Category: Z-View

Twilight Zone: “Mirror Image” [Season 1, Episode 21] / Z-View

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Twilight Zone: “Mirror Image” [Season 1, Episode 21]
Original Air Date: February 26, 1960

Director: John Brahm

Writer: Charles Beaumont 

Starring: Vera Miles and Martin Milner.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Late on a stormy night Millicent Barnes [Miles] is stuck in a station waiting for an overdue bus when strange things begin to happen.  Her suitcase keeps moving, the old man taking tickets claims she keeps asking him when the next bus is due [only she just spoke to him once] and when she see herself in the mirror it is her doing things she isn’t doing!

Final Thoughts: Milner is excellent as the nice guy who tries to put her mind at ease.  The final shot / special effect is haunting.

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Twilight Zone: “Elegy” [Season 1, Episode 20] / Z-View

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Twilight Zone: “Elegy” [Season 1, Episode 20]
Original Air Date: February 19, 1960

Director: Douglas Heyes

Writer: Charles Beaumont 

Starring: Cecil Kellaway, Jeff Morrow, Don Dubbins and Kevin Hagin.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Three astronauts land on a planet with two suns, but in all other aspects (save one) appears to be Earth of the past.  The buildings, signs, way people dress all look right except for the fact that the people are motionless… except for one!

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Twilight Zone: “The Purple Testament” [Season 1, Episode 19] / Z-View

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Twilight Zone: “The Purple Testament” [Season 1, Episode 19]
Original Air Date: February 12, 1960

Director: Richard L. Bare

Writer: Rod Serling 

Starring: Dick York, William Reynolds, Barney Phillips and Warren Oates.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Lt. Fitzgerald [Reynolds] believes he has the ability to know who will die before a mission.  Although he shares the information no one believes him.  Is he crazy or a psychic?

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Twilight Zone: “The Last Flight” [Season 1, Episode 18] / Z-View

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Twilight Zone: “The Last Flight” [Season 1, Episode 18]
Original Air Date: February 5, 1960

Director: William F. Claxton

Writer: Richard Matheson 

Starring: Kenneth Haigh and Alexander Scourby.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

When Lt. William Decker [Haigh] lands his WWI fighter plane at an American Air Force base in France no one believes he’s found his way there from 1917.  Decker explains he and another pilot, Alexander Mackaye, were outnumbered in a dog fight and he turned tail and ran leaving his friend to a certain death.

This only adds to the confusion as Mackaye, now a ranking officer is on his way to the airfield!

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Twilight Zone: “Fever” [Season 1, Episode 17] / Z-View

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Twilight Zone: “Fever” [Season 1, Episode 17]
Original Air Date: January 29, 1960

Director: Robert Florey

Writer: Rod Serling 

Starring: Everette Sloan and Vivi Janis.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Franklin Gibbs [Sloan] begrudgingly accompanies his wife, Flora, to Las Vegas, for a two night expense-free trip that Flora won.  Franklin views gambling as a fool’s game until a drunk gives him a silver dollar for a free pull on a slot machine.  Soon Franklin has the fever and is gambling away their life savings… and more.

Final Thoughts: Fever is one of my least favorite Twilight Zone episodes.

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The Twilight Zone: “The Hitch-Hiker” [Season 1, Episode 16] / Z-View

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Twilight Zone: “The Hitch-Hiker” [Season 1, Episode 16]
Original Air Date: January 22, 1960

Director: Alvin Ganzer

Writer: Rod Serling based on the radio play by Lucille Fletcher

Starring: Inger Stevens, Adam Williams and Leonard Strong.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Nan Adams [Stevens], a young woman driving cross-country alone, becomes unnerved when a hitch-hiker continues to approach her for a ride no matter how many times she passes him and no matter what roads she takes.

Final Thoughts: After a string of strong episodes, The Twilight Zone comes up with an average offering.  Not great and not bad… but good.

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The Twilight Zone: “I Shot an Arrow in the Air” [Season 1, Episode 15] / Z-View

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Twilight Zone: “I Shot an Arrow in the Air” [Season 1, Episode 15]
Original Air Date: January 15, 1960

Director: Stuart Rosenberg

Writer: Rod Serling based on an idea by Madelon Champion

Starring: Dewey Martin, Edward Binns and Ted Otis.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

When a U.S. spacecraft crash lands on a barren wasteland leaving only four surviving crew members, the Commander of the expedition has his hands full when one of the crew wants to make it every man for himself.

