Twilight Zone Companion (35 page)

‘The quality of mercy is not strained, it droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven upon the place beneath. It blesseth him that gives and him that takes. Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice, but applicable to any moment in time, to any group of soldiery, to any nation on the face of the Earthor, in this case, to the Twilight Zone.”

Shot on an already-standing jungle set on a soundstage at the Hal Roach Studios, A Quality of Mercy traverses much of the territory already covered by The Purple Testament (in which, coincidentally, Dean Stockwell was originally cast as the lead but was unable to appear). Again we are brought face to face with the grimness of war, the fatigue and the futility. Fortunately, this was a subject on which Serling was an expert, and so the material is well written. The character who gets to mouth most of Serlings sentiments on the subject is the war-weary sergeant, very well played by Albert Salmi (last seen in Execution).

As for the lead, Dean Stockwell is a good choice, although curiously he gives a better performance as a Japanese soldier than as an American. The episode also boasts a bit part by a pre-Star Trek Leonard Nimoy, as an American soldier.

THE HUNT (1/26/62)

Written by Earl Hamner, Jr.

Producer: Buck Houghton

Director: Harold Schuster

Director of Photography: George T. Clemens

Music: Robert Drasnin

Cast:

Hyder Simpson: Arthur Hunnicut Rachel Simpson: Jeanette Nolan Wesley Miller: Titus Moede Tillman Miller: Orville Sherman Rev. Wood: Charles Seel Gatekeeper: Robert Foulk Arthur Hunnicut Messenger: Dexter Dupont

An old man and a hound dog named Rip, off for an evenings pleasure in quest of raccoon. Usually, these evenings end with one tired old man, one battle-scarred hound dog and one or more extremely dead raccoons, but as you may suspect that will not be the case tonight. These hunters wont be coming home from the hill. Theyre headed for the backwoods of the Twilight Zone.

When Rip dives into the water after a raccoon, Simpson dives in after him but only the raccoon emerges. Next morning, man and dog awaken beside the water. Returning home, Simpson finds that neither his wife, the preacher, nor his neighbors can see or hear him and they all seem to think hes dead! Walking along the road to the local graveyard, he encounters a fence hes never seen before and decides to follow it. Soon, he and Rip come to a gate. The gatekeeper explains its the entrance to Heaven. Simpson is welcome, but dogs arent allowed; Rip must stay outside. Infuriated, Simpson takes Rip and continues down the road. There, he meets an angel dispatched to bring him to Heaven. The gate was actually the entrance to Hell and Rip wasnt allowed in because he would have smelled the brimstone and warned his master.

Travellers to unknown regions would be well-advised to take along the family dog. He could just save you from entering the wrong gate. At least, it happened that way once in a mountainous area of the Twilight Zone

Naive, badly directed, only tolerably acted (with the exception of a fine characterization by Jeanette Nolan), The Hunt was the first of eight shows written by Earl Hamner, Jr. (whose other Twilight Zone credits include A Piano in the House, Jess-Belle, Ring-a-ding Girl, You Drive, Black Leather Jackets, Stopover in a Quiet Town, and The Bewitchin Pool). Its failings, however, were not his fault. Born in Schuyler, Virginia, raised in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Hamner had an affection for these people and a special skill in setting them down as they really talked and acted.

Unfortunately, others connected with the show were not so familiar with these characters. The wardrobe is hillbilly, Hollywood style, thoroughly stereotypical, as are the sets, which include a log cabin. Perhaps most detrimental to the show is the performance of Arthur Hunnicut in the lead. Although speaking with his natural Arkansas drawl, he plays the Old Man leadenly and with no range.

The actor played the role of the Old Man much too seriously, says Hamner. He should have had fun with the role rather than treating it so literally. It required a kind of homespun, tongue-in-cheek approach, because the idea of a hillbilly angel immediately imposes a certain kind of fun. You know, Lets relax, this is a romp!

Years later, Hamner created a series based on his own family, in which his characters were presented in a more positive light. The name of the show was The Waltons. Notably, there is a strong similarity between the Old Man and the Old Woman of The Hunt and the characters of Grandma and Grandpa Walton. The similarity is not accidental, says Hamner, because at that time I was working on a series of short stories called The Old Man and the Old Woman. Those characters which I used in The Hunt also were later to become the Grandma and Grandpa Walton people. To put Hunnicuts performance in perspective, just imagine what Will Geer might have done with the part.

