, Charles Scheid; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Bartlett Finchley: Richard Haydn; Edith: Barbara Stuart; TV Repairman: Barney Phillips; Policeman: Henry Beckman; Intern: Jay Overholts; Girl on TV: Margarita Cordova.

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Synopsis: Bachelor sophisticate and recluse Bartlett Finchley has a particular aversion to anything mechanical or electrical. He senses that the feeling is mutual, that his machines have been trying to destroy him over the past month. A battle of man versus machine ensues. Notes and commentary: In today’s age of supercomputers that are capable of “learning” and functioning much like the human brain, the premise of “A Thing About Machines”— that of machines exacting their revenge on humans — is even more believable. Today, typewriters do type by themselves (printing out data stored internally or on a disk), television sets and radios turn on and o› by themselves (“time shifting” is the popular VCR pastime), and some cars just refuse to get lost (those with vehicle guidance systems). In Serling’s original television script, Bartlett Finchley — perhaps named after the title character in Serling’s “Mr. Finchley versus the Bomb,” which aired January 7, ¡952, on Lux Video Theater— does not fall into the pool and drown. The car traps him in the garage and backs him into a corner like a caged animal. The authorities find him the next morning inside the garage in front of his car. He is slumped against the far wall, eyes wide open. Serling adapted his original teleplay into a short story that appeared in his best-selling anthology collection, More Stories from The Twilight Zone (¡96¡). In it, Serling tacked on a somewhat humorous postmortem postscript to technophobe Finchley’s battle with machines. According to the caretaker of the cemetery where Finchley was interred, the power mower that he used on the cemetery lawn had on more than one occasion “shown a disconcerting tendency to veer o› the right and smash against

Part II : The Episodes

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Bartlett Finchley’s tombstone.” Even in death, poor old Bartlett couldn’t get along with machines! Also, another supporting character— as in the earlier “Escape Clause” (¡¡-0659)—falls prey to last-minute editing. In Serling’s teleplay, a telephone repairman appears near the end of the story to fix the phone and endure Finchley’s incessant sniping. (Twilight Zone Companion even credits an actor with the role.) However, the repairman is nowhere to be found in the episode. Perhaps Finchley’s car was getting some practice? Several years later, Stephen King would use the premise of killer machines for at least three of his works: “The Mangler” and “Trucks,” both short stories (from the Night Shift collection) turned into feature films; and Christine (¡983), the novel (filmed by John Carpenter that same year) about a murderous ¡958 Plymouth Fury. Barney Phillips, the actor playing the TV repairman, later becomes the threeeyed Venusian proprietor of the HiWay Cafe in “Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?” (05-26-6¡).

“The Howling Man” Original Airdate: November 4, 1960; Writer: Charles Beaumont; Source: “The Howling Man,” a short story by Charles Beaumont; Director: Douglas Heyes; Producer: Buck Houghton; Associate Producer: Del Reisman; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Managers: Sidney Van Keuran, Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Phil Barber; Film Editor: Bill Mosher; Assistant Director: Darrell Hallenbeck; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, H. Web Arrowsmith; Casting: Ethel Winant; Sound: Frank[lin] Milton, Charles Scheid; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Brother Jerome: John Carradine; David

Ellington: H. M. Wynant; The Howling Man: Robin Hughes; Brother Christophorus: Frederic Ledebur; Housekeeper: Ezelle Poule.

Synopsis: On a stormy night in central Europe just after the end of World War I, David Ellington gets lost while on a walking tour and seeks shelter from the storm at a dark and barren hermitage. Upon entering, he meets Brother Jerome and Brother Christophorus, two stern and austere members of an order known as the Brothers of Truth. Ellington then hears a piercing, wolf-like howl, which Christophorus attributes to the wind. Weak and feverish, Ellington passes out. When he awakens he notices an incarcerated man who could be either a falsely accused prisoner or the Devil himself. Notes and commentary: For “The Howling Man,” his first entry of season two, Charles Beaumont adapted his short story of the same name (reprinted in The Twilight Zone: The Original Stories [1985]). However, Beaumont made a few changes for his teleplay. In the short story, Ellington is a well-to-do young man from Boston who persuades his parents to finance his tour of Europe. Also, it is never clear if the escaped prisoner is indeed the Devil. Ellington releases him, and they both run to the village, where Ellington falls down from exhaustion. The filthy, hairy, and naked prisoner scoffs at Ellington and disappears into the night. Several townspeople find Ellington lying on the ground and listen to his story about finding the prisoner in the hermitage. Brothers Jerome and Christophorus, of course, deny the story, and Jerome tells the people that Ellington is delirious and will probably imagine that he has unleashed the Devil or some crazy thing. Also noticeably different is the resolution of each story. Whereas in the

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Season Two (¡960-¡96¡) episode Ellington obsesses and searches for years to find and recapture the Devil, in the short story he merely receives a postcard from Christophorus telling him that the Brothers have captured the howling man once again. Obviously, the filmed episode is much more dramatic and memorable than the story. Once again — as in “Perchance to Dream” (11-27-59) from the first season — Beaumont uses a passage spoken by the title character of Shakespeare’s Hamlet around which to construct his premise: …and the devil hath power T’assume a pleasing shape, yea, and perhaps, Out of my weakness and my melancholy, As he is very potent with such spirits, Abuses me to damn me. (II.ii.599-603)

In fact, Brother Jerome even speaks the first two lines when he is trying to convince Ellington that the prisoner really is the Devil. “The Howling Man” is an eerie and striking blend of folk tale and horror story, a reminder (as Serling says in the epilogue) that even if the Devil can be caught, he can’t be held for too long. Carradine, with his deep, stentorian voice and imposing presence, is effectively cast as Brother Jerome. George T. Clemens turns in another beautiful piece of cinematography here, especially with the frequent use of slow, tilting camera angles, which create a distorted perspective and a sense of disorientation, which are of course what Ellington feels as he fights fever and sickness while undergoing such an incredibly surreal and nightmarish experience. Also, Douglas Heyes returns from “Nervous Man in a Four Dollar Room” (10-14-60) to provide master-

ful and assured direction. Amazingly, Heyes directed another instant classic, “Eye of the Beholder” (11-11-60), that aired the week after “The Howling Man.” Alongside “Long Live Walter Jameson” (03-18-60) and “Living Doll” (11-01-63), “The Howling Man” is one of Charles Beaumont’s best and wellremembered pieces.

“Eye of the Beholder” Original Airdate: November ¡¡, ¡960; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Douglas Heyes; Producer: Buck Houghton; Music: Bernard Herrmann; Associate Producer: Del Reisman; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Managers: Darrell Hallenbeck, Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Phil Barber; Film Editor: Leon Barsha, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: Henry Weinberger; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, H. Web Arrowsmith; Casting: Ethel Winant; Sound: Frank[lin] Milton, Charles Scheid; Makeup: William Tuttle; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Janet Tyler (under bandages): Maxine Stuart; Doctor: William D. Gordon; Janet’s Nurse: Jennifer Howard; Leader: George Keymas; Reception Nurse: Joanna Heyes; Walter Smith: Edson Stroll; Janet Tyler (revealed): Donna Douglas.

Synopsis: Janet Tyler has a hideously abnormal face that has thus far not responded to ten di›erent treatments. As the bandages are slowly unwrapped from her face, she knows that if this last one fails she will be sent to a special communal area in which people of her kind have congregated. Notes and commentary: “Eye of the Beholder”— which was originally titled “A Private World of Darkness” ¡— is without a doubt one of The Twilight Zone’s most popular and enduring episodes. Fans and critics alike rank it at

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the very top of the list of greatest Twilight Zone episodes. (It was recognized in the January/February ¡998 issue of Cinescape as the sixth-best science fiction television episode of all time.) What makes it so great? First and foremost, it is a great artistic collaboration. Everything in the episode clicks: Serling’s skillful, textured writing; Douglas Heyes’s imaginative direction; George Clemens’s brilliantly choreographed, balletic camera work; William Tuttle’s striking makeup; and Bernard Herrmann’s evocative, virtuoso score. On the surface, Serling seems here to be commenting about society’s obsession with beauty and about how quickly any person who deviates from the accepted standard of beauty is alienated. Dig deeper, though, and Serling seems to be speaking more broadly about conformity and prejudice. We are becoming a homogenous society, says Serling, spoon-fed by television and the media about what we should eat, what we should wear, and how we should act. When someone deviates from the norm, prejudice naturally creeps in. Serling must have noticed that men and women are increasingly becoming like one another, blurring the once welldefined gender roles. The pig-like faces of the hospital sta› were made of foam rubber and attached to the actors’ faces using a gum solution. There were two main parts of the masks — a brown piece and a large piece that covered the nose, cheeks, and upper lip. There were about ¡2 actors who portrayed the porcine medical sta›, but only three or four masks made, so there had to be a bit of sharing on the set.2 This was beneficial, though, because each face was di›erent and contorted the mask di›erently. Makeup director William Tuttle, who got the

idea for the masks during his work on The Time Machine (¡960), would again create similarly striking and grotesque masks to great e›ect in Serling’s “The Masks” (03-20-64). Look quickly for Donna Douglas as a party guest in the season three TZ misfire “Cavender Is Coming” (05-25-62).

“Nick of Time” Original Airdate: November ¡8, ¡960; Writer: Richard Matheson; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Richard L. Bare; Producer: Buck Houghton; Associate Producer: Del Reisman; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Managers: Sidney Van Keuran, Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Phil Barber; Film Editor: Leon Barsha, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: Darrell Hallenbeck; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, H. Web Arrowsmith; Casting: Ethel Winant; Sound: Frank[lin] Milton, Charles Scheid; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Don Carter: William Shatner; Pat Carter: Patricia Breslin; Counter Man: Guy Wilkerson; Mechanic: Sta›ord Repp; Desperate Man: Walter Reed; Desperate Woman: Dee Carroll.

Synopsis: A faulty fuel pump has delayed Don and Pat Carter’s honeymoon trip, so they go to a café for some lunch. Taking a corner booth, they notice that the napkin holder is a penny machine called “Mystic Seer” that dispenses fortune-telling tickets in reply to yes-orno questions. Atop the machine is the continually bobbing toy head of a laughing devil. Just for fun, Don puts in a penny and pulls the slot. As they begin their lunch, Don continues pumping pennies into the machine and asking questions. Pat tries to talk some sense into Don, but he is convinced that the machine can predict the future. Notes and commentary: “Nick of Time” is the first of only two Richard

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Season Two (¡960-¡96¡) Matheson o›erings from season two. The episode fits nicely with Serling’s first season “The Fever” (0¡-29-60) and makes for a study in contrasting styles. Franklin Gibbs, the protagonist of “The Fever,” becomes a raging lunatic who succumbs to his obsession even to the point of verbally abusing and neglecting his wife. Matheson’s protagonist in “Nick of Time,” Don Carter, also develops a gradual obsession, but his is more restrained, showing only brief moments of behavior that hint at man’s potential for self-destruction. Carter, of course, has the good sense to cling to the certainty of love and the present instead of the distant and possibly precarious future. William Shatner, making his first appearance in The Twilight Zone, gives a brilliant performance that has remained overshadowed by his later role in Matheson’s “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” (¡0-¡¡-63), one of the all-time greatest TZ episodes. As Don Carter, Shatner avoids histrionics and bombastic outbursts in favor of restraint and a barely contained anxiety that could erupt at any moment. Patricia Breslin is equally impressive as Pat, combining tenderness, common sense, and a firm resolve and commitment that eventually help save her husband from certain defeat and downfall. Like the performances, the episode itself is subtle and filled with an underlying tension of the threatening and potentially destructive nature of giving in to one’s fears or obsessions. Also like Serling and “The Fever,” Matheson’s “Nick of Time” was inspired by a real-life incident: My wife and I saw a fortune-telling machine like that in a co›ee shop. I put a few pennies in it, and for a while it seemed to be working. … The art *This credit does not appear in the episode’s end titles.

department added the devil’s head for e›ect. It was a nice touch.3

Matheson’s next — and last — episode for season two is “The Invaders,” a classic tour de force that is unlike any other TZ episode.

“The Lateness of the Hour” Original Airdate: December 2, ¡960; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Jack Smight; Producer: Buck Houghton; Associate Producer: Del Reisman; Director of Photography: None— videotaped episode; Technical Director: Jim Brady; Lighting Director: Tom D. Schamp; Art Direction: Craig Smith; Assistant (Associate) Director: James Clark; Set Decorations: Arthur Jeph Parker; Casting: Ethel Winant; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Taped at CBS Television City, Los Angeles.*

CAST

Jana: Inger Stevens; Dr. Loren: John Hoyt; Mrs. Loren: Irene Tedrow; Robert: Tom Palmer; Nelda: Mary Gregory; Suzanne: Valley Keane; Gretchen: Doris Karnes; Jensen: Jason Johnson.

Synopsis: Dr. William Loren lives with his wife and daughter Jana in a stately mansion, custom built for perfect living conditions and sta›ed by emotionless, human-looking robots. Alarmed at the family’s growing isolation and atrophy, Jana gives her father a choice: either get rid of the machines, or she’ll leave for good. Notes and commentary: “The Lateness of the Hour” was the first of six Twilight Zone episodes to be videotaped at CBS Television City in Los Angeles. In a cost-cutting move, the shows were transferred from tape to ¡6mm film for broadcast. Most of the “Lateness” editing was done right on the spot, with technical director Jim Brady switching from camera to cam-

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era at the command of director Jack Smight, a live-television veteran who directed two of the other taped episodes: “Night of the Meek” (¡2-23-60) and “Twenty Two” (02-¡0-6¡). The taped episodes had to be shot on a sound stage, which limited both the plots and camera setups of each episode. This played to the advantage of “Lateness,” however, because it is a story of a family’s physical isolation from the outside world. As such, it was the only episode not severely handicapped by the tape format. (All of the episodes, though, are greatly hindered from an aesthetic perspective by the graininess and poor latitude of tape.) On the other hand, the cast of “Lateness”— including Inger Stevens, earlier of “The Hitch-Hiker” (0¡-22-60) and John Hoyt, later in “Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?” (05-26-6¡)— seem to be trying too hard to rise above a mediocre script. “Lateness” has convincing atmosphere and a nice shock at the end, but otherwise it is less than outstanding, especially after Serling’s similar and superior “The After Hours” (06-¡0-60).

“The Trouble with Templeton” Original Airdate: December 9, ¡960; Writer: E. Jack Neuman; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Buzz Kulik; Producer: Buck Houghton; Music: Je› Alexander; Associate Producer: Del Reisman; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: E. Darrell Hallenbeck; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Phil Barber; Film Editor: Bill Mosher; Assistant Director: Lindsley Parsons, Jr.; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, H. Web Arrowsmith; Casting: Ethel Winant; Sound: Frank[lin] Milton, Charles Scheid; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Booth Templeton: Brian Aherne; Laura Templeton: Pippa Scott; Willis: Sydney Pollack; Marcel: Dave Willock; Sid Sperry: King Calder; Freddie: Larry Blake; Eddie: David Thursby; Barney Flueger: Charles Carlson; Ed Page: John Kroger.*

Synopsis: Booth Templeton is an aging Broadway actor whose life now holds only medication, the daily grind of performing, and the infidelity of his wife, who makes no attempts to hide her indiscretions. All Templeton has to hold onto, he says, are the memories of his beautiful and loving first wife, Laura, who married Templeton at ¡8 and died at the young age of 25. Upon arriving at the theater to rehearse his new play, Templeton discovers that he has somehow walked through the past to the year ¡927. But, Templeton learns, the past has a way of conspiring against his memories. Notes and commentary: “The Trouble with Templeton” is the only contribution to the series by writer E. Jack Neuman, writer-producer of such TV series as A Man Called Shenandoah, Kate McShane, Mr. Novak, Dr. Kildare, Petrocelli, and Police Story. It is also the only episode of season two not written by a regular TZ writer. (George Clayton Johnson, who would later write some classic episodes and who already had two stories adapted by Serling, would begin as a TZ regular several weeks later with “A Penny for Your Thoughts” [02-03-6¡].) This episode, with a confused actor thrust into another “life,” is slightly similar to Matheson’s season-one episode “A World of Di›erence” (03-¡¡-60). However, the premise of “Templeton” is closer to Serling’s earlier “Walking Distance” (¡0-3059). Both episodes have a main character

*This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

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Season Two (¡960-¡96¡) who yearns to return to the security of his romanticized and idyllic past. Neuman’s teleplay is delicately balanced, refusing to lapse into sentimentality while at the same time allowing the character to return to his changing world with a newfound resolve and dignity. An especially poignant moment — in addition to being balletic and hushed — is when Templeton becomes hurt and frustrated by the behavior of his beloved Laura and leaves the speakeasy. All of the crowd, including Laura (with a sorrowful look on her face), become motionless and silent as the lights fade to black, almost as if they are on a stage. It is only after his return to the present that Templeton realizes the people from his past were “acting” di›erently in order to prevent him from returning to his past as an escape from the present. Viewers will also notice the young Sydney Pollack as the obnoxious director Willis. Pollack, of course, would move on to be an Academy Awardwinning director of such films as Three Days of the Condor (¡975), Tootsie (¡982), Out of Africa (¡985), and The Firm (¡993), just to name a few. Brian Aherne, as the wistful and forlorn Booth Templeton, gives a moving and understated performance here in another quiet and composed episode that, even more than “Nick of Time” (¡¡-¡8-60), is often overlooked in the TZ canon. Note the contrast between Templeton and Barbara Jean Trenton, the protagonist in the early episode “The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine” (¡0-23-59). Templeton is rejected by the characters from his past so that he can move on with his life, while Trenton must regress into the past, not to mention an artificial, unchanging world. Templeton seems more human, more deserving of our empathy.

“A Most Unusual Camera” Original Airdate: December ¡6, ¡960; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: John Rich; Producer: Buck Houghton; Associate Producer: Del Reisman; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Phil Barber; Film Editor: Bill Mosher; Assistant Director: E. Darrell Hallenbeck; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, H. Web Arrowsmith; Casting: Ethel Winant; Sound: Frank[lin] Milton, Charles Scheid; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Chester Diedrich: Fred Clark; Paula Diedrich: Jean Carson; Woodward: Adam Williams; Waiter: Marcel Hillaire; Racetrack Tout: Artie Lewis.*

Synopsis: A stolen camera that takes instant pictures of future events puts big dollar signs in the eyes of Chester and Paula Diedrich, two small-time thieves. The camera is good for only ten shots, though, and dead bodies keep showing up in the pictures. Notes and commentary: “A Most Unusual Camera” contains an oft-repeated theme on The Twilight Zone— that greed is often man’s own worst enemy, and when granted unlimited, open-ended choices of power, fame, or fortune (whether from a centuries-old genie, an impeccably dressed devil, or a “most unusual” camera), man often makes the wrong decisions, decisions that most often lead to his downfall. In this episode it is quite literally a “down fall” for the four characters who end up as chalk lines on the sidewalk. The rest of the episode pretty much falls splat, too, from John Rich’s weak direction to the broad caricatures created by the inept cast. Adam Williams’s Woodward must be the dumbest clod to ever set foot in The Twilight Zone, slurring lines like “Wait a minute. How come?”

*This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

Part II : The Episodes

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(Williams must have had the sense scared out of him during his short trip — he was the hitchhiking sailor — with Inger Stevens in “The HitchHiker [0¡-22-60].) Worst of all, the ending is totally preposterous — how in the world does Pierre the waiter fall out of the window? Does he trip over his own thick French accent? We’ll never know, because the camera pans over to the “most unusual” camera sitting bemusedly on the floor.

“Night of the Meek” Original Airdate: December 23, ¡960; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Jack Smight; Producer: Buck Houghton; Associate Producer: Del Reisman; Director of Photography: None— videotaped episode; Technical Director: Jim Brady; Lighting Director: Tom D. Schamp; Art Direction: Craig Smith; Assistant (Associate) Director: James Clark; Set Decorations: Arthur Jeph Parker; Casting: Ethel Winant; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Taped at CBS Television City, Los Angeles.*

CAST

Henry Corwin: Art Carney; Mr. Dundee: John Fiedler; O‡cer Flaherty: Robert P. Lieb; Bartender: Val Avery; Sister Florence: Meg Wyllie; Irate Mother: Kay Cousins; Old Man (Burt): Burt Mustin; Elf: Larrian Gillespie.†

Synopsis: Henry Corwin, a late-forwork department store Santa Claus, sits in a bar getting drunk in his disheveled and worn-looking Santa suit. Corwin finally arrives at the store to assume his role of Santa Claus but is too drunk to perform his Christmas Eve duties. He is then fired by Mr. Dundee, the store manager, who berates him for being a useless wino. Truly apologetic for his drunkenness, Corwin feels that too many people have forgotten the true

Christmas spirit of giving, loving, and sharing. Just for one Christmas, he says, he would like to see the meek inherit the earth. Before the night is over, Corwin finds himself with the ability to give gifts and make people happy every Christmas. Notes and commentary: Serling returns to his perennially favorite theme of the down-on-his-luck everyman who is given a shot at redemption and a second lease on life. In marked contrast to his famous comic role as Ed Norton on The Honeymooners, four-time Emmy winner and Academy Award winner Art Carney here gives a touching and sincere performance. “Night of the Meek” is a TZ fable about the spirit of Christmas and how it is often forgotten or neglected during the hustle and bustle of the often over-commercialized holiday season. (Incidentally, the episode aired two days before Christmas in ¡960.) Serling’s teleplay smoothly combines poignant and touching moments with small comic ones, and never relies upon, or allows, maudlin or overwrought scenes. The episode is the second of six that were videotaped and aired during season two. Despite the fake snow — far from the “driving sheets of wet white” Serling calls for in his original teleplay —“Night of the Meek” still rises above the awkward and uncomfortable studio feel of videotaping to become a notable and moving TZ episode. Serling also wrote a short story adaptation of “Night of the Meek”— faithful in every way to the episode — for his third collection of TZ stories adapted from his original teleplays, New Stories from The Twilight Zone (¡962). “Night of the Meek” was remade,

*This credit does not appear in the episode’s end titles. † This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

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Season Two (¡960-¡96¡) with the same title, as a segment of The New Twilight Zone broadcast on December 20, ¡985.

“Dust” Original Airdate: January 6, ¡96¡; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Douglas Heyes; Producer: Buck Houghton; Music: Jerry Goldsmith; Associate Producer: Del Reisman; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Sidney Van Keuran; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Phil Barber; Film Editor: Bill Mosher; Assistant Director: E. Darrell Hallenbeck; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, H. Web Arrowsmith; Casting: Ethel Winant; Sound: Frank[lin] Milton, Charles Scheid; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Sykes: Thomas Gomez; Sheri› Koch: John Larch; Gallegos: Vladimir Sokolo›; Luis Gallegos: John Alonso; Mr. Canfield: Paul Genge; Mrs. Canfield: Dorothy Adams; Rogers: Duane Grey; Man #¡: John Lormer; Estrelita: Andrea Margolis; Man #2: Daniel White*; Farmer Boy: Douglas Heyes [Jr.]

Synopsis: On the day his son is to be hanged for running over a young girl, Gallegos buys a small bag of “magic dust” from crooked peddler Sykes. Gallegos believes in his heart that the dust will turn hate to love and make people forgive his son. Notes and commentary: “Dust” is a bit slow moving at times (much like the listless village that is portrayed), but its message is pure and timeless: that real magic is contained within the human heart. Deep within there is forgiveness, compassion, and hope, and the ability to conjure them up in the face of misery is the essence of humanity. The standouts in this episode are Vladimir Sokolo›—“The Mirror” (¡0-

20-6¡), “The Gift” (04-27-62)— and Thomas Gomez, the dapper Devil in “Escape Clause” (¡¡-06-59). Sokolo›, as the anguished, desperate father of the condemned, is deeply a›ecting. Gomez plays Sykes as a haggard lowlife with no conscience. He appears at first to be rotten through and through, but in the end he reveals a more human side, one that can be penetrated by hope and compassion. Incidentally, the little boy who speaks with the imprisoned Luis Gallegos is Douglas Heyes, Jr., the son of the episode’s director. Serling’s shortstory adaptation of “Dust” is collected in More Stories from The Twilight Zone (¡96¡).

“Back There” Original Airdate: January ¡3, ¡96¡; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: David Orrick McDearmon; Producer: Buck Houghton; Music: Jerry Goldsmith; Associate Producer: Del Reisman; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Sidney Van Keuran; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Phil Barber; Film Editor: Leon Barsha, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: E. Darrell Hallenbeck; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, H. Web Arrowsmith; Casting: Ethel Winant; Sound: Frank[lin] Milton, Charles Scheid; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at Metro-GoldwynMayer Studios.

CAST

Peter Corrigan: Russell Johnson; Police Sergeant: Paul Hartman; William: Bartlett Robinson; John Wilkes Booth: John Lasell; Patrolman: James Lydon; Millard: Raymond Bailey; Jackson: Raymond Greenleaf; Whittaker: John Eldredge; Policeman: James Gavin; Mrs. Landers: Jean Inness; Lieutenant: Lew Brown; Lieutenant’s Girl: Carol Rossen; Chambermaid: Nora Marlowe; Attendant ¡865: Fred Kruger*; Attendant ¡96¡: Pat O’Malley.

*This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

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Synopsis: On April ¡4, ¡96¡, after playing cards and discussing the subject of time travel with three friends at the Potomac Club, Peter Corrigan walks out the door and into a di›erent time. The mystified Corrigan, after meeting a couple who are preparing to attend the play Our American Cousin, is certain he has somehow been transported 96 years back in time to April ¡4, ¡865, the date of Abraham Lincoln’s assassination by John Wilkes Booth. Realizing the assassination will take place in a short time, he races to Ford’s Theater and desperately tries to gain entrance so he can warn people about the impending tragedy. Notes and commentary: “Back There” is a highly enjoyable story of time travel and alternate history. This episode in particular reveals Serling’s ease and assurance in plotting. Each plot point builds from the preceding one to hurl the protagonist and his e›orts to their inevitable conclusion. The revelation that Corrigan has altered William’s family history is a great twist and would make a suitable ending, but Serling goes further and includes Corrigan’s discovery of Booth’s handkerchief to seal the episode. It is a beautiful touch, one that Serling uses for maximum e›ect. “Back There” marks Russell Johnson’s second TZ appearance. Coincidentally, his first episode, “Execution” (04-0¡-60), is also a time travel story. Before becoming forever typecast as the Professor on Gilligan’s Island, Johnson here gives a credible performance as the earnest and quixotic man out to change the face of American history. The performance is matched by another masterful score by Jerry Goldsmith, evoking the unceasing atmosphere of dread, *This credit does not appear in the episode’s end titles.

anxiety, and helplessness in the face of imminent tragedy. Serling will take The Twilight Zone to the Civil War era again in “The Passersby” (¡0-06-6¡) and “Still Valley” (¡¡-24-6¡). The inability to change the past will resurface in “No Time Like the Past” (03-07-63), a later one-hour Serling episode.

“The Whole Truth” Original Airdate: January 20, ¡96¡; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: James Sheldon; Producer: Buck Houghton; Associate Producer: Del Reisman; Director of Photography: None— videotaped episode; Technical Director: Jim Brady; Lighting Director: Tom D. Schamp; Art Direction: Robert Tyler Lee; Assistant (Associate) Director: James Clark; Set Decorations: Buck Henshaw; Casting: Ethel Winant; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Taped at CBS Television City, Los Angeles.*

CAST

Harvey Hunnicut: Jack Carson; Honest Luther Grimbley: Loring Smith; Old Man: George Chandler; Young Man: Jack Ging; Irv: Arte Johnson; The Premier’s Aide: Patrick Westwood; The Premier: Lee Sabinson; Young Woman: Nan Peterson.

Synopsis: Harvey Hunnicut, a slick, brash used-car salesman, buys a haunted Model A and finds himself compelled to tell the absolute truth. After the truth gets him in all kinds of trouble, Hunnicut thinks of the perfect person to sell the car to and thus rid himself of the curse. Notes and commentary: “The Whole Truth” is one of the weakest Twilight Zone episodes of the first two seasons. The episode was one of the six to be videotaped, which is bad enough in itself, but the soundstage it was taped on is never really convincing as an outdoor used-car lot. There’s no

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Season Two (¡960-¡96¡) sunshine glistening o› polished chrome, no open-air atmosphere, and no sounds of automobiles speeding by on a nearby highway. The producers displayed questionable judgment when they selected this episode to be videotaped and not shot at an exterior location. A number of episodes produced about the same time — namely, “The Silence” (04-28-6¡) and “Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?” (05-26-6¡)— are basically “indoor” dramas, and might have held up better than “The Whole Truth” did on videotape. “The Whole Truth” is also handicapped by Serling’s hopelessly dated punchline of Khrushchev as an honest man. Serling wasn’t at all afraid of dramatizing political figures—Adolf Hitler in “The Man in the Bottle” (¡0-0760) and Fidel Castro in “The Mirror” (¡0-20-6¡) come immediately to mind— but here he stretches the audience’s suspension of disbelief a little too thin. Viewers are to believe that Khrushchev and his cronies and his stretch luxury car all flew or sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to buy a $25 Model A clunker, just to take it all the way back to the Soviet Union and there make fun of the Americans and spread a little propaganda on the order of, “Hey, if they drive junk cars like this, maybe democracy isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.” (In his short-story adaptation that appeared in New Stories from The Twilight Zone [¡962], Serling explains that Khrushchev was already in the United States, visiting the United Nations.) The “whole truth” here is that this is another Serling attempt at comedy that doesn’t make the sale. In the feature film Liar Liar (¡997), comedian Jim Carrey parlayed a similar premise — a chronic liar is inexplic-

ably rendered painfully honest for 24 hours — into a box o‡ce hit.

“The Invaders” Original Airdate: January 27, ¡96¡; Writer: Richard Matheson; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Douglas Heyes; Producer: Buck Houghton; Music: Jerry Goldsmith; Associate Producer: Del Reisman; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: E. Darrell Hallenbeck; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Phil Barber; Film Editor: Leon Barsha, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: Lindsley Parsons, Jr.; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, H. Web Arrowsmith; Casting: Ethel Winant; Sound: Frank[lin] Milton, Charles Scheid; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Woman: Agnes Moorehead; Voice of Astronaut: Douglas Heyes*

Synopsis: In an isolated house, a woman silently prepares food in her kitchen. Suddenly, she hears a piercing noise and the house begins to shake. Still speechless, she climbs a ladder to the attic to investigate and finds what appears to be a flying saucer. As the saucer’s hatch opens, a doll-size robot emerges. When the robot reappears and begins repeatedly shooting her with some sort of light ray, the woman throws her lamp at it and knocks it away. Thus begins her struggle to survive attack from the antagonistic “invaders.” Notes and commentary: “The Invaders,” Richard Matheson’s second and final entry of season two, is one of the greatest TZ episodes ever filmed; it is also one of the best-remembered. The episode is an all-around tour de force. The most amazing aspect of “The Invaders” is how it sustains dramatic tension and suspense without character interaction or dialogue. In fact, the only

*This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

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words ever heard are the terrified astronaut’s staccato radio outbursts. (The voice of the astronaut is provided by Douglas Heyes, the episode’s director.) Agnes Moorehead (who would win an Emmy Award in ¡966 for her role in the “Night of the Vicious Valentine” episode of The Wild Wild West) gives an outstanding and brilliant performance as the seemingly mute woman who is accosted by “alien invaders.” She conveys alarm, exasperation, and fright through purely physical acting. In place of words, Moorehead uses continual facial expressions, gasps, grunts, and screams. Jerry Goldsmith creates another strong and dynamic score, here a string arrangement that creates a nervous and suspenseful atmosphere. This episode in particular illustrates just how important a score can be, especially with such an austere setting and no dialogue. Douglas Heyes, in his ninth and final Twilight Zone, provides solid direction as well as the only dialogue of the episode. Heyes’s contribution to the series cannot be overestimated, as he helmed some of the most memorable and important episodes, such as “The Howling Man” (¡¡-04-60), “Eye of the Beholder” (¡¡-¡¡-60), and, of course, “The Invaders.” Surprisingly, Richard Matheson has never been overly fond of this episode, one of the most popular of the series. Though he doesn’t totally dismiss it, he has remained a bit underwhelmed: …I wasn’t completely happy with the way “The Invaders” was filmed. Agnes Moorehead was wonderful, but the direction just dragged its feet. My version had many things going on that really kept the story going: much more involvement and incident. I also didn’t want the viewers to catch more than a brief glimpse of the creatures until a

very extended point in the story. I envisioned the creatures as really menacing. Once you saw them, those little figures wobbling around looked like windup dolls that you’d find on a street corner or in a cartoon. Even so, though, I wasn’t too unhappy with the show.4

The episode’s title no doubt contributes to the unforgettable ending. Seeing “The Invaders,” viewers naturally expect some hostile and malevolent force from outer space. When those forces turn out to be from Earth —our “representatives”— it is a reminder of just how destructive xenophobia can be, especially in diplomatic (and in this case, galactic) relations. The science fiction classic Forbidden Planet makes another contribution to the series with this episode. (In “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” [03-04-60], both alien outfits and film footage from the ¡956 film were used.) The miniature space ship in “The Invaders” is yet another set piece from Forbidden Planet, though the model that Moorehead’s character destroys is a facsimile created just for that scene.5

“A Penny for Your Thoughts” Original Airdate: February 3, ¡96¡; Writer: George Clayton Johnson; Source: Original teleplay; Director: James Sheldon; Producer: Buck Houghton; Associate Producer: Del Reisman; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: E. Darrell Hallenbeck; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Phil Barber; Film Editor: Leon Barsha, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: Lindsley Parsons, Jr.; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, H. Web Arrowsmith; Casting: Ethel Winant; Sound: Frank[lin] Milton, Charles Scheid; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Hector B. Poole: Dick York; Miss Turner: June Dayton; Mr. Bagby: Dan

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Season Two (¡960-¡96¡) Tobin; Mr. Smithers: Cyril Delevanti; Mr. Sykes: Hayden Rorke; Mr. Brand: James Nolan; Driver: Frank London; Newsboy: Anthony Ray; Smiling Woman: Patricia Waltz.

Synopsis: Hector B. Poole, after buying a morning paper by tossing a coin that lands on its edge in the newsie’s box, suddenly has the ability to read people’s minds. Before his day is over, Poole finds that some people “speak” what’s really on their minds and some “say” what they have no intention of ever doing. Notes and commentary: George Clayton Johnson was credited as writer of only four Twilight Zone episodes, but they are four standouts: “A Penny for Your Thoughts,” “A Game of Pool” (¡0-¡3-6¡), “Nothing in the Dark” (0¡-05-62), and “Kick the Can” (02-0962). (Four more of his unpublished short stories were adapted into TZ episodes: “The Four of Us Are Dying” [0¡-0¡-60], “Execution” [04-0¡-60], “The Prime Mover” [03-24-6¡], and “Ninety Years Without Slumbering” [¡2-20-63].) Three of his episodes dealt with life and death issues, but “A Penny for Your Thoughts” takes a whole di›erent tone. It is an amusing tale of a mild-mannered bank accountant — Dick York, who had already appeared in Serling’s haunting World War II episode “The Purple Testament” (02-¡260) and would later find success in the ABC television comedy Bewitched (¡964– 72)— who gets into all kinds of trouble because he can hear what other people are thinking. It is also a comic satire on the awkward and beguiling nature of human communication, a reminder that some things are better left unsaid (remain thoughts), while other things should be said right out in the open.

“Penny” was the second of six episodes directed by James Sheldon (The Andy Gri‡th Show), who made his Twilight Zone directorial debut just a couple of weeks earlier in the mostly forgettable “The Whole Truth” (0¡-206¡). Sheldon went on to direct young Billy Mumy in two top-notch episodes: “Long Distance Call” (03-3¡-6¡) and “ It’s a Good Life” (¡¡-03-6¡).

“Twenty Two” Original Airdate: February ¡0, ¡96¡; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: An anecdote from Bennett Cerf ’s Famous Ghost Stories; Director: Jack Smight; Producer: Buck Houghton; Associate Producer: Del Reisman; Director of Photography: None — videotaped episode; Technical Director: Jim Brady; Lighting Director: Tom D. Schamp; Art Direction: Craig Smith; Assistant (Associate) Director: James Clark; Set Decorations: Arthur Jeph Parker; Casting: Ethel Winant; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Taped at CBS Television City, Los Angeles.*

CAST

Liz Powell: Barbara Nichols; Doctor: Jonathan Harris; Barney: Fredd Wayne; Nurse in Morgue/Airline Attendant: Arline Sax; Day Nurse: Mary Adams; Night Nurse: Norma Connolly; Airline Agent: Wesley Lau; Ticket Clerk: Angus Duncan; Ticket Clerk # 2: Joe Sargent†; P.A. Voice: Jay Overholts†; Double for Sax: Carole Conn.†

Synopsis: “Professional dancer” Liz Powell is in the hospital as a result of nervous fatigue and exhaustion. She gets out of her bed and walks down the hall to the elevator, which she takes to the basement level. She then slowly walks down the hall to room #22, also known as the hospital morgue. A grim and gloomy-looking nurse greets Liz and says there is room for one more. She has had yet another nightmare, which has

*This credit does not appear in the episode’s end titles. † This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

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recurred for six nights in a row. Eventually Liz is released from the hospital, but she is disturbed when the airline clerk says that her flight number is 22. Notes and commentary: In Cerf ’s original anecdote, a young lady goes to visit some of her distant relatives at a Carolina — whether North or South, we’re never told — plantation. Her first night there, she is awakened by a horsedrawn coach. All four horses are black, and the coachman —“He was hideous. His face was chalk white. A deep scar ran the length of his left cheek. His nose was beaked.”— points at her and says, “There is room for one more!” before disappearing into the night. The next night, the same thing happens; immediately that morning, the woman makes up an excuse to her relatives and goes back to New York to see her doctor, whose o‡ce is on the eighteenth floor of a medical center. Reassured by the doctor that she experienced a mere hallucination, the woman leaves and goes to the elevator. As she gets ready to enter the crowded enclosure, she hears someone say, “There is room for one more!” She discovers that the speaker is the elevator operator, who is the coachman from her earlier “nightmares.” She screams and recoils, and the elevator door slams shut. Suddenly, there is a crash and the building shakes. The elevator’s cables had broken, and the elevator “plunged eighteen stories to the ground. Everybody in it, of course, was crushed to a pulp.” In adapting the anecdote from Famous Ghost Stories, Serling forgets to develop the characters. All the characters here, especially the protagonist, lack the real depth necessary for such a situation or event to create any suspense or terror. The superficial and one-dimensional characters here are reminis-

cent of Serling’s “Nightmare as a Child” (04-29-60), an episode that su›ers the same problem of an intriguing premise failing to reach its full potential. The original anecdote is fine for a short, campfire ghost story, but one expects more from a Twilight Zone episode. Even director Jack Smight, returning here for his third videotaped episode and final TZ assignment — he had previously directed “The Lonely” (¡¡-¡359), “The Lateness of the Hour” (¡2-02-60), and “Night of the Meek” (¡2-23-60)— said of “Twenty Two”: “ I just didn’t think it had the quality of some of the others.”6 In this case, director knows best. Jonathan Harris, here playing the doctor, would make another TZ appearance later in “The Silence” (04-28-6¡) before going on to create his signature role as Dr. Smith on Lost in Space.

“The Odyssey of Flight 33” Original Airdate: February 24, ¡96¡; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Justus Addiss; Producer: Buck Houghton; Associate Producer: Del Reisman; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Phil Barber; Film Editor: Bill Mosher; Assistant Director: E. Darrell Hallenbeck; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, H. Web Arrowsmith; Casting: Ethel Winant; Dinosaur Sequence: Jack H. Harris; Technical Advisor: Robert J. Serling, Aviation Editor, United Press International; Sound: Frank[lin] Milton, Charles Scheid; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Captain Farver: John Anderson; ¡st O‡cer Craig: Paul Comi; Navigator Hatch: Sandy Kenyon; 2nd O‡cer Wyatt: Wayne He·ey; Flight Engineer Parcell: Harp McGuire; Lady on Plane: Betty Garde; Jane: Beverly Brown; Paula: Nancy Rennick; Passenger: Jay Overholts; RAF Man: Lester Fletcher.

Season Two (¡960-¡96¡) Synopsis: A jet airliner experiences a blinding flash of white light, followed by a sound shock wave. Spotting a giant brontosaurus on the ground, the crew members realize they have somehow gone back in time and must now try to get back where they came from. Notes and commentary: Despite its ambiguous, unsatisf ying conclusion (the viewer is left in limbo much like Flight 33), “The Odyssey of Flight 33” is a solid episode, made e›ective by fine ensemble acting and technically accurate cockpit dialogue, provided by Rod Serling’s brother Robert, an aviation writer for United Press International. The jet’s captain, played by John Anderson, and crew — including Paul Comi, Harp McGuire, Wayne He·ey, and Sandy Kenyon — are thoroughly convincing. Collectively, they show restraint as the bizarre events unfold, doing all in their power to stay calm and ensure the well-being of their passengers. The seconds-long brontosaurus sequence was an expensive ($2,500) clip of stop-motion animation designed by Jack H. Harris. It was the most expensive such clip ever shot for a Twilight Zone episode, according to producer Buck Houghton. 7 The dinosaur was also featured in Dinosaurus!, the ¡960 film starring Ward Ramsey and directed by Irvin S. Yeaworth, Jr. Aerial stock footage of the ¡939 New York World’s Fair is also e›ectively implemented into the episode. Justus Addiss would go on to direct two more Twilight Zone episodes featuring displaced protagonists who encounter crises in times other than their own: “The Rip Van Winkle Caper” (04-2¡-6¡) and the hour-long “No Time Like the Past” (03-07-63). Viewers may remember John Anderson (Captain Farver) as the

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angelic trumpeter “Gabe” in “A Passage for Trumpet” (05-20-60). Serling’s short-story adaptation of “The Odyssey of Flight 33” is collected in More Stories from The Twilight Zone (¡96¡). Two years after The Twilight Zone was canceled, Rod Serling experienced an aviation odyssey — or, more accurately, a nightmare — when he wrote the television movie Doomsday Flight for NBC’s “Project ¡20—World Premiere Theater.” Serling biographer Gordon F. Sander describes the incident: The film, one of the first made-fortelevision movies, was a thriller about a disgrunted airline employee (Edmond O’Brien) who attempts to extort money from his former employer by placing an altitude-sensitive bomb aboard a passenger plane. Once the plane dipped below four thousand feet, the bomb would go o›. Inspired by a real-life incident that Serling’s brother, Bob, had related to him while working as aviation editor at United Press International, Doomsday Flight aired on December ¡3, ¡966, and was the second-highest-rated program of the season. Unfortunately, the teleplay described the crime in such detail that it inspired eight “copycat” bomb threats in the one week following the show — including one successful hijacking in Australia.8

Troubled by the whole a›air, Serling commented, “I wish I’d never been born.” If the plot sounds familiar, flash forward to ¡994, substitute a bus for the plane, and you get Speed, the nonstop action thriller starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock. Robert Serling, Rod’s older brother and the technical advisor for “The Odyssey of Flight 33,” would become a successful fiction writer. Among several works, he has written the novels The President’s Plane Is Missing (¡967), Air-

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Force One Is Haunted (¡985), and Something’s Alive on the Titanic (¡990).

“Mr. Dingle, the Strong” Original Airdate: March 3, ¡96¡; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: John Brahm; Producer: Buck Houghton; Associate Producer: Del Reisman; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; William Skall, A.S.C.; Production Managers: Ralph W. Nelson, E. Darrell Hallenbeck; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Phil Barber; Film Editor: Bill Mosher; Assistant Director: Henry Weinberger; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, H. Web Arrowsmith; Casting: Ethel Winant; Sound: Frank[lin] Milton, Charles Scheid; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Luther Dingle: Burgess Meredith; O’Toole: James Westerfield; Callahan: Edward Ryder; ¡st Martian: Douglas Spencer; 2nd Martian: Michael Fox; ¡st Venusian: Donald Losby; 2nd Venusian: Greg Irwin; 2nd Man: Douglas Evans; ¡st Man: Phil Arnold; 3rd Man: Frank Richards; Abernathy: James Millhollin; Nurse: Jo Ann Dixon; Boy: Jay Hector; Bettor: Don Rickles; Photographer: Bob Duggan.*

Synopsis: Two Martians (joined as one by a rather awkward contraption) have come into O’Toole’s bar to conduct some human tests and experiments on Earth. After seeing Dingle’s meek and unassertive behavior, the Martians decide to make him 300 times stronger than any human. They vanish, and suddenly Dingle feels different. Dingle is no longer the shy and anonymous salesman; he is a celebrity who is courted by carnival owners, fight promoters, and television producers. The Martians are dismayed by the results, but two small Venusians have come to Earth to conduct their own experiments, in which they will make Dingle 500 times more intelligent than any human being.

Notes and commentary: The only thing that keeps “Mr. Dingle, the Strong” from being a total failure is another marvelous TZ turn by Burgess Meredith. He combines una›ected stuttering and stammering with a gentle voice and innocent visage to create a benign character who, as the play toy of alien researchers, is more important than anyone on Earth realizes. Unfortunately, Meredith’s performance is above his material, unlike his other episodes —“Time Enough at Last” (¡¡-2059), “The Obsolete Man” (06-02-6¡), and “Printer’s Devil” (02-28-63)— all of which have solid stories and teleplays. Even “Mr. Bevis” (06-03-60) is a more successful episode when compared to “Mr. Dingle.” The problems arise from at least two areas. First, Serling’s attempts at comedy (for the most part) can be either mildly amusing or totally devoid of humor. The slapstick gags and reactions — one of the men in the bar is so astounded by Dingle’s strength that he tosses his shot glass over his right shoulder; and a painter, after seeing how strong Dingle is, falls o› a ladder several times — just don’t register here. Also, though in many cases we can grant the show the benefit of the doubt for makeup (and special e›ects), in “Mr. Dingle” the makeup and costumes of the aliens are just plain silly. Siamese Martians and young children as Venusians with painted mustaches must have seemed funny on paper, but the intended comic e›ect is lost in the translation to television. Perhaps Serling was just poking fun at low-budget sci-fi from the period. He may have gotten the idea for the episode after a reporter mistook the protagonist’s name in “Mr. Denton on Doomsday” (¡0-¡6-59) as

*This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

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Season Two (¡960-¡96¡) “Mr. Dingle.”9 Serling even speaks in the first person in his closing narration. Nevertheless, a much more entertaining episode (with regard to both situational humor and Martians) is Serling’s “Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?” (05-26-6¡), the penultimate episode of season two. Serling has a little more fun in his short story adaptation of “Mr. Dingle, the Strong,” found in the collection More Stories from The Twilight Zone (¡96¡). He describes the bettor played by Don Rickles as Mr. Hubert Kransky, “whose two hundred and fifty-eight pounds were packed into a five-footeight frame the way onions are crowded into pickled herring jars. Mr. Kransky had a voice like a French horn and perpetually florid cheeks that burned crimson whenever his dander went up, an occasion which was both frequent and regular.”¡0 Serling also changes the ending somewhat, elaborating on Dingle’s future after his intelligence is increased by the Venusians. In the first three blocks after he leaves the bar, Dingle, among many other things, solves a variety of complex scientific problems, invents a perpetual motion machine, and figures out how to remove nicotine from tobacco.

“Static” Original Airdate: March ¡0, ¡96¡; Writer: Charles Beaumont; Source: “Tune in Yesterday,” an unpublished short story by OCee Ritch; Director: Buzz Kulik; Producer: Buck Houghton; Associate Producer: Del Reisman; Director of Photography: None—videotaped episode; Technical Director: Jim Brady; Lighting Director: Tom D. Schamp; Art Direction: Robert Tyler Lee; Assistant (Associate) Director: James Clark; Set Decorations: Buck Hen-

shaw; Casting: Ethel Winant; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Taped at CBS Television City, Los Angeles.*

CAST

Ed Lindsay: Dean Jagger; Vinnie Broun: Carmen Matthews; Prof. Ackerman: Robert Emhardt; Roscoe Bragg: Arch W. Johnson; Mrs. Nielsen: Alice Pearce; Junk Dealer: Clegg Hoyt; The Boy: Stephen Talbot; Miss Meredith: Lillian O’Malley; Mr. Llewellyn: [J.] Pat O’Malley; Rock & Roll Singer: Jerry Fuller †; Real Estate Pitchman: Eddie Marr†; Girl in Commercial: Diane Strom †; Disc Jockey: Bob Crane†; TV/Radio Announcer: Roy Rowan†; Man #¡: Bob Duggan†; Man #2: Jay Overholts.†

Synopsis: Ed Lindsay, a sour, aging bachelor living in a boarding house, finds one day that one station on his old ¡935 console radio plays the music of 20 years ago. The golden oldies remind him of his days of yesteryear and his failed engagement to fellow resident Vinnie Broun. Notes and commentary: “Static” was based on an unpublished story by OCee Ritch called “Tune in Yesterday.” Ritch was good friends with Charles Beaumont, who suggested that he submit the story to The Twilight Zone. The story was accepted and Beaumont was asked to adapt it into a teleplay. Beaumont changed Ritch’s middle-aged, unhappily married man to a cranky old bachelor who is forced to live with his ex-fiancée in the same boarding house where they met and got engaged 20 years earlier.¡¡ The old man, Lindsay, longs for the past, isolates himself from the rest of the world, and, in the end, recaptures his lost youth. In this respect, “Static” can be seen as a companion piece to “The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine” (¡0-23-59), in which an aging screen actress watches her old films all day

*This credit does not appear in the episode’s end titles. † This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

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long in an isolated viewing room. Her nostalgic desire is so great that she actually walks into the screen and rejoins her old celluloid chums. “Static” ends in a similar way. Beaumont grew up listening to the radio, when it was more than mere entertainment—it captivated an entire nation in a way that television never has. Beaumont’s disdain for television is apparent in the swipes he takes at the medium itself in “Static.” For example, there’s the commercial for “Green,” the new chlorophyll cigarette that “smells good, green, cool, like grass.” Ultimately, though, “Static” is memorable in that it invokes the special magic that emanated from the old radio shows. The lead performances of Dean Jagger — an Academy Award winner in ¡949 for his supporting role in Twelve O’Clock High— and Carmen Mathews are exemplary. They invoke a deep sense of lost love, regret, and bitterness, but also the romantic ideal that a second chance would be all they’d need to realize true happiness. With the possible exception of Serling’s “Night of the Meek” (¡2-23-60), “Static” is the most successful and best realized of the six videotaped episodes of season two. On the downside, “Static”— in addition to “Long Distance Call” (03-3¡-6¡), another videotaped episode — led to a successful (not to mention precarious) plagiarism lawsuit against The Twilight Zone by a writer who had submitted a story to the show. In the end, Serling and company probably did long for the good old (and less litigious) days. Hogan’s Heroes fans, pay close attention and don’t change that dial: The voice of the disc jockey is that of Bob Crane, who would later assume the lead role of the popular ¡965–¡97¡ CBS comedy.

“The Prime Mover” Original Airdate: March 24, ¡96¡; Writer: Charles Beaumont; Source: An unpublished story by George Clayton Johnson; Director: Richard L. Bare; Producer: Buck Houghton; Associate Producer: Del Reisman; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Managers: Sidney Van Keuran, E. Darrell Hallenbeck; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Phil Barber; Film Editor: Bill Mosher; Assistant Director: Jack Boyer; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, H. Web Arrowsmith; Casting: Ethel Winant; Sound: Frank[lin] Milton, Charles Scheid; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Ace Larsen: Dane Clark; Jimbo Cobb: Buddy Ebsen; Kitty Cavanaugh: Christine White; Big Phil Nolan: Nesdon Booth; Trucker: Clancy Cooper; Sheila: Jane Burgess; Croupier: Joe Scott*; Hotel Manager: Robert Riordan*; Desk Clerk: William Keene.*

Synopsis: In the Happy Daze café he owns with Jimbo Cobb, Ace Larsen talks to the slot machine and unsuccessfully tries to hit the jackpot. After learning that Jimbo can move objects by merely concentrating (the only problem is the side e›ect of bad headaches), Ace comes up with a scheme and takes his girlfriend Kitty and Jimbo to Las Vegas. The three go from casino to casino, winning as Jimbo causes the balls and dice to fall into the right combinations and slots. Jimbo gets a terrible headache and has to quit, but Ace doesn’t know when to stop, so he sets up a high stakes gamble with Big Phil Nolan, a notorious “professional” gambler and gangster from Chicago. Notes and commentary: “The Prime Mover” is the third TZ episode inspired by an unpublished George Clayton Johnson story. (As a result of miscom-

*This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

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Season Two (¡960-¡96¡) munication somewhere during production, Johnson failed to receive on-screen credit.) It also marks the return of director Richard L. Bare, who last directed “Nick of Time” (¡¡-¡8-60), which also deals with the destructive potential of obsession. Even the snippets of music and the café slot machine in this episode are from another episode dealing with obsessive gambling, “The Fever” (0¡-29-60). Actually, “The Prime Mover” is the flip side of “The Fever.” The main character here, Ace Larsen, through the help of his friend Jimbo, is able to avoid the disaster wrought by obsessive behavior and can return to the love of both a bride and a good friend. (Speaking of friends, the character of Big Phil Nolan is named after William F. Nolan, a writer friend of Beaumont’s who went on to write the sci-fi novel Logan’s Run [¡967] with Johnson.) Dane Clark achieves a relaxed balance of amiability and pertinacity. In this way, he is also like William Shatner’s Don Carter in “Nick of Time.” Both men are stubborn and persistent but manage to let love overcome preoccupation. Buddy Ebsen (who would soon begin his famous role as Jed Clampett on The Beverly Hillbillies) is also good, giving a relaxed and likable performance as the psychokinetic Jimbo Cobb. In addition to “The Howling Man” (¡¡-04-60), this episode is one of Charles Beaumont’s better season two e›orts.

“Long Distance Call” Original Airdate: March 3¡, ¡96¡*; Writers: Charles Beaumont and William Idelson; Source: Original teleplay; Director: James Sheldon; Producer: Buck Hough-

ton; Associate Producer: Del Reisman; Director of Photography: None — videotaped episode; Technical Director: Jim Brady; Lighting Director: Tom D. Schamp; Art Direction: Robert Tyler Lee; Assistant (Associate) Director: James Clark; Set Decorations: Buck Henshaw; Casting: Ethel Winant; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Taped at CBS Television City, Los Angeles.†

CAST

Chris Bayles: Philip Abbott; Grandma Bayles: Lili Darvas; Sylvia Bayles: Patricia Smith; Billy Bayles: Billy Mumy; The Baby Sitter: Jenny Maxwell; Mr. Peterson: Reid Hammond; The Doctor: Henry Hunter; The Fireman: Lew Brown; ¡st Fireman: Bob McCord**; 2nd Fireman: Jim Turley**; Nurse: Jutta Parr.**

Synopsis: Billy Bayles receives a toy telephone from his Grandma Bayles on his fifth birthday. Before she dies, Grandma tells Billy that he’ll always be able to talk to her on his phone, even when she isn’t there. Notes and commentary: “Long Distance Call” grew out of a real-life incident that happened to William Idelson when his mother gave Idelson’s son a toy telephone for his second birthday. Idelson shared his idea with Richard Matheson, who expanded and fictionalized the story and submitted it to The Twilight Zone. The producers first passed on the story, but Charles Beaumont — like Matheson a friend of Idelson’s — liked it and promised Cayuga Productions that he would rewrite the script with the help of Idelson.¡2 Beaumont and Idelson turned in a frightening little ghost story that draws the viewer emotionally into the tale of a deceased grandma who beckons her grandson to come and join her in the

*The Twilight Zone Companion erroneously lists this airdate as March 3, ¡93¡. † This credit does not appear in the episode’s end titles. **This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

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afterlife. In the original teleplay, the father gives a quite unimpressive plea to his mother at the end. He asks her to remember the funny and quirky moments of his childhood, and to remember how much he loved her, even though he didn’t have the chance to tell her. He asks her to give Billy back so that he and his wife can love him, too, and make memories that will last a lifetime.¡3 Serling asked for a rewrite during shooting, and Beaumont and Idelson delivered a much more moving speech that rightly focused on the boy instead of the father. After the episode aired, Cayuga made a settlement with a writer who claimed that his submitted story of a magic toy telephone was plagiarized. A similar settlement was made with a writer who claimed that “Static” borrowed too heavily from the script he submitted about a magical radio. “Long Distance Call” is analagous to Richard Matheson’s “Night Call” (0207-64), an equally eerie and frightening episode that also involves an elderly woman and a mystical telephone. One of the most disturbing scenes of “Long Distance Call”— showing little Billy floating face down in the pond — was shot but ultimately discarded. (In keeping with the frightening tone of the episode, this unused scene may remind viewers of James Whale’s ¡93¡ film version of Frankenstein, from which a similar scene of a little girl drowning — after being thrown into water by the unwitting monster — was censored for many years.) “Long Distance Call” also represents the first of three Twilight Zone roles for Billy Mumy. He would go on to appear in two of the series’ best episodes, “ It’s a Good Life” (¡¡-03-6¡) and “ In Praise of Pip” (09-27-63).

“A Hundred Yards Over the Rim” Original Airdate: April 7, ¡96¡; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Buzz Kulik; Producer: Buck Houghton; Music: Fred Steiner; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Phil Barber; Film Editor: Leon Barsha, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: E. Darrell Hallenbeck; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, H. Web Arrowsmith; Casting: Stalmaster-Lister; Sound: Franklin Milton, Bill Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed on location near Lone Pine, California.

CAST

Christian Horn: Cli› Robertson; Joe: John Crawford; Mary Lou: Evans Evans; Doctor: Ed Platt; Martha Horn: Miranda Jones; Sheri›: Robert L. McCord III; Charlie: John Astin. Also Ken Drake, Jennifer Bunker.

Synopsis: A group of settlers from Ohio are traveling across the Arizona desert in ¡847 en route to a new life in California. When the group’s leader, Christian Horn, goes o› in search of fresh water and game, he crosses the desert’s rim and literally walks into another world, one with telephone poles, asphalt roads, and a truck that nearly runs him over. Horn walks up the road and is befriended by Joe and Mary Lou, owners of a nearby café. While resting, Horn becomes convinced that he has been put here for a reason. He then flees in an attempt to return to his (present?) past. Notes and commentary: Serling’s third foray into historical time travel in season two — after the premiere episode “King Nine Will Not Return” (09-3060) and “Back There” (0¡-¡3-6¡)— is definitely the best of the three. Cli› Robertson’s performance here is superb and commanding. (Robertson already had an Emmy [¡965’s The Game] and Academy Award [¡968’s Charly] to his

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Season Two (¡960-¡96¡) credit.) He creates a character who is earnest and sensible in both his own time and in the future he is thrust into. Like Robert Cummings in “King Nine,” Robertson gives a strong and consistent performance in a demanding role that carries the entire episode. He succeeds nicely in a role that could have easily devolved into histrionic overkill. (Trying to make the episode more genuine and historically accurate, Robertson even suggested the stovepipe hat that his character wears.14) Robertson would reenter the Zone almost a year later as a ventriloquist in season three’s “The Dummy” (05-04-62). The always reliable Buzz Kulik, who, coincidentally, also directed “King Nine,” provides another steady job of direction here in his fourth TZ assignment (all, by the way, from season two). To save time and money in production, producer Buck Houghton scheduled this episode to be filmed along with “The Rip Van Winkle Caper” (04-2¡-6¡)— an episode requiring similar locations — in the desert near Lone Pine, California.¡5 “A Hundred Yards” was filmed first, and both episodes also aired consecutively in the same order.

“The Rip Van Winkle Caper” Original Airdate: April 2¡, ¡96¡; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Justus Addiss; Producer: Buck Houghton; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Phil Barber; Film Editor: Jason Bernie; Assistant Director: E. Darrell Hallenbeck; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, H. Web Arrowsmith; Casting: Stalmaster-Lister; Sound: Franklin Milton, Bill Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios and on location near Palmdale, California.

CAST

DeCruz: Simon Oakland; Farwell: Oscar Beregi; Brooks: Lew Gallo; Erbie: John Mitchum; Man on Road: Wallace Rooney; Woman on Road: Shirley O’Hara; Brooks’s Stunt Double: Robert L. McCord III*; DeCruz’s Stunt Double: Dave Armstrong.*

Synopsis: Four partners in crime steal $¡ million in gold bullion and cook up an elaborate scheme that will allow them to wake up ¡00 years later, unaged. The men’s plan, though, is threatened by their excessive greed. Notes and commentary: Filmed in the desert near Lone Pine, California, “The Rip Van Winkle Caper” is driven by the fine performances of Oscar Beregi, the cool, suave ringleader of the crime team, and Simon Oakland as DeCruz, the cold-blooded, calculating demolition man. Beregi is very e›ective, though his best TZ performance still lay ahead: the tormented Nazi SS o‡cer Lutze in “Death’s-head Revisited” (¡¡-¡0-6¡). Oakland would appear in the hour-long “The Thirty-Fathom Grave” (0¡-¡0-63); he is best remembered as the hotheaded newspaper editor Tony Vincenzo in television’s Kolchak: The Night Stalker (¡974-75). DeCruz’s downfall turns out to be his excessive greed. Not satisfied with his $333,000 take (before Erbe turned to bones it was $250,000), DeCruz sadistically plows down Brooks. He then forces Farwell to fork over his gold in exchange for water. Fittingly, Farwell uses a gold brick to bring an end to DeCruz’s mental and physical abuse. Farwell dies, though, never knowing that the gold he clutches is utterly worthless. It is a thoroughly ironic conclusion to one of many such Twilight Zone episodes with avaricious protagonists.

*This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

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Farwell and gang learn, a hundred years too late, that excessive greed is a cancer that eats away its host until there’s nothing left. This lesson was also learned (the hard way) by Walter Bedeker in “Escape Clause” (¡¡-06-59), the Castles in “The Man in the Bottle” (¡0-07-60), and the Diedrichs in “A Most Unusual Camera” (¡2-¡6-60), to name a few. In an adaptation of the teleplay that appeared in his short-story collection New Stories from The Twilight Zone (¡962), Serling doubled the robbers’ take to $2 million in gold bullion, perhaps to o›er greater justification or motivation for the greed that infects the men. In all other respects the short story remains faithful to the episode. In addition, Serling’s original teleplay contained a verbose and protracted Serling prologue, which was rejected in favor of the pithy two-sentence opener in the episode. The plot of “The Rip Van Winkle Caper” is a variation of Serling’s early e›ort “ I Shot an Arrow into the Air” (0¡-¡5-60), and the result is a superior and much more memorable episode.

“The Silence” Original Airdate: April 28, ¡96¡; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Boris Sagal; Producer: Buck Houghton; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Phil Barber; Film Editor: Leon Barsha, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: E. Darrell Hallenbeck; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, H. Web Arrowsmith; Casting: Stalmaster-Lister; Sound: Franklin Milton, Bill Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Colonel Archie Taylor: Franchot Tone; Jamie Tennyson: Liam Sullivan; Franklin: Cyril Delevanti; ¡st Man: Everett Glass;

2nd Man: Felix Locher; 3rd Man: John Holland; George Alfred: Jonathan Harris.

Synopsis: Jamie Tennyson, an incessant talker, is the man everybody avoids at the men’s club. Older club member Colonel Archie Taylor bets Tennyson $500,000 that Tennyson cannot be silent for an entire year. He is absolutely confident that Tennyson can’t go very long without uttering a single word. Tennyson accepts the bet, which stipulates that he must live in specially built glass-enclosed quarters in the club, where he can be continually monitored. One man really does win the bet, but both the participants will lose big. Notes and commentary: Marc Scott Zicree feels that “The Silence” may have been inspired by the Anton Chekhov short story “The Bet,” and that, with its absence of fantastical elements, it seems more like an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents.16 Nevertheless, “The Silence” is a powerful episode that is often overlooked in favor of other strong episodes that pack shocking, unexpected endings, such as “People Are Alike All Over” (03-25-60) and “To Serve Man” (03-02-62). Serling here unmistakably assumes the cloak of “video Aesop.” He extends the adage, “Pride goeth before a fall.” According to “The Silence,” undiluted and stubborn pride, especially when coupled with pretending to be what one is not, can only lead to emptiness and shame. Social brinkmanship leads both Taylor and Tennyson to their simultaneous downfalls. Tennyson can also be said to share a spiritual kinship with Patrick Thomas McNutty, the blabbermouth in “A Kind of a Stopwatch” (¡0¡8-63) who ends up forever trapped in a frozen world with no one to talk to when his motion-suspending stopwatch breaks. A later analogue to “The Silence” is

Season Two (¡960-¡96¡) Serling’s “Sounds and Silences” (04-0364), in which a man who enjoys noise gets a serving of Twilight Zone justice.

“Shadow Play” Original Airdate: May 5, ¡96¡; Writer: Charles Beaumont; Source: Original teleplay; Director: John Brahm; Producer: Buck Houghton; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Phil Barber; Film Editor: Jason Bernie; Assistant Director: E. Darrell Hallenbeck; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, H. Web Arrowsmith; Casting: Stalmaster-Lister; Sound: Franklin Milton, Bill Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Adam Grant: Dennis Weaver; Henry Ritchie: Harry Townes; Paul Carson: Wright King; Jiggs: William Edmonson; Carol Ritchie: Anne Barton; Coley: Bernie Hamilton; Phillips: Tommy Nello; Priest: Mack Williams; Judge: Gene Roth; Attorney: Jack Hyde*; Jury Foreman: Howard Culver*; Guard: John Close.*

Synopsis: In a courtroom, Adam Grant is sentenced to die in the electric chair, but Grant implores the judge and jury not to kill him because then they will cease to exist. Grant must convince newspaper editor Paul Carson that the world is all a dream of Grant’s, a recurring nightmare that always ends with him waking up screaming. Notes and commentary: “Shadow Play” is an e›ective, suspenseful episode, thanks in large part to Charles Beaumont’s well-conceived, taut script and the frenzied, full-range portrayal of Adam Grant by Dennis Weaver (who at that time was enjoying success in his Emmy Award–winning role as deputy Chester Goode on Gunsmoke). Beaumont also explored the realm of

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nightmares in his Twilight Zone debut, “Perchance to Dream” (¡¡-27-59). Like a handful of other Twilight Zones that explore the feelings of helplessness and terror when confronted by a recurring dream or series of images — in addition to “Perchance,” there are “Twenty Two” (02-¡0-6¡), “Judgment Night” (¡2-04-59), and Serling’s preTZ o›ering, “The Time Element” (¡¡24-58)—“Shadow Play” is gripping and thought-provoking entertainment. It also explores the evocative, age-old question of the mind-body relationship: Could what one perceives as reality actually be the dream or fantasy of another person or being? This possibility of alternate realities calls to mind two other episodes that treat the same ontological question: Richard Matheson’s “A World of Di›erence” (03-¡¡60) and Serling’s unforgettable “Five Characters in Search of an Exit” (¡222-6¡). In his prologue, Serling even intriguingly invites viewers to ask themselves if they live here, in this country, in this world, or if they live in The Twilight Zone instead. “Shadow Play” was later remade as a segment of The New Twilight Zone (0404-86), with Peter Coyote assuming the lead role of Adam Grant.

“The Mind and the Matter” Original Airdate: May ¡2, ¡96¡; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Buzz Kulik; Producer: Buck Houghton; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Phil Barber; Film Editor: Jason Bernie; Assistant Director: E. Darrell Hallenbeck; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, H. Web Arrowsmith; Casting: Stalmaster-Lister; Sound: Franklin Milton, Bill

*This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

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Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Archibald Beechcroft: Shelley Berman; Henry: Jack Grinnage; Rogers: Chet Stratton; Landlady: Jeane Wood.*

Synopsis: Archibald Beechcroft is miserable. He hates people and is tired of all the hustle and bustle. Confessing his misanthropy to a coworker, Beechcroft says he would love to get rid of all people except for himself. After reading The Mind and the Matter: How You Can Achieve the Ultimate Power of Concentration, he decides to harness the powers of concentration in order to make the people around him disappear. However, he realizes that he is still bored and alone, so he decides to concentrate and create a world populated by other people created in his image. Everyone will be just like him! Notes and commentary: The basic premise of “The Mind and the Matter” is a tamer version of “Time Enough at Last” (¡¡-20-59); the character here, as in “Time Enough,” gets exactly what he wants but without the tragic ending. Beechcroft, experiencing just enough of his imagined paradise to realize that it would be horrible, gets to return to his normal life and is a better man for it. During his trek through his new world where everyone is a version of himself, Shelley Berman gets a chance to unload a continuous stream of sight gags. (Berman was a natural for the role. The comedian won a Grammy Award in ¡960 for his Inside Shelley Berman.) We see a newsstand operator, a woman on the elevator, and several coworkers. All, naturally, are played by Berman himself and deliver a series of cynical and insulting remarks. The result is truly funny, un-

like the forced situational humor of an episode like “Mr. Dingle, the Strong” (03-03-6¡), in which sight gags don’t really arise naturally from the plot. The only misfire is the scene in which the elevator is apparently full of Beechcrofts; the masks created to resemble Berman are all too obvious. Perhaps, though, the e›ect could be seen as a visual reminder that in a world full of replicas, Beechcroft is surrounded not by true life but instead by pale imitations of it. Nevertheless, “The Mind and the Matter” holds up well: The rat race is still alive and well, and at times we all imagine what a world of our own would be like.

“Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?” Original Airdate: May 26, ¡96¡; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Montgomery Pittman; Producer: Buck Houghton; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Phil Barber; Film Editor: Leon Barsha, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: E. Darrell Hallenbeck; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, H. Web Arrowsmith; Casting: Stalmaster-Lister; Sound: Franklin Milton, Bill Edmondson; Makeup: William J. Tuttle; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at Metro-GoldwynMayer Studios.

CAST

Ross: John Hoyt; Ethel McConnell: Jean Willes; Avery: Jack Elam; Haley: Barney Phillips; Trooper Bill Padgett: John Archer; Olmsted: Bill Kendis; Trooper Dan Perry: Morgan Jones; Rose Kramer: Gertrude Flynn; Peter Kramer: Bill Erwin; Connie Prince: Jill Ellis; George Prince: Ron Kipling.

Synopsis: Two state troopers, investigating the report of an unidentified flying object, discover footprints leading

*This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

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Season Two (¡960-¡96¡) to a café. The troopers must discover which one of the seven customers in the café is not as he seems. Notes and commentary: For pure entertainment value, few Twilight Zone episodes can measure up to “Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?” Equal parts mystery, comedy, and camp, it has not one but two shocking revelations at the conclusion: John Hoyt’s third arm is one-upped by Barney Phillips’s third eye. (It is no surprise that the third arm belongs to someone crouched behind Hoyt, concealed by his overcoat. The third eye, although it doesn’t at all look convincing, required an extensive daylong makeup and wiring job so that the cornea could move.¡7) Of course, Jack Elam’s Avery is set up to be the logical choice for alien. Sitting at the counter, he is the last one whose face is revealed. Then it is quite clear that this guy, with his wild eyes and eccentric behavior, is naturally the visitor from outer space. Actually, he’s just a red herring (presumably from the red planet) who takes the dogs o› the scent of the “normal” people. A few years before he wrote the original television script (which was first titled “Nobody Here But Us Martians”), Serling had intended for the alien to be a stray dog that the café owner had adopted. The title of this story outline was “The Night of the Big Rain.”¡8 Two inside jokes or references find their way into the goings-on of “Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?” The name on the side of the bus is “Cayuga Bus Lines,” a nod to Serling’s Cayuga Productions and the lake in upstate New York where the Serlings vacationed each summer. Serling also tips his hat to a friend and muchadmired science fiction writer when Avery describes a strange going-on as

something from the world of Ray Bradbury. “Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?” is another famous episode that is parodied in The Looney Zone, the Looney Tunes Twilight Zone takeo›. Da›y Duck, Marvin the Martian, and several other people are seated in a diner when two troopers come in and begin questioning which one of them is an alien. Despite his energetic protestations that Marvin is obviously the alien, Da›y is the one taken into custody. Marvin the Martian remains behind and asks the waitress if any of her “earthling” species have experience in repairing some modules. The waitress simply replies “no” and asks Marvin if he wants more co›ee!

“The Obsolete Man” Original Airdate: June 2, ¡96¡; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Elliot Silverstein; Producer: Buck Houghton; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Phil Barber; Film Editor: Jason Bernie; Assistant Director: E. Darrell Hallenbeck; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, H. Web Arrowsmith; Casting: Stalmaster-Lister; Sound: Franklin Milton, Bill Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Romney Wordsworth: Burgess Meredith; Chancellor: Fritz Weaver; Subaltern: Josep Elic; Guard: Harry Fleer; ¡st Man: Barry Brooks; 2nd Man: Harold Innocent; Woman: Jane Romeyn.

Synopsis: Romney Wordsworth, a librarian, enters a stark and oppressive courtroom to be tried for obsolescence by the State. The State, says the Chancellor, has deemed books and libraries empty and useless. In addition, he says that the State has proven that there is no God. Wordsworth retorts that God

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does exist and that words, books, and ideas are important. Nevertheless, the State finds Wordsworth obsolete. That evening, after receiving a cryptic note from Wordsworth, the Chancellor comes to visit Wordsworth at his quarters, a meeting that will prove which man is really “obsolete.” Notes and commentary: “The Obsolete Man” is the exclamation point for the second season of The Twilight Zone. Only “Eye of the Beholder” (¡¡-¡¡-60) could have been a stronger episode to close out the season. Every element of the episode is perfectly utilized. TZ faithful Burgess Meredith turns in yet another outstanding performance as the oppressed but ultimately triumphant librarian Romney Wordsworth. Fritz Weaver gives an absolutely chilling turn as the dictatorial and merciless Chancellor, who finally abandons his faith in the State and begs in the name of God to be spared from death during his meeting with Wordsworth. Weaver is so good here that fans may forget about his role as a family man and galactic escapee in “Third from the Sun” (0¡-0860) from season one. Coincidentally, Weaver resurfaced in a grave and faintly similar — but much more tame by comparison — role as senate subcommittee member Mr. Sorenson in the “Tunguska”/“Terma” two-part episode from the fourth season of The X-Files. Also striking are the austere and imposing expressionistic courtroom sets, which are maximized by George Clem-

ens’s cinematography that manipulates distance and perspective to create the bleak and gloomy atmosphere. This is one of Serling’s grimmest stories, but couched in that grimness is hope and optimism, as represented by Romney Wordsworth. (Note, too, the allegorical function of the name; “Words” are “worth” more than gold in a totalitarian society. Also, whether intentional or not, the name conjures up the literary figure of William Wordsworth, the nineteenth-century Romantic poet.) The most obvious literary inspiration, of course, is George Orwell’s novel ¡984. The writing is perhaps a bit heavy-handed, but a cautionary tale requires such writing. Serling was wise, though, to leave out an unnecessary section of closing narration from his original teleplay: …Any system becomes obsolete when it stockpiles the wrong weapons. When it captures countries, but not minds. When it enslaves people, but convinces no one. When it puts on armor and calls it faith … when in the eyes of God it is naked of faith. It has no faith at all.19

Serling’s narration, as it remains in the episode, is less rhetorical and much more appropriate. “The Obsolete Man” also marks another rare onscreen closing appearance by Serling. His first one was in “A World of His Own” (07-0¡60), the final episode of season one.

SEASON THREE September ¡5, ¡96¡–June ¡, ¡962 Friday nights, ¡0:00 P.M. “Two”

The Twilight Zone.) Pittman had earlier worked with Twilight Zone producer Buck Houghton on Schlitz Playhouse of Stars. “Two” was shot at the old Hal Roach Studio, on an old backlot street that was about to be demolished. Charles Bronson (Death Wish), as the American, and Elizabeth Montgomery (Bewitched), as the Russian, create excellent characters even though hardly any dialogue is spoken. Bronson had already played several villains on television, including two di›erent bad guys on the Richard Boone western Have Gun—Will Travel, but it is actually he who is the peacemaker. As Serling says in his prologue, “Two” is a love story. It’s also a story of survival and optimism in the face—or, rather, the aftermath — of destruction. Not only do the man and woman in “Two” get a new beginning, but so does The Twilight Zone itself. The first episode of season three brought a new look to the show’s opening: a satellite top that gradually spirals into the background as Serling narrates the opening, followed by the disintegrating letters of “The Twilight Zone.” In addition, from this point on, all episodes would now list the title, producer, writer, and director on-screen at the beginning of the show after Serling’s prologue.

Original Airdate: September ¡5, ¡96¡; Writer: Montgomery Pittman; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Montgomery Pittman; Producer: Buck Houghton; Music: Van Cleave; Associate Producer: Del Reisman; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Phil Barber; Film Editor: Bill Mosher; Assistant Director: E. Darrell Hallenbeck; Set Decorations: H. Web Arrowsmith; Casting: Stalmaster-Lister; Sound: Franklin Milton, Bill Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at Hal Roach Studios.

