"Black Leather Jackets"

 

Fred (Tom Gilleran), Scott (Lee Kinsolving), and Steve (Michael Forest), alien invaders, ride into town

“Black Leather Jackets”
Season Five, Episode 138
Original Air Date: January 31, 1964

 

Cast:
Scott: Lee Kinsolving
Ellen Tillman: Shelley Fabares (as Shelly Fabares)
Steve: Michael Forest
Stu Tillman: Denver Pyle
Fred: Tom Gilleran
Sheriff’s Deputy Harper: Michael Conrad
Martha Tillman: Irene Hervey
Mover: Wayne Heffley (uncredited)
Voice of Alien Leader: Gregory Morton (uncredited)
Attendant: Mark Russell (uncredited)

 

Crew:
Writer: Earl Hamner, Jr.
Director: Joseph M. Newman
Producer: William Froug
Director of Photography: George T. Clemens
Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson
Art Direction: George W. Davis & Malcolm Brown
Film Editor: Thomas W. Scott
Set Decoration: Henry Grace & Robert R. Benton
Assistant Director: Charles Bonniwell, Jr.
Casting: Patricia Rose
Music: Van Cleave
Sound: Franklin Milton & Joe Edmondson
Mr. Serling’s Wardrobe: Eagle Clothes
Filmed at MGM Studios

 

And Now, Mr. Serling:

“Earl Hamner, Jr. brings his typewriter and his fertile mind back into The Twilight Zone next time with a program about visitors. On the surface they’re beatniks, a few raunchy-looking characters on motorcycles roar into town one day. But once you meet them, you won’t forget them. They’re quite different from what they appear. On The Twilight Zone, Lee Kinsolving, Shelley Fabares, and Michael Forest star in ‘Black Leather Jackets.’”

 

Rod Serling’s Opening Narration: 

“Three strangers arrive in a small town. Three men in black leather jackets in an empty rented house. We’ll call them Steve and Scott and Fred, but their names are not important. Their mission is, as three men on motorcycles lead us into The Twilight Zone.”

 

Summary: 

The peaceful calm of a suburban neighborhood is shattered by the arrival of three mysterious young men on motorcycles. Dressed in black leather jackets, the trio—leader Steve, along with Fred and Scott—rent a house from a local real estate agent. Their new neighbor, Stu Tillman, is immediately suspicious. He warns his daughter, Ellen, to steer clear of them. 

The peculiar behavior of the young men increases Stu Tillman's suspicions. Large quantities of industrial freezers are delivered to their house and strange electrical disturbances begin that night. Unbeknownst to Stu, the strangers also possess telekinetic powers. Stu goes next door to investigate the electrical disturbances and is met with a hostile reception. He confronts the men, who push him around and, through a strange mental power, compel him to forget the encounter and return home, convinced they are just "nice boys." Meanwhile, in their own home, the strangers activate a room full of advanced electrical equipment, alluding to a larger, unknown purpose. 

The plot thickens when Ellen, needing a ride, accepts an offer from Scott, the youngest of the three strangers. While sitting in the town park, they form a connection through conversation. Scott misses a crucial meeting with Steve and Fred, who are seen communicating with a monstrous, disembodied eye on a screen. The true nature of the strangers is revealed: they are advanced extraterrestrials, disdainful of humanity, and they have been infiltrating communities worldwide in preparation for a final strike to rid the planet of its inhabitants. 

As days pass, Scott becomes increasingly attached to Ellen, and his affection for her causes him to question the mission. He misses another meeting, and when Ellen finally confronts him about his secrets, he grows angry, prompting her to go home. Steve punishes Scott but lets him stay on as a non-participant, just as the final, chilling instructions are received: they are to poison the town's water supply with deadly bacteria. 

Scott makes a desperate attempt to save Ellen. He flees to her house and begs her to run away with him to a safe place. Confused and terrified, Ellen believes he is mentally unstable and seeks her father's help. Stu calls the sheriff's office and Deputy Harper assures him they'll handle the problem. In a shocking twist, Deputy Harper is revealed to be one of the alien invaders. 

In a final, desperate plea, Scott returns to his house and implores the alien leader to spare humanity, arguing that they are capable of love. His plea is rejected, and he is branded a traitor. He returns to Ellen's house and is confronted by Deputy Harper. Scott tries to warn the Tillmans, but it's too late. Deputy Harper and three medical attendants forcibly take Scott away. As Scott is led off, his final words are a hopeless warning that they've made a terrible mistake. The Tillmans, unaware of the true danger, watch him being taken away, thinking they've done the right thing. Deputy Harper leaves with a sinister sense of satisfaction, his true nature still a secret. The invasion is now unstoppable, and humanity is doomed.

 

Rod Serling’s Closing Narration:

“Portrait of an American family on the eve of invasion from outer space. Of course, we know it’s merely fiction – and yet, think twice when you drink your next glass of water. Find out if it’s from your local reservoir or if possibly it came direct to you from The Twilight Zone.”

 

Commentary: 

When “Black Leather Jackets” aired in January of 1964, it tapped into one of the most pervasive fears of the time: youth rebellion. The episode centers on three leather-clad beatniks who, to the horror of middle-class citizen Stu Tillman, move in next door, threatening not only the sanctity of his quiet neighborhood but also the innocence of his daughter Ellen. But this is The Twilight Zone, so these aren’t human beatniks, but extraterrestrials sent to poison the town’s water supply in a coordinated effort to wipe out humanity. 

The most glaring inconsistency in the episode is the choice of the aliens arriving as leather-clad beatniks on loud motorcycles, a group that would have instantly drawn unwanted attention in any quiet, suburban neighborhood of the era. This choice was likely made for no other reason than to introduce an element of social commentary into the science fiction plot. The premise of the episode is built on a cliché of 1950s cinema: the rebellious outsider. By 1964, however, the image of the dangerous biker boy had largely been rendered obsolete by new “threats” to society and the general upheaval of the increasingly turbulent 1960s. This is one of several reasons why the episode has aged poorly since its original broadcast. The episode ultimately struggles to blend its social commentary with its alien invasion plot, resulting in a fascinating but flawed entry in the series. 

