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[May 12, 1964] Secrets Beyond Human Understanding (The Outer Limits, Season One, Episodes 29-32)

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by Natalie Devitt

No matter how much scientists, inventors and aliens try to control all the conditions for the experiments they conduct on The Outer Limits, things almost never seem to go as anticipated, and often result in them veering into much stranger territory. The most recent month certainly did not stray from the usual formula of experiments going wrong. Episodes included the following: aliens teleporting a suburban neighborhood and its residents to another planet to determine whether or not to enslave humans, only for the humans to discover this before the study is completed; an accident occurring during a test in a research facility releases an energy that takes over people‘s bodies; an intelligence agent goes undercover as an alien, only for him to adapt to his alien form a little too well; and two women deal with unforeseen complications when they meet an inventor capable of bringing the man they murdered back to life.

A Feasibility Study, by Joseph Stefano

A Feasibility Study is the story of a group of neighbors that wake up one morning to find that things seem a little off. At first, they notice the unusual weather, then some vehicles have difficulty starting and the phones lines seem to be down. One character tells her husband, "It’s not raining, but it’s doing something, and I’ll bet it’s radioactive." As it turns out, things are much more serious that they ever could have been imagined. Their entire neighborhood, including their homes and everything surrounding them, have been teleported while everyone slept to another planet called Luminos.

The people are imprisoned on Luminos for one reason and one reason only; as the opening narration states: "The Luminoids need slaves, and they have chosen the planet off which those slaves will be abducted." The whole thing is part of a feasibility study to see if humans would make suitable slaves for the Luminoids, who grow mentally sharper but less mobile with age. The only problem is that the inhabitants of the neighborhood realize that they have become "human guinea pigs" sooner than the Luminoids expected.

People always compare The Outer Limits and The Twilight Zone, and though they really are two different beasts, this episode is a real treat for fans of The Twilight Zone because most of the actors in it have made appearance on that show. Such actors include David Opatoshu, who starred in Valley of the Shadow, Joyce Van Patton, who was in last season’s Passage of Lady Anne, and then there is Phyllis Love of Four O’Clock.

A Feasibility Study includes incredibly realistic acting and impressive set design. The episode is also extremely atmospheric, with no shortage of fog. The score has a noticeably different and more experimental quality to it than most other entries in the series. Nowhere is it more effective than in a scene where one of the characters is driving through the fog as an alien hand reaches out and touches his car’s windshield. All of the subplots in the script work together very well, and only help to elevate the main plot. Overall, the episode was a easily one of the high points of the season. It deserves four stars.

Production and Decay of Strange Particles, by Leslie Stevens

Production and Decay of Special Particles involves an accident at a research facility, which ends up allowing an energy alien to possess the bodies of the employees at the facility one by one. The situation is explained as being similar to "a hole torn in the universe.” All of this leaves the head of the facility, played by none other than George McCready, who appeared in The Twilight Zone‘s The Long Morrow and in the vastly superiorThe Outer Limits’s episode The Invisibles to team up with his character’s wife in order to stop the creature, which is characterized as "something from another dimension" and capable of presenting itself in "a human form". He must also prevent it from getting beyond the confines of the property.

I have to admit that, as much as I was excited to see the show really dive into the hard sciences, this episode required a little too much outside knowledge for the average viewer to understand it, much less appreciate it. With little to no explanation, combined with the issue that the episode does not have much going on visually, things begin to drag real quick. In addition to these problems, there is some stock footage awkwardly edited into the episode and plenty of over-acting.

When I was not brushing up on my physics vocabulary, I spent much of the episode watching men in suits barely moving, with constant crackling noises in the background. While I am happy to see the show do something different with an episode more heavily-rooted in science, even if it involves yet another energy being, the episode needed something else to maintain an audience‘s attention. After taking all of these things into consideration, two stars is all that I can give to Production and Decay of Special Particles.

The Chameleon, by Robert Towne

Robert Duvall, who made The Twilight Zone‘s Miniature worth watching, plays Louis, a man with nothing to lose. Louis is hired by his former employer, the CIA, to undergo a dramatic transformation in order to play the role of an extraterrestrial. He is instructed to "become one of them.” He is provided with a cover story, which includes directives like, "once you are with them, you will tell them that you landed long ago on Earth, crash landed. You remember nothing of your origin. What little language you know, you got from humans.”

All of this is being done in order to collect information on an alien spaceship that landed and has already killed the last group of men to patrol the area. It is feared that the aliens in charge of the ship may be carrying "nuclear material,” so people are understandably reluctant to attack the aliens. The only problem is that things go a little "too well.” Louis becomes increasingly difficult to control, and once he is in alien form, his sympathies begin to shift.

Duval brings a vulnerability to the role of a washed up agent before he undergoes the transformation. He then becomes a man-made extraterrestrial, not unlike the man-made creature in The Architects of Fear. The aliens in The Chameleon, are of course odd-looking, with beady eyes and wrinkled faces. They also have veins that bulge out of their bald heads. The major twist with Louis changing sides was interesting enough, but at the end of the day, it is really Robert Duvall’s skills as an actor that earns this episode its three stars.

The Forms of Things Unknown, by Joseph Stefano

Psycho’s Vera Miles plays Kassia, one of two young women who poison the drink of a very unpleasant man named Andre, played by Scott Marlowe in his second appearance on The Outer Limits. Kassia’s accomplice is named Leonora. The ladies stuff Andre’s body into the trunk of a car, and drive around looking for the perfect place to dispose of it. Leonora ends up leading them to a big, old house, where they are told that they are welcome to warm themselves by the fire.

While inside, they notice the sound of several ticking clocks. They are told that the noise comes from "a special room upstairs.” Inside the room is where an inventor named Mr. Hobart "tinkers with time.” His experiments with time have become so sophisticated that he can cause the past to "tumble into the present.” Such experiments could bring Andre back to life, with some pretty disastrous results.

The part of the narrative involving Lenora and Kassia murdering Andre reminded me an awful lot of the 1955 French film Diabolique. Similarities aside, the plot in The Forms of Things Unknown, is a little flimsy. But that almost does not even matter, because the episode’s cinematography and set design are nothing short of perfection. The acting, however, was a little short of being consistently good. That said, Vera Miles delivers a fine performance and has a number of amusing lines. David McCallen returns to the show for another memorable performance after the great The Sixth Finger. Even veteran actor Cedric Hardwicke, who recently appeared in The Twilight Zone‘s Uncle Simon, shows up playing host to all the episode’s craziness. Despite some flaws this hour of the series is still definitely worth the watch. The Forms of Things Unknown earns three and a half stars.

All in all, it has been an interesting month on The Outer Limits.  Most episodes featured the kinds of stories and the quality I have come to expect of this series, while only one entry was a bit of a letdown. With this being the last set of episodes of the season, I have to say it has been a lot of fun watching this show really hit its stride. I cannot wait to see what new creatures and stories are in store for the series in the fall.

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[April 24, 1964] Some Justice to Mete Out (The Twilight Zone, Season 5, Episodes 25-28)

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by Natalie Devitt

Exploring how a person’s conduct can shape the direction their life takes has been a big part of The Twilight Zone, and this past month has been no exception. In some episodes, poetic justice seems to have been achieved by the episode‘s conclusion. Other times, characters are given punishments that do not quite seem to fit the crime. This month’s morality plays include a story about a dying man’s last wish to make sure his greedy relatives get what he thinks they deserve, a town is blanketed in darkness the morning it is scheduled to execute someone who may have been wrongly convicted of a crime, a man that annoys those around him with obnoxious noises is suddenly unable to block out sounds that he finds unpleasant, and a broke ventriloquist who pays the price when he is convinced by his dummy to take up robbery to improve his finances.

The Masks, by Rod Serling

Actress-turned-director Ida Lupino and star of The Twilight Zone’s The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine returns to the show for The Masks. This time, she is not in front of the camera but in the director’s chair. The Masks is set in New Orleans against the backdrop of Mardi Gras. In the episode, character actor Robert Keith plays Jason Foster, a rich and elderly man, who is told by his doctor that he can measure what is left of his life “in moments.” After receiving his grim prognosis, Jason vows to live at least until midnight in order to take care of some unfinished business, which includes gathering with his family for a very unusual farewell.

During the family gathering, Jason states in a very matter-of-fact tone, “You all came here for one purpose: to watch me go and cry bon voyage, to put coins on my closed eyes, and with your free hands start grabbing things from my shelves.” He tells them in order to inherit his entire fortune, they must wear hideous masks until midnight, which proves to be much harder than expected. The masks he provides them with are from “an old Cajun” and “they have certain properties.” They are told that each mask represents the “antithesis of the wearer.” But what they do not realize is that each person wears a mask that actually reflects their true nature. Also, that Jason has one final surprise planned for them at the midnight unmasking.

