"Number 12 Looks Just Like You"

Marilyn Cuberle (Collin Wilcox),
moments before she becomes beautiful.

“Number 12 Looks Just Like You”
Season Five, Episode 137
Original Air Date: January 24, 1964

 

Cast:

Collin Wilcox:

Marilyn Cuberle / Lana (photo album picture)

Richard Long:

Uncle Rick / Dr. Rex / Sigmund Friend / Tom / Tad / Jack / Attendant

Suzy Parker:

Lana Cuberle / Grace / Eva / Jane / Doe / Patient / Number 12

Pam Austin:
Valerie / Marilyn (post-transformation) / Number 8

 

Crew:
Writers: Charles Beaumont and John Tomerlin (based on Beaumont’s story “The Beautiful People”)
Director: Abner Biberman
Producer: William Froug
Director of Photography: Charles Wheeler
Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson
Art Direction: George W. Davis and Malcolm Brown
Film Editor: Thomas W. Scott
Set Decoration: Henry Grace and Robert R. Benton
Assistant Director: Charles Bonniwell, Jr.
Casting: Patricia Rose
Music: Stock
Sound: Franklin Milton and Joe Edmondson
Mr. Serling’s Wardrobe: Eagle Clothes
Filmed at MGM Studios

 

And Now, Mr. Serling:

“On our next outing, Charles Beaumont comes through with another delightful flight of futuristic fancy, about a society of another time in which you literally can’t tell the players without a score card. They all appear in an identical mold. Collin Wilcox, Richard Long, and special guest star Suzy Parker appear in a program called ‘Number 12 Looks Just Like You.’ I hope you’re around to catch the similarity.”

 

Rod Serling’s Opening Narration:

“Given the chance, what young girl wouldn’t happily exchange a plain face for a lovely one? What girl could refuse the opportunity to be beautiful? For want of a better estimate, let’s call it the year 2000. At any rate, imagine a time in the future when science has developed a means of giving everyone the face and body he dreams of. It may not happen tomorrow, but it happens now…in the Twilight Zone.”

Summary:

In the year 2000, all citizens must select one of a few dozen physical avatars upon turning 19, thus forcing the entire population to conform to an established standard of beauty and making many citizens basically identical.

Marilyn has arrived at the age of transformation but has doubts about its validity and purpose. Her mother, Lana, her Uncle Rick, and her best friend, Val, have all gone through the transformation and they all assure her that her precaution is unnecessary, even silly. Attempting to alleviate her anxiety, they offer her cups of Instant Smile. Fearing that she may be unwell, Lana and Rick suggest she see a doctor.

 At the state-run office of Dr. Rex, a man that, because of the transformation, looks physically identical to Marilyn’s uncle and her late father, Lana explains why she is worried. The doctor is baffled and concerned to hear that Marilyn does not want the transformation. She says she doesn’t want to look like everyone else. The doctor says the transformation doesn’t just change a person’s physical appearance. It also helps them adjust emotionally to adulthood. Dr. Rex attempts to examine the cause of Marilyn’s apprehension. Marilyn is hooked up to a machine that eventually prints out results of some kind. Dr. Rex takes the results and studies them. Lana tells him that Marilyn’s father died five years prior in the Ganymede incident. After some questioning, the doctor learns that Marilyn’s father, who underwent transformation like everyone else, held nonconformist views of society and was highly critical of transformation. Dr. Rex suggests that Marilyn stay at the facility for further examination. Marilyn asks him if it’s possible to refuse the transformation. He assures her that no one has ever been forced to undergo the transformation against their wishes.

Marilyn is brought to the office of Professor Sigmund Friend for questioning. Professor Sig tells her that transformation is an important and necessary step not just in the life of a single individual but in society at large as a tool to help eliminate inequality and prejudice. If no one is ugly then everyone is on an equal playing field. Marilyn tells him that she isn’t ugly. The professor assures her that she is. He also explains that the transformation can eliminate illness and prolong life. Marilyn tells Professor Sig that her father introduced her to banned literature like Shakespeare and Shelley and Keats and Dostoevsky and Greek philosophers and that she sees value in their work. Seeing Marilyn as a potential risk, he orders her to stay at the facility overnight.

In her room, Marilyn is visited by Val and her mother. She tells them that Dr. Rex lied about being able to refuse the transformation. They are going to force her to go through with it. Dr. Rex appears and informs Lana and Val that it is time for them to leave. Lana leaves but Val stays a moment longer. She tells Marilyn that she does not understand why she is so preoccupied with her deceased father, especially since she has had several stepfathers since then. Marilyn tells her that her father was a kind, caring person who valued individuality and human connection. Then she confesses that her father did not die in the Ganymede incident but that he committed suicide as a result of his transformation. Seeing the look of confusion on her friend’s face, Marilyn realizes that Val cannot comprehend why she is upset. Feeling completely alone in the world, Marilyn explodes into sobs. Baffled by Marilyn’s emotional outburst, Val leaves.

Once she is alone, Marilyn sneaks out of her room and flees down a hallway. Trying to evade capture, she races into a random room and straight into the arms of Dr. Rex and a hospital attendant, both dressed in full surgical fatigues. This is the transformation room. They spot a tag around Marilyn’s neck with #8 written on it and assume this is her chosen avatar. They tell her it is an excellent choice.

Several days later, Lana and Val wait with Dr. Rex at the hospital. He tells them that the procedure was a success. Marilyn emerges with a glowing smile on her face, looking unrecognizable from the person she was days before. She is pure, unfiltered happiness. She adores herself in the mirror. Everyone tells her she is beautiful. She turns to Val and tells her that the nicest part of all is that she looks just like her.

 

Rod Serling’s Closing Narration:

“Portrait of a lady in love…with herself. Improbable? Perhaps. But in an age of plastic surgery, body building, and an infinity of cosmetics, let us hesitate to say impossible. These and other strange blessings may be waiting in the future, which, after all, is the Twilight Zone.

 

Commentary:

“Number 12 Looks Just Like You” is one of the show’s bleakest episodes and one of its harshest. A sharply pointed satire of modern culture that takes aim at many things including the very genre of popular fiction it is emulating. And while it may have felt completely foreign to an audience when it was first broadcast in January of 1964 in between episodes of Route 66 (“Kiss the Monster – Make Him Sleep”) and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (“Beyond the Sea of Death”), it feels alarmingly relevant and familiar in 2025. Many of the issues touched upon in the half hour episode, from the rise of plastic surgery to synthetic mood stabilizers to the disintegration of family norms are all more prevalent now—and were even in the year 2000 when the episode takes place—than when the show first aired. Some of the bigger issues, like government deception and the elimination of individuality, are, unfortunately, commonplace in most periods throughout history. It’s an episode that saw into the future with great accuracy and, along with a handful of other socially charged episodes, is part of the reason for the show’s continued relevance.

By this point, frequent contributor Charles Beaumont was not doing well and his health had declined to the point where he was no longer able to write scripts. Of the three episodes in the show’s final season that bear his name, none were written by Beaumont himself. He would farm out writing assignments to a stable of close friends and then split the money with them. The other two scripts were written by author Jerry Sohl. “Number 12 Looks Just Like You” was given to another close friend, John Tomerlin, who was renting an apartment in New York City at the time while working on a novel, and who gladly accepted a quick assignment to help pay the bills. Tomerlin and Beaumont had gone to New York together a few months earlier to each work on solo projects, Tomerlin on his novel Prisoner of the Iroquois, published in 1965, and Beaumont on what would be one of his last projects, the unfinished novel Where No Man Walks. Not able to concentrate, Beaumont left early and returned to Los Angeles.