Written by Earl Hamner, Jr., the episode was likely influenced by such films as The Wild One (1953), starring Marlon Brando, in which a motorcycle gang terrorizes a small town. The film was based on the story “Cyclists’ Raid” (1951) by Frank Rooney, itself inspired by sensationalist media coverage of the so-called “Hollister Riot,” or “Hollister Invasion,” which occurred during a motorcycle rally in Hollister, California in 1947. In a rarity for Hamner, he used the real names of people he knew for the script. The three aliens were loosely based on Hamner’s son Scott and his son’s friends Steve and Frank. The original title of Hamner’s script was simply “Love Story,” giving some indication of the greater interest Hamner placed in the relationship between Scott and Ellen than in the alien invasion plot. This relationship, and the performances of Lee Kinsolving and Shelley Fabares, gives the episode a glimmer of depth amidst its science fictional flaws. Had the episode been allowed to offer a subtler commentary on prejudice and understanding, it might have resonated more. Instead, it gets bogged down by an absurd plot to poison Earth’s water supply, a plan that feels particularly nonsensical when you consider the aliens possess mind control and telekinetic powers. 

Aliens infiltrating small American communities, often with the aim of takeover or destruction, was another staple of 1950s and early 1960s cinema, seen in such films as It Came from Outer Space (1953), based on a story by Ray Bradbury, Invaders from Mars (1953), Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956), based on the novel by Jack Finney, and Village of the Damned (1960), based on The Midwich Cuckoos by John Wyndham. The downbeat ending of the episode, in which Scott is disbelieved and taken away to an unknown fate, allowing the deadly invasion to proceed, was atypical for the time. This brings up another inconsistency with the episode, however, as the viewer is left to wonder if Scott could have simply demonstrated his alien mind powers to prove to Ellen he was sincere. Without such a demonstration, Ellen is left with no choice than to believe Scott is mentally disturbed. 

“Black Leather Jackets” contains production choices that, while perhaps not intentional, lend a campy quality to the episode. The most striking example is the appearance of the alien leader. Hamner’s script described the image of the leader, named “The Mask,” as a metallic mask with slits for the eyes and nostrils. Instead, we see a giant, disembodied eye on screen. This single, unblinking eyeball is more absurd than menacing. The eye, incidentally, belonged to frequent series extra Robert McCord, while the uncredited voice of the alien leader was that of Gregory Morton. The visual absurdities don’t end there. The “beatniks” wear riding goggles that are more comical than cool, and an unintentionally humorous moment occurs when a mind-controlled Stu Tillman walks directly into the doorframe of the house. These stylistic choices – including Van Cleave’s kitschy jazz score – combine to create a disconnect from the effective and menacing tones of the best episodes of the series. Production errors, such as the reflection of a stage light in the doorknob, or the shadow of a boom mike on the white pillar of Ellen’s house, further cements the notion that this was a competent, but not a particularly polished, production. 

While the episode has its share of flaws in plot and production, it does not lack for talented performers. Lee Kinsolving (1938-1974) was born in Boston and began acting in college. He was a method actor who studied under Mary Welch at the Actors Studio in New York. After a stint as a leading man on Broadway, Kinsolving began performing in East Coast television programs. He moved to Hollywood in 1959 and landed several film roles, earning a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor for The Dark at the Top of the Stairs (1960). Kinsolving was a versatile and prolific television actor. Notable television roles include the Route 66 episode “Follow the White Dove with the Broken Wing,” and The Outer Limits episode “The Children of Spider County.” He retired from acting in 1966 after becoming frustrated with the business. He briefly owned and managed the Toad Hall restaurant and bar in Manhattan before moving to Florida, dividing his time between Palm Beach and a home in Virginia. Kinsolving managed two art galleries and enjoyed spending time on the sea in his private schooner. He died on December 4, 1974 at the age of 36 from a sudden respiratory illness. 

Shelley Fabares (b. 1944) was born Michele Marie Fabares in Santa Monica. She began appearing on television as a young child and made her film debut at age twelve in Never Say Goodbye (1956). Fabares perfected her image as the American girl next door on The Donna Reed Show in the role of teenager Mary Stone, which Fabares portrayed from 1958-1963. This role even led to a brief recording career in which Fabares scored a #1 hit in 1961 with “Johnny Angel.” Fabares appeared in surf movies and Elvis films later in the 1960s. After a dry spell, Fabares reinvented herself as a versatile television actress. Fabares received acclaim for her role in the series Coach (1988-1997), for which she received two Emmy Award nominations. Later in her career, Fabares provided the voice of Martha Kent, Superman’s Earth mother, to several DC Comics animated films. 

Michael Forest (b. 1929) was born Gerald Michael Charlebois. He made his way to Hollywood after attending San Jose State University. Forest studied acting under Jeff Corey, through whom he met director Roger Corman. Forest acted in several Corman films in the 1950s and 1960s. Forest was a prolific television actor, appearing on such series as One Step Beyond and The Outer Limits. His most notable television role was as the god Apollo in the Star Trek episode “Who Mourns for Adonis?” Forest performed in stage productions under his birth name and lent his voice to numerous animated productions. The role of the beatniks in “Black Leather Jackets” required the actors to demonstrate an ability to ride a motorcycle. Forest rode motorcycles as a teenager but was not familiar with modern motorcycles. The production team, which included a Technical Motorcycle Supervisor for the episode, created a modified motorcycle for Forest which contained a hand shift and a foot clutch. 

Denver Pyle (1920-1997) was born in Colorado and worked numerous jobs before finding his calling as an actor. While working on aircraft production at the Lockheed Corporation in Los Angeles, Pyle was discovered by a talent scout while performing in an amateur production. Pyle is best known for his roles as the grizzled westerner in numerous films and television series. Pyle worked in westerns by director John Ford, such as The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962), as well as in films with John Wayne late in The Duke’s career. Other film roles include a memorable turn as Texas Ranger Frank Hamer in Bonnie and Clyde (1967), and a role in the low-budget film The Legend of Hillbilly John (1972), based on the “John the Balladeer” stories of Manly Wade Wellman. On the small screen, Pyle is known for his roles as Uncle Jesse on The Dukes of Hazzard, Briscoe Darling, patriarch of the trouble-making, musical family, on The Andy Griffith Show, and Mad Jack in The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams. Pyle also appeared in an episode of Boris Karloff’s Thriller. 