With a story like this, I cannot help but wonder about the events that led Jason’s family to where they are when the episode starts. The anger and the resentments building up over the years, and whether Jason may have contributed to the situation. In any case, this episode featured one of Rod Serling’s better scripts this season. In addition to Rod Serling’s stronger script, The Masks featured a mostly good cast and some of the more impressive special effects makeup I have seen on the series in recent memory. Overall, the month got off to an impressive start with this episode, which is why it earns four stars from me.

I Am the Night, Color Me Black, by Rod Serling

The Hustler’s Michael Constantine plays Sheriff Charlie Conch, who arrives at work nervous about the day’s planned execution. Oddly, it is past the time the sun usually rises and the sun still is yet to come up. One of his deputes mentions to him, “It’s 7:30 in the morning and it’s pitch black outside. I’ve never seen it any blacker.” What is strange is that surrounding towns do not seem to be experiencing the same phenomenon.

Paul Fix of television’s The Rifleman plays Colby, a reporter who questions the department’s handling of the case. Colby reminds the men at the sheriff‘s department that, “ The murdered man was not a decent man. He was a cross burning psychopathic bully who attacked the man in there.” The accused is named Jagger, and he was protecting members of a church from a racist when the alleged murder took place. Ivan Dixon, who appeared in the earlier episode The Big Tall Wish, stars as the church’s reverend.

Practically everyone in town shows up for the hanging in “the remote, little mid-western village.” It is getting closer and closer to the execution time and the sun still has not risen. While the rope is being prepared for Jagger’s hanging, the journalist asks one of the deputies, “Did it ever occur to you that there is something odd going on around here? Perhaps we better dispense with business as usual until we find out exactly what is going on.”

I Am the Night, Color Me Black, looks great and features a number of outstanding performances, but it would have benefited from being a little more subtle. For anyone willing to look past how heavy-handed the moralizing in this entry can be, it is a good but not amazing episode. Three stars.

Sounds and Silences, by Rod Serling

John McGiver returns to the The Twilight Zone after appearing in The Bard. In Sounds and Silences, he plays Roswell G. Flemington, a man who takes delight in making noise. As Rod Serling’s opening monologue states, Roswell’s “noise-making is in inverse ratio to his competence and his character.” Roswell runs a model ship company, spending much of his free time blustering around the office like a modern day Queeg, and listening to blaring recordings of fighting battleships, much to the dismay of those around him.

One day, his wife tells him that she just cannot take it anymore. She complains, “What was once an idiosyncrasy of yours is now an obsession. This insistence on blaring noises and running a household like it was a destroyer escort on convoy duty- the combination has now become quite impossible and I can’t live with it.” After a couple decades of marriage, they are finished. But Roswell is happy about his marriage ending, because now he can devote more attention to making noise.

Shortly after, while trying to sleep, he wakes up to the sound of a leaky faucet, unusually loud and unpleasant. Once the faucet stops making noise, another sound begins to bug him. Soon little noises are driving him to the brink of madness. Eventually, he has to seek professional help. Is this punishment for what he has put others through all these years?

The episode has few redeeming qualities. The script leaves a lot to be desired. I think this entry is supposed to be funny, but it I do not remember laughing once. The main character acts like a giant child, which I know is kind of the point, but that begins to wear thin after a while. Most of the characters, which include his wife and his employees, are not much more tolerable than he is. It was hard resisting the urge to change the channel, so one and a half stars is all that I can give to Sounds and Silences.

Caesar and Me, by Adele T. Strassfield

Former child star Jackie Cooper is perfectly cast as Jonathan West, a penniless ventriloquist in Caesar and Me. He and his dummy, Caesar, perform under the name Little Caesar and Jonathan. Jonathan has difficulty securing a stable source of income, but he dreams that one day Little Caesar and Jonathan will be a headlining act. Jonathan has an unhealthy attachment to Caesar and tells the dummy that they are “together forever.” Caesar is mentioned in Rod Serling’s opening monologue as being a “small splinter with large ideas.” Jonathan considers supplementing his income with a side job until his work with Caesar starts to bring in the big bucks. The only problem is that Jonathan has never held down a “real job.”

But Caesar has been paying attention. One day Caesar asks him, “Just a little money for food and rent, is that it? Is that all you want out of life?” Caesar convinces Jonathan that robbery is the solution to his money woes, saying “Open your eyes. Look around you. The streets are paved with gold, and it’s sitting out there, waiting for us.” Caesar feeds Jonathan more lines like, “After tonight’s job, we’ll be on easy street.” Of course, things do not go exactly as planned.

I tried to watch Caesar and Me with an open mind. It is not really bad, just frustrating because it feels too much like a rehash of The Dummy. It brings absolutely nothing new to table. In fact, they even reused the same dummy. The talented Jackie Cooper could not completely save this episode. Then there was the ending, which while mildly entertaining, is hardly fair. Poor Jonathan just cannot seem to catch a break. Caesar and Me receives two and a half stars.

Characters during the past month of The Twilight Zone have encountered some interesting and sometimes unexpected outcomes as a result of their actions. Regarding the quality of the episodes, however, two were enjoyable while the other two offerings were a little disappointing. With only two months left before the end of the season, I hate to admit that I am a little nervous about the forthcoming episodes.

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[April 12, 1964] Mold of a Man (The Outer Limits, Season One, Episodes 25-28)

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by Natalie Devitt

Recently The Outer Limits has primarily featured storylines about intellectually superior aliens and mutants treating people like something easily controlled or shaped to suit their needs. Episodes have included stories about a man-turned-mutant using his telepathic abilities to keep members of his crew prisoners on another planet, an alien holding a group captive in an old mansion until they can provide him with important information, a man and a woman being thrown into a deadly game for the entertainment of creatures from another planet, and an alien posing as a tutor so he can recruit children as tools for his nefarious plans.

The Mutant, by Allan Balter and Robert Mintz

In The Mutant, Larry Pennell, an actor you may have seen in anything from Thriller to Have Gun – Will Travel, plays Evan Marshall, a man who travels to a planet that seems to be “suitable for colonization by Earth‘s overflowing population.” The planet, Annex One, resembles Earth. He arrives there intending to investigate the death of a scientist stationed at planet.

Marshall is instructed to wear special goggles while outside as protection from the planet’s harsh weather conditions, which can include anything from “constant daylight” to severe storms. A member of the team, played by Warren Oates (he recently appeared on The Twilight Zone’s Number 7 is Made Up of Phantoms), plays Reese Fowler. Fowler assures Marshall, “You begin to feel like they [the goggles] are a part of your person, which is the way that we feel.” Fowler fails to mention to Marshall that he rarely removes his goggles in order to hide his swollen eyes, which started protruding after he was accidentally caught in a storm without his protective eyewear. This incident resulted not only in bulging eyes, but it also gave Fowler telepathy and the ability to kill people with just a touch of the hand.

Fowler is abusing his new powers, keeping everyone on Annex One as “his prisoners” as he frantically searches for a cure to his mutations. Members of the group try to warn Marshall about Fowler. All the while they try to prevent the mutant from reading their minds as they devise a plan to return to Earth. But as Fowler warns them, it is nearly impossible for anyone to quiet their thoughts for long.

Between Fowler’s telepathic powers being almost inescapable and the effects of endless daylight on a person‘s sanity, The Mutant does a pretty good job of establishing a sense of dread. Further, I think the sight of Fowler’s eyes will be forever seared into my mind. One aspect of the episode that certainly did not work very well was the romantic secondary plot, which was not very convincing and did not do much to support the main plot. But overall, I would say The Mutant is strong enough to deserve three stars.

The Guests, by Donald S. Sanford

The Guests, opens on an elderly man being pursued on foot by an alien through the woods. The man collapses as a young man, Wade (Geoffrey Horne, from The Twilight Zone’s The Gift), stops to offer a hand. As the extraterrestrial vanishes, a mansion appears in its place. Wade picks up the old man’s pocket watch, inside of which is a very old picture of a young woman that appears to have been taken in the 19th century. As Wade approaches the house, the front door seems to open itself.

Upon entering the house, he spots the same young woman in the picture, Teresa, looking exactly as she did in the old man’s photo. Wade also meets another fellow, and two other women, one of which is played by none other than the famous Gloria Grahame. They are all wearing clothing from different time periods. Not thinking much about their outdated clothing, Wade goes on to tell them about the old man. Teresa does not miss a beat, responding rather coldly with he must be “gone by now.” She then adds, “He’s been dead for a long time.”

