"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

"Uncle Simon"

 

Robby the Robot in "Uncle Simon"

“Uncle Simon”
Season Five, Episode 128
Original Air Date: November 15, 1963
 
Cast:
Uncle Simon: Sir Cedric Hardwicke
Barbara Polk: Constance Ford
Schwimmer: Ian Wolfe
Robot: Dion Hansen (voiced by Vic Perrin)
 
Crew:
Writer: Rod Serling
Director: Don Siegel
Producer: Bert Granet
Director of Photography: Robert Pittack, a.s.c.
Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson
Art Direction: George W. Davis and Walter Holscher
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 Philip N. Mitchell
Mr. Serling’s Wardrobe: Eagle Clothes
Filmed at MGM Studios

And Now, Mr. Serling:

“Next on The Twilight Zone, the distinguished Sir Cedric Hardwicke lends us his considerable talent along with the very accomplished Constance Ford. They appear in what can most aptly be described as one of the shockers on our schedule. The play is called ‘Uncle Simon,’ and this, we submit, is a relative you’ve never met before. It’s a story with a final curtain I doubt anyone can predict. Next on Twilight Zone, ‘Uncle Simon.’”

Rod Serling’s Opening Narration:

“Dramatis Personae: Mr. Simon Polk, a gentleman who has lived out his life in a gleeful rage. And the young lady who’s just beat the hasty retreat is Mr. Polk’s niece, Barbara. She has lived her life as if each ensuing moment she had a dentist appointment. There is yet a third member of the company soon to be seen. He now resides in the laboratory and he is the kind of character found only in the Twilight Zone.”

Summary:

Barbara Polk has lived with her elderly uncle, Simon, a cruel and viscerally unpleasant person, for the past twenty-five years. His only living relative, Barbara will inherit Simon’s fortune when he dies. Barbara acts as Simon’s caretaker and essentially his maid, cooking his meals, preparing him hot chocolate, cleaning his enormous house, and is rewarded with pointed insults. She is kept alive by the hope that eventually he will die.

When he is not berating his niece, Simon spends his free time tinkering in his basement laboratory in which Barbara is not allowed. One day she finds it unlocked and sneaks in to quell her curiosity. Simon catches her and an altercation ensues. After a verbal back and forth on the stairs Simon raises his cane in anger and Barbara snatches it out of his hands, causing her uncle to lose his balance and tumble down the stairs. Simon uses his final moments to ask for help but Barbara declines and instead watches him die.

After Simon’s death, Barbara is visited by his attorney, Mr. Schwimmer, to settle the estate. Schwimmer informs her that she will inherit her uncle’s entire fortune on the condition that she continue to reside in the house. She is also tasked with being the guardian to her uncle’s final creation. Barbara and Schwimmer venture to Simon’s laboratory where they find a robot hidden in a closet. The robot informs them that it will learn and develop its own personality as it progresses. Schwimmer informs Barbara that he will pay her weekly visits to insure that the robot is properly cared for.

Days later, Barbara, looking considerably happier, is getting ready to go out for the night when the robot asks her to fix a cup of hot chocolate, Simon’s favorite. Barbara is terrified.

Later, she tries to enter the laboratory but the robot stops her at the bottom of the basement stairway, claiming that the room belongs to him and that she is not allowed inside. While berating her with insults the robot’s voice morphs into the voice of her late uncle. In a moment reminiscent of the death of her uncle, Barbara pushes the robot down the stairs, breaking its leg.

A few weeks later, Schwimmer stops by the house. Barbara is back in the same frumpy clothes she wore to tend to her uncle with the same despondent look on her face. After Schwimmer leaves, the robot, aided now by a cane, hurls a variety of nasty insults at her and then demands that she fix him some hot chocolate, all in a voice identical to that of her late uncle.

“I’ll fix it for you now,” she replies.

“’You'll fix it for me now,’ what?” asks the angry robot.

“I’ll fix it for you now…Uncle.”

Rod Serling’s Closing Narration:

“Dramatis Personae: a metal man who’ll go by the name of Simon, whose life as well as his body has been stamped out for him. And the woman who tends to him, the lady Barbara, who’s discovered belatedly that all bad things don’t come to an end, and that once the bed is made, it’s quite necessary that you sleep in it. Tonight’s uncomfortable little exercise of avarice and automatons, from the Twilight Zone.”