New York-born Tom Gilleran (1936-2022) had the small role of Fred in the episode. Gilleran acted sparingly on the small screen. His notable appearances include four episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. 

Michael Conrad (1925-1983) won two Emmy Awards, and was nominated for two more, for his role as desk sergeant Phil Esterhaus on Hill Street Blues. Conrad earlier appeared in an episode of the short-lived anthology series ‘Way Out, in the creepy episode “Dissolve to Black.” Conrad appeared in a small role in the 1962 film version of Rod Serling’s Requiem for a Heavyweight, as well as in such films as They Shoot Horses, Don’t They? (1969) and The Longest Yard (1974). Conrad died in 1983 while filming the fourth season of Hill Street Blues. 

Irene Hervey (1909-1998) was born Beulah Irene Herwick in Venice, California. She was trained in performance art from a young age by English actress Emma Dunn, who was a friend of her mother. Hervey signed with MGM early in her career and was often loaned out to other studios. An early memorable role came in United Artists’ The Count of Monte Cristo (1934). She signed with Universal in 1938 and appeared in such films as the western Destry Rides Again (1939), opposite James Stewart and Marlene Dietrich, and the horror film Night Monster (1942), opposite Bela Lugosi and Lionel Atwill. Hervey had a memorable late career role opposite Clint Eastwood in Play Misty for Me (1971). On the small screen, Hervey appeared in many guest roles, including “The Watcher,” an episode of Boris Karloff’s Thriller, and an episode of My Three Sons (1969), for which Hervey received an Emmy nomination. 

“Black Leather Jackets” also includes three uncredited roles. Wayne Heffley (1927-2008) appears as the moving man with the speaking role. Heffley previously appeared on the series in Rod Serling’s “The Odyssey of Flight 33.” Gregory Morton (1911-1986) provides the voice of the alien leader. Morton was a staple of television anthology programs. He appeared in episodes of Lights Out, Thriller, and One Step Beyond. Morton provided his voice to episodes of the Irwin Allen productions Lost in Space and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. Mark Russell, who plays a medical attendant in the episode, often appeared in uncredited roles, including on The Twilight Zone in “The Fever,” from the first season, and the later fifth season episode “What’s in the Box.” 

Joseph M. Newman (1906-2006) is best-known for directing the science fiction spectacle This Island Earth (1955), although director Jack Arnold reshot significant portions of the film, including most of the memorable sequences, when Universal Studios was dissatisfied with the footage shot by Newman. He was twice nominated for the now-defunct Best Assistant Director Academy Award in 1936 and 1937. Newman specialized in films with a documentary feel, a talent he developed while shooting documentaries and newsreels for the Signal Corps during the Second World War. Examples include the film noir 711 Ocean Drive (1950) and the adventure film Red Skies of Montana (1952). Newman turned in competent, if undistinguished, television work later in his career, including three additional episodes of The Twilight Zone: “In Praise of Pip,” “The Last Night of a Jockey,” and “The Bewitchin’ Pool.” Newman also directed ten episodes of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, highlighted by the disturbing third season episode, “An Unlocked Window,” based on a story by Ethel Lina White. 

“Black Leather Jackets” suffers from numerous science fiction clichés and poor production choices that cause the episode to age poorly. The plot is filled with inconsistencies, particularly in the aliens choosing such a conspicuous disguise. The episode’s true strength, however, lies not in its alien invasion plot, but in Earl Hamner’s interest in the cross-cultural relationship between Scott and Ellen. This focus on a human story, set against a backdrop of suburban fear and Cold War paranoia, provides the episode with a modicum of resonance. Viewed through the lens of a flawed production and a society grappling with its fears of youth rebellion, “Black Leather Jackets” stands as a fascinating, if ultimately below-average, offering from the series. 

Grade: D 

Next Time in the Vortex: A nostalgic trip back in time through the pages of the May/June 1984 issue of Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone Magazine.  

Acknowledgements:
 
--Interview with Michael Forest (The Twilight Zone: The 5^th Dimension (CBS DVD/Image Entertainment, 2014))
 
--Interview with Earl Hamner, Jr. (The Twilight Zone: The 5^th Dimension (CBS DVD/Image Entertainment, 2014))
 
--Inside The Twilight Zone by Marc Scott Zicree (CBS DVD/Image Entertainment, 2000)
 
--“They Came from Beyond Main Street” by Tony Albarella (The Twilight Zone Scripts of Earl Hamner (Cumberland House, 2003))
 
--A Critical History of Television’s The Twilight Zone, 1959-1964 by Don Presnell and Marty McGee (McFarland & Co., 1998)
 
--The Twilight Zone Companion (3^rd ed.) by Marc Scott Zicree (Silman-James, 2018)
 
--The Twilight Zone: Unlocking the Door to a Television Classic by Martin Grams, Jr. (OTR, 2008)
 
--The Internet Movie Database (imdb.com)
 
--Wikipedia (Wikipedia.org) 

Notes: 

--Joseph M. Newman also directed the fifth season episodes “In Praise of Pip,” “The Last Night of a Jockey,” and “The Bewitchin’ Pool.”

--Earl Hamner, Jr. wrote seven additional episodes of the series, including “The Hunt,” “Stopover in a Quiet Town,” and the hour-long episode “Jess-Belle.”

--Wayne Heffley also appeared in the second season episode “The Odyssey of Flight 33.”

--Mark Russell also had uncredited roles in the first season episode “The Fever” and the later fifth season episode “What’s in the Box.”

--“Black Leather Jackets” was adapted as a Twilight Zone Radio Drama starring Marshall Allman and Elizabeth Ledo.

--The interior of the Tillman house is the same living room set used in “Ninety Years Without Slumbering” and “Ring-a-Ding Girl.” 

-JP

"You Drive"

Oliver Pope (Edward Andrews): Distracted Driver

“You Drive”
Season Five, Episode 134
Original Airdate: January 3, 1964

Cast:
Oliver Pope: Edward Andrews
Lillian Pope: Helen Westcott
Pete Ratcliff: Kevin Hagen
Muriel Hastings: Totty Ames
Timmy Danbers: Michael Gorfain
Policeman: John Hanek
Passerby: Robert McCord

 

Crew:
Writer: Earl Hamner, Jr.
Director: John Brahm
Producer: William Froug
Director of Photography: George T. Clemens, a.s.c.
Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson
Art Direction: George W. Davis and Malcolm Brown
Film Editor: Thomaas 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 Culver City, CA

 

And Now, Mr. Serling:

“On Twilight Zone next time, again the services of Earl Hamner, Jr. in a strange story, a strange conclusion, and a very unusual brand of justice, dramatizing a show called ‘You Drive.’ It’s the story of a hit-and-run driver and a very special kind of automobile. The consummately fine actor named Edward Andrews lives out a nightmare partly of his own making. On Twilight Zone, ‘You Drive.’ I hope you’re going to watch it with us.” 

