tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318310043864039191.post1294265235806636008..comments2024-03-20T15:28:13.030-05:00Comments on The Twilight Zone Vortex: "The Howling Man"JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14808904189056290207noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318310043864039191.post-73631727411375349132024-02-13T00:09:08.815-06:002024-02-13T00:09:08.815-06:00Four years ago, I wished H.M Wynant a happy 93rd b...Four years ago, I wished H.M Wynant a happy 93rd birthday. In this year of grace 2024, I can gladly wish him a happy 97th. Such a long life is a considerable achievement -- especially when accompanied, as his is, by fathering a daughter at age 73. (Admittedly Charlie Chaplin beat him to it in 1962.) One wonders if David Ellington and Brother Jerome had a similarly generous allotment of years, in which to recapture Satan. I can't shake the feeling that, after the final fadeout in "The Howling Man", David and Jerome had a tete-a-tete: "My son, I have long since forgiven you for letting your curiosity get the better of you all those years ago, and letting the Evil One loose; but your decision to put humanity's destiny in the hands of a chambermaid is something for which you will eventually have to answer when you stand before God Himself. And frankly, my son: I don't envy you that future."Thomas DiMaggiohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15528586971282008329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318310043864039191.post-39300396001234943182023-06-20T15:22:17.414-05:002023-06-20T15:22:17.414-05:00Take a shot for every 'mm-hm' in the inter...Take a shot for every 'mm-hm' in the interview.granitoonshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07106346192751165711noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318310043864039191.post-48238732645486943742022-01-01T22:36:46.426-06:002022-01-01T22:36:46.426-06:00The Syfy channel cut the transformation scene for ...The Syfy channel cut the transformation scene for what idiotic reason I don't understand. There are 5 cuts as Hughes morphs into Satan passing the pillars. Syfy reduced this to one. I've seen Howling Man dozens of times but this was the first time (1/1/22) I've seen this episode mutilated. Elliot Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17964519903027517480noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318310043864039191.post-35133470005004141782020-02-12T16:48:15.816-06:002020-02-12T16:48:15.816-06:00I'm fairly certain he hasn't written an au...I'm fairly certain he hasn't written an autobiography. I'd buy that one, too, and I wish I could claim that I came up with that title but truth is I've seen Holliman called that or some variation of it (first person in The Twilight Zone, etc.) in several places. It sure fits, though! JPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14808904189056290207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318310043864039191.post-92059393349052599322020-02-12T14:27:37.696-06:002020-02-12T14:27:37.696-06:00I don't know whether you realize it or not, Jo...I don't know whether you realize it or not, Jordan; but, if Earl Holliman hasn't yet written an autobiography, you just gave him the PERFECT title for one: "The First Man In 'The Twilight Zone' ". Hell, I'D buy a book with that title!Thomas DiMaggiohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15528586971282008329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318310043864039191.post-73430222719847050542020-02-12T08:32:32.553-06:002020-02-12T08:32:32.553-06:00Happy Birthday to Mr. Wynant, indeed! "The Ho...Happy Birthday to Mr. Wynant, indeed! "The Howling Man" has always been one of my essential episodes. Wynant was also in some of the Twilight Zone Radio Dramas, including "Of Late I Think of Cliffordville," the original episode of which I just reviewed, as well as "The Trade-Ins" and "Deaths-Head Revisited." <br /><br />We're at that point in time when we're losing so many great performers and technicians, and not only for The Twilight Zone. Losing Carol Serling and Orson Bean (in such a horrible manner) was rough. Earl Holliman, the first man in The Twilight Zone, is still with us at 91 and was recently interviewed on The Twilight Zone Podcast. But, you're right, we will always have their wonderful contributions to film and television to revisit. Thanks for posting this! JPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14808904189056290207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318310043864039191.post-71803971576415181652020-02-11T23:35:28.434-06:002020-02-11T23:35:28.434-06:00Happy 93rd birthday to H.M.Wynant (aka "David...Happy 93rd birthday to H.M.Wynant (aka "David Ellington")! He is a charter member of the Society Of Longest-Lived Members Of The Acting Profession, together with Betty White (98), Angela Lansbury (94), and Olivia de Havilland (103). His fellow member, Kirk Douglas, passed away just a few days ago at 103; while his fellow "Twilight Zone" alumnus, Orson Bean ("Mr. Bevis") was tragically killed, also a few days ago, at 91, after being struck by a car while crossing a street in Los Angeles. Thank God for the film medium; they will always be with us -- as, of course, will The Founder Of The Feast, Rod Serling. (Rod's beloved wife Carol also left us in 2020; it's only 12 February, but it's already been a year of lost treasures). Thomas DiMaggiohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15528586971282008329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318310043864039191.post-46585034544253910362020-02-04T10:52:16.055-06:002020-02-04T10:52:16.055-06:00I believe this episode also intended to give the w...I believe this episode also intended to give the world some hope that the source of sin could indeed be contained. However,the presence of sin and curious naivete will always release sin over and over again. If you miss the point of this episode, you miss the whole concept and series.