“From Agnes—With Love”

 

Agnes, a femme fatale

Cast:
James Elwood: Wally Cox
Walter Holmes: Ralph Taeger
Millie: Sue Randall
Supervisor: Raymond Bailey
Fred Danziger: Don Keefer
Secretary: Nan Peterson (uncredited)
Assistant: Byron Kane (uncredited)

Crew:
Writer: Bernard C. Schoenfeld
Director: Richard Donner
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: Van Cleave
Sound: Franklin Milton & Joe Edmondson
Mr. Serling’s Wardrobe: Eagle Clothes
Filmed at MGM Studios

Rod Serling’s Opening Narration: 

“James Elwood, master programmer, in charge of Mark 502-741, commonly known as Agnes, the world’s most advanced electronic computer. Machines are made by men for man’s benefit and progress. But when man ceases to control the products of his ingenuity and imagination, he not only risks losing the benefit, but he takes a long and unpredictable step into . . . The Twilight Zone.”

Summary: 

            The employees at a research facility are panicked because their supercomputer, Agnes, is malfunctioning. James Elwood, a meek computer programmer, arrives in time to get Agnes functioning correctly. Fred Danziger, another programmer, is exhausted from trying to get Agnes under control. He warns Elwood to watch out for Agnes, a femme fatale. Agnes is a large computer with a mouth-like message center where “she” communicates with the programmer. 

            Agnes responds positively to Elwood and delivers the correct calculations. A pretty secretary named Millie arrives with documents for Elwood, who asks her out for lunch. Agnes is noticeably bothered by this exchange. Although Elwood is initially rejected by Millie, his persistence pays off and Millie agrees to have dinner with him. 

            Agnes advises Elwood to take Millie to his apartment after dinner for champagne. When Elwood expresses doubt, Agnes tells him to trust her. Back at Elwood’s apartment, Elwood tries reading to Millie from a science book. Millie wants to turn the lights down low, play some music, and dance. Elwood awkwardly dances with Millie and then spills champagne on her, causing her to angrily leave the apartment.

            When Agnes inquires about the date on the following day, Elwood says they had a great time. Agnes sees through the lie and advises Elwood to send roses to Millie. Elwood thinks this is a great idea. As he leaves, he tells Agnes that she’s just like a mother. This enrages Agnes. It turns out that Millie is allergic to roses.

            Elwood later tells Agnes that her advice has been detrimental to his wooing of Millie. Agnes tells Elwood that Millie is a square and that there is another woman who is perfect for him. Elwood asks who that woman is but Agnes doesn’t answer. After Elwood leaves, Agnes displays a communication card: ME. 

            Agnes later tells Elwood to introduce Millie to an “inferior” male to display his own superiority. The male Agnes has in mind is another programmer named Walter. Elwood has doubts, since Walter is handsome and drives a sports car, but he goes along with it. Elwood brings Millie to Walter’s apartment that evening where Millie and Walter hit it off, leaving Elwood forgotten and ignored.

            Elwood is called back to the office for an emergency session with Agnes, as important calculations are needed for a top-secret mission. Agnes, however, is more interested in Elwood’s love life than in the calculations. The Supervisor checks in and finds Agnes malfunctioning. Elwood promises to get her working again. He rushes back to Walter’s apartment for help but Walter and Millie, both drunk, send Elwood away, promising to help him in the morning.

            In despair, Elwood accuses Agnes of ruining his life. Agnes admits that she loves Elwood. Appalled, Elwood tells her that she’s only a machine, and a machine can’t love. Agnes displays a communication card: CAN’T I? 

            Elwood is discovered the following morning in a fugue state entangled in paper readouts from the computer. Elwood is removed and Walter put in his place. Elwood warns Walter that he doesn’t stand a chance against Agnes, and to watch out for that femme fatale.

Rod Serling’s Closing Narration:

“Advice to all future male scientists: be sure you understand the opposite sex, especially if you intend being a computer expert. Otherwise, you may find yourself like poor Elwood, defeated by a jealous machine, a most dangerous sort of female, whose victims are forever banished to . . . The Twilight Zone.”