Wade tries to leave the house at once, but he is pulled back in, then up the stairs, where he finally comes face to face with their host: a glowing version of the creature from this season's The Mice. Their captor says he is looking for “the factor that will balance the equation.” After being interrogated by the alien, Wade is told by the others, “You won’t leave here, young man. None of us will ever leave here.” The other guests may be content to remain frozen in time, but Wade is determined to escape.

The whole alien holding people captive in a big strange mansion sounds an awful lot like this season's Don’t Open Till Doomsday, and while The Guests is not quite as strong, it almost succeeds in capturing the same creepy atmosphere. If there is one thing that The Outer Limits does extremely well, it is create mood. While you can predict this story‘s outcome, there is a scene involving a character rapidly aging that has stayed with me since I watched it.

I am kind of disappointed that I did not enjoy Gloria Grahame in this entry as much as I would have liked. I have seen the Oscar winner shine in a wide range of roles.  This performance is not bad, just a little uninspired. Given her impressive body of work, I am not sure that matters very much. In any case, this entry receives three stars.

Fun and Games, by Robert Specht and Joseph Stefano

Fun and Games tells the tale of a man and a woman, played by Nick Adams (whom you might know from the TV show, The Rebel) and television actress Nancy Malone. They are teleported to another planet, Andera, where they are informed by a shadowy figure that they have been selected to represent the men and the women of Earth in a “rather terrible kind of game” for the amusement of their kind. The humans, Mike and Laura, will fight against one male and one female representative from another planet, the Calco, in a fight “until the death.“ The creature insists that they will not be forced to participate, but if they choose to not join, their “opponents will win by default.“ Most importantly, if they lose the game, Earth will be destroyed.

The Calco resemble apes, and are so primitive that they use boomerangs as weapons instead of guns. Participants are prohibited from using guns at any time during the game, but when Mike and Laura discover that one of their adversaries murdered its own partner in order to stretch out its own food supply, they realize just what they are up against. Do they really stand a chance against such a ruthless opponent?

The two lead actors really deliver some fine performances in this hour of the series, which almost succeeds in distracting from how goofy and unthreatening the Calco appear. Fun and Games revisits important moments in the story, exploring different decisions characters can make. I imagine watching the same thing over and over is enough to drive some viewers insane. Personally, I really enjoyed it, but I could see how it could feel like padding to fill the entire hour. Luckily, the conclusion has some interesting twists. Fun and Games is in my opinion the best entry of the series this past month, which is why it earns three and a half stars from me.

The Special One, by Oliver Crawford

One stormy night, a family is visited by stranger who goes by the name of Mr. Zeno. He claims to be “from the Educational Enrichment Program,“ and expresses his interest in tutoring their son, Ken. But not long after studying with Mr. Zeno, who is really an extraterrestrial in disguise, Ken begins behaving strangely. When Ken’s dad (played by Hitchcock-thriller Shadow of a Doubt’s MacDonald Carey) wants him to do anything besides homework, Ken tells him, “Sorry, Dad. I’ve got to study. Mr. Zeno will be here in a minute.” Also, Ken’s father, Roy, thinks it is strange that Zeno does not seem to give advance notice when he is coming over to their house, and how he seems to be spending an increasing amount of time with his son.

Roy stumbles on a periodic table that Ken has been working on. The strange thing is that it includes 23 extra elements. This leads to Ken‘s father to tell his buddy about the situation, who states, “I wouldn’t let my boy join the group.” When Dad confronts his son about the extra elements on the his periodic table, Ken simply states that they are not there “yet,” but that the “balance is in the future.” Ken’s mother accuses Roy of being jealous of Mr. Zeno. On top of all of that, the Education Enrichment Program’s office has never heard of Mr. Zeno and claim their tutors do not do house visits. So, what does a creature from outer space need with Ken?

The Special One is not really my favorite episode about aliens plotting to take over the world, but it's not really a bad one, either. The acting is strong, except for a somewhat awkward scene where Mr. Zeno tries to get Ken’s dad to commit suicide, which also reminds me of a similar scene in a previous episode, Corpus Earthling. One thing the episode really has going for it is its special effects, which are surprisingly good, especially for television. Three stars.

It has been another enjoyable month of the series, which seems to have been filled with even more than usual number of narratives about people being easily influenced by extraterrestrial beings. Given that this month included one very good episode and three good episodes, I am confident the remaining month of the season will also entertain.

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[March 25, 1964] The Face of Terror (The Twilight Zone, Season 5, Episodes 20-24)

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by Natalie Devitt

The quality of the episodes on The Twilight Zone has been pretty inconsistent this past month. One thing that did remain constant was that most of the main characters found themselves in some pretty frightening situations. The month’s entries include a story about a young woman being chased by a stranger dressed in black, a man waiting for his execution, a journalist interviewing an actress who may be keeping a deadly secret, and a man discovering that his television set shows his infidelities for his wife to see.

Spur of the Moment, by Richard Matheson

A young woman named Anne, portrayed by Diana Hyland (who you may have seen on Alfred Hitchcock Presents) goes horseback riding on the grounds of her family’s sprawling estate in Spur of the Moment. While out riding, “a strange nightmarish woman in black” riding a black horse appears, looking down on Anne from on top of a hill. The lady lets out a scream. Then, Anne is chased on horseback by the older woman wearing a long black cloak. She shouts out Anne’s name and begs her to stop, but the woman’s pleas fall on deaf ears as Anne rides to the safety of her home.

Once inside, a disheveled Anne tells her parents and her fiancé about the woman. She cries, “I think if she caught me, she would have killed me.“ In the role of her mother is Marsha Hunt, who just appeared in The Outer Limit’s episode ZZZZZ. Anne’s mother assures her that the whole thing must be a misunderstanding, while Anne’s fiancée, Robert, jokes that the whole incident could be “a warning” to her to cancel their upcoming nuptials.

Just then the bride-to-be is visited by her ex-fiancée, David. He tells Anne, “Break your engagement. You broke ours.“ Anne’s father (Philip Ober of From Here to Eternity) forces David to leave by gunpoint. With this many bad omens, will Robert and Anne’s wedding go on as planned?

Spur of the Moment has so much potential that it never seems to totally fulfill. The premise is interesting enough, even with the identity of the woman in black being pretty easy to figure out. The real twist is actually much less predictable and quite good. That said, the screenplay could have used a little more character development because most of the characters are pretty one-dimensional. This is especially true when it comes to Anne, who is obnoxious and entitled.

In addition to the screenplay, the episode is marred by over-acting by otherwise decent actors. Then there is the makeup used to age some of the actors, which is a bit of a distraction. As much as I wanted to love this episode with its striking image of the lady with the black cape on the stallion, two and a half stars is all I can give to Spur of the Moment.

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, by Robert Enrico

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge is as the opening monologue announces, “a film shot in France” and it is Robert Enrico’s adaptation of Ambrose Bierce’s classic short story by the same name. Playing Peyton Farquhar is French actor Roger Jacquet. Peyton is about to be hung by Union soldiers during the Civil War. Prior to his scheduled hanging at Owl Creek Bridge, Peyton looks back on his life, thinking mainly of his family. Somehow as Peyton is falling from the bridge, his noose miraculously snaps and he falls into the water below. Peyton swims away, narrowly escaping the soldiers. He then travels through the woods in order to be reunited with his loved ones, or does he?

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge is easily the most impressive episode this month. As Peyton is escaping, the audience see things from Peyton’s perspective, watching his senses grow stronger and he notices everything around him. Visually, this is episode is incredibly ambitious. There is underwater photography, and nature shots that appear to employ a wide variety of camera lenses and filters. The episode also uses quite a few different type of camera shots with plenty to stare at in each and every shot.

There is not much dialogue in this short film, but what little spoken word that is used really helps to put the viewer in Peyton‘s place. This includes an exchange between the Union men, which is slowed down as they try unsuccessfully to catch him. There is also the sound of birds chirping and Peyton’s watch ticking. An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge is a far cry from your usual television fare; this 1962 Cannes Film Festival winner for Best Short Subject screams European art house cinema. It is a fantastic episode, even if aside from the conclusion, it seems a little bit out of place with the series. In any case, the episode earns its five stars.

Queen of the Nile, by Charles Beaumont

In Queen of the Nile, Ann Blyth of Mildred Pierce plays “Pamela Morris, renowned movie star, whose name is a household word and whose face is known to millions.” Lee Philips, who last appeared on The Twilight Zone in the haunting Passage on the Lady Anne, plays cynical reporter Jordan; he has an appointment to interview the ageless actress at her mansion.

