Episode Spotlight: "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" (10/11/1963)

Season 5, episode 3 (123 overall)

Originally aired 10/11/1963

Cayuga Production # 2605

50 years ago tonight, a nervous air traveler came face to face with an impossible enemy: an otherworldly creature out on the wing, who apparently is determined to sabotage the plane and endanger everyone on board.

Richard Matheson’s “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” is probably one of The Twilight Zone’s most recognizable episodes. It’s been spoofed repeatedly over the years (more on this below), and it had the (dubious) honor of being remade in 1983’s Twilight Zone: The Movie. After Captain Kirk, it’s probably William Shatner’s most famous screen role (well, maybe it’s a tie with T.J. Hooker), and well-deservedly so: he’s straight-up brilliant here, his characterization nuanced and complex. He’s completely convincing as a man struggling with two demons: the one out on the wing, and his own precarious grip on reality.

Bob Wilson has just spent six months in a sanitarium after experiencing a nervous breakdown on an airplane (the specifics aren’t given; did he see something on the wing that time too?). Evidently he’s recovered and, as a final breakthrough, he’s going home on a plane (is it just me, or is this approach kinda sorta asking for trouble?). Of course he’s got a window seat, and of course his seat just happens to be right next to an emergency hatch.

Oh, there’s also a wicked storm directly in the plane’s flight path, promising a rough ride. Jesus, this guy can’t catch a break.

Most of the episode is spent having Bob see the Gremlin, but only when nobody else is there to see it. We wonder if it’s all in his head (this argument seems pretty valid until the very end of the episode). His wife, the stewardess, and finally the pilot interact with him in a placating but skeptical manner, but wouldn’t we do the same? Even if there were a man (or whatever) out on the wing, he (or it) would’ve been blown off immediately upon takeoff... right? The fact that this Man Crying Wolf was very recently crazy (pardon my political incorrectness there) doesn’t help his case.

My only real gripe (other than the gigantic one directly below) is the fact that Bob easily (too damned easily) manages to get his hands on a nearby air marshal’s .38. I won’t spoil it, but trust me when I say it’s contrived and awkward, not to mention completely unbelievable. In Matheson’s original story, Bob is in the midst of experiencing a nervous breakdown and is contemplating suicide, so he has his own pistol in his carryon bag (wow, things are sure different now). Of course you couldn’t do suicide on TV at that time, so Matheson went this route. I’m not sure I could’ve thought of something better, but I still don’t like it.

However, the gun situation is negligible when you consider the true, fatal flaw of this episode. We must now discuss the elephant in the room. This particular subject has been touched on previously in the pages of this very blog, but it’s high time we tackle this beast head-on.  And as it turns out, “beast” is a pretty accurate descriptor. I’m of course referring to…

*Sigh* The Gremlin is, hands down, one of the stupidest creature designs I’ve ever seen, on The Twilight Zone or elsewhere. Matheson’s seminal short story describes it as follows: “It was a hideously malignant face, a face not human. Its skin was grimy, of a wide-pored coarseness; its nose a squat, discolored lump; its lips misshapen, cracked, forced apart by teeth of a grotesque size and crookedness; its eyes recessed and small --- unblinking. All framed by shaggy, tangled hair which sprouted, too, in furry tufts from the man’s ears and nose, in birdlike down across his cheeks.” Matheson was reportedly unhappy with its television incarnation, which is basically a giant teddy bear with a mongloidish face (crafted by William Tuttle and presumably cobbled together from leftover “Eye of the Beholder” prosthetics), and why wouldn’t he be? It looks utterly ridiculous, particularly when it swoops in and out of the frame on (hidden) wires. 

I fly through the air with the greatest of ease…

The Gremlin isn’t scary in the least, and severely undermines the tension that the episode is otherwise building quite successfully.  I’ll even go so far as to say that it pretty much ruins the episode. And look! Even the bottoms of its feet look dumb:

FAMILIAR FACES

This is William Shatner’s second TZ appearance. We saw him previously in season two’s “Nick of Time,” in which he played Don Carter, a somewhat-less neurotic slave to our old friend The Mystic Seer. I like to think of Don Carter and Bob Wilson as variations on the same basic character, and Bif Bang Pow! clearly agrees with me, as evidenced by their action figure of William Shatner, which comes with both characters’ outfits and accessories!

But Bif Bang Pow! didn’t stop there: they’ve released bobbleheads of both Bob Wilson and The Gremlin, a furry action figure of The Gremlin (which actually looks better than the “real” thing), and a diorama of the airplane with a li’l tiny Gremlin on the wing (my purchases of TZ collectibles have pretty much ground to a halt, but I must admit this last one’s kinda cool).

