SECOND SEASON 1960-1961
--------------------------
KING NINE WILL NOT RETURN **
Writer: Rod Serling
Director: Buzz Kulik
Cast: Bob Cummings, Paul Lambert, Gene Lyons, Seymour Green,
Richard Lupino, Jenna MacMahon
After crashing in the desert, a bomber pilot (Cummings) is
haunted by the images of his dead crew.
LW: Basically a rather dry plot (no pun intended to those who remember
this episode in detail.) Bob Cummings has starred in many random
roles in television and movies over the years.
THE MAN IN THE BOTTLE ****
Writer: Rod Serling
Director: Don Medford
Cast: Luther Adler, Vivi Janiss, Lisa Golm, Joseph Ruskin, Olan Soule,
Peter Cole, Albert Szabo
A pawnbroker (Adler) is granted four wishes by a sinister genie.
LW: A favorite! The genie is a truly sinister character, who simply
exudes terror, even as he offers the poor pawnbroker and his wife
the almost limitless dreams of four wishes. They learn the hard
way that every silver lining has a cloud attached.
NERVOUS MAN IN A FOUR DOLLAR ROOM ***
Writer: Rod Serling
Director: Douglas Heyes
Cast: Joe Mantell, William D. Gordon
Unusual character study about a petty hood who literally
confronts his "conscience" in a mirror.
LW: In fact, 95% of the plot consists solely of this deep
confrontation with no other characters involved. An
interesting episode.
A THING ABOUT MACHINES ****
Writer: Rod Serling
Director: Dave McDearmon
Cast: Richard Haydn, Barbara Stuart, Barney Phillips
A machine-hating writer is suddenly hunted by a small army of
mechanical devices.
LW: There is a classic TZ television promo which includes a cut of an
electric razor slowly loping down the stairs in an attempt to get
this guy! A very good segment.
THE HOWLING MAN ****
Writer: Charles Beaumont
Director: Douglas Heyes
Cast: H. M. Wynant, John Carradine, Robin Hughes, Estelle Poule
Classic episode about a man (Wynant) who takes refuge in a
European monastery during a thunderstorm. He is told by the bearded,
saintly Brother Jerome (Carradine) that the prisoner locked in an cell
is no ordinary human being--he is the Devil himself! Atmospheric music
(by Bernard Herrmann) and a terrific transformation sequence add to
the tale's effectiveness.
SJ: This episode is my all time favorite episode and rates 6 stars.
LW: Well, I only give it 4 stars, but it still is a good one.
THE EYE OF THE BEHOLDER *****
Writer: Rod Serling
Director: Douglas Heyes
Cast: William B. Gordon, Donna Douglas, Jennifer Howard, Joanna Heyes
Another outstanding entry in the series. Plastic surgeons
in some unknown society make one final attempt to improve a young
woman's face so that she can live among "normal people." William
Tuttle's make-ups are some of the most horrifying ever conceived
for television.
LW: Definitely in the super-classic catagory. One of the most
amazing pieces of camera work ever done for televsion. Beautifully
conceived and executed. I believe that this episode was originally
titled, "A Private World of Darkness" or "Her Private World of
Darkness".
NICK OF TIME ***
Writer: Richard Matheson
Director: Richard L. Bare
Cast: William Shatner, Patricia Breslin
A newlywed husband (Shatner) is fascinated by a fortune-telling
machine that makes uncanny predictions about his life.
LW: A rather YOUNG Shatner, in his pre-Federation days of course.
THE LATENESS OF THE HOUR ***
Writer: Rod Serling
Director: Jack Smight
Cast: Inger Stevens, John Hoyt
The faultless precision of robot servants invented by her father
begins to annoy a young woman (Stevens). Originally done on video
tape.
LW: Of course, John Hoyt has a long history of many appearances in
films and television. Two "SF" efforts of his that come to mind
are "The Time Travelers" and "Flesh Gordon" (Of course, I am using
the term "SF" rather loosely in the latter case...)
THE TROUBLE WITH TEMPLETON *
Writer: E. Jack Neuman
Director: Buzz Kulik
Cast: Brian Aherne, Pippa Scott
An aging actor is given a sobering glimpse at the past he holds
so dear.
LW: Not good. Dry, boring, and basically a loser.
