The Twilight Zone S5E32 'Mr. Garrity and the Graves' - DVR
The man who tries to con the people of Happiness, Ariz., is in for a big shock. (Comcast)
Mr. Garrity comes into town of Happiness, Arizona offering to resurrect the dead and to reunite the town-folk with their departed loved ones out of the goodness of his heart. Do the town-folk want these miracles? (IMDb)
Trivia:
This is based on a supposed true story that happened in Alta, UT in 1873. It was initially told on Miracle at Boot Hill (1961).
This episode takes place in Happiness, Arizona in 1890.
Sign on the edge of town: "Happiness, Arizona This placque commemorates the 128 people killed during the course of it's turbulent beginnings."
Quotes:
[opening narration]
Narrator: Introducing Mr. Jared Garrity, a gentleman of commerce, who in the latter half of the nineteenth century plied his trade in the wild and wooly hinterlands of the American West. And Mr. Garrity, if one can believe him, is a resurrecter of the dead - which, on the face of it, certainly sounds like the bull is off the nickel. But to the scoffers amongst you, and you ladies and gentlemen from Missouri, don't laugh this one off entirely, at least until you've seen a sample of Mr. Garrity's wares, and an example of his services. The place is Happiness, Arizona, the time around 1890, and you and I have just entered a saloon where the bar whiskey is brewed, bottled and delivered - from The Twilight Zone.
[last lines]
Jared Garrity: [addressing the cemetery before leaving] Real sorry friends. I'm real sorry that I actually couldn't perform what I lay claim to, so... rest in peace. All of you.
[Garrity leaves with his dog and accomplice. The dead begin rising from their graves]
First Resurrected Man: Man don't do himself justice. The actor that played you wasn't worth a darn, but that there Garrity sure can do a job o' resurrectin'.
John Jensen: I can't wait to get back into town. I've got a lotta drinkin' to catch up with.
Lightning Peterson: There's a yellow skunk of a sheriff I aim to settle a score with too.
Zelda Gooberman: And there's a little pipsqueak of a sod just waitin' to get his arm broke. And I'm just the gal that can do it, or my name ain't Zelda Gooberman.
[closing narration]
Narrator: Exit Mr. Garrity, a would-be charlatan, a make-believe con man and a sad misjudger of his own talents. Respectfully submitted from an empty cemetery on a dark hillside that is one of the slopes leading to - The Twilight Zone.
The Twilight Zone S5E34 'Come Wander with Me' - DVR
A folk singer goes into the backwoods to find a song that will bring him commercial success. (Comcast)
Singer Floyd Burney searches the backwoods for new songs and finds Mary Rachel and much more deep in the Twilight Zone. (IMDb)
Trivia
This was the final episode of The Twilight Zone (1959) to be filmed, although two episodes filmed earlier were aired afterwards.
As a teenager, Liza Minnelli auditioned for the role of Mary Rachel opposite Gary Crosby. Minnelli was so nervous that the producer William Froug commented: "She'll never make it." Minnelli lost out to Bonnie Beecher. This episode was Ms. Beecher's acting debut.
Floyd Burney's guitar is a Gibson ES-295 electric arch-top.
The headstock of Floyd Burney's guitar has black tape across the label covering the Gibson name brand.
Quotes
[opening narration]
Narrator: Mr. Floyd Burney, a gentleman songster in search of song, is about to answer the age-old question of whether a man can be in two places at the same time. As far as his folk song is concerned, we can assure Mr. Burney he'll find everything he's looking for, although the lyrics may not be all to his liking. But that's sometimes the case when the words and music are recorded - in The Twilight Zone.
[Closing Narration]
Narrator: In retrospect, it may be said of Mr. Floyd Burney that he achieved that final dream of the performer: eternal top-name billing. Not on the fleeting billboards of the entertainment world, but forever recorded among the folk songs of The Twilight Zone.