“Living Doll” was an idea that originated with Beaumont, was plotted by both Beaumont and Sohl, with Sohl writing the actual script. “Number 12 Looks Just Like You” was taken from Beaumont’s 1952 story, “The Beautiful People,” with Tomerlin doing all the screenwriting. The final episode that would see Beaumont credited as a writer was “Queen of the Nile,” which, according to Sohl, was his idea, his script, and involved little input from Beaumont. So “Number 12 Looks Just Like You,” a title created by neither Beaumont nor Tomerlin, is really the last time Beaumont’s actual ideas and voice were seen on the show.

Like Beaumont, Tomerlin was somewhat of a Renaissance man, dabbling in many different professions and hobbies throughout his life. Screenwriter, novelist, pilot, race car enthusiast, journalist, disc jockey, and avid outdoorsman. Tomerlin lived a full life. He was a regular figure in the circle of writers in Los Angeles in the 1950s and 60s that eventually became known as the Southern California Group of Writers, or the Group. Given their many shared interests, Tomerlin and Beaumont became close friends starting in the early 50s. The two co-wrote a novel together, the first for both writers, under the name Keith Grantland for Fawcett Gold Medal in 1957 called Run from the Hunter. They went on to collaborate frequently, as was common in the Group. Tomerlin contributed pieces to two anthologies of stories and essays on motor racing edited by Beaumont and William F. Nolan, Omnibus of Speed (G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 1958) and When Engines Roar (Bantam Pathfinder, 1964). He went on to write several novels about racing including Challenging the Wind (Dutton, 1966) and The Magnificent Jalopy (Dutton, 1967). He also co-wrote an episode of Route 66 with Beaumont and Jerry Sohl called “The Quick and the Dead” and an episode of Richard Diamond, Private Detective with Beaumont called “East of Danger.” Tomerlin’s other screen credits include Wanted: Dead or Alive, Lawman, Thriller and a Dan Curtis-produced ABC Movie of the Week adaptation of The Picture of Dorian Gray (1973). 

 

"The Beautiful People” was the second story Beaumont published and it originally appeared in the September, 1952 issue of the magazine If. The story varies significantly from the final version that appeared on the screen in 1964. It skips the first two scenes at the Cuberles house and begins with Mary and her mother, Zena, in the doctor’s office. The scene in the episode is almost exactly as Beaumont wrote it in his story with the exception that Mary is not made to stay overnight in a facility and instead the doctor dismisses the Cuberles upon learning that Mary does not want the transformation and refuses any further involvement. Afterwards, Zena, after getting into an argument with Mary, marches about their home attempting to gather up all of her deceased husband’s leftover books to throw them away. We next see Mary at work. She works at an office drawing blueprints for manufacturing equipment and is apparently quite an artist. She is called into her well-meaning supervisor’s office and asked to resign due to her refusal to go through with transformation. Later, at home, Zena receives a letter from the authorities informing her that she and Mary are to appear in court. On the day of the trial, Mary is ordered by law, with the apparent support of society at large, to undergo transformation. The story ends with her on the operating table as needles begin to pierce her skin.

As mentioned, Tomerlin keeps the initial meeting with the doctor very similar to Beaumont’s story but after this his version goes in a very different direction which shapes the message of the story a great deal. Instead of being publicly put on trial for refusing transformation, with the result being that Mary is forced to comply even though the court cannot give her an actual reason why she should, Tomerlin’s authoritarian society is more subtle. The transformation, a tool to keep everyone physically and emotionally derivative, is allowed to keep happening because it is implied that one’s personality is altered in a way that makes them happy with the change (“we just have to find out why you don’t want it and make the necessary adjustments”) therefore never having to make public that there are people who do not want it. Although it should be pointed out, and this is perhaps the only unexplained misstep in the entire episode, if people who are opposed to the transformation are suddenly made to be happy with it, then why did this not occur after Marilyn’s father’s transformation? Beaumont’s story ends before the operation takes place so the reader is unsure of whether Mary will be emotionally altered afterwards. It is implied that her father and grandfather were both still opposed to the transformation even after receiving it.

John Tomerlin wrote two different drafts of this script, both under the title “The Beautiful People.” Both drafts appear in Forgotten Gems of the Twilight Zone, Vol. 2 (2015) edited and with an introduction by Andrew Ramage. The are a lot of differences but most of them are minor. The two most noticeable changes are the addition of Marilyn’s uncle in the second draft, and the change in gender for Val, a character that did not appear in Beaumont’s story. In the first draft Val is male and is implied to be a possible love interest for Marilyn. He is also the only other character that appears even remotely sympathetic to Marilyn’s fears and even helps her escape from the overnight room although this scene is vague and not written particularly well and Marilyn somehow still ends up in the operating room. The switch to a platonic female friend was a better choice as it further isolates Marilyn in this world. Both drafts feature Serling making a rare onscreen appearance at the end of the episode, delivering his closing monologue in the mirror behind Pam Austin after she turns away from it. This was dropped in favor of Austin starring straight into the camera and smiling which makes for a better and far more chilling ending.

As author Marc Scott Zicree touches upon in his commentary for “Number 12” on The Twilight Zone Blu-ray edition, this episode unmistakably recalls the theory of eugenics and the Nazi's pursuit of a so-called Aryan race. While it may just be symptomatic of 1960s television, it should be noted, given the premise of the story, that this episode features only white actors and no mention is made of multiple races coexisting in a world where everyone looks the same. Class is still an issue, however, as Lana and her housemaid, Grace, are physically identical but Lana still feels a social entitlement over Grace and speaks condescendingly to her.

“Number 12 Looks Just Like You” is often thought of as a companion episode to Serling’s “Eye of the Beholder” from the show’s second season. Both episodes feature authoritarian worlds where ugliness is prohibited. They also both feature hospital scenes that take place in dark, shadowy nightmare realms presumably set outside the scrutinizing eye of the public. Serling also commented on prolonging human life in the much gentler season three episode, “The Trade-Ins,” where an ill, aging man is given the opportunity to make he and his wife immortal by trading in their old, brittle bodies for much younger ones.

This episode refers several times to something called the Ganymede incident. Lana claims this is where Marilyn's father lost his life although it is later revealed that he took his own life after his transformation. Ganymede is Jupiter's largest moon, which is likely the reason for Lana's reference to his involvement with the "rocket service." But the moon is named after the Greek mythological character Ganymede who first appears in Homer's The Iliad. He is the youngest son of Tros, founder of the kingdom of Troy, and is said to be the most handsome of all mortals. He is abducted by Zeus and taken to Mount Olympus where Zeus grants him eternal youth as the cupbearer of the Gods.