CAST

Woman: Elizabeth Montgomery; Man: Charles Bronson; Stunt Double: Sharon Lucas.*

Synopsis: In an uninhabited postnuclear city, a man and woman of competing armies find one another. They must decide whether to exist as naturallysworn enemies or peaceful comrades. Notes and commentary: Montgomery Pittman was the only person to ever write and direct a Twilight Zone episode, and he did it three times: on “Two,” “The Grave” (¡0-27-6¡), and “The Last Rites of Je› Myrtlebank” (02-23-62). (“An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” [0228-64] was adapted for television and directed by Robert Enrico, but the French short film was not expressly created for

*This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

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“The Arrival” Original Airdate: September 22, ¡96¡; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Boris Sagal; Producer: Buck Houghton; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Phil Barber; Film Editor: Jason H. Bernie, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: E. Darrell Hallenbeck; Set Decorations: H. Web Arrowsmith; Casting: Stalmaster-Lister; Sound: Franklin Milton, Bill Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at the Santa Monica, California, airport.*

CAST

Grant Sheckly: Harold J. Stone; Paul Malloy: Fredd Wayne; Bengston: Noah Keen; Airline O‡cial: Robert Karnes; Ramp Attendant: Bing Russell; Dispatcher: Jim Boles; Tower Operator: Robert Brubaker.†

Synopsis: When Flight ¡07 lands, there are no passengers. Even more ba·ing, there is no pilot! Soon after, Grant Sheckly — an FAA investigator who touts his perfect record of solving cases — arrives to conduct the investigation. Sheckly has the strange feeling that the names of Flight ¡07’s crew and passengers seem familiar to him. Noticing that all of the men have described the plane’s seats as having di›erent colors, Sheckly proposes a theory that all of the men, including himself, have been influenced by “mass suggestion,” a collective type of hypnosis. In reality, Sheckly knows more about Flight ¡07 than he realizes. Notes and commentary: Nearly an entire year after the second-season opener “King Nine Will Not Return” (09-30-60), Serling returned early in season three with “The Arrival,” another episode involving the mysterious disappearance of an airplane. Here,

however, the story isn’t nearly as e›ective. The episode is fine until the climax, when Sheckly proves his theory by making the plane disappear. From then on, however, the episode, like its main character, becomes unraveled. Sheckly’s dilemma is merely explained away in one sentence by Bengston. Unlike “King Nine,” in which the viewer witnesses the character’s ordeal and is equally disoriented and incredulous, “The Arrival” gives no real sense of the protagonist’s past or his place in the illusion. Instead of going back and forth between possible explanations and potential alternate realities, the character here simply makes two passing comments on déjà vu and later learns from someone else that he has dreamed the entire investigation. This type of ending is flat, similar to the e›ect of waiting for the punch line after a joke has already been told. Even the logic of the episode is undone by the ending. Variety, in its original review of the episode, took the faulty logic to task: “…how does the FAA investigator, in his hallucination, know the names and faces of actual people (the airline’s operation chief and p.r. director) he has never seen before?”¡ Actually, this point could be attributed to Sheckly’s solution to the plane’s disappearance. If a plane could be hypnotically “suggested” to one’s subconscious, then certainly airline employees’ names could be suggested as well. (After all, an FAA investigator would be familiar with the names of his contact people, though the question does arise as to how he knows what they look like.) What is even more perplexing than Variety’s complaint is why Sheckly even arrives in the first place. If he has

*This credit does not appear in the episode’s end titles. † This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

Season Three (¡96¡-¡962) hallucinated the entire investigation, and Flight ¡07 disappeared ¡7–¡8 years ago, then why is Sheckly summoned to the airport in the first place? If, at the end of the episode, Sheckly were in the past during the original investigation, then his quandary would seem more unsettling and the episode would make more sense. As it is, we are given no hints that he is or could be in the past. He is in the present, with no good reason for being in an airport full of people he thinks he knows and investigating the disappearance of a plane that hasn’t really disappeared! One of several TZ episodes using an aviationrelated premise, “The Arrival” is ultimately anticlimactic and riddled with plot holes. Incidentally, the ramp attendant is played by veteran character actor Bing Russell, father of film actor Kurt Russell (Escape from New York [¡98¡], Escape from L.A. [¡996], Breakdown [¡997]).

“The Shelter” Original Airdate: September 29, ¡96¡; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Lamont Johnson; Producer: Buck Houghton; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Phil Barber; Film Editor: Jason H. Bernie, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: E. Darrell Hallenbeck; Set Decorations: H. Web Arrowsmith; Casting: Stalmaster-Lister; Sound: Franklin Milton, Bill Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at MetroGoldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Dr. Stockton: Larry Gates; Marty Weiss: Joseph Bernard; Jerry Harlowe: Jack Albertson; Grace Stockton: Peggy Stewart; Henderson: Sandy Kenyon; Paul Stockton: Michael Burns; Mrs. Harlowe: Jo Helton; Mrs. Weiss: Moira Turner; Mrs. Henderson: Mary Gregory; Man: John McLiam.

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Synopsis: After UFOs are detected in the night sky and the country is put in a state of yellow alert, Dr. Stockton and his family take refuge in their community’s only bomb shelter. Panicstricken friends and neighbors, though, take matters into their own hands when Stockton refuses to allow others entrance into his shelter. Notes and commentary: One might consider “The Shelter” a fitting companion piece to “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” (03-04-60). After all, both deal thematically with the idea that, when faced with a crisis (imminent alien invasion or bombing in both episodes), man reveals his true primeval, violent nature. Man’s worst enemy is himself, not bombs or aliens, both seem to say. In Serling’s prologue to “The Shelter,” he states matter-offactly that “for civilization to survive, the human race has to remain civilized.” When compared with “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street,” “The Shelter” falls short because it is too selfrighteous, too heavy-handed, and the characters are too thinly developed. Serling says in the prologue that there is no moral or message to be found in “The Shelter,” but it’s a little hard to convince the audience of that right after they have been hit over the head with the message and moral. Even Lamont Johnson, the episode’s director, describes “The Shelter” as “a little too self-righteous or lecturing in tone.”2 Even so, “The Shelter” is still an intense half-hour that—like “Monsters”— captures the Cold War fear and paranoia so prevalent at the time. In addition, only 23 years earlier, Orson Welles’s infamous Mercury Theater broadcast of “War of the Worlds” (¡0-30-38) had thrown thousands of

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Americans into panic. Fearing imminent Martian attack and invasion, more than one person succumbed to hysteria and irrational behavior. (Many of those reactions to the Welles broadcast have been documented and verified.) Many viewers, then, would have had a not-sodistant frame of reference — a reminder that underneath our humanity lies the potential for fear, hate, and mistrust. Larry Gates, an Emmy winner in ¡984 for his supporting role in the daytime series Guiding Light, is more impressed with the episode than Johnson: “ It was a first-rate script by Serling. It dealt with the insanity of believing that one could escape from a nuclear holocaust.”3 Serling’s short-story adaptation of “The Shelter” is included in New Stories from The Twilight Zone (¡962). The story is virtually identical to the episode, though it does provide small bits of interior monologue that help delineate the characters’ fears and motivations.

“The Passersby” Original Airdate: October 6, ¡96¡; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Elliot Silverstein; Producer: Buck Houghton; Music: Fred Steiner; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Phil Barber; Film Editor: Bill Mosher; Assistant Director: E. Darrell Hallenbeck; Set Decorations: H. Web Arrowsmith; Casting: Stalmaster-Lister; Story Consultant: Richard McDonagh; Sound: Franklin Milton, Bill Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

The Sergeant: James Gregory; Lavinia: Joanne Linville; Charlie: Rex Holman; The Lieutenant: David Garcia; Jud: Warren Kemmerling ; Abraham Lincoln: Austin Green.

Synopsis: Following the end of the Civil War, a seemingly endless line of worn down and wounded soldiers slowly walks along a dusty road. A Confederate sergeant, who has lost a leg in battle, stops at what is left of a once-grand Southern home and asks Lavinia, the woman sitting on the front porch, for some water. Her husband has been killed in battle, and she is su›ering from a serious fever. The sergeant observes that the constantly moving soldiers on the road are both Confederate and Union soldiers who are, ironically, traveling together. He is drawn to the road as well and plans to find out where it leads. Lavinia soon learns more about the bond she shares with the passersby. Notes and commentary: April ¡865, that fateful month in American history, must have fascinated Rod Serling, for this is his second teleplay set during that period. (“Back There” [0¡-¡3-6¡] dealt with Lincoln’s assassination.) A few weeks later, Serling would contribute another episode set during the Civil War era: “Still Valley” (¡¡-24-6¡), his adaptation of “The Valley Was Still,” a Manly Wade Wellman short story. “The Passersby” takes the basic plot of “The Hitch-Hiker” (0¡-22-60) and places it in the historical context of the Civil War. And while not quite as haunting and moody as the former episode, “The Passersby” is still a solemn and poignant piece that evokes the loss and tragedy brought on by the Civil War; it has the conglomerate feel of ghost story or folk tale with an antiwar message. Though no makeup artist is credited, the people responsible create an uncanny and astounding likeness of Lincoln with actor Austin Green. “The Passersby” is director Eliot Sliverstein’s

Season Three (¡96¡-¡962) second Zone entry — his first was “The Obsolete Man” (06-02-6¡)— and contains one of Rod Serling’s shortest onscreen prologues. Fans will recognize James Gregory (here playing the warweary Confederate sergeant) as the Air Force general from the show’s pilot episode, “Where Is Everybody?” (¡0-0259).

“A Game of Pool” Original Airdate: October ¡3, ¡96¡; Writer: George Clayton Johnson; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Buzz Kulik; Producer: Buck Houghton; Director of Photography: Jack Swain; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Phil Barber; Film Editor: Jason H. Bernie, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: E. Darrell Hallenbeck; Set Decorations: H. Web Arrowsmith; Casting: Stalmaster-Lister; Story Consultant: Richard McDonagh; Sound: Franklin Milton, Bill Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at Metro-GoldwynMayer Studios.

CAST

Jesse Cardi›: Jack Klugman; Fats Brown: Jonathan Winters.

Synopsis: Jesse Cardi› wishes aloud for a chance to play Fats Brown — a legendary pool shark who has been dead for ¡5 years — and prove once and for all who is really the best. Brown shows up before a shocked Cardi› and challenges him to a game — if Cardi› wins, he’ll be the best; if Cardi› loses, he dies. Notes and commentary: Two actors known more for their comedic talents — Jack Klugman and, especially, Jonathan Winters (a ¡990 Emmy winner for his supporting role in Davis Rules)— get to flex their considerable dramatic muscles in “A Game of Pool.” Klugman lends a certain authenticity and complexity to pool shark Jesse Cardi›. More than any other actor, Klugman

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brought profound truth, sincerity, and believability to his Twilight Zone roles. In a bold but ultimately perfect bit of casting, Winters holds his own in his dramatic debut as “Fats” Brown. Director Buzz Kulik — one of the finest in the Twilight Zone cadre — creates an atmosphere of suspense and intensity. The last, but certainly not least, successful element of “A Game of Pool” is George Clayton Johnson’s intelligent, tightly-wound script. In Johnson’s original ending, Cardi› actually loses the game. The ¡5 ball hooks the corner pocket, giving “Fats” Brown a clear shot and the win. But, instead of killing Cardi›, Brown explains to the contender that he’ll be buried and forgotten like all second-raters. If he had won, then he would have lived forever as a legend. The original script ended with Cardi› practicing his combination shots for a future rematch with Brown.4 Though Johnson preferred his original ending, in hindsight the ending as filmed works better and has that distinct — though undefinable —Twilight Zone touch. Otherwise, Johnson’s first ending would have made the episode resemble too closely The Hustler, a film with two characters very similar to Cardi› and Brown: pool hustler Fast Eddie Felson (Paul Newman) and pool legend Minnesota Fats ( Jackie Gleason). Both “A Game of Pool” and The Hustler, in fact, were brought to life in ¡96¡. Johnson would finally get his wish when “A Game of Pool” was remade — with Johnson’s original ending in which Cardi› loses the game — for the syndicated third season of The New Twilight Zone.

“The Mirror” Original Airdate: October 20, ¡96¡; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Don Medford; Producer: Buck Houghton; Director of Photography:

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George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Phil Barber; Film Editor: Bill Mosher; Assistant Director: E. Darrell Hallenbeck; Set Decorations: H. Web Arrowsmith; Casting: StalmasterLister; Story Consultant: Richard McDonagh; Sound: Franklin Milton, Bill Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Ramos Clemente: Peter Falk; General DeCruz: Will Kuluva; Cristo: Antony Carbone; Tabal: Arthur Batanides; Garcia: Rodolfo Hoyos; Priest: Vladimir Sokolo›; D’Allesandro: Richard Karlan; O›stage Voice: Robert McCord III; O›stage Voice: Jim Turley; Guard: Val Ru‡no; Stunt Double: Dave Armstrong.

Synopsis: Ramos Clemente and his revolutionaries have just successfully overthrown the government of an unnamed Central American country. Clemente and his four lieutenants are gathered in the former ruler’s chambers to celebrate. The deposed General DeCruz is brought in to face Clemente, and says that the power Clemente has inherited is merely the baggage of fear: the constant threat of assassination, disloyalty, and rebellion, among others. As he is escorted from the room, the general points out his mirror, which he says has the magic ability to reveal one’s assassins. Sure enough, Clemente becomes obsessed with the mirror’s revelations. Notes and commentary: Before becoming the gru› and unkempt detective Columbo, five-time Emmy winner Peter Falk made his only TZ appearance as a pseudo–Fidel Castro consumed by power. Written at perhaps the height of the Cold War, “The Mirror” is another Serling fable about political ideology gone awry, the previous such episode being “The Obsolete Man” (06-02-6¡). Despite some deft

cinematography tricks with the mirror—reminiscent of similar mirror magic from “Nervous Man in a Four Dollar Room” (¡0-¡4-60)—“The Mirror” remains a standard TZ tale of the nogood schemer who ultimately is served his just desserts. Its e›ectiveness is at least somewhat diminished by the barely veiled take on Fidel Castro. Of course, the episode certainly would have carried more dramatic weight for original viewers who lived through those tumultuous and very scary moments between the United States and Cuba (not to mention Russia). In retrospect, though, it is very di‡cult to ignore the presence of all those beards and horn-rimmed glasses. Anybody who has ever seen Woody Allen’s Bananas (¡97¡), for example, cannot keep a straight face while watching “The Mirror.” But, as with several other episodes, it is probably too easy to judge simply on the basis of its actual historical context. The most accurate appraisal of “The Mirror” is that it is by no means horrible, but neither is it utterly unforgettable, a characteristic that would describe several episodes of The Twilight Zone during its final three years.

“The Grave” Original Airdate: October 27, ¡96¡; Writer: Montgomery Pittman; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Montgomery Pittman; Producer: Buck Houghton; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Phil Barber; Film Editor: Leon Barsha, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: E. Darrell Hallenbeck; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, H. Web Arrowsmith; Casting: Stalmaster-Lister; Sound: Franklin Milton, Bill Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

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Season Three (¡96¡-¡962) CAST

Conny Miller: Lee Marvin; Johnny Rob: James Best; Mothershed: Strother Martin; Ione: Elen Willard; Steinhart: Lee Van Cleef ; Jasen: William Challee; Ira Broadly: Sta›ord Repp; Corcoran: Larry Johns; Pinto Sykes: Richard Geary.

Synopsis: Pinto Sykes, a killer outlaw, is gunned down in the middle of an Old West street by a group of eight townspeople. Before he dies, he vows that if bounty hunter Conny Miller ever comes near his grave, he will reach up and grab him. Notes and commentary: Airing just four days before Halloween,“The Grave” is an e›ective trick-or-treat, an Old West ghost story, with plenty of build-up and spooky atmosphere. Skillfully written and directed by Montgomery Pittman— who also pulled double duty on “Two” (09-¡5-6¡) and “The Last Rites of Je› Myrtlebank” (02-23-62), in which he was reunited with James Best —“The Grave” features a cast of stellar western actors, including Lee Marvin, Strother Martin, James Best, and Lee Van Cleef. Their characterizations are right on the money, and they contribute mightily to the realism of the story. In fact, Martin, Van Cleef, and Marvin would all appear the next year (¡962) in John Ford’s classic western The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, starring James Stewart and John Wayne. (Marvin is the title character— the one who gets shot, that is.) Marvin, in particular, displays a welldefined sense of determination and hidden vulnerability. His bouts with the bottle at the time of this episode’s filming are well documented, but he looks all the professionally trained actor here. Marvin (winner of an Academy Award for Best Actor, in ¡965’s Cat Ballou) would turn in another solid TZ performance as a down-and-out boxer in Richard Matheson’s “Steel” (¡0-04-63).

Chilling and well-played by all, “The Grave” dares to be watched all alone in the dead of night, with a cold wind outside making the shingles rattle. Then again, if one thinks back to Conny Miller’s fate, maybe it should be watched in the middle of the day with a couple of friends on hand.

“ It’s a Good Life” Original Airdate: November 3, ¡96¡; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: “It’s a Good Life,” a short story by Jerome Bixby; Director: James Sheldon; Producer: Buck Houghton; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Phil Barber; Film Editor: Jason H. Bernie, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: E. Darrell Hallenbeck; Set Decorations: H. Web Arrowsmith; Casting: Stalmaster-Lister; Story Consultant: Richard McDonagh; Sound: Franklin Milton, Bill Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at Metro-GoldwynMayer Studios.

CAST

Mr. Fremont: John Larch; Mrs. Fremont: Cloris Leachman; Dan Hollis: Don Keefer; Anthony Fremont: Billy Mumy; Aunt Amy: Alice Frost; Pat Riley: Casey Adams; Ethel Hollis: Jeanne Bates; Thelma Dunn: Lenore Kingston; Bill Soames: Tom Hatcher.

Synopsis: Peaksville, Ohio, is a small community that has either solely survived world destruction or has somehow been separated or “taken away” from the normal world. This community has been ravaged by a monster, 6year-old Anthony Fremont, who has the ability to know everyone’s thoughts and can use his mind to “wish away” or annihilate anyone or anything that doesn’t please him. All of the people in the community, including Anthony’s parents, go out of their way to ensure that Anthony is made happy. Fearing his ability to destroy them, they

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constantly assure Anthony that his every feeling and action is good. Life goes on, albeit rather precariously and frightfully, in Peaksville, with little Anthony Fremont in charge of its outcome. Notes and commentary: “‘It’s a Good Life,’” as Serling biographer Gordon Sander points out, is “one of the series’ most chilling and best-remembered episodes.”5 When viewers see Serling at the outset promising an unusual prologue and standing next to a map of the United States in order to introduce them to the story, they know that something unfamiliar is ahead. If “The Silence” (04-28-6¡) is an “atypical” TZ episode, then “ It’s a Good Life” is even more so. The episode doesn’t even rely on the traditional surprise ending. Instead, it is permeated from beginning to end with anxiety and dread. Billy Mumy is e›ectively cast as the psychological monster with the appearance of a cute and guileless child. This casting fleshes out perfectly the inherent horror of the plot, which is unrelenting in evoking constant fear. Rod Serling’s original teleplay contains an entirely di›erent Serling prologue to set up the story. Even more surprising, it introduces the father, Mr. Fremont, as a secondary narrator who introduces us to Anthony’s grip on Peaksville : “Something else [besides grain and wheat] grows in Peaksville, and for want of a better term, we’re forced to call it simply … horror.” This prologue would definitely have diminished the impact of the episode by allowing the father to “step out” of character in order to narrate. The horror and dread would seem less palpable and more theatrical, and thankfully Serling judiciously changed the prologue to

what remained as the filmed version. Also in the original teleplay, Anthony turns Hollis into a snake instead of a jack-in-the-box. In adapting Jerome Bixby’s short story of the same name (reprinted in The Twilight Zone: The Original Stories [¡985]), Serling follows it closely and makes only slight and inconsequential omissions or changes. “ It’s a Good Life” was remade in ¡983 for the third segment of Twilight Zone—The Movie. In this version, after an accident at a diner little Anthony meets schoolteacher Helen Foley, who gives him a ride home. As in the original episode, obsequious family members watch Anthony’s every move and placate him at every turn. As it turns out, Anthony’s imagination consists entirely of cartoon worlds and characters. He has destroyed his original family, and the people who are there now are those he has trapped. Helen is stunned by the surreal and absurdist house and its inhabitants, especially after Anthony banishes “sister” Ethel to a horrifying life in a cartoon world of monsters. Anthony eventually wishes everyone (including the house itself ) away except for Helen, who o›ers to be friends with Anthony and help him understand and deal with his special ability. They return from their limbo-like atmosphere (the space that exists after he wishes the house away) and drive away together toward a presumably better life. Unfortunately, this remake falls far short of the original. With its bizarre sets and phantasmagoric goings-on, this segment of Twilight Zone—The Movie is really nothing more than a supercharged assault on the senses. Original TZ producer Buck Houghton, who had a cameo in the segment, sums up the remake perfectly: “The set of the home had curved tops to doors, and the

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Season Three (¡96¡-¡962) fireplaces were figure eights. It was unlike any house you’ve ever seen. Once again, I knew that they just didn’t get the point of Twilight Zone.”6 The only enjoyable part of the segment, directed by Joe Dante (Gremlins, Innerspace, Gremlins 2: The New Batch), is picking up on all of the in-jokes and references relating to the original series. Among them: • The main character, Helen Foley, has the same name as the protagonist in “Nightmare as a Child”(04-29-60). Serling named the original character after one of his schoolteachers. • Foley gets lost and stops at a diner for directions. The worker tells her she has missed the turn at Cli›ordville (a reference to “Of Late I Think of Cli›ordville” [04-¡¡-63]). • Foley is then directed to a gas station in Beaumont, a nod, of course, to TZ writer Charles Beaumont. • Helen says she is headed for the town of Willoughby, the setting of Serling’s “A Stop at Willoughby” (05-06-60). • Helen says she is from Homewood, the name of the town that Gig Young’s character goes back in time to visit in “Walking Distance” (¡0-30-59). • As Anthony plays a video game in the diner, he causes the bar’s television reception to weaken. The man who complains to the owner is Billy Mumy — the original Anthony Fremont — here billed in the credits as “Bill Mumy.” • Uncle Walt, one of the “family members” at Anthony’s house, is played by Kevin McCarthy, who played the similarly named title character of Charles Beaumont’s “Long Live Walter Jameson” (03-¡8-60). • William Schallert, playing Anthony’s “father,” had a small role as a policeman in “Mr. Bevis” (06-0360).

• Patricia Barry, little Anthony’s “mother,” starred in two Twilight Zone episodes: “The Chaser” (05¡3-60) and “ I Dream of Genie” (032¡-63).

“Death’s-head Revisited” Original Airdate: November ¡0, ¡96¡; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Don Medford; Producer: Buck Houghton; Director of Photography: Jack Swain; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Phil Barber; Film Editor: Bill Mosher; Assistant Director: E. Darrell Hallenbeck; Set Decorations: H. Web Arrowsmith; Casting: Stalmaster-Lister; Story Consultant: Richard McDonagh; Sound: Franklin Milton, Bill Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Alfred Becker: Joseph Schildkraut; Captain Gunther Lutze: Oscar Beregi; Innkeeper: Karen Verne; Taxi Driver: Robert Boon; Doctor: Ben Wright; Dauchau Victim: Chuck Fox.*

Synopsis: Former SS Captain Gunther Lutze makes a nostalgic return to the Dauchau concentration camp, where ¡7 years earlier he helped torture and execute thousands of men, women, and children. Little does he know that his victims have been waiting for him and have justice on their minds. Notes and commentary: “Death’shead Revisited” is a powerful, haunting drama, a fine example of some of Rod Serling’s best writing. (It is one of only ten episodes in which Serling’s closing epilogue does not end with the words “The Twilight Zone.”) Oscar Beregi — “The Rip Van Winkle Caper” (04-2¡6¡)— plays former SS Captain Gunther Lutze, an ice-blooded sadist who was a god at Dauchau; he decided who would live or die, protected by the black

*This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

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uniform of the Nazi party. He has come home again because Dauchau was his element, his hallowed ground. What Lutze does not know, though, is that his day of judgment has come, and he must stand before a high court of Dauchau ghosts and their judge, Alfred Becker ( Joseph Schildkraut, who won the ¡937 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his turn in The Life of Emile Zola). Becker’s hollow eyes and wrinkled face are reminders of the misery and torment that he experienced ¡7 years ago. The words he speaks are at the same time painful, eloquent, shocking, and wise. His role is pivotal because he represents not only one man murdered by Lutze; he stands for the millions of other victims of Dauchau. Schildkraut pulls o› the di‡cult role, a credit to his skills as an actor. (Schildkraut had earlier starred as the father in ¡959’s The Diary of Anne Frank.) Another key to the e›ectiveness of the episode is the haunting set that doubled for Dauchau. The set was originally built on the MGM backlot for the pilot episode of a CBS western. The four-sided frontier fort was “downgraded” to achieve the old, run-down look of the long-abandoned (but never truly forgotten) concentration camp.7 Serling would again address the Holocaust in the hour-long “He’s Alive” (0¡24-63), starring Dennis Hopper.

“The Midnight Sun” Original Airdate: November ¡7, ¡96¡; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Anton Leader; Producer: Buck Houghton; Music: Van Cleave; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Phil Barber; Film Editor: Jason H.

Bernie, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: E. Darrell Hallenbeck; Set Decorations: H. Web Arrowsmith; Casting: Stalmaster-Lister; Story Consultant: Richard McDonagh; Sound: Franklin Milton, Bill Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Norma Smith: Lois Nettleton; Mrs. Bronson: Betty Garde; Intruder: Tom Reese; Neighbor: Jason Wingreen; Neighbor’s Wife: June Ellis; Doctor: William Keene; [Refrigerator Repairman]: Ned Glass*; [Policeman]: John McLiam*; Announcer: Robert J. Stevenson.*

Synopsis: At five minutes before midnight, the blazing sun continues to stifle New York City and the rest of the world. According to scientists, the earth is moving closer to the sun every day. There is no such thing anymore as night, and the temperature is at ¡¡0 degrees. While Norma Smith attempts to paint portraits in her apartment, the family from the next floor up prepares to join others in deserting the city in order to escape the awful heat and impending destruction. Now, Norma and Mrs. Bronson, the landlady, are the only two people left in the building. Norma has been su›ering from a fever all along and has only dreamed of the earth’s imminent destruction — or has she? Notes and commentary: “The Midnight Sun” is just as unnerving and disturbing, in its own way, as “ It’s a Good Life.” Literally atmospheric and frighteningly apocalyptic, is the last of three consecutive dark, serious Serling episodes. (“ It’s a Good Life” [¡¡-03-6¡] and “Death’s-head Revisited” [¡¡-¡0-6¡] aired the previous two weeks.) The acting, as usual in The Twilight Zone, is strong, but the success of this episode must be credited to George T. Clemens’s

*This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

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Season Three (¡96¡-¡962) masterful cinematography and the tight, stifling direction of Anton Leader. Leader had already directed the classic “Long Live Walter Jameson” (03¡8-60), and “The Midnight Sun” would be his second and last TZ directing job. Contributing to the overall e›ect of “The Midnight Sun” is Van Cleave’s superb score, which fluctuates between styles in a way that reflects the shifting emotions of the characters as they face impending doom. This particular episode is also reflective of just how resourceful and creative the TZ crew could be. The e›ect of the “melting” painting was created by turning on a hotplate that was connected to the painting, which was done in wax.8 The result is visually perfect and totally convincing. In Serling’s original teleplay, two characters appear who are not in the episode as filmed. A refrigerator repairman, after fixing Mrs. Bronson’s refrigerator early on (just after the neighbors are moving out), demands cash payment, but all Mrs. Bronson can o›er is her wedding ring. The repairman kindly refuses, admitting that any payment under the circumstances is useless anyway. He then leaves, preparing to drive his family north to Canada, where the temperature is supposed to be cooler. The other character who doesn’t make it from teleplay to film is a policeman. Originally, Norma and Mrs. Bronson are warned about looters by this policeman — who also provides the gun that Norma eventually draws on the intruder — instead of a radio announcement. Apparently, Twilight Zone Companion author Marc Scott Zicree was following original production and casting documents and sources

when compiling his credits for “The Midnight Sun,” since these two characters are not present in the episode, even though actors are listed for them in both his book and in Serling’s teleplay (reprinted in the December ¡98¡ issue of Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone Magazine). More than likely, the roles caused the episode to run long and were edited out at the last minute during post-production. The short-story adaptation of “The Midnight Sun”— included in the New Stories from The Twilight Zone (¡962) collection — is faithful in every detail to Serling’s original teleplay. Lois Nettleton (Norma Smith) would later win a pair of Emmy Awards for her performances in ¡976’s The American Women—Portraits of Courage and the ¡982 program “A Gun for Mandy” on Insight.

“Still Valley” Original Airdate: November 24, ¡96¡; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: “The Valley Was Still,” a short story by Manly Wade Wellman; Director: James Sheldon; Producer: Buck Houghton; Music: Wilbur Hatch; Associate Producer: Del Reisman; Director of Photography: Jack Swain; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Phil Barber; Film Editor: Bill Mosher, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: E. Darrell Hallenbeck; Set Decorations: H. Web Arrowsmith; Casting: Stalmaster-Lister; Story Consultant: Richard McDonagh; Sound: Franklin Milton, Bill Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at Metro-GoldwynMayer Studios.

CAST

Joseph Paradine: Gary Merrill; Old Man: Vaughn Taylor; Lieutenant: Mark Tapscott; Mallory: Jack Mann; Dauger: Ben Cooper; Sentry: Addison Myers.*

Synopsis: Confederate Scout Joseph

*This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

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Paradine finds an entire Union regiment all frozen in an upright position in the middle of a street. A dying witch-man o›ers his book of witchcraft to Paradine so that he might use its powers to win the Civil War for the South. Notes and commentary: “Still Valley” was based on Manly Wade Wellman’s short story, “The Valley Was Still,” first published in ¡939 and reprinted in The Twilight Zone: The Original Stories (¡985). In the short story, the old conjurer’s name is Teague, and the book he carries around with him is titled John George Hohman’s Pow-Wows or Long Lost Friend. Teague has put a spell on 5,000 Yankees in Channow, but has never received the respect he thinks he deserves from folks there, so he plans to use his black magic to become the greatest man in the South, the one “runnin’ things.” He asks Paradine if he would like to be the second greatest man. Paradine politely declines, but Teague tells him it is too late to back out. After signing the “J” of Joseph in blood on the back page of the PowWows book, Paradine takes his sword and decapitates Teague. By refusing the alliance, the South in e›ect lost the war at Channow, not Gettysburg or Appomattox Court House, Paradine later insists. Serling’s own adaptation stayed pretty true to its source, except of course the budget would not allow for the filming of 5,000 motionless extras, and censors would obviously not allow for a prime-time decapitation. Like “The Mirror” (¡0-20-6¡), “Still Valley” is a passable episode, neither a classic nor a failure. At this early stage of season three, Serling and his producers seem to have been enchanted by the nineteenth century and its potential for Twilight Zone material. Only a

month before, Montgomery Pittman’s western ghost story “The Grave” (¡0-27-6¡) had aired. Three weeks before that episode, Serling’s Civil War ghost story “The Passersby” (¡0-06-6¡) was televised. Viewers will be surprised to discover that the actor playing the old conjurer is Vaughn Taylor, who two seasons before was Burgess Meredith’s boss in the classic “Time Enough at Last” (¡¡-2059). Taylor would return to The Twilight Zone three more times: “ I Sing the Body Electric” (05-¡8-62), “The Incredible World of Horace Ford” (04-¡863), and “The Self-Improvement of Salvadore Ross” (0¡-¡7-64).

“The Jungle” Original Airdate: December ¡, ¡96¡; Writer: Charles Beaumont; Source: “The Jungle,” a short story by Charles Beaumont; Director: William Claxton; Producer: Buck Houghton; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Phil Barber; Film Editor: Jason H. Bernie, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: E. Darrell Hallenbeck; Set Decorations: H. Web Arrowsmith; Casting: Stalmaster-Lister; Story Consultant: Richard McDonagh; Sound: Franklin Milton, Bill Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at Metro-GoldwynMayer Studios.

CAST

Alan Richards: John Dehner; Chad Cooper: Walter Brooke; Derelict: Jay Adler; Doris Richards: Emily McLaughlin; Templeton: Hugh Sanders; Hardy: Howard Wright; Sinclair: Donald Foster; Taxi Driver: Jay Overholts.

Synopsis: Engineer Alan Richards chides his wife at home for bringing back superstitious relics from their recent trip to Africa. Alan’s company is planning a hydroelectric dam project and will soon begin drilling. Fearing the warnings of the shaman they met,

Season Three (¡96¡-¡962) who felt that the land was being wounded and said those involved would pay for their actions, Doris clings to and believes in the power of the relics to protect her and her husband. Insisting they are nonsense, Alan learns otherwise when he throws them in the fireplace and goes outside to discover that the proverbial urban jungle is all too real. Notes and commentary: Charles Beaumont’s first entry for season three, “The Jungle” is a scary tale of superstition that maintains a consistently tense and uncertain atmosphere. As is often the case in The Twilight Zone, incessant sounds, silences, or both, usually lead characters to their ultimate destinations or destinies. This episode can be viewed as “Where Is Everybody?” (¡0-02-59) filtered through the mind and imagination of Charles Beaumont. Like the protagonist in the series pilot, Alan Richards succumbs to isolation and loneliness. His loneliness, though, is accompanied by primal, frightening shrieks and noises. It is the performance of John Dehner that makes the material work. A prolific character actor through the fifties and sixties, primarily in westerns, Dehner has those steely eyes and a selfassured demeanor, the look of a man not easily intimidated. When that persona begins to unravel, the fear experienced by Dehner’s character is all the more palpable and credible. Dehner had already appeared in the early season one episode “The Lonely” (¡¡¡3-59) as the sympathetic Captain Allenby. Dehner returns for another starring role in, not surprisingly, a fifth season TZ western ghost tale, “Mr. Garrity and the Graves” (05-08-64). Another forceful and convincing element is the episode’s final shot of the

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lion pouncing on its prey. The lion, obviously, is real, and the camera is strategically placed to capture its unexpected leap. The shock value comes from the suddenness of the movement and by what is not shown, a concept that has, ironically, practically disappeared from film and television. The episode maintains the overall plot structure of Beaumont’s short story (reprinted in The Twilight Zone: The Original Stories [¡985]), though the events and settings are significantly changed. In the story, the setting is the 22nd century. The main character, whose name here is Richard Austin, is also an engineer. He and his colleagues, in response to overpopulation and scarce land, have planned, designed and created Mbarara, an entire city designed to hold 500,000 people and make life easier and more convenient. However, this sprawling utopian vision has been constructed in the jungles of Kenya, devastating the environment and displacing the area tribes. The natives have called a curse upon the city’s creators, causing them to become afflicted with an Ebola-like virus referred to as “Jungle Rot.” All the others have died or left the city, and Richard is left alone with his wife, who is su›ering from the virus. After walking across the city to meet with the tribal shaman, Richard is warned by the shaman to alert the thousands preparing to come to Mbarara that certain death and destruction will befall them if they insist on arriving. Richard departs and heads back to his apartment. As in the episode, the character walks through the city and becomes frightened, actually feeling as if he is still in the jungle. Richard arrives at the apartment and discovers the lion feeding on his wife! Beaumont’s story is dark and unnerving,

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but he expertly adapts it into an episode that maintains those qualities without attempting to retain the farreaching and expansive setting, which would surely have been too much to ask for a half-hour time constraint.

“Once Upon a Time” Original Airdate: December ¡5, ¡96¡; Writer: Richard Matheson; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Norman Z. McLeod; Producer: Buck Houghton; Music: William Lava; played by Ray Turner; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Phil Barber; Film Editor: Jason Bernie, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: E. Darrell Hallenbeck; Set Decorations: H. Web Arrowsmith; Casting: Stalmaster-Lister; Story Consultant: Richard McDonagh; Sound: Franklin Milton, Bill Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Woodrow Mulligan: Buster Keaton; Rollo: Stanley Adams; Policeman ¡962: James Flavin; Policeman ¡890: Gil Lamb; Repair Man: Jesse White; Professor Gilbert: Milton Parsons*; Clothing Store Manager: Warren Parker*; 2nd Policeman ¡962: Harry Fleer*; Fenwick: George E. Stone.*

Synopsis: Janitor Woodrow Mulligan, disgusted with life in ¡890, slips on a time helmet and is transported to ¡962. He soon breaks the helmet, though, and must have it repaired before time runs out for him to return to the past. Notes and commentary: Fans of The Twilight Zone received an early Christmas present in ¡96¡ with the telecast of “Once Upon a Time,” a rare TZ foray into slapstick comedy starring the incomparable silent film star Buster Keaton (the “Great Stone Face”), best remembered for Sherlock Jr. (¡924), The

Cameraman (¡928), and especially The General (¡927), his masterpiece. Richard Matheson and Keaton had a mutual friend in writer Bill Cox, and once Keaton agreed to do a Twilight Zone episode, Matheson penned an original teleplay to accommodate the comedic talents of the 66-year-old but still nimble star, who was the recipient of an Honorary Academy Award in ¡959. Twilight Zone producer Buck Houghton brought Norman Z. McLeod out of semi-retirement to direct the episode. McLeod had directed the Marx Brothers in Monkey Business (¡93¡) and Horse Feathers (¡932); his other impressive comedy credits included It’s a Gift (¡934), Topper (¡937), The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (¡947), and the Bob Hope vehicle The Paleface (¡948). Under McLeod’s direction, Keaton is a joy to watch. It is evident that Keaton had not lost any of his impeccable timing or his propensity for pratfalls and shenanigans. The opening and closing scenes set in ¡890 are silent, complete with dialogue cards. To get the desired “silent film” look, only two of three frames were printed in these sequences to give them a jittery, fluttery movement much like early silent films that were cranked by hand.9 Watching Keaton in “Once Upon a Time” reminds the viewer of what a special, funny genius this man was in the Roaring Twenties. However, “Once Upon a Time” works better as a fond tribute than as a comedy. Part of the reason may be the middle portion of the story that takes place in the repair shop. Unsure of how to “pace” the episode, the producers brought in Les Goodwins — uncredited — to direct these scenes. As a result, the pace was slowed and the epi-

*This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

Season Three (¡96¡-¡962) sode became one of many that author Richard Matheson was less than pleased with. Matheson’s script called for more chases — even for Keaton to go through a car wash and supermarket on a bicycle. ¡0 Still, the episode is a heartfelt homage, and Keaton comes o› much better here than in the misguided biopic The Buster Keaton Story (¡957).

“Five Characters in Search of an Exit” Original Airdate: December 22, ¡96¡; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: “The Depository,” a short story by Marvin Petal¡¡; Director: Lamont Johnson; Producer: Buck Houghton; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Phil Barber; Film Editor: Bill Mosher; Assistant Director: E. Darrell Hallenbeck; Set Decorations: H. Web Arrowsmith; Casting: StalmasterLister; Story Consultant: Richard McDonagh; Sound: Franklin Milton, Bill Edmondson; Makeup: William Tuttle; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at MetroGoldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

The Ballerina: Susan Harrison; The Major: Bill Windom; The Clown: Murray Matheson; The Tramp (Hobo): Kelton Garwood; The Bagpipe Player: Clark Allen; Woman: Carol Hill; Little Girl: Mona Houghton.

Synopsis: In a barren and plainlooking room made entirely of some type of metal, an army major wakes up with an apparent case of amnesia. Three other people then appear: a hobo, a ballerina, and a bagpiper. None of them, however, knows who they all are or why they are in this large, empty room with no doors or windows. The only opening is at the top of the structure, which they estimate to be at least 40 feet high. The other characters have been in the room for quite some time and seem resigned to their fate as un-

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known and forlorn beings. The distraught major then stoically asserts his belief that they must all be in Hell, but his escape will prove otherwise. Notes and commentary: “Five Characters in Search of an Exit” is a flawless gem and a Twilight Zone masterpiece. The mood and atmosphere of longing and despair include elements of both existentialism and absurdity. These elements, along with the themes of personal identity and the nature of reality, give the episode a particularly literary and theatrical resonance with two works that address the same ideas: Luigi Pirandello’s similarly titled early modernist play, Six Characters in Search of an Author (¡92¡); and Samuel Beckett’s Theater of the Absurd masterpiece, Waiting for Godot (¡955). The episode also recalls, and transcends, earlier TZ episodes about isolation — “Where Is Everybody?” (¡0-02-59)— and the search for personal identity — “The After Hours” (06-¡0-60). Lamont Johnson, in the second of his eventual eight TZ episodes, provides restrained and solid direction to complement George Clemens’s expert cinematography. Johnson would direct five more episodes during season three, two of which — George Clayton Johnson’s “Nothing in the Dark” (0¡-05-62) and “Kick the Can” (02-09-62)— join “Five Characters” as some of the greatest TZ episodes ever produced. Also adding to the episode is the remarkable and fully realized makeup work by William Tuttle. The acting here is exceptional too, but it is Murray Matheson, as the sarcastic and quick-witted clown, who gives the most riveting performance. William Windom, who plays the major, went on to win an Emmy Award in ¡969 as Outstanding Series Comic Actor, in My World and Welcome to It.

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“Five Characters” also proves that nepotism pays o› when it comes to casting; the little girl who discovers the army-major doll at the end of the episode is played by Mona Houghton, daughter of Twilight Zone producer Buck Houghton.¡2

“A Quality of Mercy” Original Airdate: December 29, ¡96¡; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay, based on an idea by Sam Rolfe; Director: Buzz Kulik; Producer: Buck Houghton; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Phil Barber; Film Editor: Jason Bernie, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: E. Darrell Hallenbeck; Set Decorations: H. Web Arrowsmith; Casting: Stalmaster-Lister; Story Consultant: Richard McDonagh; Sound: Franklin Milton, Bill Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at Hal Roach Studios.

CAST

Lt. Katell/Lt. Yamuri: Dean Stockwell; Sgt. Causarano: Albert Salmi; Watkins: Rayford Barnes; Hanacheck: Ralph Votrian; Hansen: Leonard Nimoy; Japanese Non-Com. O‡cer: Dale Ishimoto; Japanese Capt. Nakagawa: J. H. Fujikawa; Jeep Driver: Michael Pataki.*

Synopsis: Near the end of World War II, a young, aggressive o‡cer orders his war-weary platoon to show no mercy to a group of starving, wounded, holed-up Japanese soldiers. The o‡cer sees things from a new perspective, though, after he is somehow transformed into a Japanese soldier. Notes and commentary: The title “A Quality of Mercy” is taken from a line spoken by Portia in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice: The quality of mercy is not strain’d It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven

Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest: It blesseth him that gives and him that takes. (IV.i.¡84–¡87)

Having served as a U.S. paratrooper and fought in the Philippines in ¡945, Rod Serling was more than qualified to write an e›ective combat drama. The idea for “A Quality of Mercy” came from Serling’s friend Sam Rolfe, cocreator of Have Gun—Will Travel. The dialogue in “Mercy” rings true with crackling authenticity. Serling comments here on the futility and dirtiness of war, the mental and physical strain it puts on its participants. As far as participants in “Mercy,” Albert Salmi — who appeared earlier in “Execution” (04-0¡-60)— and Dean Stockwell (Quantum Leap) are excellent as the grunt who has seen it all and the greenie who hasn’t seen anything but wants to prove his manhood by killing anything that moves. Leonard Nimoy (Mr. Spock in Star Trek) has a bit role here as Hansen, speaking only one line. In the original teleplay, Baker Company is informed of the A-bomb dropping by a Jeep driver who pulls up and relays the message. As filmed, though, the unit receives the word over a radio transmission. Two particular ironies (both involving lead Dean Stockwell) attend this episode. Stockwell had originally been cast — but for some reason could not commit — for “The Purple Testament” (02-¡2-60), another harrowing World War II drama set in the Philippines by Serling. Also ironic is a future television role that would make Stockwell a star. In Quantum Leap (¡989–¡993), Scott Bakula played Dr. Samuel Beckett, who “leaps” and travels throughout

*This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

Season Three (¡96¡-¡962) history (not to mention other, sometimes historically famous, human beings). Stockwell played the secondary character of Admiral Al Calavicci, Beckett’s holographic traveling companion. Nearly 30 years after “A Quality of Mercy,” Stockwell was still a traveling man, but he let his costar do most of the body-switching.

“Nothing in the Dark” Original Airdate: January 5, ¡962; Writer: George Clayton Johnson; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Lamont Johnson; Producer: Buck Houghton; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Phil Barber; Film Editor: Jason H. Bernie, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: E. Darrell Hallenbeck; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, H. Web Arrowsmith; Casting: StalmasterLister; Sound: Franklin Milton, Bill Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Wanda Dunn: Gladys Cooper; Harold Beldon: Robert Redford; Man: R. G. Armstrong.

Synopsis: As elderly Wanda Dunn lies in bed, she hears a noise outside her run-down apartment. A cry for help emanates from her doorstep, where a man lies wounded. He says he is an o‡cer and has been shot. Later, after Wanda has brought Beldon into her apartment to nurse him back to health, she and the convalescing Beldon have a conversation. Mr. Death, she claims, has used several disguises in attempting to claim her. Before the day is over, Mr. Death will have made one more appearance in pursuit of Wanda Dunn. Notes and commentary: Season three of The Twilight Zone represents the creative zenith of writer George Clayton Johnson; it also represents the

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last season he would make a direct contribution. (Aside from season two’s “A Penny for Your Thoughts” [02-03-6¡] and season three’s “A Game of Pool” [¡0-¡3-6¡] and “Kick the Can” [02-0962], Johnson’s other contributions were all unpublished short stories that were adapted for TZ episodes by other writers.) Nevertheless, “Nothing in the Dark” is one of the show’s most enduring and well-remembered episodes. It is also one of the greatest, a definitive entry in the Twilight Zone canon that stands as Johnson’s best episode, rivaled only by “Kick the Can.” Whether he realized it or not, George Clayton Johnson with this episode creates a TZ analogue to an Emily Dickinson poem, whose first two lines set a scenario very similar to “Nothing in the Dark”: “Because I could not stop for Death–/ He kindly stopped for me–.” Johnson’s teleplay addresses our fear of death with a delicate balance of suspense and emotional poignancy. No small feat, considering the potential results of moving too much in either direction: Mr. Death could have ended up bursting through the door as a wideeyed and ranting madman, à la Jack Nicholson in The Shining (¡980). In the other direction, the woman’s reactions and emotions could easily have become both maudlin and boringly discursive (through perhaps too much overwriting and heavy dialogue). These pitfalls, thanks to Johnson’s writing, are avoided. “Nothing in the Dark” also benefits from the two lead performances. Gladys Cooper — who would later return to the Zone in season four’s “Passage on the Lady Anne” (05-09-63) and season five’s “Night Call” (02-07-64)— gives a commanding and totally believable performance as the old woman who lives in a

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state of perpetual fear and apprehension. The young Robert Redford, in one of his earliest roles, is also e›ectively cast and gives a subtle performance laced with ostensibly inconsequential facial expressions and physical gestures. (Coincidentally, Redford had already starred in Rod Serling’s Playhouse 90 television drama In the Presence of Mine Enemies [05-¡8-60].) Director Lamont Johnson returns from “Five Characters in Search of an Exit” (¡2-22-6¡) to contribute to yet another classic episode in “Nothing in the Dark.” An especially nice touch is during the opening, when the old woman is lying in bed and surrounded by her metal bedstead and a wooden chair. Both pieces of furniture have backs containing vertical rows of rods and dowels. The e›ect is a beautifully photographed piece of symbolism, a visual reminder that this scared old woman is a prisoner of her refusal to confront and accept death. Both Johnsons — writer George and director Lamont — would combine their talents again in season three on “Kick the Can” (02-09-62), another moving story about aging.

“One More Pallbearer” Original Airdate: January ¡2, ¡962; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Lamont Johnson; Producer: Buck Houghton; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Phil Barber; Film Editor: Bill Mosher; Assistant Director: E. Darrell Hallenbeck; Set Decorations: George R. Nelson; Casting: Stalmaster-Lister; Story Consultant: Richard McDonagh; Sound: Franklin Milton, Bill Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Paul Radin: Joseph Wiseman; Mrs. Langford: Katherine Squire; Colonel Hawthorne: Trevor Bardette; Mr. Hughes: Gage Clarke; Policeman: Ray Galvin*; Electrician #¡: Josep Elic*; Electrician #2: Robert Snyder.*

Synopsis: Paul Radin, an eccentric multimillionaire, has constructed an impenetrable, one-of-a-kind bomb shelter 300 feet below the basement of his New York City skyscraper. Radin invites three people to the shelter — each of whom has wronged him in the past — and simulates a false atomic attack in order to exact his revenge. Notes and commentary: “One More Pallbearer,” an acerbic Serling teleplay filled with rancorous and vindictive characters, doesn’t quite measure up to the better Twilight Zone episodes. It is clearly one of Serling’s lesser authorial e›orts of the third season, and the characters never form an emotional attachment to the viewer: Should the audience feel connected to the insecure, fantasy-driven millionaire, or the cold, unredemptive authority figures who have exposed the true Radin over the years? As a result, it is di‡cult to sympathize with any of the characters. It is also di‡cult to attach any degree of significance to “One More Pallbearer.” However, actor Joseph Wiseman (Paul Radin) is very good here, and would carve out a niche for himself as a detestable grudgebearer. A few months after “One More Pallbearer” aired, Wiseman would hold a grudge on the silver screen against James Bond, 007 (Sean Connery), by playing the nefarious title character Dr. No, the first bigscreen Bond villain. A decade later, he was a manipulative invalid who coaxes his nurse into murder in the “Room

*This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

Season Three (¡96¡-¡962) with a View” (¡2-23-70) segment of Rod Serling’s Night Gallery.

“Dead Man’s Shoes” Original Airdate: January ¡9, ¡962; Writers: OCee Ritch and Charles Beaumont; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Montgomery Pittman; Producer: Buck Houghton; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Phil Barber; Film Editor: Jason H. Bernie, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: E. Darrell Hallenbeck; Set Decorations: H. Web Arrowsmith; Casting: Stalmaster-Lister; Story Consultant: Richard McDonagh; Sound: Franklin Milton, Bill Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at Metro-GoldwynMayer Studios.

CAST

Nate Bledsoe: Warren Stevens; Dagget: Richard Devon; Wilma: Joan Marshall; Chips: Ben Wright; Sam: Harry Swoger; Ben: Ron Hagerthy; Dagget’s Woman: Florence Marley; Jimmy: Joe Mell; Maitre D’: Eugene Borden.*

Synopsis: Two men drive into a dark and desolate alley and dump the body of a dead man among the scattered garbage. On the fire escape above, street bum Nate Bledsoe wakes up and discovers the body, replacing his shoes with the new ones from the dead man. The shoes have the mysterious power to change Nate’s personality and have transported the spirit of Dane, a recently murdered mobster, into the body of Nate Bledsoe. The tough-talking Nate/Dane then finds and confronts the three men who murdered Dane. The murderers are mistaken in their assumption that dead men don’t wear shoes. Notes and commentary: “Dead Man’s Shoes” is another TZ entry into the film-noirish atmosphere of tough

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talk, shady dealings, and murder. Unlike “The Four of Us Are Dying” (0¡0¡-60) and “Nervous Man in a Four Dollar Room” (¡0-¡4-60), “Dead Man’s Shoes” doesn’t create much excitement or tension. None of the characters is entirely memorable or well-rounded, and the episode su›ers the same problem as Serling’s “Twenty Two” (02-¡0-6¡): an intriguing and spooky plot idea that doesn’t live up to its potential. Actually, “Dead Man’s Shoes” isn’t much more than a perfunctory reworking of “The Four of Us Are Dying.” “Dead Man’s Shoes” is credited to writer Charles Beaumont. However, Beaumont was known to have accepted far more writing assignments than even the most prolific writer could complete, so he gave OCee Ritch the story to ghostwrite. The original story was titled “Reluctant Genius,” and in place of the supernatural shoes was a cowboy hat.¡3 Though Beaumont may have contributed in some degree to the finished story, “Dead Man’s Shoes” is in no way representative of his creativity or importance to The Twilight Zone. “Dead Man’s Shoes” was remade over 20 years later as “Dead Woman’s Shoes” (¡¡-22-85) for The New Twilight Zone.

“The Hunt” Original Airdate: January 26, ¡962; Writer: Earl Hamner [Jr.]; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Harold Schuster; Producer: Buck Houghton; Music: Robert Drasnin; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Phil Barber; Film Editor: Bill Mosher; Assistant Director: E. Darrell Hallenbeck; Set Decorations: H. Web Arrowsmith; Casting: Stalmaster-Lister; Story Consultant: Richard McDonagh; Sound: Franklin Milton, Bill Edmondson;

*This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

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Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Hyder Simpson: Arthur Hunnicutt; Rachel Simpson: Jeanette Nolan; Gatekeeper: Robert Faulk; Messenger: Dexter Dupont; Tillman Miller: Orville Sherman; Reverend Wood: Charles Seel; Wesley Miller: Titus Moede.

Synopsis: After a night of raccoon hunting, Hyder Simpson and his dog Rip find that folks cannot see or hear them because they are dead. They soon find themselves walking along Eternity Road in search of their final destination. Notes and commentary: “The Hunt” was the first of eight Twilight Zone episodes written by Earl Hamner, Jr., the other seven being “A Piano in the House” (02-¡6-62), “Jess-Belle” (02-¡463), “Ring-a-Ding Girl” (¡2-27-63), “You Drive” (0¡-03-64), “Black Leather Jackets” (0¡-3¡-64), “Stopover in a Quiet Town” (04-24-64), and “The Bewitchin’ Pool” (06-¡9-64). Hamner later created the popular CBS series The Waltons, basing the characters of Grandma and Grandpa Walton in part on Hyder and Rachel Simpson, the old man and old woman (as they so a›ectionately call one another) in “The Hunt.” Hamner has a true ear for authentic Appalachian dialogue, and nowhere is this more evident than in this episode. He was born in Schuyler, Virginia, and raised in the Blue Ridge Mountains, so Hamner loved to give life to these simplistic mountain folk. The writing is not to be counted among the deficiencies of “The Hunt,” but the main performance is. In the lead role, Arthur Hunnicutt acts as if rigor mortis has already set in after his drowning. As Hamner himself has noted, Hunnicutt is in desperate need of relaxing a little and having fun with

the role, but alas, he quite literally takes the “sti› ” approach a little too far. (Hunnicutt had made an entire career out of playing crusty, cranky hillbilly and mountaineer characters; years before, in ¡952, Hunnicutt was nominated for an Academy Award in Howard Hawks’s The Big Sky, starring Kirk Douglas.) Hamner would create more of these rural folk for his third (and best) episode, “Jess-Belle” (02-¡4-63), a compelling blend of country folklore and black magic. Also in that episode, Jeanette Nolan (Rachel Simpson of “The Hunt”) gives a mesmerizing performance as Granny Hart the witch, the type of role that could have helped “The Hunt” transcend its mediocrity. Hamner’s next e›ort, “A Piano in the House” (02-¡6-62), would be set quite a distance away from the Blue Ridge Mountains, in the home of a cynical and heartless theater critic.

“Showdown with Rance McGrew” Original Airdate: February 2, ¡962; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay, based on a story idea by Frederic Louis Fox; Director: Christian Nyby; Producer: Buck Houghton; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Phil Barber; Film Editor: Bill Mosher; Assistant Director: E. Darrell Hallenbeck; Set Decorations: H. Web Arrowsmith; Casting: StalmasterLister; Story Consultant: Richard McDonagh; Sound: Franklin Milton, Bill Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Rance McGrew: Larry Blyden; Jesse James: Arch Johnson; Director: Robert Cornthwaite; TV Bartender: Robert J. Stevenson; Property Man: William McLean; Cowboy #¡: Troy Melton; Cowboy #2: Jay

Season Three (¡96¡-¡962) Overholts; Old Man: Hal K. Dawson; TV Jesse James: Robert Kline; Double for Rance McGrew: Jim Turley.

Synopsis: Conceited and obnoxious western television star Rance McGrew arrives on the set of his latest episode over an hour late. McGrew is nothing like the brave and macho figure he portrays on television; with each take of a fight scene, he is always extra careful to halt the action so that he can be replaced with a stuntman. When filming resumes, McGrew turns from the soundstage saloon bar and finds himself in a real saloon in the Old West. He is then confronted by the real Jesse James, who has decided that the celluloid Rance McGrew is a fake who wins too many times in too many unbelievable and unrealistic situations. James then insists that he and McGrew have a real showdown. Notes and commentary: “Showdown with Rance McGrew” is no doubt Rod Serling’s way of tweaking the nose of television producers and programming trends during the late fifties and early sixties. Westerns dominated the airwaves, and many of these shows perpetuated the romanticized myths and misconceptions of the bygone Old West. (In ¡965, after The Twilight Zone had been canceled by CBS, Serling would create his own western series, The Loner—“a kind of existential Western about a disillusioned Civil War veteran [played by Lloyd Bridges] searching for meaning and meeting up with adventure riding around the West in the late ¡860s”14— which defied practically every convention and formulaic plot of the western genre. Not surprisingly, the series barely lasted a full season.) The “moral complexity and maturity”¡5 of such westerns as Have Gun—Will Travel was largely absent on television, and “Rance McGrew” is Serling’s lightly satiric reply.

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The early scenes, such as the wimpy McGrew halting the fight scenes in order to bring in a stunt double, are genuinely funny. The problem occurs when Rance is transported back to the Old West. Rance is still bu›oonish and totally superficial, and his new circumstances generate absolutely no menace or turmoil that would actually make him change his ways when he returns to the present. A more “realistic” approach on the order of “A Hundred Yards Over the Rim” (04-07-6¡) would have greatly improved the story. Serling is never quite as successful with comedic stories like “Rance McGrew.” However, this episode holds its own when compared with other Serling misfires such as “Cavender Is Coming” (05-25-62). Director Christian Nyby, unfortunately, holds the dubious distinction of directing both, his only two credits for the entire series. (Nyby wags his own tail, so to speak, by naming the “C. Nyby Funeral Parlor” after himself.) Serling’s next trip to the Old West would be in the fifth season’s “The 7th Is Made Up of Phantoms” (¡2-06-63), in which Custer falls at Little Big Horn. “Showdown with Rance McGrew” is also the second and last TZ appearance of Larry Blyden. Before he was Rance McGrew, Blyden appeared as burglar Rocky Valentine in Charles Beaumont’s “A Nice Place to Visit” (04-¡5-60). A short-story adaptation of “Showdown with Rance McGrew,” which closely follows the original teleplay, appears in Serling’s New Stories from The Twilight Zone (¡962) collection. Frederic Louis Fox, who contributed the story idea for “Rance McGrew,” is also given story credit for Serling’s “HocusPocus and Frisby” (04-¡3-62). His writing credits include two westerns: Dakota Incident (¡956) and Charro! (¡969,

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story only), the nonmusical Elvis Presley vehicle.

“Kick the Can” Original Airdate: February 9, ¡962; Writer: George Clayton Johnson; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Lamont Johnson; Producer: Buck Houghton; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Phil Barber; Film Editor: Bill Mosher; Assistant Director: E. Darrell Hallenbeck; Set Decorations: George R. Nelson; Casting: Stalmaster-Lister; Story Consultant: Richard McDonagh; Sound: Franklin Milton, Bill Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at Metro-GoldwynMayer Studios.

CAST

Charles Whitley: Ernest Truex; Ben Conroy: Russell Collins; Mr. Cox: John Marley; Frietag: Hank Patterson; Agee: Earl Hodgins; Mrs. Summers: Marjorie Bennett; Mrs. Densley: Lenore Shanewise; Mrs. Wister: Anne O’Neal; Carlson: Burt Mustin; David Whitley: Barry Truex*; Nurse: Eve McVeagh*; Boy #¡: Gregory McCabe*; Boy #2: Marc Stevens.*

Synopsis: Charles Whitley, a resident of Sunnyvale Rest Home, believes that the fountain of youth is actually all in the mind and in one’s point of view. He tries to rejuvenate the other lifeless residents by organizing a magical midnight game of kick-the-can. Notes and commentary: George Clayton Johnson’s fourth and final Twilight Zone is a moving, thoughtfully sentimental story of a sprightly old man who believes in the magic of youth and helps a group of resigned, lifeless rest home residents overcome their inhibitions and recapture the joys of childhood. Ernest Truex — who starred as the gentle, mysterious peddler in “What You Need” (¡2-25-59)— is de-

lightful and unforgettable as Charles Whitley, the daring and committed believer in the sweet bird of youth. His boyhood friend who has conflicting views about aging — the sour, disbelieving Ben Conroy — is ably portrayed by Russell Collins. When “Kick the Can” was mentioned as possibly being remade for ¡983’s Twilight Zone—The Movie, Johnson proposed a new ending to the story. After playing their childhood games, the old-folks-turned-children realize that they are tired, cold, hungry, and have no place to sleep. So, they sneak back into the rest home, and as they close their eyes are transformed back into old people.¡6 Johnson submitted such an outline to producers Frank Marshall and Kathleen Kennedy. Richard Matheson had already been hired to do a draft of the screenplay, and the script he produced was in turn reworked by Melissa Mathison (who opted for an on-screen credit of “Josh Rogan”). The filmed segment (glossily directed by Steven Spielberg), unfortunately, bears little resemblance to the original episode. The biggest change involved the introduction of Mr. Bloom (Scatman Crothers), a transient who goes from rest home to rest home with his magical tin can, encouraging residents to think young and become young again. When the Sunnyvale residents are transformed, though, he stays old, explaining that he wants to be his own true age and keep a young mind. Given a choice between the insecurities of youth and the comforts of old age, though, all but one of the residents — Mr. Agee, the cape-and-sword wielding Douglas Fairbanks wannabe — choose to return to being elderly. But,

*This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

Season Three (¡96¡-¡962) fresh young minds now rule their old bodies, and their lust for life is renewed. With these changes in style and focus, a new, softer theme emerges — that youth is not always better than maturity, because memories and wisdom are gained by living and learning. Two Twilight Zone veterans show up in the ¡983 remake: Murray Matheson, who was unforgettable as the clown in “Five Characters in Search of an Exit” (¡2-22-6¡); and Peter Brocco, who appeared in “The Four of Us Are Dying” (0¡-0¡-60) and as an alien in “HocusPocus and Frisby” (04-¡3-62). Their appearance in the new “Kick the Can” is particularly appropriate, for both actors get to return to The Twilight Zone, where they had spent time 30 years before … in their younger days.

“A Piano in the House” Original Airdate: February ¡6, ¡962; Writer: Earl Hamner [Jr.]; Source: Original teleplay; Director: David Greene; Producer: Buck Houghton; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Phil Barber; Film Editor: Bill Mosher; Assistant Director: E. Darrell Hallenbeck; Set Decorations: H. Web Arrowsmith; Casting: Stalmaster-Lister; Story Consultant: Richard McDonagh; Sound: Franklin Milton, Bill Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at Metro-GoldwynMayer Studios.

CAST

Fitzgerald Fortune: Barry Morse; Esther Fortune: Joan Hackett; Gregory Walker: Don Durant; Marge Moore: Muriel Landers; Throckmorton: Philip Coolidge; Marvin the Butler: Cyril Delevanti.

Synopsis: Fitzgerald Fortune, a caustic and stu›y middle-aged theater critic, comes to an antique shop in search of a present for his 26-year-old wife. The owner shows Fortune a

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player piano with a decorative mask in the center. After the owner puts in a song for the piano to play, his personality changes from belligerent to sentimental. When the song stops, he returns to his cranky former self. Fortune pays for the piano and arranges for it to be delivered in time for his wife’s birthday party. Realizing the magical power of the piano, Fortune plans to use it on the party guests later that evening. But Fortune forgets about the commercial principle of caveat emptor: let the buyer beware. Notes and commentary: “A Piano in the House” is a solid episode that uses a magical object to great e›ect, unlike the anemic “Dead Man’s Shoes” (0¡-¡962). Despite the unnecessary and heavily allegorical name of the main character (Fortune), the episode is a fine ensemble piece in which the heartless and unfeeling protagonist is served the trademark Twilight Zone brand of irony-laced and poetic justice. Muriel Landers gives a moving and tender performance as Marge, the party guest who reveals her innermost being at the party. Cyril Delevanti — who was also in “A Penny for Your Thoughts” (0203-6¡) and “The Silence” (04-28-6¡) and would reappear in “Passage on the Lady Anne” (05-09-63)— is also good as the laconic butler who momentarily “kicks up his heels.” The face of playwright Gregory Walker will seem familiar to some viewers as that of Don Durant, who starred in the title role of Aaron Spelling’s short-lived western, Johnny Ringo (¡959–¡960). Barry Morse gives a mean-spirited yet subdued character portrayal in the role of theater critic Fitzgerald Fortune, who has hurled slights and insults for so long that it has become second nature. Fans of The Fugitive, however,

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will always remember Morse in his later role as the dogged and determined Lieutenant Gerard, the man who relentlessly pursued the falsely accused Dr. Richard Kimble (David Janssen). Thematically similar to “A Piano in the House” is a later episode from season five, Rod Serling’s “The Masks” (03-20-64).

“The Last Rites of Je› Myrtlebank” Original Airdate: February 23, ¡962; Writer: Montgomery Pittman; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Montgomery Pittman; Producer: Buck Houghton; Music: Tommy Morgan; Director of Photography: Jack Swain; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Phil Barber; Film Editor: Bill Mosher; Assistant Director: E. Darrell Hallenbeck; Set Decorations: H. Web Arrowsmith; Casting: Stalmaster-Lister; Story Consultant: Richard McDonagh; Sound: Franklin Milton, Bill Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at MetroGoldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Je› Myrtlebank: James Best; Comfort Gatewood: Sherry Jackson; Doc Bolton: Edgar Buchanan; Orgram Gatewood: Lance Fuller; Mr. Peters: Dub Taylor; Pa Myrtlebank: Ralph Moody; Mr. Strauss: Jon Lormer; Ma Myrtlebank: Ezelle Poule; Jerry: Jim Houghton; Ma Gatewood: Helen Wallace; Reverend Siddons: William Fawcett; Mrs. Ferguson: Mabel Forrest; Liz Myrtlebank: Vickie Barnes; Tom: Pat Hector.

Synopsis: On the day of his funeral, Je› Myrtlebank rises from his co‡n, claiming to feel fine. But his strange behavior over the next couple of weeks has some townsfolk believing that he is an evil spirit looking for an earthly body to take over. Notes and commentary: “The Last Rites of Je› Myrtlebank” is the quirkiest and most o›beat episode of the se-

ries. (The totally unexpected and startling opening is proof enough.) The Twilight Zone’s only writer-director, Montgomery Pittman, again shows his versatility and talent in this wonderful episode. Previously, Pittman had written and directed the post-apocalyptic love story “Two” (09-¡5-6¡) and the Old West ghost story “The Grave” (¡027-6¡). “Je› Myrtlebank” is one part ghost story and two parts Midwestern backwoods humor, reminiscent of some of Earl Hamner’s better Twilight Zone entries. Like Hamner, Pittman had a propensity for writing authentic country or rural dialogue and situations. Pittman was born in Louisiana and raised in Oklahoma, and it is presumably this area of the country where “Last Rites” is set, although it could very well be somewhere in the Deep South. Pittman also had a knack for selecting character actors perfect for his stories. In “The Grave” (¡0-27-6¡), the stellar western ensemble of Lee Marvin, Strother Martin, James Best, and Lee Van Cleef is featured. In “The Last Rites of Je› Myrtlebank,” Best turns in another great characterization as the title character. He is joined by a cast that includes Edgar Buchanan (to be forever remembered as cantankerous Uncle Joe on the television comedy series Petticoat Junction), Dub Taylor, Lance Fuller, and Jon Lormer. The collective unit displays a deft comedic touch and a down-home charm. Sherry Jackson, who plays Best’s love interest, is Pittman’s step-daughter, but don’t cry nepotism: she’s actually well-cast as the innocent Southern belle. Sadly, “Je› Myrtlebank” was Pittman’s last contribution to The Twilight Zone. Just four months after it aired, he died at the age of 44. His three contributions as writer-

Season Three (¡96¡-¡962) director during season three helped keep The Twilight Zone from lapsing into complacency; in fact, they were three of the most original and entertaining episodes of the entire series.

“To Serve Man” Original Airdate: March 2, ¡962; Writer: Rod Serling ; Source: “To Serve Man,” a short story by Damon Knight; Director: Richard L. Bare; Producer: Buck Houghton; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Phil Barber; Film Editor: Jason H. Bernie, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: E. Darrell Hallenbeck; Set Decorations: H. Web Arrowsmith; Casting: Stalmaster-Lister; Story Consultant: Richard McDonagh; Sound: Franklin Milton, Bill Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at Metro-GoldwynMayer Studios.

CAST

Mike Chambers: Lloyd Bochner; Pat Brody: Susan Cummings; Kanamit: Richard Kiel; Secretary General: Hardie Albright; Citizen Gregori: Theodore Marcuse; Colonel #¡: Bartlett Robinson; Colonel #2: Carlton Young; Scientist: Nelson Olmste[a]d*; Señor Valdez: Robert Tafur; M. Leveque: Lomax Study; Japanese Spokesman: J. H. Fujikawa; Reporter #¡: Will J. White†; Reporter #2: Gene Benton†; Man #¡: Charles Tannen†; Man #2: James L. Wellman†; Woman #¡: Adrienne Marden†; Woman #2: Jeanne Evans.†

Synopsis: Creatures from outer space known as Kanamits — who are nine feet tall and weigh around 350 pounds — begin arriving all over the world. The Kanamit representative says he and his race have come to help Earth achieve peace and prosperity. Among other things, he says they can help end famine and other catastrophes through innovative and cost e›ective techniques

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from their planet. While most of the world is entranced and captivated by the Kanamits, an area of the U.S. government remains wary. When deciphered, the true meaning of the Kanamit political and diplomatic tome To Serve Man may be lost in the translation. Notes and commentary: “To Serve Man” has arguably the most shocking and disturbing Twilight Zone ending ever, eclipsing even the faintly similar twist ending of Serling’s “People Are Alike All Over” (03-25-60). The forceful ending, however, is not merely gratuitous and designed for shock value (though it does indeed achieve it). The ending is the exclamation point of the whole episode, which points up human gullibility and people’s almost consumer-like acceptance of something they think will cure all their problems. Taking trips and vacations to another planet without knowing anything about it, people forge ahead in their desire to be entertained and served, of course not realizing until it is too late that they will be served — not diplomatically with concern, but in a Kanamit kitchen with utensils. The episode takes any number of worn and trite expressions and injects them with new and eye-opening contexts. “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth,” for instance. Or better, and much more literally in the context of the To Serve Man monograph, “You can’t judge a book by its cover.” In his original teleplay for “To Serve Man,” Serling didn’t begin the episode in medias res, with the imprisoned Chambers recounting the story in flashback. Another change takes place when Chambers and Pat are discussing their plans to travel with the Kanamits. In

*The original title credits omit the “a” in Olmstead’s name. † This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

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the teleplay, Pat voices an uneasy and dreadful intuition that something isn’t quite right and that “maybe we should have looked this gift horse in the mouth!”— a part of the scene that doesn’t make it into the final filmed version of the episode. Finally, Serling’s sharp and pithy voice-over epilogue is very di›erent from the original written version: The very explicit and very specific di›erences in points of view. To the wee ones … the little folk called man … it’s a marvelous adventure, a voyage to another planet. An exciting sojourn to another section of the galaxy. But to the very large, granite-faced inhabitants known as Kanamits … it’s nothing more than a cattle car, a very comfortable provisions ship bringing food from the other end of the universe. Like I say … it’s all in the point of view.¡7

Serling retains the basic plot of Damon Knight’s short story (reprinted in The Twilight Zone: The Original Stories [¡985]) but makes a few considerable changes. First is the appearance of the Kanamits. While in the episode they are nine feet tall and 350 pounds, in Knight’s story they are “short and very hairy — thick, bristly brown-gray hair all over their abominably plum bodies. Their noses were snoutlike and their eyes small, and they had thick hands of three fingers each.” Also, the Pat Brody character is absent from the original story, and the name of the Kanimat book is How to Serve Man. Chambers, the story’s narrator, is alerted to this fact by his friend Grigori, who along with Chambers, is a U.N. translator for the Kanamit Embassy. Suspicious of the two, the Kanamits have put Chambers and Grigori on the passenger list for the next craft bound to the Kanamit planet.

Almost 30 years after its original airing, “To Serve Man” resurfaced among the barrage of sight gags in The Naked Gun 2∂: The Smell of Fear (¡99¡). When Nordberg (O. J. Simpson) informs a room full of people of an impending bomb explosion, they begin running and screaming in panic. One man (Lloyd Bochner, the actor from the original episode) clutches a large book entitled To Serve Man, stops in front of the camera and screams, “ It’s a cookbook! It’s a cookbook!”

“The Fugitive” Original Airdate: March 9, ¡962; Writer: Charles Beaumont; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Richard L. Bare; Producer: Buck Houghton; Director of Photography: Jack Swain; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Phil Barber; Film Editor: Jason Bernie, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: E. Darrell Hallenbeck; Set Decorations: H. Web Arrowsmith; Casting: Stalmaster-Lister; Story Consultant: Richard McDonagh; Sound: Franklin Milton, Bill Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at Metro-GoldwynMayer Studios.

CAST

Jenny: Susan Gordon; Old Ben: J. Pat O’Malley; Mrs. Gann: Nancy Kulp; ¡st Man: Wesley Lau; 2nd Man: Paul Tripp; Doctor: Russ Bender; Howie: Stephen Talbot; Pitcher: Johnny Eiman.

Synopsis: Old Ben is a mysterious elderly man with special powers of transformation. His unique friendship with young Jenny is threatened by two men looking to find Old Ben and take him back where he came from. Notes and commentary: Serling notes in an annoyingly tacky epilogue that Old Ben, back on his home planet, really looks like Young, Handsome Ben and that Jenny eventually grows up to marry him and become queen. This puts a whole new spin on Ben and

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Season Three (¡96¡-¡962) Jenny’s fairy-tale story, courtesy of Charles Beaumont,whose fairy tale has all the expected elements: the beautiful but imperfect “princess,” her evil guardian, a threatening pair of villains, and a loving, magical “prince” who gets his princess and saves her from all forms of evil, with everyone living happily ever after. This episode was quite a departure for the usually macabre and horrific Beaumont; perhaps it was a departure that he should not have taken, for this is definitely his weakest Twilight Zone e›ort. The cast, though, does an admirable job, led by kindly TZ veteran J. Pat O’Malley—who appeared in seven episodes, including Beaumont’s “Static” (03-¡0-6¡)— and the adorable Susan Gordon. As the crippled Jenny, Gordon spouts the most ridiculously dated line of any Twilight Zone episode. When she learns that Old Ben is being pursued by the two suits, she asks Ben if he is a robber, a killer, or a Communist. Charles Beaumont would return to more serious subject matter in his next episode, “Person or Persons Unknown” (03-23-62).

“Little Girl Lost” Original Airdate: March ¡6, ¡962; Writer: Richard Matheson; Source: “Little Girl Lost,” a short story by Richard Matheson; Director: Paul Stewart; Producer: Buck Houghton; Music: Bernard Herrmann; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Merrill Pye; Film Editor: Jason H. Bernie, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: E. Darrell Hallenbeck; Set Decorations: Keough Gleason; Casting: Robert Walker; Sound: Franklin Milton, Bill Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Ruth Miller: Sarah Marshall; Chris Miller: Robert Sampson; Bill: Charles Aidman; Tina: Tracy Stratford*; Tina’s Voice: Rhoda Williams.*

Synopsis: Chris and Ruth Miller are awakened by the cries of their six-yearold daughter Tina. When Chris goes to her room to check on her, Tina is missing. Chris can think of no other course of action but to call Bill, a friend of his who also happens to be a physicist. While waiting for Bill to arrive, Chris goes outside to let in the dog, who barks incessantly, runs straight to the bed in Tina’s room, and disappears. Bill arrives to investigate and begins to touch and feel along the wall’s surface. His hand suddenly goes through the wall, and Bill declares that Tina has more than likely disappeared through an opening to another — possibly the fourth — dimension. Notes and commentary: Richard Matheson’s second entry of season three is undoubtedly the best of the bunch. The plot is highly original and, par for any memorable TZ episode, all the other elements unite to create a mesmerizing story. This episode makes a good companion piece to Matheson’s earlier “And When the Sky Was Opened” (¡2-¡¡-59), which, in another TZ coincidence, also stars Charles Aidman. Both deal with the plot device of an alternate dimension or plane of existence. Whereas the earlier episode leaves absolutely no clues as to what that other dimension is like, “Little Girl Lost” actually thrusts one of the characters (along with the viewer) into that dimension. It is here that Paul Stewart’s direction — Stewart’s sole Twilight Zone directing chore — and George T. Clemens’s cinematography

*This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

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take Matheson’s material and work magic with it. The resultant look and feel of the fourth dimension is dizzying and surreal, disorienting and hallucinatory. In addition, Bernard Herrmann contributes another haunting and evocative score, his first since “Eye of the Beholder” (¡¡-¡¡-60). Equally striking is Charles Aidman’s driven and intelligent performance, which makes the story all the more compelling. This is Aidman’s second and last TZ appearance, and he makes it count. (At the very least, Aidman makes it through the entire episode. In “And When the Sky Was Opened,” he was the first of three astronauts to get snatched out of existence by an unknown force!) He would, however, return to The Twilight Zone again in ¡985 to serve as narrator of The New Twilight Zone. Richard Matheson’s original short story (reprinted in The Twilight Zone: The Original Stories [¡985]) is virtually identical to the filmed episode. Aside from a few minor changes — in the story, for instance, the Millers live in a one-bedroom apartment, and the “corridor” to the fourth dimension is located underneath the living room couch where Tina sleeps—the vision of Matheson’s short story is faithfully matched in the episode. In addition, “Little Girl Lost” is one of Matheson’s favorite episodes that he adapted from his own stories. He mentions “Paul Stewart’s excellent direction and Charles Aidman’s superlative performance. And the amusement of watching, transferred to film, an incident that — at least until the fourth dimension came into play — was a literal reenactment of something that had happened to my older daughter, also named Tina.”¡8 Perhaps the only notable weakness of the episode is the

odd choice of voice-over used for the little girl. This voice is obviously not that of a 6-year-old and makes Tina sound more like a sobbing ¡6-year-old. Why the creative personnel decided not to use the little girl’s original voice is itself a mystery.