Commentary: 

            By the time this tepid Valentine’s Day offering appeared on the series, the computer had established a place in the public consciousness it would never again relinquish. The average citizen now understood that computers could perform tasks once achieved by armies of human workers. The defense, health, economics, and education of the nation were forever more entwined with these machines. As a result, science fiction writers were quick to harness the dramatic possibilities of the effects of computers upon the lives of individuals.

            The Twilight Zone—which previously centered its tales of technology on slot machines, household appliances, automobiles, and robots—also became interested in computers as a dramatic device, producing three computer-related episodes during the final season. “The Old Man in the Cave,” adapted by Rod Serling from a story by Henry Slesar, played like a religious allegory dressed as a post-apocalyptic thriller. Despite some flaws in the treatment, the episode remains an effective examination of the human relationship to computers, as we’ve become increasingly reliant on computers to handle issues like personal health. Serling returned to the theme later in the fifth season for “The Brain Center at Whipple’s,” an episode played very broadly but again approaching an issue—automation replacing human workers—that remains relevant today.

            “From Agnes—With Love” possesses none of this relevance despite its relationship to a persistent social issue. It is a broadly comedic episode—which never worked on the series—that is also the worst thing a Twilight Zone episode can be: predictable. Despite an obvious self-awareness on the part of those involved, the episode plays like a joke stretched to its limit. As always on the series, there are talented performers and fine production values, but the writing is glib and insulting to the type of science fiction and fantasy the series spent years elevating into literature for television.

            From a writing perspective, there is significant risk in crafting a narrative around a character making one bad decision after another, particularly if those decisions are not made from desperation or calculated risk but from foolishness. As author Marc Scott Zicree writes in The Twilight Zone Companion: “James Elwood is enormously inept and unforgivably dense.” Zicree concludes his pithy review of the episode by writing: “Elwood doesn’t need a computer to ruin his life; clearly, he’s capable of doing it on his own.” It becomes increasingly difficult for an audience to care about such a character, or to take an interest in the events of the story. Add in a hefty dose of antiquated gender dynamics and you have a recipe for disaster. Although it is unreasonable to expect every episode to achieve the dramatic qualities of “The Trouble with Templeton,” or “Nick or Time,” or “In Praise of Pip,” “From Agnes—With Love” is devoid of even an approach to such qualities. 

            The decline of quality writing during the second half of the final season can be connected to the arrival of the show’s final producer, William Froug (1922-2013). Froug was a talented writer and producer who was simply a mismatch for the series. After the unexpected mid-season departure of producer Bert Granet, the series scrambled for a replacement and landed on Froug, who previously steered several successful series, including prestige anthologies Playhouse 90 and Alcoa-Goodyear Theatre, as well as notable CBS radio programs. Froug was inexperienced with the type of fantasy storytelling presented on the series and also confident in his approach to producing it. Froug viewed the show’s core writers as burned out and their work as repetitive, and he looked to bring fresh ideas and scripts to the series. Froug shelved several scripts previously purchased by Granet1 and tampered with George Clayton Johnson’s final script2, essentially destroying the system of storytelling on the series while alienating its best writers.  

            A further illustration concerns a later fifth season episode. Froug—while shelving scripts from the show’s principal writers—produced a script written by his assistant, Adele T. Strassfield, who had no prior television writing experience. The resulting episode, “Caesar and Me,” about a ventriloquist’s dummy, is widely considered among the worst produced on the series. Froug later admitted that he was unaware that the series had previously produced a similar story, Rod Serling’s “The Dummy,” and would not have produced “Caesar and Me” had he known.