Actor turned director Abner Biberman began his career on Broadway in the early 1930s before moving to Hollywood a few years later. He made a living as a prolific and reliable character actor, appearing in bit roles, often as ethnically ambiguous characters or criminals. Among his more well-known credits are roles in the films Gunga Din (1939), His Girl Friday (1940), The Leopard Man (1943), and Winchester 73 (1950). In the early 1950s he worked as an acting coach for Universal where Marilyn Monroe and Tony Curtis were among his pupils. By the middle of the decade he was directing low-budget films for Universal and other studios and soon moved on to episodic television where he enjoyed a highly prolific career. He worked in a variety of genres but was known as a director of western series including twenty-five episodes of The Virginian. His credits also include The Outer Limits, Ironside, and Hawaii Five-O.

Biberman directed a total of four episodes of The Twilight Zone, two of which, “Number 12 Looks Just Like You” and the season two episode “The Dummy,” are fan favorites and are among the most recognizable episodes of the show, both regarded for their visual aesthetic and camerawork. The look of “Number 12” is one of the episode’s greatest attributes. Biberman and the show’s art and set departments create a world that is hyper simplistic, to the point of parody, which adds significantly to the overt satire on display. The simplistic set design, with bare backgrounds and sharp angles, also make the split screen shots of both Suzy Parker and Pam Austin, appearing as two characters at once, look basically seamless, an effect that was not always convincing in this era of filmmaking. It is also to Biberman’s credit, and to the credit of the cast, that despite the fact that the audience is being constantly reminded that there are only four actors in the episode, it still feels like a fully populated world.

A quick mention should be made of director of photography Charles Wheeler. Wheeler was a combat photographer in the United States Navy during World War II and later enjoyed a forty-year career as a cinematographer in Hollywood. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his work on Tora! Tora! Tora! in 1970. His work in this episode is truly remarkable. He is also the director of photography for the episode “Queen of the Nile.” 

Collin Wilcox is best remembered for her role as Mayella Ewell in the film adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird (1962). Her other credits include appearances on a number of television series in the 1960s including Alfred Hitchcock Presents, ‘Way Out, and Circle of Fear and the films Catch 22 (1970), The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman (1974) and Jaws 2 (1978). She enjoyed a lengthy stage career as well. Wilcox is an excellent choice for Marilyn Cuberle. Her performance has a rawness to it that plays incredibly well against the rest of the cast.

Richard Long had already appeared in another Charles Beaumont episode, season three’s “Person or Person’s Unknown.” Long signed with Universal when he was still a teenager. His first film role was playing Claudette Colbert and Orson Welles' son in Tomorrow is Forever (1946). Welles was so impressed with the young actor that he cast him in The Stranger that same year. Other notable film roles include Criss Cross (1949), House on Haunted Hill (1959), and the Ma and Pa Kettle films. He is most recognizable as Jarrod Barkley in The Big Valley and Professor Everett in Nanny and the Professor. Long is simply incredible in this episode. A handsome actor, known for playing overly confident characters, he portrays every male character in the episode, each more absurd than the last, but each undeniably interesting. 

When this episode first aired in 1964, Suzy Parker was the most recognizable fashion model in the world. Since that time, she has come to be considered the first globally famous supermodel. At various points in her career, she was the face of both Coco Chanel and Revlon and was the highest paid fashion model ever at that point, earning over $100,000 a year. She made the crossover into acting in 1957 appearing in the Stanley Donen film Kiss Them for Me and continued to act periodically over the next decade. Her final screen credit was the first episode of Rod Serling’s Night Gallery in the segment “The Housekeeper” in 1970. She was significant enough, in fact, to merit a multiple-page photo spread in TV Guide to promote this episode. She was also listed in the credits as “special guest star.” Her shallow and detached portrayal of Marilyn’s mother adds a great deal to the bleak reality of the episode.

Pam Austin’s first screen appearance was in the Elvis Presley film, Blue Hawaii, in 1961 where she became a long-time friend of the singer. She appeared in a second Presley film, Kissin’ Cousins, in 1964. In 1967 she appeared in her own sketch comedy anthology film, The Perils of Pauline, which was intended as a television pilot for a variety show that never materialized. Around the time that this episode aired Austin gained fame as the “Dodge Rebellion Girl” in a series of commercials for Dodge automobiles which ran until 1967. Her aesthetic is well suited for the world in which these characters live and the final shot of her facing directly towards the camera, a beautiful, smiling woman, is perhaps the most chilling moment of the entire episode.

“Number 12 Looks Just Like You” is a superb episode of The Twilight Zone and a stunning half hour of television. It's unfortunate that John Tomerlin did not write anything else for the show. His sole entry is remarkable and seems right at home in the show's catalog. It remains one of the best examples to Rod Serling's commitment to journalistic honesty and is a great example of why the the show is still relevant.

Grade: A 

Grateful acknowledgment is made to the following:

“Number 12 Looks Just Like You” by John Tomerlin; Forgotten Gems from the Twilight Zone, Vol.2 edited and with an introduction by Andrew Ramage (BearManor Media, 2015)

The Work of Charles Beaumont: An Annotated Bibliography and Guide edited by William F. Nolan (2^nd ed., Borgo Press, 1990)

“An Interview with Twilight Zoner John Tomerlin” by Christopher Conlon, Filmfax #97 (June/July, 2003)

“Number 12 Looks Just Like You” episode commentary by Marc Scott Zicree, The Twilight Zone: The Complete Series Blu-ray (Image Entertainment, 2016)

The Twilight Zone Companion by Marc Scott Zicree (3^rd ed., Silman-James Press, 2018)

Twilight Zone: Unlocking the Door to a Television Classic by Martin Grams, Jr. (OTR, 2008)

Internet Speculative Fiction Database

Internet Movie Database 

Wikipedia

           

Original artwork for "The Beautiful People"
by Bob Martin 
If, September, 1952

Notes:

__ Charles Beaumont’s short story “The Beautiful People” was first published in the September 1952 issue of If. It appeared in his second story collection, Yonder (Bantam Books) in 1958.
__Richard Long also appeared in the season three episode “Person or Persons Unknown.”
__Suzy Parker appeared in the premiere episode of Rod Serling’s Night Gallery in the segment “The Housekeeper.”
__Abner Biberman also directed the season three episode “The Dummy,” the season four episode “The Incredible World of Horace Ford,” and the season five episode “I Am the Night—Color Me Black.”
__Popular American metal band The Number Twelve Looks Like You take their name from this episode.
__ “Number 12 Looks Just Like You” was adapted into an episode of the Twilight Zone Radio Dramas (Falcon Picture Group, 2009) starring Bonnie Somerville and Charles Shaughessy. It was written by Dennis Etchison and directed by Carl Amari and Roger Wolski.