“Person or Persons Unknown” Original Airdate: March 23, ¡962; Writer: Charles Beaumont; Source: Original teleplay; Director: John Brahm; Producer: Buck Houghton; Director of Photography: Robert W. Pittack, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Merrill Pye; Film Editor: Bill Mosher; Assistant Director: E. Darrell Hallenbeck; Set Decorations: Keogh Gleason; Casting: Robert Walker; Sound: Franklin Milton, Bill Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

David Gurney: Richard Long ; Dr. Koslenka: Frank Silvera; Wilma #¡: Shirley Ballard; Wilma #2: Julie Van Zandt; Woman Clerk: Betty Harford; Sam Baker: Ed Glover; Policeman: Michael Keep; Bank Guard: Joe Higgins; Mr. Cooper: John Newton.

Synopsis: David Andrew Gurney wakes up one morning and finds that no one — not even his wife — knows who he is. Gurney sets out on a desperate search to find proof of his existence — and his own sanity. Notes and commentary: “Person or Persons Unknown” is a creepy, cerebral mystery that accomplishes what the better Twilight Zone episodes do: It stimulates those dark neuroses in the far corners of the cerebral spookhouse, conjuring up those little demons who whisper in one’s ear, “Are you really who you think you are?” The nature of the mind-body relationship (i.e., our perceived identity) was a theme explored in a number of

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Season Three (¡96¡-¡962) Twilight Zone episodes, most notably in Richard Matheson’s “A World of Di›erence” (03-¡¡-60) and Charles Beaumont’s “Shadow Play” (05-05-6¡) and “Perchance to Dream” (¡¡-27-59). (An unproduced Twilight Zone script, Jerry Sohl’s “Who Am I?” was about a man who wakes up and finds himself with a di›erent face, although those around him cannot see the change in his appearance.¡9) Beaumont seemed comfortable with the subject and the exploration of its possibilities. These episodes have an element of personal interaction to them, as if the viewer is personally experiencing these crises of identity and must think out a solution; for who hasn’t at one point or another wondered, “Well, I’m sure I exist, but what if I couldn’t prove that to others? Would I really exist if not in the mind of others?” As David Gurney’s mystery of identity unfolds, Richard Long’s performance runs the gamut of emotions — amusement, irritability, hostility, confusion, anger, fear, and panic. His performance is excellent, and brims with refinement and restraint. Long also appears (in multiple roles) in “Number ¡2 Looks Just Like You” (0¡-24-64), a later Beaumont episode that also deals with threats to individual identity. Director John Brahm keeps the suspense bottled in, letting a little escape in close increments as the mystery unfolds. “Person or Persons Unknown” is in many respects a quintessential Twilight Zone episode, a reminder of why the series has had such a long-lasting and universal appeal.

“The Little People” Original Airdate: March 30, ¡962; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: William Claxton; Producer: Buck Houghton; Director of Pho-

tography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Phil Barber; Film Editor: Jason H. Bernie, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: E. Darrell Hallenbeck; Set Decorations: H. Web Arrowsmith; Casting: Stalmaster-Lister; Story Consultant: Richard McDonagh; Sound: Franklin Milton, Bill Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Peter Craig: Joe Maross; William Fletcher: Claude Akins; Spaceman #¡: Michael Ford; Spaceman #2: Robert Eaton.

Synopsis:Astronauts William Fletcher and Peter Craig are forced to land their spaceship on the canyon floor of an unknown planet. The two men begin to argue when Craig complains to Captain Fletcher saying that he would like to be in charge of people and maintain some degree of personal power and responsibility. Craig begins spending longer periods of time away from the camp they have set up, and Fletcher, growing suspicious, forces Craig to reveal his secret : an entire race of tiny people who are no bigger than ants. After several visits to the minuscule village, Craig gradually becomes a megalomaniac. However, Craig soon learns that power, like size, is relative. Notes and commentary: “The Little People”— the story of a man who craves power and becomes, at di›erent times, both gigantic and tiny — is a TZ amalgam of Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels and Rudyard Kipling’s “The Man Who Would Be King.” Unfortunately, the episode doesn’t measure up to these classics and fails to capture the viewer’s imagination or create a convincing plot. The episode begins with promise, when Fletcher and Craig begin their tense and heated conversation. Claude Akins, in his second and

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final TZ performance — he was even more powerful in “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” (03-04-60)— is especially forceful and intimidating in his role as the captain. The problem arises with the character of Peter Craig. Craig isn’t a very dynamic character to begin with, and his burning desire to be in charge is hastily conceived and written. His motivation isn’t entirely believable and comes o› as a handy way to serve the plot. Given such a poorly written role, Joe Maross, also in his second and last TZ appearance — his first was “Third from the Sun” (0¡-08-60)— does the only thing he can do, which is overact. The result, coupled with the far from seamless special e›ects, is dangerously close to silly. The plot and main character of “The Little People” are very similar to Serling’s earlier “ I Shot an Arrow into the Air” (0¡-¡5-60). A few changes and a literally expanded ending are practically all that di›erentiate the two episodes. Neither, in fact, is altogether memorable, though “ I Shot an Arrow” comes out the better of the two. If Serling was feeling drained creatively (as he himself admitted toward the end of season two) and growing weary of the television grind, it becomes obvious here, as he seems to be recycling his own material, a charge that would be leveled at the show on several occasions from the third season on.20

“Four O’Clock” Original Airdate: April 6, ¡962; Writer: Rod Serling ; Source: “Four O’Clock,” a short story by Price Day; Director: Lamont Johnson; Producer: Buck Houghton; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Merrill Pye; Film Editor: Jason

Bernie, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: E. Darrell Hallenbeck; Set Decorations: Keogh Gleason; Casting: Robert Walker; Sound: Franklin Milton, Bill Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Oliver Crangle: Theodore Bikel; Mrs. Lucas: Phyllis Love; Hall: Linden Chiles; Mrs. Williams: Moyna MacGill.

Synopsis: It is Oliver Crangle’s selfappointed “charge and obligation” to compile detailed records on “morally objectionable” people, and to investigate them, judge them, and punish them. One day, Crangle decides to “will” that all evil people be shrunk to two feet in height at exactly 4:00 P.M. Notes and commentary: Serling adapted Price Day’s ¡958 short story, “Four O’Clock”— reprinted in The Twilight Zone: The Original Stories (¡985)— into a Twilight Zone episode of the same name. Day’s story begins at 3:47, just ¡3 minutes before the time of reckoning for all evildoers. Three weeks ago, Crangle was sitting on a park bench when “it came clear to him that he had the power to [shrink people to half their size], that upon him at that moment had been bestowed the gift of putting a mark on all the bad people on Earth, so that they should be known.” In his adaptation, Serling greatly expanded the narrative to fill a half-hour slot, padding it with visits from Crangle’s landlady, Mrs. Williams; Mrs. Lucas, the wife of a doctor who feels that her spouse has been unfairly accused of murder; and an FBI agent. All three come to the same conclusion that the viewer reaches: Crangle is a fanatical lunatic who needs to be fitted for a straitjacket or placed in a padded cell. Theodore Bikel, as Crangle, gives an over-the-top performance which rivals that of Joe Maross in “The Little People”

Season Three (¡96¡-¡962) (03-30-62). Both characters are so broadly conceived that their motivations and behavior just don’t register as credible. At this point in season three, Serling must have been preoccupied with the idea of raving lunatics being literally “cut down to size”: “The Little People” and “Four O’Clock,” with their maniacal madmen, aired only a week apart, fraternal twins with similar doses of poetic justice: height adjustment. Crangle is obviously a thinly-veiled amalgam of J. Edgar Hoover, the former FBI director who kept highly detailed records on many prominent citizens, and Senator Joseph McCarthy, who orchestrated the “Red Scare” hearings during the ¡950s. The best line in the short story “Four O’Clock” belongs not to Crangle but to his parrot, Pete, who repeatedly calls his owner a “nut.”

“Hocus-Pocus and Frisby” Original Airdate: April ¡3, ¡962; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: An unpublished story by Frederic Louis Fox; Director: Lamont Johnson; Producer: Buck Houghton; Music: Tom Morgan; Directors of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Jack Swain; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Merrill Pye; Film Editor: Bill Mosher; Assistant Director: E. Darrell Hallenbeck; Set Decorations: Keogh Gleason; Casting: Robert Walker; Sound: Franklin Milton, Bill Edmondson; Makeup: William Tuttle; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Somerset Frisby: Andy Devine; Alien #¡: Milton Selzer; Mitchell: Howard McNear; Scanlan: Dabbs Greer; Old Man: Clem Bevans; Alien #2: Larry Breitman*; Alien #3: Peter Brocco.*

Synopsis: Somerset Frisby sits comfortably in his general store in Pitchville Flats and tells a stream of tall tales to

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several of the store’s regular customers, who enjoy Frisby’s company and poke fun at his tale-telling. As Frisby begins to close his store for the evening, he hears a voice that promises him an adventure; Frisby is suddenly whisked into the air and transported to a spacecraft full of aliens whose assignment is to find an intelligent Earth representative to take back to their planet for observation. Apparently, these aliens have for some time monitored Frisby and actually believe his outlandish stories about his scientific and heroic accomplishments. Uncharacteristically, Frisby responds by admitting that he is a liar, but the aliens don’t understand the concept of lying and still plan to take Frisby to their planet. Notes and commentary: “HocusPocus and Frisby” is a TZ rarity and treat : an episode that is genuinely funny. The key to its success is twofold. First is the performance of Andy Devine, the well-known character actor and sidekick from television and feature-film westerns. Devine is totally relaxed and comfortable, using both his trademark high-pitched raspy voice and a confident smile to full comic e›ect. When Frisby tells all those fantastic and obviously untrue stories, viewers can’t help but smile themselves. The writer who put those tales into the teleplay must also be given credit for the success of “Hocus-Pocus and Frisby.” Rod Serling’s attempts at humor in The Twilight Zone are usually very strained and not very funny. This episode, though, is certainly an exception. Serling’s teleplay is full of comic nuance, a welcome contrast to an episode such as “Mr. Dingle, the Strong” (0303-6¡), in which weak sight gags and slapstick are meant to carry the humor.

*This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

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Here, however, Serling uses verbal comedy. Devine’s performance is natural and, if anything, underplayed. Those tall tales are so outrageous, and Devine as Frisby is so calm and carefree when he tells them, that there is no need to rely on goofy reaction shots or sight gags. One beautifully comic moment is early on, when Frisby sits in the store telling his tales. As a couple of men sit and listen to Frisby, an old man continues shopping for groceries. In the middle of Frisby’s tale, the old man interrupts and says, “Horseradish.” Frisby stops, and the man finishes his comment by asking Frisby where the horseradish is stocked. Frisby obviously thought that the old man was making a judgment on his story instead of looking for horseradish. The moment is brief and totally unexpected, and the look on Devine’s face is priceless. Gordon Sander’s designation of Rod Serling as a “video Aesop” is unmistakable in “Hocus-Pocus and Frisby,” as Serling himself sums up the story in voice-over epilogue as a variation of the Aesop fable of the boy who cried wolf. Frederic Louis Fox, upon whose unpublished short story this episode was based, wrote or cowrote many screenplays in the ¡950s, including Headline Hunters (¡955), Dakota Incident (¡956), When Gangland Strikes (¡956), Taming Sutton’s Gal (¡957), and The Wayward Girl (¡957).

“The Trade-Ins” Original Airdate: April 20, ¡962; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Elliott Silverstein; Producer: Buck Houghton; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Merrill Pye; Film Editor: Bill Mosher; Assistant Director: E. Darrell Hallenbeck; Set Dec-

orations: Keogh Gleason; Casting: Robert Walker; Sound: Franklin Milton, Bill Edmondson; Makeup: William Tuttle; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at MetroGoldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

John Holt: Joseph Schildkraut; Mr. Vance: Noah Keen; Marie Holt: Alma Platt; Farraday: Ted Marcuse; John Holt (young): Edson Stroll; Gambler #¡: Terrence deMarney; Gambler #2: Billy Vincent; Receptionist: Mary McMahon; Attendant: David Armstrong.

Synopsis: Elderly couple John and Marie Holt decide to transplant their minds into the manufactured bodies of a young couple in perfect health. The Holts have to make some tough decisions when they learn that the transplant cost will be $5,000 per person — they have only $5,000 between them. Notes and commentary: “The Trade-Ins” is an extremely moving and unabashedly sentimental episode. The pure and unadulterated love shared by the Holts turns out to be stronger than the lure of rebirth and renewed strength. John Holt decides in the end that he would rather be together with Marie than alone with a muscular physique. He decides he can live with pain if that means he can live with his wife. Joseph Schildkraut, who previously gave a memorably solemn turn as Becker, the ghost of Dauchau in “Death’s-head Revisited” (¡¡-¡0-6¡), is exceptionally good as John, the proud, principled husband riddled by pain and the deterioration of his physical body. (Incidentally, Schildkraut’s own wife died during the filming of this episode.) Alma Platt, who plays Marie, is equally compelling as the loving, unselfish wife. Ted Marcuse, although he has but a small role, is mesmerizing as Farraday, the bald gambler with the piercing eyes. In the original television script, there is no indication that Farraday

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Season Three (¡96¡-¡962) throws the $5,000 poker game, although the filmed scene shows him throwing down three aces to let Holt win back the money he came in with. “The Trade-Ins” is one of many Twilight Zone episodes that deal with aging and the prospect of death; the most notable of these are George Clayton Johnson’s “Nothing in the Dark” (0¡05-62) and “Kick the Can” (02-09-62). (Steven Spielberg had thought about remaking “The Trade-Ins” for Twilight Zone—The Movie [¡983] instead of “Kick the Can.”2¡) Serling would later rework “The Trade-Ins” into a vaguely similar but ultimately downbeat episode: “The Long Morrow” (0¡-¡0-64), itself a retelling of O. Henry’s famous “The Gift of the Magi” short story. When Marie Holt — whose name is Martha in Serling’s original teleplay — tries to comfort husband John after realizing they can’t a›ord the transference procedure, she quotes a Robert Browning poem. Her reference is to the first stanza of Browning’s “Rabbi Ben Ezra” (¡864), and the lines capture the episode’s theme exactly: Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be, The last of life, for which the first was made: Our times are in His hand Who saith “A whole I planned, Youth shows but half; trust God: see all nor be afraid!

Bolstered by fine acting and direction, “The Trade-Ins” is definitely a keeper.

“The Gift” Original Airdate: April 27, ¡962; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Allen H. Miner; Producer: Buck Houghton; Music: Laurindo Almeida; Director of Photography: George

T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Merrill Pye; Film Editor: Jason H. Bernie, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: E. Darrell Hallenbeck; Set Decorations: Keogh Gleason; Casting: Robert Walker; Sound: Franklin Milton, Bill Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Williams: Geo›rey Horne; Doctor: Nico Minardos; Manuelo: Cli› Osmond; Pedro: Edmund Vargas; Guitarist: Vladimir Sokolo›; O‡cer: Paul Mazursky; Sanchez: Henry Corden; Rudolpho: Vito Scotti; Woman: Carmen D’Antonio*; Woman #2: Lea Marmer*; Man #¡: Joe Perry*; Man #2: David Fresco.*

Synopsis: A UFO crashes near a small Mexican village and the alien on board flees, but not before he is shot and wounded by a policeman. Back in town at the cantina, the barkeeper Manuelo and the town doctor are surprised when the alien says that he has come in peace, bearing only a gift for humanity. The only one who shows no fear or surprise is nine-year-old Pedro, who seems to possess some sort of kinship with the stranger. Driven by panic and fear, the people in the village are leery and suspicious. Notes and commentary: Several years earlier, before the pilot episode “Where Is Everybody?”(¡0-02-59) had been filmed, Serling had written another pilot for consideration as The Twilight Zone’s first episode. The title was “ I Shot an Arrow into the Air,” though it was an entirely di›erent story from the episode of the same name that would air early in season one (0¡-¡560). Marc Scott Zicree describes the plot of this hour-long teleplay, which for one reason or another Serling and company never pursued to fruition:

*This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

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…the plot concerned an intelligent and sensitive little boy who was shunned by his peers because his father died in the explosion of a homemade rocket ship…. The boy’s solitude proves an asset, however, when he stumbles upon a wounded alien in the woods and befriends him. With his aid, the alien is able to return to his home planet. The boy grows up to be an astronaut and, years later, meets his friend once again, in space.22

It is surely no coincidence that “The Gift,” an unmistakable allegory of Christ’s crucifixion, aired so close to Easter. One wishes, though, that the episode were more dramatic and e›ective. The lead actors are totally anemic and uninteresting. Even the little boy playing Pedro gives line readings that come o› as, well, lines. The major problem, however, is the lack of clear direction. As a result, most of the scenes seem awkward and unrehearsed, and the problem is not helped by Serling’s wavering teleplay. Serling must have had a hard time deciding exactly what type of drama he wanted to write. The plot tries to be sentimental and focus on the special bond between the alien and the boy, but the actors do little to bring these scenes to life. As the episode progresses, the focus shifts to the scene of the mob destroying what they don’t understand — in addition to foolishly and unwittingly obliterating the cure for cancer — a scene that conveys Serling’s indignation at the ignorance, hysteria, and violence to which humanity can succumb. “The Gift” is neither as charged as “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” (03-04-60) nor as sentimental as “The Big, Tall Wish” (04-08-60). Those two episodes show Serling at the

top of his respective forms, while “The Gift” is an uneasy admixture of the two, a lackluster episode that one writer has called “easily one of the series’ worst half-hours.”23

“The Dummy” Original Airdate: May 4, ¡962; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: “The Dummy,” an unpublished short story by Lee Polk; Director: Abner Biberman; Producer: Buck Houghton; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Merrill Pye; Film Editor: Jason Bernie, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: E. Darrell Hallenbeck; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Keogh Gleason; Casting: Robert Walker; Sound: Franklin Milton, Bill Edmondson; Makeup: William Tuttle; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Jerry Etherson: Cli› Robertson; Frank: Frank Sutton; Willie (as ventriloquist): George Murdock; Georgie: John Harmon; Noreen: Sandra Warner; Doorkeeper: Ralph Manza; M.C.: Rudy Dolan*; Chorus Girl: Bethelynn Grey*; Chorus Girl: Edy Williams.*

Synopsis: Jerry Etherson is a ventriloquist whose dummy, Willie, seems to have a life of his own. Etherson believes that Willie is real, and, what’s more, wishes the ventriloquist ill will. Notes and commentary: “The Dummy” is a highly dramatic battle of wills between a dummy who is more than just wood and paint, and a ventriloquist who is battling his own demons and trying desperately to hold onto his sanity. The final scene in which Willie is revealed to be human and Jerry the dummy is a true shocker, even after repeat viewings. The plot device of a dummy coming

*This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

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Season Three (¡96¡-¡962) to life has been used many times before and since this episode, most notably in the ¡978 feature film Magic, starring Anthony Hopkins. Even The Twilight Zone featured another villainous piece of wood, in the fifth season o›ering “Caesar and Me” (04-¡0-64). Cli› Robertson, seen earlier in “A Hundred Yards Over the Rim” (04-07-6¡), gives a nervous, edgy performance as Jerry Etherson, a man who moves further away from reality as his dummy becomes more human. The episode also marks the Twilight Zone debut of director Abner Biberman, who went on to helm three more episodes: “The Incredible World of Horace Ford” (04¡8-63), “Number ¡2 Looks Just Like You” (0¡-24-64), and “ I Am the Night — Color Me Black” (03-27-64). The popularity of “The Dummy” is attested to by its inclusion in The Looney Zone, the Looney Tunes comic book parody of The Twilight Zone. In this version, Da›y Duck is the ventriloquist who is overtaken and “assimilated” by his dummy … Elmer Fudd. Bugs Bunny (as Serling) ends the story by rewording Serling’s original prologue, telling viewers (show-catchers) to check out the new act: “Elmer Fudd and Dummy Duck.”

“Young Man’s Fancy” Original Airdate: May ¡¡, ¡962*; Writer: Richard Matheson; Source: Original teleplay; Director: John Brahm; Producer: Buck Houghton; Music: Nathan Scott; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Phil Barber; Film Editor: Jason H. Bernie, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: E. Darrell Hallenbeck; Set Decorations: H. Web Arrowsmith; Casting: Stalmaster-Lister; Story Consultant: Richard McDonagh;

Sound: Franklin Milton, Bill Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Virginia: Phyllis Thaxter; Alex: Alex Nicol; Mr. Wilkinson: Wallace Rooney; Mother (Henrietta Walker): Helen Brown; Alex (¡0 years old): Rickey Kelman.

Synopsis: Alex Walker and his new bride Virginia are ready to begin their honeymoon. Before they leave, they plan to finalize the sale of Alex’s childhood home. When the realtor arrives to close the deal on the sale of the house, Alex changes his mind and is unable to let go of his erstwhile home. The lure of his idealized childhood — along with the specter of his mother — threatens to destroy Alex’s relationship with his new bride. Notes and commentary: Richard Matheson is characteristically hard on himself about “Young Man’s Fancy,” expressing a hatred of the episode’s ending and overall e›ectiveness. Though certainly not a classic, “Young Man’s Fancy” is more rewarding when viewed as the obverse or counterpoint of “Walking Distance” and “Nick of Time.” The plot is quite similar to Rod Serling’s “Walking Distance” (¡0-30-59), in which an advertising executive is taken back to his romanticized and beloved childhood. However, the protagonist of that episode comes to understand that he must look ahead and go on with his life; he can’t, as the saying goes, go home again, at least not permanently. But in “Young Man’s Fancy,” Alex Walker unabashedly favors his past and decides to return there for good. At this juncture, the episode forms a striking contrast with Matheson’s own “Nick of Time” (¡¡-¡8-60), which — like “Young Man’s Fancy”— follows the

*Marc Scott Zicree’s The Twilight Zone Companion erroneously lists this airdate as May ¡¡, ¡964.

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relationship between newlyweds. In the former episode, the new bride is able to save her husband (and thus her marriage) from being consumed by his obsession with a fortune-telling machine. Love prevails, and the couple’s relationship is even stronger as a result. In “Young Man’s Fancy,” the husband totally rejects his wife and opts for his insular and comfortable past. Alex Walker’s professed love for his new wife was never very strong to begin with. The two leads here are well-cast and play o› each other well. Alex Nicol brings out the di‡dence and uncertainty of his character that increasingly manifest themselves as a stubborn and resentful attachment to his childhood. Phyllis Thaxter displays an array of conflicting emotions as the idealistic bride who summons up an inner resolve to save her marriage but is ultimately shunned by her husband. Surprisingly, this episode marks the only appearance of both actors in The Twilight Zone.

“ I Sing the Body Electric” Original Airdate: May ¡8, ¡962; Writer: Ray Bradbury; Source: “I Sing the Body Electric!” a short story by Ray Bradbury; Directors: James Sheldon and William Claxton; Producer: Buck Houghton; Music: Van Cleave; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Phil Barber; Film Editor: Jason Bernie, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: E. Darrell Hallenbeck; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, H. Web Arrowsmith; Casting: Stalmaster-Lister; Story Consultant: Richard McDonagh; Sound: Franklin Milton, Bill Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at Metro-GoldwynMayer Studios.

CAST

Grandma: Josephine Hutchinson; Father: David White; Salesman: Vaughn Taylor; Nedra: Doris Packer; Tom (age ¡2): Charles Herbert; Anne (age ¡¡): Veronica

Cartwright; Karen (age ¡0): Dana Dillaway; Anne (age ¡9): Susan Crane; Tom (age 20): Paul Nesbitt; Karen (age ¡8): Judee Morton.

Synopsis: A widowed father has a surrogate grandmother robot custom built to care for his three children. The new grandma finds it di‡cult, though, to win one child’s heart. Notes and commentary: Famed science fiction writer Ray Bradbury’s only contribution to The Twilight Zone was his adaptation of his own short story, “ I Sing the Body Electric!” Rod Serling was a big fan of Bradbury’s nostalgic, small-town stories, which undoubtedly influenced Serling’s own writing. In fact, Serling paid homage to Bradbury in three Twilight Zone episodes, referring to “Dr. Bradbury” in “Walking Distance” (¡0-30-59), “the Bradbury account” in “A Stop at Willoughby” (05-06-60), and to a character as “a regular Ray Bradbury” in “Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?” (05-26-6¡). It was planned for Bradbury to be a major contributor to the series. As the writer recalled, “Serling came over to the house one night and told me what he was doing. He said, ‘Can you suggest some writers?’ I said, ‘Sure!’ I went down to my basement and came back with paperback copies by Richard Matheson, Charles Beaumont, George Clayton Johnson and John Collier. I said, ‘These are good people. And you can use me, too.’”24 Bradbury submitted a full teleplay adaptation of his short story “Here There Be Tygers,” but Cayuga Productions decided to pass on the script. Cayuga did buy “A Miracle of Rare Device” and assign a director to it, but it was never produced. “Rod promised me that he would buy a couple of my scripts and that he wouldn’t touch them,” said Bradbury. “‘I Sing the Body Electric!’ turned out okay, but

Season Three (¡96¡-¡962) they took out the most important scene [in which the electric grandmother explains that she can do things that no mother could ever do]. When I saw that this scene was cut from the episode, I was furious! I called Rod the next day and said, ‘For God’s sake, why didn’t you tell me?’ He apologized and said that there hadn’t been time to film it. I said, … ‘I don’t want to work on the show anymore.’ I told him that I couldn’t trust him.”25 “ I Sing the Body Electric” had more troubles than just one missing scene, however. The episode was first shot in October ¡96¡, under the direction of James Sheldon, but the results were not acceptable to the producers, and rewrites were ordered. The role of Aunt Nedra was recast, with Doris Packer taking over for June Vincent, and William Claxton directed the retakes, adding to his Twilight Zone credits, which included “The Last Flight” (0205-60), “The Jungle” (¡2-0¡-6¡), and “The Little People” (03-30-62). In Bradbury’s short story (which in length is actually a novella), the three children are Tom, Tim, and Agatha. The story is narrated by the 83-yearold Tom, who is reminiscing about the time their new Grandma entered their lives to forever change them. The story — which is reprinted in The Twilight Zone: The Original Stories (¡985)— is practically a family memoir, with concrete recollections of particular thoughts, emotions, and feelings. The absence of these di‡cult-to-film elements is the main reason that the episode comes o› as bland and — for The Twilight Zone— average at best. Thus, the episode may have stood a better chance as an hour-long episode in season four, when the story could have

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been given more time to flesh out its comparatively dense and detailed source material. As filmed, though, the episode contains only one type of electricity: static.

“Cavender Is Coming” Original Airdate: May 25, ¡962; Writer: Rod Serling ; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Chris [Christian] Nyby; Producer: Buck Houghton; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Merrill Pye; Film Editor: Bill Mosher; Assistant Director: E. Darrell Hallenbeck; Set Decorations: Keogh Gleason; Casting: Robert Walker; Sound: Franklin Milton, Bill Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios. CAST (Harmon) Cavender: Jesse White; Agnes Grep: Carol Burnett; Polk: Howard Smith; Stout: Frank Behrens; Woman #¡: Sandra Gould; Frenchman: Albert Carrier; Matronly Woman: Barbara Morrison; Woman #3: Donna Douglas; Child: Danny Kulick; Truck Driver: Jack Younger; Field Rep #3: John Fiedler; Field Rep #¡: William O’Connell*; Field Rep #2: Pitt Herbert*; Field Rep #4: G. Stanley Jones*; Bus Driver: Roy Sickner*; Little Girl: Norma Shattuc*; Little Boy: Rory O’Brien*; Woman #2: Adrienne Marden*; Man #¡: Maurice Dallimore.*

Synopsis: Hapless and inept angel Harmon Cavender, the only angel in his class who has not earned wings, is assigned to serve and watch over Agnes Grep, an equally inept and awkward woman on Earth. After the clumsy Agnes is fired from her ushering job in a movie theater, Cavender appears and tells Agnes that he is her guardian angel. Deciding that the best thing he can do for her is to make her rich, Cavender conjures up a lavish dinner

*This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

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party and later tries to comfort Agnes by arranging for her to live in a mansion, but money can’t buy — and feckless angels can’t create — a truly satisfying lifestyle. Notes and commentary: “Cavender Is Coming” was the second of two series pilots — the first was “Mr. Bevis”— that Serling was contractually bound to create for CBS. The proposed title of this second series was The Side of the Angels. Whereas the “Mr. Bevis” series would have dealt with the same recurring title character and his guardian angel, The Side of the Angels would have followed Cavender’s misadventures and predicaments with di›erent persons each week.26 CBS didn’t care for either “Bevis” or “Cavender,” and neither left the ground as a series. Unfortunately, Serling turned both pilots into Twilight Zone episodes. If “Mr. Bevis” (06-03-60) would have been the only one of the two to become a TZ episode, it could be written o› as a complete failure. However, “Cavender Is Coming” is so poor that it makes “Bevis” look like a finely wrought and well-crafted episode. “Cavender” should never have become a TZ episode in the first place. The plot is virtually identical to “Mr. Bevis,” and it makes no attempt whatsoever at character development. Serling wrote the episode specifically with two-time Emmy winner Carol Burnett in mind but gives her absolutely nothing to do, so she has no choice but to walk through it. At least “Mr. Bevis” gives a complete picture of just how much the character’s life is really changed by the angel. Even worse, Serling — just as he did in “Mr. Dingle, the Strong” (03-03-6¡)— slips in an embarrassingly unfunny sight gag by having the incredulous bus driver jump out of the

window after Cavender has worked magic with the bus. Airing near the end of season three, “Cavender Is Coming” is another reminder of Serling’s dissipating interest in the show at this time. Only a month before, another terribly disappointing episode —“The Gift” (04-27-62), also written by Serling — had aired. In both cases, Serling recycled his own material into vastly inferior TZ episodes. Author Marc Scott Zicree also notes that “Cavender” is further weakened by the inclusion of an inane studio audience laugh track, which producer Buck Houghton corroborates by attributing that decision to CBS. However, though “Cavender” originally aired with laugh track intact, the videocassette issued by Columbia House Video Library has no discernible laugh track.

“The Changing of the Guard” Original Airdate: June ¡, ¡962; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Robert Ellis Miller; Producer: Buck Houghton; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Merrill Pye; Film Editor: Bill Mosher, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: E. Darrell Hallenbeck; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Keough Gleason; Casting: Robert Walker; Sound: Franklin Milton, Bill Edmondson; Makeup: William Tuttle; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title. Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Professor Ellis Fowler: Donald Pleasence; Headmaster: Liam Sullivan; Mrs. Landers: Philippa Bevans; Boy #3: Tom Lowell; Boy #4: Russell Horton; Boy #5: Buddy Hart; Graham: Bob Biheller; Butler: Kevin O’Neal; Boy #¡: Jimmy Baird; Boy #2: Kevin Jones; Boy #6: Darryl Richard; Boy #7: James Browning; Boy #8: Pat Close; Boy #9: Dennis Kerlee.

Synopsis: A longtime professor is

Season Three (¡96¡-¡962) fired, which leads him to think of himself as an abject, miserable failure who left no imprint on the lives of his students. Intent on committing suicide at school, he is visited by the ghosts of seven now-deceased students. Notes and commentary: “The Changing of the Guard,” like its third season brother “The Trade-Ins” (0420-62) deals with old age, the assessment of one’s life, and the courage to face an uncertain or lonely future. English stage actor Donald Pleasence — who later played James Bond’s archenemy Ernst Blofeld in You Only Live Twice (¡967) and is, unfortunately, best remembered for his recurring role in the Halloween horror films — is simply riveting as Professor Ellis Fowler, a man betrayed by the serving of youth, the changing of the guard at the Rock Spring School for Boys. Leafing through the old school yearbooks, he realizes (or at least thinks he realizes) that three generations of students have learned little from him that would benefit them later in life. In his mind, he is a failure and has accomplished nothing as an educator, so he decides to shoot himself at the feet of the first advocate of public education, Horace Mann. (Mann, by the way, was the first president of Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio, Serling’s alma mater.) The ghosts of his former students, though, show up (in a haunting scene) to convince him that he indeed inspired them. One student posthumously received the Congressional Medal of Honor for his valor at Iwo Jima; another died while researching the use of X-rays for treating cancer; another saved the lives of ¡2 men

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before his ship was bombed at Pearl Harbor. Those students attribute their courage and bravery to the life lessons taught to them by Professor Fowler. Realizing that he has made a di›erence, Fowler accepts both his retirement and his value as a teacher. With its haunting soliloquies and ghostly visitations, “The Changing of the Guard” is highly evocative of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol (¡843). The episode is also akin to Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life (¡946) and makes for great Christmas viewing. Pleasence’s rich, emotional performance is unforgettable, and “The Changing of the Guard” is a warmly remembered, heartlifting episode that holds its own with the similarly themed movies Goodbye, Mr. Chips (¡939) and Dead Poets Society (¡989). “The Changing of the Guard” was the last episode of season three, and its title unintentionally (but accurately) portended the immediate future of The Twilight Zone: The show would get a late renewal; the episodes would become an hour in length, air on a di›erent day and time, and begin with an entirely di›erent title sequence; and visionary producer Buck Houghton would depart the series. Even Serling himself, pursuing other creative avenues, would become less involved in the overall production. Indeed, the guard was truly changing. Anne Serling-Sutton, Rod’s daughter, wrote a faithful short story adaptation of “The Changing of the Guard” that appears in The Twilight Zone: The Original Stories (¡985).

SEASON FOUR January 3, ¡963–May 23, ¡963 Thursday nights, 9:00 P.M. “ In His Image” Original Airdate: January 3, ¡963; Writer: Charles Beaumont; Source: “In His Image,” a short story by Charles Beaumont1; Director: Perry La›erty; Producer: Herbert Hirschman; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, William Ferrari; Film Editor: Edw.[ard] Curtiss*; Assistant Director: John Bloss; Assistant to Producer: John Conwell; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Edward M. Parker; Sound: Franklin Milton, Joe Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title.† Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.†

CAST

Alan Talbot / Walter Ryder, Jr.: George Grizzard; Jessica Connelly: Gail Kobe; Old Woman: Katherine Squire; Man: Wallace Rooney; Driver: George Petrie; Sheri›: James Seay; Hotel Clerk: Jamie Forster; Girl: Sherry Granato; Double for George Grizzard: Joseph Sargent.**

Synopsis: Alan Talbot roams the streets at 4:30 A.M. and makes his way to a subway station. Overcome by strange noises and bewildered by a belligerent old woman, Talbot grabs her and throws her down on the tracks in front of the coming subway train. Some time later, he arrives at the apartment of Jessica, his fiancée. Alan and Jessica

then pay a visit to Alan’s Aunt Mildred in his hometown of Coeurville, but Alan is confused by a series of odd circumstances. As they drive home that night, Alan fights an inexplicable murderous impulse and screams at Jessica to go on without him. When he gets back to New York, Alan looks up the address of “Walter Ryder, Jr.”— a name he remembers from a cemetery tombstone in his hometown — and goes to Ryder’s home in search of the troubling bond the two men share. Notes and commentary: The title “ In His Image” is loaded with irony, for The Twilight Zone, beginning its fourth season, was now very far removed from the series of the first three seasons (see “History,” pp. 22–24, for complete details). The show now aired on a new night and in a new time slot. Veteran producer Buck Houghton was gone, and even Rod Serling’s on-screen prologues — now filmed with Serling in front of merely a plain and neutral background — were no longer a part of the episodes’ mise-en-scène. The show also had a new title sequence, a new title (now known as Twilight Zone, sans “The”), and was expanded to a onehour format, twice its original length.

*Curtiss is credited as “Edw. Curtiss.” † This credit does not appear in the episode’s end titles. **This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

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Season Four (¡963) Thus, the show clearly had the deck stacked against it in terms of achieving its former success. But with “ In His Image,” TZ writer Charles Beaumont — whose episode output would be exactly one-third of the fourth-season total — made the new season look promising despite the sweeping changes. Yet another TZ story examining personal identity, “ In His Image” is unmistakably inspired by Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. It contains the darkness, fear, and uneasy atmosphere that are trademark elements in the best Beaumont-penned episodes. What holds the episode together and keeps the viewer’s attention and interest is the performance of George Grizzard. Returning to the Zone after his comedic role in “The Chaser” (05-¡3-60), Grizzard is by turns chilling and charismatic in a dual role that demands his on-screen presence for literally the entire episode. Grizzard’s transition between roles is strengthened by skillful, precise editing and by George T. Clemens’s equally strong cinematography. Except for one scene and the names of the characters, Beaumont’s teleplay for “ In His Image” follows his story of the same name (reprinted in The Twilight Zone: The Original Stories [¡985]) nearly to the letter. In the story, after Alan and Jessica have pulled o› the road, Alan’s character (named Peter Nolan in the story) regains his composure and rides back with Jessica to New York instead of insisting that she go on without him. The change is certainly not a major one, and Beaumont’s original vision for “ In His Image” is successfully maintained in this the first hour-long Twilight Zone. *This credit does not appear in the episode’s end titles.

“The Thirty Fathom Grave” Original Airdate: January ¡0, ¡963; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Perry La›erty; Producer: Herbert Hirschman; Associate Producer: Murray Golden; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, John J. Thompson; Film Editor: Richard W. Farrell; Assistant Director: John Bloss; Assistant to Producer: John Conwell; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Don Greenwood, Jr.; Sound: Franklin Milton, Joe Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title.* Filmed aboard a Navy destroyer in Long Beach, California.

CAST

Chief Bell: Mike Kellin; Captain Beecham: Simon Oakland; Doc: David Sheiner; McClure: John Considine; OOD: Bill Bixby; Ensign Marmer: Conlan Carter; ASW O‡cer: Forrest Compton; Junior OOD: Henry Scott; Lee Helmsman: Tony Call; Sonar Operator: Charles Kuenstle; Helmsman: Derrik Lewis; Sailor #¡: Vince Bagetta; Sailor #2: Louie Elias.

Synopsis: A U.S. Navy destroyer picks up a strange tapping sound being emitted from a sunken U.S. submarine. One of the sailors hides a terrible secret as the only survivor of the sub when it was sunk by the Japanese over 20 years ago. Notes and commentary: “The Thirty Fathom Grave” is a good example of why the hour-long format did not suit The Twilight Zone. There are enough creepy moments here to make up a solid half-hour episode, perhaps as a worthy companion to the chillingly atmospheric nautical ghost story “Judgment Night” (¡2-04-59). But, it stands (or, more precisely, sinks) now as a slowly-paced and protracted story that never quite engages the viewer. The two lead performances, however, are very good. Mike Kellin — who

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later received an Academy Award nomination for his fine work in Alan Parker’s Midnight Express (¡978)— gives an intense performance as the tortured and guilt-ridden Chief Bell. Also convincing is Simon Oakland as Captain Beecham, the tough but caring ship commander. Oakland, as viewers will recall, was the greedy and sadistic DeCruz in “The Rip Van Winkle Caper” (04-2¡-6¡). On another cast note, a young Bill Bixby (The Incredible Hulk) plays the ship’s o‡cer of the day. “The Thirty Fathom Grave” marks the second of three consecutive episodes directed by Perry La›erty: “ In His Image” (0¡-03-63) aired the week before, and “Valley of the Shadow” (0¡-¡7-63) would air the following Thursday.

“Valley of the Shadow” Original Airdate: January ¡7, ¡963; Writer: Charles Beaumont; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Perry La›erty; Producer: Herbert Hirschman; Associate Producer: Murray Golden; Director of Photography: Robert Pittack, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, John J. Thompson; Film Editor: Everett Dodd, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: Ray De Camp; Assistant to Producer: John Conwell; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Don Greenwood, Jr.; Sound: Franklin Milton, Joe Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title*; Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Dorn: David Opatoshu; Philip Redfield: Ed Nelson; Ellen Marshall: Natalie Trundy; Connolly: Jacques Aubuchon; Evans: Dabbs Greer; Father: James Doohan; Girl: Suzanne Cupito; Man #¡: Henry Beckman; Man #2: Bart Burns; Man #3: King Calder; Man #4: Pat O’Hara; Gas Attendant: Sandy Kenyon.

Synopsis: When reporter Philip Red-

*This credit does not appear in the episode’s end titles.

field arrives in the small town known as Peaceful Valley, he pulls into a gas station and is met by an aloof and unfriendly attendant. After Redfield takes his dog and drives away, the gas attendant then places a phone call, reporting that the town now has an “outsider” who knows something he shouldn’t. Redfield crashes into an invisible force field and is taken back into town for medical attention. Some men from town take Redfield to the mayor’s o‡ce to meet Dorn, the mayor of Peaceful Valley, and two of Dorn’s associates, who tell Redfield that he can never leave Peaceful Valley because they fear he may reveal their secret. They then give Redfield a choice: death, or “assimilation” as one of the people of Peaceful Valley. Redfield will subsequently learn that nothing in Peaceful Valley is what it seems, even his dreamlike visit. Notes and commentary: “Valley of the Shadow” doesn’t generate nearly as much menace or atmosphere as such earlier Beaumont stories as “Perchance to Dream” (¡¡-27-59) or “The Jungle” (¡2-0¡-6¡), but that doesn’t detract from its quality; it is another comment on man’s inherent capacity for mistrust, destruction, and warfare. The title, of course, is a biblical allusion to the 23rd Psalm, but the episode is more a TZ retelling of the creation story, at least from Adam’s point of view: Redfield’s “execution” is being “cast out” from Peaceful Valley (read, Eden) and sent back into his far-from-perfect world. This ending is one that demands careful attention, as some may think it makes the same wrong turn and confused resolution as Serling’s “The Arrival” (09-22-6¡), in which the main character merely dreamed the whole

Season Four (¡963) story. However, there is more to this ending than just a dream; as a result, Redfield’s life (now unbeknownst to him) has changed. As Peter Wolfe points out: …the decision of his captors to free him — particularly after he shoots them — sets in motion a magnanimity they see him rising to. This test, rather than violating Redfield’s deepest instincts, will force him to cope with them. Whether he has the coping power can’t be known.2

“Valley of the Shadow” is competent Twilight Zone, but by comparison it remains, appropriately, in the shadows of Beaumont’s excellent follow-up episodes: “Miniature” (02-2¡-63) and “Printer’s Devil” (02-28-63). Star Trek fans should notice the little girl’s father who makes Redfield’s dog reappear; the actor is James Doohan, only a couple of years away from becoming Lt. Cmdr. Montgomery Scott (“Mr. Scott”) aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise.

“He’s Alive” Original Airdate: January 24, ¡963; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Stuart Rosenberg ; Producer: Herbert Hirschman; Associate Producer: Murray Golden; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Edward Carfagno; Film Editor: Richard W. Farrell; Assistant Director: Ray De Camp; Assistant to Producer: John Conwell; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Don Greenwood, Jr.; Sound: Franklin Milton, Joe Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title*; Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Peter Vollmer: Dennis Hopper; Ernst Ganz: Ludwig Donath; Frank: Paul *This credit does not appear in the episode’s end titles.

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Mazursky; Nick: Howard Caine; Stanley: Barnaby Hale; Gibbons: Jay Adler; Proprietor: Wolfe Barzell; Heckler: Bernard Fein; Adolf Hitler: Curt Conway.

Synopsis: A mysterious man helps a young Fascist rise to power in a neoNazi organization. An elderly Jewish survivor of the Dauchau concentration camp is determined, though, to not let history repeat itself. Notes and commentary: “He’s Alive” was the most controversial episode of The Twilight Zone to ever air, if one bases such a claim on viewer response. Within one week after its broadcast, Cayuga Productions received about 4,000 letters of protest.3 Indeed, there were enough hot-button topics in Rod Serling’s teleplay to o›end almost anyone: neo–Nazism, anti–Semitism, institutional racism, anti–Communism, and so on. Above all, there is Serling’s portrayal of a living, breathing, aging Adolf Hitler —fictional story or not — who walks o› scot-free at the end and could very well be headed to your town next, Serling suggests in his epilogue. Serling, of course, is simply making the point that Hitler and his ideas will live as long as men allow the evils of hate, prejudice, and bigotry to go unchecked; the message is delivered in a most heavy-handed way, though, and the characters are rather one-dimensional. Dennis Hopper — who would go on to portray a number of mostly bigscreen heavies, most notably in Blue Velvet (¡986) and Speed (¡994)— is not particularly convincing as führer-intraining Peter Vollmer, and he does not come o› as a mesmerizing public speaker. (Coincidentally, though, he did play a very similar character in a ¡962 episode of The Defenders.)4 Another setback in the realism department is the less than

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convincing resemblance of the heavily made-up Curt Conway to the real Hitler. As counterbalance, Austrian actor Ludwig Donath turns in a solid performance as concentration camp survivor Ganz. (One absolutely bizarre irony: Donath had 20 years earlier played Hitler in the ¡943 film The Strange Death of Adolf Hitler.) Network concerns forced Serling to change several details in his original teleplay. The group’s logo was originally a swastika, but had to be changed to a hand gripping a torch (accompanied by a lightning bolt). The organization could not be mentioned by name, and even Pete’s last name had to be changed from Collier to Vollmer because of the existence of real-life fascists named Collier.5 Also, due to time constraints, the original opening scene of act four (just after Hitler’s identity is revealed) was cut from the final print. In the scene, Vollmer desperately flees from the meeting hall where he met the revealed Hitler. He races down an alley and sees a building antenna cast a shadow that looks like a giant swastika. At a used bookstore window, Hitler’s Mein Kampf stands out among a lineup of books, the führer’s face staring out at Vollmer from the jacket. Despite its emotionally charged subject matter, “He’s Alive” lacks the power and depth of Serling’s earlier masterpiece “Death’s-head Revisited” (¡¡-¡06¡), which dealt with similar issues and themes.

“Mute” Original Airdate: January 3¡, ¡963; Writer: Richard Matheson; Source: “Mute,” a short story by Richard Matheson; Director: Stuart Rosenberg ; Producer:

Herbert Hirschman; Music: Fred Steiner; Associate Producer: Murray Golden; Director of Photography: Robert Pittack, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Edward Carfagno; Film Editor: Eda Warren, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: Ray De Camp; Assistant to Producer: John Conwell; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Don Greenwood, Jr.; Sound: Franklin Milton, Joe Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title*; Filmed at Metro-GoldwynMayer Studios.

CAST

Cora Wheeler: Barbara Baxley; Sheri› Harry Wheeler: Frank Overton; Miss Frank: Irene Dailey; Ilse: Ann Jillian[n]†; Frau Werner: Eva Soreny; Holger Nielsen: Robert Boon; Frau Nielsen: Claudia Bryar; Tom Poulter: Percy Helton; Professor Karl Werner: Oscar Beregi.

Synopsis: In Dusseldorf, Germany, in ¡953, a group of married couples agree to devote their lives and children to the advancement of telepathic communication. Ten years later, in the small town of German Corners, Pennsylvania, one of the couples is killed in a house fire, but their ¡0-year-old telepathic and apparently mute daughter Ilse survives and temporarily lives with Sheri› Harry Wheeler and his wife Cora. Harry and Cora enroll Ilse in school and begin adpotion proceedings. However, one of the telepathic couples from Germany, the Werners, arrives in German Corners with di›erent plans. Notes and commentary: The first of only two Richard Matheson entries for season four, “Mute” is an undeniably strange but unsuccessful episode. The plot isn’t very compelling or forceful and becomes bogged down in melodrama. The best way to explain the episode’s failure is to compare it to the previous season’s chilling “ It’s a Good Life”

*This credit does not appear in the episode’s end titles. † Jillian’s name is spelled with two n’s in the end credits.

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Season Four (¡963) (¡¡-03-6¡), in which the viewer sees the dramatic crux played out in the lives of the characters and how they are a›ected by a frightening little boy. In “Mute,” however, just the opposite is true. Instead of focusing on Ilse and the inherent dramatic possibilities of her “telepathic displacement,” the episode veers o› into really nothing more than an hour-long custody battle. It’s a shame that the cast could not have been given better material, especially since the episode boasts two good actors making return TZ performances: Frank Overton, from “Walking Distance” (¡030-59); and Oscar Beregi, from “The Rip Van Winkle Caper” (04-2¡-6¡) and “Death’s-head Revisited” (¡¡-¡0-6¡). Of the three lead roles, Ann Jillian as Ilse gives the only thoughtful and sensitive performance. Even the episode’s author, Richard Matheson, didn’t care for the treatment of his teleplay for “Mute”: “[Producer] Herbert Hirschman directed the opening sequence because they needed one and it was so well done I remember telling him that I wished he had directed the whole thing.”6 Director Stuart Rosenberg, who also directed the previous week’s “He’s Alive” (0¡-2463), would be more successful outside the Twilight Zone, going on to direct Paul Newman in Cool Hand Luke (¡967). In adapting his story of the same name (reprinted in The Twilight Zone: The Original Stories [¡985]), Matheson makes two significant changes. First is the character of Ilse. In the story, the child is a boy, seven-year-old Paal Nielsen, who reminds Cora of her dead son David. Also, a younger Professor Werner, sans wife, arrives to tell the couple the truth about the German *This credit does not appear in the episode’s end titles.

group’s agreement to raise their children as telepaths. The short story — which lengthwise is more a novella — uses heavily sensory and descriptive writing to convey the inner workings of the young telepath’s mind and thoughts. These parts would have been seemingly impossible to translate to film, and in this case the written story is on all counts superior to the filmed episode. Matheson’s next e›ort, “Death Ship,” would air the following week and is a much stronger episode.

“Death Ship” Original Airdate: February 7, ¡963; Writer: Richard Matheson; Source: “Death Ship,” a short story by Richard Matheson; Director: Don Medford; Producer: Herbert Hirschman; Director of Photography: Robert W. Pittack, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Edward Carfagno; Film Editor: Richard W. Farrell; Assistant Director: Ray De Camp; Assistant to Producer: John Conwell; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Edward M. Parker; Sound: Franklin Milton, Joe Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title*; Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Captain Paul Ross: Jack Klugman; Lieutenant Ted Mason: Ross Martin; Lieutenant Mike Carter: Fredrick Beir; Ruth: Mary Webster; Kramer: Ross Elliott; Mrs. Nolan: Sara Taft; Jeannie: Tammy Marihugh.

Synopsis: On a planet they are exploring, a space crew finds a wrecked ship identical to theirs, and their dead bodies are found on board. The men wonder if they are really dead or if they should stay grounded indefinitely and thus avoid a future fatal crash. Notes and commentary: One of the brighter moments of the fourth season was Richard Matheson’s “Death Ship.”

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In adapting his ¡953 short story of the same name (reprinted in The Twilight Zone: The Original Stories [¡985]), Matheson did not alter the basic plotline, but he did expand and enhance the story in several ways. The hallucinations experienced by Carter and Mason, in which they are reunited with friends and family back on Earth, were added; and the three main characters are fleshed out and acquire a greater complexity. In short, a good short story was made into a great hour-long drama. “Death Ship” skillfully blends the science fiction and horror genres and explores a number of macabre themes — most notably, man’s fear of death and the denial associated with the facing of one’s extinction. And until the stubborn Captain Ross accepts their fate, the three men, like the mythological Sisyphus and the German U-boat captain in “Judgment Night” (¡2-04-59), will continually relive the same moment over and over again. Don Medford, director of such fine episodes as “A Passage for Trumpet” (05-20-60) and “Death’s-head Revisited” (¡¡-¡0-6¡), elicits fine performances from Twilight Zone stalwart Jack Klugman as the stubborn, analytical Captain Ross, and Ross Martin (The Wild Wild West) as the brash, emotional Lieutenant Mason. Klugman had already starred in “A Passage for Trumpet” and “A Game of Pool” (¡0-¡3-6¡), and Martin had been one of the “title characters” in “The Four of Us Are Dying” (0¡-0¡-60). If the episode has a deficiency it is in the outmatched acting abilities of Fredrick Beir, who as Lieutenant Carter spends half the episode staring straight ahead, mouth agape. *Curtiss is credited as “Edw. Curtiss.” † This credit does not appear in the episode’s end titles.

The “death ship” itself is actually a leftover prop from the ¡956 feature film Forbidden Planet, and the spaceship footage in “Death Ship” was actually created by the MGM special-e›ects department for the episode. A miniature of the ship was built and suspended from invisible wires, and the planet’s sandy surface and vegetation were put together on top of a small table.7 The expensive e›ect turns out to be a nice one, a real boon to the show’s realism. As for astronaut trios, they just don’t seem to have much luck in The Twilight Zone. Before “Death Ship,” a space trio in Charles Beaumont’s “Elegy” (02¡9-60) was killed and forever made to remain in state on an asteroid-size, museum-like cemetery!

“Jess-Belle” Original Airdate: February ¡4, ¡963; Writer: Earl Hamner, Jr.; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Buzz Kulik; Producer: Herbert Hirschman; Music: Van Cleave; Associate Producer: Murray Golden; Director of Photography: Robert Pittack, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Edward Carfagno; Film Editor: Edw.[ard] Curtiss*; Assistant Director: John Bloss; Assistant to Producer: John Conwell; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Don Greenwood, Jr.; Sound: Franklin Milton, Joe Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title†; Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Jess-Belle: Anne Francis; Billy-Ben Turner: James Best; Ellwyn (Elly) Glover: Laura Devon; Granny Hart: Jeanette Nolan; Ossie Stone: Virginia Gregg ; Luther Glover: George Mitchell; Mattie Glover: Helen Kleeb; Obed Miller: Jim Boles; Minister: Jon Lormer.

Synopsis: In a small Blue Ridge

Season Four (¡963) Mountain community, the residents have a barn dance to celebrate their bountiful harvest and the just-announced engagement between Elly Glover and Billy-Ben Turner. Everyone is happy but Jess-Belle, who looks sad and walks outside. The goodhearted Elly urges Billy-Ben to go and check on Jess-Belle, who turns out to be a woman scorned; she and Billy-Ben used to be sweethearts, and she wants him all to herself. Jess-Belle leaves and goes to see the old witch Granny Hart. Jess-Belle wants Granny to help her win Billy-Ben’s love, but Granny says that the price is high; Jess-Belle will find out just how high, Granny warns, when midnight comes. After drinking a vial of Granny’s potion, Jess-Belle returns to the dance and immediately casts Billy-Ben under her spell, but she becomes troubled when the full moon rises. Notes and commentary: “Jess-Belle” is a marvelous episode that is undoubtedly Earl Hamner’s best contribution to the series and one of the strongest entries in the show’s fourth season. Though his output would increase to five episodes in the coming fifth and final season, none achieves the brilliance of “Jess-Belle.” This is one episode that is compelling from beginning to end, that isn’t disrupted by the hour length that mars several fourth season e›orts. If season three’s “The Gift” (04-27-62) had been aired to coincide with Easter, then it is no coincidence that “JessBelle,” a well-crafted folktale of love and rural superstition, aired on Valentine’s Day. (For that matter, the episode would be equally appropriate as a Halloween story.) “Jess-Belle” has one of the strongest and most impressive casts ever assembled for a TZ episode. James Best,

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Anne Francis, and Laura Devon all create vivid and down-to-earth characters. The casting coup, though, is having Jeanette Nolan play Granny Hart. Nolan, who ¡5 years earlier had starred with Orson Welles in Macbeth (¡948), is mesmerizing and dominates every scene in which she appears. Nolan seems to infuse “Jess-Belle” with the same darkness and presence of evil that permeated Macbeth. The masterful Nolan had also appeared in Hamner’s earlier “The Hunt” (0¡-26-62). “JessBelle” also marks return performances for both James Best and Anne Francis. Best appeared in “The Grave” (¡0-276¡) and “The Last Rites of Je› Myrtlebank” (02-23-62), both episodes written and directed by Montgomery Pittman that could easily be mistaken for Hamner stories. Anne Francis, the only Twilight Zone actor ever to go from mannequin to witch, starred in Rod Serling’s “The After Hours” (06¡0-60). In addition to the actors, “Jess-Belle” is simply good storytelling, something that Hamner believed made The Twilight Zone a classic (see his comments in “ Introduction,” p. 7) and that he himself would continue when he moved on to create his own classic The Waltons. “Jess-Belle” is also a smorgasbord of literary and film genres: folktale, ghost story, love story, and Southern Gothic. The story is also (as the title obviously indicates) a folk retelling of the biblical character Jezebel, whose “witchcrafts [were] so many” (II Kings 9:22). In addition, “Jess-Belle” is, by Hamner’s own admission, influenced by Faustian legend: “Basically, all she [Jess-Belle] wanted was to love someone. But it goes back to Faust: if you sell your soul, forget it.”8 Episodes like “Jess-Belle” make it

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di‡cult to generalize the unusual fourth season as misguided and uncreative. Also of interest, “Jess-Belle” is the only TZ episode that does not end with Serling’s voice-over epilogue. It is replaced here by a verse from a folk song that sums up the story.

“Miniature” Original Airdate: February 2¡, ¡963; Writer: Charles Beaumont; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Walter E. Grauman; Producer: Herbert Hirschman; Music: Fred Steiner; Associate Producer: Murray Golden; Director of Photography: Robert Pittack, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Edward Carfagno; Film Editor: Edward Curtiss; Assistant Director: Ray De Camp; Assistant to Producer: John Conwell; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Don Greenwood, Jr.; Sound: Franklin Milton, Joe Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title.* Filmed at Metro-GoldwynMayer Studios.

CAST

Charley Parkes: Robert Duvall; Mrs. Parkes: Pert Kelton; Myra: Barbara Barrie; Dr. Wallman: William Windom; Buddie: Lenny Weinrib; Guard: John McLiam; Diemel: Barney Phillips; Harriet: Joan Chambers; Guide: Chet Stratton; The Suitor: Richard Angarola; The Maid: Nina Roman; The Doll: Claire Griswold.

Synopsis: On his lunch break, introvert Charley Parkes is amazed to see a living, beautiful young lady inside a miniature model of a Victorian-era town house. No one believes what Parkes is seeing, but he becomes absorbed in the goings-on inside the house and soon falls in love with the young lady. Notes and commentary: “Miniature” is not a typical Charles Beaumont story, but it nonetheless succeeds as a tender, moving, and unusual love story. Beaumont tried the fairy tale approach *This credit does not appear in the episode’s end titles.

earlier, with decidedly less successful results, in “The Fugitive” (03-09-62). Robert Duvall — who had just made his film debut in To Kill a Mockingbird (¡962) and who would later win an Academy Award for his lead performance in Tender Mercies (¡983)— is brilliant as the shy, gentle bachelor Charley Parkes, a “square peg” both socially and professionally who still lives with his overly protective mother (Pert Kelton). “Miniature” is the only fourth-season episode not originally included in The Twilight Zone’s syndication package. The show was involved in a lawsuit filed by the writer of “The Thirteenth Mannequin,” a script about an old man who favors the companionship of store mannequins to humans.9 As might be expected, the mannequins ultimately come to life, à la Serling’s “The After Hours” (06-¡0-60). The case was ultimately dismissed by two di›erent judges, but “Miniature” was still not shown again until it aired in ¡984 as part of a 25th anniversary celebration of The Twilight Zone on CBS. The doll sequences were colorized, though, and the entire episode was time compressed so that more commercials could be squeezed in. Since then, the original, unaltered version has been available as part of Columbia House Video Library’s collection of The Twilight Zone.

“Printer’s Devil” Original Airdate: February 28, ¡963; Writer: Charles Beaumont; Source: “The Devil, You Say?” a short story by Charles Beaumont; Director: Ralph Senensky; Producer: Herbert Hirschman; Associate Producer: Murray Golden; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson;

Season Four (¡963) Art Direction: George W. Davis, John J. Thompson; Film Editor: Richard W. Farrell; Assistant Director: John Bloss; Assistant to Producer: John Conwell; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Don Greenwood, Jr.; Sound: Franklin Milton, Joe Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title.* Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Douglas Winter: Robert Sterling; Jackie Benson: Patricia Crowley; Mr. Smith: Burgess Meredith; Mr. Franklin: Ray Teal; Andy Praskins: Charles Thompson; Landlady: Doris Kemper; Molly: Camille Franklin.

Synopsis: Doug Winter, owner and editor of the failing Dansburg Courier newspaper, is down on his luck and deeply in debt to his creditors. While driving home one night, Winter stops at a bridge and considers committing suicide. He is startled by an energetic, talkative, and feisty old man. Smoking a crooked cigar and wearing a devilish grin, the man calls himself Smith, says he is a newspaperman (he is both a reporter and a Linotype operator), and believes he can help save the Courier. After Smith gets a series of amazingly quick and accurate news “scoops” and exclusives that triple the paper’s circulation, Winter finally figures out the true identity of the old man who seems to create catastrophe and mayhem from scratch. Notes and commentary: “Printer’s Devil” is Charles Beaumont’s witty and humorous version of Stephen Vincent Benèt’s “The Devil and Daniel Webster,” the classic short story which Beaumont actually refers to at one point in his original story “The Devil, You Say?” The episode could also be considered a companion piece to Beaumont’s other fictional account of the Devil’s deceptive presence, the foreboding and much *This credit does not appear in the episode’s end titles.

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darker “The Howling Man” (¡¡-04-60). Burgess Meredith is wonderful in his fourth and final TZ appearance. Gone are the meek and timid characters of “Time Enough at Last” (¡¡-20-59) and “Mr. Dingle, the Strong” (03-03-6¡). Here, Meredith recalls the quiet strength and confidence of his character in “The Obsolete Man” and injects them with a crackling energy and mischievous zest. The performance is a real treasure, and Meredith was pleased with the result: “That was an extraordinary script, I thought. I was surer of that than I was even of ‘Time Enough at Last,’ because it was a pure, classical theme, where you sell your soul.”10 Even the title serves the episode well. “Printer’s devil,” of course, is the term used for a printing apprentice, which is how Smith ingratiates himself with Winter in the beginning. The phrase also describes Mr. Smith quite literally, as he is a both the Devil and a printer, and in his e‡ciency is a “devil of a printer.” Beaumont’s teleplay actually improves upon his short story (reprinted in The Twilight Zone: The Original Stories [¡985]), which uses a framing device in which the first person narrator, a reporter, tells about a local barroom gathering of newspapermen. The narrator prevails upon one of the men, a columnist named Dick Lewis who swears he has given up the profession, to tell them a story. Now Lewis is the narrator, and he tells of how one night in the o‡ce of his near-defunct newspaper, bequeathed to him by his father, he is approached by an old man. The man, who appears to be in his nineties and is named Mr. Jones, has a beard and wears a black derby hat. Lewis’s father, it turns out, had earlier made a

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deal with the Devil but had stipulated that his son be provided for, which is why Jones has arrived. Like Smith in the episode, Jones then sets about creating stories that increase the paper’s circulation and readership. In the story, however, the true news events he creates are bizarre and exaggerated: a couple gives birth to a baby hippopotamus; dragons appear in a man’s yard; an ocean liner bound for Italy winds up on the town’s main street; and a banker’s wife files for divorce after catching her husband in a bathtub with three mermaids. Meanwhile, Lewis meets reporter Elissa Traskers and they begin to fall in love. Realizing the havoc that Jones is causing, Lewis has Elissa distract Jones while Lewis remains in the newspaper o‡ce to write a story that will get rid of the Devil/Mr. Jones. He writes a story that says Mr. Jones has returned home; all the recently reported news items were false; the entire newspaper has disappeared; and that he (Lewis) is a successful columnist with a metropolitan newspaper. As soon as he puts the story into the machine, the events in his story simultaneously become reality. The only problem is that when Lewis next sees Elissa, she doesn’t know him. Then he realizes his mistake: He forgot to include Elissa in his story; thus, she has never met him, and he has lost the woman he loved. Naturally, all the men at the bar, including the narrator, assume the story is a tall tale. The narrator changes his mind, though, when a bearded old man in a derby hat turns from the bar and gives him a devilish grin and wink. The narrator gets out of the bar in a hurry. The episode is better constructed by seeming more plausible and still main*This credit does not appear in the episode’s end titles.

taining its comic tone. The short story comes o› as more of a joke, thus being too self-consciously funny. “Printer’s Devil” reveals just how talented and skillful Charles Beaumont was at shaping and adapting his own material for another medium.

“No Time Like the Past” Original Airdate: March 7, ¡963; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Justus Addiss; Producer: Herbert Hirschman; Associate Producer: Murray Golden; Director of Photography: Robert W. Pittack, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, William Ferrari; Film Editor: Eda Warren, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: Ray De Camp; Assistant to Producer: John Conwell; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Edward M. Parker; Sound: Franklin Milton, Joe Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title.* Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Paul Driscoll: Dana Andrews; Abigail Sloan: Patricia Breslin; Professor Eliot: Malcolm Atterbury; Hanford: Robert Cornthwaite; Horn Player: John Zaremba; Bartender: Lindsay Workman; Mrs. Chamberlain: Marjorie Bennett; Captain of Lusitania: Tudor Owen; Japanese Police Captain: James Yagi; Harvey: Robert F. Simon.

Synopsis: Paul Driscoll, disgusted with living under the twentieth century threat of nuclear extinction, allows friend Harvey to test his time machine on him, allowing him to travel into the past and attempt to reshape the future. He comes to realize that the past is sacred and that his mission should be to do something about the tomorrows of the twentieth century. Notes and commentary: “No Time Like the Past” is one of many episodes — Serling’s “Back There” (0¡-¡3-

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Season Four (¡963) 6¡), “A Hundred Yards Over the Rim” (04-07-6¡), and “The 7th Is Made Up of Phantoms” (¡2-06-63), just to name a few — to explore the theme of time travel. Another favorite subject of Serling’s was living in the shadow of the nuclear bomb. Between the messages of “Don’t dwell in the past but look toward the future” and “No nukes is good nukes,” there is a lot of preaching going on in “No Time Like the Past,” with Paul Driscoll — played by Dana Andrews, whose many theatrical credits include The Ox-Bow Incident (¡943), Laura (¡944), and A Walk in the Sun (¡945)— serving as little more than a talking head. It seems like during half the episode Driscoll is complaining about living in a nuclear age, arguing with bull-headed commanders, debating American military policy, or putting down Hitler in the presence of a German maid (who remarkably has no trace of a German accent). During the other half of the episode he is bungling every attempt to rid history of ugly incidents that contribute to the United States entering the nuclear age. When he has Hitler in his sights his gun mysteriously misfires, and he cannot get o› another shot before the Gestapo arrive. He cannot persuade the captains of the imminent danger they are in (even though he arrives in Hiroshima way too late to reduce in any significant way the number of casualties). As to Professor Eliot and his runaway, fireball wagon, one would think that simply taking the lantern o› its hook and running away would be easier than unhitching a team of horses. In the end, “No Time Like the Past” shows little originality in the genre of time travel and it is much too talky to hold any degree of dramatic tension. *This credit does not appear in the episode’s end titles.

It is good, though, to see Patricia Breslin again; she was last seen in Richard Matheson’s “Nick of Time” (¡¡-¡860) with William Shatner. Nearly a decade after his only Twilight Zone role, Dana Andrews would star in Serling’s “The Di›erent Ones” (¡2-29-7¡), a segment of Rod Serling’s Night Gallery.

“The Parallel” Original Airdate: March ¡4, ¡963; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Alan Crosland, Jr.; Producer: Bert Granet; Director of Photography: Robert Pittack, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Paul Groesse; Film Editor: Al Clark, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: Ray De Camp; Assistant to Producer: John Conwell; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Frank R. McKelvy; Sound: Franklin Milton, Joe Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title.* Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Robert Gaines: Steve Forrest; Helen Gaines: Jacqueline Scott; Connacher: Frank Aletter; Psychiatrist: Paul Comi; Maggie Gaines: Shari Lee Bernath; Captain: Morgan Jones; Project Manager: William Sargent; General Eaton: Philip Abbott.

Synopsis: The year is ¡963, and astronaut Major Robert Gaines prepares to blast o› for multiple orbits of Earth. The launch is successful, but Gaines eventually loses contact with mission control and is blinded by a bright flash of light. He wakes up in a hospital bed, surrounded by his fellow o‡cers, who tell him that he was missing for several hours and that his spacecraft was found, unscathed and intact, nearly 50 miles away from the launch site. When his wife Helen admits to the befuddled Gaines that he is inexplicably di›erent, he checks himself in for psychiatric evaluation. In his consultation with

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Helen and the other o‡cers, the psychiatrist is unsure what to make of Gaines’s references to a man named John Kennedy as president of the United States! Gaines then swears to the o‡cers that he was in a parallel world, where he lived for a week in a twin existence of Earth. Notes and commentary: “The Parallel” is another entry that explores the idea of parallel worlds and alternate realities, such as the earlier “And When the Sky Was Opened” (¡2-¡¡-59) and “Mirror Image” (02-26-60). Whereas “And When the Sky” didn’t reveal what the other existence was like, “The Parallel” thrusts its main character directly into the previously unknown alternate world. Unlike “Mirror Image,” that other world is not malignant but presents instead the dilemmas of displacement and unfamiliarity. Serling’s teleplay is imaginative and intelligent and is very well-constructed. Alan Crosland, Jr.’s, able direction keeps the action engaging and easy to follow. (Check out Back to the Future Part II to see just how confusing and convoluted alternate timeline plots can get.) Steve Forrest is also good in the lead. Underlying his brawny and brooding character is a dangerous temper that threatens to explode unless Gaines can figure out what has happened to him. “The Parallel” was also a controversial episode, at least behind the scenes. Rod Serling had already been accused of plagiarism by several science fiction writers. In each case Serling protested his innocence, but “the charges persisted, and after several unsuccessful suits, late in ¡963 they finally stuck when Serling, on the advice of his attorney, settled a suit over the fourthseason episode ‘The Parallel’ by paying *This credit does not appear in the episode’s end titles.

the putative original author the sum of sixty-five hundred dollars.”1¡ Similar situations would arise for four other TZ episodes: Charles Beaumont’s “Static” (03-¡0-6¡) and “Long Distance Call” (03-3¡-6¡); and Rod Serling’s “A Short Drink from a Certain Fountain” (¡2-¡363) and “Sounds and Silences” (04-0364). However, it is doubtful that all, if any, of these cases were intentional plagiarism. As erstwhile TZ producer Buck Houghton points out, “[Science fiction] is a limited field, and you can’t write in it without stepping on somebody’s former idea.”¡2 A Twilight Zone casting coincidence creates a scenario similar to the twin worlds of “The Parallel.” The lead actor, Steve Forrest, is the younger brother of Dana Andrews, who is the lead actor in the previous week’s episode, “No Time Like the Past” (03-0763). A perfect moment to cue up the TZ theme music. In addition, “The Parallel” probably sets the television record (if there is one) for the most on-screen cigarette smoking.

“ I Dream of Genie” Original Airdate: March 2¡, ¡963; Writer: John Furia, Jr.; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Robert Gist; Producer: Herbert Hirschman; Music: Fred Steiner; Associate Producer: Murray Golden; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, John J. Thompson; Film Editor: Eda Warren, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: John Bloss; Assistant to Producer: John Conwell; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Don Greenwood, Jr.; Sound: Franklin Milton, Joe Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title.* Filmed at Metro-GoldwynMayer Studios.

Season Four (¡963) CAST

George P. Hanley: Howard Morris; Anne: Patricia Barry; Watson: Loring Smith; Roger: Mark Miller; Starlet: Joyce Jameson; Masters: James Millhollin; Sam: Bob Hastings; Clerk: Robert Ball; The Genie: Jack Albertson.

Synopsis: Mild-mannered accountant George P. Hanley, after polishing up a tarnished Arabian lamp, summons a genie and is given only one wish. After carefully considering love, wealth, and power, Hanley comes up with the perfect wish. Notes and commentary: Thematically, “ I Dream of Genie” bears much resemblance to The Twilight Zone’s other genie-in-a-lamp entry, “The Man in the Bottle” (¡0-07-60). The former is played up as a comedy and the latter as a drama, but they both feature protagonists who come to realize that wishing for anything is not as easy as it seems, and that wealth and power do not necessarily ensure happiness. Like “The Man in the Bottle,” though, “ I Dream of Genie” is neither inspired nor memorable. There are a few funny bits, but the result is a loosely threaded collection of gags that cannot sustain a story which could have been told in 30 minutes; in e›ect, the parts of the episode are much greater than their sum in John Furia, Jr.’s, only contribution to The Twilight Zone. (Furia would later pen two episodes of Hawaii Five-O: “Follow the White Brick Road” [0307-72] and “The Diamond That Nobody Stole” [03-06-73].) Director Robert Gist does elicit a favorable performance from Howard Morris — an actor-director-writer-producer who played Ernest T. Bass on The Andy Gri‡th Show—as George P. Hanley. Hanley’s love interest is played by the attractive Patricia Barry, last seen as George Grizzard’s object of obses-

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sive a›ection in “The Chaser” (05-¡360). Barry had a long career in soap operas (First Love; Days of Our Lives; For Richer, for Poorer; All My Children; and The Guiding Light). She even appeared in the “ It’s a Good Life” segment of ¡983’s Twilight Zone—The Movie. Jack Albertson, who plays the slang-talking, modern-dressing genie, previously had a role in “The Shelter” (09-29-6¡), and he went on to win a Tony Award in ¡965 for his supporting role in The Subject Was Roses; an Academy Award in ¡968 for his supporting role in the film adaptation of Roses; and two Emmy Awards — the first in ¡974 for a supporting role in a television special, CBS’s Cher, and the second in ¡975 for lead comedy actor in NBC’s Chico and the Man. The first of only two fourth season episodes to be written by a nonregular Twilight Zone writer — the next would be Reginald Rose’s “The Incredible World of Horace Ford” (04-¡8-63)—“ I Dream of Genie” is passable but far from memorable, a Twilight Zone version of James Thurber’s classic short story “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” (¡939) that just doesn’t hit the mark. “ I Dream of Genie” does have its moments, however. One delicious bite of satire is when Hanley — as a millionaire — grows tired of being rich and swears he will stop buying things. His advisor disagrees, saying with a straight face that not buying is “subversive” and “un–American”; salesmanship, he reminds Hanley, is the American way of life.

“The New Exhibit” Original Airdate: April 4, ¡963; Writers: Charles Beaumont and Jerry Sohl; Source: Original teleplay; Director: John Brahm; Producer: Bert Granet; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W.

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Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Paul Groesse; Film Editor: Everett Dodd, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: John Bloss; Assistant to Producer: John Conwell; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Frank R. McKelvy; Sound: Franklin Milton, Joe Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title.* Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Martin Lombard Senescu: Martin Balsam; Mr. Ferguson: Will Kuluva; Emma: Maggie Mahoney; Dave: William Mims; Gas Man: Phil Chambers; Van Man: Lennie Bremen; Sailor: Ed Barth; 2nd Sailor: Craig Curtis; Henri Desire Landru: Milton Parsons; Jack the Ripper: David Bond; Albert W. Hicks: Bob Mitchell; Burke: Robert L. McCord; Hare: Billy Beck; Tour Guide (Marchand’s): Marcel Hillaire.

Synopsis: Ferguson’s Wax Museum houses the “Murderers Row” exhibit, which displays wax figures of several notorious killers, including Jack the Ripper. Ferguson, the proprietor, later calls Martin into his o‡ce to say that he has sold the museum. Totally devoted to the care and maintenance of the “Murderers Row” exhibit, Martin is devastated and o›ers to buy the figures. Ferguson rebu›s this o›er but does agree to Martin’s o›er of keeping them in the basement of Martin’s home. Martin is obsessed with the figures and installs an air conditioner for the basement in order to preserve them. After several weeks, the figures seem to take on lives of their own and begin murdering everyone close to Martin. Some time later, in a Brussels wax museum that now owns and displays “Murderers Row, “ another figure is added and becomes the new exhibit. Notes and commentary: “The New Exhibit” is, as Stephen King has noted, “one of The Twilight Zone’s few excur*This credit does not appear in the episode’s end titles.

sions into outright horror.”13 King also feels that these hour-long shows of the fourth season “included some of the best of the entire [series] run.”¡4 “The New Exhibit” holds up well as an eerie and macabre (thus appropriately singled out in King’s Danse Macabre) horror story. (It must have seemed even more so in those still-young days of television.) In fact, the episode is highly reminiscent of Edgar Allan Poe’s short story “The Tell-Tale Heart,” in which a murderer is driven mad by what he thinks are the audible heartbeats of the man he has murdered, dismembered, and buried under his floor. Viewers will instantly pick up on the irony of the casting here. Martin Balsam, who plays the deranged and obsessed Senescu, had earlier starred in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (¡960) as a detective who is murdered by Norman Bates, a character even more psychotic than Balsam’s Senescu in “The New Exhibit.” Both stories share somewhat similar scenes, and Balsam is a conduit between both. Balsam is truly convincing in his second and last Twilight Zone role, his first being the early episode “The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine” (¡0-2359). Balsam had also starred with William Bendix in the Desilu Playhouse production of Rod Serling’s “The Time Element” (¡¡-24-58), the drama that in e›ect was the true pilot for The Twilight Zone. Balsam would later win an Academy Award for his supporting role in ¡965’s A Thousand Clowns and a Tony Award for Dramatic Actor, in ¡968’s You Know I Can’t Hear You When the Water’s Running. The only weakness of the episode is at the end, when the Landru figure garrotes Mr. Ferguson. None of the other murders is ever actually shown — the

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Season Four (¡963) figures only seem to commit the murders; remember, for example, that only the arm of Jack the Ripper actually moves in the scene with Emma, just as it does during the earlier museum tour — but this one is, as the viewer sees Landru commit the act. Presumably, this is to throw viewers o› and make them think the figures really are capable of coming to life and committing murder, since Martin has walked in the other direction toward the stairs and is not suspected at this point. The way the scene stands, however, is an unnecessary red herring and unfair to the viewer. A simple shot of only a pair of hands holding the garrote and preparing to kill would have maintained the suspense without the worry of tipping o› the viewer too soon. “The New Exhibit” is also the first of three teleplays that Charles Beaumont would collaborate on with writer Jerry Sohl, the other two being “Living Doll” (¡¡-0¡-63) and “Queen of the Nile” (0306-64). (Unfortunately, the reason for the collaboration was a tragic one. Suffering both loss of concentration and memory, coupled with devastating headaches, Beaumont was in the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease, which would lead to his premature death in ¡967 at age 38.) Actually, Sohl did the lion’s share of the work on all three episodes, writing the final teleplay after working out the plot with Beaumont. As Sohl recalls: We always worked the same way. We usually met at a restaurant on a Sunday. … We ironed out the whole thing from beginning to end, all done verbally and without notes. I wrote the story outline, he went in and got it okayed, came back with a few suggestions from Rod [Serling] or Bert *This credit does not appear in the episode’s end titles.

