Twilight Zone Companion (56 page)

Of course, we all know dolls can’t really talk, and they certainly can’t commit murder. But to a child caught in the middle of turmoil and conflict, a doll can become many things: friend, defender, guardian. Especially a doll like Talky Tina, who did talk and did commit murder in the misty region of the Twilight Zone.”

The Living Doll is a most unusual talking doll that says things like I hate you and Im going to kill you (as supplied by the voice of June Foray, who is also the voice of Rocky the Flying Squirrel). Masterfully written and superbly directed, acted, photographed and scored, it is an episode that can stand with the best of any season.

Based on an idea by Charles Beaumont and written in one day by Jerry Sohl (although credited entirely to Beaumont), Living Doll sets up a diabolical situation. Erich Streator is trying desperately not to alienate his wife (Mary LaRoche, previously Mary in A World of His Own) and her young daughter (Tracy Stratford, previously Tina in Little Girl Lost). When the child brings home a doll that makes clear its murderous intentions but only when its alone with him Erich is in one hell of a bind. If he tries to tell his wife of it, he sounds like a lunatic, and if he tries to protect himself by attempting (unsuccessfully) to destroy the doll, his actions seem those of a twisted mind striking out resentfully to hurt a helpless little girl. Poor Erich; it is clear early on that he hasnt much of a chance against this ruthless doll.

You really sympathize with the guy, says Jerry Sohl. If that goddamn doll kept saying those things, Id feel the same way myself: throw it in the damn trash can!

Sounds and Silences

Written by Rod Serling

Producer: William Froug

Director:  Richard Donner

Director of Photography: George T. Clemens

Music: stock

Cast: Roswell G. Flemington: John McGiver Mrs. Flemington: Penny Singleton Psychiatrist: Michael Fox Doctor: Francis Defales Secretary: Renee Aubrey Conklin: William Benedict

This is Roswell G. Flemington, two hundred and seventeen pounds of gristle, lung tissue and sound decibels. He is, as you have perceived, a noisy man, one of a breed who substitutes volume for substance, sound for significance, and shouting to cover up the readily apparent phenomenon that he is nothing more than an overweight and aging perennial Sea Scout whose noise-making is in inverse ratio to his competence and his character But soon our would-be admiral of the fleet will embark on another voyage. This one is an uncharted and twisting stream that heads for a distant port called … the Twilight Zone.

Flemington, the owner of a model-ship company, is enamored of nautical jargon and very loud noise. At home, he relaxes by playing phonograph records of naval battles. When his wife of twenty years walks out on him (for a little peace and quiet), Flemington feels only joy now he can enjoy the din without having to put up with complaints! But that night, he undergoes a bizarre transformation: trivial sounds water dripping, the ticking of a clock become deafening to him. The next day, his employees are astounded to hear him demand quiet in the office! This doesnt work, though; the thundering of squeaking shoes and typewriter bells drive him to a doctor, then to a psychiatrist who convinces him the problem is all in his head. Returning home, Flemington encounters his wife, there momentarily to retrieve her jewelry. Using his new7-found willpower, he shuts out the sound of her voice until it is a tiny squeak then finds to his horror that everything sounds this way to him.

When last heard from, Mr. Roswell G. Flemington was in a sanitarium pleading with the medical staff to make some noise. They, of course, believe the case to be a rather tragic aberration a mans mind becoming unhinged. And for this theyll give him pills, therapy and rest. Little do they realize that all Mr.Flemington is suffering from is a case of poetic justice. Tonights tale of sounds and silences from … the Twilight Zone.

In May, 1961, a script was submitted to Serling entitled The Sound of Silence, concerning a man who could not hear the sounds around him. Serling rejected it, then forgot all about it. Two years later, he wrote Sounds and Silences. As soon as it aired, the writer of the original script filed suit. Because of the similarities of title and plot, the writer was paid $3500 and the matter was settled. Unfortunately, because the suit was in litigation when Twilight Zone was put into syndication, Sounds and Silences was not included. The episode was aired only onceand then put away in the CBS vaults.

RING-A-DING GIRL (12/27/63)

Written by Earl Hamner, Jr.

Producer: William Froug

Director: Alan Crosland, Jr.

