tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318310043864039191.post5414786366628211788..comments2024-03-20T15:28:13.030-05:00Comments on The Twilight Zone Vortex: "Five Characters in Search of an Exit"JPhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14808904189056290207noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318310043864039191.post-61209162591503408882022-10-19T09:30:32.991-05:002022-10-19T09:30:32.991-05:00Since "Five Characters In Search Of An Exit&q...Since "Five Characters In Search Of An Exit" first appeared in 1961, and the Christmas TV classic "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer" didn't arrive until 1964, it's the "Rudolph" writers who should have answered the question: did you borrow this TZ episode to create "The Island of Misfit Toys" in"Rudolph"?Thomas DiMaggiohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15528586971282008329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318310043864039191.post-25066654117667021952022-01-23T09:01:39.918-06:002022-01-23T09:01:39.918-06:00Eh? That was Cesar Romero! True Murray Matheson lo...Eh? That was Cesar Romero! True Murray Matheson looks and laughs similarly here, but that's it.STEPHEN ARCHERhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01891283612737580789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318310043864039191.post-45608878644811777632022-01-09T18:58:58.765-06:002022-01-09T18:58:58.765-06:00Amazing episode and great article.
But it needs t...Amazing episode and great article.<br /><br />But it needs to be mentioned that the clown/Matheson later went on to perform another very memorable role: Batman's classic nemesis, the Joker, in TV seriesAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11026857344981744169noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318310043864039191.post-3029073844246544572020-01-28T16:18:08.776-06:002020-01-28T16:18:08.776-06:00"Five Characters In Search Of An Exit" i..."Five Characters In Search Of An Exit" is Rod Serling's version (whether consciously or not) of Hans Christian Andersen's delightful tale "The Shepherdess and the Chimney Sweep", in which there is a four-way love story involving three Chinese porcelain figurines and a mahogany satyr, all of whom are art objects displayed in an elegant drawing room. The lovers climb down from the table top where they are displayed, go up the stove pipe (guided by a star that they can see through the pipe, their version of the ringing bell), and finally, after seeing the immensity of the wide world from the roof of the house, decide that life on the safe table top is better after all. As well read as he was, it's hard for me to believe that Serling didn't know this story.Thomas DiMaggiohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15528586971282008329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318310043864039191.post-25464735395201309632018-03-30T18:02:52.293-05:002018-03-30T18:02:52.293-05:00I think TZ has appeal for all ages. Just because y...I think TZ has appeal for all ages. Just because you saw it at age 8 doesn't mean we can't enjoy it now.Dalehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17050780812342957714noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318310043864039191.post-22571382765063736042017-02-19T07:21:40.979-06:002017-02-19T07:21:40.979-06:00it's a shot featuring Windom from the bottom u...it's a shot featuring Windom from the bottom up, as it were. Look again just as he throws the grappling hook for the third time and you'll see it by his right elbow; Windom seems to be leaning on it during the first two attempts, which was obviously its function. It's there! And I love this one, of course.STEPHEN ARCHERhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01891283612737580789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318310043864039191.post-17208240325799785752017-02-18T17:55:04.567-06:002017-02-18T17:55:04.567-06:00Hey Stephen. I watched that particular scene again...Hey Stephen. I watched that particular scene again and I can't spot the handle on the wall but I could be missing it. They used two different set pieces for the cylinder. One was vertical and was used for the shots of the actors at the bottom of the cylinder. The other was smaller in size and could be mechanically tilted. This one was used for the shots of the actors climbing on one another's shoulders. I'm sure they used safety precautions for the sake of the actors but I never came across anything specific in my research. This one was always one of personal favorites from the show. Your thoughts on it?Brian Duranthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02724290376009803159noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318310043864039191.post-82131200016450833972017-02-17T04:54:02.418-06:002017-02-17T04:54:02.418-06:00There seems to be some kind of handle on the wall ...There seems to be some kind of handle on the wall when the major throw his grappling hook. Was this for Windom’s safety? I don’t doubt there were devices of this sort behind the others when standing on one another’s shoulders, taking their weight instead of them. I hardly think Murray Matheson would have wanted other people’s weight on his shoulders aged 49; I don’t fancy it at MY age!STEPHEN ARCHERhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01891283612737580789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318310043864039191.post-11528275731265323632016-09-22T15:05:18.218-05:002016-09-22T15:05:18.218-05:00Thanks for the thorough discussion of this interes...Thanks for the thorough discussion of this interesting episode. While I would not put it in my top group, it is certainly memorable!Jack Seabrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02216640325305820140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318310043864039191.post-29886759371128897992016-09-22T10:51:04.199-05:002016-09-22T10:51:04.199-05:00Thanks, John. I think a lot of fans of the show fe...Thanks, John. I think a lot of fans of the show feel the same way as you and we've discovered in the last couple years as we've connected with other fans of the show that "Five Characters" is not as well regarded as we initially thought. Ditto some of our other favorite episodes. I think I've watched the series so often for so many years that I'm now drawn more to alternative episodes than the well regarded classics of the series. Maybe it's over-familiarity or whatever but episodes like "Five Characters" and "Shadow Play" and "Person or Persons Unknown" or even "Once Upon a Time" seem to offer more grist of the critical mill these days than many of the better regarded episodes. This is likely due to the fact that episodes like "Time Enough at Last" and "A Stop at Willoughby" have been written about endlessly and there's really little left to say. <br /><br />I agree this episode is more theatrical than others and that's either going to be an element a viewer enjoys or doesn't. Though there are some truly surprising endings, the show often telegraphed episode endings and, in these cases, so much depended on what came before. An episode such as "The Masks," for instance, is one of my absolute favorites but that ending can be seen coming a mile away. I do think too much emphasis was placed on twist endings, both by the people who created the show and those who watch it. I think that focus often distracts from some of the other quality elements of an episode just as it can also mask some of the weaker qualities of other episodes. I don't really care one way or another for the ending of "Five Characters" and I don't come back to the episode because of the ending. I really like the design and the characterizations in this one. <br /><br />Thanks again for reading and the insight, John. JPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14808904189056290207noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1318310043864039191.post-24203182965443420262016-09-22T02:05:33.700-05:002016-09-22T02:05:33.700-05:00Good episode, and I'm glad it has fans, though...Good episode, and I'm glad it has fans, though for me it's always been a disappointment. Maybe it's the title; or the "obviousness" of the set-up. Even the first time around I knew there would be a Big Twist at the end, and this sort of ruined it for me for some reason. Fortunately, I find this is seldom the case with the Twilight Zone. <br /><br />Good work from you guys, as always.<br /><br />I just finished viewing the last season Stopover In A Quiet Town, which never gets old with me, and it still worked its charms. The story has more than a few things in common with Five Characters, but it plays out realistically, visually, while the earlier episode was maybe too theatrical and stylized to draw me in emotionally. john kenrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00710666533854296630noreply@blogger.com