During the interview, he notices some other things. Despite more than 20 years passing since she was painted in one of her portraits on display in the house, she looks exactly the same. He cannot resist the urge to ask her, “Just how old are you?” She tells him that, “A woman in my position can’t afford to have any secrets.” After playing some games, she claims to be 38. But in order for that to be true, she would have had to have made some of her biggest pictures when she was a small child, which would have meant that she was too young to have made her 1940 breakout performance in Queen of the Nile.

Later, he learns that there were two Queen of the Nile movies, one of which was made during the silent era. The actress in the original died in a tragic accident and her replacement looked remarkably similar to the Pamela Morris. Is it possible that Pamela Morris really starred in both films and has not aged a single day in all in the years since? If so, what is her secret staying so youthful?

Queen of the Nile not is not terribly creative or deep. Everyone ages around Pamela while she stays the same, like some sort of Dorian Gray character. We have all seen similar stories countless times. In fact, The Twilight Zone’s Long Live Walter Jameson had one such story. Luckily, the acting and overall execution adds credibility to this television equivalent of a B movie. Simply put, Queen of the Nile is entertaining, which is why it receives three stars.

What’s in the Box, by Martin Goldsmith

What’s in the Box tells the story of a couple that hires a new repairman to fix their television set. Rod Serling calls the man “factory-trained, prompt, honest.” Academy Award nominee Joan Blondell plays Phyllis, who has her suspicions about her husband’s faithfulness. Once the repairman finishes the job, her husband Joe, played by fellow Academy Award nominee William Demarest notices the television is showing what he thought were private moments with his mistress.

In the meantime, he tries to prevent Phyllis from watching the television. Not long after, he notices that the television has begun showing recent arguments with his wife. Thinking his wife is responsible, he begins to ask her questions: “Are you sure you never saw that repair guy before?” She calls him “cracked.” Unfortunately for Joe, things continue to get worse and the television begins predicting the couple’s future conflicts.

What’s in the Box revisits some of the ideas explored in the previous episode, A Most Unusual Camera. This time around, the story had some incredibly annoying characters played by extremely talented actors in what is probably the most depressing entry since Uncle Simon. The episode lacked sympathetic characters and even the faintest glimmer of hope. Two stars is all I can give to What’s in the Box.

This month on The Twilight Zone featured characters in some terrifying circumstances. Perhaps the most shocking thing is how much the quality of the episodes vary these days. Two entries were enjoyable. As for the remaining two offerings, one had potential and the other was a bit of a disappointment. At this point, I think it is safe to say that we are witnessing the last gasps of a once great series.

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[March 11, 1964] Brought into Focus (The Outer Limits, Season 1, Episodes 21-24)

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by Natalie Devitt

Last month’s episodes of The Outer Limits really raised the bar for the series. The newest batch of stories are mostly good, but do not quite meet last month‘s contributions to the series. This month, many characters make some pretty important realizations. Episodes include a story about young man who finds out the real identity of his father after being accused of a heinous crime, a group of scientists that learn some pretty scary things about a plant that they discover in space, amusement park attendees who find out first hand that a spaceship simulator ride is really equipped to handle space travel, and a team of scientists that discover the contents of a moonstone.

The Children of Spider County, by Anthony Lawrence

In The Children of Spider County, “four of the most magnificent and promising young minds in the country suddenly disappear off the face of the Earth.” All of these young men have a lot in common. Not only are they all smart, but they are “physically superior.“ They were born during the same month of the same year in a little place called Spider County. The men also share the same middle name, Aros, a planet in another galaxy. Each one was born prematurely and does not know his father.

The fifth and final member of this group, Ethan, is the only one not missing and he is behind bars, accused of murder. Ethan is played by Lee Kinsolving, who just starred in Twilight Zone’s Black Leather Jackets. Ethan has been having strange dreams of a creature from outer space following him. Turns out, he is being followed by an extraterrestrial, who is also his long lost father.

His father, Aabel, is played by Kent Smith, who appeared in Val Lewton's Cat People. Ethan’s father helps his son escape the police. Aabel warns Ethan that, “Fear, suspicion and ignorance will sentence you to die, not facts.” He offers to take him “home” to Aros, where he can be with others that are like him in a place “where superstition and fear can never reach you.” Meanwhile, an investigator is trying to get to the bottom of the “abductions by representatives of an alien planet.”

In this episode, Aable has an interesting appearance. For starters, he always wears a suit. Also, he switches between looking like a human and an alien (thus fulfilling in two senses The Outer Limits' trademark of featuring a "man in a suit"). A trait of Ethan’s father that I did not particularly enjoy was his penchant for very long monologues. Luckily, most of the speeches were followed by action, picking up the pace. One thing this entry does have going for it is the way it is photographed; the director of photography, Kenneth Peach, uses anything from Dutch angles to birds-eye views to really create the mood for the episode. The Children of Spider County was intriguing, but it was just too uneven to really be satisfying, which is why it earns two and a half stars.

Specimen: Unknown, by Stephen Lord

Men aboard a space station in Specimen: Unknown discover small mushrooms-shaped objects. The episode stars western actor Stephen McNally and Come Back, Little Sheba ‘s Richard Jaeckel. Also, Gail Kobe, who recently appeared in The Twilight Zone’s The Self-Improvement of Salvadore Ross is another performer in Specimen: Unknown. Thinking that the objects are “dormant spores,” the crew members take them to their lab and put them underneath a heat lamp, where the objects quickly grow into large plants with flowers. In the lab, the flowers begin to spray “some kind of vapor,” killing a member of the crew.

Worried about bringing the deceased member home to Earth and possibly spreading the illness to others, the crew disposes of his body in space. Following the funeral, a member of the crew notices another “mushroom thing” attached to the space station. He decides to study it, completely unaware that it is the same type of plant that is responsible for his colleague’s tragic death. Not surprisingly, the plant grows much quicker than anyone could have ever anticipated and it starts “shooting off spores.”

They isolate the “alien plant life” and store it in metal storage containers, where they believe that plant will no longer pose a threat any humans. That is, until said containers are accidentally tipped over and the alien plants are once again able to start releasing more spores in the air, which leads to a number of the men falling ill with the “alien virus.” With a crew this oblivious, will they be able outwit these plants from outer space and stop the illness that they spread?

Specimen: Unknown seems to have been heavily influenced by The Day of the Triffids. That said, one of the things the episode has going for is its space creatures, which offer a nice break from the usual men in monsters suits. I know objectively, this far from the best entry in the series. I mean, the plants seem to be much more intelligent than just any of the people in the episode. But if you like schlock as much as I do, then Specimen: Unknown is kind of fun. That is why I am giving the episode three stars.

Second Chance, by Lin Dane and Lou Morheim

Employees and attendees at an amusement park realize that a spaceship simulator attraction is really capable of space travel in Second Chance. Actor Don Gordon (Self-Improvement of Salvadore Ross) makes another appearance in The Outer Limits as the simulator‘s operator, Dave. Simon Oakland, who everyone has seen in anything from The Twilight Zone to Psycho is completely unrecognizable as the episode’s extraterrestrial, Empyria. He has been watching over the attraction, studying human behavior and preparing it for just the right time to make his journey back into space.

For the trip, Empyria wants company for so he can have assistance with setting up a colony is space. He walks around the park, passing out free tickets for the ride, pretending to be a employee in character, intentionally picking people “who would have the least regret, and would have the most to gain in a new chance in a new undistorted world,” telling people things like, the “universe may be just the place to go and start over.“ But shortly after taking over the attraction, Empyria realizes he does not know humans as well as he thinks he does.

I am not totally sure I am convinced of Empyria’s reasoning for abducting the people, but I really liked this episode. Empyria had a lot of great one-liners. The sequences involving him hiding in the simulator and sneaking around the park were pretty creepy, but it is really the acting that made the story work. Also, everything from the set design and the costumes were great, too. Second Chance was easily the most fun I had watching The Outer Limits this past month, so I give it three and a half stars.

Moonstone, by William Bast

Ruth Roman of Strangers on a Train stars as part of a team of scientists exploring the moon’s surface, who discover a “mysterious moonstone.” The sphere-shaped stone is examined. During the examination, a laser that is said to be so strong that “it can drill holes in diamonds“ has no effect on the moonstone. They assume that it must be made of metal and be used for “collecting data for transmission to Earth” by the Russians.

As it turns out, the moonstone does not belong to the Russians; on the side of the stone are eyeballs that appear and watch everything. Inside the moonstone are aliens that became stranded while trying to flee their tyrannical government that wants to use them for their knowledge. There is not much time before the aliens will be forced to return home. Until then, everyone has to decide what they are willing to sacrifice to make sure that esoteric knowledge does not end up in the wrong hands.

