The first disc of the third season disc starts off with 8 episodes. There are 37 of them in the season and a few are those iconic episodes that people remember.
Two September 15, 1961
Written and directed by Montgomery Pittman. Elizabeth Montgomery and Charles Bronson are the last couple of people left in a town after the atomic war finished off the rest of the citizens. He's from the home team and she was part of the invading army. They are slow to get along but they get there in the end. I remembered this one. I liked it then and still like it. Sadly Montgomery Pittman would die the following year of cancer. He did a lot of tv I would have watched as a kid. He'll return later in the season. There's an isolated score by Van Cleeve to listen to. Here's a snip from the Wikipedia page about the episode: This episode was actually filmed on the back lot of Hal Roach Studios in Culver City, California, which was literally falling apart, due to mismanagement and disuse. (The facilities were finally torn down in 1963.) Very little set decoration was needed to embellish an "abandoned city" here.
The Arrival September 22, 1961
Written by Rod and directed by Boris Sagal. A plane lands with no one in it. Mr Sheckley comes to investigate it. Harold J Stone plays Mr Sheckley. Turns out he's gone round the bend and wound up in the Twilight Zone. I learned you shouldn't take your work so seriously and there are always mysteries in life. I don't remember this one but enjoyed it well enough. Even at it's worse the zone episodes are better than a lot of it contemporaries. Variety thought the show was running out of inspiration and this episode isn't that strong. There'll be better episodes down the line.
The Shelter September 29 1961
Written by Rod and directed by Lamont Johnson. Families turn rabid over a bomb shelter when they think the nukes are on the way. Another one that's a bit heavy handed but it did stick in my head when I saw it all those years ago. Lots of good actors in this one.
The Passersby October 6 1961
Written by Rod and directed by Elliot Silverstein. James Gregory is a Confederate Army Sergeant who's marching home after the Civil War has ended. He stops to talk to a woman in a damaged house. She tells him her husband is dead. When the Yankee soldier who saved his life comes by James figures out that the road isn't filled with soldiers going one, they are going on. That Yank was killed by some shrapnel to the eye. It's a weird one, almost pointless, I know war is hell. I didn't remember it and don't feel too bad about it. There's an isolated score by Fed Steiner and a TTZ Radio Drama.
A Game of Pool October 13 1961
Written by George Clayton Johnson and directed by Buzz Kulik. Just Jack Klugman and Jonathan Winters in this one. Jack is a pool player who thinks he's the best. He feels overshadowed by the late Fats Brown who was the best around there. He feels he could beat Fats and he's given the chance to try when Jonathan comes back from the grave. I didn't remember this one but liked it fairly well. Nice work by the two guys. Jonathan has a commentary that was recorded just before his 80th birthday. It's kind of sad and maudlin and I really enjoyed it. There's an interview with Buzz Kulik and producer Buck Houghton. Jonathan reads the alternate ending from the original script and there's a video clip from the 1989 remake that uses that same ending.
The Mirror October 20 1961
Written by Rod and directed by Don Medford. Peter Falk is a Castro type revolutionary. He's won the capitol and kicked the man in charge out. The old leader tells Peter that the mirror in his office will show him his enemies. Turns out everyone is his enemy. He kills everyone he sees in the mirror. All alone he does himself in and that's the end of the revolution. Not a very interesting one. I didn't recall the story.
The Grave October 27 1961
Written and directed by Montgomery Pittman. The men in a small western town gun down a man in the street. Strother Martin, James Best and Lee Van Cleef play the three men. Lee Marvin is a bounty hunter they had hired to kill that very same man. They offer Lee the reward money if he will defy the dead man's curse and go stick a knife in the dirt that covers his grave. He goes out the door and the next morning they find him dead by the grave. His knife is in the dirt, stuck through his coat, pinning it to the grave. Kind of a slight story but ok. I don't remember it but I enjoyed watching all those fine actors work. There's an isolated score on this one.
It's a Good Life November 3 1961
Written by Rod from a short story by Jerome Bixby and directed by James Sheldon. Here's an episode that I do remember. I also remember reading the Jerome Bixby story that it's based on, though I am sure that came some years later. Billy Mumy is a horrible little boy with too much power and too little of anything human. He's isolated the town and the people are scared of him Nice bit of mommy action from Cloris Leachman. I remember this one quie well. If I lived there I'd want to go in the cornfield. There's a commentary by Bill Mumy, a clip from the 2002 sequel and an isolated score. Time Magazine called this the third best episode with Time Enough At Last and The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street beating it. In 1997 TV Guide ranked the episode number 31 on its 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time list.
Not as strong a batch of stories as the first few discs had but there are a couple that stand out. I don't think they've run out of ideas yet and there's a lot of good stories to come. Hopefully I'm not in the cornfield next weekend and I can find out.
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