The Twilight Zone S5E35 'The Fear' - DVR
Two people in a remote cabin find signs of an alien. (Comcast)
Charlotte Scott and state trooper Robert Franklin seem to be stalked by giants. (IMDb)
[opening narration]
Narrator: The major ingredient of any recipe for fear is the unknown. And here are two characters about to partake of the meal: Miss Charlotte Scott, a fashion editor, and Mr. Robert Franklin, a state trooper. And the third member of the party: the unknown, that has just landed a few hundred yards away. This person or thing is soon to be met. This is a mountain cabin, but it is also a clearing in the shadows known as - The Twilight Zone.
[closing narration]
Narrator: Fear, of course, is extremely relative. It depends on who can look down and who must look up. It depends on other vagaries like the time, the mood, the darkness. But it's been said before with great validity that the worst thing there is to fear is fear itself. Tonight's tale of terror and tiny people on The Twilight Zone.
The Twilight Zone S5E36 'The Bewitchin' Pool' - DVR
Two children follow a make-believe friend into a happier world. (Comcast)
Two children escape their bickering parents through a portal in the bottom of their swimming pool to a magical land watched over by a kind old woman the children call Aunt T. (IMDb)
Trivia:
The "confrontation" sequence (where Jeb and Sport declare they don't have to live with their bickering parents anymore and dive into the pool for good), was actually written by Earl Hamner Jr. to be the climax of the story; it was also used at the beginning because the final version came up a few minutes short (Whit's "Howdy!" greeting as the kids emerge from the "swimming hole" and the tracking shot of the children in Aunt T's yard were repeated as well for the same reason). There was noise interference on the MGM back-lot during the pool sequences, and everyone had to be called back for post-dubbing, but actress Mary Badham had already flown back to Alabama and it was deemed too expensive to fly her back to Los Angeles. June Foray was brought in to dub her lines. It was a "sloppy" job, and Rod Serling knew it. It was held until the very end of the season as the "final" show (where, it was figured, most people wouldn't notice, having tuned out of the series).
This was essentially the series finale as the show was cancelled a short time later in June 1964.
The Sharewood's swimming pool, their home in the background, and the buildings peeking through the trees to the right were all permanent sets of MGM's lot #2. The mansion was called Southern Mansion, the buildings in the trees were part of Girls School, and the swimming pool was none other than Esther's Pool, built specifically for occasional use in her bathing beauty films.
[opening narration]
Narrator: A swimming pool not unlike any other pool. A structure built of tile and cement and money, a backyard toy for the affluent, wet entertainment for the well-to-do. But to Jeb and Sport Sharewood, this pool holds mysteries not dreamed of by the building contractor. Not guaranteed in any sales brochure. For this pool has a secret exit that leads to a never-never land, a place designed for junior citizens who need a long voyage away from reality into the bottomless regions of The Twilight Zone.
[narration after opening credits]
Narrator: Introduction to a perfect setting: Colonial mansion, spacious grounds, heated swimming pool, all the luxuries money can buy. Introduction to two children, brother and sister: Names Jeb and Sport, healthy, happy, normal youngsters. Introduction to a mother: Gloria Sharewood by name, glamorous by nature. Introduction to a father: Gil Sharewood, handsome, prosperous, the picture of success. The man who has achieved every man's ambition: Beautiful children, beautiful home, beautiful wife. Idyllic? Obviously. But don't look too carefully, don't peek behind the facade. The idyll may have feet of clay.
[closing narration]
Narrator: A brief epilogue for concerned parents: Of course, there isn't any such place as the gingerbread house of Aunt T, and we grownups know there's no door at the bottom of a swimming pool that leads to a secret place. But who can say how real the fantasy world of lonely children can become? For Jeb and Sport Sharewood, the need for love turned fantasy into reality. They found a secret place - in The Twilight Zone.
And that was the final episode of the series. There were five episodes that for some reason didn't get recorded. The recording order is still active, maybe they will get recorded for me to watch at some point.
But to finish this up, here is a link to a final thing I watched. A 1968 Library Congress "Conversation With Rod Serling" interview about the state of television. Proving that nothing ever changes. ;)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LFVJYFI93Bk (Very much worth watching.)
What Did You Watch?
-- I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky dirty old man.
Re: What Did You Watch? 2024-04-06 (Saturday)