The Hunt was a curious thing for The Twilight Zone to do. It presented a fundamentalist Heaven and was completely opposite to the kind of urban-based and relatively cynical things being written by the other writers on the show. Hamner acknowledges the fact. I was delighted and surprised, and I think it was probably simply the charm of the idea that attracted them. But Ive found that true on many series, that they will occasionally break their mold.

How Hamner broke into The Twilight Zone is itself a remarkable story. When I came to California, I had had an agent in New York who introduced me to an agent here, so I thought, Well fine, Ill go to work immediately, because Im a hotshot writer. I spent the next six months trying to get writing assignments.

The main problem was that producers would say, Yes, weve read your books, or Weve seen your name on tape television, but youve never done any film. It was as if to do film there was some mystique to it that you had to absorb with the smog. Consequently, for six months I went without work when I first came to California, and we had spent most of my meager savings in renting a house and having our furniture shipped across the country. The money was simply drifting away, all because I didnt write film.

In 1947, Hamner had met Serling in New York when they were both winners of the Dr. Christian competition. Now desperate, he recalled that brief meeting. I thought of a couple of Twilight Zone ideas, and I mailed them to Rod, and I received a very nice letter in which he said, Our decisions are usually made by a committee. I have passed on my recommendation to the other committee members and youll be hearing from us. Shortly after that, Buck Houghton called. Buck said, We like these stories but we understand that you dont write film. Would you like to write them up like little plays? I said, No, I would like to write them up like little television scripts.

For all its faults, The Hunt has one memorable line. The Old Man, Hyder Simpson, has declined entering what he takes to be Heaven because it wont allow his dog to accompany him. Further down the Eternity Road, Simpson meets an angel who tells him that it was actually Hell he was almost tricked into entering. When he asks why they wouldnt let a dog in, the angel replies, You see, Mr. Simpson, a man, well hell walk right into Hell with both eyes openbut even the Devil cant fool a dog!

THE LAST RITES OF JEFF MYRTLEBANK (2/23/62)

Written and Directed by Montgomery Pittman

Producer: Buck Houghton

Director of Photography: Jack Swain

Music: Tommy Morgan

Cast: Jeff Myrtlebank: James Best Comfort Gatewood: Sherry Jackson Orgram Gatewood: Lance Fuller Mr. Peters: Dub Taylor Pa Myrtlebank: Ralph Moody Ma Myrtlebank: Ezelle Poule Ma Gatewood: Helen Wallace Liz Myrtlebank: Vickie Barnes Rev. Siddons: Bill Fawcett Doc Bolton: Edgar Buchanan Mrs. Ferguson: Mabel Forrest Mr. Strauss: Jon Lormer Tom: Pat Hector Jerry: Jim Houghton

Time, the mid-twenties. Place, the Midwest the southernmost section of the Midwest. We were just witnessing a funeral, a funeral that didnt come off exactly as planned, due to a slight fallout from the Twilight Zone.

During his funeral, Jeff Myrtlebank abruptly sits up in the coffin, alive, well, and even hungry. Jeff claims to be the same as always, but as time goes by others have doubts, fueled by the fact that Jeff exhibits new traits: a love of hard work, skill at fisticuffs and the ability to make freshly-picked flowers wilt in his grasp. After Jeff bests Orgram Gatewood, the brother of his fiancee Comfort, in a fight, a group of townspeople come to the conclusion that Jeff is actually an evil spirit. They decide to run him out of the county. Although previously frightened of Jeff, Comfort rushes off to warn him. Jeff demands that Comfort decide whether shell stick by him. As the men arrive, Comfort agrees to marry him. Jeff tells the men that he and his wife-to-be intend to stay. If he is Jeff Myrtlebank they have nothing to worry about; but if hes a supernatural being then theyd better treat him and his family well for with his magic he can cause them no end of distress. Feigning that they are reassured, although actually they are terrified, the townfolk depart. Jeff explains to Comfort that he lied to them; hes as human as she is. But while he says this, he lights a match without striking it!Jeff and Comfort are still alive today, and their only son is a United States senator whos noted as an uncommonly shrewd politicianand some believe he must have gotten his education in the Twilight Zone

An episode with many of the Earl Hamner trademarks was The Last Rites of Jeff Myrtlebank, a lighthearted backwoods tale of an intense young man (James Best, seen previously in The Grave and later of The Dukes of Hazard) who has trouble being accepted by his fellow townspeople after he seemingly returns from the dead. In actuality, the episode was written and directed by Montgomery Pittman, who, as has already been mentioned, was also from the South.

