October 22, 2024: The Twilight Zone rewatch continues with season 5, episodes 9-12! And our 13 Days of Halloween countdown continues with…Cuckoo!

Season 5, Episode 9, “Probe 7, Over and Out”

This episode first aired November 12, 1963.

The episode “Night Call” was originally slated to air as the fifth season’s ninth episode but it was pre-empted and its air date pushed due to John F. Kennedy’s assassination. “Night Call” would air three months later on February 7, 1964.

Colonel Cook’s ship was purchased from The Outer Limits that had built it for their episode “Specimen: Unknown”.

Richard Basehart, who played Adam Cook, is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Admiral Harriman Nelson on Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1964-68).

Antoinette Bower, who played Eve Norda, is probably best known as Sylvia in the “Catspaw” episode of the original Star Trek.

I’ve never been a fan of the religious-themed episodes as they always end up feeling embarrassingly clunky and this one, I’m afraid, was no exception. Did not love.

Season 5, Episode 10, “The 7th is Made Up of Phantoms”

This episode first aired December 6, 1963.

The tank featured in this episode is an M3A3 Stuart light tank.

This episode was shot entirely on the Albertson Ranch movie set in the Agoura/Westlake area northwest of LA.

The Wisconsin State Journal described this episode as: “a western ghost story with an odd but believable script by Rod Serling, which youngsters should really enjoy.” Of course, back in those days, youngsters also enjoyed playing marbles and jacks for hours on end.

Actor Greg Morris, who played Lieutenant Woodard, is perhaps best known for his portrayal of electronics expert Barney Collier in 171 episodes of Mission Impossible (1966). Shortly before his death, he attended a screening of Mission Impossible starring Tom Cruise and walked out halfway through the movie.

I found this episode lethargic, the performances wooden, and the corners cut while attempting to convey the presence of warring factions kind of laughable. Sadly, in the end, not even their modern weaponry could make up for Custer’s strategic incompetence.

All in all, a pretty unmemorable outing.

Season 5, Episode 11, “A Short Drink from a Certain Fountain”

This episode first aired December 13, 1963.

In May of 1962, Jerome Ross submitted a story idea to the production titled “A Drink of Water” about a man who discovers an elixir that restores his youth – but ultimately realizes being young aint all it’s cracked up to be. Serling passed on the idea but, two weeks later, Ross submitted a revised version – that was also passed on. So, two months later, Ross submitted a spec script, but it was subsequently shelved…until months later when the production reconsidered it, and shelved it in favor of an unpublished short story idea by Louis Holz that became “A Short Drink from a Certain Fountain”. A subsequent lawsuit by Ross resulted in this episode never being shown in reruns or in syndication until 1984.

In an early draft, the character of Raymond Gordon was a doctor but it was decided to make him a scientist to avoid potential blowback from the Medical Association.

Actor Patrick O’Neal plays a character who has married a woman 40 years younger – but, in reality, O’Neal was only eight years older than his co-star Ruta Lee.

Ruta Lee enjoyed her role in this episode: “I was one of the prime leading ladies in television at the time, but I have to tell you that The Twilight Zone really stood out for me for quite a few reasons. First of all, the role was so much fun – bitches are such fun to play, and she was such a lively little bitch. I really liked her a lot.”

She also recalled: “One of the other things that happened on that set was that Barney Girard, who was a wonderful director, let me do some slightly wilder things than what people would normally do. The little dance sequence wasn’t just the twist, it was really carrying on. And during one of the scenes, you know how the grips and the guys who are doing the lighting lean over the rails and watch what’s going on and keep quiet. So during one of those scenes a great big, huge burst of applause came out at the end. And I was dumbfounded because I didn’t expect untying like that. I later discovered when the guys came down from the rafters they said “We love having you on the set, and we love watching you work, because you remind us of our favorite here at MGM, Carole Lombard.”

A young Tim Matheson filmed a deleted scene in which he played a 12-year-old version of Harmon.