Final Thoughts: Another classic Twilight Zone twist ending.  Madelon Champion met Rod Serling at a party where she suggested her story idea.  Rod Serling bought it on the spot and fleshed it out into I Shot an Arrow in the Air.

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The Twilight Zone: “Third from the Sun” [Season 1, Episode 14] / Z-View

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Twilight Zone: “Third from the Sun” [Season 1, Episode 14]
Original Air Date: January 8, 1960

Director: Richard L. Bare

Writer: Rod Serling based on a short story by Richard Matheson

Starring: Fritz Weaver, Edward Andrews and Joe Maross.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

William Sturka [Weaver] and Jerry Riden [Maross] work at a government security installation on a top-secret space craft.  With the threat of world-wide nuclear war imminent security is tighter than ever.

Security Officer Carling [Andrews] is watching everyone like a hawk which makes it tough on Sturka and Riden since they have a plan to steal the space craft and escape to another planet before nuclear Armageddon.

Final Thoughts: A classic Twilight Zone twist ending!

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Twilight Zone: “The Four of Us Are Dying” [Season 1, Episode 13] / Z-View

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Twilight Zone: “The Four of Us Are Dying” [Season 1, Episode 13]
Original Air Date: January 1, 1960

Director: John Braham

Writer: Rod Serling based on a short story by George Clayton Johnson

Starring: Harry Townes, Phillip Pine, Ross Martin and Don Gordon with a cameo by Beverly Garland.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Arch Hammer [Townes, Pine, Martin and Gordon] has the ability, with intense concentration, to change his appearance to look like anyone.  Hammer arrives in town and begins to impersonate various people in order to con their friends and business partners out of cash.

Hammer’s ability to change his appearance makes it easy to convince others that he is who he looks like.  Women and money are ripe for the taking.  Sadly, as this is the Twilight Zone, Hammer’s ability will bring him even more than he bargained for.

Final Thoughts: When this episode was first being prepared it was thought that one actor would play all four characters that Hammer impersonates.  When it was determined that it would take too much time in make-up, it was decided that a different actor would play each part.

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Twilight Zone: “What You Need” [Season 1, Episode 12] / Z-View

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Twilight Zone: “What You Need” [Season 1, Episode 12]
Original Air Date: December 25, 1959

Director: Alvin Ganzer

Writer: Rod Serling based on a short story by Lewis Padgett

Starring: Steve Cochran and Ernest Truex with a cameo by Arlene Martel.

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Fred Renard [Cochran] is a thuggish man who gets what needs from life through bullying, intimidation and worse.  Sadly Renard’s ways have gotten him little.  In a bar one night an old man [Truex] enters selling little novelties and necessities.

The old man peddler seems to know what each person needs before they do.  The peddler tells a woman she needs stain cleaner and she accepts it.  Another patron needs a bus ticket to Scranton.  The patron is doubtful but accepts it.  Within minutes the old man is proved correct — he has provided them exactly what they need.

Renard has found the golden goose!  He intimidates the old man to provide him with what he needs for quick, easy cash.  The old man comes through but Renard isn’t satisfied.  He tracks the old man down for more.  Will the old man have what is needed?

We’re in the Twilight Zone, baby!  Of course he will.

Final Thoughts: The ending is a twist but one most won’t see coming.

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Twilight Zone: “And When the Sky was Opened” [Season 1, Episode 11] / Z-View

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Twilight Zone: “And When the Sky was Opened” [Season 1, Episode 11]
Original Air Date: December 11, 1959

Director: Douglas Heyes

Writer: Rod Serling based on a short story by Richard Matheson

Starring: Rod Taylor and Jim Hutton

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Astronauts Lieutenant Colonel Forbes [Taylor], Major Gart [Hutton] and Colonel Harrington are piloting an experimental rocket ship’s initial flight. Upon reentry the ship crashes in the desert.  Gart suffers a broken leg and is hospitalized.  Forbes and Harrington visit Gart and share the newspaper with a headline declaring the three of them as heroes.

After the visit Forbes and Harrington go to a bar to celebrate. Harrington suddenly begins to fill ill and decides to call his parents.  His parent answers and tells a shocked Harrington that they have no son! Harrington instantly disappears and the newspaper headline changes to two astronauts as heroes.