Rod Serling’s Opening Narration:

“Portrait of a nervous man. Oliver Pope by name, office manager by profession. A man beset by life’s problems: his job, his salary, the competition to get ahead. Obviously, Mr. Pope’s mind is not on his driving. “

The narration continues after Pope hits a young boy on a bicycle and flees the scene of the crime.

“Oliver Pope, businessman-turned-killer, on a rain-soaked street in the early evening of just another day during just another drive home from the office. The victim, a kid on a bicycle, lying injured, near death. But Mr. Pope hasn’t time for the victim, his only concern is himself. Oliver Pope, hit-and-run driver, just arrived at a crossroad in his life, and he’s chosen the wrong turn. The hit occurred in the world he knows, but the run will lead him straight into . . . The Twilight Zone.” 

Summary:

Driving home one evening after an afternoon rainstorm, Oliver Pope, preoccupied by his own insecurity, runs into a young boy on a bicycle delivering newspapers. He stops the car and gets out to take inventory. The boy is on the ground, unconscious, his bicycle lies smashed and twisted a few feet away. In a moment’s hesitation, Oliver gets back in the car and drives away. A woman comes to the boy’s aid and shouts for Oliver to come back but he does not. 

Once home, his wife, Lillian, asks him if they are still going to the movies. Oliver says he is not feeling well. He is jumpy and irritable. His wife asks if anything is wrong and he says that one of his co-workers, Pete Radcliff, is trying to steal his job. Lillian notices a blinking light coming from the garage. Oliver goes to investigate and finds the lights of his car blinking on and off. He cuts them off and goes back inside. He tells his wife that it must be faulty wiring. Lillian says that the newspaper is late and Oliver winces. Later, away from his wife, Oliver calls the police to find out how the boy is doing. The prognosis is grim.

Later that night, Oliver and his wife are awakened to the sound of a car horn blaring repeatedly. Realizing it’s his car, Oliver goes back to the garage. Frustrated, he lifts the hood and rips the horn out of the car and the sound stops. The hood abruptly slams shut, narrowly missing him.

The next day, Oliver reads in the paper that there was a witness, a woman, who saw a man fleeing the scene of the accident in a car. Oliver tells Lilian that he is still not feeling well and will not be going to the office. Suddenly, the car horn starts honking incessantly. Lilian decides to take it to a repair shop.

On her way to the shop, the car suddenly becomes uncontrollable and dies in the middle of an intersection. Lillian runs to a nearby payphone and calls a tow truck. When she returns home, she tells Oliver about the car and says she had it towed to a repair shop and took a cab home. They hear the car horn from the garage. They go into the garage and find the car sitting there, horn blaring. The telephone rings and Oliver answers. It’s the repair shop informing them that their car has gone missing. The doorbell rings. It’s Pete Radcliff, bringing Oliver some papers from the office. Oliver accuses him of trying to steal his job. Pete snaps back at him and gets up to leave. He apologizes to Lillian and tells her he is on edge because his son’s friend was the victim of a hit-and-run the night before. Lillian says she heard about it and asks about the boy’s condition. Pete tells her that the boy died earlier that day. On his way home, the witness to the crime mistakenly identifies Pete as the hit-and-run driver. Pete is arrested. 

The next morning, Oliver reads in the paper that Pete has been identified as the hit-and-run driver. He seems pleased when he tells his wife this. They hear a noise from the garage. Lillian thinks there’s a prowler. Oliver reluctantly goes to investigate. The front bumper of the car abruptly falls off and the engine attempts to start on its own. Oliver is terrified. That night, he and Lillian are woken up by loud rock music. Oliver returns to the garage. The music is coming from his car. It stops and a news bulletin begins. It’s about the arrest of the hit-and-run driver. Olliver cuts the radio off. It turns on again by itself. Olivers smashes it with a hammer. The front lights blink on and off. He smashes them with the hammer as well. The horn begins to blare. He lifts the hood and smashes it too. Satisfied, he returns to bed.

The next morning Oliver tells his wife that the car is falling apart and he intends to sell it. He says he is going to walk to work. After he leaves, Lillian sees the garage door open and the car, with no driver, back out into the street and drive away. It pulls up beside Oliver on the sidewalk. Oliver runs in the other direction, through backyards, but the car finds him and nearly runs him over. The passenger door opens, and Oliver gets inside. The car drives slowly to the police station so he can confess to the crime.

Rod Serling’s Closing Narration:

“All persons attempting to conceal criminal acts involving their cars are hereby warned: check first to see that underneath that chrome there does not lie a conscience, especially if you’re driving along a rain-soaked highway…in the Twilight Zone.”

Commentary:

After Rod Serling, Earl Hamner, Jr. was the second most prolific writer of The Twilight Zone’s final season, seeing five of his eight episodes produced during the show’s fifth season. Hamner, who went on to fame as the creator of The Waltons, which he based on his own childhood in rural Virginia, held an immense affection for the area in which he was raised, a region not often represented on network television at the time. Much of his work, including several of his Twilight Zone episodes, is set in rural areas and features rural characters presented as complex people instead of the stereotypes often applied to characters from such backgrounds. But Hamner also seemed fascinated by, and perhaps somewhat cynical of, contemporary culture in twentieth century America. Hamner seemed torn between being a writer for hire in Hollywood and his humble beginnings in Schuyler, Virginia on the edge of the Blue Ridge Mountains. His examination of contemporary culture is often not a flattering one and he seems to make the connection that people are not happy because they are distracted by things like social status and material possessions. This is most evident in his final script produced for The Twilight Zone, which also became the final episode of the show, “The Bewitchin’ Pool,” in which these two worlds are directly juxtaposed against one another. Hamner’s stories about contemporary urban life ultimately prove to be his least effective material for the show, lacking the authenticity of his folkloric stories from earlier seasons and relying largely on themes and ideas which were either derivative or simply did not work. Although it has some interesting moments, “You Drive” ultimately falls into this category.