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05045001867094402157noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318310043864039191.post-71355346607113385812019-12-20T17:46:58.777-06:002019-12-20T17:46:58.777-06:00Several comments about "The Howling Man"...Several comments about "The Howling Man":<br /><br />1. The (very brief) establishing shots of the exterior of the Hermitage in this episode are actually outtakes from Alfred Hitchcock's 1940 classic film "Rebecca" -- they are the burned-out ruins of the de Winter mansion Manderley. (They come and go before the audience has time to realize that they are nothing but roofless walls). I'd love to know how Serling got permission to use them.<br /><br />2. HOW I wish that John Carradine didn't look and sound like a "Carol Burnett Show" parody of Charlton Heston in "The Ten Commandments"! If Brother Jerome had looked and sounded more normal, it would have made Ellington's dilemma much more gripping. ("Who the hell do I believe? The plausible abbot or the plausible prisoner?"). As it is, Brother Jerome is so reminiscent of a street-corner religious fanatic, and comes off so badly compared to the pleading, sympathetic prisoner, that it would have been remarkable if Ellington HADN'T released him.<br /><br />3. As a Christian, I should point out that Brother Jerome's theology needs work. Neither the Devil, nor anyone else, can ever compel sin; if sin were not entirely elective, it wouldn't be sin in the first place. Locking the Devil up would change nothing about the human condition, especially since (as Socrates pointed out) all evil results from people seeking, not evil itself, but happiness, which they look for in the wrong places, and by the wrong methods. With apologies to the late, great Flip Wilson, no one can ever morally alibi themselves by saying "The Devil made me do it!"<br /><br />4. Who in their right mind entrusts the fate of humanity to a chambermaid?Thomas DiMaggiohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15528586971282008329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318310043864039191.post-91812054785977955212017-12-28T20:40:54.164-06:002017-12-28T20:40:54.164-06:00What?? The transformation into the devil is the b...What?? The transformation into the devil is the best part of the episode, the moneyshot, in which the audience realizes "Holy Shit, he really is the devil!!!"<br /><br />I see the theme of this episode as being the danger of naivety - a recurring theme in the Twilight Zone. There were signs that Ellington should have picked up on - the fact that the man admitted to fooling around with girls in the village, or the fact that he couldn't lift the staff, or that he just looked plain shady.<br /><br />Beaumont and the director of the episode were trying to instill more common sense in what they saw as a naive and sheltered 1950s audience. This is actually a recurring theme in many Twilight Zone episodes - the importance of relying on common sense.<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318310043864039191.post-42932298281054093422017-12-12T02:17:19.337-06:002017-12-12T02:17:19.337-06:00Douglas Heyes' instincts were all wrong for th...Douglas Heyes' instincts were all wrong for this episode. I read in Zicree's book that he felt the audience wouldn't be happy unless they saw the titular character transform into His Satanic Majesty. Wrong. Beaumont wanted to show as little as possible, and seeing as he wrote the damned thing, Heyes should have taken his advice to heart. Instead he discarded it. What a shame. The episode would be the classic its reputed to be if they had just done things Beaumont's way. Oh well ...Gregory Tysonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12365649475310375871noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318310043864039191.post-29423153260846468602017-11-09T02:23:45.165-06:002017-11-09T02:23:45.165-06:00Hey, Gregory. Ambiguous endings or those that do n...Hey, Gregory. Ambiguous endings or those that do not attempt to wrap things up neatly can be pretty interesting if used in the right story. I'm don't think that applies here though. The final scene, with the old woman opening the door and likely releasing evil back into the world, is simply a means to start the story all over again. Beaumont seemed to like this type of narrative device for he used it in several of his episodes--"Person or Persons Unknown," "Shadowplay," "Dead Man's Shoes," "Living Doll." Although, for the purpose of the story, David Ellington is speaking to the old woman it is shot in a way in which he appears to be speaking directly to the audience. So as we listen to/watch his story we see events from his perspective and are totally unaware of who the howling man is until Ellington releases him and we see his transformation. The final scene starts the narrative cycle all over again. The old woman takes the place of the audience and the younger Ellington and we now know just as much as the older, wiser Ellington and as much as Brother Jerome knew when we first encountered him. Perhaps the Devil is not waiting behind the closet door but everything we are told throughout the episode leads us to believe that he is. It's an interesting point of view though. Thanks for the insight!!Brian Duranthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02724290376009803159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318310043864039191.post-4542521125308771432017-11-08T20:38:43.262-06:002017-11-08T20:38:43.262-06:00What I've never understood is the general cons...What I've never understood is the general consensus that