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| Joan Hackett and Barry Morse |
"A Piano in the House"
Season Three, Episode 87
Original
Air Date: February 16, 1962
Cast:
Fitzgerald
Fortune: Barry Morse
Esther
Fortune: Joan Hackett
Gregory
Walker: Don Durant
Marge
Moore: Muriel Landers
Throckmorton:
Philip Coolidge
Marvin:
Cyril Delevanti
Crew:
Writer:
Earl Hamner, Jr. (original teleplay)
Director:
David Greene
Producer:
Buck Houghton
Production
Manager: Ralph W. Nelson
Director
of Photography: George T. Clemens
Art
Direction: George W. Davis and Phil
Barber
Set
Decoration: H. Web Arrowsmith
Assistant
Director: E. Darrell Hallenbeck
Casting:
Stalmaster-Lister
Editor:
Bill Mosher
Story
Consultant: Richard McDonagh
Sound: Franklin Milton and Bill Edmondson
Sound: Franklin Milton and Bill Edmondson
Music:
stock
Player Piano Selections: "I'm In the Mood for
Love" (music by Jimmy McHugh); "Smiles" (music by Lee Roberts); "Sabre
Dance" (music by Aram Khachaturian); "These Foolish Things (Remind Me
of You)" (music by Jack Strachey); "Clair de Lune" (music by
Claude Debussy); "Lullaby and Goodnight" (music by Johannes Brahms)
And Now, Mr. Serling:
"Next
week on The Twilight Zone we roll in a musical instrument purchased in
this store. Now, there are pianos and pianos but this one was manufactured in
our own very strange, unpredictable factory. It comes to you via the typewriter
of Mr. Earl Hamner, and it boasts a collection of oddities and odd-ball doings.
Next week you can roll up the rug as we bring you 'A Piano in the House.'"
Rod Serling's Opening Narration:
"Mr.
Fitzgerald Fortune, theater critic and cynic at-large, on his way to a birthday
party. If he knew what is in store for him he probably wouldn't go, because
before this evening is over that cranky old piano is going to play "Those Piano
Roll Blues" with some effects that could happen only in The Twilight Zone."
Summary:
Fitzgerald
Fortune is a theater critic and intellectual snob who enjoys bullying his wife,
Esther, deriding his servant, and embarrassing Esther's friends. He goes to a
junk store to purchase an old player piano for Esther's birthday. Esther has
aspirations to play music but Fortune does not think she has the talent to do
so, thus he insensitively selects an instrument that plays itself. Fortune asks
for a demonstration that the piano works and notices the strange effect of the
music on the store owner. The store owner is a rude man who becomes sentimental
when a love song is played. His behavior reverts back to its original state
when the song ends.
Once
the piano is delivered to his home, Fortune begins to try it out on those
around him. His dour servant, Marvin, becomes imbued with happy energy when an
upbeat selection is played. A brooding composition reveals Esther's intense
hatred of Fortune. Fortune plays a melancholy love song for their friend, Greg
Walker, who reveals not only his deep love for Esther but that they are having
an affair.
The
guests abandon him as he throws a temper tantrum. Esther leaves with Greg and Fortune
is left alone with the ruins of his life.
Rod Serling's Closing Narration:
"Mr.
Fitzgerald Fortune, a man who went searching for concealed persons and found
himself in The Twilight Zone."
Commentary:
When Earl Hamner, Jr. arrived in California from New York in the early
1960’s, he found himself unable to get a freelance writing assignment in the
film and television industry on the West Coast. Hamner was by this time a
published novelist and a writer with hours of live television drama to his
resume. But he had not yet written for film and found himself victim of the
conundrum of needing film writing experience to get film writing assignments. Hamner
labored for many months without selling his writing to the television
industry but soon discovered he had a way into the industry through his past
associations with the creator of The
Twilight Zone.
Hamner crossed the
professional path of Rod Serling before their time on the series, dating all
the way back to the beginning of both men’s professional careers. Like Serling,
Hamner also won a contest writing for the Dr.
Christian radio show and the two writers met briefly for the occasion in
1948. In 1951, Hamner left station WLW in Cincinnati and was replaced by Rod
Serling. Hamner later enjoyed telling the story that Rod Serling often
(jokingly) introduced him to people as “the man who gave me my first job in the
business.” It was while working at WLW and writing material for radio that Serling cut his teeth writing for
dramatic television, but he did so for rival station WKRC-TV, where Serling
developed the local dramatic series The
Storm. Hamner steadily observed Serling’s meteoric rise in the television
industry and by late 1961 decided to reach out to the writer in an attempt to
secure freelance work on The Twilight
Zone.
Hamner’s strategy was to contact Serling with story ideas which Hamner
felt would work for The Twilight Zone. Serling
sent back the message that the story ideas would be submitted to the production
team on the series. Producer Buck Houghton soon got in contact with Hamner’s
agent with the news that the series was interested in buying Hamner’s stories.