A 12-inch action figure of The Gremlin was released several years back by Sideshow Collectibles. Their work is usually superb, but something went horribly wrong here. I mean horribly. Just look at it. Just take a moment or two and gaze at its hideousness. What an utter piece of shit. It's a monstrosity (and not the good kind).

*Ahem* Back to the cast. Christine White is quite good as Ruth, Bob’s long-suffering wife (and fellow passenger on the plane).  She was also Ace Larson’s long-suffering girlfriend in season two’s “The Prime Mover,” so apparently she was quite adept at the whole long-suffering thing.  Ms. White passed away just two months ago, after which the NY Times wrote a very “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet”-centric story about her here. 

The stewardess is played by Asa Maynor, whose very first TV role was “Ginger Snap” on a 1960 episode of Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer. This is her only TZ appearance; however, she gets a special mention because she’s a bona fide TZ Babe.  Arrrrooooooogah!

The episode was remade in 1983 for Twilight Zone: The Movie (retitled “Nightmare at 35,000 Feet” to bring it up to modern aviation specs), this time featuring John Lithgow in the lead (though Shatner was certainly still young enough to reprise his role; I guess he was busy with the aforementioned T.J. Hooker at the time). The film’s Gremlin design is a gigantic improvement over its furry ancestor; however, the segment as a whole (directed by George Miller of Mad Max fame and, more recently, Happy Feet, which suggests a pretty bizarre career path) is much too frenetic to generate any true tension (many reviewers consider it the highlight of the film; I find it grating, personally, but I guess I kinda agree, which should give you an idea of my thoughts on the film as a whole).

Many of The Twilight Zone’s iconic, most widely-remembered episodes have been parodied by TV’s The Simpsons over the years, and “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” is no exception. The 1993 episode “Treehouse of Horror IV” includes “Terror at 5½ Feet,” which moves the action from an airplane to Bart Simpson’s school bus. Interestingly, the framework of this particular episode is patterned after Rod Serling’s Night Gallery, with Bart introducing each segment using gallery paintings.

The episode was more recently parodied on Saturday Night Live in 2010, with Bobby Moynihan playing the Gremlin and the brilliant Bill Hader standing in for Rod Serling. It’s a bit dumb, but very well done on a technical level. I was going to embed the video directly into this entry, but I can't seem to find it anywhere (including SNL's own website), so.... sorry, mates.

Splice the ’83 Gremlin (not the car, dammit) into the ’63 episode and give Bob Wilson his own pistol (as in Matheson’s short story) and you’d have an undeniable classic.  As it stands, however, “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” is still a classic… but not the masterpiece that it could’ve (and should’ve) been. That fucking Gremlin just wrecks it for me. Your air mileage may vary.

Coming up:

STOP everything and WATCH this. Ha, see what I did there?  No? Well, it’ll make more sense next week.

Episode Spotlight: "Steel" (10/04/1963)

Season 5, Episode 2 (122 overall)

Originally aired 10/04/1963

Cayuga Production # 2602

Ah, the old Man versus Machine bit.  We've seen it before (“A Thing about Machines”) and we’ll see it again (“The Brain Center at Whipple’s”) but, 50 years ago tonight, The Twilight Zone brought us a fresh take on the subject… with boxing gloves, no less.

Richard Matheson’s “Steel” (adapted from his own short story, as most of his TZ teleplays were) introduces us to Joe “Steel” Kelly, former heavyweight boxer (he earned the nickname by never getting knocked down) and his sidekick Pole, who have just rode into town for a three-round bout. But it’s not Steel who’s doing the fighting… it’s Battling Maxo, a model B2 automaton who’s seen better days (and several generations of newer models). This is 1974, you see, and human boxing has been outlawed.

As he is apparently prone to do, Maxo breaks a spring during his pre-fight check-over, rendering his arm useless.  The guys are broke, so they have no way to get the parts they need to fix him, so Steel comes up with a clever (albeit dangerous) plan… one that will place him in considerable jeopardy.

The robot boxers are an ingenious creation, and quite well realized. They look human enough at first glance, but their artificiality becomes quickly apparent upon closer examination: their expressionless faces look like sculpted rubber, and their eyes appear to be made of black glass. They look menacing and soulless, which is exactly what they should look like.