 

            Bernard C. Schoenfeld (1907-1990) was born in Brooklyn and began his writing career on the New York stage, culminating in the Broadway productions Shooting Star (1933) and Hitch Your Wagon (1937). He moved to Hollywood in the 1940s and became a specialist in literary adaptations and crime films. Schoenfeld’s credits include the film noir classics Phantom Lady (1944), based on the novel by Cornell Woolrich and starring Franchot Tone (Twilight Zone’s “The Silence”), and The Dark Corner (1946), starring Lucille Ball. Schoenfeld was nominated for an Academy Award for co-writing the women’s prison drama Caged (1950), which featured Agnes Moorehead (Twilight Zone’s “The Invaders”). He scripted the film noir adventure Macao (1952) and co-wrote the neo-noir film 13 West Street (1962) with Robert Presnell, Jr. (Twilight Zone’s “The Chaser”), based on a novel by Leigh Brackett. Schoenfeld wrote the occasional science fiction and fantasy film, such as The Space Children (1958), featuring Raymond Bailey, and The Magic Sword (1962).

            Schoenfeld’s transition to television writing is highlighted by his work on Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Schoenfeld wrote more than a dozen episodes of the series across the first five seasons, adapting the works of notable crime fiction writers Evan Hunter, Fredric Brown, Henry Slesar, Robert Arthur, and Stanley Ellin. Schoenfeld spent his final years in Guadalajra, Mexico, where he died in 1990 at the age of 82. 

            Wally Cox (1924-1973) is remembered as the titular character from the live television sitcom Mr. Peepers (1952-1955), as the voice of the cartoon character Underdog, and as a regular on Hollywood Squares. Cox was born in Detroit and moved early with his family to Evanston, Illinois, where he befriended a young Marlon Brando. The two became roommates in New York where Brando interested Cox in acting. The two performers were close friends for the remainder of Cox’s life. Brando was devastated by Cox’s early passing at age 48 from a heart attack. He kept Cox’s ashes in his home for over thirty years. The ashes of both men were scattered together over Death Valley after Brando’s passing in 2004.

            Wally Cox was a staple of early television anthologies and a favorite guest performer on such series as The Dick Van Dyke Show and The Beverly Hillbillies. With his short stature and high-pitched voice, Cox often portrayed a character like James Eldwood: mild, meek, and socially awkward. Although the episode was not written by Rod Serling, Elwood is firmly in the mold of such hapless Serling characters as Mr. Dingle, Mr. Bevis, Archibald Beechcroft, and Agnes Grep. Cox showed his range beyond this character type in the dramatic films Fate is the Hunter (1964) and The Bedford Incident (1965), as well as on television in Mission: Impossible, where Cox played a safecracker in the pilot episode.

            Cox also appeared in a brief segment of Rod Serling’s Night Gallery titled “Junior,” from the second season. Cox portrayed a tired father called out of bed at night to check on his crying child—revealed to be a Frankenstein’s monster. The episode was written by Gene Kearney and directed by Theodore J. Flicker. Cox appeared alongside Flicker’s wife Barbara and Bill Svanoe as the monstrous “baby.” Cox was also an accomplished writer, adapting Mr. Peepers into a 1955 novel, and publishing a collection of essays, My Life as a Small Boy (1958). 

            Ralph Taeger (1936-2015) was an athletic performer—a former professional baseball player—often positioned as the next action star. He appeared in two adventure series, Klondike (1960-1961) and Acapulco (1961), alongside James Coburn (Twilight Zone’s “The Old Man in the Cave”). Taeger’s most notable television role was in Hondo (1967-1968), in a role originated by John Wayne for the 1953 film. Notable film roles include the semi-documentary X-15 (1961), co-starring Charles Bronson (Twilight Zone’s “Two”) and directed by Richard Donner, and The Carpetbaggers (1964). Taeger developed a reputation for being difficult to work with and struggled to regularly find roles as a result. He eventually grew dissatisfied with Hollywood, quit acting, and moved upstate where he started a successful wholesale firewood business.   

