September 10, 2024: The Twilight Zone rewatch continues with season 3, episodes 21-24!

Season 3, Episode 21, “Kick the Can”

This episode first aired February 9, 1962.

This episode was one of three remade for the underwhelming Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983). Writer George Clayton Johnson, reflecting back on his experience with the abysmal Spielberg reimagining, appreciated the fact he got paid anway: “So all in all I came away from the epxerience really satsfied, except for my real disappointment that Spielberg didn’t have a clearer idea of stories.”

Director Lamont Johnson had a comparatively more positive experience working on the original segment. According to him: “The older actors got so imbued with the idea, the became playful, like kids themselves.

Actor Ernest Truex, who portrayed Charles Whitley, got to act opposite his real-life son, Barry, who played the part of his onscreen son in this episode. Over the course of his seventy year career, Truex excelled at playing meek but lovable characters. He is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Benny Goodman in The Benny Goodman Story (1956).

John Marley, who played Superintendent Cox, got his start in acting after being drafted from the audience to replace an actor who had fallen ill. He received Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for his work on Love Story (1970), but is perhaps best known as the movie mogul who discovers a severed horse’s head in his bed in The Godfather (1972).

Hank Patterson, who played Freitag, portrayed the same character, Fred Ziffel, in three different shows: The Beverly Hillbillies (1962), Petticoat Junction (1963) and Green Acres (1965).

It takes a while to get going but, once it does, this episode reall delivers. It’s an elegant, heartfelt story that really hits hardest when the Ben Conroy characters calls out to his friends to wait up and they leave him behind because he was foolish not to believe in the ravings of his seemingly mentally-addled friend. Good stuff.

Season 3, Episode 22, “A Piano in the House”

This episode first aired February 16, 1962.

The inner personality of the individual exposed to the music is, coincidentally, reflected in the choice of song. The cantankerous shopkeeper’s sentimentality is revealed through “I’m in the Mood for Love”. Marvin, the morose butler, reveals his light-hearted nature as “Smiles” plays. “Sabre Dance” rattles the level-headed Esther into betraying her true feelings for her husband. The guarded playwright Greg reveals his passion for Esther while listening to “These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You)”. “Clair de la Lune” awakens the self-deprecating Marge’s dreams of romance. Finally, “Lullaby” reveal Jerry’s immature and childish nature.

Barry Morse, who played Fitzgerland Fortune, got his start on the London stage before moving to Canada in the 1950’s. He is perhaps best known for his portrayals of Lt. Philip Gerard in The Fugitive (1963) and Professor Victor Bergman in Space: 1999 (1975). Over the course of his eight decade career, Morse is said to have played more than 3,000 roles on stage, screen, and radio.

Joan Hackett, who played Esther Fortune, started as a teen model before graduating to the stage and, eventually, film and television. She was battling cancer when she checked herself out of the hospital so she could host Carrie Fisher’s wedding to Paul Simon at her Beverly Hills home. She returned to the hospital days later where she eventually passed away.

Handsome Don Durant, who played playqwright Gregory Walker, toured as lead vocalist with Tommy Dorsey and Frankie Carle before turning to acting. His plum career role was as Johnny Ringo (1959) in the series of the same name. Eventually disillusioned with the roles he was being offered, he quit the business in favor of a lucrative real estate career.

Cyril Deleanti, who played the morose butler Marvin, previously appeared as LJ Smithers in “A Penny for Your Thoguhts” and Franklin in “The Silence”. He makes one final TZ appearance in season 4’s “Passenger on the Lady Anne”.

Muriel Landers, who played Marge Moore, began her career as a concert singer before shifting to acting. She built a career in comedies on film and television.

I liked this episode, but bumped on a couple of narrative elements that ultimately prevent it from entering my top ten. My biggest gripe is the inconsistency in which the piano operates. At first, I assumed it was simply a matter of whatever music plays awakens the hidden side of the listener. But it’s more targeted than that, of course, because even though multiple people listen to the song, only one person is affected. Why? When Clair de la Lune plays, why is it only Marge whose dreams surface? Why none of the other guests? Is it because hers were the biggest dreams of all? I doubt it. While I can somewhat see the logic of the bespoke music selections targeting certain victims, I didn’t understand how the shopkeer and the butler ended up syncing with just the right song to reveal their hidden personalities. It was simply a huge coincidence.

Finally, I realize it was the 60’s and it was a small moment and we’ve certainly come a long way, but it really irked me when all the other guests burst into laughter while Marge was dancing. Her dancing wasn’t weird or comical. It just felt like a really cheap manufactured moment.

Season 3, Episode 23, “The Last Rites of Jeff Myrtlebank”

This episode first aired February 23, 1962.

A mailbox on one of the streets has the name “M. Pittman” which is a nod to the writer/director of this episode, Montgomery Pittman.