Moonstone has a few of storylines going. The storyline with the aliens is pretty solid. There is also a romantic subplot and some workplace drama that I did not find quite as compelling. In addition to the storylines, the set design and the paintings used for exterior shots of the moon’s surface were quite stunning. The moonstone with eyeballs floating around was really pretty creative. Overall, I would say that Moonstone deserves three stars.

It was another mostly strong month on The Outer Limits, filled with some pretty creative discoveries. With rumors having been confirmed of Twilight Zone's cancellation, The Outer Limits is probably guaranteed another season.

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[February 29, 1964] Think Twice — it's not all right (The Twilight Zone, Season 5, Episodes 17-20)

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by Natalie Devitt

The characters in the most recent month of The Twilight Zone certainly encountered plenty of doubt and hesitation when they asked for help or tried to express themselves. Such entries include the family of a young woman encouraging her to get a life-altering procedure against her wishes, a teenage girl’s alien boyfriend not receiving the help he needs when he tries to warn her that aliens plan to poison the water supply, an aging spinster struggling to get people to believe that she has been receiving a series of creepy calls, and a man who is so desperate he takes the advice of a computer to get one very special woman to acknowledge his existence.

Number 12 Looks Just Like You, by Charles Beaumont and John Tomerlin

Number 12 Looks Just Like You offers a glimpse of what the year 2000 might look like. In this futuristic society, "science has developed the means to give everyone the face and body he dreams of." A young woman by the name of Marilyn, played by Collin Wilcox of To Kill a Mockingbird, is approaching her 19th birthday. She is also being pressured by her loved ones to mark the occasion with a certain rite of passage, which includes selecting a new body out of a handful of options, like she’s ordering one from a catalog. Then, undergo a procedure to transform into her new self. She is told, "The transformation is the most marvelous thing that could happen to a person." Still, she has her concerns.

Several people in this society, while attractive, look identical and everyone wears name tags so nobody confuses any of the doppelgangers. I am sure it is no coincidence that Marilyn shares a name with one of the silver screen’s most iconic beauties. Her mother, portrayed by model Suzy Parker, asks, "What’s so terrible about being beautiful? After all, isn’t everybody?" Marilyn argues that that is exactly the problem: "Is that good, being like everybody? Isn’t that the same as being nobody?"

A family member refers to her reservations about the procedure as "radical ideas" and she is also described as being a "sick girl." To make matters worse, her beliefs echo things her father said shortly before taking his own life. Can Marilyn continue to resist the intense pressure to conform?

Number 12 Looks Just Like You is good, but not excellent. It kind of feels like a lesser version of a previous entry of The Twilight Zone, Eye of the Beholder. Collin Wilcox really becomes her character, who is significantly younger than she is in real life. Then there is the episode’s conclusion, which is incredibly frightening and is probably the episode’s greatest strength. Overall, I would say that Number 12 Looks Just Like You deserves a pretty solid three stars.

Black Leather Jackets, by Earl Hamner Jr.

In Black Leather Jackets, a biker gang rides into a sleepy town wearing, you guessed it, Black Leather Jackets. Despite some similarities, Black Leather Jackets is hardly The Wild One — the three men are not members of your ordinary biker gang. In fact, they are aliens with telekinetic powers. The aliens set up shop in a vacant house. Upon the gang’s arrival, the neighbors are hardly welcoming. One of them, Stu, portrayed by Western regular Denver Pyle, describes them as, "strange type for this neighborhood." Shelly Fabares of The Donna Reed Show plays his teenage daughter, Ellen, who Stu warns to steer clear of the gang.

It is not long after the bikers move in that the electricity in Stu’s house begins turning on and off, and Ellen’s radio picks up some strange voices. While trying to determine the cause, Stu notices a large antenna on the roof of the gang‘s house. He thinks he may have found the cause of his family‘s problems, and he decides to pay their house a visit.

As it turns out, the men are much more threatening than he ever could have imagined. They are spying on others and are receiving broadcasts of orders from their alien leader. Orders to release a deadly bacteria into the water supply in order to kill Earth’s population so they can colonize the planet. The bikers erase Stu’s memories of visiting their house and send him home in a trance. He describes the men as "three very nice boys" and no longer suspects them of being responsible for the family’s poor reception.

Shortly after, a member of the group, Scott, performed by Golden Globe Nominee Lee Kinsolving, becomes romantically involved with Ellen, much to the gang’s dismay. They are ordered by their boss to "continue without him," even though he is involved with a member of a "stupid race." Scott urges Ellen to leave town and he offers to take her to safety. He warns, "Everything alive is going to be dead," but not surprisingly, he does not exactly get the help he needs.

It is worth noting that Black Leather Jackets has a plot that is remarkably similar to Teenagers from Outer Space, but is not nearly as enjoyable as the movie. Despite looking slicker than Teenagers, Black Leather Jackets is only mildly entertaining, and often unintentionally funny. The actors did an adequate job, but it is a shame that they did not have very good source material. The screenplay is hardly Earl Hamner, Jr. at his best. I did, however, enjoy Nathan Van Cleave’s jazzy score for the episode. So, I would say that this episode deserves two and a half stars.

Night Call, by Richard Matheson

Gladys Cooper makes yet another memorable appearance on The Twilight Zone with Night Call. It has not even been a year since her last performance in the enjoyable Passage on the Lady Anne. Cooper plays Elva, a disabled and elderly woman, who lives alone. One rainy night during a storm, her phone rings. When she answers, all she hears is silence. Immediately after, she receives another call with even more silence.

Elva contacts the phone company, hoping to get to root of the problem. She is informed that during the storm, some wires had fallen. Elva is told that the unusual calls could have been the result of someone to reach her or someone else on her party line during the storm. Elva continues to receive calls, which grow increasingly strange, including calls with moaning and a man saying, "Hello." She tells her caretaker, Margaret, about the calls. Unfortunately, Margaret acts like she suspects Elva is going senile.

The phone company plans to send out a worker to check on the line as soon as the weather permits, but Elva fears that the company might think of her as a "nervous old biddy falling prey to my imagination." Until a worker can check on the line, she tries leaving the phone off of the hook. But as soon as she puts it back on the hook, it starts ringing again. Things continue to escalate and now the voice on the end of the line is asking, "Where are you? I want to talk with you."

Finally, the phone company contacts her tell her that the source of the problem is likely a "fallen wire on the edge of town." But they also add, "there is no way that anyone could have called from that location." So, who is contacting Elva and why? When calls are "routed directly through The Twilight Zone," anything is possible.

What’s not to like about Night Call? Sure, it does not hurt that it was written by Richard Matheson and directed by Jacques Tourneur, who is perhaps best known for his work with Val Lewton in pictures like 1942’s Cat People. Night Call is not flashy, but it is very effective. The suspense slowly builds. It is easily one of the high points of the season, perhaps of the series. Gladys Cooper is terrific, as usual. In addition, the episode’s score, while not specifically composed for the episode, helps to compliment the episode. This is especially true in the scene that reveals Elva’s caller. Night Call easily earns its four stars.

From Agnes with Love, by Bernard C. Schoenfeld

As From Agnes with Love opens with computer programmers struggling to repair Agnes, a very sophisticated and almost human computer, but sadly nobody can get her back in working. That is, until James, played my television actor Wally Cox, arrives. He is told, "She’s been out of her mind for a week." Luckily, as soon as the "master programmer" begins to work on then malfunctioning machine, she resumes normal activity.

James might excel at work, but he struggles in his love life. After working with Agnes for a while, she begins inquiring about his love life and coaching him. Leave It to Beaver’s Sue Randall plays Millie, Jame’s co-worker, who he has a pretty intense crush on. After rejecting James several times, Millie finally agrees to a dinner date.

Agnes sends James messages with dating advice, including "Agnes knows best." She lets him know that "reckless romantic approach required" in order to win over Millie. James is book smart, but often lacks common sense, so what he does not realize is that Agnes has actually set him up for failure. When things do not work out with Millie, Agnes tries to cheer him up him by sending him the message, "Millie is a square. Better girl loves you."

While From Agnes with Love is better than some other entries with a sense of humor, it still is pretty weak. So weak, in fact, that it really requires silly musical cues to remind the audience to laugh. The narrative is incredibly predictable, and the only person surprised by anything that happens is James. As much as I hate to admit it, two stars is all that I can give From Agnes with Love.

Some of characters this month were able to overcome people's doubts, others were not so lucky. The episodes this time around varied quite a bit in terms of quality. There were two very strong offerings. The remaining two were not so memorable. All in all, a hodgepodge of a month, but mostly worth the ride.