Forbes didn’t see Harrington disappear and begins to look for him.  Everyone in the bar says that Forbes came in alone.  Forbes remembers the newspaper headline and gets it to show the bar patrons.

Shocked to see the headline has changed, Forbes rushes back to the hospital and to tell Gart what has happened.  Gart shocks Forbes by saying there were only two of them on the flight.  Forbes suddenly begins to feel ill…

Final Thoughts: Rod Taylor sells the episode.  The ending is a bit of a letdown but everything leading up to is excellent.Rating:

Twilight Zone: “Judgment Night” [Season 1, Episode 10] / Z-View

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Twilight Zone: “Judgment Night” [Season 1, Episode 10]
Original Air Date: December 4, 1959

Director: John Brahm

Writer: Rod Serling

Starring: Nehemiah Persoff, Patrick Macnee and James Franciscus

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

A man [Persoff] finds himself on a passenger ship crossing the Atlantic in the middle of World War II.  He doesn’t know who he is, how he got there,  The one thing he does know is that their ship will soon be sunk by a German submarine.

Final Thoughts: The ending is a twist but one most will see coming.  A very young James Franciscus makes a welcome appearance.

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Twilight Zone: “The Lonely” [Season 1, Episode 7] / Z-View

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Twilight Zone: “The Lonely” [Season 1, Episode 7]
Original Air Date: November 13, 1959

Director: Jack Smight

Writer: Rod Serling

Starring: Jack Warden, John Dehner, Jean Marsh and Ted Knight

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

James Corry [Warden] killed a man in self-defense. Found guilty of murder, Corry was sentenced to life not in prison but alone on an asteroid.  In the future convicts are imprisoned off Earth.  Corry’s only contact with others is when he receives a supply drop every three or for months.

Captain Allenby [Dehner] feels sorry for Corry. Four years into Corry’s sentence of living alone on the asteroid, Allenby secretly brings a female-programmed robot in Corry’s supplies.  The robot looks, feels and acts like woman.

At first Corry wants nothing to do with this machine…

Final Thoughts:   Warden and Dehner deserve kudos for their acting.  It’s fun seeing Ted Knight in an early role.  The ending has a nice TZ twist.  This episode will stick with you.Rating:

Z-View Twilight Zone: “Escape Clause” [Season 1, Episode 6]

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Twilight Zone: “Escape Clause” [Season 1, Episode 6]
Original Air Date: November 6, 1959

Director: Mitchell Leisen

Writer: Rod Serling

Starring: David Wayne and Thomas Gomez

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Walter Bedeker [Wayne] is a hypochondriac who despite being perfectly healthy believes he is on death’s doorstep.  While lamenting that life is too short, Bedeker is visited by the Devil [Gomez] who offers immortality for Bedeker’s soul.  

The soul is collected on Bedeker’s death but since he is immortal how will the Devil collect?  Ah, there is an escape clause should Bedeker decide he no longer wishes to live.  

Bedeker accepts and comes to learn rather quickly that immortality in certain situations isn’t all he thought it would be.  

Final Thoughts:  This is a fun episode.  I enjoyed Bedeker’s plan to get rich.  Joe Flynn’s cameo was fun.  A nice twist ending caps the episode.

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Z-View Twilight Zone: “Walking Distance” [Season 1, Episode 5]

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Twilight Zone: “Walking Distance” [Season 1, Episode 5]
Original Air Date: October 30, 1959

Director: Robert Stevens

Writer: Rod Serling

Starring: Gig Young

The Overview:  Beware of Spoilers…

Martin Sloan [Young] is a 36 year old New York business executive.  Everything for him is rush, rush, rush.  While on a drive back to the city Sloan finds himself at a gas station one and a half miles from the little town he grew up in.  He decides to take a walk to the town while the gas attendant services his car.

Once in the town Sloan finds nothing has changed.  The prices are the same… the people are the same.  Somehow he has gone back in time.  He goes to his home and his parents seeing a grown man claiming to be their son and send him away.  Sloan decides to find himself as a boy to give himself advice.

You know that old saying, “You can’t go home again” — Sloan finds out it is true.

Final Thoughts:  This episode doesn’t work for me.  When Sloan meets his parents his efforts to convince them of who he is are weak.  When his father does learn that somehow his son has come back to the past, dad basically tells his son to leave and go back to the future [not the movie, but the time he came from].  Sloan getting a limp because of something he caused to happen in the past is a nice touch.  Ron Howard has a brief cameo in one of his first acting roles.

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