Ellington has indeed captured the Devil and has him, at the episode's conclusion, locked in that closet. As you pointed out director Heyes overruled Beaumont and made unambiguous that the man Ellington releases in the hermitage is the Devil. And so he is ... in the world of the story told in flashback by Ellington. When Ellington finishes his story, and we're restored to the present day (or, the episode's present day 1960) we're no longer in Ellington's head but the actual world. How can we trust then Ellington in this world? The episode asks us to question Brother Jerome. Shouldn't we question his successor Ellington too? Couldn't Ellington's story be the product of a fevered mind? Yes, we hear howls in the present day, but those howls could just as easily be the howls of some poor innocent Ellington has decided is his quarry? I'm a big fan of Beaumont's original ending and would like to think that some of that ambiguity in the short story found its way into the adaptation's final scenes with the maid ... Beaumont knew that stories dealing with Ultimate Evil work best without a cut-and-dried ending -- that they must be enshrouded by fog, much like Brother Jerome's hermitage. Gregory Tysonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12365649475310375871noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318310043864039191.post-34857612659956189602017-05-23T00:11:20.625-05:002017-05-23T00:11:20.625-05:00I couldn't agree with you more, John. "Th...I couldn't agree with you more, John. "The Howling Man" has been a favorite of ours for many years and it probably still ranks somewhere in the top five episodes for both of us. As much as I love the Universal-style Gothic horror films of the 30's and 40's this episode is probably as close as I would want the Zone to dabble in it. I think the magic of the show was its very specific approach to then-contemporary America, even if it was a western or period-war story. They were always conscious of their audience and the episodes usually reflect that. What makes this episode brilliant is that it does delve into traditional Gothic horror but retains the mid-twentieth century sensibility that gave the show its personality. Beaumont's short story would have easily worked as a Universal horror film or an episode of Thriller, but the finished product unquestionably belongs in the Twilight Zone. But I agree with you and I do wish that they had done at least a few more episodes that explored the Gothic tradition. There are a handful of genuine horror episodes but none that really resemble this one in atmosphere and setting. Thanks as always for your thoughts!Brian Duranthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02724290376009803159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318310043864039191.post-90637709135637686382017-05-20T03:26:40.414-05:002017-05-20T03:26:40.414-05:00A first rate venture into Gothic horror, Twilight ...A first rate venture into Gothic horror, Twilight Zone style. Nice evocation of Universal horrors of the Thirties more than the later, moodier, more subtle feline horror of the war years. This is full throttle hound of horror stuff, with a dungeon-like abbey, men who called themselves "brothers",--but could they be mad, could they be devils?--this isn't clear till the episode's over. Fine work from the cast, with an intense yet dignified performance from H.M. Wynant who reminds me, in his acting style, of Jeff Chandler, with his near Old Testament sense of rightness, of purpose. The Howling Man is maybe the only true blood and thunder episode of the Twilight Zone. It's quality is such as to make me wish they'd done more.john kenrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00710666533854296630noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318310043864039191.post-22308562478975875722015-08-23T17:16:28.440-05:002015-08-23T17:16:28.440-05:00Thanks for stopping by, D. Glad you found plenty t...Thanks for stopping by, D. Glad you found plenty to read. "The Howling Man" remains my personal favorite episode of the show and I could have written twice as much about it as it has an interesting production history and is a unique episode in its form and old Gothic style. Perhaps one day I will revisit the episode and write some more about it as we continue to research the show. JPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14808904189056290207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318310043864039191.post-88996677189701852892015-07-05T12:15:57.426-05:002015-07-05T12:15:57.426-05:00Thanks for the great commentary. One of my favorit...Thanks for the great commentary. One of my favorites for sure. I can always count on it to be entertaining. This is more than I thought I'd fin to read about it. :)Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16318971755209699469noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318310043864039191.post-38066830591162501852013-02-01T08:12:33.222-06:002013-02-01T08:12:33.222-06:00Thanks, Jack. Glad you agree with the grade. "...Thanks, Jack. Glad you agree with the grade. "The Howling Man" is my personal favorite episode and it's also an episode that easily lends itself to commentary. We have a handful more A+ grades to give so keep an eye out and, as always, thanks for reading. JPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14808904189056290207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318310043864039191.post-89445120879830061082013-02-01T06:37:23.767-06:002013-02-01T06:37:23.767-06:00Wow! An A+ from the Vortex! I completely agree wit...Wow! An A+ from the Vortex! I completely agree with the grade for this wonderful episode. The commentary gets an A+ as well. Nicely done!Jack Seabrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02216640325305820140noreply@blogger.com