National Twilight Zone Day, May 11th, Ongoing Diary

Serling introduces The Man in the Bottle

 I was curious as to why SYFY was dedicating an entire day to Twilight Zone and learned from my favorite (and only) Twitter Serling scholar that this seems to have been designated a TZ day for some inexplicable reason he can't uncover. Obviously I want to maintain my TZ fanboy cred, so I'll watch a few episodes, but probably won't follow the SYFY marathon since I watched most of these during their New Year's marathon.

I was folding laundry when I got off work, about 4:30, and Changing of the Guard, with Donald Pleasence, was on. Followed by Perchance to Dream, two very different kinds of Twilight Zone episodes. Eating some burgers, I appreciated Florey's visual style for the dream sequences responsible for Conte, able to get absorbed into this poor guy's enveloping terror as Maya lured him ever so closer to death. While Pleasence is greeted by ghosts of his past to reassure him his teaching wasn't in vain, I really once again fought back tears. How his maid must've felt as Pleasence spoke about being a failure, contributing nothing all those years when forced into retirement.

I caught the opening fifteen minutes of The Hitch-Hiker before I had to trim off a bush in the front yard that is about to become a giant tree. I will always find that episode essential viewing no matter how many times. My 4th of July slate will probably include this episode anyway. The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street, I missed completely, I only caught the opening of A World of Difference (the score really makes the episode pack a creepier punch, as does Duff's performance), didn't get to revisit A World of His Own, and saw bits and pieces of King Nine Will Not Return.

The Kanamit is pleased with what the scale reads

This shot of the Kanamit towering over them 

This is a tough nut. A real tough nut.

Am I to assume this is a scientific analysis or just some Kentucky windage

I just love some of the dialogue from To Serve Man. It's hard to come up with fresh thought after so many viewings. I missed a few of episodes prior to The Man in the Bottle, one of two genie episodes, about the monkey's paw four wishes offered by slick-dressed Joseph Ruskin, with a particular sinister smile, seemingly aware that no matter what his recipients wish for, a direct bad reaction is the result. In regards to To Serve Man, that shot of the Kanamit smiling as humans move across the scale cracks me up, but that shot of the Kanamit just towering over humans struck me tonight. Humankind is screwed no matter if we know that is a cookbook or not.

While watching The Dummy -- yet again, what a great episode -- the shot below just stood out to me. The added visual touch of mirror might have done it, but Willie in the background just in sight with his head turned as a conversation going nowhere between Jerry and Frank about the dummy.

Telly Savales being an asshole doesn't ingratiate himself to a doll, as Talking Tina tells him off and warns him. Not being nice to the doll's owner, his stepdaughter, doesn't help his cause, nor tossing it across the room and throwing it in a garbage can. His wife tolerates him but Tina won't. The Living Doll is about like Nightmare at 20,000 Feet, also shown tonight; SYFY typically does give the old favorites every marathon they provide. Lucky for the pilots, stewardesses, and passengers, Shatner saw that gremlin and didn't let the plane just go down when several thought he was batshit crazy. The Masks closed out my night, though SYFY was showing episodes into the early morning. Robert Keith's dying Jason laying in on his repulsive family never ceases to give me pleasure. And each of them represents cretins that exist to this very day. It's an acting showcase and once again that twist provides grotesque makeup work.