The cabin used for the opening funeral scene served as home for the Simpsons in “The Hunt”.

Actor James Best, who played Jeff Myrtlebank, was a former roommate of fellow actor Adam West. He built a career appearing in westerns, but is perhaps best known for playing Sheriff Rosco Coltrane on The Dukes of Hazzard (1979). He was set to star alongside Mickey Rooney and Hugh O’Brian in the movie “Old Soldiers”, but all three died while the movie was in prep.

Reflecting back on this episode, Best revealed: “I’m not known to be claustorphobic, but when they closed that lid, I stuck a pencil or something small under the lid, and told them to leave it there. I didn’t get scared laying in there but that pencil did keep the box from getting a bit stuffy.”

He also had nothing but good things to say about his experience: “The director had class. The whole show had class. That is probably why, today, thirty..forty years later, the Twlight Zone is stil talked about.”

Sherry Jackson, who played Comfort, was the niece of director Montgomery Pittman. He had originally wanted to cast her in the season 3 opener, “Two”, but the producers felt she was too young for that role. She is perhaps best known for her portrayal of Terry Williams on The Danny Thomas Show (1953) and the android Andrea in the original Star Trek’s “What Are Little Girls Made Of?” (1966).

Producer Buck Houghton’s own son made an appearance in this episode. Jim Houghton played the character of Jerry.

Edgar Buchanan, who played Doc Bolton, was a dentist-turned-actor who played the same character (Uncle Joe Carson) on three different series: The Beverly Hillbillies (1962), Petticoat Junction (1963) and Green Acres (1965).

Lance Fuller, who played Orgram, battled personal demons throughout his career. They culminated in a parking lot attack on a police officer that resulted in Fuller being shot in the chest. He survived and made a full recovery.

Jon Lormer, who played Strauss, was the only credited actor to make appearances on all four seasons of The Twilight Zone.

This one had the potential to be a haunting entry but, instead, is annoyingly goofy. James Best’s terrific performance was wasted in what turned out to be a weakly scripted episode.

Season 3, Episode 24, “To Serve Man”

This episode first aired March 2, 1962.

The episode was based on a short story by author Damon Knight. In the original tale, the aliens resemble upright-walking hairy pigs.

All of the 9-foot aliens in this episode were played by the same actor, Richard Kiel.

The alien saucer scenes that appear in this episode were reuses from Forbidden Planet, Earth vs. The Flying Saucers, and The Day the Earth Stood Still.

This is the only episode in the entire season where somewhere other than Serling addresses the viewer.

In the beginning of the episode, Newark, New Jersey is announced as the location of the first alien landing – which, coincidentally, was where the aliens landed in Orson Welles’ infamous radio broadcast “War of the Worlds”.

Serling was NOT happy with the initial cut of this episode. He wrote Damon Knight to tell him: “To Serve Man turned out piss-poor, a combination of horrible direction, and a faithless script bit your back. We’re re-shooting some scenes and it’s my hope that we can at least come within a few hundred yards of our great story.” Scenes were re-shot, new ones added, stock footage included, and the alien’s dialogue was rewritten.

Serling went on vacation for five weeks and left the production in the hands of Buck Houghton, leaving his longtime producer the following message: “Just so long as you know, Buck, how deeply appreciative I am of all your back breaking labor, your tremendous loyalty, and your contributions which consistently and constantly made me look good.” It’s interesting to note that Houghton ended up parting ways with the production after resisting efforts to expand the show to the failed one-hour format for The Twilight Zone’s fourth season.

Toronto-born actor Lloyd Bochner, who played Michael Chambers, got his start as a voice actor before making the leap to the small and big screen. He played Blake Carrington’s wealthy rival (and Alexis Carrington ally) Cecil Colby on Dynasty (1981).

Richard Kiel, who played the alien, was 7″2 and scored his biggest role as metal-mouthed henchman Jaws in The Spy Who Loved Me (1977) and Moonraker (1979). He turned down the role of Chewbacca in Star Wars to play Jaws. He was also cast as the Incredible Hulk in the 1977 series but, after two months of filming, it was decided he wasn’t bulky enough so he was paid out and replaced by Lou Ferrigno.

Theodore Marcuse, who played Citizen Gregori, built a career for himself playing bald villains. He is probably best known to genre fans as Korob, the alien humanoid who captures several crew members of the Enterprise in the Star Trek (1966) episode “Catspaw”’.

Many shows have parodied this episode, but I think the best to do it was The Simpsons in their very first Treehouse of Horrors.

This one races to the very top of my season 3 rankings. What a terrific twist! And knowing it was coming, I absolutely loved the scene of the alien looking on and smiling as the passengers are weighed before boarding. I wonder how they prepared poor Chambers.

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