Not bad. I thought it played out nicely to it’s somewhat predictable ending, but had an impossible time buying into the idea this young woman would sacrifice her youthful years to take care of a kid under threat of losing out on her husband’s estate. Not quite sure how her brother-in-law would be able to keep her from acquiring that wealth in a court of law given it’s unlikely the judge would buy into his fountain of youth explanation. Also, did young Ruta Lee remind anyone else of a young Britney Spears? No?

Season 5, Episode 12, “Ninety Years Without Slumbering”

This episode first aired December 20, 1963.

The early titles for this episode included “The Grandfather Clock” and Tick of Time” (not to be confused with the episode “Nick of Time”).

According to George Clayton Johnson: “Bill [one of the show’s producers] had purchased the story and he hired a writer of his, Richard DeRoy, to write the script. It broke my heart that Bill wouldn’t let me write the script. As an exercise, it was disappointing. The story line was in many ways…well, I felt I would have found a more clever way to do that. The actors were perfect. I was tempted to have my name removed from the credits, but I never did. I was tempted for them to use a pseudonym I used instead, but then I thought “Oh, what the hell” and let it go up there.”

In the original script, the main character does, in fact, die when the grandfather clock stops working. Johnson took issue with the more upbeat rewrite: “It makes the whole plot trivial. In order to get involved with Sam Forstmann’s issues, you’ve got to believe in those issues. So if Sam himself suddenly stops believing in them, it’s a cheat.”

So unhappy was Johnson that this episode marked the end of his involvement with the show.

Ed Wynn, who previously appeared as Lou Bookman in season 1’s “One for the Angels”, was in ill health when this episode was filming. James T. Callahan, who played Doug Kirk, recalled: “Ed Wynn was more charming off camera than on. I was not an enthusiast for his movies. I couldn’t even recall the names of any films except that TV thing he did called “Requiem for a Heavyweight”, but I had respect for him as an actor. The first impression I got from him was an old man, crying for retirement, being forced to do that program. Seemed like he wanted to do it. Maybe to amuse himself. But when the director called action, he was a a professional and I was taken back at how he transformed himself from an old man to an actor playing an old man. You had to be there to understand.”

Actress Carolyn Kearney, who played Marnie Kirk, also recalled: ““Rod Serling was on the set, because he was also the producer. He was there and he was very protective of Ed Wynn. He wanted to make sure that Ed Wynn had his chair and he wanted to make sure that Ed Wynn was well taken care of and that they didn’t work him too hard. [Director] Roger Kay didn’t do any of that, but Rod Sterling was very instrumental in making sure that he was well taken care of. Roger Kay was a little frenetic, and not taking the time that Robert Florey and some of the other directors did. Roger Kay was sort of rushed and you can’t do anything good if you rush. Keenan Wynn, Ed Wynn’s son, was also there to support his dad. I think he was worried about his father because his father was in ill health, and Keenan Wynn was like “No, Dad, I’m gonna be right here…”

Months after filming, Wynn sent Serling a personal note of thanks. Serling wrote back: “The Wynn legacy to Serling has been an incredible talent of longevity and a dignity and grace that are in most short supply these days.”

Carolyn Kearney, who played Marnie Kirk, was in a serious train accident and trapped in a compartment before finally being rescued. The experience led to an addiction to Xanax initially prescribed to help alleviate the stress of anxiety.

John Pickard, who played the policeman, was the early favorite to play the lead in Gunsmoke (1955) but Charles Marquis Warren (who produced the first year of the show) said his screen tests were going very well until he “…floundered in a love scene with Kitty. I don’t think he ever knew how close he came to immortality!”

Although this episode lacked the trademark Twilight Zone twist and I am, admittedly, curious to how the Johnson version would have turned out, I nevertheless enjoyed this episode. Wynn was great and, all in all, I thought it a heartfelt entry.

And our 13 Days of Halloween countdown continue with….

Cuckoo

This movie would have been far more successful had it fully embraced its inherent silliness. Instead, it plays it pretty straight and ends up more interesting by virtue of its peculiarities than scary.

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