            Sue Randall (1935-1984) was a prolific television performer remembered as the kindly schoolteacher Miss Landers on Leave it to Beaver. She previously appeared on The Twilight Zone in “And When the Sky Was Opened.” Randall also appeared in “Man in the Middle,” a first season episode of Boris Karloff’s Thriller. Randall died from cancer related to smoking at age 49. 

Raymond Bailey (1904-1980) made a career out of playing figures of authority and professional men, often doctors. He is remembered as the greedy banker Milburn Drysdale on The Beverly Hillbillies. Bailey worked as a banker and stockbroker in the years before his acting career. He previously appeared on The Twilight Zone in “Escape Clause” and “Back There.” Bailey’s prolific career occasionally took him into genre territory, and he appeared in episodes of Tales of Tomorrow, Science Fiction Theatre, and One Step Beyond. Bailey also appeared as doctors in the films of Richard Matheson’s The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957) and Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo (1958). Bailey was a regular on Alfred Hitchcock Presents, appearing in ten episodes, including Charles Beaumont’s adaptation of Dorothy Salisbury Davis’ story “Backward, Turn Backward.” Bailey also appeared in an episode of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. His career ended abruptly with the onset of Alzheimer’s disease. 

The production does an admirable job of establishing the character of Agnes, the supercomputer. Using lights and panels from the MGM props department, UNIVAC I tape drivers, and an impressive, custom-built “mouth” for communication cards, Agnes was given a believable range of responses that remains the highlight of an otherwise disappointing episode. 

Although none of the approaches to the dramatic possibilities of computers reaches the heights of the greatest episodes, “From Agnes—With Love” remains a low point in the uneven final season. Despite the presence of talented performers, and the show’s generally high production standards, the episode suffers from the thinness of its concept and the insincerity of its execution. 

Grade: D

1. Froug shelved Richard Matheson’s “The Doll” on the basis of its similarity to the earlier fifth season episode “Living Doll.” Matheson’s script was produced in 1986 for the first season of the Steven Spielberg-produced anthology series Amazing Stories. Froug also shelved Charles Beaumont’s adaptation of his 1960 story “Gentlemen, Be Seated,” about a future in which humor is outlawed. Jerry Sohl suffered the worst, as two of his scripts were nixed by Froug. “Who Am I” was set to be Sohl’s first credit on the series, as he had ghost-written scripts under Beaumont’s byline when Beaumont became ill with the disease that ultimately took his life. Another script, “Pattern for Doomsday,” a collaboration with Beaumont, was also scrapped.

2. See our review of “Ninety Years Without Slumbering.”

Next Time in the Vortex: A look at Richard Matheson’s final Twilight Zone episode, “Spur of the Moment.”

Acknowledgements:
 
--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)
 
--Inside The Twilight Zone by Marc Scott Zicree (CBS DVD/Image Entertainment, 2000)
 
--Rod Serling’s Night Gallery: An After-Hours Tour by Scott Skelton and Jim Benson (Syracuse University Press, 1999)
 
--The Internet Movie Database (imdb.com)

Notes: 

 
--Richard Donner directed five additional episodes of the series, all for the fifth season: “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet,” “Sounds and Silences,” “The Jeopardy Room,” “The Brain Center at Whipple’s,” and “Come Wander with Me.”
 
--Wally Cox also appeared in the second season segment of Rod Serling’s Night Gallery, “Junior.”
 
--Sue Randall also appeared in the first season episode, “And When the Sky Was Opened.”
 
--Raymond Bailey appeared in two additional episodes of the series, “Escape Clause,” from the first season, and “Back There,” from the second season.
 
--Don Keefer memorably appeared in the third season episode “It’s a Good Life,” as well as in the fourth season episode “Passage on the Lady Anne.” Keefer also appeared in the third season segment of Rod Serling’s Night Gallery, “You Can Come Up Now, Mrs. Millikan.”
 
--Nan Peterson appeared in three additional episodes of the series, often in uncredited roles: “Walking Distance,” “The Night of the Meek,” and “The Whole Truth.”
 
--“From Agnes–With Love” was adapted as a Twilight Zone Radio Drama starring Ed Begley, Jr.