Brian

"The Self-Improvement of Salvadore Ross"

Mr. Maitland (Vaughn Taylor) listens to an offer from Salvadore Ross (Don Gordon)

“The Self-Improvement of Salvadore Ross”
Season Five, Episode 136
Original Air Date: January 17, 1964

Cast:
Salvadore Ross: Don Gordon
Leah Maitland: Gail Kobe
Mr. Maitland: Vaughn Taylor
Old Man: J. Pat O’Malley
Mr. Halpert: Douglass Dumbrille
Albert: Doug Lambert
Jerry: Seymour Cassel (uncredited)
Nurse: Kathleen O’Malley (uncredited)

Crew:
Writer: Jerry McNeely (based on the story by Henry Slesar)
Director: Don Siegel
Producer: Bert Granet
Director of Photography: George T. Clemens
Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson
Art Direction: George W. Davis & Walter Holscher
Film Editor: Richard Heermance, a.c.e.
Set Decoration: Robert R. Benton & Henry Grace
Assistant Director: Charles Bonniwell, Jr.
Casting: Patricia Rose
Music: stock
Sound: Franklin Milton & Philip N. Mitchell
Mr. Serling’s Wardrobe: Eagle Clothes

Filmed at MGM Studios

And Now, Mr. Serling:

“Next time out on The Twilight Zone, an unusual little item from the pen of Jerry McNeely, based on a story by Henry Slesar, and called, intriguingly enough, ‘The Self-Improvement of Salvadore Ross.’ This one poses a question. If you don’t like what you are, how do you go about changing? Don Gordon portrays a man who really goes the route when it comes to some basic changing, and the results are most unexpected.” 

Rod Serling’s Opening Narration:

“Confidential personnel file on Salvadore Ross. Personality: a volatile mixture of fury and frustration. Distinguishing physical characteristic: a badly broken hand which will require emergency treatment at the nearest hospital. Ambition: shows great determination toward self-improvement. Estimate of potential success: a sure bet for a listing in ‘Who’s Who,’ in The Twilight Zone.” 

Summary: 

Salvadore Ross is an uneducated and crude laborer with the single-minded obsession of winning the affection of pretty and refined social worker Leah Maitland. Sal arrives on Leah’s street driving a fancy car he “borrowed” from old Mr. Halpert, for whom Sal occasionally performs odd jobs. Despite Sal’s attempts to impress Leah with the car, she quickly sees through his deception. Leah tells him they are simply too different to be together. Sal, believing her rejection stems from his low social status, vows to win her over. When Leah’s invalid father intervenes on her behalf and Sal insults him, Leah tells Sal she now sees him exactly as her father does. They close the door on Sal and he punches the door in a fit of rage, breaking his hand and landing himself an overnight stay at the hospital.

During his hospital stay, Sal discovers an astonishing ability. He meets an old man afflicted with a cold and jokingly offers to trade his broken hand for the old man’s ailment. To their surprise, the exchange works! The old man wakes up in the night with a painful broken hand, while Sal is left with a cold. When the old man begs to trade back, Sal cruelly refuses, telling him “all deals are final.” Realizing the incredible potential of his new power, Sal decides to improve himself in a big way. He trades old Mr. Halpert years of his life for a million of Halpert’s dollars and possession of Halpert’s luxurious penthouse apartment. He then restores his youth by buying years from the building’s young bellboys and elevator operators. With his youth regained and his wealth assured, Sal sets his sights on Leah once more.

When Sal returns to Leah’s apartment, he’s a changed man on the surface. His speech and appearance have improved, impressing Leah but arousing suspicion in Mr. Maitland. Sal, still arrogant, insults Mr. Maitland’s career and military service. Leah, however, is curious about Sal’s transformation and agrees to a date. At his penthouse, Sal makes a clumsy and aggressive attempt to show Leah affection. When she rejects him, he angrily demands to know what more he could possibly do to please her. Leah’s response is simple and damning: Sal lacks kindness and compassion, qualities that can’t be bought and sold. 

Undeterred, Sal believes his unique power can acquire these qualities. He offers Mr. Maitland $100,000 for his compassion. The next day finds Sal truly transformed. He is kind, caring, and considerate. Leah responds affectionately to this change in him, and they return to her apartment. While Leah is in another room, Sal apologizes to Mr. Maitland and asks for his forgiveness. But Mr. Maitland reminds Sal of their deal. Revealing a pistol from beneath his quilt, he explains that he will never let Sal marry his daughter. Despite Sal’s protests, Mr. Maitland shoots him dead without compassion.

Rod Serling’s Closing Narration:

“The Salvadore Ross program for self-improvement, the all-in-one, sure-fire success course that lets you lick the bully, learn the language, dance the Tango, and anything else you want to do or think you want to do. Money back guarantee. Offer limited to The Twilight Zone.”

Commentary: 

Illustration by Ed Emshwiller

“The Self-Improvement of Salvadore Ross” by Henry Slesar was first published in the May, 1961 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction. The editorial introduction read: “Salvadore Ross had a driving urge to improve himself, and literally fell into a talent for doing so. The problem then became one of knowing where the stop . . .” In the story, Salvadore Ross is a laborer at a bottling plant who breaks his leg in a work accident. Recovering in the hospital, he discovers an astonishing ability when he trades his broken leg for an old man’s pneumonia. No explanation is given for Sal’s amazing talent. Slesar writes: “He laughed to himself, remembering the swap they had made, and the situation tickled him so much that he didn’t even marvel over the mysterious transaction. He was too pleased.” Leah Maitland is a local beauty Sal has coveted since high school. Realizing his newfound ability might offer a path to Leah’s affections, Sal works on improving his station in life. He trades his hair to the bald bartender Phil for the bar's cash takings that day. Again, the miraculous exchange works. This scene was filmed for the episode, with Ted Jacques in the role of the bartender, renamed Stan, but was left on the cutting room floor. Sal regains a head of hair from a derelict for the price of a bottle and realizes he shouldn’t sell his talent so cheaply. Sal trades a friend his talent at billiards for a meeting with rich, old Mr. Halpert and is on the path to his ironic demise. 

Slesar later adapted his story for CBS Radio Mystery Theater. Retitled “A Bargain in Blood,” the episode aired on June 10, 1974 with Tony Roberts as Salvadore Ross, Evelyn Juster as Ruth Maitland, and Mandel Kramer as Mr. Maitland. Slesar was a staff writer on the radio series and used the opportunity to adapt several of his previously published stories. For more on Henry Slesar’s life and career, see our review of “The Old Man in the Cave.”

 Slesar’s story is an entertaining, breezily written tale, with moments of humor that primarily serve its ironic twist ending. As a result, the characters are only hazily sketched, particularly Leah and Mr. Maitland. Jerry McNeely’s adaptation removes the humor and focuses on the psychological realism of the characters. By creating more nuanced depictions of Sal, Leah, and Mr. Maitland, the episode’s central conflict feels more impactful and heightens the shock ending. 

The aging makeup applied to Don Gordon

The episode has its shortcomings, however. The aging makeup applied to Don Gordon was criticized by series historian Marc Scott Zicree in The Twilight Zone Companion, who likened it to “something out of a high school play.” Another sloppy moment occurs during the hospital sequence, when a prop malfunctions and Gordon pulls the switch cord completely off the light fixture above the old man’s bed. The mysterious origin of Sal’s power to exchange attributes remains unexplained, and McNeely’s script, like that of the previous episode, “The Long Morrow,” suffers from a compressed time frame. This is acutely felt in the scene in which Sal regains his youth during an elevator ride, and especially in the instantaneous change in Leah’s feelings for Sal after his transformation into a compassionate man. Another aspect that challenges logic is the shock ending. It is difficult to accept that Mr. Maitland would resort to murder even when lacking his quality of compassion. This moral leap can feel jarring. 

