Another 8 episodes from the third season and I remembered a few of them, especially the last one on the disc. The rest might not be as iconic but several are rather entertaining.
One More Pallbearer January 12 1962
Written by Rod and directed by Lamont Johnson. A creepy millionaire gets three people who wronged him to visit him in his big fancy bomb shelter. He tells them that the bombs will be falling and they can all join him in the safety of his bomb shelter. He's surprised that they would rather leave and get blowed up than stay with him. Some people sure are douche bags who just don't get it. I didn't remember this one, it was ok, it had a nice twist at the end. There's a Twilight Zone radio drama as an extra. I haven't listened to any of them but one. Maybe in the future.
Dead Man's Shoes January 19 1962
Written by Charles Beaumont and directed by Montgomery Pittman. A homeless guy sees some gangsters toss a body into an alley. He steals the dead man's shoes and gets possessed. The dead man wants some revenge and he's willing to kill as many of the homeless as he needs to get it. Reminds me not to wear a dead man's shoes. I didn't remember this one but I liked it, even if it is a bit slight. Hard on those homeless guys, though. There's an isolated score and a clip from the 1985 remake.
The Hunt January 26 1962
Written by Earl Hamner Jr and directed by Harold Schuster. Arthur Hunnicutt is an old man who lives in the backwoods somewhere. Jeanette Nolan is his wife and she doesn't care for Rip the dog coming into the house. Rip saved Arthur's life and he wants the dog with him. They go off coon hunting and both drown. On the road to heaven they're tempted by the devil's minion. Since the devil doesn't allow dogs in hell it pretty much means that Rip saved Arthur's life again. I remember this one fondly from seeing it as a youngster. I don't believe in a heaven but it would be nice if there were dogs there. Earl Hamner Jr is the guy responsible for The Waltons. I watched that show for a while but tired of the sameness. There's an interview with Earl and an isolated score by Robert Drasnin as extras.
Showdown With Rance McGrew February 2 1962
Written by Rob and directed by Christian Nyby. Nyby had directed The Thing From Another World a few years earlier. Larry Blyden plays a flashy fake cowboy on tv. He's a big pain in the ass who comes across the real Jesse James in the TZ. Arch Johnson plays Jesse and he puts Larry in his place. Robert Cornthwaite plays the director of the tv show. Some of you would remember that he was the annoying scientist in The Thing From Another World. I remembered this one, it's pretty goofy. There's a nice audio commentary with Robert Cornthwaite and an isolated score.
Kick The Can February 9 1962
Written by George Clayton Johnson and directed by Lamont Johnson. Some old people live in a retirement home. One old guy discovers the secret of kick the can and turns a bunch of them young again. I remember this one from the earliest watching. It's ok. There's an isolated score.
A Piano In The House February 16 1962
Written by Earl Hamner Jr and directed by David Greene. A horrid theater critic gets a piano that makes people tell the truth. I didn't remember this one and don't much like the cruel theater critic even if he gets his comeuppance. It seems kind of ordinary. There's an interview with producer Buck Houghton, another with Earl Hamner and an isolated score.
The Last Rites Of Jeff Myrtlebank February 23 1962
Written and directed by Montgomery Pittman. James Best plays the Jeff who's had his last rites. He wakes up in a coffin at his funeral. People are pretty freaked out. Jeff seems to have changed, he works more, he wants to marry his girlfriend, it's confusing to the hill folk. They conclude that he might have a demon in him and maybe they're right. I didn't remember this one, I did like it. There's an isolated score by Tommy Morgan.
To Serve Man March 2 1962
Written by Rod, who adapted the story To Serve Man by Damon Knight, and it's directed by Richard L Bare. I do remember this episode and I've read the story by Damon Knight. Lloyd Bochner tells the story of a visit from an alien race. He was too late to get saved when they discovered that the aliens were harvesting humans for lunch. Poor sap, glad he isn't me. I liked the episode and liked that they give the alien a lie detector test. So silly but still fun. The late Richard Kiel plays the alien. There's an interview with Richard L Bare. The Wikipedia tells us where all the ships used in the episode came from:
The full-size lower portion of the Kanamits' transport spaceship is the adapted version, with retractable stairway, of the saucer-shaped United Planets Cruiser C-57D, seen in the MGM film Forbidden Planet (1956). The ship used for the episode is also seen on the episode "Third from the Sun", and shots of the ship or stairway also appear in the episodes "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street", "Hocus-Pocus and Frisby", "The Invaders", and "Death Ship".
Stock footage from the film The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) was also used in the episode for the shots of the Kanamit spaceship arriving in New York City (although landmarks of Washington, DC, are seen).
The Kanamit ship seen taking off near the end of the episode is the distinctive Ray Harryhausen-animated ship from the film Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers (1956).
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