Commentary:

“Uncle Simon” is something of an unusual episode. A black comedy with an absurd plot, two dimensional characters, and over-the-top dialogue, all of which surprisingly work in its favor. Despite its hard science fiction element, the overall tone of the episode suggests that it could have been more at home on Alfred Hitchcock Presents. The plot of the episode is predictable and it doesn’t really lend itself to many repeat viewings, but Serling seems aware of the script’s flaws and leans into them, creating an episode that almost feels like a satire of the show. Serling was, by his own admission, tired by this point in the show’s run after having scripted the majority of the episodes during the show’s first four seasons. So it is no surprise that this late in the series some of his scripts contain familiar elements. With this episode, he seems to be conscious of the fact that the audience has grown accustomed to many of the themes and tropes associated with the show because the entire episode feels vaguely self-aware, which is probably its biggest selling point.

It should be noted that a filmed scene from this episode did not make the final cut. In the scene, Barbara, after witnessing her uncle die, laughs with relief and, presumably, joy. The scene then cuts to Barbara in the study being interrogated by a police officer. With tears in her eyes, she tells him that she heard a crash from downstairs and when she went to investigate, her uncle was already dead. The officer believes her story and offers his condolences. On his way out he tells her that his father was a student of Simon’s at the university where he once taught. After he leaves she begins to smash all of her uncle’s possessions. The officer was played by John Mcliam who appeared in several other episodes, almost always as a police officer. In his adaptation of this episode as a Twilight Zone Radio Drama, writer Dennis Etchison included the cut scene and even expanded on it a bit, with Barbara openly flirting with the officer and asking him to dinner afterwards.

This scene is interesting because including it would have changed the story a great deal. In the final cut of the episode, the audience sees Barbara as a victim of her uncle even though she lets him die, which may or may not be because she wants his money. Given the abuse the audience has seen inflicted upon her up until this point, it is understandable that she holds a great deal of anger and fear towards him, even if she is not a particularly sympathetic character, and may just want him to die so she can finally be at peace. The cut scene would have painted Barbara in a much nastier light and would have suggested that her only goal was her inheritance, which would have made her fate even more predictable. The final cut of the episode relies on a certain ambiguity of her character and attempts to make her fate seem tragic, whether or not that is accomplished is debatable.

Serling’s dialogue is the main reason to watch this episode. It feels as if he is trying to say something with this story, possibly about why people stay in unhappy relationships, but realizes that he isn’t sticking the landing the way he wants to and so instead fills the episode, particularly the first act, with a nonstop barrage of mean language. Simon’s dialogue is so ridiculously over the top that he sounds more like an insult comedian than a feeble old man who builds robots in his basement, something that Serling points out in Barbara’s dialogue.

During the middle of the twentieth century, robots and artificial intelligence became a frequently used theme in science fiction and The Twilight Zone was no exception. So far in the fifth season there had already been two episodes that featured sentient machinery, albeit ambiguously, and there would be several more before the end of the season. The preoccupation with computers, of both their benefits and the perceived threats they posed to humanity, soared during the 1950s and 60s as computers became able to store more information than ever before. This resulted in numerous interpretations of computers and robots in the science fiction of that era. During its time on the air, The Twilight Zone featured robots and androids made for a variety of different functions: human companionship (“The Lonely” “I Sing the Body Electric”), human replacement (“Steel” and the forthcoming season five episode “The Brain Center at Whipple’s”), exploitation (“The Mighty Casey”) and mistaken identity (“The Lateness of the Hour” “In His Image”). “Uncle Simon” is the only episode that features a robot made by and in the likeness of a human to be functional only after they themselves have died. It suggests that robots can prolong a person’s importance on Earth and offer a chance at immortality. The absurd fact that Simon builds a one-of-a-kind mechanical wonder simply to continue torturing his niece after he is gone is part of the charm of the story.

Robby and Earl Holliman
in MGM's Forbidden Planet (1956)

To a modern audience the most recognizable star of this episode is Robby the Robot, although here he is significantly altered from his more well-known original costume. Like many props featured in The Twilight Zone and other science fiction productions filmed at MGM, Robby the Robot first appeared in the 1956 film, Forbidden Planet, directed by Fred M. Wilcox. The film stars Walter Pidgeon, Leslie Nielson, and Anne Francis but the breakout star was Robby. The costume went on to be featured in numerous film and television productions earning it the nickname “the hardest working robot in Hollywood.” Robby was initially depicted on the poster for Forbidden Planet as a robotic monster carrying a dead Anne Francis, but no such scene in the film actually exists and Robby was, and mostly remained in subsequent screen appearances, a gentle, caring companion with a warm, dry wit. This episode is one of the few exceptions which is probably why the headpiece of the costume is altered so as not to tarnish the friendly image of Robby the Robot, who was very popular with children, and also because, by this point in Robby’s fame, it would have been a distraction from the story. The headpiece used in “Uncle Simon” is a much more simplified design than the original costume. A cylindrical head was used in place of the original head with movable eyes and a motionless mouth, placed under the familiar clear plexiglass dome. This makes the robot’s face look more like a human’s. The voice-activated lights that make up the mouth and the protruding tubes that function as Robby’s ears are gone.