The episode ultimately succeeds due to its excellent performances and the quality of McNeely’s script, particularly its unflinching depiction of domestic abuse. Don Gordon’s portrayal of Sal is physically and verbally abusive, and the fear etched on the face of Gail Kobe in multiple scenes is a testament to the effectiveness of their performances. This element adds a layer of disturbing realism that is both uncomfortable and impactful. 

via The Hollywood Reporter

Jerry McNeely (1928-2014) was a fascinating figure who successfully straddled two demanding careers in higher education and writing for television. Born in Missouri, McNeely earned his undergraduate degree from Southeast Missouri State University and his master’s from the University of Wisconsin. After Army service in the Korean War, McNeely returned to the University of Wisconsin and earned a PhD in Speech. McNeely joined the faculty at the university in 1956 and earned a full professorship. McNeely remained at the university, producing and directing productions for the Wisconsin Players, until 1975 when he left for California to focus full-time on writing for television.

McNeely began writing for television while teaching at the university, only occasionally traveling to Los Angeles for production meetings. His first work appeared near the end of the live anthology era, with McNeely selling his script “The Starting Match” to Studio One in 1957. The script won McNeely a Writers Guild Award. McNeely frequently collaborated with Norman Felton, a producer on Studio One, who bought McNeely’s scripts for The Man from U.N.C.L.E., The Girl from U.N.C.L.E., and Dr. Kildare. Known for his work on medical and education dramas, McNeely's credits include writing for Marcus Welby, M.D. and Mr. Novak, and creating the series Trauma Center and Lucas Tanner. He also created Owen Marshall, Counselor at Law and the family drama Three for the Road. McNeely was nominated for an Emmy for his teleplay for the biographical TV movie Something for Joey (1977).

In collaboration with University of Wisconsin student Michael D. Rosenthal, McNeely developed the story for the earlier fifth season episode “A Kind of Stopwatch,” scripted by Rod Serling. Although writing for the series did not spark a lasting friendship between the writers, Serling was intrigued by McNeely’s dual career as an academic. McNeely invited Serling to speak at the University of Wisconsin, which Serling accepted. McNeely later recalled that Serling was something of a celebrity at the time and lectured to a sold out crowd at the Union Theatre on campus. In 1963, Serling was contacted by David Knauf, then-director of the University of Wisconsin’s Center for Film and Television Research. Serling was inspired by Knauf’s suggestion that students could learn from his writings for television, and Serling donated his voluminous papers and manuscripts to the center. 

Don Gordon (1926-2017) was born Donald Guadagno in Los Angeles and later anglicized his name at the suggestion of a fellow actor. Gordon became known for playing tough guys on both sides of the law in numerous films and television series. He was a close friend of Steve McQueen, appearing alongside him in such films as Bullitt (1968), Papillon (1973), and The Towering Inferno (1974). Gordon was nominated for an Emmy in 1963 for his appearance in a two-part episode of The Defenders. Other television appearances include Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Outer Limits, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, and The Invaders. Gordon previously appeared on The Twilight Zone in the first season episode “The Four of Us Are Dying,” in which he was also shot dead by an elderly father in an ironic, shock ending. 

Gail Kobe (1932-2013), born in Michigan as Gabriella Kieliszewski, makes her third and final appearance on the series. Kobe previously appeared in the first season episode “A World of Difference,” and gave an excellent performance in the fourth season opener “In His Image.” Kobe is equally excellent here in her portrayal of a woman torn between a desire for affection and a loyalty to personal convictions. Kobe was a familiar face on 1960s television, appearing in numerous western and detective series, as well as in episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, and The Outer Limits. Kobe moved behind the scenes in the 1970s, serving as producer on a number of daytime drama series. Kobe received an Emmy nomination for producing Guiding Light, and also served as producer on Return to Peyton Place, The Bold and the Beautiful, and The Edge of Night, a series for which Henry Slesar wrote over one hundred episodes.

Boston-born Vaughn Taylor (1911-1983) is a familiar face on the series, here making his fifth and final appearance on The Twilight Zone. Taylor’s most memorable role on the series is perhaps as the “witch man” Teague in Rod Serling’s adaptation of Manly Wade Wellman’s “Still Valley.” Vaughn also appeared in “Time Enough at Last,” “I Sing the Body Electric,” and “The Incredible World of Horace Ford.” Educated at Northeastern University and a certified public accountant, Taylor found his true calling in acting. He struggled early on, working in radio and repertory companies. Taylor landed small but memorable roles in such films as Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958) and Psycho (1960). Taylor was a hugely prolific television actor, beginning in the live anthology era. He also appeared on Tales of Tomorrow, Lights Out, Inner Sanctum, Boris Karloff’s Thriller, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, and The Outer Limits.

J. Pat O’Malley (1904-1985), the British-born actor, appeared in four episodes of the series, most memorably as Old Ben in Charles Beaumont’s “The Fugitive.” O’Malley also appeared in “The Chaser” and “Mr. Garrity and the Graves.” O’Malley is often confused with American actor Pat O’Malley (Patrick H. O’Malley (1890-1966)), who also appeared multiple times on the series. The American O’Malley appeared in “Walking Distance,” “Back There,” and “Static.” Ironically, the American O’Malley’s daughter, Kathleen O’Malley (1924-2019), who often worked with director Don Siegel, appears in the episode as the nurse alongside J. Pat O’Malley. Kathleen O’Malley also appeared in The Alfred Hitchcock Hour episode “The Thirty-First of February,” scripted by Richard Matheson from the novel by Julian Symons.

 Douglass Dumbrille (1889-1974), whose acting career began in the silent era, plays rich, old Mr. Halpert. He was known for his roles as historical figures, often of a villainous nature, in such films as The Ten Commandments (1956), as well as his occasional turns as the comedic foil in slapstick films.

Doug Lambert (1936-1986), a role player in such films as Scorpio (1973), Mooonraker (1979), and The Hunger (1983), plays the young and naïve bellboy Albert.

The episode also includes an appearance by a young, uncredited Seymour Cassel (1935-2019), seen here in aging makeup. Cassel was a staple of independent cinema remembered for his appearances in films by his friend John Cassavetes. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Cassavetes’ Faces (1969). Cassel also appeared alongside Casavetes in director Don Siegel’s remake of Hemingway’s The Killers (1964), a film that also featured Kathleen O’Malley and Ted Jacques.

Director Don Siegel (1912-1991), previously profiled in our review of “Uncle Simon,” was best-known for directing Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) and for his collaborations with Clint Eastwood, including Dirty Harry (1971) and Escape from Alcatraz (1979). Siegel also directed The Shootist (1976), John Wayne’s final film.

While “The Self-Improvement of Salvadore Ross” lacks the enduring qualities of the finest episodes, the excellent performances and the depth of the characters elevate the episode above its relatively minor flaws. Don Gordon, in particular, crafts one of the more repugnant characters on the series, and his brutal demise retains its shock value, ensuring the episode remains a solid, if unremarkable, entry in the uneven fifth season.

Grade: C

Next Time in the Vortex: A look at a dystopian classic from writers Charles Beaumont and John Tomerlin: “Number 12 Looks Just Like You.”