Director of Photography: George T. Clemens

Music: stock

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

Introduction to Bunny Blake. Occupation: film actress. Residence: Hollywood, California, or anywhere in the world that cameras happen to be grinding. Bunny Blake is a public figure; what she wears, eats, thinks, says is news. But underneath the glamor, the makeup, the publicity, the build-up, the costuming, is a flesh-and-blood person, a beautiful girl about to take a long and bizarre journey into the Twilight Zone.

Preparing to leave on a flight to a movie location in Rome, Bunny the ring-a-ding girl receives a present from her home town fan club. It is the latest addition to her ring collection, but this ring is unique: in its gem, Bunny can see the faces of people she knew back in Howardville, telling her shes needed there. Dropping in on the home of her sister Hildy, Bunny discovers its the day of the annual Founders Day picnic. Seemingly on a whim, she asks Dr. Floyd, chairman of the Founders Day committee, to postpone the picnic for a day; he refuses. She then goes on TV and announces she will be performing her one-woman show in the school auditorium today onlythe people of Howardville must choose between going to the picnic or seeing her. Hildy cant understand Bunnys actions, seeing them as merely the selfish acts of a spoiled Hollywood star. Just prior to her performance, though, Bunny disappears. All becomes clear. A jet airliner, bound from Los Angeles to New York, has crashed on the picnic grounds. Thanks to Bunny, most of the people in Howardville are safe in the auditorium. But Bunny herself is deadshe was a passenger on the plane!

We are all travellers. The trip starts in a place called birth and ends in that lonely town called death. And that’s the end of the journey, unless you happen to exist for a few hours, like Bunny Blake, in the misty regions of the Twilight Zone.”

Earl Hamner, Jr.s, final four Twilight Zone episodes came nowhere near the drama or poetry of Jess-Belle, his previous contribution. Unfortunately, Ring-a-Ding Girl is much like the stone in the ring Bunny Blake receives: interesting, but no gem.

YOU DRIVE (1/3/64)

Written by Earl Hamner, Jr.

Producer: William Froug

Director: John Brahm

Director of Photography: George T. Clemens

Music: stock

Cast: Oliver Pope: Edward Andrews Lillian Pope: Hellena Westcott Pete Radcliff: Kevin Hagen Policeman: John Hanek Edward Andrews Woman: Totty Ames

Portrait of a nervous man: Oliver Pope by name, office manager by profession. A man beset by life’s problems: his job, his salary, the competition to get ahead. Obviously, Mr. Pope’s mind is not on his driving … Oliver Pope, business

man-tumed-killer on a rain-soaked street in the early evening of just another day during just another drive home from the office. The victim, a kid on a bicycle, lying injured, near death. But Mr. Pope hasnt time for the victim, his only concern is for himself. Oliver Pope, hit-and-run driver, just arrived at a crossroad in his life, and hes chosen the wrong turn. The hit occurred in the world he knows, but the run will lead him straight into the Twilight Zone.

Pope is determined to keep his guilt a secret even after the boy dies from his injuries and his coworker, Pete Radcliff, is mistakenly identified as the hit-and-run driver. But Popes car has other ideas: late at night, it honks its horn, flashes its lights and blares its radio. When Popes wife takes it out for a drive, it steers itself to the scene of the accident, then stalls. Finally, when Pope decides to walk to work, the car pursues him, coming within inches of running him down. Realizing hes beaten, Pope gets in the car and lets it drive him to police headquarters.

All persons attempting to conceal criminal acts involving their cars are hereby warned: check first to see that underneath that chrome there does not lie a conscience, especially if youre driving along a rain-soaked highway in the Twilight Zone.

For Earl Hamner, Jr., You Drive was little more than an extension of his own relationship with such devices. All mechanical things frustrate me. Im like my friend, John McGreevey, the writer, who once cut himself with a sponge. I am afraid of and inept with all mechanical devices. Its kind of a love-hate relationship. I drive a Corvette which I love because it is so at odds with the image of John-Boy Walton as an old man. And of course it is a stunning machine. But at the same time, I do not trust it. It seems to have a life of its own, and sometimes when it will not start I suspect it is because it has some personal grudge against me.