Like his first script for the show, season three’s “The Hunt,” “You Drive” is a revised version of an earlier script written by Hamner. In 1954, Hamner wrote an episode of the NBC series Justice titled “Hit and Run.” Serling’s use of the word "justice" in the trailer for this episode is likely a deliberate nod to that series. I have not seen this episode nor have I read the script for it so it is difficult to say how it differs specifically from “You Drive” but all of the synopses I found online give the description as this: a man is driving home through a rainstorm when he accidentally strikes a newsboy on a bicycle. He gets out to confirm what has happened and, like Oliver Pope, he panics and flees the scene. He tells no one, not even his wife. He spends the rest of the episode a nervous wreck trying to secretly evade the consequences of his wrong doing. The episode stars Dane Clark, E.G. Marshall, Ed Begley, and Betty Field. It was directed by Daniel Petrie. “You Drive” appears to take this exact premise and just adds a supernatural component.

The history of sentient machinery, specifically possessed or self-aware automobiles, is too lengthy to go into detail here. The most famous example without question is Stephen King’s 1983 novel Christine, about a murderous 1958 Plymouth Fury, and its subsequent film adaptation directed by John Carpenter that same year. But as Tony Albarella points out in The Twilight Zone Scripts of Earl Hamner, sentient machinery had been a regular theme on The Twilight Zone since the show’s inception. And there had already been two episodes featuring vaguely intelligent automobiles both of which share other thematic elements with "You Drive" as well. Season two’s “The Whole Truth” features a used car salesman who swindles people into buying cheap, broken vehicles for a high price. One day he buys an old car that is supposedly haunted and then finds that he is unable to tell a lie and thus unable to sell any of his broken cars. In another season two episode, “A Thing About Machines,” a rude and unapologetic food critic, Bartlett Finchley, lives alone in a house in which all of the machinery—the television, electric razors, an electric typewriter, the radio—seem to be self-aware and also seems to hate him. The man is eventually chased through the streets by his car until it chases him into a pool where he drowns, a scene not unlike the chase scene in “You Drive.” But, as is emblematic of Hamner’s fiction, which often has a strong moral undercurrent, Oliver Pope is simply made to do the right thing and confess to his crime, while Finchley, whose transgressions are far less severe, is murdered by his vehicle.

This is the first of two episodes John Brahm directed for The Twilight Zone’s final season. Charles Beaumont and Jerry Sohl’s “Queen of the Nile” would be his last effort for the show. Brahm is the most prolific director the show ever employed, helming twelve episodes of the program. He is also the only director present in all five seasons of the show. Brahm, a German-born director who began his career in England before moving to Hollywood, was well versed in the expressionist films that emerged from Europe in the 1920s and 30s and this is evident in much of his work, specifically the film noirs he made during the 1940s. Once he made the transition from film to television he was often limited creatively and would have to adhere to the established tone and style of the program he was working on. An anthology series as stylistically broad as The Twilight Zone offered Brahm the same kind of creative freedom he had experienced as a director of feature films.

Given that Brahm directed five episodes during the show’s first season, all of them fan favorites and all of them carrying his unmistakable expressionist gloom, it isn’t a stretch to say that the show, to some extent at least, owes its look and tone to Brahm, although this could also be said of several other key directors as well. However, the two episodes he directed for season five are atypical episodes for Brahm. Both are set in contemporary suburban America and, perhaps because of this fact, they lack the overtly stylish ambiance found in most of his episodes, leaving them feeling sort of flat. Still, Brahm does include several special effects shots that are very interesting and difficult to execute for the era. There is a shot near the end of the episode which features Pope lying in the street after falling. The Fairlane races towards him and comes to an abrupt halt inches away from his head. The scene is shot in reverse with the car beginning near Andrews and descending in reverse. But it ends up being a very effective sequence and Andrews’ reaction is very convincing. The sequence where the car drives by itself may seem familiar today but at the time it was not an easy effect to pull off convincingly. To accomplish this, an effects person was stationed underneath the dash—some accounts say he was in the trunk—with remote controls to steer, accelerate, and brake and also a periscope that popped slightly up from beneath the hood in order to see. The end result is convincing even if it does seem kind of silly to a modern audience.

Edward Andrews appeared in two episodes of the show. He played the particularly deplorable villain, Carling, in season one’s “Third from the Sun.” Andrews got his start on the Broadway stage in the late 1930s and by the dawn of television had made the transition to live anthology series. He was often cast as either older characters, given that he looked much older than his actual age, or as villains and other unlikeable characters, such as Oliver Pope. He enjoyed a prolific career as a character actor on Broadway, television, and in feature films into the 1980s. His notable film roles include The Harder They Fall (1956), Elmer Gentry (1960), The Absent-Minded Professor (1961), Sixteen Candles (1984), and Gremlins (1984). He also appeared in episodes of Thriller and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. He seems to excel at unlikable characters because he is convincing in both his appearances on the show. As Oliver Pope, he is a convincingly insecure man whose selfishness is his entire personality which is much different than the calm and determined stalker, Carling.

Helen Westcott had been performing on stage and screen nearly her entire life. As an adult she had notable roles in The Gun Fighter (1950), Phone Call from a Stranger (1952), and Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1953). This was her only appearance on The Twilight Zone. Kevin Hagen had already made an appearance on the show in its first season as one of three ill-fated astronauts in “Elegy.” Today he is best remembered as Dr. Hiram Baker on Little House on the Prairie. He also appeared in episodes of Yancy Derringer, Thriller, and Amazing Stories.

“You Drive” is not a terrible episode but its predictability and clichéd fantasy devices make for a fairly uninspiring experience. John Brahm does the best with the material he is given but he is probably the wrong director for this episode. Still, it is a mildly amusing episode with a good performance from Edward Andrews and interesting special effects which make it at least worth a viewing or two.

Grade: C

Up Next in the Vortex: A look at the March/April, 1984 issue of Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone Magazine. See you then.