-JP

"Night Call"

 

Ring ring. It's your nightmares.

“Night Call”
Season Five, Episode 139
Original Air Date: February 7, 1964 

Cast:
Elva Keene: Gladys Cooper
Margaret Phillips: Nora Marlowe
Miss Finch: Martine Bartlett
Voice of Brian Douglas: Ken Drake

Crew:
Writer: Richard Matheson (based on his story “Long Distance Call”)
Director: Jacques Tourneur
Producer: Bert Granet
Director of Photography: Robert W. Pittack
Production Manager: Ralph W. Nelson
Art Direction: George W. Davis and Walter Holscher
Film Editor: Richard Heermance
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 time out on The Twilight Zone, Richard Matheson provides us with a tour-de-force in suspense and the unexpected with a show called ‘Night Call.’ It stars one of the most eminent actresses of our time, Miss Gladys Cooper, and it poses the kind of question that arises when a telephone keeps ringing and you realize that the caller has not been on Earth for a number of years. I hope this intrigues because I think the show will. Next time out, ‘Night Call.’”

Rod Serling’s Opening Narration:

“Miss Elva Keene lives alone on the outskirts of London Flats, a tiny rural community in Maine. Up until now, the pattern of Miss Keene’s existence has been that of lying in her bed or sitting in her wheelchair reading books, listening to the radio, eating, napping, taking medicine and waiting for something different to happen. Miss Keene doesn’t know it yet, but her period of waiting has just ended, for something different is about to happen to her, and has in fact already begun to happen, via two most unaccountable telephone calls in the middle of a stormy night. Telephone calls routed directly through…the Twilight Zone.”

Summary:

Elva Keene lives alone in a small house in a rural community in Maine. Wheelchair bound, the elderly Miss Keene is attended to by her caretaker, Margaret, during the day. One night, during a particularly devastating storm, Elva Keene is awoken by the ringing of her telephone. It is two in the morning. She picks up the receiver and hears only static. Figuring it a bad connection, she hangs ups. Seconds later, the phone rings again. She picks it up. Just jumbled static. Confused and shaken, she hangs up.

The next morning, Keene dials the local operator to inquire about the strange phone calls. The operator informs her that it may have just been a faulty connection due to the storm and that, for the moment, the calls are not able to be traced due to the aftermath of the storm. Miss Finch, the operator, tells her that if the calls continue, to let her know. Later that day, she receives another call. Like before, she is unable to hear anyone on the other end. She calls the operator again.

That night, she receives another call. “Hello,” she says. A deep, anguished moaning seeps from the receiver. A man’s voice. “Hello,” she says. “Hello,” the voice responds. Frightened, she drops the receiver. The next morning, she tells Miss Finch about the call but it is apparent that she does not believe her. Miss Finch tells her that she will have someone check the line.

Later that day, Miss Keene receives another call. Margaret tells her to keep the phone off the hook until she needs to make a call. That night, she attempts to take Margaret’s advice, but the dial tone is too loud. She places the receiver back on the hook. The phone rings immediately. She answers it. “Where are you? I want to talk to you?” the voice repeats on a loop. “Leave me alone!” she screams at the voice.

The next day, Miss Finch calls Miss Keene and tells her that they were able to trace the calls to a fallen wire just outside of town. At a cemetery.

Margaret drives Miss Keene to Valley View Cemetery. Keene instructs her where to go. They stop at the grave of Brian Douglas, who died in 1932. There is a fallen phone line spliced open on top of the grave site. Keene then reveals that this is the grave of her fiancé who died in a car accident a week before they were to be married. Keene describes her younger self as a demanding young woman who was very controlling of her fiancé. Against his advice, she was driving the car that night in 1932 when she lost control and smashed into a tree, killing her fiancé and paralyzing herself. She realizes now that Brian is trying to communicate with her. Maybe now she will not feel so alone.