Granet, which we incorporated, and I started in on the script.¡5

While not a Charles Beaumont episode in the purest sense, “The New Exhibit” is nevertheless a distinctive and e›ective one. And though Jerry Sohl wasn’t given story credit for “The New Exhibit,” one other person was credited, albeit indirectly. According to Sohl, the ax-murderer figure of Albert W. Hicks is named after the man who gave Beaumont the story idea for “The New Exhibit.”¡6

“Of Late I Think of Cli›ordville” Original Airdate: April ¡¡, ¡963; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: “Blind Alley,” a short story by Malcolm Jameson; Director: David Lowell Rich; Producer: Bert Granet; Director of Photography: Robert W. Pittack, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Paul Groesse; Film Editor: Richard W. Farrell; Assistant Director: Ray De Camp; Assistant to Producer: John Conwell; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Frank R. McKelvy; Sound: Franklin Milton, Joe Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title.* Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Bill Feathersmith: Albert Salmi; Deidrich: John Anderson; Hecate: Wright King ; Gibbons: Guy Raymond; Joanna: Christine Burke; Clark: John Harmon; Cronk: Hugh Sanders; Miss Devlin: Julie Newmar.

Synopsis: Predatorial entrepreneur William Feathersmith’s strongest desire is to be able to return to his hometown of Cli›ordville of 40 years ago and start building his fortune all over again. A horned attendant of Devlin’s Travel Service informs him that such arrangements could be made, for the right price.

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Notes and commentary: Malcolm Jameson’s short story “Blind Alley” was first published in the June ¡943 issue of Unknown Worlds. Rod Serling purchased the story in ¡963 for inclusion in Rod Serling’s Triple W: Witches, Warlocks, and Werewolves, an anthology of fiction that Serling edited; the story was subsequently reprinted in The Twilight Zone: The Original Stories (¡985). In the story, Mr. Feathersmith, CEO of Pyramidal Enterprises, Inc., bemoans all facets of modern life and business; in fact, his favorite expression (repeated five di›erent times) is “Aw-r-rk.” He gets so flustered one day that he has a mild stroke. Completely ignoring all of his doctor’s advice, Feathersmith instead calls on Forfin, a “broker” who arranges a meeting with Madame Hecate, a “consultant witch.” He tells her that he wants to go back 40 years to Cli›ordsville, where he was born and raised, and start life all over again. Hecate summons His Nibs (Lucifer) to Earth, who charges $33 million (with ¡ percent cash back) and has Feathersmith sign a contract in his own syringe-drawn blood for the privilege. Once he arrives back in Cliffordsville, though, Feathersmith finds that it is not like he remembered — bad food, bad accommodations, and all his plans at gaining wealth go astray. What’s worse, according to his contract his youth is not restored, and he soon dies of a heart attack. Serling maintained the basic plot of “Blind Alley” for “Cli›ordville” but made a few changes in some of the details. Feathersmith, for instance, is made even more despicable, ruthless, and devoid of conscience, so that the viewer (reader) feels absolutely no pity for him when he fails miserably at making his fortune in ¡9¡0 Cli›ordville. *This credit does not appear in the episode’s end titles.

(Note that Serling dropped the “s” from the town’s name.) Serling introduced new characters into the story, most notably the broken businessman Deidrich and the humble janitor Hecate. The twist ending of Hecate as the rich businessman and Feathersmith as his janitor of 40 years, contrived as it might be, is a satisfying conclusion to an episode that never really grabs its audience. Albert Salmi is not entirely convincing as a 75-year-old man, either — due in large part to a poor makeup job — which further distances the viewer. Julie Newmar (Catwoman on the Batman television series), in a delicious turn, plays the demonically sneaky Miss Devlin.

“The Incredible World of Horace Ford” Original Airdate: April ¡8, ¡963; Writer: Reginald Rose; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Abner Biberman; Producer: Herbert Hirschman; Associate Producer: Murray Golden; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Edward Carfagno; Film Editor: Eda Warren, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: John Bloss; Assistant to Producer: John Conwell; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Edward M. Parker; Sound: Franklin Milton, Joe Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title.* Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Horace Ford: Pat Hingle; Laura Ford: Nan Martin; Mrs. Ford: Ruth White; Leonard O’Brien: Phillip Pine; Mr. Judson: Vaughn Taylor; Betty O’Brien: Mary Carver; Hermy Brandt: Jerry Davis; Horace (child): Jim E. Titus.

Synopsis: Horace Ford is a toy designer who loves to reminisce about his happy and carefree childhood. At home, Horace grows even more nostalgic and refuses to eat supper. Instead, he decides

Season Four (¡963) he will visit Randolph Street, where he grew up. Horace finds that Randolph Street appears just as it did nearly 30 years ago, at least on the surface. Though his boss, wife, mother, and coworker are worried that Horace is sick, he returns several times to Randolph Street, and the events happen again in exactly the same way. But as Horace will himself discover, memories have a way of playing tricks on nostalgic adults. Notes and commentary: “The Incredible World of Horace Ford” is one of only two fourth-season episodes that were not written by a regular TZ writer. (The other was John Furia, Jr.’s “ I Dream of Genie” [03-2¡-63].) The teleplay is by Reginald Rose, one of a cadre of writers — including Rod Serling and Paddy Chayefsky, among others — who dominated television drama throughout the ¡950s. Rose’s most famous work was ¡2 Angry Men (¡957), a powerful courtroom drama that was produced as both a television drama and a feature film. Rose penned the scripts for each, and the filmed version marked the motion picture directorial debut of Sidney Lumet. The episode revisits the TZ theme of trying to return to one’s romanticized and idyllic childhood past, as in Serling’s “Walking Distance” (¡0-30-59) and “A Stop at Willoughby” (05-0660). “Horace Ford” is actually the antithesis of “Walking Distance,” in which the protagonist is allowed to visit his childhood and reluctantly return to the present with his wonderful memories preserved and intact. Horace Ford, on the other hand, has conveniently forgotten through the years that his childhood was anything but perfect. He, too, is allowed to return, but must finally accept the hard reality — he literally has it beaten into him — and re-

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ject the perfect and ultimately false childhood he had created for himself. Pat Hingle’s performance here is passionately energetic and childlike. He embodies the wide-eyed excitement of a child and is also brilliant at conveying agitation and explosive anger. Hingle had already made several appearances in the popular television dramatic anthologies of the fifties, such as Goodyear Playhouse, Philco Television Playhouse, U.S. Steel Hour, and Studio One, and would become a ubiquitous character actor in both television and feature films. “The Incredible World of Horace Ford” is an especially unique episode, as it is the only Twilight Zone teleplay that had already been produced for a di›erent television series.17 The same story had been presented as an installment of Studio One on June ¡3, ¡955, with Art Carney in the lead role. (Carney, of course, would also enter The Twilight Zone, not as Horace Ford but as an ersatz Santa Claus in “Night of the Meek” [¡2-23-60].) Like many actors who appeared in the series, Pat Hingle was proud of being part of The Twilight Zone and his role in “Horace Ford”: “There are maybe six or seven television shows that I am very proud of, and this is one of them. You can’t miss with a story like that.”¡8

“On Thursday We Leave for Home” Original Airdate: May 2, ¡963; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Buzz Kulik; Producer: Bert Granet; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Paul Groesse; Film Editor: Al Clark, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: John Bloss; Assistant to Producer: John Conwell; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Frank R. McKelvy;

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Sound: Franklin Milton, Joe Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title.* Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Captain Benteen: James Whitmore; Colonel Sloane: Tim O’Connor; Al: James Broderick; George: Paul Langton; Julie: Jo Helton; Joan: Mercedes Shirley; Hank: Russ Bender; Jo Jo: Daniel Kulick; Colonist: Madge Kennedy; Colonist: John Ward; Colonist: Shirley O’Hara; Colonist: Anthony Benson; Lieutenant Engle: Lew Gallo.

Synopsis: Thirty years after establishing the first colony o› the Earth, the Pilgrim I space colonists receive a signal from Earth announcing that a ship is coming to pick them up and take them home. A power struggle soon develops between the rescue crew and William Benteen, the colony’s self-appointed captain. Notes and commentary: One of the brightest moments of season four was undoubtedly “On Thursday We Leave for Home.” Serling’s writing here is thoughtful, eloquent, and moving. Thematically, he explores the addictive nature of power and how it grows more absolute if left unchallenged. Pilgrim I’s autocratic leader, Captain Benteen, has grown so accustomed to absolute control over the colonists that he refers to them as his “children.” Indeed, he plans for all ¡87 of them to live together as one big, happy family on Earth. A power struggle then develops between Benteen and Colonel Sloane of the rescue team. Ultimately, though, it is the colonists themselves who reject Benteen in favor of an autonomous life back on Earth. Blinded by his own obsession with power and scorned by those who turned their backs on him, Benteen goes into exile and is resigned to rhapsodize about the beauties of

Earth to an imaginary audience. Left behind by the rescue ship, Benteen is now god of only one person — himself. James Whitmore (winner of a Special Tony Award in ¡948) is brilliant as Benteen, displaying a full range of emotional responses to his sudden loss of authority and leadership: pain, denial, outrage, disbelief, and finally a tragically belated acceptance. Whitmore plays the role with an air of mature intelligence, paternal love, immense pride, and strong faith. It is a standout performance, one that drives the episode. (Whitmore later received an Academy Award nomination for his portrayal of Harry S Truman in the ¡975 film Give ’Em Hell Harry. He reprised the role for an audio recording and won a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word.) Serling himself believed that “On Thursday” was the “one really e›ective show of the [fourth season].”¡9 Serling might have been too harsh toward the other episodes in that assessment, but his point about “On Thursday” is well taken.

“Passage on the Lady Anne”

Original Airdate: May 9, ¡963; Writer: Charles Beaumont; Source: “Song for a Lady,” a short story by Charles Beaumont; Director: Lamont Johnson; Producer: Bert Granet; Music: Rene Garriguenc; conducted by Lud Gluskin; Director of Photography: Robert Pittack, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Paul Groesse; Film Editor: Everett Dodd, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: Ray De Camp; Assistant to Producer: John Conwell; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Frank R. McKelvy; Sound: Franklin Milton, Joe Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title.* Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST †

Eileen Ransome: Joyce Van Patten;

*This credit does not appear in the episode’s end titles. † In the original end titles, the entire cast is listed in alphabetical order.

Season Four (¡963) Alan Ransome: Lee Philips; Mrs. McKenzie: Gladys Cooper; Mr. McKenzie: Wilfrid Hyde-White; Burgess: Cecil Kellaway; Captain Protheroe: Alan Napier; O‡cer #¡: Cyril Delevanti; O‡cer #2: Jack Raine; Addicott: Colin Campbell; Spierto: Don Keefer.

Synopsis: In an attempt to save their failing marriage of six years, Eileen and Alan Ransome have decided to take a trip to London. Despite the agent’s warning of a slow and uncomfortable trip, the Ransomes decide to sail aboard the Lady Anne. As they prepare to board, they are accosted by two elderly men who try in vain to dissuade the couple from traveling on the ship, saying that the 50-year-old Lady Anne is not very seaworthy and that the couple may get seasick. The agitated Ransomes insist on boarding, but are shocked to discover that no passenger on board is younger than 75. The Lady Anne, the Ransomes discover, has a mysterious, secret history; it also specializes in “honeymoon voyages” and seems to work magic on young couples. Notes and commentary: The best part of “Passage on the Lady Anne,” as Marc Scott Zicree notes, is the gathering of old TZ pros, the “marvelous supporting cast of elderly British Empire actors. … Old school all, full of charm and polish, they lend the episode dignity and grace. There is the feeling that these characters have a long history — which, in fact, they did.”20 Viewers will recall Gladys Cooper’s beautiful performance in “Nothing in the Dark” (0¡05-62); she also appears in Richard Matheson’s “Night Call” (02-07-64). Also present is Cyril Delevanti in his final TZ appearance after acting in “A Penny for Your Thoughts” (02-03-6¡), “The Silence” (04-28-6¡), and “A Piano in the House” (02-¡6-62). Cecil Kellaway was the android cemetery caretaker in Beaumont’s earlier “Elegy”

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(02-¡9-60). Don Keefer (the travel agent Spierto) had already appeared in the classic “ It’s a Good Life” (¡¡-03-6¡) and would return in “From Agnes — with Love” (02-¡4-64). Alan Napier, here playing Captain Protheroe, would in a couple of years become Alfred the butler on the Batman television series starring Adam West. Charles Beaumont’s original story, entitled “Song for a Lady” and reprinted in The Twilight Zone: The Original Stories (¡985), contains a few major di›erences from the episode. Instead of being married for six years and struggling to save their marriage, the Ransomes in the short story are newlyweds; they have barely had time to let any sort of rift grow between them. And in many instances, Beaumont switches the dialogue of Alan and Eileen. In the story, for instance, it is Eileen who lashes out at the two men who try to dissuade the newlyweds from boarding the ship. Also, the ending of the short story is much more concrete and less ambiguous than the episode. After Alan and Eileen have been lowered in the lifeboat and the Lady Anne has sailed some distance away, the Ransomes hear a loud explosion and watch as the Lady Anne is engulfed in flames and sinks beneath the waves. Viewers who favor the sentimental approach to mystery and the unexplained will prefer the episode, with its vision of a ghost ship whose voyage helps save a couple’s marriage. Those who prefer a story that is less thematically focused on romance will probably enjoy the written version. Either way, the story seems uncharacteristic for Beaumont and is more akin to the style of Richard Matheson (consider the newlyweds in Matheson’s “Nick of Time” [¡¡-¡8-60], for example).

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According to Beaumont’s son, Chris, the story was inspired by a family trip: “We went to Europe in ¡957, the family did, and we went across on the Queen Elizabeth. There were a lot of old people aboard and he got the idea aboard ship.”2¡ The story may also have been inspired by Sutton Vane’s Outward Bound— a play “in which a couple find themselves aboard an ocean liner bound for the Afterlife”— which was made into a ¡930 film and remade in ¡944 as Between Two Worlds.22

“The Bard” Original Airdate: May 23, ¡963; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: David Butler; Producer: Herbert Hirschman; Music: Fred Steiner; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Edward Carfagno; Film Editor: Edw.[ard] Curtiss*; Assistant Director: John Bloss; Assistant to Producer: John Conwell; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Edward M. Parker; Sound: Franklin Milton, Joe Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title.† Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Julius Moomer: Jack Weston; Shannon: John McGiver; Sadie: Doro Merande; William Shakespeare: John Williams; Mr. Hugo: Henry Lascoe; Dolan: William Lanteau; Bramho›: Howard McNear; Secretary: Marge Redmond; Bus Driver: Clegg Hoyt; Cora: Judy Strangis; Rocky Rhodes: Burt Reynolds.

Synopsis: While working on a script for the pilot episode of a series on black magic, struggling writer Julius Moomer conjures up the real William Shakespeare. Moomer then talks the world’s greatest playwright into ghostwriting a teleplay and letting Moomer take the credit. *Curtiss is credited as “Ed. Curtiss. † This credit does not appear in the episode’s end titles.

Notes and commentary: “The Bard” is one of the finest achievements of the fourth season — a comedy that bites. Serling’s teleplay is very funny, and the roles are nicely played. Jack Weston is hilarious as Julius Moomer, the fasttalking, energetic pitchman whose ideas are about as original as yesterday’s news. Weston really hams it up here — quite a departure from the paranoid creep he played in “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” (03-04-60). John Williams — among his many film credits are Alfred Hitchcock’s The Paradise Case (¡947), Dial M for Murder (¡964), and To Catch a Thief (¡955)— pulls o› the Shakespeare role quite nicely, despite an ill-fitting skull cap and a bad hair job. Almost everything Shakespeare says is a line from one of his plays, and he never fails to give title, act, and scene. Except for one time, that is, when he forgets what comes after “To be or not to be.” A young Burt Reynolds is very funny as Rocky Rhodes, an obvious parody of method-acting guru Marlon Brando. His impersonation of Brando is most convincing, and even in this small, early role Reynolds’s star power shines through. Serling also lands a few well-placed jabs at the television industry. As a veteran of censorship battles with sponsors, he knew what it was like to have one’s script mangled and revamped at the whim of fickle sponsors. Even William Shakespeare is not immune to the ludicrous changes imposed by the Shannon Foods executives. Serling also pokes fun at the banal and self-imitative assignment of television programming. Actors, agents, writers — no one is safe from Serling’s barbs in “The Bard.”

SEASON FIVE September 27, ¡963–June ¡9, ¡964 Friday nights, 9:30 P.M. “ In Praise of Pip” Original Airdate: September 27, ¡963; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Joseph M. Newman; Producer: Bert Granet; Music: Rene Garriguenc; conducted by Lud Gluskin; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Walter Holscher; Film Editor: Thomas W. Scott; Assistant Director: Charles Bonniwell, Jr.; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Robert R. Benton; Casting: Patricia Rose; Sound: Franklin Milton, Philip N. Mitchell; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title.* Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios and Pacific Ocean Park.

CAST

Max Phillips: Jack Klugman; Mrs. Feeny: Connie Gilchrist; Pvt. Pip: Robert Diamond; Young Pip: Billy Mumy; Moran: John Launer†; Doctor: Ross Elliott†; Surgeon: Stuart Nisbet †; George Reynold: Russell Horton†; Lieutenant: Gerald Gordon†; Gunman: Kreg Martin.†

Synopsis: While fighting in Vietnam, Private “Pip” Phillips is gravely wounded. Pip’s father, Max, is a tired and defeated bookie. After an altercation with his boss Moran and a gunman, Max is shot in the stomach. The wounded Max runs into the night and arrives at the gates of a closed amusement park. He stops and asks God just to let him see Pip again. Meanwhile,

Pip clings to life back in Vietnam. Max enters the deserted park and is amazed to see Pip, who is ten years old again, standing there. Notes and commentary: Rod Serling and company could not have chosen a more powerful or moving episode as the season premiere for the fifth and last season of The Twilight Zone. The episode is a tender and moving story of a man who has an undying love for his son, and who, ironically, dies in order to express that love to atone for his past mistakes and shortcomings as a father. Twilight Zone veteran Jack Klugman is powerful and at the top of his form. His fourth and final TZ role — after “A Passage for Trumpet” (05-20-60), “A Game of Pool” (¡0-¡3-6¡), and “Death Ship” (02-07-63)— is easily his most intense and memorable, eclipsing even “A Passage for Trumpet.” Klugman, of course, would move on to fame as Oscar Madison of The Odd Couple and later as a medical examiner in Quincy, M.E. “Pip” also marks the last TZ appearance of Billy Mumy, who was in two previous episodes: “Long Distance Call” (03-3¡-6¡) and the unforgettable “ It’s a Good Life” (¡¡-03-6¡). “ In Praise of Pip” is also a landmark episode in both Twilight Zone

*This credit does not appear in the episode’s end titles. † This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

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and television history, for it may have been the first time an American casualty of the war in Vietnam was mentioned in television drama.¡ Serling’s original teleplay had called for Pip to be wounded in Laos, but fact checkers advised him for accuracy and possible political “repercussions” to change the location to South Vietnam. A related change saw Max’s line “There isn’t even a war there” become “There isn’t even supposed to be a war there.”2 Serling’s other changes to the teleplay were insignificant deletions of dialogue between Max and the George Reynold and Mrs. Feeny characters. First-time TZ director Joseph M. Newman does an admirable job of translating Serling’s teleplay to film. Newman would go on to direct Serling’s “The Last Night of a Jockey” (¡0-25-63) and Earl Hamner, Jr.’s, “Black Leather Jackets” (0¡-3¡-64) and “The Bewitchin’ Pool” (06-¡9-64), the very last first-run episode of The Twilight Zone to air.

“Steel” Original Airdate: October 4, ¡963; Writer: Richard Matheson; Source: “Steel,” a short story by Richard Matheson; Director: Don Weis; Producer: Bert Granet; Music: Van Cleave; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Walter Holscher; Film Editor: Thomas W. Scott; Assistant Director: Charles Bonniwell, Jr.; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Robert R. Benton; Casting: Patricia Rose; Sound: Franklin Milton, Philip N. Mitchell; Makeup: William Tuttle; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title.* Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Steel Kelly: Lee Marvin; Pole: Joe Mantell; Maynard Flash: Chuck Hicks; Nolan:

Merritt Bohn; Maxwell: Frank London; Battling Maxo: Tipp McClure†; Man’s Voice: Larry Barton.†

Synopsis: When Battling Maxo, a worn-down B2 android heavyweight boxer, breaks down before a fight, Maxo’s manager, Steel Kelly, disguises himself and steps into the ring to face Maynard Flash, a brand new B7. Kelly ignores the warnings of his partner because he knows they need the prize money to restore Maxo to top shape. Notes and commentary: “Steel” is Richard Matheson’s personal favorite of the episodes he wrote for The Twilight Zone.3 His original short story of the same name was first published in the May ¡956 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction and was subsequently reprinted in The Twilight Zone: The Original Stories (¡985). In adapting his short story to the small screen, Matheson made precious few changes in detail. The year in which the story was set changes from ¡980 to ¡974; the length of the bout falls from ten to six rounds; and the weight class becomes light heavyweight instead of heavyweight. Otherwise, Matheson stayed remarkably faithful to his very well written short story. “Steel” is all about the tremendous drive and tenacity of the human spirit, its ability to rise to the occasion and meet all challenges, whether of flesh and bone or wires and steel. Machines can be built to physically outperform humans, as “Steel” demonstrates, but they cannot be taught courage or the unyielding will to survive. Lee Marvin excels in the role of Steel Kelly, a determined, focused ex-heavyweight fighter who steps into the shoes of Battling Maxo. He knows that he will get

*This credit does not appear in the episode’s end titles. † This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

Season Five (¡963-¡964) pummeled, but at least he will emerge with his pride, something that would not happen if Pole had to beg for money from his sister. Present during filming of the episode, Matheson recalled “Lee Marvin, during rehearsal, simulating crowd noises in order to psych himself into feeling the reality of what he was doing.”4 In addition to Marvin’s strong performance, “Steel” is strengthened by Don Weis’s stylish direction (especially during the well-choreographed fight scene) and William Tuttle’s (as usual) outstanding makeup job of crafting the two robot faces. Marvin and Joe Mantell (Pole) play well o› each other, and both were Twilight Zone veterans with memorable episodes to their credit : Marvin in “The Grave” (¡0-27-6¡) and Mantell in “Nervous Man in a Four Dollar Room” (¡0-¡4-60).

“Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” Original Airdate: October ¡¡, ¡963; Writer: Richard Matheson; Source: “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet,” a short story by Richard Matheson; Director: Richard Donner; Producer: Bert Granet; Director of Photography: Robert Pittack, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Walter Holscher; Film Editor: Thomas W. Scott; Assistant Director: Charles Bonniwell, Jr.; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Robert R. Benton; Casting: Patricia Rose; Sound: Franklin Milton, Philip N. Mitchell; Makeup: William Tuttle; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title.* Filmed at MetroGoldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Bob Wilson: William Shatner; Ruth Wilson: Christine White; Flight Engineer: Edward Kemmer; Stewardess: Asa Maynor; Gremlin: Nick Cravat.†

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Synopsis: Bob Wilson is somewhat apprehensive and preoccupied as he and his wife Ruth board their plane. Bob has just been released from a sanitarium, where he was treated for an earlier nervous breakdown aboard a plane. After the plane departs in stormy weather, Bob glances out a window and sees some sort of figure walking on the wing of the plane. Though no one else can see the figure — what Bob has decided is a gremlin — Bob is convinced that it is attempting to sabotage one of the wing’s engines, so he takes mattters into his own hands. Notes and commentary: Along with “Time Enough at Last” (¡¡-20-59), “Eye of the Beholder” (¡¡-¡¡-60), and “To Serve Man” (03-02-62), “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” is one of the most widely known and best-remembered episodes of The Twilight Zone. Also, it is arguably writer Richard Matheson’s finest episode. (Many would hold out for “The Invaders” [0¡-27-6¡], “Little Girl Lost” [03-¡6-62], or perhaps “Death Ship” [02-07-63].) Regardless, the episode is a tense and gripping tale of an acrophobe whose fear of flying is compounded by the presence of a tauntingly chimerical gremlin. It is both psychological drama and horror story. William Shatner is absolutely commanding and fiercely neurotic in his final TZ role. He is simultaneously paranoid, afraid, tender, sincere, and doubtful. His is truly one of the great performances of the entire series, so powerful that it overshadows his lowkey but equally e›ective role in Matheson’s earlier “Nick of Time” (¡¡-¡8-60). Richard Donner’s direction is taut, claustrophobic, and dynamic. This is

*This credit does not appear in the episode’s end titles. † This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

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Donner’s first directorial assignment for the show, and he would direct five more episodes. “Nightmare” is evidence of a sure and compelling directorial style, that of the man who would years later direct The Omen (¡976), Superman (¡978), and the Lethal Weapon series, among many other films. Perhaps the only flaw of the episode is the gremlin. Richard Matheson sums up his critical reaction to “Nightmare” and the creature this way: …“Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” remains one of my favorites. It was well directed by Richard Donner, and I loved William Shatner’s performance. I still wish, though, that Pat Breslin had played his wife (as she did in the Twilight Zone segment “The [sic] Nick of Time”), and I thought the monster on the wing was somewhat ludicrous. It looked rather like a surly teddy bear.5

Matheson elaborates further on his vision for the episode: …the man inside the “panda” suit (which was the monster on the wing) looked exactly like the creature on the wing as I visualized him in my story. Well, with apologies to Nick Cravat [the actor in the suit], not exactly but so close that a minimal amount of makeup would have easily completed the resemblance — something I have always wished they’d done.6

The remake of “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” for Twilight Zone—The Movie (¡983) is actually closer to Matheson’s original story, which is reprinted in the ¡985 collection The Twilight Zone: The Original Stories. John Lithgow takes over the Shatner role and gives an even more manic performance. George Miller (the Mad Max films [¡979, ¡982, ¡985], The Witches of Eastwick [¡987], Lorenzo’s Oil [¡992]) pushes the intensity

and paranoia one notch higher, aided by Jerry Goldsmith’s sensational score. As in the short story, the main character is traveling alone. Both the original and the remake, however, change a couple of details. The original character is named Arthur Je›rey Wilson, and he has his own gun concealed in his briefcase instead of stealing one from a sleeping police o‡cer. In Miller’s remake, look closely at the passengers. One of them is Carol Serling, Rod Serling’s wife, who is credited simply as “Passenger.” “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” is so well-known that it was even parodied in the Looney Tunes comic entitled The Looney Zone. Sylvester the Cat is the troubled passenger who looks out at the wing and sees Tweety Bird instead of a gremlin. Tweety tries to sabotage the wing with a hammer, acetylene torch, and a jackhammer. Sylvester tries to stop Tweety, but is sucked out the window and found clinging to the rudder when the plane makes an emergency landing. And, like the previous incarnations of the troubled acrophobe, he is taken away in a straitjacket. The title of the segment: “Nightmare of 20,000 Tweets.”

“A Kind of a Stopwatch” Original Airdate: October ¡8, ¡963; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: An unpublished short story by Michael D. Rosenthal; Director: John Rich; Producer: Bert Granet; Music: Van Cleave; Director of Photography: Robert W. Pittack, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Walter Holscher; Film Editor: Richard Heermance, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: Charles Bonniwell, Jr.; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Robert R. Benton; Casting: Patricia Rose; Sound: Franklin Milton, Philip N. Mitchell; Titles and Opticals:

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Season Five (¡963-¡964) Pacific Title.* Filmed at Metro-GoldwynMayer Studios.

CAST

Patrick Thomas McNulty: Richard Erdman; Joe the Bartender: Herbie Faye; Potts: Leon Belasco; Secretary: Doris Singleton; Mr. Cooper: Roy Roberts; Charlie: Richard Wessel; Attendant: Ray Kellog ; Man: Ken Drake; TV Announcer: Sam Balter.†

Synopsis: Garrulous Patrick Thomas McNulty acquires a stopwatch which, when its button is pressed, makes everything in the world come to a screeching halt, suspended in mid-air. When no one takes him or his stopwatch seriously, McNulty comes up with a plan to make him rich and ensure that people pay attention and listen to him. Notes and commentary: “A Kind of a Stopwatch” is dull, limp entertainment — certainly a below average episode. The problem is that motormouth McNulty is such a boring, uninteresting character, so annoying and obnoxious that he drives away and repels those he tries to converse with, both at work and in the bar. The premise of how he comes in possession of the stopwatch is rather lame. The audience is supposed to believe that a total stranger gives another total stranger an old family heirloom just because he buys him a beer. Potts thinks it is a good gift because, he reminds McNulty, one day he might own a race horse, run a mile, or launch an astronaut. Two of the three are pretty farfetched scenarios, so Potts’s motivation is shrouded in apparent secrecy. The broken stopwatch at the end is a cruel twist of fate à la “Time Enough at Last” (¡¡-20-59), but at least in that episode the viewer actually cares about the pro-

tagonist in his time of misery. McNulty now has no one to talk to, but isn’t the world a little better o› as a result? Along with “Uncle Simon” (¡¡-¡6-63), “A Kind of a Stopwatch” is Serling’s weakest among his early season-five output. The actor playing the loquacious McNulty, Richard Erdman, also had a role in the Serling-scripted feature film Saddle the Wind (¡958).

“The Last Night of a Jockey” Original Airdate: October 25, ¡963; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Joseph M. Newman; Producer: William Froug; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Malcolm Brown; Film Editor: Thomas W. Scott; Assistant Director: Charles Bonniwell, Jr.; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Robert R. Benton; Casting: Patricia Rose; Sound: Franklin Milton, Joe Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title.* Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Grady: Mickey Rooney.

Synopsis: Five-foot-tall horse jockey Grady lies on his bed in a small, cramped apartment. Newspaper headlines announce wrongdoing in the world of horseracing ; the suspect is Grady himself, who has been accused of “horse doping” and race fixing. Grady hears another voice, and turns to see a cackling and reproving version of himself (which says it is his conscience and alter ego) in the mirror. Grady’s conscience reminds Grady of all his past violations and misdeeds, to which Grady responds by angrily refuting the accusations. Grady continues to argue with his alter ego, who

*This credit does not appear in the episode’s end titles. † This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

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asks Grady what he really wants most in life. Grady answers that he wants to be somebody; he wants to be “big.” Notes and commentary: “The Last Night of a Jockey” is really nothing more than a reworking of Serling’s fine earlier episode “Nervous Man in a Four Dollar Room” (¡0-¡4-60), but it is Mickey Rooney’s volatile and dynamic performance that makes the story dramatic and compelling. His character, filled both with self-doubt and selfloathing, learns too late that a person’s worth cannot ultimately be measured by mere physical presence. Like Robert Cummings from “King Nine Will Not Return” (09-30-60), Rooney had already worked for Rod Serling years earlier on an installment of the dramatic anthology show Playhouse 90. The production was Serling’s Emmy Award–winning adaptation of Ernest Lehman’s short story “The Comedian” (02-¡4-57), and Rooney played arrogant and egotistical (and privately insecure) comedian Sammy Hogarth, who verbally and psychologically abuses those who are closest to him. Rooney’s first television performance was powerful and brilliant, and the role is somewhat similar to the character in “The Last Night of a Jockey” six years later. Nearly a decade later, Rooney would star in Serling’s “Rare Objects” (¡0-2272) episode of Rod Serling’s Night Gallery. In ¡98¡, Rooney was awarded an Emmy for his lead role in the telefilm Bill, and a year later was presented an Honorary Academy Award, adding to the Special Oscar he won in ¡938.

“Living Doll” Original Airdate: November ¡, ¡963; Writers: Jerry Sohl and Charles Beaumont;

Source: Original teleplay; Director: Richard C. Sarafian; Producer: William Froug; Music: Bernard Herrmann; Director of Photography: Robert W. Pittack, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Malcolm Brown; Film Editor: Richard Heermance, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: Charles Bonniwell, Jr.; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Robert R. Benton; Casting: Patricia Rose; Sound: Franklin Milton, Joe Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title.* Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Erich Streator: Telly Savalas; Annabelle: Mary LaRoche; Christie: Tracy Stratford; Voice of Talky Tina: June Foray.†

Synopsis: Erich Streator is displeased that his wife bought an expensive Talky Tina doll for his stepdaughter Christie. Streator, suspecting that the doll is alive and wants to kill him, takes steps to get rid of the doll for good. Notes and commentary: Although credited to Charles Beaumont, “Living Doll” was actually written in one day by Jerry Sohl, who would ghostwrite two other episodes —“The New Exhibit” (04-04-63) and “Queen of the Nile” (03-06-64)— for the physically ill Beaumont. Too sick to write (with a degenerative brain disease that had yet to be diagnosed), Beaumont helped out with the plotting of the stories.7 “Living Doll” stands tall as one of The Twilight Zone’s most chilling, frightful episodes. An example of superb craftsmanship, “Living Doll” is bolstered by taut direction from Richard C. Sarafian, moody photography by Robert W. Pittack, and a fine musical score from the brilliant Bernard Herrmann. This episode is Sarafian’s only contribution to the series. He would soon direct “The Night of the Inferno”

*This credit does not appear in the episode’s end titles. † This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

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Season Five (¡963-¡964) (09-¡8-65), the pilot episode of The Wild Wild West. Solid e›orts from the cast include the compelling Telly Savalas (later to win an Emmy Award in ¡973 as the follically-challenged, lollipop-licking detective in Kojak) as Erich Streator, the unloving stepfather whose sanity (and very life) is threatened by the seemingly innocent and sweet Talky Tina doll. He uses a vise grip, a blowtorch, and an electric sawblade to try and rub out the doll, all to no avail. (In the original teleplay, he tries to burn it in a hooded charcoal broiler, ignite its clothes with wooden matches, and cut its throat with a large kitchen knife.) Yet, for all that happens to Streator, the viewer actually feels little sympathy for him because of the rotten way he treats his wife and stepdaughter Christie (Tracy Stratford, who starred as a Tina herself in Richard Matheson’s “Little Girl Lost” [03-¡6-62]). The character the audience really feels sorry for is Annabelle — Mary LaRoche, last seen as the perfect Mary in “A World of His Own” (07-0¡-60)— who now has to walk the line and live in constant fear of the murderous doll, à la the Freemonts’ dilemma in “ It’s a Good Life” (¡¡-03-6¡). As proved by this episode, “The Dummy” (05-04-62), and “Caesar and Me” (04-¡0-64), dolls in The Twilight Zone are much more than paint, plastic, nylon, or wood — they are all too human, with an all too malevolent spirit as well. “Living Doll” also proves that what isn’t seen — the viewer only hears Tina make threats — is more frightening than what is, unlike the scare attempts in the Child’s Play films starring red-headed, killer-doll Chucky.

Once again, The Twilight Zone used another plot device first … and better.

“The Old Man in the Cave” Original Airdate: November 8, ¡963; Writer: Rod Serling ; Source: “The Old Man,” a short story by Henry Slesar; Director: Alan Crosland, Jr.; Producer: Bert Granet; Director of Photography: Robert Pittack, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Walter Holscher; Film Editor: Richard Heermance, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: Charles Bonniwell, Jr.; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Robert R. Benton; Casting: Patricia Rose; Sound: Franklin Milton, Philip N. Mitchell; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title.* Filmed at MetroGoldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Major French: James Coburn; Mr. Goldsmith: John Anderson; Evelyn: Josie Lloyd; Man: John Craven; Jason: John Marley; Harber: Frank Watkins†; Douglas: Lenny Greer†; Woman: Natalie Masters†; Furman: Don Wilbanks.†

Synopsis: In ¡974, ten years after nuclear war has destroyed most of America, surviving members of a community have gathered in town to discuss their perpetual dilemma: food shortage and radioactive soil contamination. They have sent their leader, Mr. Goldsmith, out to a cave to receive advice and instruction from a mysterious old man they have never even seen. Four paramilitary men then drive up, and their leader, Major French, threatens to lead the people in a revolt against Goldsmith and the old man. French and the mutineers will come to understand only too late that an old man doesn’t need flesh and blood in order to give valuable advice on survival. Notes and commentary: “The Old Man in the Cave” is yet another TZ

*This credit does not appear in the episode’s end titles. † This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

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dealing with either the nuclear threat or the aftermath of nuclear destruction, joining “Third from the Sun” (0¡-0860), “Time Enough at Last” (¡¡-20-59), and “One More Pallbearer” (0¡-¡2-62), to name only a few. With its examination of human fear and paranoia, “The Old Man in the Cave” is also thematically similar to Serling’s classic “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” (03-04-60). As a speculative tale of postatomic survival and landscapes, the episode presents a stark and desolate future tainted by both radioactive contamination and, as Goldsmith points out at the end, human lack of faith. Underlying the story, though, is the problematic resolution of the old man’s identity. It would indeed be a depressing and despairing situation if computers were deities that determined people’s means of sustenance, not to mention their very existence. Here, however, the computer is by all means necessary, a nonthreatening and beneficent (if that is at all possible for a machine) entity. Then again, though “machine supremacy” is troubling, it is not entirely fair to criticize Serling for his plot. After all, the only thing the computer does is dispense practical and helpful tips regarding the people’s survival; it does not, as far as the viewer knows, demand to be praised or worshipped. It is Goldsmith who controls access to the old man, so to speak. He is smart enough to know what a mob mentality can lead to and strives to keep them all together. This is all a way of saying that human behavior is the concern of the plot, not the improbability of the computer’s origin or how it came into its present role. Serling would be the first to remind viewers that this is The Twilight Zone, a place where anything can

happen. The only problem, then, is that Goldsmith — with his belief that the computer really is a deity — could be viewed by some as a techno-zealot who has his own comfortable theocracy. However, John Anderson does not play the role this way, nor does Serling’s teleplay hint as much. James Coburn is an e›ectively villainous French, and the always reliable John Anderson —“A Passage for Trumpet” (05-20-60), “The Odyssey of Flight 33” (02-24-6¡), “Of Late I Think of Cli›ordville” (04-¡¡-63)— is well-cast as the thoughtful sage Goldsmith. In Henry Slesar’s original short story (titled “The Old Man” and reprinted in ¡985’s Twilight Zone: The Original Stories), neither Goldsmith nor French is present. The “old man,” housed in a large stone manor on a hill, is watched over and programmed by a group of “governors” who have perpetuated the myth of the old man. They have also sent a young spy named Tango to the village to keep a check on the disgruntled villagers. As in the episode, the computer has been able to provide valuable information about vital matters such as crop growth and everyday sustenance. Nevertheless a mob forms, and after discovering that Tango is a spy, they kill him. They then storm into the manor to kill all the governors and destroy the machine, and “it didn’t take the people long to die.” Despite dating itself with a “future” of ¡974 —“Steel” (¡0-04-63) also commits this infraction against the suspension of disbelief—“The Old Man in the Cave” is still an interesting episode. “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” (03-04-60), however, remains the definitive TZ examination of human paranoia and mistrust.

Season Five (¡963-¡964)

“Uncle Simon” Original Airdate: November ¡5, ¡963; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Don Siegel; Producer: Bert Granet; Director of Photography: Robert Pittack, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Walter Holscher; Film Editor: Thomas W. Scott; Assistant Director: Charles Bonniwell, Jr.; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Robert R. Benton; Casting: Patricia Rose; Sound: Franklin Milton, Philip N. Mitchell; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title.* Filmed at Metro-GoldwynMayer Studios.

CAST

Uncle Simon Polk: Cedric Hardwicke; Barbara Polk: Constance Ford; Schwimmer: Ian Wolfe; Police O‡cer: John McLiam†; Robot: Dion Hansen.†

Synopsis: After 25 years of enduring countless forms of mistreatment, Barbara Polk inherits her fortune and freedom when her Uncle Simon goes tumbling down the stairs to his death. Barbara learns that Uncle Simon’s estate is all hers as long as she keeps everything in the house exactly as it is and cares for the robot that Simon was working on in his laboratory. Notes and commentary: “Uncle Simon” has few redeeming features — it is basically an overblown melodrama about two equally odious persons whose chief ambition in life is to inflict as much misery as possible upon each other. The insults they hurl at one another are so inane as to be unintentionally hilarious. Because they are both so rotten and hateful (Barbara gleefully gloating over the broken and near-dead body of Uncle Simon is almost painful to watch), one does not really care what happens to them. In e›ect, both get what they deserve. Director Don Siegel — who would also direct “The Self-

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Improvement of Salvadore Ross” (0¡-¡7-64)— had already established his name in the science fiction genre with Invasion of the Body Snatchers (¡956), and went on to helm five Clint Eastwood films: Coogan’s Blu› (¡968), Two Mules for Sister Sara (¡970), The Beguiled (¡970), Dirty Harry (¡972), and Escape from Alcatraz (¡979). Fifties science fiction icon Robby the Robot (Forbidden Planet, Lost in Space) here makes the first of two Twilight Zone appearances — the second came six months later in “The Brain Center at Whipple’s” (05-¡5-64). Interestingly, Serling’s teleplay originally established Uncle Simon as a pipesmoker, a habit which the robot also picks up when it starts assuming his mannerisms. Barbara objects to this unsavory habit of smoking, which irked The Twilight Zone’s sponsor at the time, American Tobacco Company. American Tobacco insisted that the pipe smoking be stricken from the teleplay, and it was replaced by the vice of all vices — the consumption of hot chocolate!8 The issue of censorship aside, it is puzzling to consider what sort of liquid refreshment a microprocessor would receive from hot chocolate. Wouldn’t it rather prefer something it could take a byte out of?

“Probe 7, Over and Out” Original Airdate: November 29, ¡963; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Ted Post; Producer: William Froug; Director of Photography: Robert Pittack, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Malcolm Brown; Film Editor: Thomas W. Scott; Assistant Director: Charles Bonniwell, Jr.; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Robert R. Benton;

*This credit does not appear in the episode’s end titles. † This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

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Casting: Patricia Rose; Sound: Franklin Milton, Joe Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title.* Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Colonel Adam Cook: Richard Basehart; Eve Norda: Antoinette Bower; General Larrabee: Harold Gould; Lieutenant Blane: Barton Heyman.

Synopsis: Colonel Adam Cook’s spacecraft, the Probe 7, has crashed on an unidentified planet over four light years from the sun and is irreparably damaged. When he establishes his next contact with his home planet, he is told that nuclear war is imminent and that he is being politely abandoned. Cook’s reconnaissance of his new and lonely world reveals plant life, atmosphere, and gravity similar to that of his own planet, as well as a scared and ostensibly mute woman named Eve. Apparently she, too, has arrived in a similar fashion to Cook, and the couple must learn to communicate and live together. Notes and commentary: Judging by this episode’s title alone, it would be almost impossible to guess that “Probe 7, Over and Out” is actually a biblical allegory rather than a space-travel melodrama. Only two episodes before, Twilight Zone had dealt with a nuclearrelated plot in “The Old Man in the Cave” (¡¡-08-63). The original airdate of “Probe 7” also held, coincidentally, true historical import : “The atmosphere of tension so prevalent in ‘Probe 7’ reflected feelings present in the national mood at the time — the episode aired a week after the assassination of President Kennedy.”9 “Probe 7” resembles several earlier episodes in varying degrees: Serling’s “Where Is Everybody?” (¡0-02-59) and “The Lonely” (¡¡-¡3-59), and especially Montgomery Pittman’s season-three *This credit does not appear in the episode’s end titles.

opener “Two” (09-¡5-6¡). Though not entirely original, “Probe 7” is much more successful as a religious allegory than the pallid, weak, and aimless “The Gift” (04-27-62). Richard Basehart and Antoinette Bower play their roles well, and the episode represents the sole TZ appearance for both actors. Only a year later, Basehart would assume his most famous role, that of Admiral Harriman Nelson in the ABC series Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (¡964–¡968). He also won an Emmy Award in ¡984 for Outstanding Individual Achievement in News, Documentaries or Sports, in Let My People Go. Bower would make numerous television appearances during the sixties, such as Thriller (“Waxworks”) and Star Trek (“Cat’s Paw”). The next episode to air, “The 7th Is Made Up of Phantoms”(¡2-06-63), also uses the number seven in its title, though the protagonists there aren’t quite so lucky as the ones in “Probe 7,” who in e›ect get to start life over again.

“The 7th Is Made Up of Phantoms” Original Airdate: December 6, ¡963; Writer: Rod Serling ; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Alan Crosland, Jr.; Producer: Bert Granet; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Walter Holscher; Film Editor: Richard Heermance, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: Charles Bonniwell, Jr.; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Robert R. Benton; Casting: Patricia Rose; Sound: Franklin Milton, Philip N. Mitchell; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title.* Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios and various exterior locations.

CAST

Sergeant Connors: Ron Foster; Corporal Langsford: Warren Oates; Private ¡st Class McCluskey: Randy Boone;

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Season Five (¡963-¡964) Lieutenant Woodard: Greg Morris; Radio Operator: Je›rey Morris; Scout: Wayne Mallory; Captain Dennet: Robert Bray; Sergeant: Lew Brown*; Corporal: Jacque Shelton.*

Synopsis: Three members of a National Guard motorized tank patrol near Little Bighorn believe that strange events around them are unfolding just as they did 84 years ago during Custer’s Last Stand. One of the men thinks they have manufactured the illusion in their own minds, but the other two figure that very soon they might become witness to or even charge into a massacre. Notes and commentary: “The 7th Is Made Up of Phantoms” explores the oft-repeated theme in science fiction of alternate history, in which a modernday protagonist is drawn into the familiar landscape of the past until he later discovers that he can actually be a part of the past. Serling himself had already trod this terrain in “The Time Element” (¡¡-24-58), which aired on Desilu Playhouse. The script concerned a man who dreams that he is in Honolulu on the day before the Pearl Harbor attack, but no one will heed his warnings and history is unaltered. He ultimately disappears from the present and is later revealed to have been killed at Pearl Harbor. Here, the ending is similar in that the three soldiers “catch up” with history (or is history catching up with them?). It is also a bit reminiscent of “Death Ship” (02-07-63), in which another trio of men is pursued by the past in which they are destined to die. This rather intriguing episode is bolstered by the three lead performances of Ron Foster, Warren Oates, and Randy Boone. The three have a nice rapport

and chemistry that helps explain in part why these men stick together through these bizarre events and enter the fray side-by-side, with weapons drawn. Warren Oates (Langsford) is wellknown for his portrayals of heavies on television westerns and in films such as Sam Peckinpah’s Ride the High Country (¡962) and The Wild Bunch (¡969). Another familiar face is that of Greg Morris (Lieutenant Woodard), who was a three-time Emmy nominee as Barney Collier on the series Mission: Impossible.

“A Short Drink from a Certain Fountain” Original Airdate: December ¡3, ¡963; Writer: Rod Serling ; Source: A story by Lou Holtz; Director: Bernard Girard; Producer: Bert Granet; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Walter Holscher; Film Editor: Thomas W. Scott; Assistant Director: Charles Bonniwell, Jr.; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Robert R. Benton; Casting: Patricia Rose; Sound: Franklin Milton, Philip N. Mitchell; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title.† Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Harmon Gordon: Patrick O’Neal; Flora Gordon: Ruta Lee; Dr. Raymond Gordon: Walter Brooke.

Synopsis: Harmon Gordon returns home to his shrewish and cynical wife Flora, who is 40 years his junior. A former chorus girl, she makes no secret of the fact that she married Harmon for his money, and she berates Harmon at every turn. When Flora storms out the door, Harmon has a talk with his brother Raymond, who is a doctor, and asks Raymond to inject him with a cellular serum used to reverse the aging process that has been successful on

*This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles. † This credit does not appear in the episode’s end titles.

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several laboratory animals. Harmon’s sudden and newfound youth will have unforeseen consequences, especially on Flora’s decision not to leave Harmon. Notes and commentary: According to Serling biographer Joel Engel, this episode — not to mention “The Parallel” (03-¡4-63) and “Sounds and Silences” (04-03-64)— resulted in a successful plagiarism lawsuit against Rod Serling.10 No details are given, but this might be the reason that “A Short Drink” was one of four episodes — “Miniature” (02-2¡-63), “Sounds and Silences” (04-03-64), and “The Encounter” (05-0¡-64) were the others — that were never included in the syndicated runs of The Twilight Zone. None of the characters is particularly likable, and Serling’s teleplay has an almost vengeful, spiteful quality about it. Though the ending is somewhat predictable, the scene is well-played by Ruta Lee. After sniping and complaining the entire time, her character finally is hushed into silence by the consuming irony of having to grow older, the very thing she despised in Harmon. It would be easy to write o› the ending and say that Flora is such an unfeeling and uncaring character that she would just as easily slough o› her new role as mother. However, the character is so full-force greedy and dependent on material wealth — and Raymond will always be keeping check on her — that she will stay with Harmon the child just to keep what she has grown so close to: Harmon’s money. So, none of the characters here comes out very well. Flora loses her lavish and carefree lifestyle, Harmon turns into an infant and must start life over again (instead of the middle, where he was try-

ing to stay) with Flora as a mother rather than a wife, and Raymond loses a brother to the e›ects of an unproven serum from the proverbial fountain of youth. An ending hasn’t been this sweeping and unsettling since Serling’s “The Silence” (04-28-6¡), another episode in which the leads are given a heaping helping of ironic recompense for their actions.

“Ninety Years Without Slumbering” Original Airdate: December 20, ¡963; Writer: Richard de Roy; Source: “The Grandfather Clock,” an unpublished short story by Johnson Smith [George Clayton Johnson]; Director: Roger Kay; Producer: William Froug; Music: Bernard Herrmann; Director of Photography: Robert Pittack, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Malcolm Brown; Film Editor: Richard Heermance, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: Charles Bonniwell, Jr.; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Robert R. Benton; Casting: Patricia Rose; Sound: Franklin Milton, Philip N. Mitchell; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title.* Filmed at Metro-GoldwynMayer Studios.

CAST

Sam Forstmann: Ed Wynn; Marnie Kirk: Carolyn Kearney; Doug Kirk: James Callahan; Carol Chase: Carol Byron; Mover #¡: Dick Wilson; Policeman: John Pickard; Dr. Mel Avery: William Sargent; Mover #2: Chuck Hicks.†

Synopsis: Sam Forstmann, a 76year-old retired clockmaker, is convinced that when his beloved grandfather clock stops ticking, he will die. Forstmann must confront his seemingly irrational fears when the clock stops ticking and his spirit rises from his body, bidding his departure. Notes and commentary: The cred-

*This credit does not appear in the episode’s end titles. † This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

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Season Five (¡963-¡964) its for “Ninety Years Without Slumbering” indicate that this episode was written by Richard de Roy, with the story idea being credited to “Johnson Smith.” Actually, “Johnson Smith” is George Clayton Johnson, one of the most competent writers —“A Game of Pool” (¡0-¡3-6¡), “Nothing in the Dark” (0¡-05-62), “Kick the Can” (02-0962)— ever to take pen in hand for The Twilight Zone. In ¡963, Johnson submitted his short story “The Grandfather Clock” to then–TZ producer Bert Granet. The story was well-received and Johnson was asked to expand it to a full teleplay, which he titled “Tick of Time.” In the story, the old man gives his grandfather clock away to an antiques dealer. Realizing what a mistake he has made, he and a boy who lives in his neighborhood attempt to haul the huge clock home in a small toy wagon, keeping it always upright to ensure its continued ticking. But when the old man tries to lift the clock out of the wagon, it falls on top of him. The clock stops ticking, and the man dies. Several bystanders set the clock upright, and at the same time it begins to tick again, the old man’s granddaughter gives birth to her baby, beginning anew the life cycle.¡¡ This story did not totally please the show’s new producer, William Froug, and Rod Serling. Richard de Roy was then hired for a rewrite and made a number of alterations, mainly starting with the clock being sold to the neighbors without a down payment. Sam’s attempt at breaking and entering was added, as was the scene in which Sam’s spirit leaves his body and tries to depart with him before Sam realizes the spirit

is only a figment of his imagination. Ed Wynn — star of “One for the Angels” (¡0-09-59)— is delightful as Sam Forstmann, but overall the episode is about as exciting as trying to watch the hands move on an old grandfather clock. With all the tinkering being done on the script, someone apparently forgot to keep “winding” the story so it would not eventually stop “ticking” (in other words, get bogged down by slow pacing and poor plot development). As far as Ed Wynn is concerned, however, the episode continues his lucky streak: This is the second time he has cheated death in The Twilight Zone!

“Ring-a-Ding Girl” Original Airdate: December 27, ¡963; Writer: Earl Hamner, Jr.; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Alan Crosland, Jr.; Producer: William Froug; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Malcolm Brown; Film Editor: Richard Heermance, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: Charles Bonniwell, Jr.; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Robert R. Benton; Casting: Patricia Rose; Sound: Franklin Milton, Joe Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title.* Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Bunny Blake: Maggie McNamara; Hildy Powell: Mary Munday; Bud Powell: David Macklin; Dr. Floyd: George Mitchell; Ben Braden: Bing Russell; Cici: Betty Lou Gerson; Mr. Gentry: Hank Patterson; State Trooper: Vic Perrin; Pilot: Bill Hickman.†

Synopsis: A letter arrives from movie star Bunny Blake’s fan club in Howardville, which also happens to be Bunny’s hometown. Enclosed with the letter is a gift, a mysterious ring. When Bunny tries it on and looks at it, she sees the

*This credit does not appear in the episode’s end titles. † This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

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face of her sister who is beckoning Bunny to come home. Before heading to Rome, Bunny decides to return to Howardville for a visit. After Bunny arrives at her sister Hildy’s house, she is frightened by strange apparitions that appear on the stone of the ring, but she calms herself and insists on going to town to give a performance that will draw people away from the picnic grounds and allow them to spend time with their hometown movie star. Bunny’s decision to perform leads to a tragic and eerie event that a›ects the entire community. Notes and commentary: “Ring-aDing Girl,” Earl Hamner’s first e›ort of season five, is reminiscent of Serling’s “Twenty Two” (02-¡0-6¡). Unlike that episode, Hamner’s story has wellrounded characters and a poignant, emotional twist ending. The lead in “Twenty Two” is a whiny exotic dancer who is disturbed by the same recurring dream or premonition of her own death and lives to tell about it. In Hamner’s story the lead is also a bit self-centered, but Bunny Blake is troubled by a gradual premonition and ultimately sacrifices her own life in order to save the lives of all the people she knows and loves. Somehow Bunny (or perhaps her apparition), in the moments just before her fatal crash, is also able to be present in Howardville and unknowingly lead the townspeople away from disaster. She finally realizes what will happen, calmly accepts her fate, and returns to die. Thus, the story has a definitely paranormal slant — the simultaneous appearance of a person in two di›erent locations is the paranormal phenomenon known as “bilocation”— but is still able to maintain an emotional reso*This credit does not appear in the episode’s end titles.

nance that was totally absent in “Twenty Two.” In addition, the story unfolds in such a manner as to avoid an easily predictable ending. Though none of his subsequent episodes could ever hope to measure up to “Jess-Belle” (02-¡4-63), “Ring-a-Ding Girl” is Hamner’s best episode of season five; his remaining episodes (with the exception of “Stopover in a Quiet Town” [04-24-64]) would lapse into alternating silliness and mediocrity.

“You Drive” Original Airdate: January 3, ¡964; Writer: Earl Hamner, Jr.; Source: Original teleplay; Director: John Brahm; Producer: William Froug; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Malcolm Brown; Film Editor: Thomas W. Scott; Assistant Director: Charles Bonniwell, Jr.; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Robert R. Benton; Casting: Patricia Rose; Sound: Franklin Milton, Joe Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title.* Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Oliver Pope: Edward Andrews; Lillian Pope: Hellena Westcott; Pete Radcli›: Kevin Hagen; Muriel Hastings: Totty Ames; Policeman: John Hanek.

Synopsis: Driving home from work one rainy evening, Oliver Pope hits and kills a ¡2-year-old boy who was delivering papers on his bicycle. Pope flees the scene, but his car soon starts doing strange things in order to implicate its owner as the hit-and-run driver. Notes and commentary: Cars that seemingly have minds of their own abound in the world of fantastic film and television. On the big screen, there is ¡983’s Christine, John Carpenter’s adaptation of Stephen King’s bestseller about a ¡958 Plymouth Fury with de-

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Season Five (¡963-¡964) monic powers. In The Twilight Zone, a late model coupe chases a machine-hating cynic into the deep end of a pool in Rod Serling’s “A Thing About Machines” (¡0-28-60), and a ¡938 coupe forces a slick used-car salesman to tell “The Whole Truth” (0¡-20-6¡). In Earl Hamner, Jr.’s, “You Drive,” Oliver Pope’s car will do anything — honk its own horn, flash its own lights, blast its own radio, and even drive itself— to make sure that justice is served in the taking of an innocent ¡2-yearold’s life. The illusion of the car driving itself was accomplished by putting a man under the dashboard, equipping him with special controls for the brake and accelerator, and sticking a tiny periscope up through the car’s hood so that he could see to drive. ¡2 Another nice e›ect is that of the car stopping just inches from Pope’s head after he falls on the wet pavement. The scene was actually shot with the car right at his head, then put in reverse gear and backed away from him. The footage was then reversed in the editing room to give the appearance of forward motion by the car.¡3 Appropriately enough, “You Drive” is purely middle-of-the-road Hamner: nowhere close to “Jess-Belle” (02-¡463) or even “Ring-a-Ding Girl” (¡2-2763), but miles beyond such inferior Hamner stories as the subsequent “Black Leather Jackets” (0¡-3¡-64) and “The Bewitchin’ Pool” (06-¡9-64).

“The Long Morrow” Original Airdate: January ¡0, ¡964; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Robert Florey; Producer: William Froug; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direc*This credit does not appear in the episode’s end titles.

tion: George W. Davis, Malcolm Brown; Film Editor: Richard Heermance, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: Charles Bonniwell, Jr.; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Robert R. Benton; Casting: Patricia Rose; Sound: Franklin Milton, Joe Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title.* Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Commander Douglas Stansfield: Robert Lansing; Sandra Horn: Mariette Hartley; General Walters: Edward Binns; Dr. Bixler: George MacReady; Technician: William Swan. Also Donald Spruance.

Synopsis: Veteran astronaut Douglas Stansfield has been chosen to singlehandedly pilot an exploration of a remote planetary system highly similar to Earth’s. Stansfield will be cryogenically frozen or “hibernated” aboard the ship and will not experience the e›ects of aging; he will return from the voyage only a few weeks older, while the Earth he returns to will have gone forward 40 years. When Stansfield returns from the journey to his beloved Sandra Horn, the lovers are suprised to learn that love quite literally spans the ages. Notes and commentary: Director Robert Florey’s “The Long Morrow” is a marked contrast to his earlier frenetic and highly charged episodes “Perchance to Dream” (¡¡-27-59) and “The Fever” (0¡-29-60). “The Long Morrow,” more accurately than any other, identifies Rod Serling as an “O. Henry in outer space.”14 Serling’s teleplay is unmistakably a TZ updating of O. Henry’s most famous short story, “The Gift of the Magi.” Though the ending here is one of the most wrenching and is truly heartbreaking, the episode doesn’t quite make the cut as a classic entry in the series. Serling here relies on excessive dialogue, thus making the episode over-

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written in places. Also, the chance meeting between Douglas and Sandra feels too forced and comes o› as merely a way of expediting the plot, which is exactly its purpose. (This is one instance where the hour-long format of the fourth season may actually have helped a regular half-hour episode; the relationship would seem more credible and have more time to develop, and the ending would be even more e›ective.) Still, “The Long Morrow” is one of the better Serling teleplays from a season five that seemed to progressively weaken as The Twilight Zone came to an end. Mariette Hartley (Sandra Horn) would go on to win an Emmy Award as Outstanding Drama Series Lead Actress, for her role in the ¡978 “Married” episode of The Incredible Hulk.

“The Self-Improvement of Salvadore Ross” Original Airdate: January ¡7, ¡964; Writer: Jerry McNeely; Source: “The SelfImprovement of Salvadore Ross,” a short story by Henry Slesar; Director: Don Siegel; Producer: Bert Granet; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Walter Holscher; Film Editor: Richard Heermance, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: Charles Bonniwell, Jr.; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Robert R. Benton; Casting: Patricia Rose; Sound: Franklin Milton, Philip N. Mitchell; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title.* Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Salvadore Ross: Don Gordon; Leah Maitland: Gail Kobe; Mr. Maitland: Vaughn Taylor; Old Man: J. Pat O’Malley; Mr. Halpert: Douglas Dumbrille; Albert: Doug Lambert; Jerry: Seymour Cassel † ; Bartender: Ted Jacques†; Nurse: Kathleen O’Malley.†

Synopsis: To win the love of Leah Maitland, angry young man Salvadore Ross trades his youth for wealth and then cheaply buys back his years so that he is young and still quite wealthy. His station in life now much improved, Ross lacks only compassion to win Maitland’s hand in marriage, but he has no idea of the price he will have to pay for it. Notes and commentary: “The SelfImprovement of Salvadore Ross,” a short story by Henry Slesar, was first published in the May ¡96¡ issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction and was later reprinted in The Twilight Zone: The Original Stories (¡985). In it, bottlingplant employee Salvadore Ross breaks his right leg at work. At the hospital he is roomed with an old man su›ering from pneumonia. Jokingly, they agree to swap ailments — which amazingly comes to pass. Ross then trades his hair (he later gets a hobo’s locks for a couple of bottles of booze) to barkeep Phil for the $¡84 in his cash register; he trades his billiard skills to chau›eur Jan for a meeting with millionaire Mr. Halpert; and he trades an unspecified number of his years to Halpert (enough to make him 26 again) for $¡ million. In six months, Ross has bought enough years at $¡,000 each from young elevator operators to be 26 again. Now refined and wealthy, he tries to win the a›ection of Leah Maitland, the prettiest girl in the neighborhood on whom he has had a crush since high school. But Leah wants him to be more like her compassionate father, so Ross buys compassion from him for $¡00,000. Leah falls for Salvadore, but her now-compassionless father coldly blasts Ross with a shotgun when he puts the check on the table.

*This credit does not appear in the episode’s end titles. † This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

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Season Five (¡963-¡964) Jerry McNeely kept the basic plot line in adapting Slesar’s short story to The Twilight Zone, making small alterations to Salvadore Ross, his relationship with Leah Maitland and what he does with his bizarre, unexplained talent. Besides the out-of-nowhere acquisition of said bartering skill, the episode takes a few too many liberties with its audience, such as Leah’s sudden swoon over Salvadore once he becomes compassionate (an overrated trait at best, and even with it, wouldn’t Ross still be mean, short-fused, and conceited?). Still, “Salvadore Ross” does not entirely miss the mark, thanks in large part to the lead performances of Don Gordon — who coincidentally also took a bullet from an elderly father in “The Four of Us Are Dying” (0¡-0¡-60), another episode with a “body switch” premise — and Gail Kobe, who was previously seen as Sally in “A World of Di›erence” (03-¡¡-60) and as Jessica Connelly in “ In His Image” (0¡-03-63). Henry Slesar faithfully adapted his own short story into “A Bargain in Blood,” an episode of The CBS Radio Mystery Theater that aired on June ¡0, ¡974.

“Number ¡2 Looks Just Like You” Original Airdate: January 24, ¡964; Writers: John Tomerlin and Charles Beaumont; Source: “The Beautiful People,” a short story by Charles Beaumont; Director: Abner Biberman; Producer: William Froug; Director of Photography: Charles Wheeler; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Malcolm Brown; Film Editor: Thomas W. Scott; Assistant Director: Charles Bonniwell, Jr.; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Robert R. Benton; Casting: Patricia Rose; Sound: Franklin Milton, Joe Edmondson; *This credit does not appear in the episode’s end titles.

Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title.* Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Marilyn Cuberle: Collin Wilcox; Uncle Rick/Dr. Rex/Sigmund Friend/Dr. Tom/ Attendant: Richard Long; Valerie/Marilyn (after transformation)/ #8: Pam Austin; Lana Cuberle/Simmons/Doe/ Grace/ Jane/Patient/ #¡2: Suzy Parker.

Synopsis: According to the rules of the futuristic society in which she lives, ¡9-year-old Marilyn Cuberle must prepare for “Transformation,” a mandatory process in which people are scientifically made beautiful and in exactly the same likenesses. Marilyn, however, doesn’t want to be assimilated into the lifeless society of conformity and physical perfection. Everyone — Marilyn’s mother, uncle, best friend, and doctor — urges Marilyn to be transformed, but she adamantly refuses and attempts an escape. Notes and commentary: This episode is a less dark but equally disturbing take on the theme from “Eye of the Beholder” (¡¡-¡¡-60), in which individual identity and di›erences are devalued and conformity stifles humanity. What makes “Number ¡2” frightening is the omnipresence of sameness, where everyone is no one and replicas and facsimiles are the extent of personal identity (a term which in this society is rendered an oxymoron). The episode is constructed so as to allow only three actors to assume a multitude of roles. The e›ect, which doesn’t rely on split screen or stand-ins, is one of exasperation and hopelessness: This world of the future is one in which, to borrow the title from an earlier Rod Serling episode, “people are alike all over.” In the wrong context, equality isn’t always such a great concept. In this respect, “Number ¡2” resembles another tale of futuristic “handicapping” and oppressive equality:

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Kurt Vonnegut’s short story “Harrison Bergeron,” from his Welcome to the Monkey House collection. But Marilyn cherishes the valuable books (which are now banned) passed on to her by her now deceased father; she holds dear the all but lost human ideals of life, dignity, and individual spirit she has learned about from such writers as Shakespeare, Keats, Shelley, and Dostoyevsky. “Number ¡2” is another teleplay which Charles Beaumont assigned to someone else to complete for him. (The illness that would claim Beaumont’s life only three years later had now worsened, and Beaumont’s mental capacity was diminishing.) Nevertheless, he and John Tomerlin received cowriting credit, though Tomerlin admits that Beaumont was not involved with writing the teleplay. Still, it is Beaumont’s story that provides the basis for the episode. That story (reprinted in The Twilight Zone: The Original Stories [¡985]) was originally titled “The Beautiful People” and is a darker and more immediately threatening version of the episode. One detail that doesn’t make it to the episode is that this society is one in which there is no need for sleep, considered a “wasteful state of unconsciousness” that has been scientifically “conquered.” The main character, Mary, is taken to a hearing, presented with a petition (signed by 2,000 “concerned” citizens) requesting her transformation, and forced by law to accept transformation. The story ends ominously, with Mary lying on the operating table and screaming. The only defect of the episode is the character of psychiatrist Sigmund Friend. The multiple roles (beautifully played, especially by Richard Long and Suzy Parker) create such an e›ectively inane

and vacuous atmosphere that silly, labored jokes parodying Sigmund Freud are totally unnecessary. Otherwise, the roles are what make the episode, and Collin Wilcox is very believable as the troubled and very human Marilyn. The casting of Suzy Parker is also appropriate, as producer William Froug was well aware : “Suzy Parker was at that time the most famous model in the country…. It was my notion that if you were going to do a show about everybody looking as beautiful as possible to use her.”15 Richard Long, with his continuous smile and energy in five di›erent roles, makes the possibility of exactreplica identities at once funny and irritating. Ironically, Long must have “fit well” in exclusively Charles Beaumont material; his only other Twilight Zone role was in Beaumont’s “Person or Persons Unknown” (03-23-62).

“Black Leather Jackets” Original Airdate: January 3¡, ¡964; Writer: Earl Hamner, Jr.; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Joseph M. Newman; Producer: William Froug ; Music: Van Cleave; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Malcolm Brown; Film Editor: Thomas W. Scott; Assistant Director: Charles Bonniwell, Jr.; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Robert R. Benton; Casting: Patricia Rose; Sound: Franklin Milton, Joe Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title.* Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Scott: Lee Kinsolving; Ellen Tillman: Shelley Fabares; Steve: Michael Forest; Stu Tillman: Denver Pyle; Fred: Tom Gilleran; Sheri› Harper: Michael Conrad; Martha Tillman: Irene Hervey; Mover: Wayne He·ey.†

*This credit does not appear in the episode’s end titles. † This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

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Season Five (¡963-¡964) Synopsis: Three men in black leather jackets arriving in town on motorcycles turn out to be telekinetic aliens sent as the first wave of an invasion force planning to take over and colonize Earth. One of the men, Scott, falls in love with Ellen and tries to warn her of the group’s planned complete extermination of the human race within 48 hours. Notes and commentary: Earl Hamner, Jr.’s, “Black Leather Jackets” comes o› as a cross between the Marlon Brando motorcycle gang film The Wild One (¡954) and William Cameron Menzies’ Invaders from Mars (¡953), but that’s not really a compliment. Hamner is definitely out of his element here, just as he was with the haunted car drama “You Drive” (0¡-03-64). “Black Leather Jackets” is convincing neither as a social commentary nor as an end-of-theworld suspense thriller. It never really finds its voice and comes across as a campy, low-grade exploitation flick. Elements of pure, unadulterated camp include those giant sleep-aid sunglasses worn when the three biker aliens ride into town; the brainwashed Stu Tillman (Denver Pyle, later Uncle Jesse on The Dukes of Hazzard) walking smack dab into the wall on his way out of the alien residence; the leader of the alien invasion, Mr. Really Big Eye; and Van Cleave’s kitschy, aurally abrasive score. Although not handled well here, alien invasion was a theme treated with great skill and variety by Rod Serling in previous episodes of The Twilight Zone. In “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” (03-04-60), Serling served a telling indictment of human nature. He e›ectively blended broad comedy, suspense and camp in “Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?” (05-26-6¡) and *This credit does not appear in the episode’s end titles.

played “To Serve Man” (03-02-62) as a chilling horror story. “Black Leather Jackets,” though, just does not work well, although romantic leads Lee Kinsolving and Shelley Fabares (The Donna Reed Show, Coach) are naively likable and pleasant enough to actually care about.

“Night Call” Original Airdate: February 7, ¡964; Writer: Richard Matheson; Source: “Long Distance Call,” a short story by Richard Matheson; Director: Jacques Tourneur; Producer: Bert Granet; Director of Photography: Robert Pittack, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Walter Holscher; Film Editor: Richard Heermance, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: Charles Bonniwell, Jr.; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Robert R. Benton; Casting: Patricia Rose; Sound: Franklin Milton, Philip N. Mitchell; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title.* Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studio.

CAST

Miss Elva Keene: Gladys Cooper; Margaret Phillips: Nora Marlowe; Miss Finch: Martine Bartlett.

Synopsis: In her home in London Flats, Maine, the elderly and invalid Miss Elva Keene is disturbed be several phone calls that yield only a combination of static and the sound of a man groaning and slowly repeating the word “hello.” Though the telephone company attributes the calls to fallen wires and bad connections caused by the recent storm, Elva discovers that her phone problems have a direct connection to a traumatic event from her past. Her discovery will leave Miss Elva Keene lonelier than she has ever been. Notes and commentary: Not to be confused with Charles Beaumont and William Idelson’s “Long Distance Call” (03-3¡-6¡)— Matheson’s original short

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story has the same name as that episode —“Night Call” is a dark and unnervingly quiet tale of suspense. A series of simple phone calls trigger the fear in Miss Elva Keene and cause her imagination to race with possibilities about the identity of her mysterious caller. Gladys Cooper, who was so fine in “Nothing in the Dark” (0¡-05-62) and who also appeared in “Passage on the Lady Anne” (05-09-63), is once again superb, this time as a woman who is filled with equal parts terror and curiosity. “Night Call” (Richard Matheson’s penultimate Twilight Zone teleplay) is the only TZ episode directed by Jacques Tourneur, whose most famous film credits include Cat People (¡942), I Walked with a Zombie (¡943), The Leopard Man (¡943), and Curse of the Demon (¡956). The episode is a successful collaboration, and Tourneur captures the vision of the short story (reprinted in The Twilight Zone: The Original Stories [¡985]) down to the last detail. In the story, however, the ending has the voice on the other end promising, “ I’ll be right over.” Further, the caller in the story is never identified as Elva’s fiancé. The episode’s inclusion of the fiancé and the related subplot helps strengthen the story emotionally and makes for a more dramatic (as well as unsparing and painful) conclusion. Richard Matheson, who has credited Tourneur’s Cat People as an early influence, thought very highly of the director: “Tourneur was so organized that he shot the shortest Twilight Zone shooting schedule ever — I think he had it done in like 28 hours. The man was a master, and he had great taste, too.”16 The two would collaborate one more

time, but not on The Twilight Zone. Matheson would script and Tourneur would direct The Comedy of Terrors (¡963), which brought together Vincent Price, Peter Lorre, Boris Karlo›, and Basil Rathbone.

“From Agnes — with Love” Original Airdate: February ¡4, ¡964; Writer: Bernard C. Schoenfeld; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Richard Donner; Producer: William Froug; Music: Van Cleave; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Malcolm Brown; Film Editor: Richard Heermance, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: Charles Bonniwell, Jr.; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Robert R. Benton; Casting: Patricia Rose; Sound: Franklin Milton, Joe Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title.* Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

James Elwood: Wally Cox; Walter Holmes: Ralph Taeger; Millie: Sue Randall; Supervisor: Raymond Bailey; Fred Danziger: Don Keefer; Secretary: Nan Peterson†; Assistant: Byron Kane.†

Synopsis: The world’s most advanced electronic computer takes an interest in the love life of its master programmer. But instead of giving sound advice, Agnes starts sabotaging his love life and acting like a jealous or rejected lover. Notes and commentary: Man’s role in an ever-increasing technological and computerized society was a theme running through quite a few Twilight Zone episodes —“A Thing About Machines” (¡0-28-60), “The Old Man in the Cave” (¡¡-08-63), and “The Brain Center at Whipple’s” (05-¡5-64) are three prime examples. “From Agnes — with Love” certainly qualifies, but it is also

*This credit does not appear in the episode’s end titles. † This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

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Season Five (¡963-¡964) about the eternal battle of the sexes and how love cannot be confined to those only of flesh and blood, at least in The Twilight Zone. Serling’s final Twilight Zone valentine — the episode aired on Valentine’s Day — is an unusual one, a tale of a computer scorned. This is writer Bernard C. Schoenfeld’s only contribution to the series. Schoenfeld’s theatrical screenwriting credits include the ¡944 thriller Phantom Lady (directed by Robert Siodmak), The Dark Corner, a ¡946 film noir (cowritten with Jay Dratler), Josef Von Sternberg’s crime drama Macao (¡952, with Stanley Rubin), and the ¡962 drama ¡3 West Street (a collaboration with Robert Presnell, Jr., whose contribution to The Twilight Zone was “The Chaser” [05-¡3-60]). Schoenfeld’s script reflects the average person’s uneasiness in the early ¡960s as giant computers were just starting to process information more quickly and e‡ciently than any human mind. Computers have since shrunk to the size of an average notebook, but there is still a certain segment of the population that distrusts anything with a chip other than those manufactured by Frito-Lay. Meanwhile, the battle of man vs. machines lives on. In this episode, Elwood (a perfectly cast Wally Cox) mentions that Agnes even beat the world’s chess champ, four games to five. Such a scenario indeed took place 33 years later when supercomputer Deep Blue forced the exasperated Gary Kasparov to resign their match. Can cyberlove be that far around the corner? Wally Cox made a career of playing characters identical to his James Elwood in “From Agnes — with Love.” Cox was fondly remembered as the title

character — Robinson J. Peepers — of the fifties television comedy Mister Peepers, and as the voice of the appropriately named cartoon hero Underdog.

“Spur of the Moment” Original Airdate: February 2¡, ¡964; Writer: Richard Matheson; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Elliot Silverstein; Producer: Bert Granet; Music: Rene Garriguenc; conducted by Lud Gluskin; Director of Photography: Robert Pittack, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Walter Holscher; Film Editor: Richard Heermance, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: Charles Bonniwell, Jr.; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Robert R. Benton; Casting: Patricia Rose; Sound: Franklin Milton, Philip N. Mitchell; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title.* Filmed at Metro-GoldwynMayer Studios.