THE MUSIC

“Steel” features original music by Nathan Van Cleave, a welcome jazz score with a few avant-garde touches.  Of particular note is the “Test Run” cue, which plays during act one (when Steel and Pole are checking Maxo’s reflexes before the fight, time stamp 10:30).  Frenetic strings intertwine with warbling guitar notes for a minute-long aural smack upside the head. It’s a vivid and exciting piece, one that would've made a great Twilight Zone title theme (if that pesky Marius Constant theme wasn’t so deeply ingrained in the collective consciousness, that is). Have a listen:

As with all season five scores, Van Cleave’s “Steel” has never been released (no vinyl, no tape, no CD, no mp3, no nothin’), but it can be found, isolated for your listening pleasure, on both the Definitive DVD and blu-ray release of season five from Image Entertainment.  I wish the same could be said of Van Cleave’s other jazz score from season five (“Black Leather Jackets”), which is NOT isolated on the season five sets and continues to be maddeningly unattainable in any form.

Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots first appeared in 1964, the year after “Steel” first aired. I can’t help but wonder if the toy’s designer, Marvin Glass (no, it wasn’t Horace Ford, smart ass) saw this episode, came up with (or, y’now, outright stole) the idea and immediately starting producing them.

2011’s Real Steel, on the other hand, didn't rip off Matheson’s idea, as he actually has a writing credit in the film. I haven’t seen it, so I can’t really comment. It’s got big robots and Hugh Jackman, so how bad can it be?  

FAMILIAR FACES

Lee Marvin, last seen in season three’s “The Grave,” is excellent as the mono-minded Steel Kelly (but really, he’s excellent in almost everything he ever did). For some reason I was thinking he also starred in the upcoming episode “The Old Man in the Cave,” but that’s actually James Coburn. Jesus, what the hell is wrong with me? Take this as an indicator that my season five memories are very fuzzy.

Ah ha!  I’m not the only one who’s made this mistake!

Joe Mantell stops by The Twilight Zone for another visit (he was marvelous in season two’s “Nervous Man in a Four Dollar Room”). Pole is pretty cardboard as written, but Mantell makes him breathe. Pole is generally argumentative and negative, but witness the fear in his eyes when he somberly predicts the outcome of the bout: “Steel, you’ll be killed.” He’s pre-grieving, and it’s very effective.

As The Maynard Flash, Chuck Hicks is convincingly soulless and mechanistic. We’ll see Hicks again in an uncredited role as an unnamed furniture mover later this season in “Ninety Years without Slumbering.” Apparently this particular B7 was able to find work when he was supplanted by later B models (I’m reminded of Mountain McClintock from Serling’s Requiem for a Heavyweight, in which an over-the-hill boxer seeks work through the Employment Office).

Two more TZ vets to mention:  Nolan is played by Merritt Bohn, who was also the truck driver in season one’s “One for the Angels” (you know, the one who runs over poor Dana Dillaway). Maxwell is played by Frank London, who was also the truck driver in season two’s “A Penny for Your Thoughts” (you know, the one who almost runs over Dick York).  I imagine these guys were good buddies with Dave Armstrong, who was equally dangerous behind the wheel on this show.

And speaking of familiar faces, what's the deal with the screaming guy in the crowd? He looks a lot like the star of next week's episode....

    Shatner.                        Not Shatner.

“Steel” is definitely upper-tier TZ which, as season five trudges forward, will become an increasingly rare thing to behold.  It’s tight and toned and sturdy on its feet… in other words, no oil paste or replacement springs needed here.

Next week: Captain Kirk sees a Mugato on the Enterprise’s port nacelle and totally loses his shit.

Episode Spotlight: "In Praise of Pip" (9/27/1963)

Season 5, Episode 1 (121 overall)

Cayuga Production #2607

Originally aired September 27, 1963

The Twilight Zone returned for its fifth season with a heartbreaking bang: Rod Serling’s “In Praise of Pip” is an aching study of a man’s love for his son, and the lengths he’ll go to save his life.

Max Phillips (expertly played by TZ favorite Jack Klugman) is a low-rent bookie, living in semi-squalor in a boarding house, marking time between drinks and letters from his son Pip, who is serving in Vietnam.  When he receives word that Pip has been injured in combat and is hovering between life and death, he revolts against his crime lord boss and gets a bullet for his trouble.  Wounded, he wanders down to the locked gates of a nearby amusement park and asks God for the chance to talk --- just talk --- to Pip.  This is only the setup; the real story takes place during act two, inside the amusement park, where an unexpected visitor awaits him.  

“In Praise of Pip” resides squarely in TZ’s gentle fantasy category (other occupants of this sub-genre include “Walking Distance,” “The Trouble with Templeton” and “The Fugitive”); it’s also one of the series’ subtlest outings.  It could be argued that the events in act two are simply hallucinations experienced by Max as he slowly bleeds to death. If we take the episode at face value and accept that God grants Max’s request (actually requests, plural), then we’re moving outside of The Twilight Zone and into fundamentalist Christianity (which my agnostic self refuses to allow for). I suppose that the fact that Max specifically calls on God doesn't necessarily mean that it’s God who answers, so it’s not necessarily a conundrum after all.  And ultimately it doesn't really matter: emotion is driving the story, not the entity stimulating said emotion behind the machinations.