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[February 11, 1964] To Gain Ascendancy (The Outer Limits, Season One, Episodes 17-20)

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by Natalie Devitt

This past month of The Outer Limits presented more than its fair share of stories filled with aliens, insects and humans that all attempt to dominate those around them: an alien from another dimension that holds captives all in an attempt to bargain for more power to achieve his goals, a queen bee that tries to mate with a human in hopes of strengthening her species so that she can rule the world, a secret society that uses creatures to possess the bodies of government officials so that they can rise to power, and a tale about a woman’s desperate attempt to kill an alien and steal his magic shield in a quest for fame and status.

Don’t Open Till Doomsday, by Joseph Stefano

The Outer Limits goes back in time to the year 1929. Following a busy wedding day, newlyweds Mary and Harvey find themselves in their suite with all of their unopened wedding gifts. David Frankham, who was featured in The Outer Limits episode Nightmare, plays Harvey, who is drawn towards one gift in particular. Its card reads, “Don’t Open Till Doomsday.“ Curious, Harvey removes the wrapping paper to reveal a box with a hole on one side that flashes a light. He peeks inside the hole, only to suddenly vanish into thin air.

In the present day, newlyweds Viva and Gard decide to rent the same bridal suite where Harvey disappeared. Mary, played by Trouble in Paradise’s Miriam Hopkins, now owns the property which houses the bridal suite. Having grown old without Harvey, she tells the pair about him before saying that she has finally stopped expecting her “groom to return.” When the couple sets foot in the suite, they see that aside from dust and cobwebs that the room has not been touched in decades.

In fact, the wedding gifts are exactly as they were the night Mary’s groom vanished. The presents include the very box that caused Harvey‘s disappearance, which as it turns out has the ability to transport people into another dimension. This dimension is controlled by a creature from outer space that still has Harvey. Luckily for Mary, she thinks that Viva and Gard might hold the key to helping her free him.

Don’t Open Till Doomsday does not always make much sense, but that does not really matter. From howling winds to film noir lighting, the episode is all about atmosphere. As usual, Conrad Hall’s cinematography helped to make a pretty good episode all the more impressive. In addition, the episode has plenty of great performers, but it is Miriam Hopkins who really steals the show as Mary. She is almost unrecognizable, looking like a cross between Gloria Swanson’s Norma Desmond character in Sunset Boulevard and Bette Davis as the title character in Whatever Happened to Baby Jane.

With all this episode has a lot going for it, I must confess that the conclusion is a little disappointing and that the alien, while ugly, is not nearly as frightening as I would have liked. Despite some flaws, Don’t Open Till Doomsday is highly enjoyable, which is why it receives three and half stars.

ZZZZZ, by Meyer Dolinsky

In ZZZZZ, America, America’s Joanna Frank portrays a mysterious young woman by the name of Regina, who is hired as a lab assistant for an entomologist named Ben. In the role of Ben is Philip Abbott, returning to The Outer Limits after an appearance in The Borderland. Shortly after the “enchanting” brunette is hired, she is invited to stay in her employer‘s home with him and his wife, Francesca, played by Pride and Prejudice’s Marsha Hunt.

What Ben does not realize is that Regina is much more knowledgeable about bees than he is. After spending some time with the new hire, Francesca notices that something seems a little off about her. Francesca’s suspicions are confirmed when she looks out the window one day to see Regina hugging trees and licking flowers, then transforming back into her original bee form. As it turns out, Regina is actually a queen bee. Also, she is intent on mating with Ben in order to improve her species and conquer the world. But before she can do that, Regina needs to eliminate any competition she has for Ben‘s affection.

While far from a masterpiece, ZZZZZ is enjoyable. This entry in the series has an almost magical quality to it due in large part to Conrad Hall’s cinematography, which also makes the already attractive Joanna Frank even more seductive. The most striking scene is perhaps the scene where Francesca observes Regina in the garden going around from plant to plant before eventually turning into a bee. But even with all that the episode has going for it visually, the plot is fairly weak, which is interesting because the screenwriter is none other than Meyer Dolinsky, who also penned the scripts for outstanding episodes like The Architects of Fear and O.B.I.T. After taking everything into consideration, ZZZZZ earns three stars.

The Invisibles, by Joseph Stefano

The Invisibles follows a group of men, who have, as the narrator states, “never joined or been invited to join society.” But it is for that very reason that they have been recruited by an organization called the Society of Invisibles. The men are told that they are being given an opportunity to make something of their lives by being trusted “with a mission of incalculable importance.“

The Society of Invisibles plans to send them out to use their anonymity as an advantage in order to gain the access to prominent members of society, such as those found in “government and industry.” Once a potential victim’s guard is down, a member of the Society of Invisibles can use furry crab-shaped creatures that attach themselves to the unsuspecting victim‘s spine in order to control the body. With each new host, they move one step closer to their goal of world domination.

The men attend “indoctrination classes.” They are told, “You will work alone. Each man in a different city.” The men are also warned, “if you contact anyone for any reason whatsoever, you will be murdered.” What the organization does not know yet is that one of their men, Luis Spain, portrayed by Don Gordon, a recent actor on Twilight Zone’s The Self-Improvement of Salvadore Ross, is a government agent.

The Invisibles is a pretty strong episode. What could be yet another story about alien possession or aliens trying to take over the world is executed extremely well. The acting is superb. Also, the screenplay leaves you never knowing which characters are trustworthy. The story keeps the pace going right until the very end, which is why I give it three and a half stars.

The Bellero Shield, by Joseph Stefano

The Bellero Shield tells the story of a young man named Richard, a scientist conducting experiments with laser beams. Richard is eager to become the successor to his family’s company, but Richard’s father has his doubts, since the company is phasing out lasers. Martin Landau returns to The Outer Limits after The Man Who Was Never Born and assumes the role of Richard. Relative newcomer, Sally Kellerman, makes her second appearance on the series and plays Richard’s wife, Judith.

One night after experimenting with his lasers, Richard steps out of his lab. What he does not know is that his lasers have attracted the attention of a alien or, as it calls himself, a “traveler.” When Judith attempts to shoot the being, he immediately puts up a shield. He insists on keeping his shield up, expecting to “remain shielded” until as he says, he knows more about weapons on Earth. Desperate to keep the family business and compelled by her own desire for fame, Judith distracts Richard, then waits for an opportunity to take a shot at the being when he is without his shield. Once she shoots the creature, she is eager to use his shield for her own gain.

The influence of Macbeth on The Bellero Shield is hard to miss, but even though this episode's screenplay does not try to hide its influences, it still stands as a great work on its own. The script is solid with a fantastic conclusion. The cast does not have a weak actor. All of these add up to The Bellero Shield deserving four stars.

An unwavering quest for power has been at the heart of all of the episodes this past month on The Outer Limits, but another thing that has been pretty consistent this month is the quality of the episodes. Most were at least good, if not excellent. I can only hope that this becomes the rule for the series rather than the exception.



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[January 24, 1964] In the Misty Regions of The Twilight Zone (Twilight Zone, Season 5, Episodes 13-16)

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by Natalie Devitt

This past month of The Twilight Zone has offered plenty of imaginative stories, including a ring that influences a young woman's actions, a car with a conscience, a couple grappling with the challenges of long term suspended animation, and a man suddenly discovering that he has the ability to trade circumstances with others. As you will see, the show’s tales of the fantastic still have substance and the ability to entertain.

Ring-a-Ding Girl, by Earl Hamner, Jr.

In Ring-a-Ding Girl, Oscar-nominated actress Maggie McNamara stars as Bunny Blake, a movie star who returns to her hometown of Howardsville after receiving an unusual ring. The piece of jewelry is a gift from the residents of Howardsville and was selected by her sister, Hildy. When Bunny gazes into the ring, she sees her sister begging her to "Come home." About to start filming a picture in Rome, but feeling compelled to see her sister, Bunny stops in Howardsville to pay a visit to Hildy and Hildy’s son, Bud.

Bunny plans to stay in town for just one day, but her visit falls on the same day as a city picnic, which most residents plan to attend. Bunny begins seeing images of the local family doctor inside the gemstone of her ring. Suddenly, Bunny starts to feel ill, so the family calls for the doctor to visit the house. While there, Bunny asks the doctor, who also helps organize the event, to postpone the picnic. He brushes off her request as presumptuous; "This isn’t Hollywood," he says. The doctor then encourages her to relax, because he thinks she is "under a strain."