CAST

Anne Henderson: Diana Hyland; Mrs. Henderson: Marsha Hunt; Mr. Henderson: Philip Ober; David Mitchell: Roger Davis; Robert Blake: Robert Hogan; Reynolds: Jack Raine.†

Synopsis: After mounting her white horse and going for her morning ride out in the countryside, Anne Henderson meets another woman — clad in black and astride a black horse — who screams at Anne and begins chasing her. Realizing she cannot catch Anne, the woman finally lets her ride on. Terrified, Anne quickly rides home and runs into the spacious house she shares with her parents. The haggard-looking woman in black rides back to her house, which resembles Anne’s. Amazingly, this woman has a lot in common with Anne and seems eager to tell Anne something that could change her life forever. Notes and commentary: “Spur of

*This credit does not appear in the episode’s end titles. † This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

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the Moment” is a waking nightmare, filled with portent and dread. Equal parts alternate history and ghost story, the episode is a stark and eerie reminder that all decisions have consequences; the ones made in haste are even more potentially far-reaching. Diana Hyland (who won a posthumous Emmy in ¡976 for her supporting role in The Boy in the Plastic Bubble) deftly handles the contrasting lead roles, but what makes the episode so memorable is Matheson and director Silverstein’s refusal to compromise the episode’s resolution. In fact, there really is no resolution. The older and darker Anne is forever doomed to roam the countryside in a vain e›ort to keep her younger self from making a mistake that will literally last a lifetime. The easy way out, naturally, would be to allow the two Annes to finally talk, with the younger Anne heeding her future self ’s advice. The viewer may think that the original warning from Anne to her younger self is to not marry the stock broker Robert, a match that almost seems arranged by her father. However, Matheson spins that assumption into the twist that has Anne marrying David, the ostensible “true love” who ends up destroying her life. “Spur of the Moment” caps o› Richard Matheson’s strongest season ever of contributions to The Twilight Zone, joining “Steel” (¡0-04-63), “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” (¡0-¡¡-63), and “Night Call” (02-07-64). It also represents the final TZ e›orts of both Matheson and director Eliot Silverstein, whose earlier credits were “The Obsolete Man” (0602-6¡), “The Passersby” (¡0-06-6¡), and “The Trade-Ins” (04-20-62). As usual, Richard Matheson seems a bit critical of the final version of his teleplays. For this episode he says, “ I felt

the director gave the whole thing away in the beginning. You could see it was the same girl, and you weren’t supposed to know that until the end.”¡7 Despite Matheson’s misgivings about “Spur of the Moment,” the episode is one of the most haunting and indelible from The Twilight Zone’s last season. Robert Zemeckis would use a premise similar to “Spur of the Moment” to create a labyrinthine and at times darker story of changing one’s past — more specifically, the past of one’s parents — in his Back to the Future trilogy, especially in Back to the Future Part II (¡989).

“An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” Original Airdate: February 28, ¡964; Writer: Robert Enrico; Source: “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge,” a short story by Ambrose Bierce; Director: Robert Enrico; Producers: Marcel Ichac, Paul de Roubaix; Music: Henri Lanoe; Director of Photography: Jean Bo›ety; Production Managers: Pierre Lobreau, Gerard Berger; Film Editors: Denise de Casablanca, Robert Enrico; Assistant Director: Nat Lilenstein; Sound: Jean Neny; Camera Operator: Christian Guillouet.

CAST

Confederate Spy: Roger Jacquet. Also Anne Cornaly, Anker Larsen, Stephane Fey, Jean-François Zeller, Pierre Danny, and Louis Adelin.

Synopsis: During the American Civil War, a condemned Confederate spy is set to be hanged at Owl Creek Bridge by Union soldiers, but miraculously the hemp noose breaks and the spy splashes into a deep pool of water. The spy somehow frees his hands and feet, avoids the Union gunfire, and desperately races through the forest toward his home and beautiful wife. Notes and commentary: In ¡962, writer-director Robert Enrico adapted three short stories by Ambrose Bierce

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Season Five (¡963-¡964) into his first full-length feature, Au Coeur de la Vie. One of the stories was “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” (¡89¡), in which wealthy Southern planter Peyton Farquhar, after being caught trying to burn the Owl Creek Bridge in northern Alabama, imagines an involved and successful escape across water and forest, just before the noose seizes his body and snaps his neck. This segment went on to win first prize for short subjects at the ¡962 Cannes Film Festival. A couple of years later, Twilight Zone producer William Froug bought the television rights for $¡0,000 to help bring the fifth season in under budget. Several minutes of the short had to be cut to fit Twilight Zone’s 30-minute time slot, and an introduction by Serling was added. The episode turned out to be a critical smash and a natural fit for the series. It went on to win an Academy Award — the only Twilight Zone episode to ever do so — in ¡963 for Best Short Subject/Live Action. “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” is richly deserving of the awards it won. It is a brilliant short, strikingly shot by Jean Bo›ety and Christian Guillouet and expertly directed by Enrico. All of the other technical skills — from the editing to the sound to the music — are top notch. The ending is shocking and unforgettable, and it leaves the viewer as numb and limp as Peyton Farquhar’s body as it sways gently from Owl Creek Bridge. It is perhaps The Twilight Zone’s most startling and unsettling conclusion.

“Queen of the Nile” Original Airdate: March 6, ¡964; Writers: Jerry Sohl and Charles Beaumont;

Source: Original teleplay; Director: John Brahm; Producer: William Froug; Music: Lucien Moraweck; conducted by Lud Gluskin; Director of Photography: Charles Wheeler; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Malcolm Brown; Film Editor: Richard Heermance, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: Charles Bonniwell, Jr.; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Robert R. Benton; Casting: Patricia Rose; Sound: Franklin Milton, Joe Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title.* Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Pamela Morris: Ann Blyth; Jordan Herrick: Lee Philips; Viola Draper: Celia Lovsky; Krueger: Frank Ferguson; Mr. Jackson: James Tyler†; Maid: Ruth Phillips.†

Synopsis: Syndicated columnist Jordan Herrick arrives at the estate of gorgeous film star Pamela Morris for an interview. The estate is filled with Egyptian artwork and motifs — Pamela’s most famous role was in the film Queen of the Nile, and she refers to herself by that title — and the graceful Pamela seems never to have aged. Despite warnings from a strange old woman claiming to be Pamela’s mother, Herrick insists on discovering Pamela’s beauty secret; he will discover firsthand why Pamela is really called the Queen of the Nile. Notes and commentary: “Queen of the Nile” is the last of three episodes to be penned primarily by Jerry Sohl but credited entirely to Charles Beaumont. (The first two were “The New Exhibit” [04-04-63] and “Living Doll” [¡¡-0¡63].) The plot may seem very familiar, for the episode is actually a hybrid of two excellent first-season episodes: “The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine” (¡023-59) and, especially, “Long Live Walter Jameson” (03-¡8-60).

*This credit does not appear in the episode’s end titles. † This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

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Ann Blyth exudes both an eccentric vampishness and an aloof but cheerful facade as the eternally youthful Pamela. Lee Philips is also good in his second TZ role. His first was in Beaumont’s “Passage on the Lady Anne” (05-0963), in which his character was able to salvage his marriage thanks to several ghostly and aging passengers. Philips’s character isn’t quite so lucky here, though. Celia Lovsky (Viola Draper) would move on to immortality as the Vulcan matriarch T’Pau in the classic “Amok Time” (09-¡5-67) episode of the original Star Trek. If viewed in context of the entire series run, “Queen of the Nile” seems a redundant and unnecessary episode in light of Beaumont’s “Long Live Walter Jameson” masterpiece. However, “Queen of the Nile” is one of the better episodes from the weakest and most uneven season of The Twilight Zone. Of historical importance (even though Jerry Sohl did most of the writing), the episode stands as the final series contribution of Charles Beaumont, who would die only three years later. His output for the show was second only to that of Rod Serling, the series creator.

“What’s in the Box” Original Airdate: March ¡3, ¡964; Writer: Martin M. Goldsmith; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Richard L. Bare; Producer: William Froug; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Eddie Imazu; Film Editor: Richard W. Farrell; Assistant Director: Marty Moss; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Frank R. McKelvy; Casting: Larry Stewart; Sound: Franklin Milton, Joe Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title.* Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Phyllis Britt: Joan Blondell; Joe Britt: William Demarest; TV Repairman: Sterling Holloway; Woman: Sandra Gould; Judge: Howard Wright; Dr. Saltman: Herbert Lytton; Russian Duke: John L. Sullivan†; Panther Man: Ted Cristy†; Car Salesman: Ron Stokes †; Prosecutor: Douglas Bank†; Announcer: Tony Miller.†

Synopsis: After Joe Britt, a loudmouthed New York City cab driver, insults his television repairman, he finds that a channel he couldn’t pick up before now broadcasts scenes of him meeting with his mistress and fighting with his wife. His family doctor thinks he is delusional, and his wife agrees because she herself sees only static on the mysterious channel. Notes and commentary: Martin M. Goldsmith’s first contribution to The Twilight Zone presents the rather intriguing concept of a fantastical television set that first broadcasts the extramarital adventures of an argumentative New York City cabby (William Demarest, best known as Uncle Charlie on My Three Sons), then previews the upcoming Fight of the Week between soon-to-be-executed Joe and his soonto-be-murdered wife, Phyllis ( Joan Blondell, an Emmy nominee as Cottie Hatfield on Here Come the Brides). What sets these events into motion is Joe insulting the television repairman (Sterling Holloway, who played Waldo Binny on The Life of Riley), calling him a price gouger and a racketeer. “What’s in the Box,” despite its great old-time cast, is too over-the-top and devoid of any sense of morality or purpose to be an e›ective episode. These are spiteful, hateful characters, and this episode is one of the most di‡cult Twilight Zone episodes to sit through; even the two

*This credit does not appear in the episode’s end titles. † This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

Season Five (¡963-¡964) characters in “Uncle Simon” (¡¡-¡5-63) did not approach this level of rancor and venom. If that TV repairman seems familiar, then you may have watched a bit of television yourself. Sterling Holloway lent his unique voice to several animated Disney films, including Dumbo (¡94¡), Bambi (¡942), Alice in Wonderland (¡95¡), The Jungle Book (¡967), and The Aristocats (¡970). Ironically, the costar of such a vicious episode is probably best known as the voice of Winnie the Pooh in the animated film series. Goldsmith fared better — though with another pair of less than lovable characters — in his next Twilight Zone output, “The Encounter” (05-0¡-64).

“The Masks” Original Airdate: March 20, ¡964; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Ida Lupino; Producer: Bert Granet; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Walter Holscher; Film Editor: Richard Heermance, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: Charles Bonniwell, Jr.; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Robert R. Benton; Casting: Patricia Rose; Sound: Franklin Milton, Philip N. Mitchell; Makeup: William Tuttle; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title.* Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Jason Foster: Robert Keith; Wilfred Harper: Milton Selzer; Emily Harper: Virginia Gregg; Paula Harper: Brooke Hayward; Dr. Samuel Thorne: Willis Bouchey; Wilfred Harper, Jr.: Alan Sues; Butler: Bill Walker.†

Synopsis: Nearing the end of his life, Jason Foster eagerly awaits the arrival of his relatives at his New Orleans es-

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tate during the middle of Mardi Gras. When the relatives finally get there, Foster confronts his family (the Harpers) and addresses them all individually, pointing out their all-too-obvious shallow and superficial personalities. Foster has called them together to have a fine dinner and a surprise-filled party. He smiles and says they will all wear masks, which were made by an old Cajun man and have “certain properties.” Before he dies, Foster assures his family that they will indeed receive their inheritance, though it is one that none of them expected to face. Notes and commentary: “The Masks” reveals Rod Serling back in top writing form. This is his most powerful and dramatic work since “ In Praise of Pip” (09-27-63) and “The Last Night of a Jockey” (¡0-25-63). Serling’s thematic concern here is apathy and hypocrisy, and his particularly pungent teleplay employs sharp dialogue and masterful irony. Appropriately, “The Masks” makes a nice fit with Serling’s earlier classic “Eye of the Beholder” (¡¡-¡¡-60), in which appearances also play a major role. Also, both episodes feature the distinguished and e›ectively grotesque makeup work of William Tuttle. “The Masks” is one of the most enduring TZ episodes and is also one of the most historic. It is the only one of the ¡56 episodes to be directed by a woman. In addition, it marks the only time in the series that a person (male or female) both acted and directed in The Twilight Zone (albeit it in di›erent episodes). The director of “The Masks,” Ida Lupino, appeared early on in the series as faded film star Barbara Jean Trenton in “The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine” (¡0-23-59). Lupino was already

*This credit does not appear in the episode’s end titles. † This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

Part II : The Episodes

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established in film as both actor and director, and her direction here is solid and assured. Two of the Harper family make their second and last appearances in the series. Milton Selzer (Wilfred) had earlier worn another Twilight Zone mask as one of the aliens in “Hocus-Pocus and Frisby” (04-¡3-62), and Virginia Gregg (Emily) had a small role as the mother of the title character in Earl Hamner’s excellent “Jess-Belle” (02-¡463).

“ I Am the Night — Color Me Black” Original Airdate: March 27, ¡964; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Abner Biberman; Producer: William Froug; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Eddie Imazu; Film Editor: Richard Heermance, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: Marty Moss; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Frank R. McKelvy; Casting: Larry Stewart; Sound: Franklin Milton, Joe Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title.* Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Sheri› Charlie Koch: Michael Constantine; Colbey: Paul Fix; Deputy Pierce: George Lindsey; Reverend Anderson: Ivan Dixon; Ella Koch: Eve McVeagh; Jagger: Terry Becker; Man #¡: Douglas Bank† ; Man #2: Ward Wood†; Woman: Elizabeth Harrower.†

Synopsis: On the day that a small, remote village is to execute a convicted murderer, the sky turns pitch black and a darkness not to be found anywhere else spreads over the village. Some feel that the blackness has come because the condemned did not receive a fair trial; others feel that the darkness is the hate

the blood-thirsty villagers feel for the accused. Notes and commentary: Righteous Rod Serling again takes to the soapbox, but his message here is delivered in such a pretentious air of self-importance that its impact is diluted. Sometimes when Serling “preached” on The Twilight Zone the message was quite compelling, as in his stinging indictment of man’s self-destructive nature in “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” (03-04-60). But the blackness that envelops the village here is a rather too-obvious visual metaphor for the hearts of darkness created by the townspeople’s festering hate. As if this were not already too obvious, not to mention the drab and melancholy title that itself sounds like someone begging to be noticed, the real reverend of the episode — Ivan Dixon, last seen practicing pugilism in “The Big, Tall Wish” (04-08-60)— spells it out rather pedantically. The rest of the fine cast, though, does its best to overcome the heavy-handedness of the script: Michael Constantine (later to win an Emmy Award in ¡969 for his supporting role on the television comedy Room 222) as Sheri› Charlie Koch, Paul Fix (who had just completed a five-year run as Marshal Micah Torrence on The Rifleman), Terry Becker (Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea), and George Lindsey (trying hard not to look and sound like Goober from The Andy Gri‡th Show, but failing) as Deputy Pierce.

“Sounds and Silences” Original Airdate: April 3, ¡964; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Richard Donner; Producer: William

*This credit does not appear in the episode’s end titles. † This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

Season Five (¡963-¡964) Froug; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Eddie Imazu; Film Editor: Richard W. Farrell; Assistant Director: Marty Moss; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Frank R. McKelvy; Casting: Larry Stewart; Sound: Franklin Milton, Joe Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title.* Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Roswell G. Flemington: John McGiver; Psychiatrist: Michael Fox; Secretary: Renee Aubry; Conklin: William Benedict; Mrs. Flemington: Penny Singleton; Doctor: Francis Defales.†

Synopsis: Roswell G. Flemington leads an insular and eccentric existence. The proprietor of a model ship company (which bears his name), he loves continuous noise and goes to great lengths to maintain high noise levels throughout each and every day. After 20 years of putting up with her husband, Flemington’s wife plans to leave him. Flemington is even more disturbed when he begins hearing a variety of annoyingly magnified noises. Things only get worse when Flemington loses something that holds great value for him. Notes and commentary: “Sounds and Silences” was a controversial episode for Rod Serling and resulted in a lawsuit against him. According to Zicree, in ¡96¡ a script named “The Sound of Silence”— apparently with a plot very similar to the later “Sounds and Silences”— was submitted to Serling, who read and eventually shelved the teleplay. In ¡963, Serling “forgot all about” that teleplay and wrote “Sounds and Silences.” Immediately after the show aired, the writer of “The Sound of Silence” successfully sued Serling

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and The Twilight Zone for the sum of $3,500. Since the litigation was still going on when the syndication package was created, “Sounds and Silences” was shown only once, on April 3, ¡964. The episode was not seen again for 20 years, until in ¡984 it aired on a special holiday presentation with two other “rare” or “lost” episodes: “Miniature” (02-2¡63) and “A Short Drink from a Certain Fountain” (¡2-¡3-63).¡8 Richard Donner turns in another serviceable job of direction here in his third episode of the series. As Flemington, the boisterous John McGiver is simultaneously funny and irritating. He injects the character with a convincing and comically monomaniacal dedication to noise. In his o‡ce, which is decorated like the deck of a ship, Flemington plays phonograph records with sound e›ects of ships at sea and in combat. He even has a record that plays the sounds of the battleship Missouri bombarding Okinawa during World War II. Flemington defends his love of noise, saying it originated during his childhood when his domineering and controlling mother always insisted on perpetual silence. (His mother, he says, used to bake brownies instead of cookies because they didn’t make nearly as much noise when eaten.) The character subverts the stereotype of the misanthrope who prefers to be alone and in silence, and McGiver plays the blowhard Flemington to the hilt. Many viewers will remember his similarly irascible turn as butterfly collector Lord Beasley in the “Man with a Net” episode of Gilligan’s Island (¡0-24-66). Donner’s next Twilight Zone would be the espionage thriller “The Jeopardy Room” (04-¡7-64).

*This credit does not appear in the episode’s end titles. † This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

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“Caesar and Me” Original Airdate: April ¡0, ¡964; Writer: Adele T. Strassfield; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Robert Butler; Producer: William Froug ; Music: Richard Shores; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Eddie Imazu; Film Editor: Richard Heermance, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: Marty Moss; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Frank R. McKelvy; Casting: Larry Stewart; Sound: Franklin Milton, Joe Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title.* Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Jonathan West: Jackie Cooper; Susan: Suzanne Cupito; Mrs. Cudahy: Sarah Selby; Detective: Don Gazzaniga; Pawnbroker: Sta›ord Repp; Mr. Smiles: Olan Soule†; Watchman: Sidney Marion†; Mr. Miller: Ken Konopka.†

Synopsis: Little Caesar is a living ventriloquist’s dummy who suggests to his inept owner that they turn to crime to pay their back rent. The details of a bungled burglary are overheard by their landlady’s bratty niece, though, and she phones the police. Notes and commentary: “Caesar and Me” was the only Twilight Zone episode written by a woman. Adele T. Strassfield was Twilight Zone producer William Froug’s secretary. She came up with the idea of “Caesar and Me,” and, according to Froug, “ I sort of wrote it with her. I wanted her to have the credit, and she got a great thrill out of it.”¡9 Unfortunately, Strassfield and Froug’s script lacks originality and seems illsuited to The Twilight Zone and the sense of morality in most of the series’ episodes. The basic theme of the malevolent ventriloquist’s dummy had al-

ready been explored in “The Dummy” (05-04-62), starring Cli› Robertson as the ventriloquist who is eventually taken over by his wooden sidekick — the old switcheroo is pulled as the dummy assumes the role of human master and the flesh-and-blood master turns into wood and paint. “The Dummy” is highly charged and dramatic, but “Caesar and Me” falls short because it never achieves a sense of purpose or justice. Little Caesar orchestrates the petty burglaries, but it is the patsy — honest, sincere Jonathan West ( Jackie Cooper, who as a child was one of the original Our Gang “ little rascals” and in his later years played Perry White in the Superman films)— who takes the fall and is hauled o› to jail. Little Caesar, on the other hand, is set to direct another crime spree with the spiteful young Susan. (Cupito — who also appeared in “Nightmare as a Child” [04-29-60] and “Valley of the Shadow” [0¡-¡7-63]— later changed her name to Morgan Brittany and portrayed Katherine Wentworth on Dallas). In the end, the viewer of this episode is left feeling a little like a dummy — slightly sti›, manipulated, and spoken for when there is really not much important to say. “Caesar and Me” is a painfully obvious indication — especially coming after the e›ective “The Dummy”— that The Twilight Zone was now becoming a pale imitation of its once great self, and would soon be laid to rest.

“The Jeopardy Room” Original Airdate: April ¡7, ¡964; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Richard Donner; Producer: William Froug; Director of Photography: George

*This credit does not appear in the episode’s end titles. † This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

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Season Five (¡963-¡964) T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Eddie Imazu; Film Editor: Richard W. Farrell; Assistant Director: Marty Moss; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Frank R. McKelvy; Casting: Larry Stewart; Sound: Franklin Milton, Joe Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title.* Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Major Ivan Kuchenko: Martin Landau; Commissar Vassilo›: John Van Dreelen; Boris: Robert Kelljan.

Synopsis: Major Ivan Kuchenko, asleep in his hotel room, is awakened by a phone call from a man who says he is an “unknown” friend. The major is unaware that he is at that very moment being spied on by the caller and his accomplice Boris, who are in an adjacent building making preparations to assassinate Kuchenko. Boris is anxious to proceed with the killing. However, the man who has just called Kuchenko — Commissar Vassilo›— wants to make a game of the assassination. Kuchenko must race against the clock and locate a carefully placed booby trap. Notes and commentary: Despite the fairly convenient ending — a none-toobright “co-assassin” actually forgets about a booby-trapped phone in a room he has been surveilling for several hours —“The Jeopardy Room” is still a suspenseful Cold War “cat and mouse” (as Serling himself refers to it in the opening narration) drama with two powerful lead performances by Martin Landau and John Van Dreelen. Landau — whose first TZ appearance was as vile and malicious gunslinger Dan Hotaling in “Mr. Denton on Doomsday” (¡0-¡6-59)— gives an especially authentic and credible performance.

This episode presages Landau’s future role in the immensely popular series of espionage and intrigue, Mission: Impossible. John Van Dreelen, as the calmly sadistic pursuer, appeared in similar roles in numerous series during the sixties, including (not surprisingly) Hawaiian Eye, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., and Mission: Impossible. Also e›ective is the taut and controlled direction from Richard Donner, which perfectly complements the plot and tone and keeps the suspense high. Creatively, Serling must have been in a Cold War state of mind. That same year he would write the screenplay — based on a novel by Fletcher Knebel and Charles W. Bailey — for the thriller Seven Days in May (¡964), the story of a military general (Burt Lancaster) attempting to overthrow the U.S. government and the colonel (Kirk Douglas) who tries to stop him.

“Stopover in a Quiet Town” Original Airdate: April 24, ¡964; Writer: Earl Hamner, Jr.; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Ron Winston; Producer: Bert Granet; Director of Photography: Robert W. Pittack, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Walter Holscher; Film Editor: Thomas W. Scott; Assistant Director: Charles Bonniwell, Jr.; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Robert R. Benton; Casting: Patricia Rose; Sound: Franklin Milton, Philip N. Mitchell; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title.* Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Bob Frazier: Barry Nelson; Millie Frazier: Nancy Malone; Mother: Karen Norris†; Little Girl: Denise Lynn.†

Synopsis: The morning after a big party, Bob and Millie Frazier wake up in a strange house and find themselves

*This credit does not appear in the episode’s end titles. † This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

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in a seemingly deserted town where nothing seems to be real. Strangest of all, they hear a little girl giggling, but they cannot locate her. Notes and commentary: “Stopover in a Quiet Town” is quite an arresting episode, an intriguing mystery involving two New Yorkers who wake up in a seemingly deserted town where most everything is not real or what it seems. The theme of lost or displaced identity crept up in a number of other Twilight Zone episodes, from “Where Is Everybody?” (¡0-02-59) to “A World of Difference” (03-¡¡-60) to “Five Characters in Search of an Exit” (¡2-22-6¡) and “Person or Persons Unknown” (03-23-62). “Stopover” may borrow an element or two from each of these episodes, but Earl Hamner, Jr.’s, script for the most part stands on its own as a complementary addition to the alienation genre, more an expert distillation than a rehash of tepid ideas. In “Stopover” Hamner builds upon the mystery layer by layer until the startling climax. “ I think that of the Twilight Zone scripts I wrote, I am most proud of [“Stopover”],” noted Hamner.20 Hamner has related that he got the idea for this episode while walking around the backlot at MGM; Rod Serling credited the genesis of “Where Is Everybody?” to a similar experience at MGM. “Stopover” was Ron Winston’s final directorial e›ort on The Twilight Zone. Previously he directed two memorable entries, “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” (03-04-60) and “The Big, Tall Wish” (04-08-60). Barry Nelson (Bob Frazier) holds the distinction of being the very first incarnation of Ian Fleming’s James Bond: in the “Casino Royale” (¡954) segment of CBS’s Climax! anthology series. Nel*This credit does not appear in the episode’s end titles.

son also appears in Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining (¡980), an adaptation of the Stephen King novel.

“The Encounter” Original Airdate: May ¡, ¡964; Writer: Martin M. Goldsmith; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Robert Butler; Producer: William Froug; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Eddie Imazu; Film Editor: Richard Heermance, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: Marty Moss; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Frank R. McKelvy; Casting: Larry Stewart; Sound: Franklin Milton, Joe Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title.* Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Fenton: Neville Brand; Arthur (Taro) Takamuri: George Takei.

Synopsis: Fenton, a World War II veteran, is cleaning out his attic and discovers an old samurai sword that seems to trouble him. Arthur Takamuri, a lawnkeeper who happens to be of Japanese descent, stops in to inquire about mowing Fenton’s lawn, and Fenton invites him up for a beer and some conversation. When Fenton goes downstairs to get some more beer, Arthur picks up the sword and seems mesmerized by it. After the conversation resumes, the enigmatic samurai sword will determine the fate of both men. Notes and commentary: “The Encounter” is the most controversial episode of the entire series. After its initial airing, it was never seen again until its release on videotape nearly 30 years later. As with “Miniature” (02-2¡-63), “A Short Drink from a Certain Fountain” (¡2-¡3-63), and “Sounds and Silences” (04-03-64), it was never made part of the original syndicated package

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Season Five (¡963-¡964) of The Twilight Zone. The reason for its exclusion was probably due to its sensitive subject matter: “ In reality, there was no Japanese-American traitor at Pearl Harbor guiding the enemy planes. In fact, there is no case of sabotage by a Japanese-American during all of World War II. The suggestion of such an action — even in a fictional context — could easily have brought down an avalanche of protest.”2¡ Also sensitive are the slurs and accusations toward the Japanese made by Brand’s character. Though the subject matter here is a bit uncomfortable, it at least has a dramatic rationale, unlike Goldsmith’s earlier angry and spiteful “What’s in the Box” (03-¡3-64). Arthur tearfully admits that his father was a traitor who signaled the Japanese bombers at Pearl Harbor. Fenton, too, makes a confession. He has been laid o› because of his drinking, and his wife has recently left him. Fenton feels confused, he says, because during the war he (like all American soldiers) was taught to hate the Japanese and view them as nothing more than animals. The characters in “The Encounter” are both victims who have repressed past guilt and, as fate would have it, are jointly consumed and destroyed by that guilt. Even Serling in his closing narration says that both of them share the “common enemy” of guilt. Both are displaced and alienated: Arthur by trying to assimilate into “traditional” American culture, and Fenton by first being trained to hate and kill and then being forced to try and resume a normal, everyday life. The adage “war is hell” extends to as far as 20 years after the fact. Both actors are driven and intense here; Brand, with his deep, growling

voice and seething anger, is particularly strong. Incidentally, in real life Brand was the fourth-most-decorated U.S. Army soldier of World War II.22 Takei, of course, would very soon begin his role as Lt. Sulu on Star Trek. The best appraisal of “The Encounter” comes from director Robert Butler: “These men had been stained by history, and they were unable to be harmonious with each other. That was the tragedy.”23 Writer Martin M. Goldsmith, who also wrote the bilious “What’s in the Box” (03-¡3-64), wrote several films noirs during the forties and fifties: Detour (¡945, uncredited, with Martin Mooney), Blind Spot (¡947), The Lone Wolf in Mexico (¡947), and The Narrow Margin (¡952, story only, with Jack Leonard). He also scripted the ¡953 war drama Mission Over Korea.

“Mr. Garrity and the Graves” Original Airdate: May 8, ¡964; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: An unpublished short story by Mike Korologos; Director: Ted Post; Producer: William Froug ; Music: Tommy Morgan; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Eddie Imazu; Film Editor: Richard Heermance, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: Marty Moss; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Frank R. McKelvy; Casting: Larry Stewart; Sound: Franklin Milton, Joe Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title.* Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Jared Garrity: John Dehner; Jensen: Stanley Adams; Gooberman: J. Pat O’Malley; Sheri› Gilchrist: Norman Leavitt; Lapham: Percy Helton; Ace: John Mitchum; Lightning Peterson: Edgar Dearing; Man: Patrick O’Moore; Zelda Gooberman: Kate Murtagh.†

*This credit does not appear in the episode’s end titles. † This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

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Synopsis: Jared Garrity arrives in Happiness, Arizona, in ¡890, claiming that he can resurrect the dead. After a successful demonstration of his ability (involving a run-over dog), Garrity promises to resurrect all of the village’s dead by midnight, but many of the townspeople realize that they might not really want to be reunited with their dearly departed. Notes and commentary: Rod Serling’s “Mr. Garrity and the Graves” is a most entertaining episode, displaying a wonderful balance of wry humor and Old West ghost-story chills. The comedy is provided by the excellent cast of character actors, including TZ vets J. Pat O’Malley as Goobersman and Stanley Adams as Jensen. In the lead role of con man Jared Garrity is the versatile John Dehner, in his third Twilight Zone role. In addition to the dry wit, there are a few spooky moments in “Mr. Garrity,” when the supposedly resurrected brother of Jensen slowly limps down the village’s foggy, moonlit dirt road (before inexplicably vanishing) and when the town’s dead rise from the graves (similar to Night of the Living Dead) and march into town with revenge on their minds. These chills, the Old West setting, and the great supporting cast make “Mr. Garrity” a fine companion piece to Montgomery Pittman’s “The Grave” (¡0-27-6¡), although the latter was played purely for chills and is devoid of any comedy.

“The Brain Center at Whipple’s” Original Airdate: May ¡5, ¡964; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Richard Donner; Producer: William

Froug; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Eddie Imazu; Film Editor: Richard W. Farrell; Assistant Director: Marty Moss; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Frank R. McKelvy; Casting: Larry Stewart; Sound: Franklin Milton, Joe Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title.* Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Wallace V. Whipple: Richard Deacon; Hanley: Paul Newlan; Dickerson: Ted De Corsia; Technician: Jack Crowder; Bartender: Shawn Michaels; Watchman: Burt Conroy; Robot: Dion Hansen.†

Synopsis: Wallace V. Whipple has come up with a brilliant — at least to him — way of cutting costs and increasing production. He has created a computer system that will eliminate 6¡,000 jobs and save $4 million. This supposedly ingenious system will be the “brain center” of the Whipple company. Unfortunately, Whipple forgets one important thing : the human factor. Also, computers don’t distinguish when it comes to rendering workers obsolete. Notes and commentary: “The Brain Center at Whipple’s” is Rod Serling’s trenchant defense of human dignity and individual identity. The subject matter here remains relevant even today, as technology advances exponentially and large companies continue to “downsize.” The episode is reminiscent of Serling’s powerful television drama “Patterns” (¡955), the work that put Serling on the television map and launched his career. The writing is heartfelt and strong, though at times, as Zicree notes, the characters seem to be exchanging heated and overwrought pronouncements or “speeches.”24 What really keeps the episode from

*This credit does not appear in the episode’s end titles. † This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

Season Five (¡963-¡964) being a true success is the rushed and somewhat disorienting ending. When Whipple enters the bar, there is absolutely no indication that any time more than a day has lapsed since Whipple was replaced by the robot. Was he fired overnight, or has he been gradually rendered obsolete? As the final scene begins, the viewer isn’t sure, and the denouement feels forced as a result. All the performances, though, are forceful and convincing. Richard Deacon was already a regular on The Dick Van Dyke Show. Ted De Corsia — who was also in the early TZ episode “The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine” (¡0-2359)— made appearances in both Science Fiction Theatre and The Outer Limits. And, in another bizarre casting coincidence connected with The Twilight Zone, De Corsia would later appear in a first season episode of Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. The episode: “The Human Computer.”

“Come Wander with Me” Original Airdate: May 22, ¡964; Writer: Anthony Wilson; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Richard Donner; Producer: William Froug; Music: Je› Alexander; Director of Photography: Fred Mandl, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Eddie Imazu; Film Editor: Richard W. Farrell; Assistant Director: Marty Moss; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Jerry Wunderlich; Casting: Larry Stewart; Sound: Franklin Milton, Joe Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title.* Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Floyd Burney: Gary Crosby; Mary Rachel: Bonnie Beecher; Billy Rayford: John Bolt; Old Man: Hank Patterson.

Synopsis: Singer Floyd Burney, in search of an authentic folk song he can turn into his next hit single, hears a *This credit does not appear in the episode’s end titles.

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gentle ballad being sung by shy Mary Rachel. Burney promises her money and love in exchange for the song, but then her beau Billy Rayford shows up, shotgun in hand, ready to teach Burney a lesson. Notes and commentary: Scripted by Anthony Wilson (executive producer of the short-lived science fiction television series The Immortal [¡970–7¡] and Future Cop [¡976–78], and developer of the television series Lost in Space [¡965– 68], Land of the Giants [¡968–70], and Planet of the Apes [¡974]) and directed by Richard Donner (Superman, Maverick, Conspiracy Theory), “Come Wander with Me” is an e›ective little episode, not quite a classic by any means, but nonetheless haunting and eerie. Much like Edward Hall in “Perchance to Dream” (¡¡-27-59), Carl Lanser in “Judgment Night” (¡2-04-59), and Adam Grant in “Shadow Play” (05-056¡), Floyd Burney is trapped in an eternal cycle, that of a real-life folk song come to life. Mary Rachel tries desperately to change the outcome, but her e›orts are in vain as “The Wandering Man” once again ends up six feet under after the Rayford brothers catch up with him and know what to do with him. It is as if Burney, as a result of not respecting the sacredness and purity of the folk song, is forced to become part of one as a lesson that some things in life cannot be bought or commercialized. Playing the cynical, desperate-for-ahit singer is Gary Crosby, the eldest son of Bing Crosby. Bing and Gary (at age ¡7) were a top-selling duet in ¡950 with “Play a Simple Melody” and “Sam’s Song.” Gary and his three brothers also were a musical act for several years. Interestingly, one of the young ladies who

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tried out for the role of Mary Rachel was Liza Minnelli. Producer William Froug thought that Minnelli just did not look the part of a hillbilly singer. “ I still don’t regret [not casting Minnelli], but it was really classic stupidity,” admitted Froug.25 One particularly outstanding feature of this episode is Fred Mandl’s striking, well-staged photography, which lends a dreamlike, surreal air to the proceedings. “When we filmed [“Come Wander with Me”], I had just seen Sunday in Seville,” remembers Donner, “and I insisted that the entire thing have that misty, backwoods look. We filled everything with smoke and shot with backlighting.”26 “Come Wander with Me” is also somewhat historic, as it is the last Twilight Zone episode of merit to air. The subsequent two episodes, “The Fear” (05-29-64) and “The Bewitchin’ Pool” (06-¡9-64) are very substandard and collectively represent the unmemorable and rather painful last breaths of The Twilight Zone.

“The Fear” Original Airdate: May 29, ¡964; Writer: Rod Serling; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Ted Post; Producer: William Froug; Director of Photography: Fred Mandl, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Eddie Imazu; Film Editor: Richard Heermance, A.C.E.; Assistant Director: Marty Moss; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Jerry Wunderlich; Casting: Larry Stewart; Sound: Franklin Milton, Joe Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title.* Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Trooper Robert Franklin: Mark Richman; Charlotte Scott: Hazel Court.

Synopsis: Trooper Robert Franklin

*This credit does not appear in the episode’s end titles.

arrives at the mountain cabin of Charlotte Scott to check out a report of mysterious lights in the sky. Charlotte, a fashion editor who has come to the country to recuperate from a nervous breakdown, gives Franklin a chilly reception. As Franklin turns to leave, he and Charlotte hear a strange whirring noise and are bathed in a bright, blinding light. Franklin decides to stay and investigate. Both characters discover that fear, like size, is relative. Notes and commentary: The penultimate episode of the entire series — and Rod Serling’s final TZ teleplay — is unfortunately one of the worst, an utterly disappointing and silly story that the wisecracking and improvisational Mystery Science Theater critics would tear to pieces. The show that was once so creative and entertaining was now winding down. Whether he knew it or not, Serling was recycling earlier episodes. Similar stories were already done, and to much greater e›ect: Richard Matheson’s well-remembered “The Invaders” (0¡-27-6¡) and Earl Hamner’s “Stopover in a Quiet Town” (04-24-64). For some reason, Serling’s stories involving size relativity — such as his earlier “The Little People” (03-30-62)— are never dynamic or successful. (One exception, however, would be “The Last Night of a Jockey” [¡0-25-63], an early seasonfive episode.) The plot of “The Fear”— especially the hokey ending — resembles that of any number of really bad science fiction B-movies. The actors here aren’t exactly of the highest dramatic caliber, but neither does it help that they are in the service of a ridiculous story. The only fascinating thing about “The Fear,” in fact, is Richman and Court’s acting credits outside The Twilight Zone.

193

Season Five (¡963-¡964) (This episode is the only TZ appearance for both.) Hazel Court starred in three early Roger Corman films, all adaptations of Edgar Allan Poe works: The Premature Burial (¡962), The Raven (¡963)— scripted by TZ writer Richard Matheson — and The Masque of the Red Death (¡964)— scripted by TZ writer Charles Beaumont. Among a large body of television work, Mark Richman has appeared in series such as The Invaders (“The Leeches”; “ Inquisition”), Land of the Giants (“Panic”), The Outer Limits (“The Borderland” and “The Probe,” an episode in which several people survive a plane crash and end up in a huge alien space probe!), and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (“The Monster’s Web” and “Secret of the Deep,” both episodes dealing with, respectively, a giant spider and large sea creatures!). After eluding so many colossal and menacing monsters and aliens, Mark Richman finally found employment as Carrington family attorney Andrew Laird on the hit series Dynasty. He also appeared in an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation (“Neutral Zone”).

“The Bewitchin’ Pool” Original Airdate: June ¡9, ¡964; Writer: Earl Hamner, Jr.; Source: Original teleplay; Director: Joseph M. Newman; Producer: William Froug; Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, A.S.C.; Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson; Art Direction: George W. Davis, Malcolm Brown; Film Editor: Thomas W. Scott; Assistant Director: Charles Bonniwell, Jr.; Set Decorations: Henry Grace, Robert R. Benton; Casting: Patricia Rose; Sound: Franklin Milton, Joe Edmondson; Titles and Opticals: Pacific Title.* Filmed at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios.

CAST

Sport: Mary Badham; Gloria: Dee Hartford; Gil: Tod Andrews; Jeb: Tim Sta›ord; Whitt: Kim Hector; Aunt T: Georgia Simmons; Radio Announcer: Harold Gould.†

Synopsis: Sport and her younger brother Jeb, feeling guilty because their parents are constantly arguing, jump into their pool and emerge in a country swimming hole, near which is a gingerbread-type house run by Aunt T, a tender, kindhearted old woman who informs the kids they are at a haven for children whose parents are unloving or uncaring. The children decide to return to their still-feuding parents, so Jeb chooses the next morning to sneak out to the pool and return to Aunt T. Notes and commentary: Earl Hamner, Jr., got the idea for “The Bewitchin’ Pool” while living in the San Fernando Valley region of California and witnessing an alarming divorce rate and the e›ect it had on children. “The Bewitchin’ Pool,” the final Twilight Zone episode to air, was one of the first shows on television to really address the problem of divorce and bad parenting; as such it probably serves as wish fulfillment or escapism for children in similar situations. Its social message aside, “The Bewitchin’ Pool” is not a very good episode. Most all of the acting is overplayed, which reflects poorly on the direction of Joseph M. Newman, whose fifth-season work started promisingly with “ In Praise of Pip” (09-27-63) and “Last Night of a Jockey” (¡0-25-63) but tailspinned with “Black Leather Jackets” (0¡-3¡-64) and “The Bewitchin’ Pool,” both scripted by Hamner. The parents are loud caricatures, and the cake-bakin’ Aunt T is so satiated

*This credit does not appear in the episode’s end titles. † This actor is not given on-screen credit in the episode’s end titles.

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with gooey sweetness and motherliness that she never really exudes the Earth Mother aura that should be inherent. Young Tim Sta›ord’s acting skills leave much to be improved upon, but taking up the slack is Mary Badham (sister of director John Badham), fresh o› her Academy Award–nominated role as Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird (¡962). Unfortunately, the dialogue in the exterior scenes had to be overdubbed because of backlot noise, and the overdubs are poorly matched and embarrassingly obvious. The result brings to mind all the out-of-sync, stop-andstart dialogue of a Godzilla movie. Badham’s thick Southern accent led to her lines being overdubbed by June Foray (the voice of Talky Tina in “Living Doll” [¡¡-0¡-63]). Also distracting — not to mention confusing and totally unnecessary — is the opening sequence of the episode. The scene is transplanted in its entirety from the end,

when the children make their final escape in the pool. Beginning a story in medias res usually results in a carefully constructed plot and a reason for the unusual structure. (At a later point in the story, the action will pick up where that earlier scene left o›.) Here, however, this opening seems arbitrarily placed and is merely played out again later in the episode, with no thematic or structural significance. It is too bad the producers could not have scrapped the rest of the episode and reshot it — as had happened before on Ray Bradbury’s “ I Sing the Body Electric” (05-¡8-62)— because as is it just does not work. As Joel Engel has pointed out, “[“The Bewitchin’ Pool”] seemed to justif y why the series had been canceled and typified the admitted fatigue and boredom of its creators.”27 Unfortunately, The Twilight Zone’s swan song turns out to be an ugly duckling.

APPENDICES

APPENDIX ¡:

CHRONOLOGICAL LIST OF EPISODES Following is a complete, season-by-season episode list for The Twilight Zone. Episodes are listed in order of original airdates. Season One “Where Is Everybody?” (¡0-02-59) “One for the Angels” (¡0-09-59) “Mr. Denton on Doomsday” (¡0-¡6-59) “The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine” (¡0-2359) “Walking Distance” (¡0-30-59) “Escape Clause” (¡¡-06-59) “The Lonely” (¡¡-¡3-59) “Time Enough at Last” (¡¡-20-59) “Perchance to Dream” (¡¡-27-59) “Judgment Night” (¡2-04-59) “And When the Sky Was Opened” (¡2¡¡-59) “What You Need” (¡2-25-59) “The Four of Us Are Dying” (0¡-0¡-60) “Third from the Sun” (0¡-08-60) “ I Shot an Arrow into the Air” (0¡-¡5-60) “The Hitch-Hiker” (0¡-22-60) “The Fever” (0¡-29-60) “The Last Flight” (02-05-60) “The Purple Testament” (02-¡2-60) “Elegy” (02-¡9-60) “Mirror Image” (02-26-60) “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” (03-04-60) “A World of Di›erence” (03-¡¡-60) “Long Live Walter Jameson” (03-¡8-60) “People Are Alike All Over” (03-25-60) “Execution” (04-0¡-60) “The Big, Tall Wish” (04-08-60) “A Nice Place to Visit” (04-¡5-60) “Nightmare as a Child” (04-29-60)

“A Stop at Willoughby” (05-06-60) “The Chaser” (05-¡3-60) “A Passage for Trumpet” (05-20-60) “Mr. Bevis” (06-03-60) “The After Hours” (06-¡0-60) “The Mighty Casey” (06-¡7-60) “A World of His Own” (07-0¡-60) Season Two “King Nine Will Not Return” (09-30-60) “The Man in the Bottle” (¡0-07-60) “Nervous Man in a Four Dollar Room” (¡0-¡4-60) “A Thing About Machines” (¡0-28-60) “The Howling Man” (¡¡-04-60) “Eye of the Beholder” (¡¡-¡¡-60) “Nick of Time” (¡¡-¡8-60) “The Lateness of the Hour” (¡2-02-60) “The Trouble with Templeton” (¡2-0960) “A Most Unusual Camera” (¡2-¡6-60) “Night of the Meek” (¡2-23-60) “Dust” (0¡-06-6¡) “Back There” (0¡-¡3-6¡) “The Whole Truth” (0¡-20-6¡) “The Invaders” (0¡-27-6¡) “A Penny for Your Thoughts” (02-03-6¡) “Twenty Two” (02-¡0-6¡) “The Odyssey of Flight 33” (02-24-6¡) “Mr. Dingle, the Strong” (03-03-6¡) “Static” (03-¡0-6¡) “The Prime Mover” (03-24-6¡) “Long Distance Call” (03-3¡-6¡)

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198

Appendices

“A Hundred Yards Over the Rim” (0407-6¡) “The Rip Van Winkle Caper” (04-2¡-6¡) “The Silence” (04-28-6¡) “Shadow Play” (05-05-6¡) “The Mind and the Matter” (05-¡2-6¡) “Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?” (05-26-6¡) “The Obsolete Man” (06-02-6¡) Season Three “Two” (09-¡5-6¡) “The Arrival” (09-22-6¡) “The Shelter” (09-29-6¡) “The Passersby” (¡0-06-6¡) “A Game of Pool” (¡0-¡3-6¡) “The Mirror” (¡0-20-6¡) “The Grave” (¡0-27-6¡) “ It’s a Good Life” (¡¡-03-6¡) “Death’s-head Revisited” (¡¡-¡0-6¡) “The Midnight Sun” (¡¡-¡7-6¡) “Still Valley” (¡¡-24-6¡) “The Jungle” (¡2-0¡-6¡) “Once Upon a Time” (¡2-¡5-6¡) “Five Characters in Search of an Exit” (¡2-22-6¡) “A Quality of Mercy” (¡2-29-6¡) “Nothing in the Dark” (0¡-05-62) “One More Pallbearer” (0¡-¡2-62) “Dead Man’s Shoes” (0¡-¡9-62) “The Hunt” (0¡-26-62) “Showdown with Rance McGrew” (0202-62) “Kick the Can” (02-09-62) “A Piano in the House” (02-¡6-62) “The Last Rites of Je› Myrtlebank” (0223-62) “To Serve Man” (03-02-62) “The Fugitive” (03-09-62) “Little Girl Lost” (03-¡6-62) “Person or Persons Unknown” (03-23-62) “The Little People” (03-30-62) “Four O’Clock” (04-06-62) “Hocus-Pocus and Frisby” (04-¡3-62) “The Trade-Ins” (04-20-62) “The Gift” (04-27-62) “The Dummy” (05-04-62) “Young Man’s Fancy” (05-¡¡-62) “ I Sing the Body Electric” (05-¡8-62) “Cavender Is Coming” (05-25-62) “The Changing of the Guard” (06-0¡-62)

Season Four “ In His Image” (0¡-03-63) “The Thirty Fathom Grave” (0¡-¡0-63) “Valley of the Shadow” (0¡-¡7-63) “He’s Alive” (0¡-24-63) “Mute” (0¡-3¡-63) “Death Ship” (02-07-63) “Jess-Belle” (02-¡4-63) “Miniature” (02-2¡-63) “Printer’s Devil” (02-28-63) “No Time Like the Past” (03-07-63) “The Parallel” (03-¡4-63) “ I Dream of Genie” (03-2¡-63) “The New Exhibit” (04-04-63) “Of Late I Think of Cli›ordville” (04-¡¡63) “The Incredible World of Horace Ford” (04-¡8-63) “On Thursday We Leave for Home” (0502-63) “Passage on the Lady Anne” (05-09-63) “The Bard” (05-23-63) Season Five “ In Praise of Pip” (09-27-63) “Steel” (¡0-04-63) “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” (¡0-¡¡-63) “A Kind of a Stopwatch” (¡0-¡8-63) “The Last Night of a Jockey” (¡0-25-63) “Living Doll” (¡¡-0¡-63) “The Old Man in the Cave” (¡¡-08-63) “Uncle Simon” (¡¡-¡5-63) “Probe 7, Over and Out” (¡¡-29-63) “The 7th Is Made Up of Phantoms” (¡206-63) “A Short Drink from a Certain Fountain” (¡2-¡3-63) “Ninety Years Without Slumbering” (¡220-63) “Ring-a-Ding Girl” (¡2-27-63) “You Drive” (0¡-03-64) “The Long Morrow” (0¡-¡0-64) “The Self-Improvement of Salvadore Ross” (0¡-¡7-64) “Number ¡2 Looks Just Like You” (0¡24-64) “Black Leather Jackets” (0¡-3¡-64) “Night Call” (02-07-64) “From Agnes — with Love” (02-¡4-64) “Spur of the Moment” (02-2¡-64)

Appendix ¡—Episodes Chronologically “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” (02-28-64) “Queen of the Nile” (03-06-64) “What’s in the Box” (03-¡3-64) “The Masks” (03-20-64) “ I Am the Night — Color Me Black” (0327-64) “Sounds and Silences” (04-03-64) “Caesar and Me” (04-¡0-64)

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“The Jeopardy Room” (04-¡7-64) “Stopover in a Quiet Town” (04-24-64) “The Encounter” (05-0¡-64) “Mr. Garrity and the Graves” (05-08-64) “The Brain Center at Whipple’s” (05-¡564) “Come Wander with Me” (05-22-64) “The Fear” (05-29-64) “The Bewitchin’ Pool” (06-¡9-64)

APPENDIX 2: WRITER BIOGRAPHIES Following are brief biographies of writers who contributed to The Twilight Zone. Included, where appropriate, are a bibliography, filmography, and videography. These listings will provide the reader with representative (though not exhaustive) selections of the writers’ creative output.

Primary Contributors Rod Serling

Rodman Edward Serling was born in Syracuse, New York, on December 25, ¡924, to Samuel Lawrence Serling, a wholesale meat dealer, and Esther Cooper Serling. He had an older brother, Robert, who was seven years his senior. The Serlings moved to Binghamton, New York, in July ¡926, and there Rod spent his first ¡8 years. Serling attended Alexander Hamilton Elementary School and West Falls Junior High School. He later attended Binghamton Central High School and was editor of the school paper, the Panorama. He graduated on January ¡5, ¡943, 35th out of a class of ¡85. The next morning, he was inducted into the U.S. Army, 5¡¡th Parachute Infantry Regiment, ¡¡th Airborne Division. Following basic training, Serling was sent into combat in the Pacific during World War II. He participated in battles on the islands of Leyte and Luzon. He was injured twice in combat, and once required hospitalization for severe shrapnel wounds in the wrist and knee. Serling was discharged on

January ¡3, ¡946, after nearly three years’ service. Rod then followed his brother’s footsteps by enrolling at Antioch College, in Yellow Springs, Ohio, on the G.I. Bill. In the fall of ¡946, the 2¡-year-old Serling met Carolyn Louise Kramer, a ¡7-year-old education and psychology major at Antioch. Rod and Carol were wed on June 30, ¡948, at Rockford Chapel on the school campus. Serling’s first experience as a scriptwriter came when he interned at WNYC, a New York public radio station, in the fall of ¡946. This led him to change his major from physical education to language and literature. In November ¡948, Serling became manager of the campus radio system, Antioch Broadcast System. He wrote, directed, and acted in weekly, full-scale productions which were broadcast over radio WJEM, Springfield. In March ¡949, he quit the manager’s job to focus on his freelance work. On March ¡6, ¡949, Serling found out that his script “To Live a Dream” had won one of three second-place

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Appendix 2—Writers prizes ($500 and an all-expense-paid trip for two to New York) in a contest staged by The Dr. Christian Show; he accepted his award at the New York studios of the radio show on May ¡8, ¡949. (Another second-place prizewinner that day was Earl Hamner, Jr., later a regular contributor to The Twilight Zone.) Also in ¡949, Serling sold two radio scripts to Grand Central Station. In ¡950, Serling accepted an o›er to work as a sta› writer for WLW-AM in Cincinnati, as well as to pen occasional scripts for the newly formed WLW-T, the sister television station. He sold his first television script, “Grady Everett for the People,” to Stars Over Hollywood (a Hollywood-based filmed drama anthology) for $¡00. Serling later signed on as a contributing writer to a brandnew anthology show, The Storm, on Cincinnati station WKRC-TV. For $¡25 a week, he turned out a script a week. Serling quit the station in December of ¡95¡ to pursue freelancing full-time. In ¡952 and ¡953, he made regular sales to such television anthology shows as Lux Video Theater, Kraft Television Theater, Studio One, Hallmark Hall of Fame, and Suspense. In January ¡953, Serling won first prize and $¡,000 in a scriptwriting contest sponsored by WTVN, the CBS a‡liate in Columbus. Later, in the spring of ¡954, the Serlings moved to Westport, Connecticut. Serling’s 7¡st television script, “Patterns,” aired to critical acclaim on Kraft Television Theater on January ¡2, ¡955. In September ¡955, Serling became the first television writer to sign an exclusive contract with a network, CBS. Serling’s breakthrough was “Requiem for a Heavyweight,” which aired October ¡¡, ¡956, on Playhouse 90. It was the first original 90-minute show ever written for television. Serling won three con-

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secutive Emmy Awards for Outstanding Dramatic Writing for “Patterns,” “Requiem,” and “The Comedian,” his ¡957 Playhouse 90 adaptation of Ernest Lehman’s short story. In December of ¡957, Serling moved to Hollywood, fully aware that the Golden Age of live television was essentially over. After his drama “Bomber’s Moon” aired on Playhouse 90 on May 22, ¡958, Serling signed another one-year exclusive contract with CBS, which called for him to write a minimum of three television plays (as it turned out, “A Town Has Turned to Dust,” “The Velvet Alley,” and “The Rank and File”) for Playhouse 90 at a rate of $¡0,000 per script. The network also o›ered him 40 percent ownership in a science fiction series that it was considering doing with Serling called The Twilight Zone. But network interference turned Serling into a chief critic of the industry, and the live television anthologies had all but disappeared as the fifties came to an end. Fortunately for Serling, taking on The Twilight Zone created an escape for his seemingly boundless energy and creativity. In the five years of its existence (¡959–¡964), he penned an incredible 92 of its ¡56 episodes, as well as serving as the series’ narrator and executive producer for Cayuga Productions. On June 2¡, ¡960, Serling won his fourth Emmy Award (first for The Twilight Zone) for Outstanding Writing Achievement in Drama. In ¡96¡, he picked up his fifth Emmy in the same category. Serling went on to win a recordsetting sixth Emmy — the only writer ever to do so — in ¡964 for “ It’s Mental Work,” an episode of Bob Hope Presents The Chrysler Theatre that Serling adapted from the John O’Hara short story. Writing over half of the episodes for

202

Appendices

The Twilight Zone took its toll on Serling, however. Su›ering from burnout, he took a sabbatical from the show to teach two undergradate courses and one adult class at Antioch College between September ¡962 and January ¡963. In ¡965, one year after The Twilight Zone went o› the air, Serling started a new half-hour existential Western series on CBS called The Loner, but it was canceled in mid-season after 26 episodes. Serling’s next major venture into television was as host and contributor to Rod Serling’s Night Gallery, an NBC anthology series which debuted during the ¡970-7¡ season. But Serling had little involvment in the actual production of the series, serving only as host and occasional writer until its cancellation following the ¡972-73 season. After ¡972, Serling spent less and less time in Hollywood. He lived half of each year at his Lake Cayuga, New York, summer home and in Ithaca. Serling su›ered his first heart attack on May 3, ¡975, while he was working in his garden by the cottage at Interlaken. After recuperating for two weeks at Tompkins County Community Hospital, he was released. The second attack occurred two weeks later. On June 28, ¡975, while in the middle of open heart surgery, Serling, 50, su›ered a third and fatal heart attack. He died at 2:¡5 P.M. Services were held at Sage Chapel of Cornell University. Books: Patterns: Four Television Plays (¡955); Stories from The Twilight Zone (¡960); More Stories from The Twilight Zone (¡96¡); New Stories from The Twilight Zone (¡962); Requiem for a Heavyweight (¡962); Rod Serling’s Triple W: Witches, Warlocks and Werewolves (ed., ¡964); The Season to be Wary (¡967); Rod Serling’s Devils and Demons (¡967); Night Gallery (¡97¡); Night Gallery 2 (¡972). Films: Patterns (¡956); The Rack

(¡956); Saddle the Wind (¡957); Incident in an Alley (¡962); Requiem for a Heavyweight (¡962); The Yellow Canary (¡963); Seven Days in May (¡964); Assault on a Queen (¡966); Planet of the Apes (w/ Michael Wilson, ¡968); The Man (¡972); The Enemy Within ([Darryl Ponicsan and Ron Bass] ¡994). Television: “The Last Waltz” (0207-5¡); “The Keeper of the Chair” (07¡0-5¡); “The Sands of Tom” (¡¡-20-5¡); “No Gods to Serve” (0¡-29-52); “The Machine That Talks” (04-52); “The Tennessee Waltz” (¡952); “The Twilight Hounds” (¡952); “Aftermath” (¡952); “Law Nine Concerning Xmas” (¡952); “Phone Call from Louie” (¡952); “Sight Unseen” (¡952); “Vertical Deep” (¡952); “The Sergeant” (04-2952); “Welcome Home, Lefty” (06-2352); “The Carlson Legend” (08-03-52); “ I Lift Up My Lamp” (08-¡7-52); “You Be the Bad Guy” (08-¡8-52); “No Gods to Serve” (¡0-05-52); “Those Who Wait” (¡0-¡9-52); “The Face of Autumn” (¡¡-03-52); “The Hill” (¡¡-24-52); “The Happy Headline” (¡2-25-52); “The Inn of Eagles” (0¡-26-53); “A Time for Heroes” (03-02-53); “Horace Mann’s Miracle” (03-08-53); “Next of Kin” (04-08-53); “The Twilight Rounds” (05-27-53); “Old MacDonald Had a Curve” (08-05-53); “Nightmare at Ground Zero” (08-¡8-53); “The Quiet Village” (08-22-53); “The Blues for Joey Menotti” (08-26-53); “A Long Time Till Dawn” (¡¡-¡¡-53); “Bu›alo Bill Is Dead” (¡¡-23-53); “Twenty-Four Men to a Plane” (¡2-09-53); “At Ease” (¡2-¡5-53); “They Call Them the Meek” (¡2-26-53); “Herman Came by Bomber” (02-0¡-54); “A Walk in the Night” (02-¡8-54); “The Muldoon Matter” (02-23-54); “The Strike” (0607-54); “The Worthy Opponent” (0824-54); “U.F.O.” (09-06-54); “One for the Angels” (09-¡4-54); “The Summer

Appendix 2—Writers Memory” (¡¡-¡8-54); “Patterns” (0¡-¡255); “A Great Man Lay Dying” (02-55); “A Long Time Till Dawn” (03-2¡-55, 03-25-55); “Garrity’s Sons” (03-2455); “The Champion” (03-3¡-55); “The Rack” (04-¡2-55); “The Fateful Pilgrimage” (04-¡7-55); “Man with a Vengeance” (05-¡2-55); “Strength of Steel” (06-¡6-55); “To Wake at Midnight” (06-25-55); “The Director” (09¡3-55); “Incident in an Alley” (¡¡-23-55); “Portrait in Celluloid” (¡¡-24-55); “The Man Who Caught the Ball at Coogan’s Blu› ” (¡¡-28-55); “O’Toole from Moscow” (¡2-¡2-55); “The Arena” (0409-56); “Beloved Outcasts” (04-¡5-56); “Noon on Doomsday” (04-25-56); “Mr. Finchley versus the Bomb” (0925-56); “Forbidden Area” (¡0-04-56); “Requiem for a Heavyweight” (¡0-¡¡56); “The Comedian” (02-¡4-57); “The Dark Side of the Earth” (09-¡9-57); “Panic Button” (¡¡-28-57); “The Cause” (05-¡2-58); “Bomber’s Moon” (05-2258); “A Town Has Turned to Dust” (06-¡9-58); “The Time Element” (¡¡24-58); “The Velvet Alley” (0¡-22-59); “The Rank and File” (05-28-59); “ In the Presence of Mine Enemies” (05-¡860); “A Killing at Sundial” (¡0-04-63); “ It’s Mental Work” (¡2-20-63); “Slow Fade to Black” (03-27-64); “The Command” (05-22-64); “A Carol for Another Christmas” (¡2-28-64); “Exit from a Plane in Flight” (0¡-22-65); “An Echo of Bugles” (09-¡8-65); “The Vespers” (09-25-65); “The Lonely Calico Queen” (¡0-02-65); “The Kingdom of McComb” (09-09-65); “One of the Wounded” (¡0-¡6-65); “Widow on the Evening Stage” (¡0-30-65); “The House Rules at Mrs. Wayne’s” (¡¡-06-65); “The Sheri› at Fetterman’s Crossing” (¡¡-¡3-65); “The Homecoming of Lemuel Stove” (¡¡-20-65); “Westward the Shoemaker” (¡¡-27-65); “The Oath” (¡2-04-65); “A Little Stroll to

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the End of the Line” (0¡-¡5-66); “The Trial in Paradise” (0¡-22-66); “The Mourners for Johnny Sharp” (02-0566, 02-¡2-66); “The Hate Syndrome” (04-29-66); “The Doomsday Flight” (¡2-¡3-66); “Certain Honorable Men” (09-¡2-68); “[The New People] Pilot” (as John Phillips, 09-22-69); “[Night Gallery] Pilot” (¡¡-08-69); “The Cemetery,” “Eyes,” “Escape Route” (¡¡-0869); “A Storm in Summer” (02-06-70); “The Little Black Bag,” “The Nature of the Enemy” (¡2-23-70); “The House,” “Certain Shadows on the Wall” (¡2-3070); “Make Me Laugh,” “Clean Kills and Other Trophies” (0¡-06-7¡); “Pamela’s Voice,” “Lone Survivor,” “The Doll” (0¡-¡3-7¡); “The Last Laurel,” “They’re Tearing Down Tim Riley’s Bar” (0¡-207¡); “The Boy Who Predicted Earthquakes” (09-¡5-7¡); “A Death in the Family,” “The Class of ‘99” (09-22-7¡); “A Fear of Spiders,” “The Academy” (¡0-06-7¡); “Midnight Never Ends” (¡¡-03-7¡); “The Diary” (¡¡-¡0-7¡); “Dr. Stringfellow’s Rejuvenator” (¡¡-¡7-7¡); “The Dear Departed” (¡2-0¡-7¡); “Cool Air,” “Camera Obscura” (¡2-08-7¡); “The Messiah on Mott Street” (¡2-¡57¡); “The Di›erent Ones” (¡2-29-7¡); “Green Fingers” (0¡-05-72); “Lindemann’s Catch” (0¡-¡2-72); “The Miracle at Camafeo” (0¡-¡9-72); “The Waiting Room” (0¡-26-72); “Deliveries in the Rear” (02-09-72); “You Can’t Help Like That Anymore” (02-23-72); “The Caterpillar” (03-0¡-72); “Rare Objects” (¡0-22-72); “You Can Come Up Now, Mrs. Millikan” (¡¡-¡2-72); “Finnegan’s Flight” (¡2-03-72); “Something in the Woodwork” (0¡-¡4-73); “Sad and Lonely Sundays” (08-26-76).

Buck Houghton

Buck Houghton, aside from Rod Serling, was the most important creative force behind The Twilight Zone. He

204

Appendices

produced all ¡02 episodes of the series’ first three seasons, translating words on a written page into imaginatively filmed scenes. He was involved in almost all decisions, including casting, scoring, editing, and the purchase of outside scripts. Houghton was born in ¡9¡9 in Denver, Colorado. A graduate of UCLA, he broke into the business as a reader for director Val Lewton, then as a story editor for David O. Selznick at Selznick International. At RKO, Houghton was involved in the production of such films as Curse of the Cat People (¡944), The Body Snatcher (¡945), and Bedlam (¡946). After four years at RKO, Houghton was hired by MGM as script editor for the first year of Schlitz Playhouse of the Stars. Houghton’s producing career began in ¡952 with China Smith, the syndicated television series. He moved on to produce Wire Service in ¡956, Meet McGraw in ¡957, and Yancy Derringer and Man with a Camera in ¡958. When it came time for The Twilight Zone to find its producer in ¡959, William Self was originally o›ered the job, but he had to decline, instead suggesting Houghton, who worked under him at Schlitz Playhouse of Stars. After looking over the first two Twilight Zone scripts, Houghton met with Rod Serling and was immediately hired. Following The Twilight Zone’s landmark first season, Houghton won a Producers Guild Award for Best Produced Series. In order to avoid unemployment if The Twilight Zone could not find a sponsor and thus not be renewed for a fourth season, Houghton accepted an o›er to produce The Richard Boone Show for Four Star Productions in ¡963. He did so for two seasons, before moving on to produce many acclaimed

shows, including Blue Light in ¡966, The High Chaparral from ¡967 to ¡970, Harry O in ¡974-75, Executive Suite in ¡976-77, and Dynasty from ¡98¡ to ¡988. Houghton also produced The Wraith, a ¡986 low-budget horror flick starring Charlie Sheen.

Charles Beaumont

Charles Beaumont was born Charles Leroy Nutt on January 2, ¡929, on Chicago’s north side. Born to an unstable mother, Beaumont was raised by five widowed aunts who ran a rooming house in Washington. In his teens, Beaumont published his own science fiction fanzine, Utopia. He dropped out of high school and served in the Infantry for three months; he was honorably discharged because of back trouble. After a short-lived stage career in California, Beaumont sold illustrations to a number of pulp magazines and the first edition of Out of the Unknown, a collection of short stories by husbandand-wife team A. E. van Vogt and E. Mayne Hull. He changed his name to Charles McNutt, then E. T. Beaumont, and finally, legally, to Charles Beaumont. At the age of ¡9, while working as a railroad clerk in Mobile, Alabama, Beaumont met 20-year-old Helen Broun. A year later, they were married, and they subsequently moved to California. Little more than a year after that, son Christopher was born in ¡950, the first of four children. To support his family, Charles worked as a piano player, an animator at MGM, a disc jockey, an usher, a dishwasher, an editor at a comic book company, and a mimeograph operator. He also established valuable and lifelong friendships with writers John Tomerlin, William F. Nolan, Ray Bradbury, and Richard Matheson.

Appendix 2—Writers In ¡950, Beaumont — through his agent, the legendary Forrest J Ackerman — sold his first short story, “The Devil, You Say?” It appeared in the January ¡95¡ issue of Amazing Stories and years later was adapted into the season four episode “Printer’s Devil” (02-28-63). In September ¡954, his short story “Black Country” appeared in Playboy. Soon the magazine put him on a $500 monthly retainer for first refusal rights to his manuscripts, and listed him as a contributing editor. Beaumont’s career in television began in ¡954, after his teleplay “Masquerade” aired on Four Star Playhouse. In April ¡958, G. P. Putnam’s Sons published Beaumont’s first story collection, The Hunger and Other Stories. His first film script was also produced in ¡958, The Queen of Outer Space. Beaumont worked in the music department at Universal before he was fired in July ¡959. Beaumont, then 24, decided to take up writing full-time. By ¡960 Beaumont had already published dozens of short stories and essays, and several books, and had sold a number of scripts to such shows as Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Naked City, Thriller, Have Gun—Will Travel, Wanted: Dead or Alive, and One Step Beyond. Beaumont first met Rod Serling at a party, circa ¡959. Later that year, Beaumont was among a group of established West Coast writers invited to screen the pilot episode of The Twilight Zone. Beaumont liked what he saw and was invited to be a principal contributor to the series. Over the next five seasons, he would write or adapt 22 episodes, more than any other person except for Serling. In ¡962 Beaumont was hired to do screenplay adaptations for director Roger Corman. Beaumont would later work with Corman on several Poe-

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inspired films, including The Premature Burial (¡962, with Ray Russell), The Haunted Palace (¡963), and The Masque of the Red Death (¡964). He also worked on such fantasy films as Burn, Witch, Burn (¡962, with Richard Matheson, one of many collaborations between the two), The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm (¡962, with David P. Harmon and William Roberts), and The Seven Faces of Dr. Lao (¡964). In the summer of ¡964, Beaumont, 35, was diagnosed as having Alzheimer’s disease. He died February 2¡, ¡967, at the age of 38. Books: The Hunger (¡957); Yonder (¡958); Night Ride and Other Journeys (¡960); The Fiend in You (ed., ¡962); Remember? Remember? (essays, ¡963); The Magic Man (¡965); The Edge (¡966); Best of Beaumont (¡982); The Howling Man (¡988). Films: Queen of Outer Space (¡958); The Premature Burial (¡962); Burn, Witch, Burn (¡962); The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm (¡962); The Haunted Palace (¡963); The Seven Faces of Dr. Lao (¡964); The Masque of the Red Death (¡964); Brain Dead (¡989). Television: “The Captain’s Guest” (05-26-59) and “Brainwave” (¡0-0659) for Thriller; “Girl with a Secret” (¡¡¡5-60) and “Guillotine” (09-25-6¡) for One Step Beyond.

Richard Matheson

Richard Burton Matheson was born in Allendale, New Jersey, on February 20, ¡926, to Norwegian immigrants. Matheson grew up in Brooklyn and graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School in ¡943. He served with the U.S. Army in France and Germany during World War II, after which he graduated from the University of Missouri in ¡949 with a B.A. in journalism. While in Columbia, Matheson

206

Appendices

wrote fiction for a campus magazine and music reviews for the Columbia Missourian. Matheson’s first sale was “Born of Man and Woman,” which appeared in the February ¡950 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. In succeeding years, Matheson gathered extensive credits in most of the major science fiction magazines. He also wrote numerous film and television scripts. He came to Hollywood to adapt his ¡956 novel The Shrinking Man into Universal’s The Incredible Shrinking Man. It was this adaptation that led to his extensive work in Hollywood films and television. His impressive body of work also helped him grab the attention of Rod Serling when The Twilight Zone needed outside writers. Matheson and good friend Charles Beaumont were invited to a screening of the TZ pilot, and the rest is history. In all, Matheson contributed ¡6 original or adapted scripts to the series. Today, Matheson lives in Woodland Hills, California, with his wife Ruth. They have four grown children, one of whom, Richard Christian (b. ¡953), is a writer of short stories and teleplays. Books: Fury on Sunday (¡953); Someone Is Bleeding (¡953); Born of Man and Woman (¡954) [Third from the Sun (¡954)]; I Am Legend (¡954) [The Omega Man: I Am Legend (¡97¡)]; The Shrinking Man (¡956); The Shores of Space (¡957); A Stir of Echoes (¡958); Ride the Nightmare (¡959); The Beardless Warriors (¡960); Shock! (¡96¡) [Shock I (¡979)]; Shock II (¡964); Shock III (¡966); Hell House (¡97¡); Bid Time Return (¡975); What Dreams May Come (¡978); Earthbound (¡982, reissued ¡994); Collected Stories (¡989); Journal of the Gun Years (¡99¡); 7 Steps to Midnight (¡993); The Incredible Shrinking

Man (¡994 reissue, with other stories); Now You See It (¡994); I Am Legend (¡995 reissue, with other stories); Shadow on the Sun (¡995); The Memoirs of Wild Bill Hickok (¡996). Films: The Incredible Shrinking Man (¡957); The Beat Generation (w/ Louis Metzer, ¡959); The House of Usher (¡960); The Pit and the Pendulum (¡96¡); Master of the World (¡96¡); Tales of Terror (¡962); Burn, Witch, Burn (w/ Charles Beaumont, ¡962); The Raven (¡963); The Comedy of Terrors (¡963); The Last Man on Earth (w/ Logan Swanson [nee William P. Leicester], ¡963); Die! Die! My Darling! (¡965); The Devil ’s Bride (¡968); The Young Warriors (¡968); De Sade (¡969); The Legend of Hell House (¡973); Somewhere in Time (¡980); Jaws 3-D (¡983); Twilight Zone—The Movie (¡983). Television: “The Return of Andrew Bentley” (¡2-¡¡-6¡) for Thriller; “Time of Flight” (09-2¡-66) for Bob Hope Presents The Chrysler Theatre; “The Enemy Within” (¡0-06-66) for Star Trek; Duel (¡97¡); “The Big Surprise” (¡¡-¡0-7¡) and “The Funeral” (0¡-05-72) for Rod Serling’s Night Gallery; The Night Stalker (¡972); “The New House” (03-¡7-72) for Ghost Story; The Night Strangler (¡973); The Morning After (¡974); Dying Room Only (¡974); Scream of the Wolf (¡974); Dracula (¡974); The Stranger Within (¡974); “Amelia” (¡975); Dead of Night (¡977); The Strange Possession of Mrs. Oliver (¡977); The Martian Chronicles (¡980).

Earl Hamner, Jr.

Earl Hamner, Jr., was born July ¡0, ¡923, in Schuyler, Virginia, and raised in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Hamner attended the University of Richmond from ¡940 to ¡943. After serving in World War II, he spent the year ¡946 at Northwestern University, then completed his

Appendix 2—Writers B.F.A. at the College of Music of Cincinnati in ¡948. Like Rod Serling, Hamner got his start as a continuity writer at WLW in Cincinnati, from ¡946 to ¡948. Hamner, like Serling, was also a secondplace prizewinner in a ¡949 contest staged by the Dr. Christian radio show. Hamner then moved to New York, where he wrote radio and television scripts for NBC from ¡949 to ¡960. His work was showcased on television shows such as Today; Wide, Wide World; Theatre Guild of the Air; and Matinee Theatre. Hamner’s radio scripts could be heard on Eva La Gallienne Theatre, Biography in Sound, NBC Theatre, and Dimension X. Like most other up-and-coming writers of the time, Hamner eventually moved to California. His New York agent introduced him to a Hollywood agent, but he was still unable to get a writing assignment for six months. Desperate for work, Hamner tried a little networking: He called Rod Serling, whom he knew had started a new fantasy anthology series, and reminded him of their brief meeting years back in New York City at the Dr. Christian studios. Hamner then mailed a couple of Twilight Zone ideas to Serling. Despite the fact that Hamner had never written for film, Serling and producer Buck Houghton decided to take a chance on Hamner, and it paid o›. Hamner eventually contributed eight original teleplays to the series. After The Twilight Zone, Hamner went on to create the long-running and beloved CBS series The Waltons (¡972– ¡98¡), as well as Falcon Crest, which aired on CBS from ¡98¡ to ¡990. His numerous honors include the TVRadio Writers Award in ¡967, a Writers Guild Prize for Heidi (¡969), a George Foster Peabody Award in ¡972,

207

and an Emmy Award for Outstanding Continuing Dramatic Series for The Waltons in ¡972. Books: Fifty Roads to Town (¡953); Spencer’s Mountain (¡96¡); You Can’t Get There from Here (¡965); The Homecoming (¡970). Films: Spencer’s Mountain (¡963); Palm Springs Weekend (¡963); Where the Lillies Bloom (¡972); Charlotte’s Web (¡973). Television: Highway (¡954); “The Watchers” (09-¡9-67), story and cowriter (with Jerry Sohl), for The Invaders; Heidi (¡969); Appalachian Autumn (¡970); Aesop’s Fables (¡97¡); The Homecoming (¡97¡); Apple’s Way (¡973).

George Clayton Johnson

George Clayton Johnson was born in a barn outside Cheyenne, Wyoming, on July ¡0, ¡929. At the time, his father was in the Army but later worked as an occasional day laborer and small-time bootlegger. After his parents divorced, Johnson and his older brother were left in the care of their alcoholic mother, but because of her drinking Johnson was shuttled between aunts and cousins. He dropped out of school in the eighth grade and at ¡4 was placed by the courts in the state orphanage in Casper, where he stayed for one year. Custody was returned to his mother, but before he was ¡6 Johnson set out on his own. At ¡7 he enlisted in the Army. Upon his discharge, he went to California, got married, had a son and a daughter, and worked designing houses and doing architectural renderings (he had learned drafting in the Army). He soon closed his drafting o‡ce, wanting to be a writer. He met Charles Beaumont and for five years struggled to make his first sale.

208

Appendices

Finally, Johnson sold “All of Us Are Dying” and “Execution” to The Twilight Zone. Rod Serling adapted these stories into “The Four of Us Are Dying” (0¡-0¡-60) and “Execution” (04-0¡-60), respectively. TZ producer Buck Houghton then o›ered to buy the story rights to “A Penny for Your Thoughts” (0203-6¡), but Johnson was determined to write the teleplay himself. Houghton relented after a week-and-a-half of deliberation. Johnson later wrote three more memorable, original teleplays for the series: “A Game of Pool” (¡0-¡36¡), “Nothing in the Dark” (0¡-05-62), and “Kick the Can” (02-09-62). In addition, two more of his stories were adapted into Twilight Zone episodes: “The Prime Mover” (03-24-6¡) and “Ninety Years Without Slumbering” (¡2-20-63). Books: Logan’s Run (w/ William F. Nolan, ¡967); Scripts and Stories Written for The Twilight Zone (¡977); Writing for The Twilight Zone (¡98¡). Television: “The Man Trap” (09-0866) for Star Trek.

Montgomery Pittman

Montgomery Pittman was born in Louisiana in ¡920 and raised in Oklahoma. As a teenager, he joined a traveling medicine show with his older brother. He eventually became an actor upon arriving in New York. Pittman moved to California in ¡949 to pursue a career as a writer. He wrote several films, including a script (uncredited) for Antonioni’s Il Grido (¡957). Pittman met future Twilight Zone producer Buck Houghton as a writer for Schlitz Playhouse of Stars. Pittman turned to directing in order to fully realize the artistic visions of his stories. Pittman wrote and directed “Two” (09-¡5-6¡), “The Grave” (¡0-27-6¡),

and “The Last Rites of Je› Myrtlebank” (02-23-62). In addition, he served as director only on “Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?” and “Dead Man’s Shoes” (0¡-¡9-62). Pittman died only four months after “Je› Myrtlebank” aired. Films (as writer): Il Grido (¡957); Slim Carter (¡957); Money, Women and Guns (¡958). Television (as writer): “The Sister” (¡¡-25-58) for The Rifleman; “ Island in the Swamp” (¡¡-30-58), “Pappy” (09¡3-59), and “A Cure for Johnny Rain” (¡2-20-59) for Maverick.