A MOST UNUSUAL CAMERA ****
Writer: Rod Serling
Director: John Rich
Cast: Fred Clark, Jean Carson, Adam Williams
Examining their latest haul, two-bit thieves discover a camera
that can predict the future.
LW: A memorable, and rather humorous, classic. A fine episode.
NIGHT OF THE MEEK ***
Writer: Rod Serling
Director: Jack Smight
Cast: Art Carney, John Fielder, Meg Wylie, Robert Lieb
Sensitive, well-acted drama about a department store Santa Claus
(Carney) who ends up being the real thing. Originally done on video
tape.
SJ: My second favorite...a 5 star episode.
LW: Well, we have a disagreement here. It is a nice episode, but
so sopping in sentimentality that even I have problems with it.
Still, Carney puts forth a first rate performance.
DUST ***
Writer: Rod Serling
Director: Douglas Heyes
Cast: Thomas Gomez, Vladimir Sokoloff, John Alonso, John Larch
On the day of his execution, a man's father is conned by a
vicious traveling salesman (Gomez) who sells him "magic dust"
capable of eliminating hate.
LW: Not terribly good, but a well done period piece.
BACK THERE ***
Writer: Rod Serling
Director: David Orrick McDearmon
Cast: Russel Johnson, Paul Hartman
A man is catapulted backward into time to the moments preceding
the assassination of President Lincoln. The stirring score by Jerry
Goldsmith [who recently did the score for ST-TMP] was later heard as
background music for ABC'S WIDE WORLD OF ENTERTAINMENT mysteries.
LW: Note that Russel Johnson (Gilligan's Island) has shown up
again, in another time travel oriented piece! A serious question
concerning the structure of time is brought forth in this episode.
THE WHOLE TRUTH ***
Writer: Rod Serling
Director: James Sheldon
Cast: Jack Carson, Jack Ging, Nan Peterson, George Chandler
An unsrupulous car salesman (Carson) meets his match in a haunted
auto with a mind of its own.
LW: Imagine! A used car dealer FORCED to tell the truth. Something
like that could put late night television out of business. In any
case, this is a rather amusing episode.
THE INVADERS ****
Writer: Richard Matheson
Director: Douglas Heyes
Cast: Agnes Moorehead
In this classic episode, an old woman in an isolated farm
house must battle a horde of extraterrestrial invaders. In the end,
Moorehead takes an axe to their starship and demolishes, in reality,
FORBIDDEN PLANET'S famous space cruiser! No actual dialog until the
final sequence.
LW: A classic indeed!
A PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS ****
Writer: George Clayton Johnson
Director: James Sheldon
Cast: Dick York, Hayden Rourke, Dan Tobin, June Dayton
Unusual tale about a timid bank teller (York) who suddenly gains
the ability to read people's minds after a freak accident.
LW: Dick York (Bewitched) returns. This is a nice, light episode, and
I've always liked it. We learn that being able to read minds is
no picnic!
TWENTY TWO ****
Writer: Rod Serling
Director: Jack Smight
Cast: Barbara Nichols, Jonathan Harris, Fredd Wayne
A woman is haunted by a recurring nightmare that always ends with
her being escorted to hospital room 22 - the morgue.
LW: In fact, she is having this dream while IN the hospital! I am
told that this episode resulted in lots of nightmares when it
originally ran, and it does have some terribly creeping elements.
The nightmare sequences are excellent. We must not overlook
Jonathan Harris who plays the doctor in this episode. Good old
Jonathan later played the evil/tragic/comical Dr. Zackery Smith
in "Lost in Space"! This episode made the line "Room for one more,
honey." a TZ classic.
THE ODYSSEY OF FLIGHT 33 ***
Writer: Rod Serling
Director: J. Addiss
Cast: John Anderson, Sandy Kenyon, Paul Comi, Harp McGuire,
Wayne Heffley, Nancy Rennick, Beverly Brown
A commercial airliner becomes unstuck in time. The prehistoric
sequence, courtesy of Jack Harris, was unused footage from the movie
DINOSAURS.
MR. DINGLE, THE STRONG ****
Writer: Rod Serling
Director: John Brahm
Cast: Burgess Meredith, Don Rickles
Several weird-looking extraterrestrials appear in this
episode about a timid little man (Meredith) who is given superpowers
by a double-headed Martian experimenter. Don Rickles is customarily
caustic as a character named Bragg.