Serling and Robby in
a promotional photo

Robby was the brainchild of a handful of different people working at MGM at the time, namely production designer Buddy Gillespie, art director Arthur Lonergan, screenwriter Irving Block, and mechanical designer Robert Kinoshita, who drew the final sketches of the costume that would be seen on the screen. At $125,000, It was the most expensive prop made for the film and proved to be an innovative design. Because Robby was constructed with three interlocking sections (lower, torso, head) that were placed on the performer inside starting from the bottom up, with the actor, usually one of shorter stature, strapped into an internal harness, it allowed the costume to be filmed from every angle without giving away the façade.

Poster for Invasion of the
Body Snatchers (1956)

This is the first of two episodes directed by the great Don Siegel, who also directed another fifth season episode, “The Self-Improvement of Salvadore Ross.” Siegel and Serling worked together years earlier when Siegel directed two of Serling’s earliest television scripts for episodes of the NBC series The Doctor in 1952. When his Twilight Zone episodes were first broadcast, Siegel was already a celebrated director of genre films and television, although the most successful part of his career still lay ahead of him. Siegel’s career began at Warner Bros. in the 1930s as a second unit director and editor who worked alongside directors like Raoul Walsh, Michael Curtiz, and Howard Hawks. As an editor, Siegel specialized in cutting together montages for films including the opening montage for Casablanca (1942). In 1945, he directed two short films, a retelling of the nativity story, Star in the Night, and a post-war documentary, Hitler Lives, both of which won Academy Awards enabling him to direct feature films. Although he directed mostly low budget B movies for the next two decades, he built a reputation for himself as a director who could accomplish a lot with relatively little. His list of credits during this time includes The Verdict (1946), The Big Steal (1949), Riot in Cell Block 11 (1954), and the Elvis Presley western Flaming Star (1960). In 1956, he directed the first adaptation of Jack Finney’s novel The Body Snatchers. Invasion of the Body Snatchers, starring Kevin McCarthy, went on to become a science fiction landmark for its political metaphors and lasting social commentary.

Siegel had always been adept at portraying violence and gritty realism in his work and his interest in these types of stories only increased as he became older. Many of his later films, starting probably with his 1964 remake of Ernest Hemingway’s The Killers (1946), with Lee Marvin, focused on masculine loners living in a corrupt and morally deficient society. Given this, it seems appropriate that Siegel directed John Wayne’s last film, The Shootist, in 1976. Siegel mentored numerous proteges during his career, among them Sam Peckinpah and Clint Eastwood, both of which would go on to direct similar types of films. With Eastwood, Siegel would enjoy the most prominent era of his long career. Siegel made five films with Eastwood as his leading man, among them Escape from Alcatraz (1979) and the cultural milestone, Dirty Harry (1971). Eastwood credits Siegel for launching his career as a director and dedicated his masterpiece, Unforgiven (1992), to Siegel and his other directorial mentor, Sergio Leone.

Siegel’s direction in this episode is relatively simple. The story is driven almost entirely by Serling’s dialogue and the performances of its cast. There are several scenes, however, which are purposely shot to resemble other scenes in the episode as a foreshadowing of the episode’s denouement. The scenes in the study and the scenes on the basement stairs, before and after Simon’s death, are shot and blocked similarly to emphasize the robot’s replacement of Simon in Barbara’s life.

Constance Ford started her career as a teenage model in the early 1940s and eventually worked her way onto the Broadway stage appearing in the original production of Death of a Salesman in 1949. She appeared in a handful on notable films during her career including Delmer Daves' A Summer Place in 1959, John Frankenheimer's All Fall Down in 1962, and the Robert Bloch scripted The Cabinet of Caligari in 1962, but the bulk of her career was spent in television. A regular fixture in episodic television durinng the 1950s and 60s, she appeared in many of the popular live dramas of the period including an episode of Kraft Theatre in 1953 called "The Blues for Joey Menotti" and the Playhouse 90 episode "The Comedian" in 1957, both written by Serling, the latter of which won him an Emmy. Genre fans may recognize her from episodes of Lights Out, Suspense, Inner Sanctum, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Thriller, and 'Way Out. She is probably best remembered for her role as Ada Hobson in the NBC daytime soap opera, Another World, which she played from 1967 to 1992, shortly before her death.