Still receiving premonitions from her ring, she disobeys the doctor’s orders. Bunny continues to see familiar faces almost every time she stares into her new jewelry. Determined to visit everybody she sees in her ring, she asks her nephew to drive her around town. The actress even stops by the local television station to see an old friend, who is now employed there. Bunny goes on-air to make an announcement: she has plans to put on a performance that will occur at the same exact time as the picnic, forcing those in Howardsville to choose between the two and leaving her family puzzled by her behavior.

Ring-a-Ding Girl takes a while to really get going. It probably does not help that Bunny is not the easiest character to tolerate, exclaiming, “I’m a star,” and otherwise seeming insufferable. But Ring-a-Ding Girl is worth sticking it out for because things really come together nicely at the end. In addition to the strong conclusion, I enjoyed the musical score, which includes cues with a theremin that plays every time Bunny looks into her ring, accompanying the swirl of clouds that then part to reveal the image of someone from her past. The episode earns a pretty solid three stars.

You Drive, by Earl Hamner, Jr.

Oliver Pope is, as Rod Serling’s opening monologue states, a “businessman turned killer” in You Drive. After hitting a paperboy with his car, Oliver flees the scene. Not long after the incident, the headlights of his car start blinking on and off for no apparent reason. Then, his horn begins honking at random. But even after disabling the horn, it continues to honk. Oliver’s wife, Lillian, grows concerned, while he tries to convince her that the problems are just a sign that the car is getting old.

His wife takes it upon herself to take the car to the shop, but once she is behind the wheel, the car takes her to where the paperboy was struck, before suddenly breaking down and forcing Lillian to call for help. Once the car finally makes it to the repair shop, it mysteriously reappears in the Popes’ garage. When Oliver and Lillian contact the mechanic, they are told their car simply disappeared.

Shortly after, Oliver is visited by a co-worker by the name of Pete Radcliff, who after discussing work, informs them that the paperboy has succumbed to his injuries. Pete is later accused of being the driver in the deadly hit-and-run after an incorrect tip. But even with the police thinking they have their suspect, Oliver still has plenty to worry about.

I really enjoyed the plot of You Drive, but my biggest complaint about this episode is not the writing as much as the casting. While I like character actor Edward Andrews, he sometimes seems a bit awkward in the role of Pope. Then there is the supposedly 12 year old paperboy, who looks like he is probably closer to 20. Having said all of that, I did enjoy You Drive, which is why I feel it deserves three stars.

The Long Morrow, by Rod Serling

The Long Morrow is the story of Commander Douglass Stansfield, an astronaut. In the role of Douglass is Robert Lansing, the charismatic star of the previously reviewed 4-D Man. Douglass has been selected to go on an expedition to a star 141 light-years and 40 traveling years away. Unaware that his life would change dramatically before the expedition, he agrees to do it. But right before he is scheduled to depart, Douglass meets and falls hard for Mariette Hartley’s character, Sandra Horn. They go on a date that night, during which they confess their love for one another.

Douglass, who is currently 31, is told by his employer that when he returns from his voyage that “the Earth will have aged, but you will not.“ Sandra, at age 26, tells him that she is willing to wait for his return. The only problem is that she will grow older all through his journey. When he arrives from his expedition, she will be “the little old lady in the lace shawl. The one waving the welcome home sign.” It probably should come as no surprise that things do not go exactly as the couple plans.

If you are willing to believe that the two characters fall in love as quickly as they do, this is a pretty enjoyable episode. The lead actors are quite good in their roles. Also, while it is not too hard to predict what becomes of the characters, it almost does not matter because the episode has an almost hypnotic quality to it, and it gives you the feeling that you will enjoy it no matter what happens. One big distraction to the story, though, is the special effects makeup, which is too heavy. The wrinkles used to convey age are incredibly dark and the product used to whiten hair is so thick that it appears to have the consistency of toothpaste. Overall, I give The Long Morrow three stars.

The Self-Improvement of Salvadore Ross, by Jerry McNeely

Don Gordon, who appeared in The Twilight Zone’s The Four of Us Are Dying, plays the abrasive title character in this adaptation of Henry Slesar's story [which I pegged as Zoney back then (Ed.)]. Don Siegel returns to the series as the episode's director. Salvadore is a man who has his eyes set on one woman, a social worker named Leah, played by television actress Gail Kobe. She’s already broken up with him, but Salvadore believes that he can win her back. “I ain’t always going to have dirt on my hands. I don’t need no books to show me which way is up. I got the map and I’ll get there,” he says.

Salvadore soon discovers that he has the ability to trade circumstances with others. He offers a wealthy older man his youth in exchange for the old man’s money. With that, he buys everything he wants, including his youth back. Now, young and rich he thinks he has a good shot at winning Leah back.

The Self-Improvement of Salvadore Ross is probably my least favorite entry this month. While I do not mind an episode that does not try to explain absolutely everything, I must admit that I am a little curious about how Salvadore ended up with his magical ability to switch situations with others. The acting is decent, but the script leaves more to be desired. One thing that this episode has going for it is that it has slightly better special effects makeup than The Long Morrow. Two and a half stars is about all that I can give to the month’s weakest offering.

Signing Off

The most recent episodes of The Twilight Zone have been mostly enjoyable. The only exception being The The Self-Improvement of Salvadore Ross. While the show is still capable of producing some creative and thought-provoking episodes, it failed to present anything truly outstanding. Perhaps The Twilight Zone, itself, has reached its twilight…

(Did you read about all the ways the Journey expanded last year? Catch up and see what you missed!)



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[January 16, 1964] Man’s Dark and Troubled History (The Outer Limits, Season 1, Episodes 13-16)

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by Natalie Devitt

This past month on The Outer Limits has been a meditation on man’s past actions and his darker qualities. Over the course of the month, I watched men motivated by greed, aliens target Earth specifically because of their negative perception of people, scientists treat their fellow men like nothing more than laboratory animals, and Martians try to figure out what motivates human beings to kill one another.

Tourist Attraction, by Dean Riesner

While aboard his yacht in South America, millionaire and United States citizen John Dexter, portrayed by Kiss Me Deadly’s Ralph Meeker, captures a fish that is larger than your average fish. In addition to its massive size, one of the men aboard his yacht observes that it “has hands and feet.” Dexter soon finds out that the animal’s extremities are not the only thing special about the creature and that the locals have legends about it.

The fish is frozen and taken to a local university for research, where it thaws out and almost escapes. Hungry for fame, Dexter makes arrangements to bring the being with him when he returns to the states. The only thing that stands in his way is General Juan Mercurio, the dictator of the country. Mercurio is played by Ocean 11’s Henry Silva, and he plans to make the fish part of an exhibit at the World’s Fair, in hopes of boosting the country’s dwindling tourism industry.

One thing that sets Tourist Attraction apart from previous entries in the series is its frequent use of narration. The average episode of The Outer Limits only uses a narrator for the opening and closing monologue, but Tourist Attraction uses it off and on throughout the story, which is frustrating because it does not seem to add much. If anything, the narrator can be a bit distracting, especially since he disappears for a while, just to start again suddenly.

One other downside to the episode is that it is hard to watch Tourist Attraction and not think that it may be a little too heavily influenced by Creature from the Black Lagoon and the two sequels that followed. Even with all the things counting against this episode, for some reason I found myself entertained. It is not nearly as sophisticated or as artistically ambitious as something like last month's Nightmare, but it is enjoyable, and would probably not be out of place as the B movie in a double feature. Tourist Attraction earns three stars from me.

The Zanti Misfits, by Joseph Stefano

The Zanti Misfits takes place in a ghost town in California. Professor Steven Graves, a “historian of interplanetary events”, performed by television actor Michael Tolan, goes to observe a penal ship from the planet of Zanti land in what is supposed to be a “non-hostile sequence.”

The Zanti have an agreement with the United States government, where the government allows the aliens to land their spacecraft in the deserted town and use it as “a place of exile for their criminals and misfits.” If the government does not properly secure the area and maintain their privacy, the extraterrestrials vow “total destruction.”

As luck would have it, the aliens are in the process of landing their spaceship when the Zanti spot a couple, played by Bruce Dern and Olive Deering. The couple are fleeing the scene of a crime and have driven into the restricted area. Thinking their privacy was been invaded, the Zanti are determined to make sure there were no witnesses to their landing, and later reveal a surprising reason for picking Earth for their colony, which is that they view humans as “practiced executioners.”

This episode's creatures are certainly memorable, with their ant-like bodies and faces that look all too human. As interesting as the Zantis look, the episode’s greatest strength aside from the story, is probably its use of stop-motion animation, which is best captured in a sequence where the Zanti chase after Olive Deering’s character, Lisa. The entire thing is shot in broad daylight, but the stop motion combined with buzzing sounds of the Zanti make it enough to give anyone nightmares. All in all, this episode is the standout of the month, which is why it earns four stars.