Houghton was wary of Hamner’s lack of film writing experience, however, and
asked Hamner if he wanted to write the stories as plays instead. Hamner was
determined to craft teleplays and did so ultimately to Houghton’s and Serling’s
satisfaction.
The
interesting aspect of this first breakthrough for Hamner on The Twilight Zone was that it perfectly represented
the dichotomy which would characterize his entire output on the series. Hamner
was fundamentally concerned with crafting stories which examined the
characteristics of rural life and the religious and spiritual nature of such
life. He was also fascinated with the wealthy upper class. This dichotomy would
also characterize his largest creative successes, the long running series The Waltons and Falcon Crest. For his first offering to The Twilight Zone, Hamner presented a humorous rural tale which was
a rewrite of material he had written for a live television anthology nearly a
decade before. For his second offering, written at the same time, he would
craft an entirely different tale, one which was equal parts Hamner’s
fascination with the wealthy class and his deliberate attempt to craft a story
which was clearly in line with what the series had done before. If “A Piano in
the House” feels a bit like a Rod Serling written episode, it is most assuredly
by design.
Hamner
wrote “The Hunt” and “A Piano in the House” at the same time. Yet, in
interviews taken with the writer over the years since the broadcast of the two
episodes, Hamner recalls “The Hunt” in great detail while largely being unable
to recall the inspiration for “A Piano in the House.” What Hamner did recall
was that he had never moved in the circle of people depicted in “A Piano in the
House” and that much of the characterization was of a purely imaginative sort, naturally leading to the broad characterizations presented in the episode,
particularly in the case of the character of Fitzgerald Fortune. Hamner was
also doing his best to imitate the type of stories being produced on the series. With "A Piano in the House," Hamner was particularly imitating aspects of Rod Serling’s scripts for the series in an attempt to
secure acceptance of his story. An astute viewer can clearly see Bartlett
Finchley (from “A Thing About Machines”) in the character of Fitzgerald
Fortune, as well as the idea of supernatural machinery, something explored
multiple times on the series. The tale of the enchanted object was one of the
most frequently examined story types on the series, and one approached by nearly every
writer on the series. Another previous Rod Serling episode, “The Whole Truth,”
also shares much in common with “A Piano in the House.” In fact, “A Piano in
the House” functions quite well as a combination of “A Thing About
Machines” and “The Whole Truth,” even to the reasonable balance of comedy and
drama with comes with combining the deadly serious former episode and the buffoonish latter offering. Not to mention the fact that Hamner’s story begins in a curio shop,
hardly a novel idea when crafting a tale of fantasy and one which the show
utilized a number of times.
Despite
the largely derivative nature of the episode, Hamner’s script contains a number
of interesting elements. The characterizations are broad but versatile enough
for the excellent cast to push the characterizations in interesting directions.
Of course, the four principle actors are forced to essentially play two
characters and all excel at the challenge.
Playing
the soft spoken and subservient wife Esther is actress Joan Hackett (1934-1983). Hackett
brings an essential quiet rage to the role which perfectly suits the inner fire
and passion illuminated when the player piano reveals her secret self. Hackett
began her career in television and largely remained there throughout her life,
with intermittent stage and film work. Fantasy fans will likely remember
Hackett as the mother who attempts to bring her son back from the dead with
horrifying results in the “Bobby” segment of the 1977 film, Dead of Night. That film was one of a
number of collaborations between Twilight
Zone writer Richard Matheson and producer/director Dan Curtis, a
collaboration which yielded the films The
Night Stalker (1972) and Trilogy of
Terror (1975). Hackett also appeared in episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The
Alfred Hitchcock Hour, and Tales of
the Unexpected. Known for being a perfectionist in her craft, and therefore
often considered difficult to work with**, Hackett brings an assuredness to the
character of Esther and a subtle complexity to her transition by episode’s end.
Hackett passed away from cancer at the young age of 49 in 1983.
Despite
the strong appearances of Morse and Hackett, the standout performance clearly
belongs to Muriel Landers as Marge Moore. Landers (1921-1977) is simply heartbreaking in
her characterization of an overweight woman whose gregarious nature provides
shelter against her insecurities; insecurities which are revealed in a
singularly arresting scene that sees the talented Landers hypnotized by the
lulling melody of an ode to moonlight. Landers was a highly talented actress who
was also an accomplished singer and dancer, skills which were frequently utilized when she found success in comedic work. One of Landers's earliest credits is in an episode of the suspense anthology series The Clock ("Rumble in Manhattan"), and she began her film career in 1952 with the comedy Bela Lugosi Meets a Brooklyn Gorilla, which
sees Lugosi alongside the unfunny duo of Duke Mitchell and Sammy
Petrillo, who perform in imitation of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. Landers soon
found her niche in television variety programs and in short comedy subjects,
such as the well-regarded Three Stooges short, Sweet and Hot (1958). Landers found roles in the romantic comedy Pillow Talk (1959) and with Jerry Lewis
in The Disorderly Orderly (1964). On
television, she appeared on Rowan and
Martin’s Laugh-In and on Hogan’s
Heroes. Despite her long career in comedy, Landers clearly possessed a
talent that worked well in a dramatic context. Her performance is not only the
most memorable aspect of “A Piano in the House” but is quite likely one of the
most memorable from the entire series.