While all three characters in “Uncle Simon” exist simply to service the plot, Ford makes the most out of this limitation and gives a bitter yet restrained portrayal of the damaged and defeated Barbara Polk. The only time she allows the character to display genuinely rousing emotion is immediately after Simon’s death when she vandalizes his possessions while entranced in the ecstasy of her new freedom, doing so with the awkwardness of someone who has twenty-five years’ worth of repressed hatred and anger.

Sir Cedric Hardwicke was a theatrically trained English actor who enjoyed a career that lasted nearly half a century. He was a prolific stage actor, often appearing in plays by Shakespeare and George Bernard Shaw. His stage work eventually earned him a Tony Award and knighthood. He began appearing in films around the same time that talkies took over cinema, appearing at first in both European and American films and later moving to the U.S. permanently. He appeared in a variety of films but was often cast in literary adaptations and genre pictures. His notable film roles include the 1939 version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame, John Brahm’s The Lodger (1944), Alfred Hitchcock’s Suspicion (1941) and Rope (1948), The War of the Worlds (1953), and The Ten Commandments (1956). He worked with Don Siegel before this in the film Baby Face Nelson in 1957. He spent the last decade of his career appearing in numerous television series including The Outer Limits and Alfred Hitchcock Presents. His sole appearance on The Twilight Zone would be one of his final roles as he passed away less than a year after it was originally broadcast. He is only on screen for the first half of the episode but he steals the show, although to be fair he is given pretty much all of the fun dialogue. Considering that his character is absurdly two dimensional, with his only motive throughout the entire episode being the inexplicable need to torture his niece, his performance is surprisingly memorable.

Ian Wolfe’s career as a stage and screen actor lasted nearly seven decades. Even at a young age, he was often cast as bookish old men as he looked much older than he was. This was Wolfe’s only appearance on the series. A highly prolific actor, he usually played small supporting roles and his credits include appearances on One Step Beyond, Star Trek, Rod Serling’s Night Gallery (season two’s “Deliveries in the Rear”), Amazing Stories, and numerous westerns. On the big screen he had roles in Hitchcock’s Foreign Correspondent (1940) and Saboteur (1942), They Live by Night (1948), Rebel Without a Cause (1955), Witness for the Prosecution (1957), The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm (1962), Diary of a Madman (1963), THX 1138 (1971), and Dick Tracy (1990). He appeared in Don Siegel’s first film, The Verdict, in 1946 and his last film, Jinxed, in 1982.

Today, Vic Perrin, who voices the robot before it evolves into the voice of Cedric Hardwicke, is almost certainly best remembered as the control voice heard in the opening segment of The Outer Limits. He appeared earlier on The Twilight Zone in season one’s “People Are Alike All Over” and would appear once more in season five’s “Ring-a-Ding Girl.” He also made several appearances on Star Trek and Mission: Impossible, and his voice work is featured prominently on numerous animated series throughout the 1960s, 70s and 80s.

“Uncle Simon” often gets a bad rap from fans and critics and, truth be told, it probably won’t ever be anyone’s favorite episode. The plot is stilted and revolves almost exclusively around the twist ending, which is immediately predicable, there are several scenes that are simply not interesting, and of the three characters, none elicit any sort of concern from the audience at any point in the episode. Its saving attribute, however, is its self-awareness and its willingness to laugh at itself right along with the audience. For those who have never seen “Uncle Simon,” it is worth a viewing or two simply to hear Serling have tremendous fun with dialogue and see the show essentially poke fun at itself.  

Grade: C

Grateful acknowledgement is made to the following:

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

"Uncle Simon” episode commentary by Martin Grams, Jr., The Twilight Zone: The Complete Series Blu-ray (Image Entertainment, 2016)

“Uncle Simon” Twilight Zone Radio Dramas, adapted by Dennis Etchison, directed by Carl Amari (Falcon Picture Group)

The Internet Movie Database

Wikipedia 

Notes:

--Rod Serling's script for "Uncle Simon" was collected The Complete Twilight Zone Scripts of Rod Serling, Vol. 5, edited by Tony Albarella (2008, Gauntlet Press)

--Don Siegel also directed the season five episode “The Self-Improvement of Salvadore Ross.”

--Ian Wolfe also appeared in the season two segment of Rod Serling’s Night Gallery, “Deliveries in the Rear.”

--Vic Perrin appeared in the season one episode “People Are Alike All Over” and the season five episode “Ring-a-Ding Girl.”

--Robby the Robot can also be seen in the season five episode “The Brain Center at Whipple’s” where he is again played by Dion Hansen, and a miniature figurine of Robby can be seen briefly in the season one episode "One for the Angels."

“Uncle Simon” was adapted into a Twilight Zone Radio Drama by Dennis Etchison, starring Beverly Garland and Peter Mark Richman. 

-Brian