4x01 "Cupid Is as Cupid Does"

We’re back! Love is in the air as Craig gazes seductively into the eyes of the first two Twilight Zone episodes he ever saw (“The Chaser” and “Jess-Belle”). Along the way he completely undermines his own efforts to be more “woke” when it comes to lusting after the opposite sex… just in time for Valentine’s Day (which was two weeks ago, so our perfect record of always being late remains intact). It’s a heady brew of Paley Center complaints, surprising Psycho tangents, and more cast connections than you can shake a silver hairpin at. Draw a warm bath, light some candles, and crack open the Courvoisier. Ooh la la!

Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards ballot: https://rondoaward.com/rondoaward.com/blog/?p=890

“I’m in the Mood for Love” performed by the Jackie Gleason & His Orchestra (from the album Music for Lovers Only, copyright 1953 by Capitol Records)


“Love Potion No. 9” performed by The Clovers (copyright 1959 by Capitol Records)


“Every Breath You Take” performed by The Police (from the album Synchronicity, copyright 1983 by A&M Records)


“The Ballad of Jess-Belle (single edit)” performed by Terrea Lea (copyright 1963 by CBS Music)


“I Wonder as I Wander” performed by Terrea Lea (from the album Folk Songs and Ballads, copyright 1958 by HiFi Records)


“The Ocelot” composed and conducted by Joseph Mullendore (from the album Honey West: Original Music from the Soundtrack, copyright 1965 by ABC Records)


“Love Potion No. 9 (instrumental)” performed by Enoch Light and The Light Brigade (from the album Discotheque Vol. 2, copyright 1965 by Command Records)

The Twilight Zone is a trademark of CBS, Inc.

Between Light and Shadow: A Twilight Zone Podcast is a nonprofit podcast. Music clips and dialogue excerpts used herein are the property of their respective copyright owners; we claim no ownership of these materials. Their use is strictly for illustrative purposes and should be considered Fair Use as stated in the Copyright Act of 1976, 17 U.S.C. section 107.

Repeat Report: Summer 1961, Part 2

The Twilight Zone's repeat schedule for summer 1961 (post-season 2) was 14 weeks in length, and was composed entirely of repeats from the show's first season. We covered the first half here, and we'll cover the second half here. It appears I missed two fairly obvious Forbidden Planet connections in my initial episode promos, so I'll spotlight 'em here. Oh, and make sure to click on the images to see the full-size HD beauty, thanks to Image Entertainment's stunning blu-ray release.

07/28/1961
"Elegy"
(originally broadcast 02/19/1960)

Forbidden Planet alert! Check out the mega-cool "Pac Man" lights, which were originally part of the film's ancient Krell laboratory... we also saw them previously in "People Are Alike All Over," and I wouldn't be surprised at all if they pop up again in the series' run.

08/04/1961

"Mirror Image"
(originally broadcast 02/26/1960)

Damn you, Vera Miles! I'm still waiting for my autographed 8x10...

08/11/1961

"One for the Angels"
(originally broadcast 10/09/1959)

Forbidden Planet alert! There's Robby the Robot, in wind-up toy form, making his first of three Twilight Zone appearances. Note the rather TZesque eyeball sticker on his dome.

08/18/1961

"The Big Tall Wish"
(originally broadcast 04/08/1960)


08/25/1961
"The Chaser"
(originally broadcast 05/13/1960)

09/01/1961

"Nightmare as a Child"
(originally broadcast 04/29/1960)

09/08/1961

"A World of His Own"
(originally broadcast 07/01/1960)

What can I say? I'm kind of a big deal.

Season 3 commences on 9/15 with a haunting tale of a chance encounter between mortal enemies. We'll witness firsthand that the line between love and hate is quite thin indeed. It's "Two" good to miss.

TZ Promo: "The Chaser" (5/13/1960)

Meet Roger Shackleforth.  A nice guy (if a bit nebbishy), who finds himself hopelessly in love with Leila, a top-shelf beauty who rebuffs him at every turn.  In real life, he'd eventually get the hint and find someone in his own league.  But this isn't real life.  It's The Twilight Zone.  And here, even the lovelorn can find help.

Help in this case comes in the form of Professor A. Daemon, who sells him a sure-fire love potion for a measly buck.  Will the potion work?  And if it does, will the hapless Roger be happy with the results?

"The Chaser," scripted by Robert Presnell Jr. from a short story by John Henry Collier, is essentially a romantic comedy (even in its darker moments, it never feels less than buoyant).  It's a light, simple story with a twist, something of a trifle when lined up next to Zone heavyweights like "Eye of the Beholder" or "The Obsolete Man," but it works well enough.  The direction by Douglas Heyes isn't quite as elaborate as some of his other efforts, save for the massive bookcase that occupies the Professor's office.  Heyes speculated some years later that this set alone probably doubled the episode's budget.

"The Chaser" celebrates its 50th anniversary tonight.  Maybe I'll open a bottle of champagne in its honor....

Next week:  Jack Klugman stars in his first Twilight Zone episode (he'll do a total of four over the show's five year run).  He's a down and out trumpet player who's at the end of his rope.  It's an amazing episode, not to be missed.