Rounding
out the main cast is Don Durant (1932-2005), a Californian who worked as a singer and actor in advertising before establishing himself on television in the short-lived CBS western Johnny Ringo. Durant acquits
himself well in the episode as the sensitive, love-struck writer with the
masculine exterior. Veteran character actors Cyril Delevanti (1889-1975) and Philip
Coolidge (1908-1967) also make appearances. English actor Delevanti is in the rarefied
company of those who have performed in four episodes of The Twilight Zone. Delevanti looked much older than his actual age
and it secured him a number of roles as a quiet, elderly man. Delevanti worked
in films since the early sound era and his genre credits include episodes of Science Fiction Theatre, Suspicion, Alcoa
Presents: One Step Beyond, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Thriller, Voyage to the
Bottom of the Sea, and Rod Serling’s
Night Gallery. Here, Delevanti is tasked with the most abrupt change in
character as the morose servant turned jubilant. Philip Coolidge has a similar
challenge as the gruff store owner turned into a man with a secret sentimental
side. Coolidge frequently worked in genre programs,
including a memorable episode of ‘Way
Out, "Hush-Hush," in which he plays a husband who attempts to silence his talkative wife
with devastating results. Coolidge also appeared in episodes of Suspense, The Clock, Lights Out, Climax!,
Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and The
Alfred Hitchcock Hour.
Director David Greene (1921-2003) was at the helm for only this single episode of
the series but his approach to the subject is superb. One of the advantages of
film (as opposed to the static camera setup for videotape) is the fluidity of camera movement allotted a
director. This allowed a number of the show’s directors, particularly those
instinctively in line with the show’s subject matter (John Brahm, Douglas
Heyes, James Sheldon, Lamont Johnson, etc.) to use the camera in a style which
reflected the individuality of each episode. Despite the confined setting of the story, Greene’s camera never seems to
stand still, and he works an effective combination of extreme close-ups, wide angle views, and subjective character
shots with a sweeping, energetic style. His filming of the dance performed by
Muriel Landers is poignant and compelling, but perhaps his most effective shot
is that which exposes Fitzgerald Fortune’s secret self. Greene moves the camera
in a sweeping back and forth shot which mirrors the turning heads of the party
guests. Greene honed his skills in the early days of anthology programs, including two episodes of Alfred Hitchcock's Suspicion, and later became a noted director of television miniseries, winning Emmy Awards for his direction of Rich Man, Poor Man (1976) and Roots (part one, 1977).
Though
the episode uses stock music cues, it is greatly enhanced by a number of
musical selections for the reproducing piano which are expertly chosen and work to reveal a concealed
inner self in each of the characters. The selection which reveals a sentimental
side to the gruff store owner is “I’m in the Mood for Love,” with music by
Jimmy McHugh. The song was first heard in 1935 in the film Every Night at Eight, with lyrics by Dorothy Fields. The song which
moves the dour butler to happy energy is “Smiles,” with music by Lee Roberts.
The song was first heard on Broadway for The
Passing Show of 1918, with lyrics by J. Will Callahan. The familiar song
which reveals Esther’s inner rage is “Sabre Dance” by Aram Khachaturian, from
his 1942 ballet, Gayane. The energetic piece is surely one of the most recognizable
pieces of music in the western canon. Greg is compelled to reveal his love for
Esther with “These Foolish Things (Remind Me of You),” with music by Jack
Strachey. The music was written for lyrics by Eric Maschwitz (Holt Marvell),
and the most famous version was recorded by Billie Holiday, who performed it
with Teddy Wilson’s Orchestra in 1936. Muriel Landers’s memorable dance and
poetic soliloquy is brought on by Claude Debussy’s “Clair de Lune” (or “Moonlight”). Inspired by a poem from Paul Verlaine, Debussy composed the song for the
musical suite bergamasque. Finally,
the song which ruins Fitzgerald Fortune by revealing his frightened inner child
is the classic cradle song “Lullaby and Good Night” from Johannes Brahms.
Inspired by German folklore and first performed in 1869, Brahms's lullaby has
assisted parents in putting their children to bed for generations. It is
interesting to note here that Fitzgerald Fortune wanted to play a selection
titled “Faust,” which is likely “The Damnation of Faust” from French composer
Hector Berlioz, whose darkly melodic work was first heard in Paris in 1846.