Acknowledgements:

--A Critical History of Television’s The Twilight Zone, 1959-1964 by Don Presnell and Marty McGee (McFarland & Co., 1998)
 
--The Twilight Zone: Unlocking the Door to a Television Classic by Martin Grams, Jr. (OTR, 2008)
 
--The Twilight Zone Companion (3^rd ed.) by Marc Scott Zicree (Silman-James, 2018)

--Commentary by Martin Grams, Jr. for "The Self-Improvement of Salvadore Ross" (The Twilight Zone: The 5th Dimension (CBS DVD/Image Entertainment, 2014))
 
--“Jerry McNeely” Television Academy (televisionacademy.com)
 
--“Obituary: Jerry McNeely” by Stephen Bowie (The Classic TV History Blog (classictvhistory.wordpress.com))
 
--“The Self-Improvement of Salvadore Ross” by Henry Slesar (The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, May, 1961)
 
--The Internet Movie Database (imdb.com)
 
--Wikipedia (Wikipedia.org)

Notes: 

--Henry Slesar’s story first appeared in the May, 1961 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction.
 
--Jerry McNeely, in collaboration with Michael D. Rosenthal, provided the story for the earlier fifth season episode “A Kind of Stopwatch.”
 
--Don Siegel also directed the earlier fifth season episode “Uncle Simon.”
 
--Don Gordon also appeared in the first season episode “The Four of Us Are Dying.”
 
--Gail Kobe also appeared in the first season episode “A World of Difference,” and the fourth season episode “In His Image.”
 
--Vaughn Taylor also appeared in the first season episode “Time Enough at Last,” the third season episodes “Still Valley” and “I Sing the Body Electric,” and the fourth season episode “The Incredible World of Horace Ford.”
 
--J. Pat O’Malley also appeared in the first season episode “The Chaser,” the third season episode “The Fugitive,” and the later fifth season episode “Mr. Garrity and the Graves.”
 
--“The Self-Improvement of Salvadore Ross” was adapted as a Twilight Zone Radio Drama starring Luke Perry.

-JP

"The Long Morrow"

Robert Lansing as Commander Douglas Stansfield, encased in a hibernation chamber

“The Long Morrow”
Season Five, Episode 135
Original Air Date: January 10, 1964 

Cast:

Commander Douglas Stansfield: Robert Lansing
Sandra Horn: Mariette Hartley
General Walters: Edward Binns
Dr. Bixler: George Macready
Technician: William Swan
Man #1: Donald Spruance 

Crew:

Writer: Rod Serling
Director: Robert Florey
Producer: William Froug
Director of Photography: George T. Clemens
Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson
Art Direction: George W. Davis & Malcolm Brown
Film Editor: Richard Heermance, a.c.e.
Set Decoration: Henry Grace & Robert R. Benton
Assistant Director: Charles Bonniwell, Jr.
Casting: Patricia Rose
Music: stock
Sound: Franklin Milton & Joe Edmondson
Mr. Serling’s Wardrobe: Eagle Clothes
Filmed at MGM Studios

And Now, Mr. Serling:

“Next on The Twilight Zone, a rather probing study of ice, irony, and the ionosphere, a show titled ‘The Long Morrow.’ It stars Robert Lansing and Mariette Hartley, and it tells the story of an incredible trip into space with the sole occupant of the craft living in suspended animation. This one is for space addicts and the romantically inclined. On The Twilight Zone, ‘The Long Morrow.’” 

Rod Serling’s Opening Narration: 

“It may be said with a degree of assurance that not everything that meets the eye is as it appears. Case-in-point the scene you’re watching. This is not a hospital, not a morgue, not a mausoleum, not an undertaker’s parlor in the future. What it is, is the belly of a spaceship. It is on route to another planetary system, an incredible distance from Earth. This is the crux of our story, a flight into space. It is also the story of the things that might happen to human beings who take a step beyond, unable to anticipate everything that might await them out there.” 

NARRATIVE BREAK – 

“Commander Douglas Stansfield, astronaut. A man about to embark on one of history’s longest journeys. Forty years out into endless space and hopefully back again. This is the beginning, the first step toward man’s longest leap into the unknown. Science has solved the mechanical details and now it’s up to one human being to breathe life into blueprints and computers. To prove once and for all that man can live half a lifetime in the total void of outer space. Forty years alone in the unknown. This is Earth. Ahead lies a planetary system. The vast region in-between is The Twilight Zone.”

Summary: 

            Our story begins with a man encased in an ice-like chamber. His eyes are closed and he appears to be asleep. This is Commander Douglas Stansfield, an astronaut on a journey from Earth to a distant planetary system. We hear his thoughts and impressions in a voiceover narration. He brings us back to the beginning of his journey. Stansfield is called to the office of Dr. Bixler at the Space Research facility. Stansfield, thirty-one years old and an astronaut for eleven years, has been under observation by Dr. Bixler as a candidate for a mission. Dr. Bixler explains that the mission is to venture far beyond our solar system to find other habitable planets. Dr. Bixler has identified a solar system similar to our own, but very far away. In six months’ time, Stansfield will embark on a solo mission to reach this distant system. The ship that will take him there is currently being constructed. It will travel seventy times faster than the speed of light. The journey there and back will take forty years.

            Stansfield encounters Sandra Horn in a corridor of the facility. She is a beautiful young researcher. Stansfield asks her to dinner and Sandra accepts. Later, Stansfield contemplates living out forty years in the void of space. Dr. Bixler informs Stansfield of a new process of placing an astronaut in a state of suspended animation, waking only occasionally to perform routine maintenance on the spaceship. Stansfield will hardly age at all on his journey due to this process. 

            Stansfield and Sandra spark a fast-moving romance later that evening while dancing. Sandra contemplates her natural aging here on Earth while Stansfield remains young out in space. We move forward in time to again find Stansfield encased in ice. A voiceover describes the solace he finds in the memory of Sandra’s voice and image. Stansfield declares his love for her.

            Back to the time of pre-launch for Stansfield’s flight. Stansfield finds Sandra before boarding the spaceship. They passionately embrace and declare their love for one another. Sandra tells him to look for the old lady in the lace shawl with the “welcome home” sign when he returns.

            Stansfield’s spaceship launches toward space. Forty years later, Stansfield’s ship returns to Earth, the remnant of a nearly forgotten mission. General Walters, the current Commander of Operations, accesses the notes on Stansfield’s mission. He finds a directive from Dr. Bixler to notify Sandra Horn of Stansfield’s return. Sandra is in a hibernation room, designed to keep her at age twenty-six until awakened.

            Sandra is revived and met by General Walters in the corridor to await the return of Stansfield. Sandra is as young and beautiful as she was on the day she first met Stansfield. Walters explains to Sandra that they long ago discovered that the planetary system Stansfield was sent to was uninhabitable. Worse still, for some unknown reason, Stansfield completely removed himself from hibernation six months after takeoff. A breakdown in communications meant that this was discovered only after Stansfield’s return. Sandra knows why Stansfield removed himself from hibernation. He wanted to age in space as she aged on Earth. 

            Stansfield appears and slowly walks down the corridor. He is a wizened old man,  slow of speech and movement. Sandra is shocked by his appearance. Stansfield tells Sandra that the thought of her kept him sane through the loneliness of forty years in space. Now, however, they cannot be together. Forty years is too much time to bridge. Stansfield asks her to go away. Sandra reaches out and touches his face one final time before leaving. General Walters tells Stansfield that it is an incredible man who could put such a price on love. Stansfield turns and slowly walks away. 