Grateful acknowledgement is made to the following:

The Twilight Zone Scripts of Earl Hamner by Earl Hamner and Tony Albarella (Cumberland House Publishing, 2003)

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

The Internet Movie Database

Wikipedia

Notes: 

--Edward Andrews also appeared in season one’s “Third from the Sun.”
--Peter Radcliffe also appeared in season one’s “Elegy.”
--John Brahm was the show's most prolific director, helming twelve episodes of the show.
--Oliver Pope's car in this episode is a 1956 Ford Fairlane Club Sedan. The Fairlane was sold from 1955 to 1970 and it takes its name from Henry Ford’s Michigan estate, Fair Lane.
--"You Drive" was adapted into a Twilight Zone Radio Drama by writer Dennis Etchison starring John Heard. 

-Brian

"Ring-a-Ding Girl"

 

Maggie McNamara as Bunny Blake

“Ring-a-Ding Girl”
Season Five, Episode 133
Original Air Date: December 27, 1963

 

Cast:
Barbara “Bunny” Blake: Maggie McNamara
Hildy Powell: Mary Munday
Bud Powell: David Macklin
Dr. Floyd: George Mitchell
Ben Braden: Bing Russell
Cici (Bunny’s assistant): Betty Lou Gerson
Mr. Gentry: Hank Patterson
Jim (police trooper): Vic Perrin
Pilot: Bill Hickman

 

Crew:
Writer: Earl Hamner, Jr.
Director: Alan Crosland, Jr.
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 time we enlist the aid of a very talented scribe, Earl Hamner, Jr. He’s written a story called ‘Ring-a-Ding Girl,’ and in the milieu of fantasy this one is strictly a blue-ribbon entry. It stars Maggie McNamara, and it involves a movie actress, a publicity tour, a strange flight and airplane, and some occult occurrences designed to send shivers through you like a fast subway train. Next time out on The Twilight Zone, ‘Ring-a-Ding Girl.’” 

Rod Serling’s Opening Narration: 

“Introduction to Bunny Blake. Occupation: film actress. Residence: Hollywood, California, or anywhere in the world the cameras happen to be grinding. Bunny Blake is a public figure. What she wears, eats, thinks, says is news. But underneath the glamor, the makeup, the publicity, the build-up, the costuming, is a flesh-and-blood person, a beautiful girl, about to take a long and bizarre journey into The Twilight Zone.” 

Summary: 

          Film actress Bunny Blake is preparing to leave on an airplane flight when her assistant delivers a small package. Enclosed is a gift from the Bunny Blake fan club based in her hometown of Howardville. The gift is a ring set with a large, dark stone. Bunny informs her assistant that they will pass directly over Howardville during their flight. Bunny places the ring on her finger to admire it when she suddenly sees a swirling mist appear in the dark stone. The mist parts to reveal the face of Bunny’s sister, Hildy, who implores Bunny to come home. The image fades away.

          Sometime later, Bunny arrives at her sister’s house, surprising Hildy and Hildy’s teenaged son Bud. Bunny tells Hildy that the ring made her feel like coming home. Bunny asks Hildy if everything is all right. Hildy reassures her and Bunny fears the image in the ring was a hallucination. Hildy informs Bunny that the whole town chipped in to buy her the ring, just as they had to send Bunny to Hollywood at the beginning of her acting career.

          Bunny can only stay in town for one day and Hildy informs her that she picked the perfect day, since it is the day of the Founder’s Day Picnic. Everyone in town will be in attendance. Bunny looks again at the stone on the ring. She again sees the swirling mist, which dissipates to reveal the face of Ben Braden, a local television personality and love interest from Bunny’s past. Ben implores Bunny to come home, that the town needs her, before fading away. 

          The unnerving experience causes Bunny to faint. Dr. Floyd, an old family physician, arrives to check on Bunny. Dr. Floyd tells her that she is overtired and needs rest. Bunny knows that Dr. Floyd is involved in the Founder’s Day Picnic, and she asks him to postpone the event for a day. When Dr. Floyd scoffs at this, Bunny tells him that she has only one day in town and wants to visit friends. Dr. Floyd tells her that she cannot expect the town to divert its plans based on her whim. When Bunny insists it is not a whim, Dr. Floyd says that this may work in Hollywood but not in Howardville.

          Again, Bunny is compelled to gaze into the stone on the ring. Revealed within the swirling mist is the hard countenance of Cyrus Gentry, who tells Bunny that she is nothing special but that she could be special if she helped the town. Bunny again feels faint and rushes upstairs, leaving Dr. Floyd and Hildy perplexed. Dr. Floyd gives Hildy a prescription for Bunny and departs.

          Bunny returns downstairs and claims nothing is wrong. She wants to go out and see her old friends. Bunny enlists Bud as a companion. They leave in Bud’s convertible roadster as a gathering thunderstorm ominously rumbles overhead. Bunny asks Bud to take her to the high school so she can see Mr. Gentry.

          Bunny implores Mr. Gentry to keep the doors to the school auditorium unlocked that afternoon. Gentry reminds Bunny that the doors remain unlocked. Bunny thanks him and tells him not to go to the Founder’s Day Picnic. 

          As thunder rumbles overhead, Bunny walks over to the local television station. Back at Hildy’s house, a phone call from a friend tells Hildy to turn on her television. Hildy is shocked to see Bunny on the local network talking to Ben Braden. Bunny informs viewers that she will be putting on a one-woman show in the high school auditorium and wishes for all the town to be there. When Ben points out the conflict with the Founder’s Day Picnic, Bunny tells viewers that they have a choice of coming to see her or getting bitten by ants at the picnic.

          Hildy is appalled that Bunny would place such a choice before the townspeople. She receives phone calls from people who do not know what to do. Hildy scolds Bunny when Bunny returns to the house, telling her that she comes off as a show-off and a Hollywood big shot. Hildy also informs Bunny that she and Bud are going to the Founder’s Day Picnic. When she sees how distressed Bunny is, however, Hildy relents and tells Bunny that they will go to her show.

          Bunny gazes into the stone on the ring. She sees an airplane in the sky. She sees herself and her assistant on board the airplane. The assistant sneers at the “flyspeck” town of Howardville and tells Bunny she should not go back there.

          Later, as Bunny, Hildy, and Bud are preparing to go to the high school for Bunny’s show, the storm finally breaks overhead, releasing a deluge of rain. Bunny looks again into the stone on the ring and sees an airplane captain informing passengers that the severe weather will make the flight very rough. Bunny again sees herself and her assistant on board the airplane. Bunny’s assistant asks Bunny if she is scared. Bunny tells her yes, isn’t everyone? 