I liked it very much, Buck Houghton says of this episode. It was well done, very entertaining. Wonderful country humor.And I thought James Best was just wonderful And that came out of Monty. James could do it, but Monty had to ask for it. And for that old man to be reading that Montgomery Ward catalogue and just sort of pawing through it. His wife says, I hope that new one arrives cause youve got that one worn out with looking through it. I mean, two lazy people sitting there saying, I dont know when Ive seen Jeff use so much energy as he has of late. And you can see that they havent had any energy for years!

In casting, Pittman selected character actors who could handle the light touch necessary for this kind of country humor. Edgar Buchanan (later Uncle Joe on Petticoat Junction), Dub Taylor, and Jon Lormer are the most vocal and ignorant townspeople. Sherry Jackson, Pittmans step-daughter and a regular on Make Room for Daddy as a child, plays Comfort, the sweet and innocent love interest. Lance Fuller is quite funny as Comforts brother Orgram, a fellow who seemingly has a force-field of stupidity surrounding him.

THE FUGITIVE (3/9/62)

Written by Charles Beaumont

Producer: Buck Houghton

Director: Richard L. Bare

Director of Photography:Jack Swain

Music: stock

Cast:

Old Ben: J. Pat OMalley Jenny: Susan Gordon Mrs. Gann: Nancy Kulp 1st Man: Wesley Lau 2nd Man: Paul Tripp Howie: Stephen Talbot Pitcher: Johnny Eiman Doctor: Russ Bender

Its been said that science fiction and fantasy are two different things: science fiction, the improbable made possible; fantasy, the impossible made probable. What would you have if you put these two different things together? Well, youd have an old man named Ben who knows a lot of tricks most people dont know and a little girl named Jenny who loves him and a journey into the heart of the Twilight Zone.

Two men are looking for Old Ben, a mysterious fellow who can transform himself into anything, from mouse to fly to hideous monster from outer space. Ben confides to his friend Jenny, a little girl who lives with her aunt and wears a leg brace, that he is a fugitive from outer space; the men are his pursuers. Before fleeing, Ben uses a device to fix Jennys leg. The two men arrive and use a similar device to make Jenny deathly ill. The trap works; Ben is forced to return and heal Jenny. The truth then becomes clear: Ben is not a fugitive from justice but the beloved monarch of an alien planet; the two men subjects sent to plead with him to return to the throne. Reluctantly, Ben agrees. But the men refuse to let Jenny come along. Suddenly, Jenny has an idea; Ben is allowed a minute alone with her. The men return to find two Jenny's Afraid to take the wrong one, they are forced to take both.

Mrs. Gann will be in for a big surprise when she finds this [photo of a handsome young man] under Jennys pillow, because Mrs. Gann has more temper than imagination. Shell never dream that this is a picture of Old Ben as he really looks, and it will never occur to her that eventually her niece will grow up to be an honest-to-goodness queensomewhere in the Twilight Zone.

Charles Beaumonts The Fugitive is a sort of Cinderella story about Jenny, a beautiful but crippled little girl (charmingly played by Susan Gordon) and Old Ben (J. Pat OMalley), a friendly neighborhood codger who, with his ability to change his appearance at will as well as being able to bat fly balls out of sight, is just about the greatest grandfather-figure you could ever hope for. Rounding out this very fine cast is Nancy Kulp (later Miss Hathaway on The Beverly Hillbillies) as Mrs. Gann, Jennys sour and unhappy guardian.

Here, Beaumont is clearly making a case for the superiority of fantasy over reality. Mrs. Gann represents the sensible, down-to-earth type weve all come to know and hate in our daily lives, as personified by dialogue like this:

mrs. gann: Whore you talkin to?

jenny: Myself.

mrs. gann: Cut it out. You can go crazy that way.

In the end, as in any fairy tale, good overwhelmingly triumphs. We can definitely assume Ben and Jenny will live happily ever afteraway from all the Mrs. Ganns of this world.

A GAME OF POOL (10/13/61)