Rod Serling’s Closing Narration:

"Commander Douglas Stansfield, one of the forgotten pioneers of the Space Age. He's been pushed aside by the flow of progress and the passage of years and the ferocious travesty of fate. Tonight's tale of the ionosphere and irony from The Twilight Zone."

Commentary: 

            Rod Serling’s Space Age reimagining of O. Henry’s “The Gift of the Magi” is, at its best, an affecting rumination on the dehumanizing effects of manned space travel. At its worst, the episode is rushed, derivative, weighed down by overwritten dialogue, and crippled by naïve romanticism and scientific inaccuracies. The episode ultimately falls somewhere in the middle, but unfortunately ends up closer to the latter.

            Several previous commentators have noted the episode’s debt to O. Henry’s 1905 short story, “The Gift of the Magi.” This story tells of an impoverished couple, Jim and Della, who sacrifice their most prized possessions to buy Christmas gifts for one another, unaware that the gifts are reliant upon the possessions each has given away. Della sells her beautiful hair to purchase a platinum chain for Jim’s watch. Jim sells his watch to buy a set of tortoiseshell combs for Della’s hair. In Serling’s version, Stansfield removes himself from hibernation so that he will be as old as Sandra when he returns to Earth in forty years. Sandra sacrifices forty years in a hibernation chamber so that she will remain as young as Stansfield upon his return. Each is unaware of the intentions of the other, leading to an ironic and tragic ending.

            This theme held a long-standing fascination for Rod Serling. Author and old-time radio historian Martin Grams, Jr. notes that around 1948 Serling wrote and starred in a radio play adaptation of O. Henry’s story for local broadcast on station WMRN in Marion, Ohio. Serling was at this time a student at Antioch College in nearby Yellow Springs, Ohio. His return to this material nearly twenty years later for The Twilight Zone indicates Serling’s enduring interest in exploring the profound personal costs of love and devotion, here magnified by the unique challenges of interstellar travel.

            Love and devotion are integral elements of the story. The episode’s romantic foundation, crucial for its emotional impact, feels notably rushed. The romance between Stansfield and Sandra sparks and deepens with surprising rapidity, demanding a significant leap of faith from the viewer. A more effective approach might have been to introduce the characters already in a relationship, allowing viewers to immediately connect with the profound sacrifice they face, rather than building their relationship from scratch within the episode’s limited runtime. “The Long Morrow” is a half-hour episode that may have benefited from the expanded runtime of the fourth season.

            Many previous commentators, including actress Mariette Hartley, have also noted the weight of the dialogue in the episode, using such terms as “talky,” “overwritten,” and “purple.” Serling presents one of his longest opening narrations of the series while also utilizing a voiceover narration from actor Robert Lansing. The narrative moves from scene to scene solely by means of dialogue. This overreliance on dialogue becomes increasingly apparent as the fifth season moves along toward the end of the series. It may stem from the fact that Serling primarily composed his scripts via dictation machine during this time, suggesting a natural inclination to compose through dialogue. The heavy reliance on dialogue is reflected in the stark production design and simple staging of the narrative. Director Robert Florey was able to significantly display his Expressionistic directing style in his previous episodes on the series, “Perchance to Dream” and “The Fever,” but the director is virtually invisible in “The Long Morrow.”

            The scientific underpinnings of the episode are very loose. The concept of a spacecraft traveling at “seventy times faster than the speed of light” is pure science fantasy, devoid of any genuine scientific grounding. The episode also posits that the time until the year 1988 will be one of enormous technological progress, including fantastic elements we have yet to see a quarter of the way into the twenty-first century. Stansfield is said to be thirty-one years old in the episode, having been an astronaut for eleven years. This would mean that Stansfield began his career as an astronaut at the age of twenty, making him a prodigiously young astronaut. According to NASA, the average age of an astronaut beginning their career is thirty-four, with ages ranging from late twenties to early forties. Robert Lansing was thirty-five at the time of filming the episode.

For The Twilight Zone, however, strict scientific accuracy was rarely a primary concern. The fantastical elements served as allegorical tools to explore human nature and societal dilemmas. In the case of “The Long Morrow,” the extreme velocity of Stansfield’s spacecraft is merely a narrative device to facilitate the monumental time gap central to the characters’ tragic predicament, rather than a serious attempt at scientific speculation.

            The episode culminates in an ironic twist ending, but its impact is double-edged. While emotionally resonant, the abrupt reveal of Stansfield’s self-imposed aging leaves a gap in the narrative. To be effective, the ironic ending requires information to be withheld from the viewer. Interestingly, the first draft of Serling’s script contained a scene in which Stansfield is shown to awaken from hibernation in order to perform routine maintenance on the spaceship. Stansfield then decides not to go back into hibernation and smashes the ice chamber. This would have spoiled one aspect of the twist ending, of course, but would have explained why Stansfield returns as an old man, rather than relying on dialogue from General Walters to relay the information. 

            Unfortunately, the visual effect intended to convey this dramatic change also falls short, with the aging makeup placed on Robert Lansing being described by The Twilight Zone Companion as “embarrassingly bad.” Despite this visual shortcoming, Lansing’s performance as Stansfield is excellently understated. He performed the scenes in which he is encased in ice clad only in a pair of mini-trunks. Lansing was apprehensive about this, but understood the striking visual impact of the scene. It is the most impressive visual effect in an episode whose shortcomings also include the use of grainy stock footage.

            Despite its narrative and technical limitations, “The Long Morrow” remains an effective exploration of the show’s enduring themes. The episode is thematically related to earlier scripts from Rod Serling. “The Rip Van Winkle Caper,” from the second season, also utilized the concept of suspended animation, illustrating Serling’s fascination with the manipulation of time and its effects on the human condition. Serling’s third season episode, “The Trade-Ins,” also grappled with the human desire to defy aging, and the unforeseen consequences of such aspirations. “The Long Morrow” is yet another example of the show’s recurring interest in the qualities of aging, one of the most prominent themes on the series. 

            Robert Lansing (1928-1994) was born Robert Howell Brown in San Diego. While working in an acting company in Michigan, he took the name of the Michigan city of Lansing to avoid a conflict in the Actors’ Equity Association with another actor named Robert Brown. Lansing began acting while attending University High School in Los Angeles. He served in the U.S. Army, working for the Armed Forces Radio Service while stationed in Japan. After military service, he worked as a radio announcer and local performer in Fort Wayne, Indiana. He moved to New York to refine his craft on stage. Although he found roles in prestige plays, he made little money and gained little notoriety from the experience. Lansing moved his family to his home state of California with a view to working in films. His first significant film role was in the science fiction film 4D Man (1959). “The Long Morrow” was not the first time Lansing appeared in a strange, science fiction aging story. In 4D Man, Lansing portrays a scientist who develops a method to pass through solid matter. The downside is that the process causes him to rapidly age as he loses his life force. He resorts to killing others to absorb their life energies and replenish his youth. Lansing later appeared in the insect attack films Empire of the Ants (1977) and The Nest (1987).