Although not a particularly effective story, You Drive does have some good effects, such as when the determined automobile follows Edward Andrews (last seen in Third From the Sun) down the street.

We had a man under the dashboard with a tiny periscope that stuck up through the hood of the car, and he drove with special controls, explains William Froug. I remember watching it, because I was on location when it was filmed, and I was astonished. This car would come driving by and it was spooky, because you couldnt see this little periscope sticking up.

The most impressive shot occurs in a scene in which the car chasing Andrews increases its speed. Running madly, Andrews stumbles and falls. Cut to a closeup as the car roars to within inches of his headand stops. You do it in reverse, explains director of photography George Clemens.

Start the car right at him and pull it back. Those things always work well when theyre done right.

BLACK LEATHER JACKETS (1/31/64)

Written by Earl Hamner, Jr.

Producer: William Froug

Director: Joseph N. Newman

Director of Photography: George T. Clemens

Music: Van Cleave

Cast: Scott: Lee Kinsolving Ellen Tillman: Shelley Fabares Steve: Michael Forest Fred: Tom Gilleran Stu Tillman: Denver Pyle Martha Tillman: Irene Hervey Sheriff Harper: Michael Conrad Mover: Wayne Heffley

Three strangers arrive in a small town, three men in black leather jackets in an empty rented house. We’ll call them Steve and Scott and Fred, but their names are not important; their mission is, as three men on motorcycles lead us into the Twilight Zone.

Steve, Scott and Fred are actually part of the first wave of an invasion force from another planet. They set up an antenna to receive instructions, a side effect of which is neighborhood disruption of electricity and radio and TV reception. When neighbor Stu Tillman complains, Steve uses his superior mind to brainwash him into believing that the three are no more than nice boys. A week later, Stus teenage daughter Ellen misses her bus and Scott gives her a ride. A romance soon develops, the result of which is that Scott is considered a traitor by Steve and Fred. When he overhears them receiving orders to poison the water supply, Scott tries to warn Ellen, but he succeeds only in convincing her that hes lost his mind. He then pleads with his leader to spare mankind, but his pleas are wasted. Rushing back to the Tillman house, Scott finds that Stu, worried about Scotts sanity, has called the sheriff, who has brought with him several men in white coats. The men grab Scott and hustle him away. In reality, the sheriff and the men in white coats are aliens and they want nothing to interfere with their plans.

Portrait of an American family on the eve of invasion from outer space. Of course, we know its merely fiction and yet, think twice when you drink your next glass of water. Find out if its from your local reservoir, or possibly it came direct to you … from the Twilight Zone.

Black Leather Jackets might more aptly be titled The Wild One Meets It Came From Outer Space The episode is filled with wild im-plausibilities, such as the fact that these creatures, attempting to blend into the background as much as possible so that they can surreptitiously poison the water supply, assume disguises guaranteed to attract the eye of every nervous suburbanite. Then theres the matter of one of them falling in love with a pretty little native girl. Although he has telekinetic powers (with which he can open windows and such), the smitten alien makes no effort to prove his claim that hes from outer space by demonstrating his otherworldly abilities. Naturally, with nothing more than his slightly hysterical word to go by, the young lady assumes hes crazy and our well-meaning but stupid young invader is hauled away.

THE BEWITCHIN POOL (6/19/64)

Written by Earl Hamner, Jr.

Producer: William Froug

Director: Joseph M. Newman

Director of Photography: George T. Clemens

Music: stock

Cast: Sport: Mary Badham Jeb: Tim Stafford Aunt T: Georgia Simmons Whitt: Kim Hector Gloria: Dee Hartford Tim Stafford, Kim Hector, Gil: Tod Andrews

Georgia Simmons and Mary Badham Radio Announcer: Harold Gould

A swimming pool not unlike any other pool, a structure built of tile and cement and money, a backyard toy for the affluent, wet entertainment for the well-to- do. But to Jeb and Sport Sharewood, this pool holds mysteries not dreamed of by the building contractor, not guaranteed in any sales brochure. For this pool has a secret exit that leads to a never-neverland, a place designed for junior citizens who need a long voyage away from reality, into the bottomless regions of the Twilight Zone.