That night, no longer frightened, Elva Keene picks up the receiver, anxious to speak with her long-departed love. After an eternity she hears a voice. “You said leave you alone,” the voice says. “I always do what you say.” The line goes dead. She begs Brian to come back but her efforts are in vain. The line is quiet, and Elva Keene is all alone.

Rod Serling’s Closing Narration:

“According to the Bible, God created the heavens and the Earth. It is man’s prerogative, and woman’s, to create their own particular and private Hell. Case in point, Miss Elva Keene, who in every sense has made her own bed and now must lie in it, sadder but wiser, by dint of a rather painful lesson in responsibility. Transmitted...from the Twilight Zone.”

Commentary:

Writer Richard Matheson’s penultimate episode of The Twilight Zone continues what is arguably his most successful and most productive season of the show’s five year run. Thus far into the show’s final season he had seen his stories, “Steel” and “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet,” made into highly acclaimed episodes of the show, the former being his personal favorite episode of the show, and the latter eventually becoming the most well-known episode of the show, and by extension, one of the most famous moments in television history. With “Night Call” Matheson would get to work with a director he had long admired, Jacques Tourneur, to produce another of his favorite episodes of the show. He would see just one more of his scripts produced on the show, “Spur of the Moment.” Matheson saw more of his scripts produced during the final season than in any of the previous four seasons. A fifth script, “The Doll,” was purchased by producer Bert Granet and was slated for production but was later cut from the production schedule by incoming producer William Froug after Granet left the show for a position on the CBS series The Great Adventure. “The Doll” was later made into an episode of Amazing Stories in 1986 by director Phil Joanou. It starred John Lithgow as a lonely bachelor who buys a doll for his niece’s birthday but ends up becoming captivated by it. Lithgow won his first Emmy Award for his performance and Matheson was nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award for his script. No reason was given for not going forward with the production. It could possibly be that there had already been a highly acclaimed episode called “Living Doll” earlier in the season but, given that Froug also cancelled production on teleplays by writers Charles Beaumont and Jerry Sohl, it’s likely that he simply wanted to bring in new writers and take the show in a different direction. Whether or not Matheson would have continued to submit new teleplays for the show’s sixth season, had it been renewed, is a question lost to history. But with four memorable episodes during its fifth and final season, Matheson would exit the show on a high note.

Famously, “Night Call” was originally slated to air the night of Friday, November 22, 1963 but was postponed, as all scheduled programing on network television was, after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas earlier that day. Instead, due to the particularly grim nature of the episode, they bumped it to February 7, 1964.

Matheson originally published this story under the editor-chosen title of “Sorry, Right Number” in the November, 1953 issue of Beyond Fantasy Fiction. It later appeared in his collection, Shock! (Dell, 1961) under his preferred title of “Long Distance Call.” The title was changed again after Matheson’s teleplay was purchased by producer Bert Granet because the show had already aired an episode called “Long Distance Call,” written by Charles Beaumont and Bill Idelson, during its second season. The title was changed to “Night Call,” this time with Matheson’s approval.

The first half of Matheson’s teleplay is faithful to his story almost down to each line of dialogue, but the end of the episode differs significantly from its source material. The stories are the same up until the scene where Elva Keene is informed that the calls are coming from a severed line located at a cemetery on the edge of town. The scene then abruptly ends. The next, final scene sees Miss Keene alone in her bed that night, petrified with fear. Finally, the phone rings and, feeling as if she must, she picks it up. “Hello, Miss Elva,” the voice on the other end says. “I’ll be right over.” End story. There is no fiancé and there is no trip to the cemetery. Miss Keene is never really given any kind of backstory, so the reader is not persuaded into feeling any kind of sympathy for her.