Jerry Sohl

Born Gerald Allan Sohl in ¡9¡3, Jerry Sohl was a journalist before becoming an active writer in science fiction and other genres around ¡950. He began publishing science fiction in ¡952 with “The 7th Order” for Gal, and his first novel, The Haploids, was published in the same year. After ¡958 Sohl wrote television scripts under various names for The Invaders, The Outer Limits, Star Trek, and The Twilight Zone. Sohl ghostwrote, with minimal input from credited writer Charles Beaumont, the Twilight Zone episodes “The New Exhibit” (04-04-63), “Living Doll” (¡¡-0¡-63), and “Queen of the Nile” (03-06-64). Books: The Haploids (¡952); Transcendent Man (¡953); Costigan’s Needle (¡953); The Altered Ego (¡954); Point Ultimate (¡955); The Mars Monopoly (¡956); The Time Dissolver (¡957); The Odious Ones (¡959); One Against Herculum (¡959); Night Slaves (¡965); The Anomaly (¡97¡); I, Aleppo (¡976); Death Sleep (¡983). Television: “The Invisible Enemy” for The Outer Limits; “The Corbomite Maneuver” (¡¡-¡0-66) and “Whom Gods Destroy” (0¡-03-69, story only) for Star

Appendix 2—Writers Trek; “The Watchers” (cowriter with Earl Hamner, Jr.) and “Dark Outpost” for The Invaders; “The Disappearances” (¡977, cowriter with Luther Murdoch) for The Man from Atlantis.

Martin M. Goldsmith

Martin M. Goldsmith (¡9¡7–¡984)

209

was credited with writing two episodes from season five: “What’s in the Box” (03-¡3-64) and “The Encounter” (050¡-64). Prior to his work on The Twilight Zone, Goldsmith had cowritten four films noirs: Detour (¡945), Blindspot (¡947), Shakedown (¡950), and The Narrow Margin (¡952).

Secondary Contributors Several episodes of The Twilight Zone were adapted from stories by wellknown or established science fiction and fantasy authors.

Jerome Bixby

Writer and editor Jerome Lewis Bixby (aka Jay B. Drexel, Harry Neal, and Alger Rome) was born in ¡923. His first sale was “Tubemonkey” for Planet Stories in ¡949. His stories include many westerns; in addition, he has written science fiction and horror screenplays and teleplays. Bixby’s work has appeared in numerous comics and pulps, including Planet Stories, Two Complete Science-Adventure Books, Galaxy Science Fiction, Thrilling Wonder Stories, and Startling Stories. His story “ It’s a Good Life” was the basis for Rod Serling’s Twilight Zone episode of the same name (¡¡-03-6¡). Books: Space by the Tale (¡964); Devil ’s Scrapbook (¡964); Day of the Dove (¡978). Films: It! The Terror from Beyond Space (¡958); Curse of the Faceless Man (¡958).

Ray Bradbury

Ray Douglas Bradbury was born August 22, ¡920, in Waukegan, Illinois. At age ¡¡ he discovered the art of magic as practiced by Blackstone the Magician and Mr. Electrico, who inspired him to start writing short stories about the planet Mars. Shortly thereafter the Bradbury family moved to Arizona and

then, in ¡934, to Los Angeles, where he has lived ever since. He graduated from Los Angeles High School in ¡938, sold newspapers, bought a typewriter, rented an o‡ce, and launched his career. His first sale (for $¡3.75) was “Pendulum,” a short story that appeared in the November ¡94¡ issue of Super Science Stories. Within a year he was a fulltime writer, and after The Martian Chronicles was published in ¡950 he soon found himself famous. Today, after over 40 years of writing, hundreds of short stories, plays, films, and television scripts, and dozens of poems, Bradbury remains one of the most popular American writers. Bradbury’s sole contribution to The Twilight Zone was “ I Sing the Body Electric” (05-¡8-63), an adaptation of his short story of the same name. Books: The Martian Chronicles (¡950); The Illustrated Man (¡95¡); The Golden Apples of the Sun (¡953); Fahrenheit 45¡ (¡954); The October Country (¡955); Dandelion Wine (¡957); A Medicine for Melancholy (¡959); Something Wicked This Way Comes (¡962); S Is for Space (¡962); The Anthem Sprinters and Other Antics (¡963); The Machineries of Joy (¡964); The Vintage Bradbury (¡965);

210

Appendices

S Is for Space (¡966); I Sing the Body Electric (¡969); The Halloween Tree (¡972); When Elephants Last in the Dooryard Bloomed (¡975); Where Robot Mice and Robot Men Run Round in Robot Town (¡977); The Stories of Ray Bradbury (¡980); The Complete Poems of Ray Bradbury (¡982); Dinosaur Tales (¡983); A Memory of Murder (¡984); Death Is a Lonely Business (¡985); The Toynbee Convector (¡988); Classic Stories ¡ (¡990); Classic Stories 2 (¡990); A Graveyard for Lunatics (¡990); Zen in the Art of Writing (¡990); Quicker Than the Eye (¡996); Driving Blind (¡997). Films: Moby Dick (w/ John Huston, ¡962); In a Season of Calm Weather (as Douglas Spaulding, ¡957). Television: Wrote all episodes of The Ray Bradbury Theater (¡986–¡992).

John Collier

John Collier was born in London on May 3, ¡90¡. Privately educated, he did not attend a university but was writing poetry at ¡9 and publishing it at 20. His first novel, His Monkey Wife; or, Married to a Chimp, appeared in ¡930. On May ¡6, ¡935, Collier arrived in the United States for his first sojourn as a screenwriter for RKO Radio Pictures. Before the age of 35, he had published a volume of poetry, a collection of stories, and three novels. His collection of short stories, Fancies and Goodnights (¡95¡) won the first International Fantasy Award. Milton’s “Paradise Lost”: Screenplay for Cinema of the Mind (¡973) was the last book that Collier was to publish before his death, on April 6, ¡980. Collier’s short story “The Chaser” was adapted by Robert Presnell, Jr., for The Twilight Zone (05-¡3-60). Films (as writer): The Elephant Boy (¡937). Books: His Monkey Wife; or, Married

to a Chimp (¡930); No Traveller Returns (¡93¡); Green Thoughts (¡932); Full Circle (¡933); The Devil and All (¡934); Presenting Moonshine (¡94¡); Green Thoughts and Other Strange Tales (¡943); The Touch of Nutmeg (¡943); Fancies and Goodnights (¡95¡); Pictures in the Fire (¡958); The John Collier Reader (¡972) [The Best of John Collier (¡975)]; Milton’s “Paradise Lost”: Screenplay for Cinema of the Mind (¡973).

Paul Fairman

Paul W. Fairman (¡9¡6–¡977) was an editor and writer who worked in several genres, including crime stories, juvenile, and erotica. His first published science fiction story was “No Teeth for the Tiger” for Amazing Stories in ¡950. He worked under numerous pseudonyms, including Robert Lee, Mallory Storm, E. K. Jarvis, Clee Garson, Ivar Jorgensen, Lester del Rey, Ellery Queen, and Paul Lohrman. Fairman was a regular contributor and editor to such pulps as If, Amazing Stories, Fantastic, and Dream World. His magazine stories “Deadly City” and “The Cosmic Frame” were filmed as Target Earth! (¡954) and Invasion of the Saucer Men (¡955). His story “Brothers Beyond the Void” was adapted by Rod Serling for the Twilight Zone episode “People Are Alike All Over” (03-25-60). Books: Ten from Infinity (as Jorgensen, ¡963); Rest in Agony (as Jorgensen, ¡963); The World Grabbers (¡964); City Under the Sea (¡965); The Runaway Robot (as del Rey, ¡965); A Study in Terror (as Queen, ¡966); Tunnel Through Time (as del Rey, ¡966); Siege Perilous (as del Rey, ¡966); The Forgetful Robot (¡968); I, the Machine (¡968); Prisoners of Space (as del Rey, ¡968); Whom the Gods Would Slay (as Jorgensen, ¡968); The Doomsday Exhibit (¡97¡); The Frankenstein Wheel (¡972).

Appendix 2—Writers Malcolm Jameson

Malcolm Jameson (¡89¡–¡945) served in the U.S. Navy and did not begin writing fiction until he was diagnosed with cancer and was forced to restructure his life. His science fiction output began with “Eviction by Isotherm,” which appeared in Astounding ScienceFiction in ¡938. All of his books were published posthumously. Jameson’s story “Blind Alley” was the basis for Rod Serling’s fourth season episode “Of Late I Think of Cli›ordville” (04-¡¡63). Books: Atomic Bomb (¡945); Bullard of the Space Patrol (¡95¡); Tarnished Utopia (¡956).

Damon Knight

Born in ¡922, Damon Francis Knight became involved in science fiction fandom at an early age, and by ¡94¡ was a member of the Futurians in New York, where he shared an apartment with Robert A.W. Lowndes and met James Blish, C. M. Kornbluth, Frederik Pohl, and others. His first professional sale was a cartoon to Amazing Stories. His first story was “Resilience” (¡94¡) in Stirring Science Stories. Also a magazine editor, novelist, and book reviewer, Knight’s reputation as a writer has primarily rested on the short stories published during the ¡950s and ’60s. His greatest editorial achievement in the ’60s and ’70s was the Orbit series of original anthologies that he began in ¡966 and which continued until ¡980. One of Knight’s most popular stories was “To Serve Man,” which Rod Serling turned into one of the most famous Twilight Zone episodes ever (03-02-62). Books: Hell’s Pavement (¡955); Masters of Evolution (¡959); The People Maker (¡959); The Sun Saboteurs (¡96¡); Far Out (¡963); In Deep (¡963); O›

211

Center (¡965); Turning On (¡966); Rule Golden (¡979); The World and Thorinn (¡98¡); The Man in the Tree (¡984); CV (¡985); Late Knight Edition (¡985); The Observers (¡988); One Side Laughing: Stories Unlike Other Stories (¡99¡); God’s Nose (¡99¡); A Reasonable World (¡99¡); Why Do Birds (¡992); Humpty Dumpty: An Oval (¡996).

Henry Kuttner

U.S. writer Henry Kuttner (¡9¡4– ¡958) began to publish science fiction stories in ¡937 with “When the Earth Lived” for Thrilling Wonder Stories. He married C. L. Moore in ¡940 and the two wrote many stories in collaboration, often under their best-known pseudonyms, Lewis Padgett and Lawrence O’Donnell. In ¡950 Kuttner and Moore studied at the University of Southern California; they wrote a number of mystery novels thereafter but very few science fiction stories. Kuttner graduated in ¡954 and went on to work for his M.A., but died of a heart attack in February ¡958, before it was completed. Under the Padgett pseudonym, Kuttner and Moore wrote “What You Need,” which became a Serling-scripted Twilight Zone episode. Books: Line to Tomorrow (as Padgett, ¡954); No Boundaries (w/ Moore, ¡955); Earth’s Last Citadel (w/ Moore, ¡964); The Dark World (¡965); The Mask of Circe (¡97¡).

C. L. Moore

Catherine Lucille Moore was born January 24, ¡9¡¡, and was raised in Indianapolis. Her first published story, “Shambleau,” was included in the November ¡933 issue of Weird Tales. She wrote two series of stories —¡¡ of Northwest Smith and 6 of Jirel of Joiry— between ¡933 and ¡939. In ¡940 she married Henry Kuttner, and until ¡958

212

Appendices

nearly all of the work produced by either was to some degree collaborative. After Kuttner died in ¡958, Moore moved toward television, doing scripts for such series as Maverick and 77 Sunset Strip. She cowrote with Kuttner (under the pseudonym Lewis Padgett) the story “What You Need,” which Rod Serling adapted as a Twilight Zone episode (¡2-25-59) of the same name. Books: Shambleau and Others (¡953); Line to Tomorrow (as Padgett, ¡954); Northwest of Earth (¡954); No Boundaries (w/ Kuttner, ¡955); Earth’s Last Citadel (w/ Kuttner, ¡964); Jirle of Joiry (¡969); The Best of C. L. Moore (¡975); Scarlet Dream (¡98¡).

Henry Slesar

Born in ¡927, Henry Slesar started out in advertising before “The Brat” was published in Imaginative Tales in ¡955. Of his several hundred stories, about a third have been science fiction or fantasy, most of them appearing in in the ’50s (sometimes under the pseudonym O. H. Leslie). He is best known for his work in the mystery field. Knight wrote at least ¡00 television scripts, including 24 for Alfred Hitchcock Presents (¡955–6¡). In addition, he was head writer for the daytime suspense serial The Edge of Night in the late ¡950s and ’60s. Slesar’s story “The Old Man” became the Twilight Zone episode “The Old Man in the Cave” (¡¡-08-63), and “The Self-Improvement of Salvadore Ross” (0¡-¡7-64) became the episode of the same name. In more recent years, Slesar served as one of the principal writers of The CBS Radio Mystery Theater from ¡974 to ¡982. Films: Die, Monster, Die (¡965). Books: Twenty Million Miles to Earth (¡957); The Gray Flannel Shroud (¡958); The Bridge of Lions (¡963).

Manly Wade Wellman

Manly Wade Wellman was born May 2¡, ¡903, and began writing fiction early. He sold his first story while a junior at Wichita State University. During the Depression he moved to New York City, but in ¡946, after serving in World War II, he relocated to Chapel Hill, where he later taught creative writing at the University of North Carolina until ¡97¡. Besides fantasy, he wrote dozens of books, including more than 30 juvenile novels, science fiction, nonfiction (mostly Civil War and local histories) and mysteries. He has written biographies and plays, and has even compiled a collection of Confederate songs from the Civil War (The Rebel Songster, ¡959). Under the pen names Levi Crow or Gans T. Field, Wellman’s early tales of horror were printed most often in Weird Tales. The great majority of his occult detective stories were written between ¡938 and ¡95¡. His Carolina fantasies appeared between ¡946 and the ¡980s. Wellman’s Dead and Gone: Classic Crimes of North Carolina won the Edgar Award of the Mystery Writers of America for best fact-crime book of ¡955. In ¡975, Wellman won the award for best collection, at the World Fantasy Convention, for Worse Things Waiting (¡973), a large selection of his early stories. His best-known work was the “Silver John” stories, reprinted in Who Fears the Devil? (¡963). Wellman’s short story “The Valley Was Still” was adapted by Rod Serling as the Twilight Zone episode “Still Valley” (¡¡-24-6¡). Books: Who Fears the Devil? (¡963); Worse Things Waiting (¡973); The Old Gods Waken (¡979); After Dark (¡980); Lonely Vigils (¡98¡); The Lost and the Lurking (¡98¡); John the Balladeer (¡988).

APPENDIX 3: PRINCIPAL WRITERS AND THEIR TWILIGHT ZONE CREDITS Most of the credit for the success of The Twilight Zone must go to Rod Serling and his writing sta›, who were responsible for nearly the entire output of the series. (Only 11 of the 156 episodes were penned by writers other than the ones listed below. Serling himself was the most frequent and prodigious contributor, writing the staggering number of 92 teleplays, over half the entire series!) Below is a complete listing of episode credits for TZ writers who wrote more than one teleplay for the show; the writers are listed in order of most contributions.

Rod Serling (92) Season One “Where Is Everybody?” “One for the Angels” “Mr. Denton on Doomsday” “The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine” “Walking Distance” “Escape Clause” “The Lonely” “Time Enough at Last” “Judgment Night” “And When the Sky Was Opened” “What You Need” “The Four of Us Are Dying” “Third from the Sun” “ I Shot an Arrow into the Air” “The Hitch-Hiker” “The Fever” “The Purple Testament” “Mirror Image” “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” “People Are Alike All Over”

10-02-59 10-09-59 10-16-59 10-23-59 10-30-59 11-06-59 11-13-59 11-20-59 12-04-59 12-11-59 12-25-59 01-01-60 01-08-60 01-15-60 01-22-60 01-29-60 02-12-60 02-26-60

original teleplay original teleplay original teleplay original teleplay original teleplay original teleplay original teleplay adaptation original teleplay adaptation adaptation adaptation adaptation original teleplay adaptation original teleplay original teleplay original teleplay

03-04-60 03-25-60

original teleplay adaptation

213

214

Appendices

“Execution” “The Big, Tall Wish” “Nightmare as a Child” “A Stop at Willoughby” “A Passage for Trumpet” “Mr. Bevis” “The After Hours” “The Mighty Casey” Season Two “King Nine Will Not Return” “The Man in the Bottle” “Nervous Man in a Four Dollar Room” “A Thing About Machines” “Eye of the Beholder” “The Lateness of the Hour” “A Most Unusual Camera” “Night of the Meek” “Dust” “Back There” “The Whole Truth” “Twenty Two” “The Odyssey of Flight 33” “Mr. Dingle, the Strong” “A Hundred Yards Over the Rim” “The Rip Van Winkle Caper” “The Silence” “The Mind and the Matter” “Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?” “The Obsolete Man” Season Three “The Arrival” “The Shelter” “The Passersby” “The Mirror” “ It’s a Good Life” “Death’s-head Revisited” “The Midnight Sun” “Still Valley” “Five Characters in Search of an Exit” “A Quality of Mercy” “One More Pallbearer” “Showdown with Rance McGrew” “To Serve Man” “The Little People” “Four O’Clock” “Hocus-Pocus and Frisby”

04-01-60 04-08-60 04-29-60 05-06-60 05-20-60 06-03-60 06-10-60 06-17-60

adaptation original teleplay original teleplay original teleplay original teleplay original teleplay original teleplay original teleplay

09-30-60 10-07-60

original teleplay original teleplay

10-14-60 10-28-60 11-11-60 12-02-60 12-16-60 12-23-60 01-06-61 01-13-61 01-20-61 02-10-61 02-24-61 03-03-61 04-07-61 04-21-61 04-28-61 05-12-61

original teleplay original teleplay original teleplay original teleplay original teleplay original teleplay original teleplay original teleplay original teleplay adaptation original teleplay original teleplay original teleplay original teleplay original teleplay original teleplay

05-26-61 06-02-61

original teleplay original teleplay

09-22-61 09-29-61 10-06-61 10-20-61 11-03-61 11-10-61 11-17-61 11-24-61

original teleplay original teleplay original teleplay original teleplay adaptation original teleplay original teleplay adaptation

12-22-61 12-29-61 01-12-62 02-02-62 03-02-62 03-30-62 04-06-62 04-13-62

adaptation original teleplay original teleplay original teleplay adaptation original teleplay adaptation adaptation

Appendix 3—Principal Writers “The Trade-Ins” “The Gift” “The Dummy” “Cavender Is Coming” “The Changing of the Guard”

215

04-20-62 04-27-62 05-04-62 05-25-62 06-01-62

original teleplay original teleplay adaptation original teleplay original teleplay

01-10-63 01-24-63 03-07-63 03-14-63 04-11-63

original teleplay original teleplay original teleplay original teleplay adaptation

05-02-63 05-23-63

original teleplay original teleplay

09-27-63 10-18-63 10-25-63 11-08-63 11-15-63 11-29-63

original teleplay adaptation original teleplay adaptation original teleplay original teleplay

12-06-63

original teleplay

12-13-63 01-10-64 03-20-64

original teleplay original teleplay original teleplay

03-27-64 04-03-64 04-17-64 05-08-64 05-15-64 05-29-64

original teleplay original teleplay original teleplay adaptation original teleplay original teleplay

Season One “Perchance to Dream” “Elegy” “Long Live Walter Jameson” “A Nice Place to Visit”

11-27-59 02-19-60 03-18-60 04-15-60

adaptation of his short story adaptation of his short story original teleplay original teleplay

Season Two “The Howling Man” “Static” “The Prime Mover” “Long Distance Call”

11-04-60 03-10-61 03-24-61 03-31-61

adaptation of his short story adaptation adaptation orig. teleplay, w/ William Idelson original teleplay

Season Four “The Thirty Fathom Grave” “He’s Alive” “No Time Like the Past” “The Parallel” “Of Late I Think of Cli›ordville” “On Thursday We Leave for Home” “The Bard” Season Five “ In Praise of Pip” “A Kind of a Stopwatch” “The Last Night of a Jockey” “The Old Man in the Cave” “Uncle Simon” “Probe 7, Over and Out” “The 7th Is Made Up of Phantoms” “A Short Drink from a Certain Fountain” “The Long Morrow” “The Masks” “ I Am the Night — Color Me Black” “Sounds and Silences” “The Jeopardy Room” “Mr. Garrity and the Graves” “The Brain Center at Whipple’s” “The Fear”

Charles Beaumont (22)

“Shadow Play”

05-05-61

216

Appendices

Season Three “The Jungle” “Dead Man’s Shoes” “The Fugitive” “Person or Persons Unknown”

12-01-61 01-19-62 03-09-62 03-23-62

adaptation of his short story orig. teleplay, w/ OCee Ritch original teleplay original teleplay

Season Four “ In His Image” “Valley of the Shadow” “Miniature” “Printer’s Devil” “The New Exhibit” “Passage on the Lady Anne”

01-03-63 01-17-63 02-21-63 02-28-63 04-04-63 05-09-63

adaptation of his short story original teleplay original teleplay adaptation of his short story orig. teleplay, w/ Jerry Sohl adaptation of his short story

Season Five “Living Doll” “Number 12 Looks Just Like You”

11-01-63 01-24-64 03-06-64

orig. teleplay, w/ Jerry Sohl adaptation of his short story, w/ John Tomerlin orig. teleplay, w/ Jerry Sohl

Season One “And When the Sky Was Opened” “Third from the Sun” “The Last Flight” “A World of Di›erence” “A World of His Own”

12-11-59 01-08-60 02-05-60 03-11-60 07-01-60

story only story only original teleplay original teleplay adaptation of his short story

Season Two “Nick of Time” “The Invaders”

11-18-60 01-27-61

original teleplay original teleplay

Season Three “Once Upon a Time” “Little Girl Lost” “Young Man’s Fancy”

12-15-61 03-16-62 05-11-62

original teleplay adaptation of his short story original teleplay

Season Four “Mute” “Death Ship”

01-31-63 02-07-63

adaptation of his short story adaptation of his short story

Season Five “Steel” “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” “Night Call” “Spur of the Moment”

10-04-63 10-11-63 02-07-64 02-21-64

adaptation of his short story adaptation of his short story adaptation of his short story original teleplay

“Queen of the Nile”

Richard Matheson (16)

Appendix 3—Principal Writers

217

Earl Hamner, Jr. (8) Season Three “The Hunt” “A Piano in the House”

01-26-62 02-16-62

original teleplay original teleplay

Season Four “Jess-Belle”

02-14-63

original teleplay

Season Five “Ring-a-Ding Girl” “You Drive” “Black Leather Jackets” “Stopover in a Quiet Town” “The Bewitchin’ Pool”

12-27-63 01-03-64 01-31-64 04-24-64 06-19-64

original teleplay original teleplay original teleplay original teleplay original teleplay

George Clayton Johnson (8) Season One “The Four of Us Are Dying” “Execution”

01-01-60 04-01-60

story only story only

Season Two “A Penny for Your Thoughts” “The Prime Mover”

02-03-61 03-24-61

original teleplay story only

Season Three “A Game of Pool” “Nothing in the Dark” “Kick the Can”

10-13-61 01-05-62 02-09-62

original teleplay original teleplay original teleplay

Season Five “Ninety Years Without Slumbering”

12-20-63

story only

09-15-61 10-27-61

original teleplay, also directed original teleplay, also directed

02-23-62

original teleplay, also directed

03-13-64 05-01-64

original teleplay original teleplay

Montgomery Pittman (3) Season Three “Two” “The Grave” “The Last Rites of Je› Myrtlebank”

Martin M. Goldsmith (2) Season Five “What’s in the Box” “The Encounter”

APPENDIX 4: DIRECTORS AND THEIR TWILIGHT ZONE CREDITS An integral part of The Twilight Zone’s success was its talented assembly of visionary and often innovative directors. Following is a complete list of the show’s directors. The number of episodes that each directed is shown in parentheses; the episodes are in chronological order by airdate. John Brahm (¡2) “Time Enough at Last” (¡¡-20-59) “Judgment Night” (¡2-04-59) “The Four of Us Are Dying” (0¡-0¡-60) “Mirror Image” (02-26-60) “A Nice Place to Visit” (04-¡5-60) “Mr. Dingle, the Strong” (03-03-6¡) “Shadow Play” (05-05-6¡) “Person or Persons Unknown” (03-23-62) “Young Man’s Fancy” (05-¡¡-62) “The New Exhibit” (04-04-63) “You Drive” (0¡-03-64) “Queen of the Nile” (03-06-64) Douglas Heyes (9) “And When the Sky Was Opened” (¡2¡¡-59) “Elegy” (02-¡9-60) “The Chaser” (05-¡3-60) “The After Hours” (06-¡0-60) “Nervous Man in a Four Dollar Room” (¡0-¡4-60) “The Howling Man” (¡¡-04-60) “Eye of the Beholder” (¡¡-¡¡-60) “Dust” (0¡-06-6¡) “The Invaders” (0¡-27-6¡) Buzz Kulik (9) “King Nine Will Not Return” (09-30-60) “The Trouble with Templeton” (¡2-09-60) “Static” (03-¡0-6¡)

“A Hundred Yards Over the Rim” (0407-6¡) “The Mind and the Matter” (05-¡2-6¡) “A Game of Pool” (¡0-¡3-6¡) “A Quality of Mercy” (¡2-29-6¡) “Jess-Belle” (02-¡4-63) “On Thursday We Leave for Home” (0502-63) Lamont Johnson (8) “The Shelter” (09-29-6¡) “Five Characters in Search of an Exit” (¡2-22-6¡) “Nothing in the Dark” (0¡-05-62) “One More Pallbearer” (0¡-¡2-62) “Kick the Can” (02-09-62) “Four O’Clock” (04-06-62) “Hocus-Pocus and Frisby” (04-¡3-62) “Passage on the Lady Anne” (05-09-63) Richard L. Bare (7) “Third from the Sun” (0¡-08-60) “The Purple Testament” (02-¡2-60) “Nick of Time” (¡¡-¡8-60) “The Prime Mover” (03-24-6¡) “To Serve Man” (03-02-62) “The Fugitive” (03-09-62) “What’s in the Box” (03-¡3-64) Richard Donner (6) “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” (¡0-¡¡-63)

218

Appendix 4—Directors

219

“From Agnes — with Love” (02-¡4-64) “Sounds and Silences” (04-03-64) “The Jeopardy Room” (04-¡7-64) “The Brain Center at Whipple’s” (05-¡564) “Come Wander with Me” (05-22-64)

Alan Crosland, Jr. (4) “The Parallel” (03-¡4-63) “The Old Man in the Cave” (¡¡-08-63) “The 7th Is Made Up of Phantoms” (¡206-63) “Ring-a-Ding Girl” (¡2-27-63)

James Sheldon (6) “The Whole Truth” (0¡-20-6¡) “A Penny for Your Thoughts” (02-03-6¡) “Long Distance Call” (03-3¡-6¡) “ It’s a Good Life” (¡¡-03-6¡) “Still Valley” (¡¡-24-6¡) “ I Sing the Body Electric” (codirector) (05-¡8-62)

Alvin Ganzer (4) “What You Need” (¡2-25-59) “The Hitch-Hiker” (0¡-22-60) “Nightmare as a Child” (04-29-60) “The Mighty Casey” (codirector) (06-¡760)

Don Medford (5) “A Passage for Trumpet” (05-20-60) “The Man in the Bottle” (¡0-07-60) “The Mirror” (¡0-20-6¡) “Death’s-head Revisited” (¡¡-¡0-6¡) “Death Ship” (02-07-63) Montgomery Pittman (5) “Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?” (05-26-6¡) “Two” (09-¡5-6¡) “The Grave” (¡0-27-6¡) “Dead Man’s Shoes” (0¡-¡9-62) “The Last Rites of Je› Myrtlebank” (0223-62) Abner Biberman (4) “The Dummy” (05-04-62) “The Incredible World of Horace Ford” (04-¡8-63) “Number ¡2 Looks Just Like You” (0¡24-64) “ I Am the Night — Color Me Black” (0327-64) William Claxton (4) “The Last Flight” (02-05-60) “The Jungle” (¡2-0¡-6¡) “The Little People” (03-30-62) “ I Sing the Body Electric” (codirector) (05-¡8-62)

Joseph M. Newman (4) “ In Praise of Pip” (09-27-63) “The Last Night of a Jockey” (¡0-25-63) “Black Leather Jackets” (0¡-3¡-64) “The Bewitchin’ Pool” (06-¡9-64) Ted Post (4) “A World of Di›erence” (03-¡¡-60) “Probe 7, Over and Out” (¡¡-29-63) “Mr. Garrity and the Graves” (05-08-64) “The Fear” (05-29-64) Elliot Silverstein (4) “The Obsolete Man” (06-02-6¡) “The Passersby” (¡0-06-6¡) “The Trade-Ins” (04-20-62) “Spur of the Moment” (02-2¡-64) Jack Smight (4) “The Lonely” (¡¡-¡3-59) “The Lateness of the Hour” (¡2-02-60) “Night of the Meek” (¡2-23-60) “Twenty Two” (02-¡0-6¡) Justus Addiss (3) “The Odyssey of Flight 33” (02-24-6¡) “The Rip Van Winkle Caper” (04-2¡6¡) “No Time Like the Past” (03-07-63) Robert Florey (3) “Perchance to Dream” (¡¡-27-59) “The Fever” (0¡-29-60) “The Long Morrow” (0¡-¡0-64)

220

Appendices

Perry La›erty (3) “ In His Image” (0¡-03-63) “The Thirty Fathom Grave” (0¡-¡0-63) “Valley of the Shadow” (0¡-¡7-63) Mitchell Leisen (3) “The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine” (¡0-2359) “Escape Clause” (¡¡-06-59) “People Are Alike All Over” (03-25-60) David Orrick McDearmon (3) “Execution” (04-0¡-60) “A Thing About Machines” (¡0-28-60) “Back There” (0¡-¡3-6¡) Robert Parrish (3) “One for the Angels” (¡0-09-59) “A Stop at Willoughby” (05-06-60) “The Mighty Casey” (codirector) (06-¡760) Stuart Rosenberg (3) “ I Shot an Arrow into the Air” (0¡-¡560) “He’s Alive” (0¡-24-63) “Mute” (0¡-3¡-63) Ron[ald] Winston (3) “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” (03-04-60) “The Big, Tall Wish” (04-08-60) “Stopover in a Quiet Town” (04-24-64) Robert Butler (2) “Caesar and Me” (04-¡0-64) “The Encounter” (05-0¡-64) Anton [Tony] Leader (2) “Long Live Walter Jameson” (03-¡8-60) “The Midnight Sun” (¡¡-¡7-6¡) Christian [Chris] Nyby (2) “Showdown with Rance McGrew” (0202-62) “Cavender Is Coming” (05-25-62) John Rich (2) “A Most Unusual Camera” (¡2-¡6-60) “A Kind of a Stopwatch” (¡0-¡8-63)

Boris Sagal (2) “The Silence” (04-28-6¡) “The Arrival” (09-22-6¡) Don Siegel (2) “Uncle Simon” (¡¡-¡5-63) “The Self-Improvement of Salvadore Ross” (0¡-¡7-64) Robert Stevens (2) “Where Is Everybody?” (¡0-02-59) “Walking Distance” (¡0-30-59) William Asher “Mr. Bevis” (06-03-60) David Butler “The Bard” (05-23-63) Robert Enrico “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” (02-28-64) Bernard Girard “A Short Drink from a Certain Fountain” (¡2-¡3-63) Robert Gist “ I Dream of Genie” (03-2¡-63) Walter E. Grauman “Miniature” (02-2¡-63) David Greene “A Piano in the House” (02-¡6-62) Roger Kay “Ninety Years Without Slumbering” (¡220-63) Ida Lupino “The Masks” (03-20-64) Norman Z. McLeod “Once Upon a Time” (¡2-¡5-6¡) Robert Ellis Miller “The Changing of the Guard” (06-0¡-62) Allen H. Miner “The Gift” (04-27-62)

Appendix 4—Directors Ralph Nelson “A World of His Own” (07-0¡-60)

Ralph Senensky “Printer’s Devil” (02-28-63)

Allen Reisner “Mr. Denton on Doomsday” (¡0-¡6-59)

Paul Stewart “Little Girl Lost” (03-¡6-62)

David Lowell Rich “Of Late I Think of Cli›ordville” (04-¡¡-63) Richard C. Sarafian “Living Doll” (¡¡-0¡-63) Harold Schuster “The Hunt” (0¡-26-62)

Jacques Tourneur “Night Call” (02-07-64) Don Weis “Steel” (¡0-04-63)

221

APPENDIX 5: PRINCIPAL ACTORS AND THEIR TWILIGHT ZONE CREDITS The Twilight Zone also relied on multiple appearances by capable actors. Following is a complete list of actors with more than one appearance in the series. The number of appearances by each actor or actress is shown in parentheses; the episodes are in chronological order by airdate. Jay Overholts (8) “Where Is Everybody?” (¡0-02-59) “One for the Angels” (¡0-09-59) “A Thing About Machines” (¡0-28-60) “Twenty Two” (voice only) (02-¡0-6¡) “The Odyssey of Flight 33” (02-24-6¡) “Static” (03-¡0-6¡) “The Jungle” (¡2-0¡-6¡) “Showdown with Rance McGrew” (0202-62) [ J.] Pat O’Malley (7) “Walking Distance” (¡0-30-59) “The Chaser” (05-¡3-60) “Back There” (0¡-¡3-6¡) “Static” (03-¡0-6¡) “The Fugitive” (03-09-62) “The Self-Improvement of Salvadore Ross” (0¡-¡7-64) “Mr. Garrity and the Graves” (05-08-64) Robert [Bob] L. McCord (5) “Long Distance Call” (03-3¡-6¡) “A Hundred Yards Over the Rim” (0407-6¡) “The Rip Van Winkle Caper” (04-2¡-6¡) “The Mirror” (voice only) (¡0-20-6¡) “The New Exhibit” (04-04-63)

John Anderson (4) “A Passage for Trumpet” (05-20-60) “The Odyssey of Flight 33” (02-24-6¡) “Of Late I Think of Cli›ordville” (04-¡¡-63) “The Old Man in the Cave” (¡¡-08-63) Lew Brown (4) “A Thing About Machines” (¡0-28-60) “Back There” (0¡-¡3-6¡) “Long Distance Call” (03-3¡-6¡) “The 7th Is Made Up of Phantoms” (¡206-63) Cyril Delevanti (4) “A Penny for Your Thoughts” (02-03-6¡) “The Silence” (04-28-6¡) “A Piano in the House” (02-¡6-62) “Passage on the Lady Anne” (05-09-63) Jack Klugman (4) “A Passage for Trumpet” (05-20-60) “A Game of Pool” (¡0-¡3-6¡) “Death Ship” (02-07-63) “ In Praise of Pip” (09-27-63) [S.] John Launer (4) “And When the Sky Was Opened” (¡2¡¡-59)

222

Appendix 5—Actors “Third from the Sun” (0¡-08-60) “The Purple Testament” (02-¡2-60) “ In Praise of Pip” (09-27-63) John McLiam (4) “The Shelter” (09-29-6¡) “The Midnight Sun” (¡¡-¡7-6¡) “Miniature” (02-2¡-63) “Uncle Simon” (¡¡-¡5-63) Burgess Meredith (4) “Time Enough at Last” (¡¡-20-59) “Mr. Dingle, the Strong” (03-03-6¡) “The Obsolete Man” (06-02-6¡) “Printer’s Devil” (02-28-63) George Mitchell (4) “The Hitch-Hiker” (0¡-22-60) “Execution” (04-0¡-60) “Jess-Belle” (02-¡4-63) “Ring-a-Ding Girl” (¡2-27-63) Barney Phillips (4) “The Purple Testament” (02-¡2-60) “A Thing About Machines” (¡0-28-60) “Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?” (05-26-6¡) “Miniature” (02-2¡-63) Vaughn Taylor (4) “Time Enough at Last” (¡¡-20-59) “Still Valley” (¡¡-24-6¡) “ I Sing the Body Electric” (05-¡8-62) “The Self-Improvement of Salvadore Ross” (0¡-¡7-64) Jim ( James) Turley (4) “The Lonely” (¡¡-¡3-59) “Long Distance Call” (03-3¡-6¡) “The Mirror” (voice only) (¡0-20-6¡) “Showdown with Rance McGrew” (0202-62) Raymond Bailey (3) “Escape Clause” (¡¡-06-59) “Back There” (0¡-¡3-6¡) “From Agnes — with Love” (02-¡4-64) Russ Bender (3) “The Hitch-Hiker” (0¡-22-60) “The Fugitive” (03-09-62)

223

“On Thursday We Leave for Home” (0502-63) Marjorie Bennett (3) “The Chaser” (05-¡3-60) “Kick the Can” (02-09-62) “No Time Like the Past” (03-07-63) Oscar Beregi (3) “The Rip Van Winkle Caper” (04-2¡-6¡) “Death’s-head Revisited” (¡¡-¡0-6¡) “Mute” (0¡-3¡-63) James Best (3) “The Grave” (¡0-27-6¡) “The Last Rites of Je› Myrtlebank” (0223-62) “Jess-Belle” (02-¡4-63) Paul Comi (3) “People Are Alike All Over” (03-25-60) “The Odyssey of Flight 33” (02-24-6¡) “The Parallel” (03-¡4-63) Gladys Cooper (3) “Nothing in the Dark” (0¡-05-62) “Passage on the Lady Anne” (05-09-63) “Night Call” (02-07-64) Suzanne Cupito (3) “Nightmare as a Child” (04-29-60) “Valley of the Shadow” (0¡-¡7-63) “Caesar and Me” (04-¡0-64) John Dehner (3) “The Lonely” (¡¡-¡3-59) “The Jungle” (¡2-0¡-6¡) “Mr. Garrity and the Graves” (05-08-64) Bill Erwin (3) “Mr. Denton on Doomsday” (¡0-¡6-59) “Walking Distance” (¡0-30-59) “Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?” (05-26-6¡) Michael Fox (3) “Nightmare as a Child” (04-29-60) “Mr. Dingle, the Strong” (03-03-6¡) “Sounds and Silences” (04-03-64)

224

Appendices

Lew Gallo (3) “The Hitch-Hiker” (0¡-22-60) “The Rip Van Winkle Caper” (04-2¡-6¡) “On Thursday We Leave for Home” (0502-63) Mary Gregory (3) “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” (03-04-60) “The Lateness of the Hour” (¡2-02-60) “The Shelter” (09-29-6¡) Don Keefer (3) “ It’s a Good Life” (¡¡-03-6¡) “Passage on the Lady Anne” (05-09-63) “From Agnes — with Love” (02-¡4-64) Sandy Kenyon (3) “The Odyssey of Flight 33” (02-24-6¡) “The Shelter” (09-29-6¡) “Valley of the Shadow” (0¡-¡7-63) Gail Kobe (3) “A World of Di›erence” (03-¡¡-60) “ In His Image” (0¡-03-63) “The Self-Improvement of Salvadore Ross” (0¡-¡7-64)

“ It’s a Good Life” (¡¡-03-6¡) “ In Praise of Pip” (09-27-63) Hank Patterson (3) “Kick the Can” (02-09-62) “Ring-a-Ding Girl” (¡2-27-63) “Come Wander with Me” (05-22-64) Nan Peterson (3) “Walking Distance” (¡0-30-59) “The Whole Truth” (0¡-20-6¡) “From Agnes — with Love” (02-¡4-64) Sta›ord Repp (3) “Nick of Time” (¡¡-¡8-60) “The Grave” (¡0-27-6¡) “Caesar and Me” (04-¡0-64) Wallace Rooney (3) “The Rip Van Winkle Caper” (04-2¡-6¡) “Young Man’s Fancy” (05-¡¡-62) “ In His Image” (0¡-03-63) Albert Salmi (3) “Execution” (04-0¡-60) “A Quality of Mercy” (¡2-29-6¡) “Of Late I Think of Cli›ordville” (04-¡¡-63)

John Larch (3) “Perchance to Dream” (¡¡-27-59) “Dust” (0¡-06-6¡) “ It’s a Good Life” (¡¡-03-6¡)

Hugh Sanders (3) “Judgment Night” (¡2-04-59) “The Jungle” (¡2-0¡-6¡) “Of Late I Think of Cli›ordville” (04-¡¡-63)

Jon Lormer (3) “Execution” (04-0¡-60) “The Last Rites of Je› Myrtlebank” (0223-62) “Jess-Belle” (02-¡4-63)

Vladimir Sokolo› (3) “Dust” (0¡-06-6¡) “The Mirror” (¡0-20-6¡) “The Gift” (04-27-62)

Paul Mazursky (3) “The Purple Testament” (02-¡2-60) “The Gift” (04-27-62) “He’s Alive” (0¡-24-63)

Ben Wright (3) “Judgment Night” (¡2-04-59) “Death’s-head Revisited” (¡¡-¡0-6¡) “Dead Man’s Shoes” (0¡-¡9-62)

James Milhollin (3) “The After Hours” (06-¡0-60) “Mr. Dingle, the Strong” (03-03-6¡) “ I Dream of Genie” (03-2¡-63)

Philip Abbott (2) “Long Distance Call” (03-3¡-6¡) “The Parallel” (03-¡4-63)

Billy Mumy (3) “Long Distance Call” (03-3¡-6¡)

Stanley Adams (2) “Once Upon a Time” (¡2-¡5-6¡) “Mr. Garrity and the Graves” (05-08-64)

Appendix 5—Actors Jay Adler (2) “The Jungle” (¡2-0¡-6¡) “He’s Alive” (0¡-24-63) Charles Aidman (2) “And When the Sky Was Opened” (¡2¡¡-59) “Little Girl Lost” (03-¡6-62)

225

Edward Binns (2) “ I Shot an Arrow into the Air” (0¡-¡560) “The Long Morrow” (0¡-¡0-64) Henry Beckman (2) “A Thing About Machines” (¡0-28-60) “Valley of the Shadow” (0¡-¡7-63)

Claude Akins (2) “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” (03-04-60) “The Little People” (03-30-62)

Larry Blyden (2) “A Nice Place to Visit” (04-¡5-60) “Showdown with Rance McGrew” (0202-62)

Jack Albertson (2) “The Shelter” (09-29-6¡) “ I Dream of Genie” (03-2¡-63)

Merritt Bohn (2) “One for the Angels” (¡0-09-59) “Steel” (¡0-04-63)

Edward Andrews (2) “Third from the Sun” (0¡-08-60) “You Drive” (0¡-03-64)

Jim Boles (2) “The Arrival” (09-22-6¡) “Jess-Belle” (02-¡4-63)

Dave (David) Armstrong (2) “The Rip Van Winkle Caper” (04-2¡-6¡) “The Trade-Ins” (04-20-62)

Robert Boon (2) “Death’s-head Revisited” (¡¡-¡0-6¡) “Mute” (0¡-3¡-63)

Malcolm Atterbury (2) “Mr. Denton on Doomsday” (¡0-¡6-59) “No Time Like the Past” (03-07-63)

Nesdon Booth (2) “Escape Clause” (¡¡-06-59) “The Prime Mover” (03-24-6¡)

Martin Balsam (2) “The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine” (¡0-23-59) “The New Exhibit” (04-04-63)

Patricia Breslin (2) “Nick of Time” (¡¡-¡8-60) “No Time Like the Past” (03-07-63)

Douglas Bank (2) “What’s in the Box” (03-¡3-64) “ I Am the Night — Color Me Black” (0327-64)

Peter Brocco (2) “The Four of Us Are Dying” (0¡-0¡-60) “Hocus-Pocus and Frisby” (04-¡3-62)

Patricia Barry (2) “The Chaser” (05-¡3-60) “ I Dream of Genie” (03-2¡-63)

Walter Brooke (2) “The Jungle” (¡2-0¡-6¡) “A Short Drink from a Certain Fountain” (¡2-¡3-63)

Anne Barton (2) “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” (03-04-60) “Shadow Play” (05-05-6¡)

King Calder (2) “The Trouble with Templeton” (¡2-09-60) “Valley of the Shadow” (0¡-¡7-63)

Arthur Batanides (2) “Mr. Denton on Doomsday” (¡0-¡6-59) “The Mirror” (¡0-20-6¡)

John Close (2) “A Nice Place to Visit” (04-¡5-60) “Shadow Play” (05-05-6¡)

226

Appendices

John Conwell (2) “Where Is Everybody?” (¡0-02-59) “The After Hours” (06-¡0-60)

Bernard Fein (2) “The Four of Us Are Dying” (0¡-0¡-60) “He’s Alive” (0¡-24-63)

Robert Cornthwaite (2) “Showdown with Rance McGrew” (0202-62) “No Time Like the Past” (03-07-63)

John Fiedler (2) “Night of the Meek” (¡2-23-60) “Cavender Is Coming” (05-25-62)

Ted De Corsia (2) “The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine” (¡0-2359) “The Brain Center at Whipple’s” (05-¡5-64) Dana Dillaway (2) “One for the Angels” (¡0-09-59) “ I Sing the Body Electric” (05-¡8-62) Ivan Dixon (2) “The Big, Tall Wish” (04-08-60) “ I Am the Night — Color Me Black” (0327-64) Donna Douglas (2) “Eye of the Beholder” (¡¡-¡¡-60) “Cavender Is Coming” (05-25-62) Ken Drake (2) “A Hundred Yards Over the Rim” (0407-6¡) “A Kind of a Stopwatch” (¡0-¡8-63) Bob Duggan (2) “Mr. Dingle, the Strong” (03-03-6¡) “Static” (03-¡0-6¡) William Edmonson (2) “What You Need” (¡2-25-59) “Shadow Play” (05-05-6¡) Josep Elic (2) “The Obsolete Man” (06-02-6¡) “One More Pallbearer” (0¡-¡2-62) Ross Elliott (2) “Death Ship” (02-07-63) “ In Praise of Pip” (09-27-63) Jeanne Evans (2) “Third from the Sun” (0¡-08-60) “To Serve Man” (03-02-62)

Harry Fleer (2) “The Obsolete Man” (06-02-6¡) “Once Upon a Time” (¡2-¡5-6¡) James Flavin (2) “A Passage for Trumpet” (05-20-60) “Once Upon a Time” (¡2-¡5-6¡) Anne Francis (2) “The After Hours” (06-¡0-60) “Jess-Belle” (02-¡4-63) Alice Frost (2) “The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine” (¡0-2359) “ It’s a Good Life” (¡¡-03-6¡) J. H. Fujikawa (2) “A Quality of Mercy” (¡2-29-6¡) “To Serve Man” (03-02-62) Betty Garde (2) “The Odyssey of Flight 33” (02-24-6¡) “The Midnight Sun” (¡¡-¡7-6¡) Ned Glass (2) “A Passage for Trumpet” (05-20-60) “The Midnight Sun” (¡¡-¡7-6¡) Thomas Gomez (2) “Escape Clause” (¡¡-06-59) “Dust” (0¡-06-6¡) Don Gordon (2) “The Four of Us Are Dying” (0¡-0¡-60) “The Self-Improvement of Salvadore Ross” (0¡-¡7-64) William D. Gordon (2) “Nervous Man in a Four Dollar Room” (¡0-¡4-60) “Eye of the Beholder” (¡¡-¡¡-60)

Appendix 5—Actors Harold Gould (2) “Probe 7, Over and Out” (¡¡-29-63) “The Bewitchin’ Pool” (06-¡9-64) Sandra Gould (2) “Cavender Is Coming” (05-25-62) “What’s in the Box” (03-¡3-64)

227

“On Thursday We Leave for Home” (0502-63) Percy Helton (2) “Mute” (0¡-3¡-63) “Mr. Garrity and the Graves” (05-08-64)

James Gregory (2) “Where Is Everybody?” (¡0-02-59) “The Passersby” (¡0-06-6¡)

Chuck Hicks (2) “Steel” (¡0-04-63) “Ninety Years Without Slumbering” (¡220-63)

Dabbs Greer (2) “Hocus-Pocus and Frisby” (04-¡3-62) “Valley of the Shadow” (0¡-¡7-63)

Marcel Hillaire (2) “A Most Unusual Camera” (¡2-¡6-60) “The New Exhibit” (04-04-63)

Virginia Gregg (2) “Jess-Belle” (02-¡4-63) “The Masks” (03-20-64)

Russell Horton (2) “The Changing of the Guard” (06-0¡-62) “ In Praise of Pip” (09-27-63)

Duane Grey (2) “The Chaser” (05-¡3-60) “Dust” (0¡-06-6¡)

Clegg Hoyt (2) “Static” (03-¡0-6¡) “The Bard” (05-23-63)

George Grizzard (2) “The Chaser” (05-¡3-60) “ In His Image” (0¡-03-63)

John Hoyt (2) “The Lateness of the Hour” (¡2-02-60) “Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?” (05-26-6¡)

Kevin Hagen (2) “Elegy” (02-¡9-60) “You Drive” (0¡-03-64) Dion Hansen (2) “Uncle Simon” (¡¡-¡5-63) “The Brain Center at Whipple’s” (05-¡5-64) John Harmon (2) “The Dummy” (05-04-62) “Of Late I Think of Cli›ordville” (04-¡¡63) Jonathan Harris (2) “Twenty Two” (02-¡0-6¡) “The Silence” (04-28-6¡) Wayne He·ey (2) “The Odyssey of Flight 33” (02-24-6¡) “Black Leather Jackets” (0¡-3¡-64) Jo Helton (2) “The Shelter” (09-29-6¡)

Vivi Janiss (2) “The Fever” (0¡-29-60) “The Man in the Bottle” (¡0-07-60) Arch [W.] Johnson (2) “Static” (03-¡0-6¡) “Showdown with Rance McGrew” (0202-62) Jason Johnson (2) “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” (03-04-60) “The Lateness of the Hour” (¡2-02-60) Russell Johnson (2) “Execution” (04-0¡-60) “Back There” (0¡-¡3-6¡) Morgan Jones (2) “Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?” (05-26-6¡)

228

Appendices

“The Parallel” (03-¡4-63) Richard Karlan (2) “Execution” (04-0¡-60) “The Mirror” (¡0-20-6¡) Doris Karnes (2) “What You Need” (¡2-25-59) “The Lateness of the Hour” (¡2-02-60) Noah Keen (2) “The Arrival” (09-22-6¡) “The Trade-Ins” (04-20-62) William Keene (2) “The Prime Mover” (03-24-6¡) “The Midnight Sun” (¡¡-¡7-6¡) Cecil Kellaway (2) “Elegy” (02-¡9-60) “Passage on the Lady Anne” (05-09-63)

Wesley Lau (2) “Twenty Two” (02-¡0-6¡) “The Fugitive” (03-09-62) Frank London (2) “A Penny for Your Thoughts” (02-03-6¡) “Steel” (¡0-04-63) John McGiver (2) “The Bard” (05-23-63) “Sounds and Silences” (04-03-64) Howard McNear (2) “Hocus-Pocus and Frisby” (04-¡3-62) “The Bard” (05-23-63) Eve McVeagh (2) “Kick the Can” (02-09-62) “ I Am the Night — Color Me Black” (0327-64)

Fred Kruger (2) “What You Need” (¡2-25-59) “Back There” (0¡-¡3-6¡)

Joe Mantell (2) “Nervous Man in a Four Dollar Room” (¡0-¡4-60) “Steel” (¡0-04-63)

Wright King (2) “Shadow Play” (05-05-6¡) “Of Late I Think of Cli›ordville” (04-¡¡-63)

Adrienne Marden (2) “To Serve Man” (03-02-62) “Cavender Is Coming” (05-25-62)

Daniel [Danny] Kulick (2) “Cavender Is Coming” (05-25-62) “On Thursday We Leave for Home” (0502-63) Will Kuluva (2) “The Mirror” (¡0-20-6¡) “The New Exhibit” (04-04-63) Martin Landau (2) “Mr. Denton on Doomsday” (¡0-¡6-59) “The Jeopardy Room” (04-¡7-64) Paul Langton (2) “Where Is Everybody?” (¡0-02-59) “On Thursday We Leave for Home” (0502-63) Mary LaRoche (2) “A World of His Own” (07-0¡-60) “Living Doll” (¡¡-0¡-63)

John Marley (2) “Kick the Can” (02-09-62) “The Old Man in the Cave” (¡¡-08-63) Nora Marlowe (2) “Back There” (0¡-¡3-6¡) “Night Call” (02-07-64) Joe Maross (2) “Third from the Sun” (0¡-08-60) “The Little People” (03-30-62) Eddie Marr (2) “Perchance to Dream” (¡¡-27-59) “Static” (03-¡0-6¡) Ross Martin (2) “The Four of Us Are Dying” (0¡-0¡-60) “Death Ship” (02-07-63) Lee Marvin (2) “The Grave” (¡0-27-6¡)

Appendix 5—Actors “Steel” (¡0-04-63) John Mitchum (2) “The Rip Van Winkle Caper” (04-2¡-6¡) “Mr. Garrity and the Graves” (05-08-64) Burt Mustin (2) “Night of the Meek” (¡2-23-60) “Kick the Can” (02-09-62) Jeanette Nolan (2) “The Hunt” (0¡-26-62) “Jess-Belle” (02-¡4-63) Simon Oakland (2) “The Rip Van Winkle Caper” (04-2¡-6¡) “The Thirty Fathom Grave” (0¡-¡0-63) Warren Oates (2) “The Purple Testament” (02-¡2-60) “The 7th Is Made Up of Phantoms” (¡206-63) Shirley O’Hara (2) “The Rip Van Winkle Caper” (04-2¡-6¡) “On Thursday We Leave for Home” (0502-63) Frank Overton (2) “Walking Distance” (¡0-30-59) “Mute” (0¡-3¡-63) Milton Parsons (2) “Once Upon a Time” (¡2-¡5-6¡) “The New Exhibit” (04-04-63) Vic Perrin (2) “People Are Alike All Over” (03-25-60) “Ring-a-Ding Girl” (¡2-27-63) Joe Perry (2) “Nightmare as a Child” (04-29-60) “The Gift” (04-27-62) Lee Philips (2) “Passage on the Lady Anne” (05-09-63) “Queen of the Nile” (03-06-64) Phillip Pine (2) “The Four of Us Are Dying” (0¡-0¡-60) “The Incredible World of Horace Ford” (04-¡8-63)

229

Ezelle Poule (2) “The Howling Man” (¡¡-04-60) “The Last Rites of Je› Myrtlebank” (0223-62) Sue Randall (2) “And When the Sky Was Opened” (¡2¡¡-59) “From Agnes — with Love” (02-¡4-64) Nancy Rennick (2) “The After Hours” (06-¡0-60) “The Odyssey of Flight 33” (02-24-6¡) Cli› Robertson (2) “A Hundred Yards Over the Rim” (0407-6¡) “The Dummy” (05-04-62) Bartlett Robinson (2) “Back There” (0¡-¡3-6¡) “To Serve Man” (03-02-62) Bing Russell (2) “The Arrival” (09-22-6¡) “Ring-a-Ding Girl” (¡2-27-63) William Sargent (2) “The Parallel” (03-¡4-63) “Ninety Years Without Slumbering” (¡220-63) Arline Sax [Martel] (2) “What You Need” (¡2-25-59) “Twenty Two” (02-¡0-6¡) Joseph Schildkraut (2) “Death’s-head Revisited” (¡¡-¡0-6¡) “The Trade-Ins” (04-20-62) Henry Scott (2) “The Big, Tall Wish” (04-08-60) “The Thirty Fathom Grave” (0¡-¡0-63) Vito Scotti (2) “Mr. Bevis” (06-03-60) “The Gift” (04-27-62) Milton Selzer (2) “Hocus-Pocus and Frisby” (04-¡3-62) “The Masks” (03-20-64)

230

Appendices

William Shatner (2) “Nick of Time” (¡¡-¡8-60) “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” (¡0-¡¡-63) Howard Smith (2) “A Stop at Willoughby” (05-06-60) “Cavender Is Coming” (05-25-62) Loring Smith (2) “The Whole Truth” (0¡-20-6¡) “ I Dream of Genie” (03-2¡-63) Olan Soule (2) “The Man in the Bottle” (¡0-07-60) “Caesar and Me” (04-¡0-64) Katherine Squire (2) “One More Pallbearer” (0¡-¡2-62) “ In His Image” (0¡-03-63) Inger Stevens (2) “The Hitch-Hiker” (0¡-22-60) “The Lateness of the Hour” (¡2-02-60) Robert J. Stevenson (2) “The Midnight Sun” (voice only) (¡¡-¡7-6¡) “Showdown with Rance McGrew” (0202-62) Tracy Stratford (2) “Little Girl Lost” (03-¡6-62) “Living Doll” (¡¡-0¡-63) Chet Stratton (2) “The Mind and the Matter” (05-¡2-6¡) “Miniature” (02-2¡-63) Edson Stroll (2) “Eye of the Beholder” (¡¡-¡¡-60) “The Trade-Ins” (04-20-62) Liam Sullivan (2) “The Silence” (04-28-6¡) “The Changing of the Guard” (06-0¡-62) Stephen Talbot (2) “Static” (03-¡0-6¡) “The Fugitive” (03-09-62) Irene Tedrow (2) “Walking Distance” (¡0-30-59)

“The Lateness of the Hour” (¡2-02-60) Harry Townes (2) “The Four of Us Are Dying” (0¡-0¡-60) “Shadow Play” (05-05-6¡) Ernest Truex (2) “What You Need” (¡2-25-59) “Kick the Can” (02-09-62) Jack Warden (2) “The Lonely” (¡¡-¡3-59) “The Mighty Casey” (06-¡7-60) Sandra Warner (2) “A Nice Place to Visit” (04-¡5-60) “The Dummy” (05-04-62) Fredd Wayne (2) “Twenty Two” (02-¡0-6¡) “The Arrival” (09-22-6¡) Fritz Weaver (2) “Third from the Sun” (0¡-08-60) “The Obsolete Man” (06-02-6¡) Mary Webster (2) “A Passage for Trumpet” (05-20-60) “Death Ship” (02-07-63) Jack Weston (2) “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” (03-04-60) “The Bard” (05-23-63) Christine White (2) “The Prime Mover” (03-24-6¡) “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” (¡0-¡¡-63) David White (2) “A World of Di›erence” (03-¡¡-60) “ I Sing the Body Electric” (05-¡8-62) Jesse White (2) “Once Upon a Time” (¡2-¡5-6¡) “Cavender Is Coming” (05-25-62) Will J. White (2) “Third from the Sun” (0¡-08-60) “To Serve Man” (03-02-62)

Appendix 5—Actors

231

Adam Williams (2) “The Hitch-Hiker” (0¡-22-60) “A Most Unusual Camera” (¡2-¡6-60)

Howard Wright (2) “The Jungle” (¡2-0¡-6¡) “What’s in the Box” (03-¡3-64)

Dick Wilson (2) “Escape Clause” (¡¡-06-59) “Ninety Years Without Slumbering” (¡220-63)

Ed Wynn (2) “One for the Angels” (¡0-09-59) “Ninety Years Without Slumbering” (¡220-63)

Jason Wingreen (2) “A Stop at Willoughby” (05-06-60) “The Midnight Sun” (¡¡-¡7-6¡)

Dick York (2) “The Purple Testament” (02-¡2-60) “A Penny for Your Thoughts” (02-03-6¡)

APPENDIX 6: CLOSE… BUT NO ZONE: STORIES NEVER FILMED For di›ering (and sometimes unknown) reasons, several stories and teleplays originally written specifically for the series never became Twilight Zone episodes. Below are the stories that came close but did not enter The Twilight Zone. Science fiction master Ray Bradbury’s journey through The Twilight Zone was a bumpy one. On two separate occasions —“Where Is Everybody?” (¡0-02-59) and “Walking Distance”(¡030-59)— Bradbury felt that Rod Serling had appropriated material from his short stories “Here There Be Tygers” (which Bradbury had already submitted for consideration on The Twilight Zone) and “Black Ferris,” respectively. (See the “notes and commentary” sections on pages 3¡–33 and 36–37 for complete details.) Bradbury’s dramatization of his story “A Miracle of Rare Device” was purchased but never produced. Unfortunately, Bradbury’s only contribution to the show — season three’s “ I Sing the Body Electric” (05-¡8-62), based on his short story of the same name — wasn’t very memorably realized, nor was Bradbury overly thrilled with the episode. Bradbury’s earlier two e›orts had much greater potential but never made it into The Twilight Zone:

“Here There Be Tygers,” originally published in ¡95¡ and collected in R Is

for Rocket (¡962), concerns a four-man space expedition that travels in search of new and habitable worlds. They land their rocket on planet 7 of star system 84, and discover a lush green world of immense and indescribable beauty. The men gradually realize that whatever thoughts enter their minds are instantly brought to life on the planet: One man ends up flying, and another imagines (and creates) many beautiful women. Streams flow with white wine, and fish pour from a cold creek into a hot spring, where they float to the surface cooked and ready for consumption. The anthropomorphic planet seems to reward those who respect it with beauty and wish fulfillment. However, Chatterton, the singleminded anthropologist-mineralogist, is interested only in exploiting the natural resources of the planet. He thinks of the planet as a dangerous person not to be trusted — he recalls a medieval map he read once that contained the warning, “Here there be tygers”— and that the crew should quickly take whatever they want and leave. Sure enough, after

232

Appendix 6—Not Filmed a failed attempt to drill and take samples of the planet — to protect itself, the planet creates a giant tar pit that swallows Chatterton’s enormous “Earth Drill” whole — Chatterton is eventually killed by a tiger, also created by the planet after Chatterton’s thought of “here there be tygers.” The three remaining men — Captain Forester, Driscoll, and Koestler — continue to live in their newfound paradise where their every dream is literally brought to life. Forester, however, reluctantly acknowledges their responsibility to their ship’s sponsors and orders the men to blast o›. As they do, they look below and see that the planet is covered with tigers, dinosaurs, elephants, erupting volcanoes, cyclones, and hurricanes. Forester says that the planet is like a “woman scorned.” After the astronauts left her, he says, the planet took o› her best “face” and created those violent hallucinations to scare o› any more potential explorers or “suitors.” Underneath all that violent and torrential exterior, though, remains the paradise that the men have left behind. Forester is then notified by Koestler that Driscoll refused to board the rocket and really did stay behind to live in paradise. Forester is sure, he tells Koestler, that the planet will spoil Driscoll rotten. The reason that “Here There Be Tygers” was not purchased by the producers of The Twilight Zone is immediately obvious: Such a visually sumptuous and grand vision would have been exceedingly di‡cult to capture in 30 minutes— or 25 in reality, including commercials — especially given the closely monitored TZ budget. As producer Buck Houghton said of “Tygers” and its story elements: “Any one of those I would have tackled without any particular trepidation, but two of them would

233

have been a worry and three of them would have been a deal-breaker.”1

“A Miracle of Rare Device,” another Bradbury story, was originally published in Playboy before being collected in The Machineries of Joy (¡964). Unlike “Here There Be Tygers,” however, Serling and company actually purchased “A Miracle of Rare Device” in the form of Ray Bradbury’s teleplay adaptation of the story. According to Marc Scott Zicree, the episode was to be directed by Anton Leader, director of two strong episodes: “Long Live Walter Jameson” (03-¡8-60) and “The Midnight Sun” (¡¡-¡7-6¡). The story is about the plans of two drifters, Bob Greenhill and Will Bantlin, who are always looking for a new and fast way of making money. One day, during their travels through an unnamed desert in the western United States, they come upon an awesome and spectacular mirage of a giant city. They concoct the idea of “homesteading” the mirage by charging passersby admission to view it. The half-baked plan actually works, and people begin to stop. For each person who looks at it, the mirage presents itself as the place that the person has most dreamed about. One person sees Rome, another sees London, and one man, who is moved to tears, thinks he has witnessed the mythical land of Xanadu from Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s poem “Kubla Khan” (¡798). (The title of the story comes from the poem itself, in which the poet describes Kubla Khan’s “stately pleasure-dome” as “a miracle of rare device.”) After a failed attempt by one of their competitors (Ned Hopper) to overtake their new business, Bob and Will eventually realize the true beauty and happiness that the mirage creates in individuals; they

234

Appendices

decide to cherish their discovery instead of making money from it. As with “Here There Be Tygers,” the decision not to film “A Miracle of Rare Device” could have been cost-consciousness, but the reason may actually have been more creatively based. Serling explained years later, in ¡975, that “Ray Bradbury is a very di‡cult guy to dramatize, because that which reads so beautifully on the printed page doesn’t fit in the mouth — it fits in the head.”2 However, Bradbury got the last word when both stories were produced as episodes of The Ray Bradbury Theater, “A Miracle of Rare Device” in ¡989 and “Here There Be Tygers” in ¡990. With nearly a third of the season-five episodes already completed, producer Bert Granet (who had replaced Herbert Hirschman during the abbreviated season four) departed the show to produce John Houseman’s The Great Adventure series, which was struggling to stay under budget. Granet was replaced by William Froug, a producer with plenty of experience in both radio and television. One of Froug’s first creative decisions was to cancel development on a small handful of teleplays:

“What the Devil!” told the story of two killers who are pursued by a mysterious dynamite truck, whose driver just happens to be … Satan.3 This teleplay was written by Arch Oboler, one of the giants of radio drama during the late thirties and early forties whose most famous work was the NBC radio horror program Lights Out. Twilight Zone creator Rod Serling, who had commissioned Oboler to write this teleplay, readily acknowledged the influence of radio writers on his work, including writers such as Oboler and Norman (“Mr. Radio”) Corwin.4

“Who Am I?” is a Jerry Sohl story of a man who wakes to find his face totally transformed, but he is the only person who notices the di›erence.5 “Pattern for Doomsday,” another Jerry Sohl teleplay, opens with expectations of an imminent collision between Earth and a large asteroid. A computer chooses a motley crew of eight —“a bacteriologist, a psychologist, a philosopher, an auto mechanic, an artist, a singer, a con man, and a shady lady”— to board a spacecraft and escape the impending doom.6 Both of the Sohl teleplays — as with “The New Exhibit” (04-04-63), “Living Doll” (¡¡-0¡-63), and “Queen of the Nile”(03-06-64)— would have been credited to Charles Beaumont, with Sohl doing practically all of the writing. “Many, Many Monkeys,” concerns an outbreak — which “causes folds of flesh to cover people’s eyes (the word “monkeys” in the title refers to “see no evil,” etc.)”— attributed to the e›ects of a nuclear explosion. A hospital nurse, however, believes the disease is a collective symptom of people’s innate hatred.7 This story was written by the new TZ producer himself, William Froug. CBS purchased the teleplay though for some reason never moved forward with it, but Froug felt the network may have deemed it “too grotesque.” The story was eventually produced over 20 years later as a syndicated third-season episode (¡988) of The New Twilight Zone. Froug also declined two teleplays from two of the most frequent contributors to The Twilight Zone, Charles Beaumont and Richard Matheson: “Gentleman, Be Seated” was Charles Beaumont’s adaptation of his short story of the same name, which

Appendix 6—Not Filmed was originally published in Rogue magazine and years later reprinted in the Beaumont anthology The Howling Man (¡988). The story takes place in a futuristic utopian society where everything is “scientifically-designed for comfort and e‡ciency”; the world has also eliminated poverty, prejudice, and war. Unfortunately, laughter — the one thing that had helped people get through di‡culties in the previously imperfect world — has been forbidden. One day, employee James Kinkaid is called into the o‡ce of his boss, district manager William Agnew Biddle, whom Kinkaid despises. It turns out, though, that Biddle is a clandestine humorist and jokester: In an attempt to get Kinkaid to laugh, Biddle smokes a loaded cigar that “explodes” in his face. Biddle has always had an intuition that Kinkaid was capable of laughter, so he invites Kinkaid to accompany him to a meeting of the Society for the Preservation of Laughter (S.P.O.L.), a secret organization that meets in an undisclosed building in “No Man’s Land,” an area far away outside city limits of the perfect society. (Biddle makes Kinkaid wear a special pair of glasses, which serve as a blindfold, while Biddle leads him to the location.) From the moment they arrive, Kinkaid is assaulted by a barrage of sight gags, one-liners, and (to him) unfamiliar sights and sounds from the society members — clowns, court jesters, and various other types. Kinkaid has several drinks but is never fully able to “lighten up” and fit in with the secret society of laughter. When he awakens the next morning, Kinkaid returns to work determined to fit in with Biddle and S.P.O.L. He actually smiles and tries to joke with his boss, but Biddle — realizing the hazards of such “dangerous” public behavior

235

and that Kinkaid blew his chance of membership — maintains a dour demeanor and eventually fires Kinkaid. Kinkaid spends the rest of his evenings, “until the final demolition,” going out to “No Man’s Land” to listen and search for the elusive Society for the Preservation of Laughter. Having lost his chance, Kinkaid is now stuck in the lifeless, laughless utopia of conformity and oppression. This plot would have been an interesting and challenging one to pull o›. One way to visualize the story as an episode would be to join “A Stop at Willoughby” (05-06-60) with “The Obsolete Man” (06-02-6¡), and throw in several characters on the order of Murray Matheson’s clown in “Five Characters in Search of an Exit” (¡222-6¡) to people the Society for the Preservation of Laughter.

“The Doll” was perhaps merely a victim of circumstance. In the just-concluded season four, Robert Duvall was infatuated with a tiny Victorian doll in Charles Beaumont’s “Miniature” (022¡-63). In addition, Richard Matheson submitted “The Doll” to The Twilight Zone at the same time that Charles Beaumont and Jerry Sohl submitted their “doll” episode, “Living Doll” (¡¡0¡-63), for consideration. Deciding that two dolls are a crowd in a single season, oncoming producer William Froug chose “Living Doll” over Matheson’s story. The quality of “The Doll” is certainly up to the standards of the better TZ episodes, and it is unfortunate that the episode was never filmed, for it is a tender and moving little love story. John Walters, age 42, is a lonely bachelor who has come to a doll shop looking for a birthday present for his ¡2-year-old niece, Doris. John is friends with the proprietor, a kind and gentle

236

Appendices

elderly German man named Mr. Liebemacher. John seems taken with one doll in particular and purchases it for Doris. At her birthday party, however, Doris cannot conceal her disappointment with the doll, so John decides to return it and buy Doris a wristwatch. When he returns home, John becomes increasingly mesmerized by the lifelike doll. He has mock conversations with the doll to combat the feelings of melancholy and self-loathing he has from being single and alone. He even begins to think that he somehow knows the doll, that she has a real identity: her name is Mary, he muses, and she is a school teacher. John then decides to go ask Mr. Liebemacher if he used a model to create such a realistic doll. The dollmaker replies that he did indeed use a model: a woman named Mary Dickinson, a high school teacher. John is amazed. After being given Mary’s address by Mr. Liebemacher, John finally summons up the courage to go and speak with her. She, too, is middle-aged and single, and her face (as it appeared several years ago) is unquestionably the model for John’s doll. On the mantel above her fireplace sits a doll with the exact likeness of a younger version of John! Mary admits that she has also had the same experience as John, and that Mr. Liebemacher had given her the address of the model ( John) for her doll. The story ends with John and Mary agreeing to co›ee and conversation, while the two dolls sit side by side on the mantel. As with his earlier “Nick of Time” (¡¡-¡8-60), Matheson remembers the origin of “The Doll”: We bought a doll for one of our daughters, and the doll’s face was so mature and so lovely that the idea evolved: What if a man who was not

married bought a doll like that for his niece, and the niece didn’t care for it and he had to take it back — only he didn’t want to take it back, because the face just looked fascinating.8

Matheson had even visualized two actors for the episode: Martin Balsam — who starred in “The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine” (¡0-23-59) and “The New Exhibit” (04-04-63)— as John, and Mary LaRoche — who, in a double stroke of irony, appeared as a character named Mary in Matheson’s “A World of His Own” (07-0¡-60) and as the mother of the little girl in “Living Doll” (¡¡-0¡63)— as Mary. The best way to visualize how “The Doll” would have translated as a Twilight Zone episode is to imagine an integration of elements and characters from Matheson’s “A World of His Own” and Beaumont’s “Miniature” (022¡-63). “The Doll” finally did make it to television, though not as a Twilight Zone. Some 20 years later, it was realized as a first-season episode of Steven Spielberg’s Amazing Stories (¡985¡987), with John Lithgow in the role of John Walters.

The Unfilmed Feature After The Twilight Zone was canceled in January ¡964 (and probably at least a few months before), Rod Serling pursued the idea of making a Twilight Zone feature film. Just before the release of Twilight Zone—The Movie in ¡983, Serling’s widow, Carol, in Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone Magazine, shared some of her husband’s plans for his movie that never got made. Serling at one point submitted a very brief proposal for a “trilogy, shot in black & white for a budget of under a million dollars,” with,

Appendix 6—Not Filmed naturally, himself as the “host.” Serling had three stories ready to film:

“Eyes” was the story of an overbearing blind woman who, through dubious means, receives an eye transplant; she unknowingly recovers her eyesight during a power blackout, which leads her to believe that the operation was not successful. She eventually falls from her balcony to her death. “The Escape Route” concerned the flight from justice of a former Nazi, who is pursued to South America by Israeli agents. He finally hides out in an art museum and discovers that he can supernaturally “enter” a painting and elude his pursuers. He plans to trade places with the painted figure of a serene fisherman who sits peacefully in a boat on the lake. However, he unwittingly transports himself into another painting, that of a prisoner being crucified in a concentration camp. Instead of being a calm fisherman, the man will now forever exist as a tormented and pain-wracked wretch. “Color Scheme,” a story related to Serling by his friend Sammy Davis, Jr., was the story of King Connacher, a bigoted white preacher who leads a mob to burn the shack of a black preacher and his family; the black preacher’s youngest daughter is killed in the fire. Some time later, after a seemingly minor car wreck, Connacher discovers that he has been inexplicably turned into a black man. He is taunted, beaten, and eventually shot to death by the same angry crowd he had helped earlier. His body is then tied to a car and driven through town. After unsuccessful attempts to sell this feature-film trilogy (working title: Three Nightmares), Serling reworked

237

the stories into three novellas and published them as The Season to Be Wary (¡967), his only collection of lengthier fiction. He then began to pitch this collection, along with another story called “The Cemetery,” as a proposed television anthology. “Eyes,” “The Escape Route,” and “The Cemetery,” were all accepted by Universal and filmed as the pilot movie for Rod Serling’s Night Gallery (¡¡-08-69). The most notable entry was the “Eyes” segment, starring Joan Crawford: It marked the professional directing debut of a young man named Steven Spielberg. (The fate of “Color Scheme” is not clear, but it surely must have served as the inspiration for John Landis’s opening segment of Twilight Zone—The Movie [¡983], a very similar story of a racist who is meted out some cosmic [not to mention fatal] comeuppance.) However, according to Carol Serling, Rod had several other ideas for a Twilight Zone feature film. In the aforementioned ¡983 article, Ms. Serling relates that her husband had “a story about an alien who lands on earth and is hounded and hunted by adults and befriended by a child,” along with other stories about “a little man who meets a warlock … space travel, time travel, and more. (The latter ended up as an Irwin Allen [television] movie called The Time Travelers [¡976].)”9 In addition, Rod Serling had written treatments for three more stories he was considering for the movie:

•Seymour Coperthwaite is a 46-yearold concessions man (he sells hot dogs) at Shea Stadium, home of the New York Mets. When the team is on a road trip, Seymour sneaks out at night to the infield and fantasizes — like Walter Mitty — about all the great plays he makes as a marquee player in the Na-

238

Appendices

tional League. (He carries the heaviest bat and has the most muscular legs in the league.) His fantasy is interrupted by the arrival of Bull Walsh, a stadium security guard who forces Seymour o› the field into his real life.

•Deborah Brockman, age 20, receives a call from her mysterious relatives in a small Ohio town, notif ying her that 75-year-old Selena, the family matriarch, is close to death. When Deborah arrives, a family secret derived from witchcraft allows the dying Selena to gradually become stronger and healthier, while Deborah begins to assume the characteristics and physical infirmities of Selena. Eventually, Deborah discovers that the same thing has already happened once before in the family. A house fire kills everyone except Deborah, but the body of Diana (Selena’s niece) is never found. Several weeks later, a badly burned woman — presumably Diana — lies in the charity ward of a distant hospital. The woman amazingly begins to show slight improvement when one of her legs begins to heal … while one of the young nurses begins to su›er from burned lower-leg scar tissue.

•A woman goes to a local movie theater but is troubled by the movie: The action on the screen duplicates exactly her immediate past. She returns several times to the movie, and now the movie plays out scenes from her future, including her death after falling in front of a subway train. The woman is reassured by her friend and coworker, who puts her to bed to get some rest. Later the next day, the woman’s friend is startled when, while taking a walk, he notices things that his hysterical coworker had earlier described in perfect detail. Also, she has not shown up for work at the o‡ce. Frightened, he rushes to the subway station, but he is too late: The woman has been killed. To take his mind o› the bizarre chain of events, the man goes to see a movie. He is dumbstruck by the first scene, in which he sees himself walk into the entrance of a movie theater. (Richard Matheson was recruited to write a complete teleplay, “The Theatre,” as one of two Rod Serling “Lost Classics” that aired on CBS in ¡994. See page 239.)

APPENDIX 7: ROD SERLING’S LOST EPISODES While gathering her husband’s materials to donate to the Serling Archives at Ithaca College (where Serling had taught writing classes for several years), Carol Serling discovered a story treatment for a Twilight Zone segment and an unproduced screenplay. Both were finally brought to television in ¡994, exactly 30 years after the original Twilight Zone series had been canceled. Original Airdate: May ¡9, ¡994; Host: James Earl Jones; Director: Robert Markowitz; Supervising Producer: Carol Serling; Executive Producers: Michael O’Hara, Laurence Horowitz; Producer: S. Bryan Hickox; Associate Producers: Bob Phillips, Joseph Plager; Music: Patrick Williams; Director of Photography: Jacek Laskus; Unit Production Manager: S. Bryan Hickox; Film Editor: David Beatty; ¡st Assistant Director: Janet Davidson; 2nd Assistant Director: Stephanie Adams; Costume Designer: Judy B. Swartz; Production Designer: Christiaan Wagener; Casting: Molly Lopata, C.S.A.