For
his second offering to the series, Hamner presented a character-rich morality
play which examined the secret inner lives each of us harbor within and the danger of seeking out concealed persons among friends and acquaintances. Filled
with solid characterizations, a capable cast, a standout performance from
Muriel Landers, great music, and David Greene’s innovative use of the camera
within the closed confines of the setting mark “A Piano in the House” an
episode with enough interesting and unusual aspects to mark it a cut above the
show’s average offering.
Grade:
B
Grateful acknowledgement is made to the
following for information contained in the commentary:
-The
Twilight Zone Scripts of Earl Hamner by
Earl Hamner (with commentary by Tony Albarella) (Cumberland House, 2003)
-The
Twilight Zone: Unlocking the Door to a Television Classic by Martin Grams, Jr. (OTR, 2008)
-The
Billboard Encyclopedia of Classical Music, general editor: Stanley Sadie (Billboard Books, 2004)
-Marc Scott Zicree interview with
producer Buck Houghton (included as a commentary track on “A Piano in the
House” from the Definitive Edition DVD of the series).
-“Earl Hamner Discusses Writing for The Twilight Zone,” interview segment
with Earl Hamner, Jr. from the Archive of American Television (TV Legends).
*Asylum was one of a number of excellent horror anthology films from Amicus Productions in the 1960's and 1970's. The Amicus films were heavily inspired by the excellent and influential 1945 anthology film Dead of Night from Ealing Studios. Other Amicus anthology films include Dr. Terror's House of Horrors (1965), Torture Garden (1967, scripted by Robert Bloch), The House that Dripped Blood (scripted by Bloch), Tales from the Crypt (1972, based on the famous EC Comics), The Vault of Horror (1973, EC Comics), and From Beyond the Grave (1973). "The Weird Tailor" segment in which Morse appears was previously adapted by Robert Bloch for Boris Karloff's Thriller. Though Bloch never wrote for The Twilight Zone, he later adapted the screenplay for 1983's Twilight Zone: The Movie into prose.
**Although producer Buck Houghton does not remember Hackett being difficult to work with he did recall to author Marc Scott Zicree that the actress was very anxious during the filming of "A Piano in the House."
*Asylum was one of a number of excellent horror anthology films from Amicus Productions in the 1960's and 1970's. The Amicus films were heavily inspired by the excellent and influential 1945 anthology film Dead of Night from Ealing Studios. Other Amicus anthology films include Dr. Terror's House of Horrors (1965), Torture Garden (1967, scripted by Robert Bloch), The House that Dripped Blood (scripted by Bloch), Tales from the Crypt (1972, based on the famous EC Comics), The Vault of Horror (1973, EC Comics), and From Beyond the Grave (1973). "The Weird Tailor" segment in which Morse appears was previously adapted by Robert Bloch for Boris Karloff's Thriller. Though Bloch never wrote for The Twilight Zone, he later adapted the screenplay for 1983's Twilight Zone: The Movie into prose.
**Although producer Buck Houghton does not remember Hackett being difficult to work with he did recall to author Marc Scott Zicree that the actress was very anxious during the filming of "A Piano in the House."
Notes:
-Earl
Hamner came to enjoy the creative freedom offered by the series and created a
diverse body of 8 episodes consisting of “The Hunt,” “Jess-Belle,” “Ring-a-Ding
Girl,” “You Drive,” “Black Leather Jackets,” “Stopover in a Quiet Town,” and
the final broadcast episode, “The Bewitchin’ Pool.”
-Barry
Morse also appeared in an episode of the first revival Twilight Zone series
titled “Dream Me a Life,” from the third season.
-Joan
Hackett also appeared in the 1977 film Dead
of Night, in the memorable final segment,
“Bobby,” which was based on a script by Richard Matheson.
-Cyril
Delevanti appears in three additional episodes of The Twilight Zone: “A
Penny for Your Thoughts” and “The Silence” from season two, and “Passage on the
Lady Anne” from season four. He also appeared in an episode of Rod
Serling’s Night Gallery titled “The Sins
of the Fathers.”
-“A
Piano in the House” appears in The
Twilight Zone Scripts of Earl Hamner, with
commentary by Tony Albarella (Cumberland House, 2003).
-“A
Piano in the House” was adapted as a Twilight
Zone Radio Drama starring Michael York.
-Earl
Hamner originally submitted this story under the title “Won’t You Play a Simple
Melody?”
-The
piano used in the episode is an Ampico Reproducing Piano. Ampico is a
shortening of the name of the American Piano Company from East Rochester, NY. The company
began manufacturing reproducing pianos in 1913. Visit here for more information about the
reproducing piano.
-JP
-JP