There’s a nice montage featuring Max and Pip taking in the assorted pleasures of the amusement park (rides, cotton candy, etc). We’re reminded of the carnival in season one’s “Perchance to Dream”; here, however, the nightmarish aspect is confined to the House of Mirrors, and even that is ultimately more disorienting than frightening.

Max voices regret about all the times he flaked on his parenting time with Pip, which indicates that Pip didn't live with him, but it’s interesting to note that there isn't a single mention of the child’s mother anywhere in the episode. I suppose it doesn't change anything, since we’re really only interested in the father-son relationship, but just a quick reference might’ve been nice.  Is she dead?  Remarried? We’ll never know.

THE MUSIC

“In Praise of Pip” features an original music score by Rene Garriguenc (conducted by Lud Gluskin). It’s fairly generic aside from a couple of nice jazzy cues but, overall, it supports the drama well enough (I almost wonder if using stock cues from “Walking Distance” might’ve been more effective…?). You won’t find Garriguenc’s score on any TZ soundtracks; however, it’s conveniently included as an isolated music track on both the Definitive DVD and blu-ray releases on season five from Image Entertainment.

FAMILIAR FACES

“In Praise of Pip” is Jack Klugman’s fourth and final TZ appearance: he previously headlined season one’s “A Passage for Trumpet” (in which his Joey Crown is something of a dry run for his Max Phillips here), season three’s “A Game of Pool” and season four’s “Death Ship.” Klugman is my favorite actor to ever appear on the series, so I was naturally devastated when he passed away this last Christmas Eve.

Pip is played by Billy Mumy, who attained TZ Legend status with his portrayal of the Godchild Anthony Fremont in season three’s “It’s a Good Life” (he also appeared in season two’s “Long Distance Call”). Observing how much Mumy changed over those three appearances (see pic below) effectively underlines Max’s lament over how quickly his son has grown up.

Several other TZ vets are on display in "In Praise of Pip." Max’s boss Moran is played by John Launer, the Lieutenant Colonel in season one’s “The Purple Testament” (memorable for his unfortunate “War stinks!” line; Launer also provided voice work in “And When the Sky was Opened” and “Third from the Sun,” both from season one).  That’s Ross Elliot as the doctor who first examines Private Pip in South Vietnam; he appeared briefly in season four’s “Death Ship” as Kramer, the hunter in Lieutenant Carter’s vision of home (Elliot never crossed screen paths with Jack Klugman, however, who had the lead in that particular episode). And Russell Horton, who we saw in season three’s “The Changing of the Guard,” is effectively twitchy and pathetic here as ol’ black-eyed George (for whom Max takes the fateful bullet).

Kreg Martin is sufficiently menacing as Moran’s silent, unnamed gunman. This is his only TZ appearance; however, he appeared three times on Alfred Hitchcock Presents and three times on The Alfred Hitchcock Hour.  The IMDB only lists acting credits for him in 1962 and 1963, so he evidently came out of nowhere, scored a bunch of TV roles, and abruptly dropped off the face of the earth. I can’t explain why, as I couldn't find anything in the way of biographical info on him.  Anyone?

“In Praise of Pip” is probably the single most heart-wrenching (and tear-inducing) episodes of The Twilight Zone, and Klugman’s performance is truly transcendent. There are several episodes that I count among my favorite filmed productions of all time for various reasons (writing, cinematography, performance, etc), but this particular episode is one I identify with on a very personal and visceral level. As a parent who has watched his children transform into adults (in what feels like mere moments instead of years), I experience a nostalgic twinge whenever I see pictures or videos of them when they were small, and… well, I’m reduced to tears every time I watch this. No other episode in the entire series hits me this hard.

Me and my kids, Isaac and Sierra, circa 1995.

Serling’s daughter Anne recently published As I Knew Him: My Dad, Rod Serling, an autobiographical account of her relationship with her famous (okay, legendary) father.  She reveals that some of the dialogue from “In Praise of Pip” was directly inspired by exchanges between the two of them, adding yet another layer of bittersweetness to the proceedings.

“In Praise of Pip” is Serling’s last truly great Twilight Zone script, on par with the general excellence of his work in the series’ glorious first season. There are a few decent Serling efforts still to come, but they won’t reach the heights he achieves here. Truth be told, I wish this episode had been the final episode to be aired this season (which would've made it the series finale). It would've been a nice bookend to close out the series.

Next week:  A three-round bout featuring the original Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots. Bet a fin, take your seat and tune in.