“The Theatre”

Writer: Richard Matheson; Story: Rod Serling.

CAST

Melissa Sanders: Amy Irving; Dr. Jim McCain: Gary Cole. Also Heidi Swedberg, Priscilla Pointer, Scott Burkholder, Don Bloomfield, Michael Burgess, Grey Silbley, Alex Van, Deborah Winstead.

Melissa Sanders loves Jim McCain, but she is afraid that commitment will scare him, so she a›ably and continually rejects his marriage proposals. Jim, a doctor, is on call one day, but Melissa

refuses to miss His Girl Friday at the local theater. Once she arrives at the theater, Melissa is troubled by the unexpected part of the movie: The action on-screen duplicates exactly her immediate past, namely, her recent meeting with Jim. Melissa returns several times to the movie, which now plays out scenes from her future, including her death after falling in front of a city bus. Later she goes to see Jim, who does his best to assure Melissa that she is only hallucinating as a result of stress. (Even the date she sees on a sign, March 20, is incorrect, Jim argues.) Again on call at the hospital, Jim suddenly realizes that perhaps Melissa was telling the truth when he finds out that the current date actually is March 20— with his hectic schedule, Jim was mistakenly a day o›. Frightened, he rushes to the city block near the theater, but he is too late. Melissa’s prophetic movie has been accurate: Melissa was so tense and nervous that she unwittingly jumped in front of a bus after being startled by a passerby who was yelling to get someone’s attention.

239

Appendices

240

Trying to calm himself after what has just happened, Jim goes to see a movie. He sits in stunned silence when, like Melissa, he sees himself and Melissa from their earlier date. Richard Matheson wrote the teleplay for this episode, which is based on a Rod Serling treatment for part of a Twilight Zone movie (see page 238).

however, is that the drug must be administered within ¡5 minutes of death.) The miracle substance, says Wheaton, reenergizes the heart, slows decay, and prolongs life. Wheaton tells an amazed Ramsey that the island is populated with such “resurrected” people. Now, though, Wheaton’s idea has backfired and the potion has become unstable. The living dead are returning at erratic intervals for more life-sustaining injections. These corpses know that Wheaton is the only one who can make the formula, so they have cut o› both his legs to ensure that he will never leave the island. Wheaton is now a dying man, attended to by his lovely niece Susan. The corpses slowly begin to descend upon Wheaton’s house in order to get more of the potion that keeps them alive. Wheaton dies in Susan’s arms, and the corpses continue to move toward the house. Ramsey and Susan then flee the house and attempt to escape by boat. Ramsey launches Susan from the dock and stays behind, where he is attacked by several of the corpses. The next morning, Ramsey awakens on the beach. Somehow he has escaped, but he looks to find the drowned Susan lying next to him, her face partially decomposed. He then finds a letter that she has written him, saying that she was “one of them”; she had died as a child and has been rejuvenated by her uncle’s serum for all these years. Ramsey continues to read the letter, in which Susan says that humans should not tamper with natural processes such as death. She bids Ramsey farewell and wishes him a long and healthy life.

“Where the Dead Are” Writer: Rod Serling ; Source: Unproduced Rod Serling screenplay.

CAST

Dr. Benjamin Ramsey: Patrick Bergin; Susan Wheaton: Jenna Stern; Jeremy Wheaton: Jack Palance; Maureen Flannagan: Julia Campbell. Also Peter McRobbie, Bill Bolender, Malachy McCourt, J. Michael Hunter, Stan Kelly, Tony Pender, Hank Troscianiec, Mark Joy, Richard K. Olsen, Chris O’Neill.

The time is ¡868, only three years after the end of the Civil War. Dr. Benjamin Ramsey, a surgeon and medical school sta› member in Boston, is obsessed with death. Having witnessed the wholesale and traumatic killing during the war, he is determined to fight death through medical science. He becomes intrigued by the work of a reclusive man known as Jeremy Wheaton, who lives on the mysterious Shadow Island. Ramsey eventually locates Wheaton and learns his secret : Years before, Wheaton made an accidental medical discovery concerning human tissue regeneration. He has combined laudanum with the extract of an Egyptian plant. When the substance is administered hypodermically into the heart cavity of a corpse, the body will be brought back to life. (One requirement,

*

*

*

The Twilight Zone: Rod Serling’s Lost Classics was not a ratings success, nor was it particularly well-received. Writing for Variety (May ¡6, ¡994), Tony Scott was especially indi›erent: “Looks like Serling was using

Appendix 7—Lost Episodes his head when he left these two in the trunk.” True, the stories aren’t classics, whether “lost” or otherwise. “The Theatre” is competently done, but is nowhere near as compelling as, say, “The Hitch-Hiker” (0¡-22-60). “Where the Dead Are” is not so much a misfire as it is a misnomer. Aside from the ending, with Serling’s theme couched in Susan’s letter, the story just does not have the feel or structure of a Twilight Zone episode. (Remember, it was an unproduced screenplay, not a TZ teleplay.) Its inclusion as a “lost classic” Twilight Zone episode is not entirely accurate, but it is an acceptable Gothic tale that combines elements from Frankenstein and Night of the Living Dead.

241

APPENDIX 8: GENRES, THEMES, AND PLOT DEVICES Following is a cross-referenced listing of various genres, themes, plot devices, topics (and just a bit of trivia) and the episodes in which they are found. Acting “The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine” (¡0-2359) “A World of Di›erence” (03-¡¡-60) “The Trouble with Templeton” (¡2-09-60) “Showdown with Rance McGrew” (0202-62) “The Bard” (05-23-63) “Ring-a-Ding Girl” (¡2-27-63) Aging “One for the Angels” (¡0-09-59) “The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine” (¡0-2359) “Long Live Walter Jameson” (03-¡8-60) “Static” (03-¡0-6¡) “Kick the Can” (02-09-62) “The Trade-Ins” (04-20-62) “The Changing of the Guard” (06-0¡-62) “Of Late I Think of Cli›ordville” (04-¡¡63) “Passage on the Lady Anne” (05-09-63) “A Short Drink from a Certain Fountain” (¡2-¡3-63) “Ninety Years Without Slumbering” (¡220-63) “The Long Morrow” (0¡-¡0-64) “The Self-Improvement of Salvadore Ross” (0¡-¡7-64) “Number ¡2 Looks Just Like You” (0¡24-64)

“Night Call” (02-07-64) “Queen of the Nile” (03-06-64) Airplanes and air travel “The Last Flight” (02-05-60) “King Nine Will Not Return” (09-30-60) “Twenty Two” (02-¡0-6¡) “The Odyssey of Flight 33” (02-24-6¡) “The Arrival” (09-22-6¡) “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” (¡0-¡¡-63) “Ring-a-Ding Girl” (¡2-27-63) Alien observation see Humans under… Altering or changing the past (see also Time travel) “The Last Flight” (02-05-60) “Back There” (0¡-¡3-6¡) “Static” (03-¡0-6¡) “A Hundred Yards Over the Rim” (0407-6¡) “Death Ship” (02-07-63) “No Time Like the Past” (03-07-63) “Of Late I Think of Cli›ordville” (04-¡¡63) “Spur of the Moment” (02-2¡-64) “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” (02-28-64) “Come Wander with Me” (05-22-64) Alternate dimensions or timelines, and parallel worlds

242

Appendix 8—Genres and Themes “The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine” (¡0-2359) “And When the Sky Was Opened” (¡2¡¡-59) “Mirror Image” (02-26-60) “A World of Di›erence” (03-¡¡-60) “The Odyssey of Flight 33” (02-24-6¡) “Shadow Play” (05-05-6¡) “Little Girl Lost” (03-¡6-62) “Person or Persons Unknown” (03-23-62) “Death Ship” (02-07-63) “The Parallel” (03-¡4-63) “Spur of the Moment” (02-2¡-64) Alternate history (see also Altering … past; Alternate dimensions “The Last Flight” (02-05-60) “Back There” (0¡-¡3-6¡) “A Hundred Yards Over the Rim” (0407-6¡) “Showdown with Rance McGrew” (0202-62) “The 7th Is Made Up of Phantoms” (¡206-63) Angels “One for the Angels” (¡0-09-59) “A Passage for Trumpet” (05-20-60) “Mr. Bevis” (06-03-60) “The Hunt” (0¡-26-62) “Cavender Is Coming” (05-25-62) Body switch (changing identity) “The Four of Us Are Dying” (0¡-0¡-60) “The After Hours” (06-¡0-60) “The Mighty Casey” (06-¡7-60) “A World of His Own” (07-0¡-60) “Nervous Man in a Four Dollar Room” (¡0-¡4-60) “Shadow Play” (05-05-6¡) “A Quality of Mercy” (¡2-29-6¡) “Dead Man’s Shoes” (0¡-¡9-62) “The Fugitive” (03-09-62) “The Trade-Ins” (04-20-62) “The Dummy” (05-04-62) “ In His Image” (0¡-03-63) “Jess-Belle” (02-¡4-63) “Steel” (¡0-04-63) “Uncle Simon” (¡¡-¡5-63) “The Self-Improvement of Salvadore Ross” (0¡-¡7-64)

243

“Number ¡2 Looks Just Like You” (0¡24-64) Boxing “The Big, Tall Wish” (04-08-60) “Steel” (¡0-04-63) Children/Child protagonist (see also Returning to Childhood) “The Big, Tall Wish” (04-08-60) “Nightmare as a Child” (04-29-60) “Long Distance Call” (03-3¡-6¡) “ It’s a Good Life” (¡¡-03-6¡) “The Fugitive” (03-09-62) “Little Girl Lost” (03-¡6-62) “The Gift” (04-27-62) “ I Sing the Body Electric” (05-¡8-62) “Mute” (0¡-3¡-63) “Living Doll” (¡¡-0¡-63) “Caesar and Me” (04-¡0-64) “The Bewitchin’ Pool” (06-¡9-64) The Civil War “Back There” (0¡-¡3-6¡) “The Passersby” (¡0-06-6¡) “Still Valley” (¡¡-24-6¡) “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” (02-28-64) Communication with the dead “The Purple Testament” (02-¡2-60) “Long Distance Call” (03-3¡-6¡) “The Passersby” (¡0-06-6¡) “The Grave” (¡0-27-6¡) “Death’s-head Revisited” (¡¡-¡0-6¡) “Dead Man’s Shoes” (0¡-¡9-62) “The Last Rites of Je› Myrtlebank” (0223-62) “The Changing of the Guard” (06-0¡-62) “The Thirty Fathom Grave” (0¡-¡0-63) “Passage on the Lady Anne” (05-09-63) “Ring-a-Ding Girl” (¡2-27-63) “Night Call” (02-07-64) “Mr. Garrity and the Graves” (05-08-64) Conflict see Human conflict Crime (film noir) “The Four of Us Are Dying” (0¡-0¡-60) “Nervous Man in a Four Dollar Room” (¡0-¡4-60) “Dead Man’s Shoes” (0¡-¡9-62)

244

Appendices

Death and dying (see also Communication with…; Death personified) “One for the Angels” (¡0-09-59) “Escape Clause” (¡¡-06-59) “The Hitch-Hiker” (0¡-22-60) “The Purple Testament” (02-¡2-60) “Elegy” (02-¡9-60) “Long Live Walter Jameson” (03-¡8-60) “Execution” (04-0¡-60) “A Nice Place to Visit” (04-¡5-60) “A Stop at Willoughby” (05-06-60) “A Passage for Trumpet” (05-20-60) “Long Distance Call” (03-3¡-6¡) “Shadow Play” (05-05-6¡) “The Passersby” (¡0-06-6¡) “A Game of Pool” (¡0-¡3-6¡) “The Grave” (¡0-27-6¡) “Death’s-head Revisited” (¡¡-¡0-6¡) “Nothing in the Dark” (0¡-05-62) “The Hunt” (0¡-26-62) “Kick the Can” (02-09-62) “The Last Rites of Je› Myrtlebank” (0223-62) “The Trade-Ins” (04-20-62) “The Thirty Fathom Grave” (0¡-¡0-63) “Death Ship” (02-07-63) “ In Praise of Pip” (09-27-63) “Ninety Years Without Slumbering” (¡220-63) “Night Call” (02-07-64) “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” (02-28-64) “The Masks” (03-20-64) “ I Am the Night — Color Me Black” (0327-64) “Come Wander with Me” (05-22-64) Death personified “One for the Angels” (¡0-09-59) “The Hitch-Hiker” (0¡-22-60) “Nothing in the Dark” (0¡-05-62) The Devil “Escape Clause” (¡¡-06-59) “A Nice Place to Visit” (04-¡5-60) “The Chaser” (05-¡3-60) “The Howling Man” (¡¡-04-60) “Still Valley” (¡¡-24-6¡) “The Hunt” (0¡-26-62) “The Last Rites of Je› Myrtlebank” (0223-62)

“Printer’s Devil” (02-28-63) “Of Late I Think of Cli›ordville” (04-¡¡-63) Disappearances and vanishing “And When the Sky Was Opened” (¡2¡¡-59) “The Last Flight” (02-05-60) “A World of His Own” (07-0¡-60) “King Nine Will Not Return” (09-30-60) “The Odyssey of Flight 33” (02-24-6¡) “The Arrival” (09-22-6¡) “Little Girl Lost” (03-¡6-62) “Valley of the Shadow” (0¡-¡7-63) “The Parallel” (03-¡4-63) “The 7th Is Made Up of Phantoms” (¡206-63) “Ring-a-Ding Girl” (¡2-27-63) “The Bewitchin’ Pool” (06-¡9-64) Dolls, dummies, and mannequins “Elegy” (02-¡9-60) “The After Hours” (06-¡0-60) “Five Characters in Search of an Exit” (¡2-22-6¡) “The Dummy” (05-04-62) “Miniature” (02-2¡-63) “The New Exhibit” (04-04-63) “Living Doll” (¡¡-0¡-63) “Caesar and Me” (04-¡0-64) “Stopover in a Quiet Town” (04-24-64) Double (Doppelgänger) “Judgment Night” (¡2-04-59) “Mirror Image” (02-26-60) “Nightmare as a Child” (04-29-60) “Nervous Man in a Four Dollar Room” (¡0-¡4-60) “The Mind and the Matter” (05-¡2-6¡) “ In His Image” (0¡-03-63) “Death Ship” (02-07-63) “The Last Night of a Jockey” (¡0-25-63) “Number ¡2 Looks Just Like You” (0¡24-64) “Spur of the Moment” (02-2¡-64) Dreams, nightmares, and hallucinations “Where Is Everybody?” (¡0-02-59) “Perchance to Dream” (¡¡-27-59) “Nightmare as a Child” (04-29-60) “A Stop at Willoughby” (05-06-60) “King Nine Will Not Return” (09-30-60) “Shadow Play” (05-05-6¡)

Appendix 8—Genres and Themes “The Arrival” (09-22-6¡) “The Midnight Sun” (¡¡-¡7-6¡) “Person or Persons Unknown” (03-23-62) “ I Dream of Genie” (03-2¡-63) “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” (¡0-¡¡-63) “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” (02-28-64) Episodes that do not end with the words “The Twilight Zone” “The Four of Us Are Dying” (0¡-0¡-60) “Long Live Walter Jameson” (03-¡8-60) “Night of the Meek” (¡2-23-60) “Death’s-head Revisited” (¡¡-¡0-6¡) “ I Sing the Body Electric” (05-¡8-62) “Cavender Is Coming” (05-25-62) “He’s Alive” (0¡-24-63) “Jess-Belle” (02-¡4-63) “On Thursday We Leave for Home” (0502-63) “ I Am the Night — Color Me Black” (0327-64) Families “Walking Distance” (¡0-30-59) “Third from the Sun” (0¡-08-60) “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” (03-04-60) “The Lateness of the Hour” (¡2-02-60) “Dust” (0¡-06-6¡) “A Hundred Yards Over the Rim” (0407-6¡) “The Shelter” (09-29-6¡) “ It’s a Good Life” (¡¡-03-6¡) “Little Girl Lost” (03-¡6-62) “ I Sing the Body Electric” (05-¡8-62) “Mute” (0¡-3¡-63) “Miniature” (02-2¡-63) “The Incredible World of Horace Ford” (04-¡8-63) “ In Praise of Pip” (09-27-63) “Living Doll” (¡¡-0¡-63) “Uncle Simon” (¡¡-¡5-63) “The Masks” (03-20-64) “The Bewitchin’ Pool” (06-¡9-64) Fear and paranoia “Where Is Everybody?” (¡0-02-59) “Perchance to Dream” (¡¡-27-59) “And When the Sky Was Opened” (¡2¡¡-59)

245

“ I Shot an Arrow into the Air” (0¡-¡5-60) “The Hitch-Hiker” (0¡-22-60) “Mirror Image” (02-26-60) “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” (03-04-60) “A World of Di›erence” (03-¡¡-60) “Nightmare as a Child” (04-29-60) “King Nine Will Not Return” (09-30-60) “Nervous Man in a Four Dollar Room” (¡0-¡4-60) “A Thing About Machines” (¡0-28-60) “Nick of Time” (¡¡-¡8-60) “The Invaders” (0¡-27-6¡) “Twenty Two” (02-¡0-6¡) “Shadow Play” (05-05-6¡) “Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?” (05-26-6¡) “The Arrival” (09-22-6¡) “The Shelter” (09-29-6¡) “The Mirror” (¡0-20-6¡) “The Grave” (¡0-27-6¡) “ It’s a Good Life” (¡¡-03-6¡) “Death’s-head Revisited” (¡¡-¡0-6¡) “The Midnight Sun” (¡¡-¡7-6¡) “The Jungle” (¡2-0¡-6¡) “Five Characters in Search of an Exit” (¡2-22-6¡) “A Quality of Mercy” (¡2-29-6¡) “Nothing in the Dark” (0¡-05-62) “One More Pallbearer” (0¡-¡2-62) “A Piano in the House” (02-¡6-62) “The Last Rites of Je› Myrtlebank” (0223-62) “Person or Persons Unknown” (03-23-62) “The Little People” (03-30-62) “Four O’Clock” (04-06-62) “The Gift” (04-27-62) “The Dummy” (05-04-62) “The Thirty Fathom Grave” (0¡-¡0-63) “Valley of the Shadow” (0¡-¡7-63) “He’s Alive” (0¡-24-63) “Death Ship” (02-07-63) “The New Exhibit” (04-04-63) “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” (¡0-¡¡-63) “The Last Night of a Jockey” (¡0-25-63) “Living Doll” (¡¡-0¡-63) “The Old Man in the Cave” (¡¡-08-63) “You Drive” (0¡-03-64) “Night Call” (02-07-64) “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” (02-28-64)

246

Appendices

“What’s in the Box” (03-¡3-64) “ I Am the Night — Color Me Black” (0327-64) “The Jeopardy Room” (04-¡7-64) “Stopover in a Quiet Town” (04-24-64) “The Encounter” (05-0¡-64) “Come Wander with Me” (05-22-64) “The Fear” (05-29-64) “Film noir” style see Crime Forbidden Planet (¡956) in the Zone “Third from the Sun” (spaceship exteriors and interiors) (0¡-08-60) “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” (costumes, film footage) (03-04-60) “The Invaders” (flying saucer) (0¡-27-6¡) “The Rip Van Winkle Caper” (futuristic car) (04-2¡-6¡) “Death Ship” (spaceship) (02-07-63) “Uncle Simon” (Robby the Robot) (¡¡-¡563) “The Brain Center at Whipple’s” (Robby the Robot) (05-¡5-64) Foreseeing the future (see also Premonition) “Judgment Night” (¡2-04-59) “What You Need” (¡2-25-59) “The Last Flight” (02-05-60) “The Purple Testament” (02-¡2-60) “Nick of Time” (¡¡-¡8-60) “A Most Unusual Camera” (¡2-¡6-60) “Shadow Play” (05-05-6¡) “Printer’s Devil” (02-28-63) “Ring-a-Ding Girl” (¡2-27-63) Gambling and betting “The Fever” (0¡-29-60) “A Most Unusual Camera” (¡2-¡6-60) “The Prime Mover” (03-24-6¡) “The Silence” (04-28-6¡) “A Game of Pool” (¡0-¡3-6¡) “The Grave” (¡0-27-6¡) “ In Praise of Pip” (09-27-63) “Steel” (¡0-04-63) “The Last Night of a Jockey” (¡0-25-63) Ghosts from the past “Judgment Night” (¡2-04-59) “Nightmare as a Child” (04-29-60)

“King Nine Will Not Return” (09-30-60) “Long Distance Call” (03-3¡-6¡) “The Arrival” (09-22-6¡) “The Passersby” (¡0-06-6¡) “A Game of Pool” (¡0-¡3-6¡) “The Grave” (¡0-27-6¡) “Death’s-head Revisited” (¡¡-¡0-6¡) “The Changing of the Guard” (06-0¡-62) “The Thirty Fathom Grave” (0¡-¡0-63) “He’s Alive” (0¡-24-63) “Passage on the Lady Anne” (05-09-63) “The 7th Is Made Up of Phantoms” (¡206-63) “Ring-a-Ding Girl” (¡2-27-63) “Night Call” (02-07-64) “Spur of the Moment” (02-2¡-64) “The Encounter” (05-0¡-64) “Mr. Garrity and the Graves” (05-08-64) Historical figures “The Man in the Bottle” (Adolf Hitler) (¡0-07-60) “Back There” ( John Wilkes Booth) (0¡¡3-6¡) “The Passersby” (Abraham Lincoln) (¡006-6¡) “Showdown with Rance McGrew” ( Jesse James) (02-02-62) “He’s Alive” (Adolf Hitler) (0¡-24-63) “The Bard” (William Shakespeare) (0523-63) Hometowns and going home “Walking Distance” (¡0-30-59) “Young Man’s Fancy” (05-¡¡-62) “Of Late I Think of Cli›ordville” (04-¡¡63) “The Incredible World of Horace Ford” (04-¡8-63) “Ring-a-Ding Girl” (¡2-27-63) “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” (02-28-64) Human conflict and civil unrest “ I Shot an Arrow into the Air” (0¡-¡560) “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” (03-04-60) “Eye of the Beholder” (¡¡-¡¡-60) “Dust” (0¡-06-6¡) “The Rip Van Winkle Caper” (04-2¡-6¡)

Appendix 8—Genres and Themes “The Silence” (04-28-6¡) “The Obsolete Man” (06-02-6¡) “The Shelter” (09-29-6¡) “The Mirror” (¡0-20-6¡) “ It’s a Good Life” (¡¡-03-6¡) “Death’s-head Revisited” (¡¡-¡0-6¡) “A Quality of Mercy” (¡2-29-6¡) “One More Pallbearer” (0¡-¡2-62) “A Piano in the House” (02-¡6-62) “The Little People” (03-30-62) “Four O’Clock” (04-06-62) “The Gift” (04-27-62) “He’s Alive” (0¡-24-63) “On Thursday We Leave for Home” (0502-63) “The Old Man in the Cave” (¡¡-08-63) “Uncle Simon” (¡¡-¡5-63) “What’s in the Box” (03-¡3-64) “The Masks” (03-20-64) “ I Am the Night — Color Me Black” (0327-64) “The Jeopardy Room” (04-¡7-64) “The Encounter” (05-0¡-64) Humans under alien observation “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” (03-04-60) “People Are Alike All Over” (03-25-60) “The Invaders” (0¡-27-6¡) “Mr. Dingle, the Strong” (03-03-6¡) “Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?” (05-26-6¡) “To Serve Man” (03-02-62) “The Fugitive” (03-09-62) “Hocus-Pocus and Frisby” (04-¡3-62) “The Gift” (04-27-62) “Black Leather Jackets” (0¡-3¡-64) “Stopover in a Quiet Town” (04-24-64) “The Fear” (05-29-64) Hypocrisy and prejudice “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” (03-04-60) “Eye of the Beholder” (¡¡-¡¡-60) “The Silence” (04-28-6¡) “The Shelter” (09-29-6¡) “Death’s-head Revisited” (¡¡-¡0-6¡) “A Quality of Mercy” (¡2-29-6¡) “One More Pallbearer” (0¡-¡2-62) “A Piano in the House” (02-¡6-62) “Four O’Clock” (04-06-62)

247

“The Gift” (04-27-62) “He’s Alive” (0¡-24-63) “Number ¡2 Looks Just Like You” (0¡24-64) “The Masks” (03-20-64) “ I Am the Night — Color Me Black” (0327-64) “The Encounter” (05-0¡-64) Identity see Body switch; Double; Loss of…; Masks Immortality (and the fountain of youth) “Escape Clause” (¡¡-06-59) “The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine” (¡0-2359) “Long Live Walter Jameson” (03-¡8-60) “Kick the Can” (02-09-62) “Of Late I Think of Cli›ordville” (04-¡¡63) “A Short Drink from a Certain Fountain” (¡2-¡3-63) “The Self-Improvement of Salvadore Ross” (0¡-¡7-64) “Number ¡2 Looks Just Like You” (0¡24-64) “Queen of the Nile” (03-06-64) Isolation and loneliness “Where Is Everybody?” (¡0-02-59) “The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine” (¡0-23-59) “The Lonely” (¡¡-¡3-59) “Time Enough at Last” (¡¡-20-59) “King Nine Will Not Return” (09-30-60) “Nervous Man in a Four Dollar Room” (¡0-¡4-60) “One More Pallbearer” (0¡-¡2-62) “Cavender Is Coming” (05-25-62) “The Changing of the Guard” (06-0¡-62) “Miniature” (02-2¡-63) “On Thursday We Leave for Home” (0502-63) “A Kind of a Stopwatch” (¡0-¡8-63) “The Last Night of a Jockey” (¡0-25-63) “Probe 7, Over and Out” (¡¡-29-63) “Night Call” (02-07-64) “Sounds and Silences” (04-03-64) “The Jeopardy Room” (04-¡7-64) “Stopover in a Quiet Town” (04-24-64) “The Encounter” (05-0¡-64)

248

Appendices

Loss of personal identity “Where Is Everybody?” (¡0-02-59) “Mirror Image” (02-26-60) “A World of Di›erence” (03-¡¡-60) “A Stop at Willoughby” (05-06-60) “Mr. Bevis” (06-03-60) “The After Hours” (06-¡0-60) “The Mighty Casey” (06-¡7-60) “Nervous Man in a Four Dollar Room” (¡0-¡4-60) “Eye of the Beholder” (¡¡-¡¡-60) “The Lateness of the Hour” (¡2-02-60) “The Obsolete Man” (06-02-6¡) “Five Characters in Search of an Exit” (¡2-22-6¡) “Person or Persons Unknown” (03-23-62) “The Dummy” (05-04-62) “ In His Image” (0¡-03-63) “He’s Alive” (0¡-24-63) “Miniature” (02-2¡-63) “ I Dream of Genie” (03-2¡-63) “On Thursday We Leave for Home” (0502-63) “Number ¡2 Looks Just Like You” (0¡24-64) “Stopover in a Quiet Town” (04-24-64) “The Encounter” (05-0¡-64) “The Brain Center at Whipple’s” (05-¡564) “Come Wander with Me” (05-22-64)

“A Most Unusual Camera” (¡2-¡6-60) “Dust” (0¡-06-6¡) “The Whole Truth” (0¡-20-6¡) “A Penny for Your Thoughts” (02-03-6¡) “Static” (03-¡0-6¡) “Long Distance Call” (03-3¡-6¡) “The Mirror” (¡0-20-6¡) “Still Valley” (¡¡-24-6¡) “Dead Man’s Shoes” (0¡-¡9-62) “Kick the Can” (02-09-62) “A Piano in the House” (02-¡6-62) “Printer’s Devil” (02-28-63) “ I Dream of Genie” (03-2¡-63) “A Kind of a Stopwatch” (¡0-¡8-63) “Ninety Years Without Slumbering” (¡220-63) “Ring-a-Ding Girl” (¡2-27-63) “Queen of the Nile” (03-06-64) “What’s in the Box” (03-¡3-64) “The Masks” (03-20-64) “The Encounter” (05-0¡-64) “The Bewitchin’ Pool” (06-¡9-64)

Machines “The Fever” (0¡-29-60) “Execution” (04-0¡-60) “A Thing About Machines” (¡0-28-60) “Nick of Time” (¡¡-¡8-60) “Once Upon a Time” (¡2-¡5-6¡) “ In His Image” (0¡-03-63) “Printer’s Devil” (02-28-63) “The Old Man in the Cave” (¡¡-08-63) “Uncle Simon” (¡¡-¡5-63) “You Drive” (0¡-03-64) “From Agnes — with Love” (02-¡4-64) “What’s in the Box” (03-¡3-64) “The Brain Center at Whipple’s” (05-¡564)

Maritime stories (boats, ships, and subs) “Judgment Night” (¡2-04-59) “The Thirty Fathom Grave” (0¡-¡0-63) “Passage on the Lady Anne” (05-09-63) “Sounds and Silences” (04-03-64)

Magic objects “What You Need” (¡2-25-59) “A World of His Own” (07-0¡-60) “The Man in the Bottle” (¡0-07-60)

Magic potions “Mr. Denton on Doomsday” (¡0-¡6-59) “Long Live Walter Jameson” (03-¡8-60) “The Chaser” (05-¡3-60) “Jess-Belle” (02-¡4-63) “A Short Drink from a Certain Fountain” (¡2-¡3-63) “Queen of the Nile” (03-06-64)

Masks (real and metaphorical) “The Four of Us Are Dying” (0¡-0¡-60) “Eye of the Beholder” (¡¡-¡¡-60) “A Quality of Mercy” (¡2-29-6¡) “A Piano in the House” (02-¡6-62) “The Fugitive” (03-09-62) “Hocus-Pocus and Frisby” (04-¡3-62) “The Trade-Ins” (04-20-62) “The Self-Improvement of Salvadore Ross” (0¡-¡7-64) “Number ¡2 Looks Just Like You” (0¡24-64) “The Masks” (03-20-64)

Appendix 8—Genres and Themes Mirrors “Mirror Image” (02-26-60) “Nervous Man in a Four Dollar Room” (¡0-¡4-60) “The Mirror” (¡0-20-6¡) Misanthropes “The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine” (¡0-2359) “Escape Clause” (¡¡-06-59) “A Thing About Machines” (¡0-28-60) “The Silence” (04-28-6¡) “The Mind and the Matter” (05-¡2-6¡) “One More Pallbearer” (0¡-¡2-62) “A Piano in the House” (02-¡6-62) “Four O’Clock” (04-06-62) “He’s Alive” (0¡-24-63) “Uncle Simon” (¡¡-¡5-63) “The Self-Improvement of Salvadore Ross” (0¡-¡7-64) “What’s in the Box” (03-¡3-64) “The Masks” (03-20-64) “Sounds and Silences” (04-03-64) “The Encounter” (05-0¡-64) “The Brain Center at Whipple’s” (05-¡564) Nostalgia “The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine” (¡0-2359) “Walking Distance” (¡0-30-59) “A Stop at Willoughby” (05-06-60) “Static” (03-¡0-6¡) “Once Upon a Time” (¡2-¡5-6¡) “No Time Like the Past” (03-07-63) “Of Late I Think of Cli›ordville” (04-¡¡63) Nuclear war (threat or aftermath) “Time Enough at Last” (¡¡-20-59) “Third from the Sun” (0¡-08-60) “Two” (09-¡5-6¡) “The Shelter” (09-29-6¡) “One More Pallbearer” (0¡-¡2-62) “The Old Man in the Cave” (¡¡-08-63) “Probe 7, Over and Out” (¡¡-29-63) Obsessions “The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine” (¡0-2359) “Time Enough at Last” (¡¡-20-59)

249

“The Fever” (0¡-29-60) “A Thing About Machines” (¡0-28-60) “Nick of Time” (¡¡-¡8-60) “The Prime Mover” (03-24-6¡) “One More Pallbearer” (0¡-¡2-62) “The Little People” (03-30-62) “Four O’Clock” (04-06-62) “Miniature” (02-2¡-63) “The Incredible World of Horace Ford” (04-¡8-63) “On Thursday We Leave for Home” (0502-63) “Steel” (¡0-04-63) “Ninety Years Without Slumbering” (¡220-63) “The Self-Improvement of Salvadore Ross” (0¡-¡7-64) “Sounds and Silences” (04-03-64) Parapsychological abilities (see also Foreseeing…; Magic…; Premonition “What You Need” (¡2-25-59) “The Purple Testament” (02-¡2-60) “The Big, Tall Wish” (04-08-60) “A Penny for Your Thoughts” (02-03-6¡) “The Prime Mover” (03-24-6¡) “Long Distance Call” (03-3¡-6¡) “ It’s a Good Life” (¡¡-03-6¡) “Mute” (0¡-3¡-63) Political oppression “Eye of the Beholder” (¡¡-¡¡-60) “The Obsolete Man” (06-02-6¡) “The Mirror” (¡0-20-6¡) “He’s Alive” (0¡-24-63) “Number ¡2 Looks Just Like You” (0¡24-64) “The Jeopardy Room” (04-¡7-64) Premonition (see also Foreseeing…) “Judgment Night” (¡2-04-59) “What You Need” (¡2-25-59) “The Hitch-Hiker” (0¡-22-60) “Twenty Two” (02-¡0-6¡) “Ninety Years Without Slumbering” (¡220-63) “Ring-a-Ding Girl” (¡2-27-63) “The Encounter” (05-0¡-64) Redemption and second chances “One for the Angels” (¡0-09-59)

250

Appendices

“Mr. Denton on Doomsday” (¡0-¡6-59) “Walking Distance” (¡0-30-59) “The Big, Tall Wish” (04-08-60) “A Passage for Trumpet” (05-20-60) “Mr. Bevis” (06-03-60) “Nervous Man in a Four Dollar Room” (¡0-¡4-60) “The Trouble with Templeton” (¡2-0960) “Night of the Meek” (¡2-23-60) “Dust” (0¡-06-6¡) “Static” (03-¡0-6¡) “Two” (09-¡5-6¡) “A Game of Pool” (¡0-¡3-6¡) “A Quality of Mercy” (¡2-29-6¡) “The Trade-Ins” (04-20-62) “Cavender Is Coming” (05-25-62) “The Changing of the Guard” (06-0¡-62) “ In Praise of Pip” (09-27-63) “Prove 7, Over and Out” (¡¡-29-63) “Ninety Years Without Slumbering” (¡220-63) Relationships (love and marriage) “The Fever” (0¡-29-60) “A World of Di›erence” (03-¡¡-60) “The Chaser” (05-¡3-60) “A World of His Own” (07-0¡-60) “The Man in the Bottle” (¡0-07-60) “Nick of Time” (¡¡-¡8-60) “Static” (03-¡0-6¡) “Two” (09-¡5-6¡) “The Trade-Ins” (04-20-62) “Young Man’s Fancy” (05-¡¡-62) “Jess-Belle” (02-¡4-63) “Miniature” (02-2¡-63) “The Incredible World of Horace Ford” (04-¡8-63) “Passage on the Lady Anne” (05-09-63) “Living Doll” (¡¡-0¡-63) “Probe 7, Over and Out” (¡¡-29-63) “A Short Drink from a Certain Fountain” (¡2-¡3-63) “Ninety Years Without Slumbering” (¡220-63) “The Long Morrow” (0¡-¡0-64) “From Agnes — with Love” (02-¡4-64) “Spur of the Moment” (02-2¡-64) “What’s in the Box” (03-¡3-64) “Stopover in a Quiet Town” (04-24-64)

Religious allegory “The Gift” (04-27-62) “Probe 7, Over and Out” (¡¡-29-63) Returning to childhood (see also Children…) “Walking Distance” (¡0-30-59) “Nightmare as a Child” (04-29-60) “The Trouble with Templeton” (¡2-09-60) “Kick the Can” (02-09-62) “Young Man’s Fancy” (05-¡¡-62) “The Incredible World of Horace Ford” (04-¡8-63) “ In Praise of Pip” (09-27-63) Robots and androids “The Lonely” (¡¡-¡3-59) “Elegy” (02-¡9-60) “The Mighty Casey” (06-¡7-60) “The Lateness of the Hour” (¡2-02-60) “ I Sing the Body Electric” (05-¡8-62) “ In His Image” (0¡-03-63) “Steel” (¡0-04-63) “Uncle Simon” (¡¡-¡5-63) “The Brain Center at Whipple’s” (05-¡564) Rod Serling on-screen at the end of the episode “A World of His Own” (07-0¡-60) “The Obsolete Man” (06-02-6¡) “The Fugitive” (03-09-62) Situational irony (or, “the big twist ending”) “Third from the Sun” (0¡-08-60) “ I Shot an Arrow into the Air” (0¡-¡560) “The Hitch-Hiker” (0¡-22-60) “Elegy” (02-¡9-60) “People Are Alike All Over” (03-25-60) “A Nice Place to Visit” (04-¡5-60) “The After Hours” (06-¡0-60) “Eye of the Beholder” (¡¡-¡¡-60) “The Invaders” (0¡-27-6¡) “The Rip Van Winkle Caper” (04-2¡-6¡) “The Midnight Sun” (¡¡-¡7-6¡) “The Hunt” (0¡-26-62) “Person or Persons Unknown” (03-23-62) “The Little People” (03-30-62) “The Gift” (04-27-62)

Appendix 8—Genres and Themes “The Parallel” (03-¡4-63) “The Last Night of a Jockey” (¡0-25-63) “The Old Man in the Cave” (¡¡-08-63) “A Short Drink from a Certain Fountain” (¡2-¡3-63) “The Long Morrow” (0¡-¡0-64) “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” (02-28-64) “Come Wander with Me” (05-22-64) Size relativity (or, “all creatures great and small”) “The Invaders” (0¡-27-6¡) “The Little People” (03-30-62) “Four O’Clock” (04-06-62) “The Last Night of a Jockey” (¡0-25-63) “Stopover in a Quiet Town” (04-24-64) “The Fear” (05-29-64) Sounds of silence (or vice versa) “Where Is Everybody?” (¡0-02-59) “Elegy” (02-¡9-60) “Execution” (04-0¡-60) “A Stop at Willoughby” (05-06-60) “A Thing About Machines” (¡0-28-60) “The Invaders” (0¡-27-6¡) “The Silence” (04-28-6¡) “Two” (09-¡5-6¡) “Once Upon a Time” (¡2-¡5-6¡) “One More Pallbearer” (0¡-¡2-62) “The Thirty Fathom Grave” (0¡-¡0-63) “A Kind of a Stopwatch” (¡0-¡8-63) “You Drive” (0¡-03-64) “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” (02-28-64) “Sounds and Silences” (04-03-64) Space travel “Where Is Everybody?” (¡0-02-59) “And When the Sky Was Opened” (¡2¡¡-59) “Third from the Sun” (0¡-08-60) “ I Shot an Arrow into the Air” (0¡-¡560) “Elegy” (02-¡9-60) “People Are Alike All Over” (03-25-60) “The Invaders” (0¡-27-6¡) “To Serve Man” (03-02-62) “The Little People” (03-30-62) “Death Ship” (02-07-63)

251

“On Thursday We Leave for Home” (0502-63) “Probe 7, Over and Out” (¡¡-29-63) “The Long Morrow” (0¡-¡0-64) “The Fear” (05-29-64) Stasis “Elegy” (02-¡9-60) “The Big, Tall Wish” (04-08-60) “The After Hours” (06-¡0-60) “Still Valley” (¡¡-24-6¡) “The Changing of the Guard” (06-0¡-62) “The New Exhibit” (04-04-63) “A Kind of a Stopwatch” (¡0-¡8-63) Superstition “Nick of Time” (¡¡-¡8-60) “The Grave” (¡0-27-6¡) “Still Valley” (¡¡-24-6¡) “The Jungle” (¡2-0¡-6¡) “The Last Rites of Je› Myrtlebank” (0223-62) “Jess-Belle” (02-¡4-63) “The Bard” (05-23-63) “Ninety Years Without Slumbering” (¡220-63) Surprise ending see Situational irony Telephones “Long Distance Call” (¡2-20-63) “Night Call” (02-07-64) “The Jeopardy Room” (04-¡7-64) Time travel “Walking Distance” (¡0-30-59) “The Last Flight” (02-05-60) “Execution” (04-0¡-60) “King Nine Will Not Return” (09-30-60) “The Trouble with Templeton” (¡2-09-60) “Back There” (0¡-¡3-6¡) “The Odyssey of Flight 33” (02-24-6¡) “Static” (03-¡0-6¡) “A Hundred Yards Over the Rim” (0407-6¡) “The Rip Van Winkle Caper” (04-2¡-6¡) “Once Upon a Time” (¡2-¡5-6¡) “Showdown with Rance McGrew” (0202-62) “Young Man’s Fancy” (05-¡¡-62)

252

Appendices

“No Time Like the Past” (03-07-63) “Of Late I Think of Cli›ordville” (04-¡¡63) “The Incredible World of Horace Ford” (04-¡8-63) “The 7th Is Made Up of Phantoms” (¡206-63) “Spur of the Moment” (02-2¡-64) Westerns “Mr. Denton on Doomsday” (¡0-¡6-59) “Execution” (04-0¡-60) “Dust” (0¡-06-6¡) “Showdown with Rance McGrew” (0202-62) “The Grave” (¡0-27-6¡) “Mr. Garrity and the Graves” (05-08-64) Wishes and wish fulfillment “One for the Angels” (¡0-09-59) “The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine” (¡0-2359) “Escape Clause” (¡¡-06-59) “What You Need” (¡2-25-59) “The Big, Tall Wish” (04-08-60) “A Nice Place to Visit” (04-¡5-60) “A Stop at Willoughby” (05-06-60) “The Chaser” (05-¡3-60) “A Passage for Trumpet” (05-20-60) “A World of His Own” (07-0¡-60) “The Man in the Bottle” (¡0-07-60) “Night of the Meek” (¡2-23-60) “Static” (03-¡0-6¡) “Long Distance Call” (03-3¡-6¡)

“The Mind and the Matter” (05-¡2-6¡) “A Game of Pool” (¡0-¡3-6¡) “ It’s a Good Life” (¡¡-03-6¡) “Once Upon a Time” (¡2-¡5-6¡) “Kick the Can” (02-09-62) “Four O’Clock” (04-06-62) “Jess-Belle” (02-¡4-63) “ I Dream of Genie” (03-2¡-63) “Of Late I Think of Cli›ordville” (04-¡¡63) “The Bard” (05-23-63) “ In Praise of Pip” (09-27-63) “The Last Night of a Jockey” (¡0-25-63) “The Bewitchin’ Pool” (06-¡9-64) Words “Twilight Zone” see Episodes that do not… World War I “The Last Flight” (02-05-60) World War II “The Purple Testament” (02-¡2-60) “King Nine Will Not Return” (09-30-60) “Death’s-head Revisited” (¡¡-¡0-6¡) “A Quality of Mercy” (¡2-29-6¡) “The Thirty Fathom Grave” (0¡-¡0-63) “He’s Alive” (0¡-24-63) “The Encounter” (05-0¡-64) Writing “A World of His Own” (07-0¡-60) “A Thing About Machines” (¡0-28-60) “The Bard” (05-23-63)

NOTES Preface 1. Qtd. in Gordon F. Sander, Serling: The Rise and Twilight of Television’s Last Angry Man (New York: Plume-Penguin, ¡994), p. ¡50. Serling was originally quoted in the Ithaca Journal in ¡974.

Introduction 1. Jean-Marc and Randy Lo‡cier, acknowledgments to Into the Twilight Zone: The Rod Serling Programme Guide (London: Virgin, ¡995), no page number given. 2. The Looney Zone, DC Comics July ¡997. 3. Qtd. on cover of Marc Scott Zicree’s The Twilight Zone Companion (Los Angeles: Silman-James Press, ¡989). 4. “¡00 Greatest Episodes of All Time,” TV Guide (28 June–4 July ¡997), pp. 54, 62. 5. Stephen King, Stephen King’s Danse Macabre (New York : Berkley, ¡98¡), p. 238. 6. Zicree, The Twilight Zone Companion (2nd ed., Los Angeles: Silman-James Press, ¡992), “Author’s Note on the Second Edition,” no page number given. 7. Ibid., p. ¡. 8. Qtd. in Zicree, pp. 440–44¡. 9. Qtd. in Arlen Schumer, Visions from The Twilight Zone (San Francisco: Chronicle, ¡990), p. 98. 10. Qtd. in Sander, p. ¡52. 11. Qtd. in Mark Phillips and Frank Garcia, Science Fiction Television Series: Episode Guides, Histories, and Casts and Credits for 62 Prime Time Shows, ¡959 through ¡989 ( Je›erson, N.C.: McFarland, ¡996), p. 469. 12. Sander, p. ¡69.

Part I: History 1. 2. 3. 4.

Zicree, p. 3. Ibid., pp. ¡4–¡5. The Mike Wallace Show, October ¡959. Schumer, p. ¡49.

253

254

Notes — Part I

5. Emmy magazine, October ¡982. 6. Sander, p. ¡45. 7. Gould, Jack. New York Times, November 25, ¡958. 8. Zicree, p. 2¡. 9. “Where Is Everybody?” liner notes. 10. Zicree, p. 27. 11. Ibid., p. ¡7. 12. Ibid., p. 27. 13. Sander, p. ¡63. 14. Zicree, p. 294. 15. Ibid., p. 36. 16. Sander, pp. ¡53–54. 17. Qtd. in Zicree, p. 96. 18. Smith, Cecil. The Los Angeles Times, October 3, ¡959. 19. Qtd. in Zicree, p. 96. 20. Ibid., p. 97. 21. Gould, Jack. New York Times, October 4, ¡959. 22. Sander, p. ¡52. 23. Phillips and Garcia, p. 469. 24. Zicree, p. ¡30. 25. Emmy Awards broadcast, NBC, June 2¡, ¡960. 26. Joel Engel, Rod Serling: The Dreams and Nightmares of Life in the Twilight Zone (Chicago: Contemporary, ¡989), p. 235. 27. Zicree, p. ¡8¡. 28. Ibid., p. 54. 29. Sander, p. ¡53. 30. Ibid., p. ¡69. 31. Ibid., pp. ¡52–53. 32. Ibid., p. ¡8¡. 33. Zicree, p. 293. 34. Sander, p. ¡83. 35. Zicree, p. 2¡4. 36. Qtd. in Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone Magazine, September ¡98¡. 37. Zicree, p. 296. 38. Ibid., p. 299. 39. Ibid., p. 360. 40. Engel, p. 233. 41. Ibid., p. 235. 42. Zicree, p. 362. 43. Ibid., p. 62. 44. Qtd. in Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone Magazine, July ¡98¡. 45. Zicree, p. 427. 46. Phillips and Garcia, p. 472. 47. Zicree, p. 437. 48. Ibid., p. 434. 49. Phillips and Garcia, p. 47¡. 50. Ibid., p. 467. 51. Sander, p. ¡65. 52. Phillips and Garcia, p. 469. 53. Zicree, p. 222.

Notes—Seasons One, Two

255

Season One 1. Zicree, p. 26. 2. Ibid. 3. Ibid., p. 25. 4. Engel, p. ¡76. Unfortunately, Engel does not document the source of this intriguing anecdote. 5. Ibid., p. 22¡. 6. Zicree, 48–49. 7. Engel, p. 22¡. 8. Though Zicree’s Twilight Zone Companion lists this role and credits the actor, no such role exists in the final filmed version of the episode. 9. Sander, p. ¡55. 10. James H. Burns, “Burgess Meredith: Multidimensional Man.” Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone Magazine, March/April ¡984, p. 26. 11. Zicree, The Twilight Zone Companion, p. 74. 12. The Twilight Zone: The Original Stories (New York: MJF Books, 1985), p. 6. 13. Qtd. in “And When the Sky Was Opened” liner notes, written by Marc Scott Zicree for the Columbia House Video Library collection of The Twilight Zone. 14. Engel, p. 159. 15. Sander, p.147. 16. Stories from The Twilight Zone (New York: Bantam, 1960), p. 82. ¡7. Zicree, p. 59. ¡8. Ibid., p. 60. 19. Ibid., p. 89. 20. Ibid., pp. 9¡–92. 21. “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” liner notes. 22. Engel, pp. 84–86. 23. Sander, p. 64. 24. “Long Live Walter Jameson” liner notes. 25. Zicree, pp. 93–94. 26. The Twilight Zone: The Original Stories, p. 100. 27. Zicree, p. ¡¡0. 28. “Execution” liner notes. 29. Sander, p. 55. 30. Engel, p. ¡97. 31. Ibid. 32. Zicree, p. ¡27. 33. Ibid. 34. Ibid., p. 84. 35. Qtd. in Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone Magazine (March-April ¡983), p. 8¡.

Season Two 1. Zicree, p. ¡47. 2. Ibid., p. ¡46. 3. Qtd. in James H. Burns, “Richard Matheson on ‘The Honorable Tradition of Writing.’” Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone Magazine (Sept. 1981), p. 49.

256

Notes — Season Three

4. Ibid. 5. Zicree, p. 175. 6. Qtd. in Zicree, p. 191. 7. Zicree, p. ¡80. 8. Sander, pp. 206–07. 9. Zicree, p. 142. 10. More Stories from The Twilight Zone (New York: Bantam, 1961), p. 30. 11. Zicree, p. ¡84. 12. Ibid., p. ¡92. 13. Ibid, p. ¡93. 14. Ibid., p.196. 15. Ibid. 16. Ibid., p. 201. 17. Ibid., p. 207. 18. Ibid, p. 205. 19. Rod Serling, “The Obsolete Man” teleplay, Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone Magazine (April 1989), p. 95.

Season Three 1. “The Arrival” liner notes, written by Marc Scott Zicree for the Columbia House Video Library collection of The Twilight Zone. 2. “The Shelter” liner notes. 3. Phillips and Garcia, p. 470. 4. Zicree, pp. 25¡–53. 5. Sander, p. 182. 6. Qtd. in Phillips and Garcia, p. 472. 7. Zicree, p. 229. 8. Ibid., p. 256. 9. Ibid., p. 260. 10. Ibid., p. 26¡. 11. This source for Serling’s “Five Characters in Search of an Exit” is rather problematic. Marvin Petal’s story is indeed given on-screen credit. However, the story is shrouded in mystery. TZ authority Marc Scott Zicree, in The Twilight Zone Companion, also lists Petal’s story as a source. Nevertheless, Zicree makes absolutely no reference to the story, or where it was originally published, in his discussion of the episode. The short story may have been either unpublished or no more than perhaps a story treatment that Serling acquired. This possibility arises from the fact that “The Depository” is not included in The Twilight Zone: The Original Stories (1985). In his preface to the book, TZ writer Richard Matheson points out that the volume is a collection of previously published stories that Rod Serling had bought to produce for the show. The only omission, Matheson says, is John Collier’s “The Chaser” (05-13-60), which presented “permissions di‡culties.” No mention is made of Marvin Petal’s “The Depository.” No other bibliographic source for the show reveals any information regarding the story. In addition, extensive research — in science fiction reference works, Internet databases, and even in author-pseudonym dictionaries — turns up no evidence of an author named Marvin Petal. 12. Zicree, p. 234. 13. “Dead Man’s Shoes” liner notes, written by Marc Scott Zicree for the Columbia House Video Library collection of The Twilight Zone.

Notes—Season Four

257

14. Sander, p. 205. 15. Peter Wolfe, In the Zone: The Twilight World of Rod Serling (Bowling Green, Ohio: Popular Press, 1997), p. 5. 16. Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone Magazine (Sept./Oct. ¡983), p. ¡00. 17. “To Serve Man” teleplay, Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone Magazine (Sept./ Oct. 1984), p. 100. 18. The Twilight Zone: The Original Stories, p. 7. 19. “Person or Persons Unknown” liner notes. 20. See, for instance, Variety’s comment on “The Arrival” (09-22-61), the second episode of season three. 21. “The Trade-Ins” liner notes. 22. Zicree, p. 277. 23. Hal Erickson, “Censorship: Another Dimension Behind the Twilight Zone.” Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone Magazine (Oct. 1984), p. 71. 24. Phillips and Garcia, pp. 468–69. 25. Ibid. 26. “Cavender Is Coming” liner notes, written by Marc Scott Zicree for the Columbia House Video Library collection of The Twilight Zone.

Season Four 1. Before its inclusion in Beaumont’s short story collection Yonder (1958), the story was published in Imagination magazine as “The Man Who Made Himself ” (February 1957). 2. Wolfe, p. 50. 3. Hal Erickson. “All the Little Hitlers.” Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone Magazine (August ¡986), p. 83. 4. Ibid., p. 84. 5. Ibid., p. 83. 6. Qtd. in “Mute” liner notes, written by Marc Scott Zicree for the Columbia House Video Library collection of The Twilight Zone. 7. Zicree, p. 3¡6. 8. Ibid., p. 312. 9. Ibid., p. 325. 10. Qtd. in “Printer’s Devil” liner notes, written by Marc Scott Zicree for the Columbia House Video Library collection of The Twilight Zone. 11. Sander, p. 193. 12. Qtd. in Zicree, p. 194. 13. King, p. 242. 14. Ibid. 15. Qtd. in “The New Exhibit” liner notes, written by Marc Scott Zicree for the Columbia House Video Library collection of The Twilight Zone. 16. Zicree, p. 356. 17. “The Incredible World of Horace Ford” liner notes, written by Marc Scott Zicree for the Columbia House Video Library collection of The Twilight Zone. 18. Ibid. 19. Zicree, p. 360. 20. Ibid., p. 346.

Notes — Season Five, Appendix 6

258

21. Qtd. in “Passage on the Lady Anne” liner notes, written by Marc Scott Zicree for the Columbia House Video Library collection of The Twilight Zone. 22. Ibid.

Season Five 1. Zicree, p. 364. 2. Ibid. 3. Introduction to The Twilight Zone: The Original Stories, p. 6. 4. Ibid. 5. “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” teleplay, “Matheson Looks at His ‘Nightmare,’” Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone Magazine (May/June 1984), p. 90. 6. Introduction to The Twilight Zone: The Original Stories, p. 7. 7. Zicree, p. 39¡. 8. Hal Erickson, “Censorship: Another Dimension Behind The Twilight Zone.” Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone Magazine (October ¡985), p. 73. 9. “Probe 7, Over and Out” liner notes, written by Marc Scott Zicree for the Columbia House Video Library collection of The Twilight Zone. 10. Engel, p. 222. 11. Zicree, p. 4¡5. 12. Ibid., p. 395. 13. Ibid., pp. 395–96. 14. Engel, p. 187. Engel also notes that “[O]ne of Serling’s better radio scripts in college was an adaptation of O. Henry’s ‘Gift of the Magi.’” 15. Qtd. in Zicree, p. 401. 16. Qtd. in Tom Weaver, Science Fiction Stars and Horror Heroes: Interviews with Actors, Directors, Producers and Writers of the ¡940s through ¡960s ( Je›erson, N.C.: McFarland, ¡99¡), p. 3¡¡. 17. Qtd. in Zicree, p. 379. 18. “Sounds and Silences” liner notes, written by Marc Scott Zicree for the Columbia House Video Library collection of The Twilight Zone. 19. Qtd. in Zicree, p. 4¡8. 20. “Stopover in a Quiet Town” liner notes. 21. Zicree, p. 423. 22. Ibid. 23. Qtd. in Phillips and Garcia, p. 469. 24. Zicree, p. 406. 25. Zicree, p. 425. 26. Robert Martin, “Richard Donner: TZ Alumnus Makes Good.” Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone Magazine ( July ¡98¡), p. 52. 27. Engel, p. 25¡.

Appendix 6 1. 2. 3. 4.

Qtd. in Zicree, pp. 274–275. Ibid., p. 274. Ibid., p. 388. Sander, p. 30.

Notes—Appendix 6

259

5. Zicree, p. 388. 6. Ibid. 7. Ibid. 8. Qtd. in Marc Scott Zicree, “The Story Behind Richard Matheson’s ‘The Doll.’” Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone Magazine ( June ¡982), p. 9¡. 9. Preface to Rod Serling’s “Notes for a ‘Twilight Zone’ Movie,” Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone Magazine (Mar./April 1983), p. 56.

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265

______. “Where Is Everybody?” Teleplay. Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone Magazine, April ¡985: 90–¡00. ______. “Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?” Teleplay. Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone Magazine, Feb. ¡986: 76–83. Sharp, Roberta. “Richard Matheson.” Dictionary of Literary Biography. Ed. Randall Clark. Vol. 44. Detroit: Gale Research Co., ¡986. 237–44. Stephens, Michael L. Film Noir: A Comprehensive, Illustrated Reference to Movies, Terms and Persons. Je›erson, N.C.: McFarland, ¡995. Sturcken, Frank. Live Television: The Golden Age of ¡946–¡958 in New York. Je›erson, N.C.: McFarland, ¡990. Terrace, Vincent. Television Character and Story Facts: Over ¡¡0,000 Details from ¡,008 Shows, ¡945–¡992. Je›erson, N.C.: McFarland, ¡993. “TV-Radio: The Weary Young Man.” Newsweek, 28 Sept. ¡959: 82. Van Hise, James. Sci Fi TV: From The Twilight Zone to Deep Space Nine. New York: Harper, ¡993. Ward, Jack. Television Guest Stars: An Illustrated Career Chronicle for 678 Performers of the Sixties and Seventies. Je›erson, N.C.: McFarland, ¡993. Weaver, Tom. Science Fiction Stars and Horror Heroes: Interviews with Actors, Directors, Producers and Writers of the ¡940s through ¡960s. Je›erson, N.C.: McFarland, ¡99¡. Wolfe, Peter. In the Zone: The Twilight World of Rod Serling. Bowling Green, Ohio: Popular Press, ¡997. Zicree, Marc Scott. Liner notes for the Columbia House Video Library volumes of The Twilight Zone. ______. “The Story Behind Richard Matheson’s ‘The Doll.’” Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone Magazine, June ¡982: 9¡. ______. The Twilight Zone Companion. 2nd ed. Los Angeles: Silman-James Press, ¡992.

INDEX Abbott, Philip 9¡, ¡49 ABC ¡6, ¡7, 25, 85, ¡68 Adam-¡2 54 Adams, Casey ¡05 Adams, Dorothy 8¡ Adams, Mary 85 Adams, Stanley ¡¡2, ¡89 Addiss, Justis 86, 87, 93, ¡48 Adelin, Louis ¡80 Adler, Jay ¡¡0, ¡4¡ Adler, Luther 7¡, 72 Aesop 8, 94, ¡30 “The After Hours” ¡7, 53, 64, 66–67, ¡¡3, ¡45, ¡46 Aherne, Brian 78, 79 Aidman, Charles 43, ¡25, ¡26 Air Force One Is Haunted 87 Akins, Claude 54, 55, ¡27– 28 Albertson, Jack ¡0¡, ¡5¡ Albright, Hardie ¡23 Aletter, Frank ¡49 Alexander, Denise 46 Alexander, Je› 78, ¡9¡ Alfred Hitchcock Presents 27, 94 Alice in Wonderland ¡83 All My Children ¡5¡ “All of Us Are Dying” 45 Allen, Clark ¡¡3 Allen, Elizabeth 67 Allen, Woody ¡04 Allman, Sheldon 54 Allocca, Frank 44 Almeida, Laurindo ¡3¡ Alouso, John 8¡ Amazing Stories 27 American Tobacco Company ¡67 The American Women—Portraits of Courage ¡09 Ames, Totty ¡72

“Amok Time” ¡82 “And Now I’m Waiting” 68, 69 “And When the Sky Was Opened” 42–43, 47, 48, 56, ¡25, ¡26, ¡50 Anderson, John 27, 65, 86, 87, ¡53, ¡65, ¡66 Andrews, Dana ¡48, ¡49, ¡50 Andrews, Edward 46, ¡72 Andrews, Tod ¡93 The Andy Gri‡th Show 85, ¡5¡, ¡84 Andy Hardy 54 Antioch College 60, ¡37 Archer, John 96 “The Arena” ¡2 The Aristocats ¡83 Armstrong, Dave 93 Armstrong, David ¡30 Armstrong, R.G. ¡¡5 Arnaz, Desi 64 Arnold, Phil 88 “The Arrival” 62, ¡00–¡, ¡40 The Arrow and the Song 48 Arrowsmith, H. Web 70, 7¡, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 78, 79, 8¡, 83, 84, 86, 88, 90, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 99, ¡00, ¡0¡, ¡02, ¡03, ¡04, ¡05, ¡07, ¡08, ¡09, ¡¡0, ¡¡2, ¡¡3, ¡¡4, ¡¡5, ¡¡7, ¡¡8, ¡2¡, ¡22, ¡23, ¡24, ¡27, ¡33, ¡34 Asher, William 66 Ashley, Ted ¡9 Ashley-Steiner Agency ¡9 Astin, John 92 Atterbury, Malcolm 34, ¡48 Atwater, Barry 54 Au Coeur de la Vie ¡8¡ Aubrey, Jim 24 Aubry, Renee ¡85

267

Aubuchon, Jacques ¡40 Audley, Eleanor 49 Augarola, Richard ¡46 Austin, Pam ¡75, ¡76 The Avengers 42 Avery, Val 80 “Back There” 59, 8¡, 92, ¡02, ¡48 Back to the Future ¡80 Back to the Future Part II ¡50, ¡80 Badham, John ¡94 Badham, Mary ¡93, ¡94 Bagetta, Vince ¡39 Bailey, Charles W. ¡87 Bailey, Raymond 37, 8¡, ¡78 Baird, Jimmy ¡36 Ball, Robert ¡5¡ Ballard, Shirley ¡26 Balsam, Martin ¡3, 35, ¡52 Balter, Sam ¡63 Bambi ¡82 Bananas ¡04 Bank, Douglas ¡82, ¡84 Barber, Phil 70, 7¡, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 78, 79, 8¡, 83, 84, 86, 88, 90, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 99, ¡00, ¡0¡, ¡02, ¡03, ¡04, ¡05, ¡07, ¡08, ¡09, ¡¡0, ¡¡2, ¡¡3, ¡¡4, ¡¡5, ¡¡6, ¡¡7, ¡¡8, ¡20, ¡2¡, ¡22, ¡23, ¡24, ¡27, ¡28, ¡33, ¡34 “The Bard” 23, 55, ¡58 Bardette, Trevor ¡¡6 Bare, Richard L. 46, 47, 5¡, 76, 90, 9¡, ¡23, ¡24, ¡82 “A Bargain in Blood” ¡75 Barlett, Martine ¡77 Barnes, Rayford ¡¡4 Barnes, Vickie ¡22 Barrett, Leslie 47

268 Barrie, Barbara ¡46 Barry, Patricia 63, ¡07, ¡5¡, ¡5¡ Barsha, Leon 7¡, 73, 75, 76, 8¡, 83, 84, 92, 94, 96, ¡04 Bartell, Harry 47 Barth, Ed ¡52 Barton, Anne 54 Barton, Annie 95 Barton, Larry ¡60 Barzell, Wolfe ¡4¡ Basehart, Richard ¡68 Bassett, Joe 43 Batanides, Arthur 34 Bates, Jeanne ¡05 Batman (TV series) 38, ¡54, ¡57 Baxley, Barbara ¡42 Baxley, Paul 5¡ Baxter, George 37 Bean, Orson 66 Beaumont, Charles 2, 7, 8, ¡6, ¡7, ¡9, 23, 24, 33, 40, 4¡, 52, 56, 57, 6¡, 65, 74, 89, 90, 9¡, 92, 95, ¡07, ¡¡0, ¡¡¡, ¡¡7, ¡¡9, ¡24, ¡25, ¡26, ¡27, ¡34, ¡38, ¡39, ¡40, ¡4¡, ¡44, ¡46, ¡47, ¡48, ¡50, ¡5¡, ¡53, ¡56, ¡57, ¡58, ¡64, ¡75, ¡76, ¡77, ¡8¡, ¡82, ¡93, 204–5, 234, 235, 236 Beaumont, Chris ¡58 “The Beautiful People” ¡75, ¡76 Beck, Billy ¡52 Becker, Terry ¡84 Beckett, Samuel ¡¡3 Beckman, Henry 73, ¡40 Beecher, Bonnie ¡9¡ The Beguiled ¡67 Behrens, Frank ¡35 Beir, Fredrick ¡43, ¡44 Belasco, Leon ¡63 Bender, Russ 49, ¡24, ¡56 Bendix, William ¡3, ¡52 Beneath the Planet of the Apes 56 Benedict, William ¡85 Benèt, Stephen Vincent ¡47 Bennett, Marjorie 63, ¡20, ¡48 Benson, Anthony ¡56 Benton, Gene ¡23 Benton, Robert R. ¡59, ¡60, ¡6¡, ¡62, ¡63, ¡64, ¡65, ¡67, ¡68, ¡69, ¡70, ¡7¡, ¡72, ¡73, ¡74, ¡75, ¡76, ¡77,

Index ¡78, ¡79, ¡8¡, ¡83, ¡87, ¡93 Beregi, Oscar 93, ¡07, ¡42, ¡43 Berger, Gerard ¡80 Berman, Shelley 96 Bernard, Barry 42 Bernard, Joseph ¡0¡ Bernath, Shari Lee ¡49 Bernie, Jason, Jr. 93, 95, 97, ¡00, ¡0¡, ¡03, ¡05, ¡08, ¡¡0, ¡¡2, ¡¡4, ¡¡5, ¡¡7, ¡23, ¡25, ¡25, ¡27, ¡28, ¡3¡, ¡32, ¡33, ¡34 Best, James ¡05, ¡22, ¡44, ¡45 “The Bet” 94 Between Two Worlds ¡58 Bevans, Clem ¡29 Bevans, Philippa ¡36 The Beverly Hillbillies 9¡ Bewitched 24, 52, 85, 99 “The Bewitchin’ Pool” 25, ¡¡8, ¡60, ¡73, ¡92, ¡93–94 Biberman, Abner ¡32, ¡33, ¡54, ¡75, ¡84 Bierce, Ambrose ¡80 The Big Sky ¡¡8 “The Big, Tall Wish” 58, ¡32, ¡84, ¡88 Biheller, Bob ¡36 Bikel, Theodore ¡28 Bill ¡64 The Bill Rose Television Theatre 64 Binghampton, New York 36, 63 Binns, Edward 47, ¡73 Bird in a Cage 63 The Birds 43 Bixby, Bill ¡39, ¡40 Bixby, Jerome ¡05, ¡06, 209 “Black Ferris” 37 “Black Leather Jackets” ¡¡8, ¡60, ¡73, ¡76–77, ¡93 Blake, Larry 78 “Blind Alley” ¡53, ¡54 Blind Spot ¡89 Bliss, Lela 39 Blondell, Joan ¡82 Bloss, John ¡38, ¡39, ¡44, ¡47, ¡50, ¡52, ¡54, ¡55, ¡58 Blue Velvet ¡4¡ Blyden, Larry 6¡, ¡¡8, ¡¡9 Blyth, Ann ¡8¡, ¡82 Bob Hope Presents The Chrysler Theatre 25

The Bob Newhart Show 56 Bochner, Lloyd ¡23, ¡24 Bo›ety, Jean ¡80, ¡8¡ Bogart, Humphrey 36 Bohn, Merritt 33, ¡60 Boles, Jim ¡00, ¡44 Bolt, John ¡9¡ “Bomber’s Moon” 7¡ Bond, David ¡52 Bonniwell, Charles, Jr. ¡59, ¡60, ¡6¡, ¡62, ¡63, ¡64, ¡65, ¡67, ¡68, ¡69, ¡70, ¡7¡, ¡72, ¡73, ¡74, ¡75, ¡76, ¡77, ¡78, ¡79, ¡8¡, ¡83, ¡87, ¡93 Boon, Robert ¡07, ¡42 Boone, Randy ¡68, ¡69 Boone, Richard 99 Booth, Billy 62 Booth, Nesdon 37, 90 Borden, Eugene ¡¡7 “The Borderland” ¡93 Bouchey, Willis ¡83 Bower, Antoinette ¡68 The Boy in the Plastic Bubble ¡80 Boyer, Jack 90 Boyer, Lyle 33 Bradbury, Ray 33, 37, 63, 97, ¡34–35, ¡94, 209, 232, 233, 234 Bradley, Leslie 42 Brady, Jim 77, 80, 85, 89, 9¡ Brahm, John ¡7, 39, 40, 42, 45, 46, 53, 6¡, 64, 88, 95, ¡26, ¡27, ¡33, ¡5¡, ¡72, ¡8¡ “The Brain Center at Whipple’s” ¡67, ¡78, ¡90–9¡ Brand, Neville 59, ¡88, ¡89 Brando, Marlon ¡58, ¡77 Bray, Robert ¡69 Breakdown ¡0¡ Breitman, Larry ¡29 Bremen, Lennie ¡52 Breslin, Patricia 76, 77, ¡48, ¡49, ¡62 Brian’s Song 39 Bridges, Lloyd 26, ¡¡9 Brittany, Morgan ¡86 Brocco, Peter 45, ¡2¡, ¡29 Brode, Douglas ¡8 Broderick, James ¡56 Bronson, Charles 99 Brooke, Walter ¡¡0, ¡69 Brooks, Barry 97 “Brothers Beyond the Void” 57

Index Brown, Beverly 86 Brown, Lew 8¡, 9¡, ¡69 Brown, Malcolm ¡63, ¡64, ¡67, ¡70, ¡7¡, ¡72, ¡73, ¡75, ¡76, ¡78, ¡8¡, ¡93 Browning, James ¡36 Browning, Robert ¡3¡ Brubaker, Robert ¡00 Bryan, Claudia ¡42 Bryar, Paul 43 Buchanan, Edgar ¡22 Bullock, Sandra 87 Bunker, Jennifer 92 Burgess, Jane 90 Burke, Christine ¡53 Burke, Walter 60 Burnett, Carol ¡35, ¡36 Burnham, Terry 6¡ Burns, Bart ¡40 Burns, Michael ¡0¡ Burns, Paul E. 37 Burton, Robert 34 The Buster Keaton Story ¡¡3 Butler, David ¡58 Butler, Robert ¡86, ¡88, ¡89 Butler, Rudy 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 42, 44, 45, 46, 48, 50, 5¡, 54, 55, 56, 57 “The Button Pushers” 55 Byron, Carol ¡70

Cabot, Sebastian

6¡ “Caesar and Me” ¡33, ¡65, ¡86 Caine, Howard ¡4¡ Calder, King 78, ¡40 Call, Tony ¡39 Callahan, James ¡70 The Cameraman ¡¡2 Campbell, Colin ¡57 Capra, Frank 64, 66, ¡37 Carey, Leslie I. 3¡ Carfagno, Edward ¡4¡, ¡42, ¡43, ¡44, ¡46, ¡54, ¡58 Carlson, Charles 78 Carney, Art 65, 80, ¡55 Carpenter, John 74, ¡72 Carradine, John 74, 75 Carrey, Jim 56, 83 Carrier, Albert ¡35 Carroll, Dee 76 Carson, Jack 82 Carson, Jean 79 Carter, Conlan ¡39 Cartwright, Veronica ¡34 Carver, Mary ¡54

“Casino Royale” ¡88 Cassel, Seymour ¡74 Castro, Fidel 20, 83, ¡04 Cat Ballou ¡05 Cat People ¡78 Catron, Jerry 5¡ “Cat’s Paw” ¡68 Cavell, Marc 5¡ “Cavender Is Coming” 66, 76, ¡¡9, ¡35–36 Cayuga Productions ¡4, 25, 9¡, 92, 97, ¡34, ¡4¡ CBS ¡2, ¡3, ¡4, ¡6, ¡7, ¡8, 22, 24, 25, 26, 27, 33, 48, 50, 60, 66, 67, 7¡, 90, ¡36, ¡46, ¡5¡, ¡88 The CBS Radio Mystery Theater ¡75 CBS Television City (Los Angeles) ¡8, 77, 80, 85, 89, 9¡ Cerf, Bennett 85, 86 Challee, William ¡05 Chambers, John ¡46 Chambers, Phil ¡52 Champion, John ¡4, 47 Champion, Madelon 47, 48 Chandler, George 82 “The Changing of the Guard” ¡36–37 Charly 92 Charro! ¡¡9 The Chase 25 “The Chaser” ¡, 63–64, ¡07, ¡39, ¡79 Chayefsky, Paddy ¡55 Chekhov, Anton 94 Cher ¡5¡ Chicago Daily News ¡6 Chico and the Man ¡5¡ Child’s Play 47, ¡65 Chiles, Linden ¡28 China Smith ¡4 Christine 74, ¡72 Christine, Virginia 37 A Christmas Carol 32, ¡37 Cinescape 76 Clark, Al ¡49, ¡55 Clark, Dane 90, 9¡ Clark, Fred 79 Clark, James 77, 80, 85, 89, 9¡ Clarke, Gage ¡¡6 Clarke, John 35 Clatworthy, Robert 3¡ Claxton, William 50, ¡¡0, ¡27, ¡34, ¡35

269 Cleave, Van 40, 4¡, 44, 52, 55, 56, 99, ¡08, ¡09, ¡34, ¡44, ¡60, ¡62, ¡76, ¡77, ¡78 Clemens, George T. ¡5, ¡9, 20, 22, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 4¡, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 50, 5¡, 52, 53, 54, 56, 57, 58, 60, 6¡, 62, 63, 65, 66, 67, 68, 70, 7¡, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 78, 79, 8¡, 83, 84, 86, 88, 90, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, ¡00, ¡0¡, ¡02, ¡04, ¡05, ¡08, ¡¡0, ¡¡2, ¡¡3, ¡¡4, ¡¡5, ¡¡6, ¡¡7, ¡¡8, ¡20, ¡2¡, ¡23, ¡25, ¡27, ¡29, ¡30, ¡3¡, ¡32, ¡33, ¡34, ¡35, ¡36, ¡38, ¡39, ¡4¡, ¡46, ¡50, ¡5¡, ¡54, ¡55, ¡58, ¡59, ¡60, ¡63, ¡68, ¡69, ¡7¡, ¡72, ¡73, ¡74, ¡76, ¡78, ¡82, ¡83, ¡84, ¡85, ¡86, ¡88, ¡89, ¡93 Cletro, Jimmy 66 Climax! ¡88 Close, John 6¡, 95 Close, Pat ¡36 Coach ¡77 Coburn, James ¡65, ¡66 Cochran, Steve 44 Coe, Peter 7¡ Coleridge, Samuel Taylor 42 Colgate-Palmolive ¡7, 20 Collier, John ¡, 63, 64, ¡34, 2¡0 Collins, Russell ¡20 “Color Scheme” 237 Columbia House Video Library ¡36, ¡46 “Come Wander with Me” ¡9¡–92 “The Comedian” ¡¡, ¡64 The Comedy of Terrors ¡78 Comerate, Sheridan 36 Comi, Paul 57, 86, 87, ¡49 Comiskey, Pat 45 Compton, Forrest ¡39 Conn, Carole 85 Connery, Sean ¡¡6 Connolly, Norma 85 Conrad, Michael ¡76 Conroy, Burt ¡90 Considine, John ¡39 Conspiracy Theory ¡9¡ Constant, Marius 5, 70 Constantine, Michael ¡84 Conte, Richard 40, 4¡ Conway, Curt ¡4¡, ¡42

Index

270 Conwell, John ¡38, ¡39, ¡40, ¡4¡, ¡42, ¡43, ¡44, ¡46, ¡47, ¡48, ¡49, ¡50, ¡52, ¡53, ¡54, ¡55, ¡56, ¡58 Conwell, John 3¡, 67 Coogan’s Blu› ¡67 Cool Hand Luke ¡43 Coolidge, Philip ¡2¡ Cooper, Ben ¡09 Cooper, Clancy 90 Cooper, Gary 42 Cooper, Gladys ¡¡5, ¡57, ¡77, ¡78 Cooper, Jackie ¡86 Cooper, Jeanne 34 Cooper, Maxine 43 Coppola, Francis Ford 26 Corden, Henry ¡3¡ Cordova, Margarita 73 Corey, Joseph 36 Corman, Roger ¡93 Cornaly, Anne ¡80 Cornthwaite, Robert ¡¡8, ¡48 Court, Hazel ¡92, ¡93 Cousins, Kay 80 Cowan, Jerome 35, 36 Cox, Bill ¡¡2 Cox, Wally ¡78, ¡79 Crane, Bob 89, 90 Crane, Susan ¡34 Cravat, Nick ¡6¡, ¡62 Craven, John ¡65 Crawford, John 92 Cristy, Ted ¡82 Crosby, Bing ¡9¡ Crosby, Gary ¡9¡ Crosby, John ¡6 Crosland, Alan, Jr. ¡49, ¡50, ¡65, ¡68, ¡7¡ Crothers, Scatman ¡20 Crowder, Jack ¡90 Crowley, Patricia ¡47 The Crucible 55, 63 Cuban Pete 64 Culver, Howard 95 Cummings, Robert (Bob) 70, 7¡, 93, ¡64 Cummings, Susan ¡23 Cupito, Suzanne 6¡, ¡40, ¡86 Curse of the Demon ¡78 Curtis, Craig ¡52 Curtiss, Edward ¡38, ¡44, ¡46, ¡58