Matheson was well known for not favoring changes to his material but in this instance the change came from Matheson himself. He told editor Stanley Wiater that he felt his original ending was too morbid and that he preferred the ending of the episode because it made the story more of a character study. The ending of the original story is fun and ghastly, à la Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark, but the updated ending gives the main character a lot more depth and leaves the viewer with a sense of devastation at the loss that she has suffered. Matheson is not simply setting the audience up for a punch at the end of the episode. There is a punch, of course, in the scene in which the operator tells Miss Keene that the call is coming from the cemetery. But this comes only midway through the episode. There is an entire act that follows. Matheson delivers the shock that the audience is expecting early so he can make the real jolt the tragedy that is Elva Keene’s doomed, unhappy existence.

There is debate among fans as to whether Miss Keene deserves her unfortunate fate. Matheson does not appear to insinuate one way or another. He does provide clues throughout the episode that give the audience a glimpse into the kind of life she has lived and into her wants and insecurities. She is a demanding person with an abrasive personality, a trait that she appears to be, at least on some level, ashamed of. She was behind the wheel the night her fiancé was killed because she demanded to be. But she was also permanently injured and has had to live with the knowledge that she was responsible for his death her entire life. One would think that she is entitled to at least some sympathy. But, as it appears, Matheson is implying that sympathy cannot change the past.

“Night Call” was directed by legendary French director Jacques Tourneur, whom Matheson personally requested for this episode. Tourneur had been directing films for thirty years at this point and was noted for his highly atmospheric style, having helped pioneer the black and white aesthetic that would become known as film noir. He was the son of famed director Maurice Tourneur and started working in the industry while still in high school. He and his father moved back and forth between Hollywood and France so Tourneur became familiar with both American and French filmmaking. He first made a name for himself as a director of low-budget horror films for RKO under legendary producer Val Lewton. For Lewton, Tourneur directed the iconic horror film Cat People in 1942 and followed it with I Walked with a Zombie and The Leopard Man in 1943. After this, Tourneur was promoted to A-list pictures at RKO. In 1947, he directed the film noir, Out of the Past, further cementing his reputation as a reliable and creatively ambitious director. He eventually left RKO for a freelance career. His other films include Stars in My Crown (1950), Nightfall (1956), and Night of the Demon (1957).

When asked by producer Bert Granet which directors he would like to see direct some of his Twilight Zone episodes, Matheson’s only answer was Jacques Tourneur. Granet was initially hesitant because Tourneur was a film director and had limited experience directing episodic television—this was not entirely true as Tourneur had, by this point, directed many episodes of The Californians and several other half-hour episodic series, but he was an older director who was still relatively new to television so Granet had doubts about Tourneur being able to complete production on time. The two had actually worked together years before on the film Berlin Express in 1948. As it turned out, according to Matheson, Tourneur completed production in less than thirty hours, making “Night Call” one of the shortest production schedules of the entire series. 

Cat People
(1942)

Matheson had been a longtime admirer of Tourneur’s and of Val Lewton’s. As a teenager, he wrote letters to Lewton telling him how much he enjoyed his films, particularly Cat People. When Matheson was brought in to pitch his idea for The Birds to director Alfred Hitchcock he used Cat People as an example of his approach to the script. He felt not showing the birds would make them scarier, as it had with the cats in Tourneur’s film. Needless to say, Hitchcock did not agree with his approach and ended up using over three thousand live birds in his film. To his delight, Matheson got to work with Tourneur twice in less than a year. In 1963, Tourneur directed the Matheson-penned horror spoof, The Comedy of Terrors, for American International Pictures, for whom Matheson had just scripted four films in Roger Corman’s Edgar Allan Poe cycle.

Tourneur brings an overtly noir sensibility to Matheson’s script, with elements of his horror background on display as well. The daytime scenes are shot traditionally with lots of lighting but the night scenes contain lots of interesting atmosphere, including a cool shot of the shadows of branches reflected on Gladys Cooper’s face as they sway in the wind just outside the window. The loud, abrasive ring of the telephone is also a very jarring and effective device. What gives these scenes such an unforgettably disturbing quality is the sound of the voice on the phone (voiced by Ken Drake) which increases in cognizance every time Miss Keene answers the phone. The pacing of these scenes, and the increase in Elva Keene’s dread, is what stays with the audience after the episode is over. It is unfortunate that Tourneur directed only a single episode, his aesthetic fits the show perfectly.