          Hildy and Bud rush to the front window when they hear sirens outside. They see the flashing lights of emergency responders. Bunny, standing near the front door, quietly says goodbye. Bunny walks outside into the rain as the telephone rings. Bunny slowly fades away.

          The phone call is from a police trooper at the scene of an airplane crash in town. The plane crashed into the picnic grounds. The trooper informs Hildy that Bunny was a passenger on the plane and died in the crash. Hildy cannot believe it. Bunny has been with her all afternoon. The trooper insists that Bunny is dead. He has seen the body. Hildy turns around to find Bunny gone. She calls out desperately but cannot find her sister anywhere inside or outside the house.

          The radio reports on the airplane crash. A greater tragedy was averted by the fact that most townspeople were not at the picnic grounds but rather at the high school, waiting for Bunny’s show. Many lives were saved because of this. Hildy finds Bunny’s ring on the carpet. It is battered and broken. 

Rod’s Serling’s Closing Narration:

“We are all travelers. The trip starts in a place called Birth and ends in that lonely town called Death. And that’s the end of the journey. Unless you happen to exist for a few hours like Bunny Blake in the misty regions of The Twilight Zone.”  

Commentary: 

          Filmed on the same recognizable living room set as “Living Doll” and “Ninety Years Without Slumbering,” “Ring-a-Ding Girl” is the subtle tale of a preternatural phenomenon known as “bilocation,” the condition of being in two places simultaneously. Although the study of this alleged ability is today the province of spiritualists, it is also believed to have been a miracle performed by Christian holy figures.

          Earl Hamner, Jr. is less interested in the duality of Bunny Blake’s existence, however, choosing instead to focus on Bunny’s relationships with the people in her hometown, and on Bunny’s sacrifice to save those people. In this way, the episode is more aligned with a type of supernatural fiction, the tale of the portent or premonition of death. The Guide to Supernatural Fiction lists several examples of this type of story, under such headings as “Premonitions,” “Portents of Death,” and “Visions of Person to Die,” dating to the eighteenth century. Richard Matheson’s later fifth season episode, “Spur of the Moment,” though not dealing directly with death, is in this vein, as is Rod Serling’s first season episode, “The Purple Testament.” The episode “Ring-a-Ding Girl” most resembles, however, is Rod Serling’s “Twenty-Two,” an episode based on a ghostly anecdote and centered around a premonition and an airplane crash.  

          “Ring-a-Ding Girl” may also remind viewers of previous episodes dealing with doubles or dual existence in small towns, such as Rod Serling’s “Walking Distance” or Charles Beaumont’s “In His Image.” Hamner’s lessened focus on the duality of Bunny’s existence, however, may result in the episode playing too subtly or even mildly confusing to some viewers. Bunny is not convincingly shown to be in both places at the same time, nor is her passage to Howardville shown. Unlike the journeys of Martin Sloan in “Walking Distance” or Alan Talbot in “In His Image,” Bunny simply appears in Howardville. The episode also suffers from the pacing and atmosphere of a television sitcom. The otherworldly atmosphere achieved in the aforementioned episodes is not evident in “Ring-a-Ding Girl.”

The viewer may not understand that Bunny is concurrently traveling aboard an airplane during her time in Howardville. She is seen on the airplane in the misty depths of her ring, which has only displayed hallucinatory visions of the townspeople. Bunny is, however, solidly in Howardville, conversing with several people and appearing on local television. In some ways, the episode plays like a ghost story without a ghost. Besides a fainting spell, there is little indication that Bunny’s existence in Howardville is in any way preternatural.

          This ambiguity is finally dispelled at the end of the episode when Bunny fades away as news of her death in the airplane crash is relayed to Hildy. Yet, there is the ambiguous final sequence when Hildy finds Bunny’s battered ring on the living room carpet. The ring is presumably broken because it was on Bunny’s finger during the airplane crash. Why, then, does the ring remain in Hildy’s living room? The notion of how Bunny knew what tragedy to prevent and where this tragedy would occur is also left unexplained.

          At some point, Bunny became aware that the airplane on which she traveled was going to crash into the picnic grounds of her hometown, killing the townspeople attending the Founder’s Day Picnic. This premonition was presumably interpreted by Bunny from visions of the townspeople seen in her ring. During the flight, she willed herself to Howardville in an act of bilocation to stage an event that drew people away from the picnic grounds. This accomplished, Bunny faded from existence in Howardville as she died in the airplane crash. Tony Albarella, in his commentary on the episode in The Twilight Scripts of Earl Hamner, described the ending as a “satisfying, offbeat conclusion,” that was also “somewhat subtler than the usual Twilight Zone ‘twist’ ending.”

This ambiguity does not detract from the viewer’s enjoyment of the episode, but it does display the challenges of dramatizing a story in which the nature of the supernatural element is hidden in service of a twist ending. This is perhaps why The Twilight Zone Companion dismissed the episode as “much like the stone in the ring Bunny Blake receives: interesting, but no gem.”

The original title of Earl Hamner’s script was “There Goes Bunny Blake,” but this was likely deemed too light in tone for the inherent tragedy of the episode. The script was first retitled “The Return of Hildy Blake” and then “The Return of Bunny Blake,” which was the episode’s working title throughout production. The title was changed to “Ring-a-Ding Girl” in post-production, inspired by two songs performed by Frank Sinatra, “I Won’t Dance,” a jazz standard recorded by Sinatra in 1957, which includes the lyric “Ring-a-ding-ding, you’re lovely,” and “Ring-a-Ding-Ding,” the title track on Sinatra’s 1961 album. 

Charles Beaumont with Otto Preminger
from Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone Magazine
June, 1989

The title change was perhaps prompted by a similarity to the contemporary novel Bunny Lake is Missing (1957), written by Merriam Modell under the pseudonym Evelyn Piper. The novel was adapted into a film by director Otto Preminger in 1965. One of several notable writers hired by Preminger to adapt the novel to the screen was Charles Beaumont, who completed a script in 1959 that was ultimately unused. Incidentally, Preminger gave Maggie McNamara her first notable screen role in The Moon is Blue (1953), a film adaptation of a stage production McNamara previously performed in for eighteen months. McNamara’s performance in the film earned an Academy Award nomination, despite the controversy surrounding the film due to its open depiction of sexual relations. 