LW: This is a pretty funny episode.
STATIC **
Writer: Charles Beaumont
Director: Buzz Kulik
Cast: Dean Jagger, Carmen Mathews, Robert Emhardt
An old radio provides a valuable link with the past for two
elderly lovers. Originally done on video tape; based on a short
story by Ocee Ritch.
THE PRIME MOVER ***
Writer: Charles Beaumont
Director: Richard L. Bare
Cast: Dane Clark, Buddy Ebsen
A telekinetic gentleman (Ebsen) is used to win some big money
for a greedy man (Clark) at the gambling casinos.
LW: Sure 'nuf: Jedd Clampett, from "The Beverly Hillbillies", on a
Twilight Zone. Seriously, good acting by Ebsen.
LONG DISTANCE CALL ***
Writer: Charles Beaumont and William Idelson
Director: James Sheldon
Cast: Billy Mumy, Phillip Abbott, Patricia Smith, Lili Darvas
Powerful episode about a little boy with a toy telephone by
which he mysteriously remains in contact with his dead grandmother.
Originally done on video tape.
LW: Billy Mumy later starred as Will Robinison in "Lost in Space". In
fact, Mumy had many parts as a child over many years, including
another TZ episode we have yet to cover. He dropped out of sight
a few years ago, and I believe now plays guitar and sings rock
music in some L.A. nightclub. Oh well, easy come, easy go.
A HUNDRED YEARS OVER THE RIM ***
Writer: Rod Serling
Director: Buzz Kulik
Cast: Cliff Robertson, Miranda Jones
A western settler mysteriously enters the 20th century when he
goes off in search of medication for his dying son.
THE RIP VAN WINKLE CAPER ***
Writer: Rod Serling
Director: Justus Addiss
Cast: Oscar Beregi, Simon Oakland, Lew Gallo, John Mitchum
Four thieves steal gold bullion and place themselves in suspended
animation for a hundred years.
LW: Robbie's car from FORBIDDEN PLANET is used in this episode.
THE SILENCE ****
Writer: Rod Serling
Director: Boris Segal
Cast: Franchot Tone, Liam Sullivan, Jonathan Harris
A man (Tone), sick of the incessant chatter of a fellow club
member (Sullivan), offers him a half million dollars if he can keep
silent for a full year.
LW: Jonathan Harris (Dr. Smith) has a fairly minor role in the story.
Tone manages to win the bet, but pays a dear price in the process.
SHADOW PLAY ****
Writer: Charles Beaumont
Director: John Brahm
Cast: Dennis Weaver, Harry Townes, Wright King
An hysterical young man (Weaver) tries to persuade the judge, who
sentenced him to death, that he and the people around are just part of
a recurring nightmare.
SJ: Another of my favorites.
LW: This is a good one, and deals directly with issues of realities
within realities. Dennis Weaver does a fine job in this segment.
THE MIND AND THE MATTER ***
Writer: Rod Serling
Director: Buzz Kulik
Cast: Shelly Berman, Jack Grinnage, Jeanne Wood, Chet Stratton
A book on the power of thought enables a meek clerk (Berman) to
create a world exactly as he would want it.
LW: This is basically a comedy, and it is pretty good.
WILL THE REAL MARTIAN PLEASE STAND UP *****
Writer: Rod Serling
Director: Montgomery Pittman
Cast: Morgan Jones, John Archer, Bill Kendis, John Hoyt, Jean Willes,
Jack Elam, Barney Phillips
Offbeat entry about a pair of state troopers who must determine
which member of a bus trip is, in reality, a Martian invader.
LW: A real classic, this is that second effort by John Hoyt which I
alluded to above. Has a great sight gag near the beginning. The
production company that did all the TZ's was called "CAYUGA". The
bus passengers spend most of the episode off the bus and in a
diner. We get a glimpse of the writing on the side of the bus,
and it says, "CAYUGA BUS"!
THE OBSOLETE MAN ****
Writer: Rod Serling
Director: Eliot Silverstein
Cast: Burgess Meredith, Fritz Weaver
Meredith delivers an emotion-packed performance in this symbolic
tale about a librarian judged "obsolete" by a totalitarian society of
the future.
|
EPISODE GUIDE