The Mice, by Bill S. Ballinger and Joseph Stefano

Henry Silva returns for a second trip to The Outer Limits this month. In The Mice, he plays a convict named Chino Rivera, who volunteers to be a test subject in an experiment. In the experiment, Rivera will teleported to the planet of Chromo. In exchange, Chromo will send one of their beings. When Chromo transmits one of their inhabitants, the scientists encounter a being infinitely more dangerous than Rivera.

Tourist Attraction did not do much to showcase Silva’s talent as an actor, but The Mice certainly does. Silva makes a convicted murder the most likable character in the whole story, even when the other characters do not treat him with the respect he deserves and he has to remind them that he is person, just like them.

What would The Outer Limits be without the crazy monsters and aliens? The Mice certainly delivers one of the strangest monsters I have seen yet, one that resembles a glob of mucus. Also, like most episodes of the series, it does not hurt that the episode is beautifully filmed. The Mice receives three and a half stars from me.

Controlled Experiment, by Leslie Stevens

Carrol O'Connor and Barry Morse star as two Martians in Controlled Experiment. Barry Morse, who most Twilight Zone fans will recognize from A Piano in the House plays Phobos One, an alien who enlists the help of television actor Carrol O'Connor's character, Deimos, to understand the "process of Earth creatures destroying each other." Shortly before a murder in committed, their fellow Martians inform them of the time and location. Once they receive the information, Phobos One and Deimos bring a machine that helps them manipulate time and rush to a local hotel lobby, where they wait for the murder to take place.

As the Martians play with their devise and change time, a number of special effects are utilized. There are times that the images on screen resemble film negatives. Other times, images come into and out of focus. The men from Mars freeze time and replay events that have already occurred. When events are replayed, sometimes they are in slow motion, while other times things are sped up. Controlled Experiment is similar to the previous episode Borderlands, because it does not have the strongest story but it often looks fantastic.

The whole thing felt a bit long to stretch out for a full hour, especially since the Martians replay the same event over and over. It works for a while, but then starts to wear thin. One thing worth noting is that this episode marks the show’s first foray into comedy, even if it is making light of a serious issue. Due to its visual achievements, it is better than The Twilight Zone's attempts at humor, but it is far from the most memorable entry of The Outer Limits. I can only give Controlled Experiment two and a half stars, which are primarily for its special effects and cinematography.

As dark as The Outer Limits has been recently, it has been mostly rewarding to watch and it has expressed hope for a brighter future. To wit: the closing monologue to The Mice, which states, “Wouldn’t it seem that the misery known and understood by all men would lead Man not to deception and murder, but to faith, and hope and love?”

(Did you read about all the ways the Journey expanded last year? Catch up and see what you missed!)



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[December 29, 1963] Meet the Unknown (Twilight Zone, Season 5, Episodes 9-12)

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by Natalie Devitt

[Time is running out to get your Worldcon membership! Register here to be able to vote for the Hugos.]

This past month several characters tried their best to deal with the uncertainties commonly found in the dimension known as The Twilight Zone. Everybody encountered something unfamiliar. There were strange planets to explore, men reliving the distant past, effects of an experimental serum, and a man trying his best to avoid the ultimate unknown, death.

Probe 7, Over and Out, by Rod Serling

Moby Dick actor Richard Basehart plays Colonel Adam Cook in Probe 7, Over and Out. Cook has crashed his spacecraft on another planet. During the crash, he sustained a number of injuries, including two broken bones and one broken arm. To make matters worse, he only has about enough food to last him a week. In hopes of getting help, he tries contacting his planet of origin, only to be told by his home base that his planet may be on the brink of war and probably would not be able to offer him much assistance.

As Probe 7, Over and Out’s opening monologue states, “He survived the crash, but his ordeal is yet to begin.“ Assuming that he is all alone on this planet and that he will probably have to make it his new home, Cook begins to explore his surroundings. What he does not realize is that there is one other inhabitant, a young woman named Norda, played by television actress Antoinette Bower, also stranded on the planet. The two struggle to adjust to one another and to carve out an existence on a planet very foreign to both of them.

I am happy to see The Twilight Zone return after a couple of weeks off of the air, even if Probe 7, Over and Out is not the strongest entry in the series. The episode is not the first science fiction story to basically retell the story of Adam and Eve, and I cannot imagine that it will be the last. Also, it reminds me a little of previous The Twilight Zone episode Two. Despite not having the most original story, Probe 7, Over and Out works surprisingly well, which is why I give it three stars.

The 7th is Made Up of Phantoms, by Rod Serling

The 7th is Made Up of Phantom tells the story of a group soldiers in 1964, who are undergoing some training exercises near the site of the Battle of Little Bighorn. The men, played by Ron Foster, Randy Boone and Warren Oates, soon realize that the battle actually occurred on exactly that same day back in 1876. As Rod Serling says in the very beginning of the episode, “Past and present are about to collide,” and there could not be a more accurate way of describing what happens in The 7th is Made Up of Phantoms.

Throughout their training, the men retrace the steps of the 7th Calvary. They find a tipi tent, a soldier’s canteen, the men hear sounds made by plains tribesmen, and they see smoke signals. The soldiers use their knowledge of the battle to try to make sense out of a very extraordinary situation.

The 7th is Made Up of Phantoms has a pretty good premise, but it is not very satisfying. Though, the episode is not without some merit. This entry leaves a lot of unanswered questions. Sometimes that can hurt a story or it can work in its favor. In the case of The 7th is Made Up of Phantoms, I really like that things are not over explained and that you never see anybody from the opposing side, which I think only added to its eeriness. Also, I enjoyed the episode's ending. All in all, I give this entry two and a half stars.

A Short Drink from a Certain Fountain, by Rod Serling

Patrick O’Neal stars as Harmon in A Short Drink from a Certain Fountain. Harmon is a wealthy older gentleman, who as the story’s opening narration states is “enslaved by a love affair with a wife forty years his junior.” His much younger and beautiful wife, Flora, is portrayed by Ruta Lee of Seven Brides of Seven Brothers. Flora seems to be in the marriage for Harmon’s money, and often complains that her husband lacks the energy necessary to keep her interested.

In an act of desperation, Harmon begs his brother Raymond, played by Walter Brooke, to inject him with a youth serum that his brother has only tested on lab rats. Hesitant at first, the scientist eventually agrees to administer the drug to Harmon. At first, the serum works quite well. Much to Flora’s delight, Harmon begins to look like a younger and more handsome version of himself, but like everything in The Twilight Zone, the drug does come with a downside.

Overall, A Short Drink from a Certain Fountain is just fair. The twist ending was entertaining, even if it was a bit predictable, though I cannot help but wonder what happened to the characters after the episode ended. My biggest problem with this episode is that none of the characters are very sympathetic. Sure you feel bad for Harmon, but only for a little while. This entry is a little underwhelming, so it deserves two stars.

Ninety Years Without Slumbering, by Richard De Roy

In Ninety Years Without Slumbering, Ed Wynn and Rod Serling work together yet again, after previous projects, like Playhouse 90’s Requiem for a Heavyweight and The Twilight Zone’s One for the Angels. This time around, the incredibly versatile Wynn plays Sam, an elderly man who lives with his granddaughter and her husband. Sam’s loved ones notice that Sam is becoming increasingly obsessed with caring for his grandfather clock. Sam never seems to sleep, and instead spends his nights tinkering with the clock.

Concerned that this obsession is consuming his life, his family encourages him to seek professional help. After some convincing, Sam agrees to see a psychiatrist. In privacy, Sam tells his shrink that the clock was purchased on the day he was born, and that he fears that his life depends on the clock continuing to tick. Upon hearing Sam‘s confession, his psychiatrist urges him to sell the clock.

Sam considers putting the device up for sell, until a neighbor tells him that she is interested in buying the clock. Worried that the price may be a little too steep for her to afford, Sam offers to give the neighbor a deal to postpone payment as long as she lets him maintain the clock, which requires winding every two days. Needless to say, the arrangement does not work for long.

I must admit that Ninety Years Without Slumbering was not the strongest story. Also, the ending, while not entirely expected, may require a little too much suspension of disbelief, even for The Twilight Zone. When it comes down to it, it is really Ed Wynn’s performance as Sam that single-handedly makes the episode worth watching. The episode receives three stars just for that.

The Twilight Zone is always a nice break from the ordinary. This time is no different. The most recent episodes were worth watching, even if they would not rank among the most memorable of the series.



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