            Lansing found steady work in television beginning in the 1960s. He is perhaps best known for portraying Gary Seven in the Star Trek episode “Assignment: Earth.” The episode was intended as a spinoff series which followed Lansing’s character in a time-traveling war against an alien race. Lansing appeared in several anthology series, including One Step Beyond, Boris Karloff’s Thriller, the Alfred Hitchcock Presents revival series, and Monsters. Lansing appeared on Journey to the Unknown in an adaptation of Oliver Onion’s classic ghost story, “The Beckoning Fair One.”

            Other television roles included the military drama 12 O’clock High, the espionage series The Man Who Never Was, the short-lived detective series 87^th Precinct, the role of “Control” in The Equalizer, and Rod Serling’s western series The Loner. His final television role was in Kung Fu: The Legend Continues. A heavy smoker, Lansing died of lung cancer at the age of sixty-six. 

            Mariette Hartley (b. 1940) first met Rod Serling when she was a teenager and a student at Staples High School in Westport, Connecticut. Hartley viewed Serling’s Emmy-winning “Requiem for a Heavyweight” (1956) on Playhouse 90 and was so moved by the experience that she worked up the courage to write to the famous television writer and ask him to speak to her drama class. To her surprise, Serling said that he would and was as good as his word, showing up and speaking to Hartley’s class about the life of a working television writer. Several years later, Hartley was a young actress on contract at MGM having recently appeared in her first major film role for director Sam Peckinpah’s Ride the High Country (1962). Hartley ran into Serling on the MGM lot and, to her surprise, Serling remembered her and his visit to her high school. Hartley told Serling that she was looking for work and Serling was able to help her land the role of Sandra Horn in “The Long Morrow.”

            Hartley subsequently landed a supporting role in Alfred Hitchcock’s Marnie (1964), but television was where Hartley found her greatest success. She displayed enormous range in her career. She was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for such diverse programs as the television film The Last Hurrah, an episode of The Rockford Files, the children’s program The Halloween that Almost Wasn’t, the dramatic television film M.A.D.D.: Mothers Against Drunk Driving, and the comedy series Goodnight, Beantown. Hartley won an Emmy for an episode of The Incredible Hulk. Hartley appeared in the Star Trek episode “All Our Yesterdays,” as well as in Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry’s unsold pilot Genesis II. Hartley was equally comfortable on soap operas such as Peyton Place and One Life to Live as she was hosting the long-running documentary series Wild About Animals. Hartley’s other anthology appearance was in an episode of Circle of Fear, “Cry of the Cat.” 

            Edward Binns (1916-1990) enjoyed a long career as a reliable character actor who often played roles of authority. He appeared in such acclaimed films as 12 Angry Men (1957), North by Northwest (1959), Judgment at Nuremberg (1961), and Fail Safe (1964). Binns was equally busy on television. He appeared in such anthology series as Suspense, Inner Sanctum, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, One Step Beyond, and Boris Karloff’s Thriller. Binns previously appeared on The Twilight Zone in Rod Serling’s “I Shot an Arrow into the Air,” and appeared with Robert Lansing on 12 O’clock High and again in “The Trial in Paradise,” an episode of Rod Serling’s The Loner. 

             The gravelly-voiced character actor George Macready (1899-1973) made a career of playing villains and “heavies.” He began his career on the New York stage, eventually acting in several productions on Broadway. He was a prolific film and television actor who was a fixture in crime films in the 1940s. Macready appeared in such memorable crime films as Gilda (1946), The Big Clock (1948), and A Kiss Before Dying (1956), among many others. On television, Macready first crossed paths with Rod Serling when Macready appeared in Serling’s “In the Presence of Mine Enemies” (1960), the final episode of Playhouse 90. Macready later appeared in the 1964 film Seven Days in May, co-written by Serling, as well as in Serling’s “The Cemetery,” the opening segment of the Night Gallery pilot film. Macready appeared in one of the best episodes of Boris Karloff’s Thriller, “The Weird Tailor,” from the story by Robert Bloch, and appeared in episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, and The Outer Limits. Macready’s final film appearances came in the two Count Yorga vampire films. 

via IMDB

            Paris-born director Robert Florey (1900-1979) became enamored with Hollywood as a teenager. He moved to Hollywood in 1921 as a journalist for a French film magazine. Florey worked his way into the industry as an assistant director, learning his craft under the guidance of such accomplished directors as King Vidor and Josef von Sternberg. He began his directing career producing foreign publicity films for Hollywood studios and avant-garde short films inspired by German Expressionism. Florey was a hugely prolific director, working in virtually every genre. He co-directed the Marx Brothers feature The Cocoanuts (1929), although the Marx Brothers did not recall working with Florey with any fondness. Due to the influence of German cinema, horror was Florey’s forte. He contributed to the script for Universal’s Frankenstein (1931), a film Florey was slated to direct before being removed by the studio in favor of director James Whale. Florey’s consolation film from the studio was the gruesome The Murders in the Rue Morgue (1932), loosely based on the story by Edgar Allan Poe and starring Bela Lugosi, another refugee from Frankenstein. Florey also directed Peter Lorre in The Beast with Five Fingers (1946) for Warner Bros., loosely based on the memorable story by W.F. Harvey.

            Florey moved seamlessly into television in the fifties, directing several programs for Walt Disney. Florey directed an excellent episode of Boris Karloff’s Thriller, “The Incredible Doktor Markesan,” as well as several episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents and The Outer Limits episode “Moonstone.” Florey’s expressionistic style was best displayed during the first season of The Twilight Zone when he directed Charles Beaumont’s “Perchance to Dream.” Florey also directed Rod Serling’s nightmarish first season episode “The Fever.” 

        Although “The Long Morrow” features fine acting from Robert Lansing and Mariette Hartley, the episode is strained by the weight of its dialogue, rushed romance, poor visual effects, and hackneyed twist ending. This, unfortunately, places it well below the high standards established by the finest episodes of the series. 

Grade: D

Next Time in the Vortex: Our episode guide continues with a look at the adaptation of a story by Henry Slesar, “The Self-Improvement of Salvadore Ross.”

Acknowledgements:

--The Twilight Zone: Unlocking the Door to a Television Classic by Martin Grams, Jr. (OTR, 2008)
 
--Inside The Twilight Zone by Marc Scott Zicree (Image Entertainment/CBS DVD, 2001)
 
--The Twilight Zone Companion (3^rd ed.) by Marc Scott Zicree (Silman-James, 2018)
 
--A Critical History of Television’s The Twilight Zone: 1959-1964 by Don Presnell and Marty McGee (MacFarland & Co., 1998)
 
--Commentary by Mariette Hartley for “The Long Morrow” (The Twilight Zone: The 5^th Dimension Box Set, 2014)
 
--“Getting to Know Rod Serling” by Nick Thomas (The Spectrum, September 30, 2015)
 
--The Internet Movie Database (imdb.com)
 
--Wikipedia (Wikipedia.org)

Notes: 

--Robert Florey also directed the first season episodes “Perchance to Dream” and “The Fever.”
--Edward Binns previously appeared on the series in “I Shot an Arrow into the Air.”
--George Macready appeared in the Night Gallery pilot film segment “The Cemetery.”
--“The Long Morrow” was adapted as a Twilight Zone Radio Drama starring Kathy Garver.

-JP