D ’Antonio, Carmen Dailey, Irene ¡42 Daily Variety 24

¡3¡

Dakota Incident ¡¡9, ¡30 Dallas ¡86 Dallimore, Maurice ¡35 Daly, James 62, 63 Danger 33 Danny, Pierre ¡80 Danse Macabre 6, ¡52 Dante, Joe 26, ¡07 The Dark Corner ¡79 Darvas, Lili 9¡ Davis, George W. 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 42, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 50, 5¡, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 59, 60, 6¡, 62, 63, 65, 66, 67, 68, 70, 7¡, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 78, 79, 8¡, 83, 84, 86, 88, 90, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 99, ¡00, ¡0¡, ¡02, ¡03, ¡04, ¡05, ¡07, ¡08, ¡09, ¡¡0, ¡¡2, ¡¡3, ¡¡4, ¡¡5, ¡¡6, ¡¡7, ¡¡8, ¡20, ¡2¡, ¡22, ¡23, ¡25, ¡25, ¡26, ¡27, ¡28, ¡29, ¡30, ¡3¡, ¡32, ¡33, ¡34, ¡35, ¡38, ¡39, ¡40, ¡4¡, ¡42, ¡43, ¡44, ¡46, ¡47, ¡48, ¡49, ¡50, ¡52, ¡53, ¡54, ¡55, ¡56, ¡58, ¡59, ¡60, ¡6¡, ¡62, ¡63, ¡64, ¡65, ¡67, ¡68, ¡69, ¡70, ¡7¡, ¡72, ¡73, ¡74, ¡75, ¡76, ¡77, ¡78, ¡79, ¡8¡, ¡82, ¡83, ¡84, ¡85, ¡86, ¡87, ¡88, ¡89, ¡90, ¡9¡, ¡92, ¡93 Davis, Jerry ¡54 Davis, Roger ¡79 Davis Rules ¡03 Dawson, Hal K. ¡¡9 Day, Price ¡28 Days of Our Lives ¡5¡ Dayton, June 84 Deacon, Richard ¡90, ¡9¡ “Dead Man’s Shoes” 42, 44, ¡¡7, ¡2¡ Dead Poets Society ¡37 “Dean Woman’s Shoes” ¡¡7 Dearing, Edgar ¡89 Death of a Salesman 57, 63 “Death Ship” 23, 46, 65, 72, ¡43–44, ¡59, ¡6¡, ¡69 Death Valley National Monument, Nevada 38, 47 Death Wish 99 “Death’s-head Revisited” 20, 42, 65, 72, 93, ¡07–8, ¡30, ¡42, ¡43, ¡44 De Camp, Ray ¡40, ¡4¡, ¡42,

¡43, ¡46, ¡48, ¡49, ¡53, ¡56 de Casablanca, Denise ¡80 De Corsia, Ted 35, ¡90, ¡9¡ Defales, Francis ¡85 The Defenders ¡4¡ De Guere, Philip 27 Dehner, John 38, ¡¡0, ¡¡¡, ¡89, ¡90 Delevanti, Cyril 85, 94, ¡2¡, ¡57 Demarest, William ¡82 deMarney, Terrence ¡30 Denault, Edward 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 42, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 50, 5¡, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57 “The Depository” ¡¡3 de Roubaix, Paul ¡80 de Roy, Richard ¡70, ¡7¡ The Desert Fox 72 Desolation Canyon, Nevada 38 The Detectives ¡6 Detour ¡89 “The Devil and Daniel Webster” ¡47 “The Devil, You Say?” ¡46, ¡47 Devine, Andy ¡29, ¡30 Devon, Laura ¡44, ¡45 Devon, Richard ¡¡7 Dexter, Alan 67 de Wit, Jacqueline 39, 40 Dial M for Murder ¡58 Diamond, Robert ¡59 “The Diamond That Nobody Stole” ¡5¡ The Diary of Anne Frank ¡08 The Dick Van Dyke Show ¡9¡ Dickens, Charles 32, ¡37 Dickinson, Emily ¡¡5 “The Di›erent Ones” ¡49 Dillaway, Dana 33, ¡34 Dinosaurus! 87 Dirty Harry 56, ¡67 “Disappearing Act” 42, 43, 47, 56 Dixon, Ivan 60, ¡84 Dixon, Jo Ann 88 Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde ¡5 Dr. Kildare 22, 78 Dodd, Everett ¡40, ¡52, ¡56 Dodgers (Brooklyn) 68 “The Doll” 24, 235–36 Donahue, Patricia 62 Donath, Ludwig ¡4¡, ¡42

Index The Donna Reed Show ¡77 Donner, Richard 24, ¡6¡, ¡62, ¡78, ¡84, ¡85, ¡86, ¡87, ¡90, ¡9¡, ¡92 Doohan, James ¡40, ¡4¡ Doomsday Flight 87 Dorn, Susan 55 Douglas, Donna 75, 76, ¡35 Douglas, Kirk ¡¡8, ¡87 Douglas, Paul 68 Down and Out in Beverly Hills 52 Dozier, William ¡2, ¡3 Drake, Ken 92, ¡63 Drasnin, Robert ¡¡7 Dratler, Jay ¡79 Drysdale, Don 68 Dubbins, Don 52 Du›, Howard 55, 56 Duggan, Bob 88, 89 The Dukes of Hazzard ¡77 Dumbo ¡83 Dumbrille, Douglas ¡74 “The Dummy” 93, ¡32–33, ¡65, ¡86 Duncan, Angus 85 Dupont, Dexter ¡¡8 Durant, Don ¡2¡ Duryea, Dan 34 “Dust” 38, 8¡ Duvall, Robert ¡46 Dynasty ¡93

E astwood, Clint

56, ¡67 Eaton, Robert ¡27 Ebsen, Buddy 90, 9¡ Edmondson, Bill 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 99, ¡00, ¡0¡, ¡02, ¡05, ¡07, ¡08, ¡09, ¡¡0, ¡¡2, ¡¡3, ¡¡4, ¡¡5, ¡¡6, ¡¡7, ¡¡8, ¡20, ¡2¡, ¡22, ¡23, ¡24, ¡25, ¡26, ¡27, ¡28, ¡29, ¡30, ¡3¡, ¡32, ¡33, ¡34, ¡35, ¡36 Edmondson, Joe ¡38, ¡39, ¡40, ¡4¡, ¡42, ¡43, ¡44, ¡46, ¡47, ¡48, ¡49, ¡50, ¡52, ¡53, ¡54, ¡56, ¡58, ¡63, ¡64, ¡68, ¡7¡, ¡73, ¡75, ¡76, ¡78, ¡8¡, ¡82, ¡84, ¡85, ¡86, ¡87, ¡88, ¡89, ¡90, ¡9¡, ¡92, ¡93 Edmondson, William 44, 95 Eiman, Johnny ¡24 Elam, Jack 96, 97 Eldredge, John 8¡

“Elegy” 52–53, 6¡, 67, ¡44, ¡57 Elias, Louie ¡39 Elic, Josep 97, ¡¡6 Elliott, Ross ¡43, ¡59 Ellis, Jill 96 Ellis, Judy 44 Ellis, June ¡08 Emhardt, Robert 89 “The Encounter” 59, ¡70, ¡83, ¡88–89 Enemies, a Love Story 52 Engel, Joel ¡, 23, 25, 32, 63, 66, ¡70, ¡94 English, Barbara 6¡ Enrico, Robert 99, ¡80, ¡8¡ Erdman, Richard ¡63 Erway, Ben 54 Erwin, Bill 34, 36 “Escape Clause” ¡7, 36, 37–38, 49, 57, 74, 8¡, 94 Escape from Alcatraz ¡67 Escape from L.A. ¡0¡ Escape from New York ¡0¡ “The Escape Route” 237 Espionage 22 Evans, Douglas 88 Evans, Evans 92 Evans, Jeanne 46, ¡23 “Evening Primrose” 64 “Execution” 58–59, 82, 85, ¡¡4 “Eye of the Beholder” 8, ¡4, ¡9, 20, 53, 54, 67, 75–76, 84, 98, ¡26, ¡6¡, ¡75, ¡83 “Eyes” 26, 237

Fabares, Shelley ¡76, ¡77 Fairbanks, Douglas ¡20 Fairman, Paul 57, 58, 2¡0 Family A›air 6¡ Famous Ghost Stories 85, 86 Fancies and Goodnights 64 Farrell, Richard W. ¡39, ¡4¡, ¡43, ¡47, ¡53, ¡82, ¡85, ¡87, ¡90, ¡9¡ Faulk, Robert ¡¡8 Fawcett, William ¡22 Faye, Herbie ¡63 “The Fear” ¡92–93 Fein, Bernard 45, ¡4¡ Ferguson, Frank ¡8¡ Ferrari, William ¡4, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 42, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 50, 5¡, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, ¡39, ¡48

271 “The Fever” 50, 72, 73, 77, 9¡, ¡73 Fey, Stephanie ¡80 Field, Logan 43 Fielder, John 80, ¡35 Fielding, Elizabeth 43 Finian’s Rainbow 38 The Firm 79 First Love ¡5¡ “Five Characters in Search of an Exit” 95, ¡¡3–¡4, ¡¡6, ¡2¡, ¡88 Fix, Paul ¡84 Flavin, James 65, ¡¡2 Fleer, Harry 97, ¡¡2 Fleming, Ian ¡88 Fletcher, Lester 86 Fletcher, Lucille 48, 49 Florey, Robert 40, 4¡, 50, ¡73 The Flying Clock 58 Flynn, Gertrude 96 Flynn, Joe 37 “Follow the White Brick Road” ¡5¡ For Richer, for Poorer ¡5¡ Foray, June ¡64, ¡94 Forbidden Planet 54, 84, ¡44, ¡67 Ford, Constance ¡67 Ford, John ¡05 Ford, Michael ¡27 Forest, Michael ¡76 “Forever and a Day” 57 Forrest, Mabel ¡22 Forrest, Steve ¡49, ¡50 Forster, Jamie ¡38 Foster, Donald ¡¡0 Foster, Ron ¡68, ¡69 Foulger, Byron 36 “Four O’Clock” ¡28–29 “The Four of Us Are Dying” 45–46, 53, 85, ¡¡7, ¡2¡, ¡44, ¡75 Fox, Chuck ¡07 Fox, Fredric Louis ¡¡8, ¡¡9, ¡29, ¡30 Fox, Michael 6¡, 88, ¡85 Francis, Anne 67, ¡44, ¡45 Frankenstein 92, ¡38 Franklin, Camille ¡47 Frenzy 39 Fresco, David ¡3¡ Friend, Budd S. 52, 53 “From Agnes — with Love” 64, ¡57, ¡78–79 Frome, Milton 45

272 Frost, Alice 35, ¡05 Froug, William 24, ¡63, ¡64, ¡67, ¡70, ¡7¡, ¡73, ¡75, ¡76, ¡78, ¡8¡, ¡82, ¡84, ¡86, ¡88, ¡89, ¡90, ¡9¡, ¡92, ¡93, 234 “The Fugitive” ¡24–25, ¡46 The Fugitive (TV series) ¡2¡ Fujikawa, J.H. ¡¡4, ¡23 Fuller, Jerry 89 Fuller, Lance ¡22 A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum 6¡ Furia, John, Jr. ¡50, ¡5¡, ¡55 Future Cop ¡9¡

Gallo, Lew 48, 93, ¡56 Galvin, Ray ¡¡6 The Game (¡965) 92 “A Game of Pool” ¡5, 85, ¡03, ¡¡5, ¡44, ¡59, ¡7¡ Ganzer, Alvin 44, 48, 6¡, 67 Garcia, David ¡02 Garde, Betty 86, ¡08 Garland, Beverly 45 Garriguenc, Rene 54, ¡56, ¡59, ¡79 Garwood, Kelton ¡¡3 Gates, Larry ¡0¡, ¡02 Gausman, Russell A. 3¡ Gavin, James 8¡ Gazzaniga, Don ¡86 Geary, Richard ¡05 General Foods ¡4, ¡7, 20, 42 The General ¡¡2 Genge, Paul 8¡ “Gentlemen, Be Seated 24, 234–35 Gerson, Betty Lou ¡7¡ “The Gift” 52, 8¡, ¡3¡–32, ¡36, ¡45, ¡68 “The Gift of the Magi” ¡3¡, ¡73 Gilchrist, Connie ¡59 Gilleran, Tom ¡76 Gillespie, Larrian 80 Gillette Cavalcade of Sports ¡6 Gilligan’s Island 24, 59, 82, ¡85 Ging, Jack 82 Girard, Bernard ¡69 Gist, Robert ¡50, ¡5¡ Give ’Em Hell Harry ¡56 Glass, Everett 94 Glass, Ned 65, ¡08 Gleason, Jackie ¡03

Index Gleason, Keough 59, 60, 6¡, 62, 63, 65, 66, 67, ¡25, ¡26, ¡28, ¡29, ¡30, ¡3¡, ¡32, ¡35, ¡36 Glover, Ed ¡26 Gluck, Joseph 36, 38, 40, 44, 45, 50, 5¡, 52, 55, 59, 6¡, 62, 65, 67, 68 Gluskin, Lud 5¡, 54, ¡56, ¡59, ¡79, ¡8¡ Golden, Murray ¡39, ¡40, ¡4¡, ¡42, ¡44, ¡46, ¡48, ¡50, ¡54 Goldsmith, Jerry 7, 45, 46, 59, 6¡, 72, 73, 8¡, 82, 83, 84, ¡62 Goldsmith, Martin M. ¡82, ¡83, ¡88, ¡89, 209 Golitzen, Alex 3¡ Golm, Lisa 7¡ Gomez, Thomas 37, 38, 8¡ “The Good Right Hand” 60 Goodbye, Mr. Chips ¡37 Goodwins, Les ¡¡2 Goodyear Playhouse ¡55 Gordon, Don 45, 46, ¡74, ¡75 Gordon, Gerald ¡59 Gordon, Susan ¡24, ¡25 Gordon, William D. 72, 75 Gould, Harold ¡08, ¡93 Gould, Jack ¡3, ¡6 Gould, Sandra ¡35, ¡82 Grace, Henry 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 42, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 50, 5¡, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 59, 60, 6¡, 62, 63, 65, 66, 67, 70, 7¡, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 78, 79, 8¡, 83, 84, 86, 88, 90, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, ¡04, ¡¡5, ¡32, ¡34, ¡36, ¡38, ¡39, ¡40, ¡4¡, ¡42, ¡43, ¡44, ¡46, ¡47, ¡48, ¡49, ¡50, ¡52, ¡53, ¡54, ¡55, ¡56, ¡58, ¡59, ¡60, ¡6¡, ¡62, ¡63, ¡64, ¡65, ¡67, ¡68, ¡69, ¡70, ¡7¡, ¡72, ¡73, ¡74, ¡75, ¡76, ¡77, ¡78, ¡79, ¡8¡, ¡82, ¡83, ¡84, ¡85, ¡86, ¡87, ¡88, ¡89, ¡90, ¡9¡, ¡92, ¡93 Granato, Sherry ¡38 “The Grandfather Clock” ¡70, ¡7¡ Granet, Bert ¡3, 22, 24, ¡49, ¡5¡, ¡53, ¡55, ¡56, ¡59, ¡6¡,

¡62, ¡65, ¡67, ¡68, ¡69, ¡7¡, ¡74, ¡79, ¡83, ¡87 Grauman, Walter E. ¡46 “The Grave” 2, 99, ¡04–5, ¡¡0, ¡22, ¡45, ¡6¡, ¡90 Gray, Vernon 57 The Great Adventure 24 Green, Austin ¡02 Green, Seymour 70 Greene, David ¡2¡ Greenleaf, Raymond 8¡ Greenwood, Don, Jr. ¡39, ¡40, ¡4¡, ¡42, ¡44, ¡46, ¡47, ¡50 Greer, Dabs ¡29, ¡40 Greer, Lenny ¡65 Gregg, Virginia ¡44, ¡83, ¡84 Gregory, James 3¡, ¡02, ¡03 Gregory, Mary 54, 77, ¡0¡ Gremlins ¡07 Gremlins 2: The New Batch ¡07 Grey, Duane 64, 8¡ Grinnage, Jack 96 Griswold, Claire ¡46 Grizzard, George 63, 64, ¡38, ¡39, ¡5¡ Groesse, Paul ¡49, ¡52, ¡53, ¡55, ¡56 Gross, Roland 3¡ Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner 53 Guiding Light ¡02, ¡5¡ Guild, Lyn 54 Guillouet, Christian ¡80, ¡8¡ The Guilty 64 Gulliver’s Travels ¡27 “A Gun for Mandy” ¡09 Gunsmoke 95 Gusse, Mildred ¡5, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 42, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 50, 5¡, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57

H ackett, Joan

¡2¡ Hagen, Kevin 52, ¡72 Hagerthy, Ron ¡¡7 Haigh, Kenneth 5¡ Hal Roach Studios 99, ¡¡4 Hale, Barnaby ¡4¡ Hallenbeck, E. Darrell 70, 7¡, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 78, 79, 8¡, 83, 84, 86, 88, 90, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 99, ¡00, ¡0¡, ¡02, ¡03, ¡04, ¡05, ¡07, ¡08, ¡09, ¡¡0, ¡¡2,

Index ¡¡3, ¡¡4, ¡¡5, ¡¡6, ¡¡7, ¡¡8, ¡20, ¡2¡, ¡22, ¡23, ¡25, ¡25, ¡26, ¡27, ¡28, ¡29, ¡30, ¡3¡, ¡32, ¡33, ¡34, ¡35, ¡36 Halloween ¡37 Hamilton, Bernie 95 Hamilton, Joe 53 Hamilton, Kim 60 Hamilton, Murray 33, 49 Hamlet 32, 42, 75 Hammond, Reid 9¡ Hamner, Earl, Jr. 7, 24, ¡¡7, ¡¡8, ¡2¡, ¡22, ¡44, ¡45, ¡60, ¡7¡, ¡72, ¡73, ¡76, ¡77, ¡84, ¡87, ¡88, ¡92, ¡93, 206–7 Hanck, John ¡72 Handzlik, Jan 54 Hang ’Em High 56 Hansen, Dion ¡90 “The Happy Place” ¡3 Hardwicke, Cedric 72, ¡67 Harford, Betty ¡26 Harmon, John ¡53 Harris, Jack H. 86, 87 Harris, Jonathan 85, 86, 94 Harrison, Susan ¡¡3 “Harrison Bergeron” ¡76 Harrower, Elizabeth ¡84 Hart, Buddy ¡36 Hartford, Dee ¡93 Hartley, Mariette ¡73, ¡74 Hartman, Paul 8¡ Hastings, Bob ¡5¡ Hatch, Wilbur ¡09 Hatcher, Teri ¡05 Hausen, Dion ¡67 Have Gun—Will Travel 99, ¡¡4, ¡¡9 Hawaii Five-O ¡5¡ Hawaiian Eye ¡87 Hawks, Howard ¡¡8 Haworth, Joe 59 Haydn, Richard 73 Hayes, Ryan 62 Hayward, Brooke ¡83 HBO 27 Headline Hunters ¡30 Heath, Dody 56 Hector, Jay 88 Hector, Kim ¡93 Hector, Pat ¡22 Heermance, Richard ¡62, ¡63, ¡65, ¡68, ¡70, ¡7¡, ¡73, ¡74, ¡77, ¡78, ¡79, ¡8¡, ¡83, ¡84, ¡86, ¡88, ¡89, ¡92

He·ey, Wayne 86, 87, ¡76 Helton, Jo ¡0¡, ¡56 Helton, Percy ¡42, ¡89 Hemingway, Ernest 55 Hengen, Butch 62 Henry, O. 28, ¡3¡, ¡73 Henshaw, Buck 89, 9¡ Herbert, Charles ¡34 Herbert, Pitt ¡35 Here Come the Brides ¡82 “Here There Be Tygers” 33, ¡34, 232–33 Herrmann, Bernard 7, 3¡, 36, 38, 70, 75, 76, ¡25, ¡26, ¡64, ¡70 Hervey, Irene ¡76 “He’s Alive” 52, ¡08, ¡4¡–42, ¡43 Heston, Charlton 42 Heyes, Douglas ¡4, ¡9, 23, 42, 43, 52, 53, 63, 64, 66, 67, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 8¡, 83, 84 Heyes, Douglas, Jr. 8¡ Heyes, Joanna 75 Heyman, Barton ¡68 Hickman, Bill ¡7¡ Hickman, Darryl ¡3 Hicks, Chuck ¡60, ¡70 Higgins, Joe ¡26 High Noon ¡5 High Sierra 35 Highway to Heaven 66 Hill, Carol ¡¡3 Hillaire, Marcel 79, ¡52 Hingle, Pat ¡54, ¡55 Hirschman, Herbert 22, ¡38, ¡39, ¡40, ¡4¡, ¡42, ¡43, ¡44, ¡46, ¡48, ¡50, ¡54, ¡58 Hitchcock, Alfred ¡9, 39, 43, 54, ¡52, ¡58 The Hitchhiker 27 “The Hitch-Hiker” 48–49, 54, 65, 78, 80, ¡02 Hitler, Adolf 72, 83, ¡4¡, ¡42 Hoberman, J. ¡ “Hocus-Pocus and Frisby” ¡¡9, ¡2¡, ¡29–30, ¡84 Hodgins, Earl ¡20 Hogan, Robert ¡79 Hogan’s Heroes 60, 90 Hole, Jonathan 68 Holland, John 94 Holliman, Earl 3¡, 32, 33 Holloway, Sterling ¡82, ¡83

273 Holman, Rex ¡02 Holmes, Wendell 37 Holscher, Walter ¡59, ¡60, ¡6¡, ¡62, ¡65, ¡67, ¡68, ¡69, ¡74, ¡77, ¡79, ¡83, ¡87 Holtz, Lou ¡69 The Honeymooners 80 Hong Kong 22 Honodel, Diane 65 Hoover, J. Edgar ¡29 Hope, Bob ¡¡2 Hopkins, Anthony ¡33 Hopkins, Bob 45 Hopper, Dennis ¡08, ¡4¡ Horne, Geo›rey ¡3¡ Hornsby, Peter 6¡ Horse Feathers ¡¡2 Horton, Russell ¡36, ¡59 Horvath, Charles 60 Houghton, Buck 2, 8, ¡4, ¡6, ¡7, ¡8, ¡9, 22, 27, 3¡, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 42, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 50, 5¡, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 6¡, 62, 63, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 7¡, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 8¡, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 9¡, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 99, ¡00, ¡0¡, ¡02, ¡03, ¡04, ¡05, ¡06, ¡07, ¡08, ¡09, ¡¡0, ¡¡2, ¡¡3, ¡¡4, ¡¡5, ¡¡6, ¡¡7, ¡¡8, ¡20, ¡2¡, ¡22, ¡23, ¡24, ¡25, ¡26, ¡27, ¡28, ¡29, ¡30, ¡3¡, ¡32, ¡33, ¡34, ¡35, ¡36, ¡37, ¡38, ¡50, 203–4 Houghton, Jim ¡22 Houghton, Mona ¡¡3, ¡¡4 Houseman, John 24 Howard, Jennifer 75 Howard, Ronnie 36 The Howling 57 “The Howling Man” ¡9, 73, 74–75, 84, 9¡, ¡47 Hoyt, Clegg 89, ¡58 Hoyt, John 77, 78, 96, 97 Hughes, Robin 74 “The Human Computer” ¡9¡ “A Hundred Yards Over the Rim” 92–93, ¡¡9, ¡33, ¡49 Hunnicut, Arthur ¡¡8 “The Hunt” ¡¡7–¡8, ¡45 Hunt, Marsha ¡79 Hunter, Henry 9¡ The Hustler ¡03 Huston, John 36

274 Hutchinson, Josephine ¡34 Hutton, James 43 Huxham, Kendrick 42 Hyde, Jack 95 Hyde-White, Wilfrid ¡57 Hyland, Diana ¡79, ¡80 “I Am the Night — Color Me Black” ¡33, ¡84 “ I Dream of Genie” ¡07, ¡50–5¡, ¡55 “ I Shot an Arrow into the Air” (proposed pilot) ¡3 “ I Shot an Arrow into the Air” (TZ episode) 47–48, 62, 94, ¡28, ¡3¡ “ I Sing the Body Electric” ¡¡0, ¡34–35, ¡94 I Walked with a Zombie ¡78 Ichae, Marcel ¡80 Idelson, William 55, 56, 9¡, 92, ¡77 Imazu, Eddie ¡82, ¡84, ¡85, ¡86, ¡87, ¡88, ¡89, ¡90, ¡9¡, ¡92 The Immortal ¡9¡ “ In His Image” 23, ¡38–39, ¡40, ¡75 “ In Praise of Pip” 66, 92, ¡59–60, ¡83, ¡93 In the Presence of Mine Enemies ¡¡6 In the Zone: The Twilight World of Rod Serling 2 “The Incredible World of Horace Ford” 7¡, ¡¡0, ¡33, ¡5¡, ¡54–55 The Incredible Hulk ¡40, ¡74 Innerspace 57, ¡07 Inness, Jean 8¡ Innocent, Harold 97 “ Inquisition” ¡93 Inside Shelley Berman 96 Insight ¡09 Into the Twilight Zone: The Rod Serling Programme Guide 2 “The Invaders” ¡4, ¡9, 20, 53, 77, 83–84, ¡6¡, ¡92 Invaders from Mars (¡953) ¡77 The Invaders (TV series) ¡93 Invasion of the Body Snatchers 57, ¡67 Irwin, Greg 88 Ishimoto, Dale ¡¡4 It’s a Gift ¡¡2

Index “ It’s a Good Life” 6, 20, 26, 85, 92, ¡05–7, ¡08, ¡42, ¡5¡, ¡57, ¡59, ¡65 It’s a Wonderful Life 66, ¡37 “ It’s Mental Work” 25

Jackson, Harry 45 Jackson, Sherry ¡22 Jacques, Ted ¡74 Jacquet, Roger ¡80 Jagger, Dean 89, 90 Jameson, Joyce ¡5¡ Jameson, Malcolm ¡53, ¡54, 2¡¡ Janiss, Vivi 50, 7¡, 72 Janssen, David ¡22 “The Jeopardy Room” 35, 62, ¡85, ¡86–87 Jeopardy Run 25 “Jess-Belle” 67, ¡¡8, ¡44–46, ¡72, ¡73, ¡84 Jillian, Ann ¡42, ¡43 Johnny Ringo ¡2¡ Johns, Larry ¡05 Johnson, Arch W. 89, ¡¡8 Johnson, Arte 82 Johnson, George Clayton 2, 7, 20, 24, 26, 27, 45, 58, 59, 78, 84, 85, 90, 9¡, ¡03, ¡¡3, ¡¡5, ¡¡6, ¡20, ¡3¡, ¡34, ¡70, ¡77, 207- -8 Johnson, Jason 54, 77 Johnson, Jim 3¡ Johnson, Lamont ¡0¡, ¡02, ¡¡3, ¡¡5, ¡¡6, ¡20, ¡28, ¡29, ¡56 Johnson, Russell 59, 8¡, 82 Jones, G. Stanley ¡35 Jones, Henry 66 Jones, Kevin ¡36 Jones, Miranda 92 Jones, Morgan 96, ¡49 Journeaux, Donald 42 Joyce, Debbie 42 “Judgment Night” 42, 95, ¡39, ¡44, ¡9¡ “The Jungle” ¡¡0–¡2, ¡35, ¡40 The Jungle Book (¡967) 6¡, ¡83 Kane, Byron ¡78 Karlan, Richard 59 Karlo›, Boris ¡78 Karnes, Doris 44, 77 Karnes, Robert ¡00 Kasparov, Gary ¡79

Kate McShane 78 Kay, Roger ¡70 Keane, Valley 77 Kearnedy, Carolyn ¡70 Keaton, Buster ¡¡2, ¡¡3 Keats, Bob ¡4 Keefer, Don ¡05, ¡57, ¡78 Keen, Noah ¡00, ¡30 Keene, William 90, ¡08 Keep, Michael ¡26 Keith, Robert ¡83 Kellaway, Cecil 52, 53, ¡57 Kellin, Mike ¡39 Kelljan, Robert ¡87 Kellog, Ray ¡63 Kelton, Pert ¡46 Kemmer, Edward ¡6¡ Kemmerling, Warren ¡02 Kemper, Doris ¡47 Kendis, William (Bill) 50, 96 Kennedy, John F. ¡68 Kennedy, Kathleen ¡20 Kennedy, Madge ¡56 Kenny, Joseph E. 3¡ Kent, Carole 50 Kenyon, Sandy 86, 87, ¡0¡, ¡40 Kerlee, Dennis ¡36 Keymas, George 75 Khruschev, Nikita 83 “Kick the Can” 3, 26, 45, 85, ¡¡3, ¡¡5, ¡¡6, ¡20–2¡, ¡3¡, ¡7¡ Kiel, Richard ¡23 Kimberly-Clark ¡4, ¡7 “A Kind of a Stopwatch” 32, 94, ¡62–63 King, Stephen ¡, 6, 74, ¡52, ¡72, ¡88 King, Wright ¡53 King, Wright 95 “King Nine Will Not Return” ¡8, 5¡, 69, 70–7¡, 92, 93, ¡00, ¡64 Kingston, Lenore ¡05 Kinsolving, Lee ¡76, ¡77 Kipling, Ron 96 Kipling, Rudyard ¡27 Kirk, Phyllis 68 Kleeb, Helen ¡44 Kline, Robert ¡¡9 Klugman, Jack 65, ¡03, ¡43, ¡44, ¡59 Klune, Don 6¡, 62, 63, 65, 66, 67 Knebel, Fletcher ¡87

Index Knight, Damon 2, ¡23, ¡24, 2¡¡ Knight, Ted 38, 39 Kobe, Gail 55, ¡38, ¡74, ¡75 Kojak ¡65 Kolchak: The Night Stalker 93 Konopka, Ken ¡86 Korologos, Mike ¡89 Koufax, Sandy 68 Kraft Television Theater ¡¡ Kramer, Vernon W. 3¡ Kroger, John 78 Kruger, Fred 44, 8¡ Kubrick, Stanley ¡88 Kuenstle, Charles ¡39 Kulick, Daniel (Danny) ¡35, ¡56 Kulik, Buzz ¡5, 23, 70, 7¡, 78, 89, 92, 93, 95, ¡03, ¡¡4, ¡44, ¡55 Kulp, Nancy ¡24 Kuluva, Will ¡52 Kuttner, Henry 44, 2¡¡

La›erty, Perry ¡38, ¡39, ¡40 Lamb, Gil ¡¡2 Lambert, Doug ¡74 Lambert, Paul 70 Lancaster, Burt ¡87 Land of the Giants ¡9¡ Landau, Martin 34, ¡87 Landis, John 26 Lane, Charles 66 Lane, Rusty 68 Langton, Paul 3¡, ¡56 Lanoe, Henri ¡80 Lanteau, William ¡58 Larch, John 40, 8¡, ¡05 LaRoche, Mary 68, 69, ¡64, ¡65 Larsen, Anker ¡80 Lascoe, Henry ¡58 Lasell, John 8¡ LaShelle, Joseph 3¡ “The Last Flight” 50–5¡, ¡35 The Last Men on Earth 32 “The Last Night of a Jockey” 73, ¡60, ¡63–64, ¡83, ¡92, ¡93 “The Last Rites of Je› Myrtlebank” 99, ¡05, ¡22–23, ¡45 “The Lateness of the Hour” ¡8, 49, 77–78, 86 Lau, Wesley 85, ¡25

Launders, Muriel ¡2¡ Launer, S. John 43, 46, 5¡, ¡59 Laura ¡49 Lausing, Robert ¡73 Lava, William ¡¡2 Leachman, Cloris ¡05 Leader, Anton (Tony) 56, 57, ¡08, ¡09 Leader-Tribune (Marion, Indiana) ¡5 Leavitt, Norman ¡89 Ledebur, Frederic 74 Lee, Robert Tyler 89, 9¡ Lee, Ruta ¡69, ¡70 “The Leeches” ¡93 Lehman, Ernest ¡¡, ¡64 Leisen, Mitchell 35, 36, 37, 57 The Leopard Man ¡78 Let My People Go ¡68 Let No Man Write My Epitaph 64 Lethal Weapon films 24, ¡62 Levitt, Ruby 3¡ Lewis, Art 50 Lewis, Artie 79 Lewis, Derrik ¡39 Liar Liar 83 Lieb, Robert P. 80 The Life of Emile Zola ¡08 The Life of Riley ¡82 Liggett & Myers 20 Lilenstein, Nat ¡80 Limelight ¡7 Lincoln, Abraham ¡02 Lindsey, George ¡84 Linville, Joanne ¡02 Lithgow, John ¡62 “Little Girl Lost” 20, 43, ¡25–26, ¡6¡, ¡65 “The Little People” 47, 54, ¡27–28, ¡29, ¡35, ¡92 “Living Doll” 75, ¡53, ¡64–65, ¡8¡ Lloyd, Josie ¡65 Lloyd, Suzanne 40, 4¡ Lobreau, Pierre ¡80 Locher, Felix 94 The Lodger 64 Lo‡cier, Jean Marc 2 Lo‡cier, Randy 2 Logan’s Run 9¡ London, Frank 85, ¡60 Lone Pine, California 70, 92, 93 The Lone Wolf in Mexico ¡89

275 “The Lonely” ¡9, 38–39, 48, 68, 86, ¡¡¡, ¡68 The Loner 2, 25, ¡¡9 Long, Richard ¡26, ¡27 Long, Richard ¡75, ¡76 Long Beach, California ¡39 “Long Distance Call” ¡8, 56, 85, 90, 9¡–92, ¡50, ¡59, ¡77 “Long Live Walter Jameson” ¡7, 56, 6¡, 75, ¡07, ¡09, ¡8¡, ¡82 “The Long Marrow” ¡3¡, ¡73–74 Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth 48 The Looney Zone 6, 49, 97, ¡33, ¡62 Lorenzo’s Oil ¡62 Lormer, John 8¡ Lormer, Jon 59, ¡22, ¡44 Lorre, Peter ¡78 The Los Angeles Times ¡6 Losby, Donald 88 Lost in Space 57, 86, ¡67, ¡9¡ Love, Phyllis ¡28 Love American Style 56 Lovsky, Celia ¡8¡, ¡82 Lowell, Tom ¡36 Lucas, Sharon 99 The Luck of the Irish 53 Lumet, Sidney ¡55 Lupino, Ida 35, ¡83 Lupino, Richard 70 Lurie, Allan 37 Lux Video Theater 73 Lydon, James 8¡ Lynch, Ken 34 Lynn, Denise ¡87 Lyon, Terese 53 Lyons, Gene 70 Lytton, Herbert ¡82

M cCallion, James 3¡ McCarthy, Kevin 56, 57, ¡07 McClure, Doug 34 McDearmon, David Orrick 58, 73, 8¡ McDonagh, Richard ¡03, ¡04, ¡05, ¡07, ¡08, ¡09, ¡¡0, ¡¡2, ¡¡3, ¡¡4, ¡¡6, ¡¡7, ¡¡8, ¡20, ¡2¡, ¡22, ¡23, ¡27, ¡33, ¡34 McDowall, Roddy 57, 58 McGuire, Harp 86, 87 McIntire, Carl 60 McIntire, John 63

276 McKelvy, Frank R. ¡49, ¡52, ¡53, ¡55, ¡56, ¡82, ¡84, ¡85, ¡86, ¡87, ¡88, ¡89, ¡90 McMahon, Horace 66 McMahon, Jenna 70 MacMichael, Florence 66 Maga, Mickey 33 Maloney, James 62 The Maltese Falcon 36 Maltin, Leonard 6 A Man Called Shenandoah 78 Man in the Attic 64 “The Man in the Bottle” 65, 7¡–72, 83, 94, ¡5¡ Man with a Camera ¡4 Mandl, Fred ¡9¡, ¡92 “The Mangler” 74 Mantell, Joe 72, 73, ¡60, ¡6¡ March of Time ¡9 Margolis, Andrea 8¡ Marlowe, Nora 8¡ “The Masks” 35, 76, ¡83–84 Matheson, Richard ¡, 2, 7, ¡6, ¡9, 20, 22, 23, 24, 26, 33, 34, 42, 43, 46, 47, 48, 50, 5¡, 55, 56, 64, 68, 69, 76, 83, 84, 9¡, 92, 95, ¡05, ¡¡2, ¡¡3, ¡20, ¡25, ¡26, ¡27, ¡33, ¡34, ¡42, ¡43, ¡49, ¡57, ¡60, ¡6¡, ¡62, ¡65, ¡77, ¡78, ¡79, ¡80, ¡92, ¡93, 205–6, 234, 235, 236, 238, 239, 240 Mathison, Melissa 26 Maverick ¡9¡ Medford, Don 65, 7¡, 72, ¡03, ¡07, ¡43, ¡44 Meet John Doe 64 Meet McGraw ¡4 “The Menagerie” 58 “The Messiah of Mott Street” 26 Meredith, Burgess 5, 39, 40, 65, 66, 88, 97, 98, ¡¡0, ¡47 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios ¡¡, ¡5, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 50, 5¡, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 59, 60, 6¡, 62, 63, 65, 66, 67, 68, 70, 7¡, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 78, 79, 8¡, 83, 84, 86, 88, 90, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, ¡0¡, ¡02, ¡03, ¡04, ¡05, ¡07, ¡08, ¡09, ¡¡0, ¡¡2, ¡¡3, ¡¡5, ¡¡6, ¡¡7, ¡¡8, ¡20, ¡2¡, ¡22, ¡23, ¡24, ¡25, ¡26, ¡27,

Index ¡28, ¡29, ¡30, ¡3¡, ¡32, ¡33, ¡34, ¡35, ¡36, ¡38, ¡40, ¡4¡, ¡42, ¡43, ¡44, ¡46, ¡47, ¡48, ¡49, ¡50, ¡52, ¡53, ¡54, ¡56, ¡58, ¡59, ¡60, ¡6¡, ¡62, ¡64, ¡65, ¡67, ¡68, ¡69, ¡70, ¡7¡, ¡72, ¡73, ¡74, ¡75, ¡76, ¡77, ¡78, ¡79, ¡8¡, ¡83, ¡83, ¡84, ¡85, ¡86, ¡87, ¡88, ¡89, ¡90, ¡9¡, ¡93 “The Midnight Sun” 38, 49, 57, ¡08–9 “The Mighty Casey” ¡9, 39, 67–68 The Mike Wallace Show ¡2 Milhollin, James 67, 88, ¡5¡ Miller, George 26, ¡62 Milton, Frank(lin) 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 50, 5¡, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 59, 60, 6¡, 62, 65, 66, 67, 68, 70, 7¡, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 78, 79, 8¡, 83, 84, 86, 88, 90, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 99, ¡00, ¡0¡, ¡02, ¡05, ¡07, ¡08, ¡09, ¡¡0, ¡¡2, ¡¡3, ¡¡4, ¡¡5, ¡¡6, ¡¡7, ¡¡8, ¡20, ¡2¡, ¡22, ¡23, ¡24, ¡25, ¡26, ¡27, ¡28, ¡29, ¡30, ¡3¡, ¡32, ¡33, ¡34, ¡35, ¡36, ¡38, ¡39, ¡40, ¡4¡, ¡42, ¡43, ¡44, ¡46, ¡47, ¡48, ¡49, ¡50, ¡52, ¡53, ¡54, ¡56, ¡58, ¡59, ¡60, ¡6¡, ¡62, ¡63, ¡64, ¡65, ¡67, ¡68, ¡69, ¡70, ¡7¡, ¡72, ¡73, ¡74, ¡75, ¡76, ¡77, ¡78, ¡79, ¡8¡, ¡82, ¡83, ¡84, ¡85, ¡86, ¡87, ¡88, ¡89, ¡90, ¡9¡, ¡92, ¡93 “Miniature” ¡4¡, ¡46, ¡85, ¡88 Miracle on 34th Street (¡973) 6¡ “The Mirror” 20, 65, 72, 8¡, 83, ¡03–4, ¡¡0 “Mirror Image” 53–54, 56, 72, ¡50 “Mr. Bevis” 66, 88, ¡07, ¡36 “Mr. Denton on Doomsday” ¡7, 34–35, 88, ¡87 “Mr. Dingle, the Strong” 88–89, 96, ¡29, ¡36, ¡47 “Mr. Finchley versus the Bomb” 73

“Mr. Garrity and the Graves” 56, ¡¡¡, ¡89–90 Mitchell, Philip N. 40, 46, 57, 59, 60, 6¡, 65, 66, 67, 68, ¡59, ¡60, ¡6¡, ¡62, ¡65, ¡67, ¡68, ¡69, ¡70, ¡72, ¡74, ¡77, ¡79, ¡83, ¡87 “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” ¡7, 48, 54–55, 58, 60, 63, 66, 84, ¡0¡, ¡28, ¡32, ¡58, ¡66, ¡77, ¡84, ¡88 Montgomery, Michael 36 Moore, Tom 25 Moorehead, Agnes ¡9, 83, 84 More Stories from The Twilight Zone ¡8, 39, 60, 73, 8¡, 87, 89 Morrow, Byron 57 Morrow, Vic 26 Mosher, Bill 34, 35, 37, 39, 42, 46, 47, 48, 5¡, 53, 54, 56, 60, 6¡, 63, 67, 70, 72, 74, 78, 79, 8¡, 86, 88, 90, 99, ¡02, ¡04, ¡07, ¡09, ¡¡3, ¡¡6, ¡¡7, ¡¡8, ¡20, ¡2¡, ¡22, ¡26, ¡29, ¡30, ¡35, ¡36 Moss, Marty ¡82, ¡84, ¡85, ¡86, ¡87, ¡88, ¡89, ¡90, ¡9¡, ¡92 “A Most Unusual Camera” 79, 94 Motion Picture Daily ¡7 Mullaly, Carter 3¡ Mullikin, Bill 6¡ Mumy, Billy 85, 9¡, 92, ¡05, ¡06, ¡07, ¡59 Murray, Lyn 65 Mustin, Burt 80

Naked Gun 2∂: The Smell of

Fear ¡24 Napier, Alan ¡57 The Narrow Margin ¡89 NBC ¡6, 26, 87, ¡5¡ NBC-BBC 22 Neal, Mavis 62 Nello, Tommy 95 Nelson, Barry ¡87, ¡88 Nelson, Ed ¡40 Nelson, George R. ¡¡6, ¡20 Nelson, Nels 6¡ Nelson, Ralph 68, 69 Nelson, Ralph W. ¡4, ¡5, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 42, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 50,

Index 5¡, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 60, 6¡, 62, 63, 65, 66, 67, 68, 70, 7¡, 72, 74, 75, 76, 88, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 99, ¡00, ¡0¡, ¡02, ¡03, ¡04, ¡05, ¡07, ¡08, ¡09, ¡¡0, ¡¡2, ¡¡3, ¡¡4, ¡¡5, ¡¡6, ¡¡7, ¡¡8, ¡20, ¡2¡, ¡22, ¡23, ¡24, ¡25, ¡26, ¡27, ¡28, ¡29, ¡30, ¡3¡, ¡32, ¡33, ¡34, ¡35, ¡36, ¡38, ¡39, ¡40, ¡4¡, ¡42, ¡43, ¡44, ¡46, ¡48, ¡49, ¡50, ¡5¡, ¡52, ¡53, ¡54, ¡55, ¡56, ¡58, ¡59, ¡60, ¡6¡, ¡62, ¡63, ¡64, ¡65, ¡67, ¡68, ¡69, ¡70, ¡7¡, ¡72, ¡73, ¡74, ¡75, ¡76, ¡77, ¡78, ¡79, ¡8¡, ¡82, ¡83, ¡84, ¡85, ¡86, ¡87, ¡88, ¡89, ¡90, ¡9¡, ¡92, ¡93 Neny, Jean ¡80 “Nervous Man in a Four Dollar Room” 72–73, 75, ¡04, ¡¡7, ¡6¡, ¡64 Nesbitt, Paul ¡34 Nettleton, Lois ¡08, ¡09 Neuman, E. Jack 78, 79 Neumann, Dorothy 60 Neumann, Kurt, Jr. 59, 60, 70 “Neutral Zone” ¡93 “The New Exhibit” 35, ¡5¡– 53, ¡64, ¡8¡ New Stories from The Twilight Zone ¡8, 80, 83, 94, ¡02, ¡09, ¡¡9 The New Twilight Zone 27, 67, 8¡, 95, ¡03, ¡¡7, ¡26 New York Herald Tribune ¡6 New York Times ¡3, ¡6 Newlan, Paul ¡90 Newman, Joseph M. ¡59, ¡60, ¡63, ¡76, ¡93 Newman, Paul ¡03, ¡43 Newmar, Julie ¡53, ¡54 Newton, John ¡26 “A Nice Place to Visit” 60–6¡, ¡¡9 Nichols, Barbara 85 Nicholson, Jack ¡¡5 “Nick of Time” 47, 50, 62, 76–77, 79, 9¡, ¡33, ¡49, ¡57, ¡6¡, ¡62 Nicol, Alex ¡33, ¡34 Nielsen ratings ¡7, 23, 24 “Night Call” 24, 92, ¡¡5, ¡57, ¡7¡–78, ¡80

“The Night of the Big Rain” 97 “The Night of the Inferno” ¡64 Night of the Living Dead ¡90 “Night of the Meek” ¡8, 65, 78, 80–8¡, 86, 90, ¡55 “Night of the Vicious Valentine” 84 Night Shift 74 “Nightmare as a Child” 6¡–62, 86, ¡07, ¡86 “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” 5, 24, 26, 77, ¡6¡–62, ¡80 Nimoy, Leonard ¡¡4 ¡984 98 “Ninety Years Without Slumbering” 34, 85, ¡70–7¡ Nisbet, Stuart ¡59 “No Time Like the Past” 82, 87, ¡48–49, ¡50 “Nobody Here but Us Martians” 97 Nolan, James 85 Nolan, Jeanette ¡¡8, ¡44, ¡45 Nolan, William F. 9¡ “Noon on Doomsday” ¡¡ Norris, Karen ¡87 Norton Air Base, San Bernardino, California 5¡ Not Without Honor 58 “Nothing in the Dark” 2, 5, 20, 85, ¡¡3, ¡¡5–¡6, ¡3¡, ¡57, ¡7¡, ¡78 Novak, Kim 54 “Number ¡2 Looks Just Like You” ¡27, ¡33, ¡75–76 Nyby, Christian ¡¡8, ¡¡9, ¡35

Oakland, Simon

93, ¡39, ¡40 Oates, Warren 5¡, 52, ¡68, ¡69 Ober, Philip ¡79 O’Brien, Rory ¡35 “The Obsolete Man” 47, 88, 97–98, ¡03, ¡04, ¡47, ¡80 “An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” 24, 99, ¡80–8¡ O’Connell, William ¡35 O’Connor, Tim ¡56 The Odd Couple 65, ¡59 “The Odyssey of Flight 33” 27, 86–88, ¡66

277 “Of Late I Think of Cliffordville” 27, 59, ¡07, ¡53–54, ¡66 O’Hara, John 25 O’Hara, Pat ¡40 O’Hara, Shirley 93, ¡56 O’Kelly, Don 67 “The Old Man” ¡65, ¡66 “The Old Man in the Cave” 27, ¡65–66, ¡68, ¡78 The Oldest Living Graduate 65 Oliver, Susan 57, 58 Olmstead, Nelson ¡23 O’Malley, J. Pat 36, 63, 8¡, 89, ¡24, ¡25, ¡74, ¡89 O’Malley, Kathleen ¡74 O’Malley, Lillian 89 The Omen ¡62 O’Moore, Patrick ¡89 “On Thursday We Leave for Home” ¡5, 23, ¡55–56 “Once Upon a Time” ¡¡2–¡3 “One for the Angels” 33–34, 49, ¡7¡ “One More Pallbearer” 62, ¡¡6–¡7, ¡66 O’Neal, Anne ¡20 O’Neal, Kevin ¡37 O’Neal, Patrick ¡69 Opatoshu, David ¡40 Orwell, George 98 Osmond, Cli› ¡3¡ O’Sullivan, Coleen 66 “The Other Place” 6¡ Otis, Ted 47 Our Gang ¡86 Out of Africa 79 Outer Limits ¡9¡, ¡93 Outward Bound ¡58 Overholts, Jay 3¡, 33, 73, 85, 86, 89, ¡¡0, ¡¡8, ¡¡9 Overton, Frank 36, ¡42, ¡43 Owen, Deidre 42 Owen, Tudor ¡48 The Ox-Bow Incident ¡49

Pacific Ocean Park, Califor-

nia ¡59 Pacific Title 50, 55, 60, 6¡, 70, 7¡, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 8¡, 83, 84, 85, 86, 88, 89, 90, 9¡, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 99, ¡00, ¡0¡, ¡02, ¡03, ¡04, ¡05, ¡07, ¡08, ¡09, ¡¡0, ¡¡2, ¡¡3, ¡¡4, ¡¡5, ¡¡6, ¡¡7, ¡¡8, ¡20, ¡2¡,

278 ¡22, ¡23, ¡24, ¡25, ¡26, ¡27, ¡28, ¡29, ¡30, ¡3¡, ¡32, ¡33, ¡34, ¡35, ¡36, ¡38, ¡39, ¡40, ¡4¡, ¡42, ¡43, ¡44, ¡46, ¡47, ¡48, ¡49, ¡50, ¡52, ¡53, ¡54, ¡56, ¡58, ¡59, ¡60, ¡6¡, ¡62, ¡64, ¡65, ¡67, ¡68, ¡69, ¡70, ¡7¡, ¡72, ¡73, ¡74, ¡75, ¡76, ¡77, ¡78, ¡79, ¡8¡, ¡82, ¡83, ¡84, ¡85, ¡86, ¡87, ¡88, ¡89, ¡90, ¡9¡, ¡92, ¡93 Packer, Doris ¡34, ¡35 Padgett, Lewis 44 The Paleface ¡¡2 Pall, Gloria 43 Palmdale, California 93 Palmer, Tom 77 The Paradise Case ¡58 “The Parallel” 54, ¡49–50, ¡70 Parker, Alan ¡40 Parker, Arthur Jeph 77, 80, 85 Parker, Edward M. ¡38, ¡43, ¡48, ¡54, ¡58 Parker, Suzy ¡75, ¡76 Parker, Warren ¡¡2 Parr, Jutta 9¡ Parrish, Robert 33, 34, 62, 67 Parsons, Lindsley, Jr. 78, 83, 84 Parsons, Milton ¡¡2, ¡52 “A Passage for Trumpet” 27, 65–66, 87, ¡44, ¡59, ¡66 “Passage on the Lady Anne” 53, ¡¡5, ¡2¡, ¡56–58, ¡78, ¡82 “The Passersby” 20, 82, ¡02–3, ¡¡0, ¡80 Pataki, Michael ¡¡4 “Pattern for Doomsday” 234 “Patterns” ¡¡, 50, 60, ¡90 Patterson, Hank ¡20, ¡7¡, ¡9¡ Pearce, Alice 89 Peckinpah, Sam 52, ¡69 Peel, Richard 42 “A Penny for Your Thoughts” 52, 78, 84–85, ¡¡5, ¡2¡, ¡57 “People Are Alike All Over” 36, 57–58, 60, 94, ¡23 “Perchance to Dream” ¡7,

Index 40–4¡, 6¡, 75, 95, ¡27, ¡40, ¡73, ¡9¡ Perkins, Jack 5¡ Perrin, Vic 57, ¡7¡ Perry, Barbara 64 Perry, Joe 6¡, ¡3¡ Perry, Steven 60 Perry Mason 22 Perso›, Nehemiah 42 “Person or Persons Unknown” ¡25, ¡26–27, ¡76, ¡88 Petal, Marvin ¡¡3 Peter Gunn ¡6 Peters, House, Jr. 66 Peterson, Arthur 50 Peterson, Nan 36, 82, ¡78 Petrie, George ¡38 Petrocelli 78 Petticoat Junction ¡22 Phantom Lady ¡79 Philco Television Playhouse ¡55 Philips, Lee ¡57, ¡8¡, ¡82 Phillips, Barney 5¡, 73, 74, 96, 97, ¡46 Phillips, Ruth ¡8¡ Phipps, William 5¡ “A Piano in the House” ¡¡8, ¡2¡–22, ¡57 Pickard, John ¡70 Pine, Phillip 45, 46, ¡54 Pirandello, Luigi ¡¡3 Pittack, Robert W. 22, ¡26, ¡40, ¡42, ¡43, ¡44, ¡46, ¡48, ¡49, ¡53, ¡56, ¡6¡, ¡62, ¡64, ¡65, ¡67, ¡70, ¡77, ¡79, ¡87 Pittman, Montgomery 96, 99, ¡04, ¡05, ¡¡0, ¡¡7, ¡22, ¡45, ¡68, ¡90, 208 Planet of the Apes 58, ¡9¡ Platt, Alma ¡30 Platt, Ed 92 “Play a Simple Melody” ¡9¡ Playhouse 90 ¡¡, 22, 33, 34, 60, 69, 7¡, ¡¡6, ¡64 Pleasence, Donald ¡36, ¡37 Poe, Edgar Allan ¡52, ¡93 Police Story 78 Polk, Lee ¡32 Pollack, Sydney 78, 79 Post, Ted 55, 56, ¡67, ¡89, ¡92 Poule, Ezelle 74, ¡22 The Premature Burial ¡93

The President’s Plane Is Missing 87 Presley, Elvis ¡20 Presnell, Robert, Jr. 63, 64, ¡79 Price, Vincent ¡78 “The Prime Mover” 85, 90–9¡ “Printer’s Devil” 27, 88, ¡4¡, ¡46–48 “A Private World of Darkness” 75 “The Probe” ¡93 “Probe 7, Over and Out” 56, ¡67–68 Procter & Gamble 23 “Project ¡20— World Premiere Theater” 87 Psycho ¡52 “The Purple Testament” 5¡– 52, 85, ¡¡4 Pye, Merrill 59, 60, 6¡, 62, 63, 65, 66, 67, 68, ¡25, ¡26, ¡28, ¡29, ¡30, ¡3¡, ¡32, ¡35, ¡36 Pyle, Denver ¡76, ¡77 “A Quality of Mercy” 20, 52, 59, ¡¡4–¡5 Quantum Leap ¡¡4 La Quatrième Dimension (The Fourth Dimension) 6 “Queen of the Nile” 57, ¡53, ¡64, ¡8¡–82 Quincy, M.E. ¡59 “R abbi Ben Ezra” ¡3¡ Radio and Television Daily ¡7 Raine, Jack ¡57, ¡79 The Rainmaker 3¡ Ramsey, Ward 87 Rand, Edwin 53 Randall, Sue 43, ¡78 Randall, Tony 65 “Rare Objects” ¡64 Rathbone, Basil ¡78 The Raven ¡93 The Rawhide Years 64 Rawlins, Sam 45 Ray, Anthony 85 Raybould, Harry 5¡ Raymond, Guy ¡53 Redford, Robert 5, ¡¡5, ¡¡6 Redmond, Marge ¡58 Reed, Walter 76 Reese, Tom ¡08

Index Reeves, Keanu 87 Reisman, Del 70, 7¡, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 8¡, 83, 84, 85, 86, 88, 89, 90, 9¡, 99, ¡09 Reisner, Allen ¡3, 34 “Reluctant Genius” ¡¡7 Rennick, Nancy 67, 86 Repp, Sta›ord 76, ¡05, ¡86 “Requiem for a Heavyweight” ¡¡, 33, 34, 60, 69 Reynolds, Burt ¡58 Reynolds, William 5¡ Rich, David Lowell ¡53 Rich, John 79, ¡62 Richard, Darryl ¡36 Richard II 52 Richard III 52 Richards, Frank 88 Richman, Mark ¡92, ¡93 Rickles, Don 88, 89 Ride the High Country ¡69 Ride the Pink Horse 38 The Rifleman ¡84 The Rime of the Ancient Mariner 42 “Ring-a-Ding Girl” ¡¡8, ¡7¡–72, ¡73 Riordan, Robert 90 “The Rip Van Winkle Caper” 87, 93–94, ¡07, ¡40, ¡43 Ritch, OCee 89, ¡¡7 Robby the Robot 54, ¡67 Roberts, Roy ¡63 Robertson, Cli› 92, 93, ¡33 Robinson, Bartlett 8¡, ¡23 Rod Serling: The Dreams and Nightmares of Life in the Twilight Zone ¡ Rod Serling’s Night Gallery 2, 3, 25, 26, 56, ¡¡7, ¡49, ¡64 Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone Magazine ¡, 2, 45, 69, ¡09 Rod Serling’s Triple W: Witches, Warlocks, and Werewolves ¡54 Rod Serling’s Wax Museum 25 Rolfe, Sam ¡¡4 Roman, Nina ¡46 Romeyn, Jane 97 Room 222 ¡84 “Room with a View” ¡¡6 Rooney, Mickey 54, ¡63, ¡64 Rooney, Wallace 93, ¡38

Roope, Fay 59 Rorke, Hayden 85 Rose, Patricia ¡59, ¡60, ¡6¡, ¡62, ¡63, ¡64, ¡65, ¡67, ¡68, ¡69, ¡70, ¡7¡, ¡72, ¡73, ¡74, ¡75, ¡76, ¡77, ¡78, ¡79, ¡8¡, ¡83, ¡87, ¡93 Rose, Reginald 7¡, ¡5¡, ¡54, ¡55 Rosenberg, Stuart 47, ¡42, ¡43 Rosenman, Leonard 42 Rosenthal, Michael D. ¡62 Rossen, Carol 8¡ Roth, Gene 95 Route 66 54 Rowan, Roy 89 Rubin, Stanley ¡79 Rule, Janice 6¡ Ruskin, Joseph 7¡ Russell, Bing ¡00, ¡0¡, ¡7¡ Russell, Kurt ¡0¡ Ryan, Eileen 55 Ryder, Edward 88

S abinson, Lee 82 Saddle the Wind ¡63 Sagal, Boris 94, ¡00 Salmi, Albert 59, ¡¡4, ¡53 Sampson, Robert ¡25 “Sam’s Song” ¡9¡ Sander, Gordon F. ¡, 20, 87, ¡06, ¡30 Sanders, Hugh 42, ¡¡0, ¡53 Sands, Lee 50 Santa Monica, California ¡00 Sarafian, Richard C. ¡64 Sargent, Joseph ( Joe) 85, ¡38 Sargent, William ¡49, ¡70 Savalas, Telly ¡64, ¡65 Sax, Arline 44, 85 Sayre, Je›rey 50 Schallert, William 66, ¡07 Schamp, Tom D. 77, 80, 85, 89, 9¡ Scheid, Charles 70, 7¡, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 78, 79, 8¡, 83, 84, 86, 88, 90 Schildkraut, Joseph ¡07, ¡08, ¡30 Schlitz Playhouse of Stars ¡4, 99 Schoenfeld, Bernard 64, ¡78, ¡79 Schram, Charles 67

279 Schumer, Arlen ¡ Schuster, Howard ¡¡7 Sci-Fi Channel 26 Science Fiction Theatre ¡9¡ Scott, Henry 60, ¡39 Scott, Jacqueline ¡49 Scott, Joe 90 Scott, Nathan 62, ¡33 Scott, Pippa 78 Scott, Simon 5¡ Scott, Thomas W. ¡59, ¡60, ¡6¡, ¡63, ¡67, ¡69, ¡72, ¡75, ¡76, ¡87, ¡93 Scotti, Vito 66, ¡3¡ Scourby, Alexander 5¡ Screaming Eagles 64 Seay, James ¡38 “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” ¡5¡ “Secret of the Deep” ¡93 The Secret Life of Walter Mitty ¡¡2 Seel, Charles ¡¡8 Selby, Sarah ¡86 Self, William ¡3, ¡4 “The Self-Improvement of Salvadore Ross” ¡¡0, ¡67, ¡74–75 Selzer, Milton ¡29, ¡83, ¡84 Senesky, Ralph 27, ¡46 Serling, Robert J. 86, 87 Serling, Rod ¡, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, ¡¡, ¡2, ¡3, ¡4, ¡5, ¡6, ¡7, ¡8, ¡9, 20, 2¡, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 3¡, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 4¡, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 50, 5¡, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60, 6¡, 62, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 7¡, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 8¡, 83, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 99, ¡00, ¡0¡, ¡02, ¡03, ¡04, ¡05, ¡06, ¡07, ¡08, ¡09, ¡¡0, ¡¡3, ¡¡4, ¡¡6, ¡¡8, ¡¡9, ¡23, ¡24, ¡27, ¡28, ¡29, ¡30, ¡3¡, ¡32, ¡33, ¡35, ¡36, ¡37, ¡38, ¡39, ¡40, ¡4¡, ¡45, ¡46, ¡48, ¡49, ¡50, ¡52, ¡53, ¡54, ¡55, ¡56, ¡58, ¡59, ¡60, ¡62, ¡63, ¡64, ¡65, ¡66, ¡67, ¡68, ¡69, ¡72, ¡73, ¡75, ¡77, ¡79, ¡8¡, ¡82, ¡83, ¡84, ¡86, ¡87, ¡88,

280 ¡89, ¡90, ¡92, 200–3, 236, 237, 239, 240, 24¡ Serling: The Rise and Twilight of Television’s Last Angry Man ¡ Serling-Sutton, Anne 34, ¡37 Seven Days in May ¡87 The Seven Faces of Dr. Lao 57 “The 7th Is Made Up of Phantoms” 52, ¡¡9, ¡49, ¡68–69 77 Sunset Strip ¡7 “Shadow Play” 95, ¡27, ¡9¡ Shakespeare, William 23, 52, 75, ¡¡4, ¡58 Shanewise, Lenore ¡20 Shatner, William 5, 76, 77, 9¡, ¡49, ¡6¡, ¡62 Shattus, Norma ¡35 Sheiner, David ¡39 Sheldon, James 84, 85, 9¡, ¡05, ¡09, ¡34, ¡35 Shelley, Mary ¡38 “The Shelter” 62, ¡0¡–2, ¡5¡ Shelton, James ¡69 Sherlock Jr. ¡¡2 Sherman, Orville ¡¡8 The Shining ¡¡5, ¡88 Shirley, Mercedes ¡56 Shores, Richard ¡86 “A Short Drink from a Certain Fountain” ¡50, ¡69– 70, ¡85, ¡88 Show ¡8 “Showdown with Rance McGrew” 6¡, ¡¡8–20 Sickner, Roy ¡35 The Side of the Angels ¡36 Siegel, Don ¡67 “The Silence” 62, 83, 94–95, 86, ¡06, ¡2¡, ¡57, ¡70 Silvera, Frank ¡26 Silverstein, Elliot 97, ¡02, ¡30, ¡79, ¡80 Simmons, Georgia ¡93 Simon, Robert F. ¡48 Simpson, O.J. ¡24 Singer, Carla 27 Singleton, Doris ¡63 Singleton, Penny ¡85 Siodmak, Robert ¡79 Six Characters in Search of an Exit ¡¡3 “The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine” 35–36, 79, 89, ¡52, ¡8¡, ¡83, ¡9¡

Index Skall, William 88 Slaten, Max 62 Slesar, Henry ¡65, ¡66, ¡74, ¡75, 2¡2 Sloane, Everett 50, 72 Smight, Jack 38, 77, 78, 80, 85, 86 Smith, Cecil ¡6 Smith, Craig 77, 80, 85 Smith, Harkness 55 Smith, Howard 62, ¡35 Smith, Johnson ¡70, ¡7¡ Smith, Loring 82, ¡5¡ Smith, Patricia 9¡ Snyder, Robert ¡¡6 Sofaer, Abraham 67 Sohl, Jerry 57, ¡27, ¡5¡, ¡53, ¡64, ¡8¡, 208–9, 234, 235 Sokolo›, Vladimir 8¡, ¡3¡ Something’s Alive on the Titanic 88 “Song for a Lady” ¡56, ¡57 Soreny, Eva ¡42 Sorrells, Robert 67 Soule, Olan 7¡, ¡86 “The Sound of Silence” ¡85 “Sounds and Silences” 95, ¡50, ¡70, ¡84–85, ¡88 Speed 87, ¡4¡ Spelling, Aaron ¡2¡ Spencer, Douglas 88 Spielberg, Steven 26, 27, ¡20, ¡3¡ Spruance, Donald ¡73 “Spur of the Moment” ¡79–80 Squire, Katherine ¡¡6, ¡38 Sta›ord, Tim ¡93, ¡94 Stalmaster-Lister 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 99, ¡00, ¡0¡, ¡02, ¡03, ¡04, ¡05, ¡07, ¡08, ¡09, ¡¡0, ¡¡2, ¡¡3, ¡¡4, ¡¡5, ¡¡6, ¡¡7, ¡¡8, ¡20, ¡2¡, ¡22, ¡23, ¡24, ¡27, ¡33, ¡34 Stanhope, Ted 40 Star Trek 5, 27, 58, ¡¡4, ¡4¡, ¡68, ¡82, ¡89 Star Trek: The Next Generation ¡93 “Static” ¡8, 89–90, 92, ¡25, ¡50 “Steel” 24, ¡05, ¡60–6¡, ¡66, ¡80 Stehli, Edgar 56 Steiner, Fred 70, 92, ¡02, ¡42, ¡46, ¡50, ¡58 Sterling, Robert ¡47

Stevens, Inger 48, 49, 77, 78, 80 Stevens, Leith 39 Stevens, Marc ¡20 Stevens, Naomi 53 Stevens, Robert 3¡, 36 Stevens, Warren ¡¡7 Stevenson, Robert J. ¡08, ¡¡8 Stewart, Jimmy 54, ¡05 Stewart, Larry 25, ¡82, ¡84, ¡85, ¡86, ¡87, ¡88, ¡89, ¡90, ¡9¡, ¡92 Stewart, Paul ¡25, ¡26 Stewart, Peggy ¡0¡ “Still Valley” 82, ¡02, ¡09–¡0 Stockwell, Dean ¡¡4, ¡¡5 Stokes, Ron ¡82 Stone, George E. ¡¡2 Stone, Harold J. ¡00 “A Stop at Willoughby” 37, 62–63, ¡07, ¡34, ¡55 “Stopover in a Quiet Town” ¡¡8, ¡72, ¡87–88, ¡92 Stories from The Twilight Zone 3, ¡8, 32, 37, 50, 55, 68 The Storm ¡2, 33 The Strange Death of Adolf Hitler ¡42 Strangis, Judy ¡58 Strassfield, Adele T. ¡86 Stratford, Tracy ¡25, ¡64, ¡65 Stratton, Chet 96, ¡46 Strickland, Amzie 54 Stripes 52 Stroll, Edson ¡30 Strom, Diane 89 Strong, Leonard 49 Stuart, Barbara 73 Stuart, Maxine 75 Studio One ¡55 Studwicke, Shepperd 6¡ Sturgis, Norman 44 The Subject Was Roses ¡5¡ Sudlow, Jean 54 Sues, Alan ¡83 Sullivan, John L. ¡82 Sullivan, Liam 94, ¡36 Sunday, Mark 44 Sunday in Seville ¡92 Sunset Boulevard 36 Superman 24, ¡62, ¡86, ¡9¡ Swaim, Jack ¡03, ¡07, ¡09, ¡22, ¡24, ¡29 Swan, William ¡73

281

Index Swift, Jonathan ¡27 Swoger, Harry ¡¡7 Szabo, Albert 7¡

Taeger, Ralph ¡78 Taft, Sara ¡43 Tafur, Robert ¡23 Tail Gunner Joe 40 Takei, George ¡88, ¡89 Talbot, Stephen 89, ¡24 Tales from the Darkside 27 Tallman, Frank Gi›ord 5¡ Taming Sutton’s Gal ¡30 Tannen, Charles ¡23 Tapscott, Mark ¡09 Tarley, James ( Jim) 38, 9¡, ¡¡9 Taylor, Dub ¡22 Taylor, Ferris 53 Taylor, Robert ¡6 Taylor, Rod 43 Taylor, Vaughn 39, 40, ¡09, ¡¡0, ¡34, ¡54, ¡74 The Teahouse of the August Moon 38 Teal, Ray ¡47 Tedrow, Irene 36, 77 “The Tell-Tale Heart” ¡52 Tender Mercies ¡46 Thaxter, Phyllis ¡33, ¡34 “The Theatre” 239–40 “There Aren’t Any More MacBanes” 56 They Drive by Night 35 They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? 36 “They’re Tearing Down Tim Riley’s Bar” 26 “A Thing About Machines” 73–74, ¡73, ¡78 “Third from the Sun” 43, 46–47, 48, 56, 98, ¡28, ¡66 ¡3 West Street 64, ¡79 “The Thirteenth Mannequin” ¡46 “The Thirty Fathom Grave” 93, ¡39–40 Thompson, Charles ¡47 Thompson, John J. ¡39, ¡40, ¡47, ¡50 A Thousand Clowns ¡52 Three Days of the Condor 79 Thriller ¡68 Thurber, James ¡5¡ Thursby, David 78 “Tick of Time” ¡7¡ Till, Emmett ¡¡

“The Time Element” ¡2, ¡3, 22, 95, ¡52, ¡69 “Time Enough at Last” 2, 5, ¡7, 39–40, 4¡, 58, 66, 88, 96, ¡¡0, ¡47, ¡6¡, ¡63, ¡66 The Time Machine 43, 76 Titus, Jim E. ¡54 To Catch a Thief ¡58 To Kill a Mockingbird ¡46, ¡94 “To Serve Man” 2, 5, 6, 20, 47, 58, 94, ¡23–24, ¡6¡, ¡77 Tobin, Dan 84 Tomerlin, John ¡75, ¡76 Tone, Franchot 94 Tootsie 79 Topper ¡¡2 Touched by an Angel 66 Tourneur, Jacques ¡77, ¡78 Towers, Marc 50 “A Town Has Turned to Dust” ¡2 Townes, Harry 45, 46, 95 Townsend, Dwight 49 “The Trade-Ins” ¡30–3¡, ¡37, ¡80 Trent, Russell 40 Tripp, Paul ¡24 “The Trouble with Templeton” 78–79 “Trucks” 74 Truex, Barry ¡20 Truex, Ernest 44, 45, ¡20 Truman, Harry S ¡56 The Truman Show 56 Trundy, Natalie ¡40 “Tune in Yesterday” 89 “Tunguska”/“Terma” 98 Turner, Moira ¡0¡ Turner, Ray ¡¡2 Turner, Terry ¡6 Turner, Wayne 6¡ Tuttle, William J. 56, 57, 67, 75, 76, 96, ¡¡3, ¡29, ¡30, ¡32, ¡36, ¡60, ¡6¡, ¡83 TV Guide 6 ¡2 Angry Men 7¡, ¡55 Twelve O’Clock High 90 “Twenty Two” ¡8, 78, 85–86, 95, ¡¡7 The Twilight Zone: The Original Stories ¡, 34, 39, 4¡, 43, 44, 46, 52, 58, 74, ¡06, ¡¡0, ¡¡¡, ¡24, ¡26, ¡28, ¡35, ¡37, ¡39, ¡43, ¡44, ¡47, ¡54, ¡57, ¡60, ¡62, ¡66, ¡74, ¡76, ¡78

Twilight Zone—The Movie 3, 26–27, 57, ¡06, ¡07, ¡20, ¡2¡, ¡3¡, ¡5¡, ¡62 The Twilight Zone Companion 2, 6, 7, 74, 9¡, ¡09, ¡33 “Two” 99, ¡05, ¡22, ¡68, ¡72 Two Mules for Sister Sara ¡67 Tyler, James ¡8¡ “Uncle Simon” 72, ¡63, ¡67, ¡83 U.P.A. 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 39, 40, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 5¡, 52, 53, 54, 56, 57, 59, 6¡, 62, 63, 65, 67, 68 U.S. Steel ¡¡ United States Steel Hour ¡¡, ¡55 Universal International Studios 3¡ Unknown Worlds ¡54 Upstairs Downstairs 39

Valentino, Jean

33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 42, 43, 44, 45, 47, 48, 50, 5¡, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56 “Valley of the Shadow” ¡40– 4¡, ¡86 “The Valley Was Still” ¡02, ¡09, ¡¡0 Van, Frankie 60 Van Cleef, Lee ¡05, ¡22 Vandever, Michael 5¡ Van Dreelen, John ¡87 Vane, Sutton ¡58 Van Keuran, Sidney 73, 74, 76, 8¡, 90 Van Patten, Joyce ¡56 Van Voorhis, Westbrook ¡9 Van Zandt, Julie ¡26 Vargas, Edmund ¡3¡ Variety ¡00 Venable, Lynn 2, ¡7, 39, 40 Verne, Karen ¡07 Vertigo 54 Viacom 26 Vincent, Billy ¡30 Vincent, June ¡35 Visions from The Twilight Zone ¡ Von Sternberg, Josef ¡79 Vonnegut, Kurt ¡76 Votrian, Ralph ¡¡4 Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea ¡68, ¡84, ¡9¡, ¡93

282

Waggner, Lea

54 Waiting for Godot ¡¡3 Walberg, Gary 3¡ A Walk in the Sun ¡49 Walker, Bill ¡83 Walker, Peter 55 Walker, Robert ¡25, ¡26, ¡28, ¡29, ¡30, ¡3¡, ¡32, ¡35, ¡36 “Walking Distance” ¡7, 36– 37, 63, 78, ¡07, ¡33, ¡34, ¡43, ¡55 Wallace, Helen ¡22 Wallace, Mike ¡¡ Walsh, Raoul 35 Walsh, William 54 The Waltons 27, ¡¡8, ¡45 Waltz, Patricia 85 “War of the Worlds” ¡0¡ Ward, John ¡56 Warden, Jack ¡9, 38, 39, 67, 68 Warner, Sandra 6¡ Warren, Eda ¡42, ¡48, ¡50, ¡54 Warwick, Robert 5¡ Watkins, Frank ¡65 Waxman, Franz 35, 36 “Waxworks” ¡68 Wayne, David 37, 38 Wayne, Fredd 85, ¡00 Wayne, John ¡05 The Wayward Girl ¡30 Weaver, Dennis 95 Weaver, Fritz 46, 47, 97, 98 Webster, Mary 65, ¡43 Weinberger, Henry 75, 88 Weinrib, Lenny ¡46 Weis, Don ¡60, ¡6¡ Welcome to the Monkey House ¡76 Welles, Orson ¡9, 49, ¡0¡, ¡02, ¡45 Wellman, James L. ¡23 Wellman, Manly Wade ¡02, ¡09, ¡¡0, 2¡2 Wescoatt, Rusty 64 Wessel, Richard ¡63 West, Adam ¡57 Westcott, Helena ¡72 Westerfield, James 88 Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse ¡3, 22, ¡52, ¡69 Westmore, Bud 3¡ Weston, Jack 54, 55, ¡58 Westwood, Patrick 82

Index Whale, James 92 Wheeler, Charles ¡75, ¡8¡ “What the Devil!” 234 “What You Need” 44–45, ¡20 “What’s in the Box” ¡82–83, ¡89 When Gangland Strikes ¡30 “Where Is Everybody?” 3, ¡3, ¡6, 3¡–33, 36, 37, 39, 62, 7¡, ¡03, ¡¡¡, ¡¡3, ¡3¡, ¡68, ¡88 “Where the Dead Are” 240 White, Christine 90, ¡6¡ White, Daniel 8¡ White, David 55, ¡34 White, Jesse ¡3, ¡¡2, ¡35 White, Ruth ¡54 White, Will J. 46, ¡23 Whitmore, James 23, ¡56 “Who Am I?” 234 “The Whole Truth” ¡8, 82– 83, 85, ¡73 Whyte, Patrick 67 Wilbanks, Don ¡65 Wilcox, Colin ¡75, ¡76 Wild, Harry 46, 47 The Wild Bunch 52, ¡69 The Wild One ¡77 The Wild Wild West 46, 84, ¡44, ¡65 Wilkerson, Guy 76 “Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?” 74, 78, 83, 89, 96–97, ¡34, ¡77 Willard, Elen ¡05 Willes, Jean 96 Williams, Adam 48, 79, 80 Williams, John ¡58 Williams, Mack 95 Williams, Rhoda ¡25 Willock, Dave 78 Wilson, Anthony ¡9¡ Wilson, Dick 37, ¡70 Winant, Ethel 70, 7¡, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 8¡, 83, 84, 85, 86, 88, 89, 90, 9¡ Windom, William (Bill) ¡¡3, ¡46 Wingreen, James 62 Wingreen, Jason ¡08 Winston, Ronald 54, 59, 60, ¡87, ¡88 Winter, Jonathan ¡03

Winwood, Estelle 56 Wire Service ¡4 Wiseman, Joseph ¡¡6 The Witches of Eastwick ¡82 Witches, Warlocks and Werewolves 25 The Wizard of Oz 68 Wolfe, Ian ¡67 Wolfe, Peter 2, ¡4¡ Wol›, Frank 65 Wood, Jeane 96 Wood, Ward ¡84 Wordsworth, William 98 Workman, Lindsay ¡48 “A World of Di›erence” 55– 56, 78, 95, ¡27, ¡75, ¡88 “A World of His Own” 34, 68–69, 98, ¡65 The Wreck of the Mary Deare 42 Wright, Ben 42, ¡07, ¡¡7 Wright, Howard ¡¡0, ¡82 Wunderlich, Jerry 47, ¡9¡, ¡92 Wyem, Than 59 Wyllie, Meg 80 Wynant, H.M. 74 Wynn, Ed 33, 34, ¡70, ¡7¡ Wynn, Keenan 34, 68, 69 The X-Files 98

Yagi, James ¡48 Yancy Derringer ¡4 Yeaworth, Irvin S., Jr. 87 Yellow Springs, Ohio ¡37 York, Dick 5¡, 52, 84, 85 “You Drive” 46, ¡¡8, ¡72–73, ¡77 You Know I Can’t Hear You When the Water’s Running ¡52 You Only Live Twice ¡37 Young, Carlton ¡23 Young, Gig 36, ¡07 “Young Man’s Fancy” ¡33–34 Younger, Jack ¡35 Zaremba, John

¡48 Zeller, Jean-François ¡80 Zemeckis, Robert ¡80 Zicree, Marc Scott 2, 6, 7, ¡7, 28, 3¡, ¡09, ¡3¡, ¡33, ¡36, ¡57, ¡90