          Maggie McNamara (1928-1978) was born in New York City. Her desire to be a fashion designer led to a career in modelling while still a teenager. She was successful in this regard, being twice featured on the cover of LIFE magazine. The latter appearance reportedly led to David O. Selznick offering McNamara a film contract, which the young model turned down. McNamara soon began studying drama, however, and was on the New York stage by the age of twenty-three. She made an early television appearance on the suspense anthology series The Clock in 1950. Film work followed but was sporadic. By most accounts, McNamara was ill-suited for the public life of a film actress, living away from Hollywood and pushing back against the publicity demands of studios. Outside of The Moon is Blue, an appearance in Three Coins in the Fountain (1954) and a role in Preminger’s The Cardinal (1963) are the highlights of her film career. A year after her appearance on The Twilight Zone, McNamara appeared in the second season episode of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, “The Body in the Barn.” Her career declined sharply afterwards. By the late 1970s she was working as a typist and in her spare time writing a screenplay she hoped would be produced. Long suffering from depression, McNamara took her own life in 1978 with an intentional overdose of barbiturates. She was 49 years old. It was a sad end for a lovely and vibrant actress, and one which suggests disturbing parallels with the fate of Bunny Blake, as well as with the death of fellow Twilight Zone actress Inger Stevens, star of “The Hitch-Hiker,” an episode thematically related to “Ring-a-Ding Girl.”   

          Supporting McNamara in the episode is Mary Munday as Bunny’s sister Hildy. Munday (1926-1997) was born in Los Angeles. She landed small roles in B pictures before beginning a busy television career, mostly in crime dramas and westerns. She appeared on Science Fiction Theatre and in the “The Kiss-Off,” an episode of the sixth season of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Munday also had a supporting role in the underrated psychological thriller Magic (1978), alongside Anthony Hopkins and Burgess Meredith. 

          David Macklin (1941-2017), playing Bud in the episode, did not have fond memories of his time on the set. In an interview with Martin Grams, Jr., Macklin described his dislike of the script, the incompetence of the makeup department, and the apathetic treatment of the performers by director Alan Crosland, Jr. Macklin did enjoy working with McNamara and Munday, however, and admitted that he received more fan mail for The Twilight Zone than for anything else in his career. 

          George Mitchell (1905-1972), playing Dr. Floyd, is likely a familiar face to regular viewers of the series. He appeared in three additional episodes, perhaps most memorably as the grumpy gas station owner who refuses service to Nan Adams (Inger Stevens) in “The Hitch-Hiker.” Mitchell also appeared in “Execution” and in Earl Hamner’s finest episode for the series, “Jess-Belle.” A prolific performer in many western programs, Mitchell also appeared on Lights Out, Suspense, Inner Sanctum, One Step Beyond, Thriller, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. 

          Betty Lou Gerson (1914-1999), playing Bunny’s assistant, is remembered as the voice of Cruella de Vil in the 1961 Disney animated film One Hundred and One Dalmatians. Gerson also provided narration for Disney’s Cinderella (1950) and had a small role in The Fly (1958) opposite Vincent Price.

          Rounding out the cast are several familiar faces. Prolific character actor Hank Patterson (1888-1975), here playing the gruff Mr. Gentry, previously appeared on the series in “Kick the Can,” and appeared later in the fifth season in “Come Wander with Me.” Patterson had numerous small roles in B films and television westerns, including an episode of Rod Serling’s The Loner. Bing Russell (1926-2003), father of Kurt, who previously appeared on the series in “The Arrival,” portrays Ben Braden. Vic Perrin (1916-1989) appears briefly in the role of Jimmy, the police trooper. Perrin previously appeared on the series in “People Are Alike All Over.” A prolific television and voice actor, Perrin is remembered by science fiction viewers for providing the Control Voice on The Outer Limits. Notable stunt driver Bill Hickman (1921-1986) (Bullitt, The French Connection) appears in an uncredited role as the airplane pilot.

          Although the episode is marred by ambiguity and uninspired direction, a moving performance by Maggie McNamara and an engaging script by Earl Hamner, Jr. lift the episode above the lower points of the uneven fifth season. 

Grade: C 

Next Time in the Vortex: We look at “You Drive,” another offering from writer Earl Hamner, Jr. Thanks for reading!

 

Acknowledgements: 

Maggie McNamara on
the cover of LIFE
March 29, 1948
(via Ebay)

 

--The Twilight Zone Scripts of Earl Hamner by Earl Hamner and Tony Albarella (Cumberland House, 2003)
 
--The Twilight Zone: Unlocking the Door to a Television Classic by Martin Grams, Jr. (OTR, 2008)
 
--A Critical History of Television’s The Twilight Zone, 1959-1964 by Don Presnell and Marty McGee (McFarland & Co., 1998)
 
--The Twilight Zone Companion (3^rd ed.) by Marc Scott Zicree (Silman-James, 2018)
 
--The Guide to Supernatural Fiction by E.F. Bleiler (Kent State University Press, 1983)
 
--The Work of Charles Beaumont: An Annotated Bibliography and Guide by William F. Nolan (Borgo Press, 1986)
 
--Review of Blu-ray edition of Bunny Lake is Missing by Glenn Erickson (DVD Talk, November 24, 2014)
 
--The Internet Movie Database (imdb.com)

 

Notes: 

 
--Earl Hamner, Jr. scripted eight episodes of the series, five of which were broadcast during the fifth and final season.
 
--Alan Crosland, Jr. directed three previous episodes of the series: “The Parallel,” “The Old Man in the Cave,” and “The 7^th Is Made Up of Phantoms.”
 
--George Mitchell appeared in three additional episodes of the series: “The Hitch-Hiker,” “Execution,” and “Jess-Belle.”

--Hank Patterson also appeared in the third season episode, "Kick the Can," and the later fifth season episode, "Come Wander With Me." 
 
--Bing Russell previously appeared on the series in “The Arrival.”
 
--Vic Perrin previously appeared on the series in “People Are Alike All Over.”

--"Ring-a-Ding Girl" was adapted for a Twilight Zone Radio Drama starring Sarah Wayne Callies. 
 
-JP