Gladys Cooper returns for the third and final time on The Twilight Zone. She previously appeared in the season three episode “Nothing in the Dark” giving a most remarkable performance. She also appears in a supporting role in the season four episode “Passage on the Lady Anne.” Cooper rose to fame on stage in London’s West End, occasionally appearing on Broadway and in early British films as well. She moved to Hollywood in 1940 at the age of 52 and found immediate success. Her first role in her new home was in Alfred Hitchcock’s Rebecca in 1940. In 1942 she appeared as a dominating matriarch in what is probably her most famous role in Irving Rapper’s Now, Voyager. Other roles include The Song of Bernadette (1943), The Bishop’s Wife (1947), The Secret Garden (1949), and My Fair Lady (1964). She was nominated three times for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.

Her performance here is incredible. Cooper was known for playing strong, often domineering women. Both of her leading roles on The Twilight Zone often showcase this ability although they are also very anxious, frightened characters as well. Her ability to balance both of these emotions is done seamlessly. In contrast, her supporting role in the hour-long “Passage on the Lady Anne” displays a light, amiable side and is just as believable. All three of her episodes concern old age, a subject the show would return to again and again.

Nora Marlowe appeared previously on the show in the season two episode “Back There.” She was often cast as nurses, nuns, and housekeepers. She had bit roles in the films An Affair to Remember (1957), North by Northwest (1959), The Thomas Crown Affair (1968), and Soylent Green (1973). She was a prolific presence in episodic television of the era but today she is probably best remembered for her recurring role as Flossie Brimmer on The Waltons.

Martine Bartlett was also active in television during the 1960s including a role in the miniseries Sybil in 1976. Her most recognizable role was as Miss Metcalf in Elia Kazan’s Splendor in the Grass (1961). 

Ken Drake appeared in numerous television series including dozens of appearances on Sea Hunt and a short-lived leading role on the crime series Not for Hire opposite Ralph Meeker.

“Night Call” may seem like an atypical episode to some, given its macabre sensibilities, but it’s still an enjoyable one and it’s one of the best offerings of the show’s fifth season. Matheson’s script is trimmed and crafted to perfection, Tourneur’s pacing and atmosphere are highly effective, and Gladys Cooper turns in a remarkable performance as the controlling but insecure Elva Keene. It comes recommended.

Grade: A

Grateful acknowledgment is made to the following:

The Twilight Zone Scripts of Richard Matheson, Vol.2, edited Stanley Wiater (Edge Books, 2002)

Richard Matheson: Collected Stories, Vol. 1, edited by Stanley Wiater (Gauntlet Press, 2003)

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

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

Internet Speculative Fiction Database

Internet Movie Database

Wikipedia

Notes:

__Richard Matheson first published this story under the title “Sorry, Right Number” (editor’s title) in the November, 1953 issue of Beyond Fantasy Fiction. It was later collected in his collection of short fiction, Shock! (Dell, 1961), under his preferred title, “Long Distance Call.” It is currently available in his collections Nightmare at 20,000 Feet (Tor, 2002) and The Best of Richard Matheson (Penguin Books, 2017).

__Matheson’s script for this episode can be found in Richard Matheson’s The Twilight Zone Scripts, Vol. 2 (Gauntlet Press, 2002) edited by Stanley Wiater.

__Gladys Cooper also appeared in the season three episode “Nothing in the Dark” and the season four episode “Passage on the Lady Anne.”

__Nora Marlowe also appeared in the season two episode “Back There.”

__Ken Drake also appeared in season two’s “A Hundred Yards Over the Rim” and season five’s “A Kind of a Stopwatch.”

__“Night Call” was adapted into a Twilight Zone Radio Drama by author Dennis Etchison in 2009. It stars Mariette Hartley and was directed by Carl Amari and Roger Wolski.

 

Brian

"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