CaveGirl

I missed this show but a friend said he kept wondering how many men in the audience were wondering if their ticket was coming up next with abuse charges. I see there is now something out there about Michael Douglas. Who will be left standing with no accusations one wonders...

I'll go with the cockpit of the plane in "Plan 9 from Outer Space" being covered by a shower curtain as being a bit strange.

Of all his female dancing companions, I would pick Barrie Chase as the best. She was also so great in IAMMW with Dick Shawn.

Oh, wow! Love the Honeymooners but I like the original Trixie. But my box set of Thunderbirds is getting a bit worn so that would be super! They should also show "Coronet Blue" the series that was a summer replacement back in the day, commanded a big audience and then had no ending for the lead character because it had never made it onto tv as a real series, so the bigwigs never actually finished the storyline for the main character played by Frank Converse who I think had amnesia. People were outraged! It would be like having "The Fugitive" and never finding the one-armed man or a solution to the murder.

I rewatched that last nite from my boxed set and honestly, she is simply a riot! When her curls start falling out of her hairdo, it kills me. Her singing is simply not to be believed! Fields' reactions are priceless.

Murray is always fun to watch as himself or as anyone. I always think of him watching the soap opera in "Tootsie" and saying something like "That is one nutty hospital." Fabulous choice and thanks!

OMG! Ed Sullivan as himself is like having a stiff come alive out of the coffin. Great choice and thanks for submitting.

Loved him in Keaton's "The Cameraman" but I always want to kill him in "Mad Love"! He is a welcome sight though in almost any film as comic relief, that's for sure.

I'd say it is a rather blanket statement to say that you know and have discussed this issue with all the original "viewers" of the TZ original series and none of them could "understand" what Serling was referring to. This would seem to imply that all viewers in the 1950's are daft and have the sophistication mentally of an amoeba. C'mon. Do you know all the original viewers of the original "Twilight Zone"??? And do you have signed and certified copies of this belief you say they had? Apparently you believe that Jack Benny did not have writers, and was speaking extemporaneously about his lack of understanding of Serling's themes. As if we are to believe everything Jack said on his show, was his true feelings and understandings about life, entertainment and the like. I suppose you really think Jack was cheap and would not pay Rochester well, or that Rochester really worked for him and that Jack could get angry with George Burns or that Jack really was trying to convince people he was 39 years old and he really thought he was a great violin player? Many entertainers of the time made jokes about the Twilight Zone but it did not mean they really had no understanding of the series. To believe otherwise is to believe all comments made on tv by hosts on shows are their real feelings with no sense of them being facetious. Do you think all monologues by tv hosts are not written beforehand and are just ad libs too? I rest my case...

I so agree, Eric about TZ not having a real forte for comedy on the series and the episodes you mention are good examples. But I cannot agree with the following if you are meaning by saying "nobody else could understand Rod's...etc.] that few viewers in the 1950's got the point of Serling's messages on TZ, because it was the show to watch each week and was probably a "cult" favorite before the word became hackneyed and a cliche. "Y'know, back in the 50's, nobody else could understand Rod's "This is the area we call 'imagination', and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge" first-season opening, either.)" This was a highly regarded show by both adults and particularly kids. Serling had fame already for his fine tv dramas based on adult situations, and then the sci-fi and otherworldly aspects of TZ were acclaimed and the show was a hit with smart kids and parents both. Production costs and other issues may have brought it to an end, but for more about the status of its programming and ratings, I would direct anyone to the fine book "The Twilight Zone Companion".

I would never disagree with you, SEWhite since I've only just gotten finished watching the boxed set. I just remember hearing the word "Tulpa" during one of the FBI conversations and thought it would be fun to use in a post. Not sure yet exactly what happened in the whole Showtime set, since it is hard to assimilate in one viewing over about a week. I can't believe anyone on a website would want to argue about anything on "Twin Peaks" since that goes against the grain of the show's very open minded interpretation of happenings in my construct. It's kind of like arguing that Agent Cooper might be the second child of Henry from "Eraserhead" by the lady in the radiator since that same zigzag carpeting from the dream sequences in the original TP are seen in the lobby area of Eraserhead's apartment building. One could make up any argumentation about things in Lynch movies like is Diane from "Mulholland Drive" the same Diane from the new series of the return??? Thanks though for your fine contribution to my thread!

Thanks, I can never see Jack Oakie singing too many times in one month!

He's so wonderful! I find him very attractive and would have enjoyed dating Bill fer shure! What an amazing performance this is, that I always find incredible and that is one of his funniest films!

I get a kick out of movies which have bits with people playing themselves. Of course the sine qua non for such films has to be good old Bob Mathias in "The Bob Mathias Story". I used to use it as a trivia question with so-called film buffs to see if they were into the oddball things that are not for the normal fan. Asking the question "Who played Bob Mathias in "The Bob Mathias Story" can often separate the men from the boys, particularly if one is not a fan of sports movies or knows little about the Olympics or have never had the immense joy of seeing the film. Having read a book on Bob, when I was a teenager [mostly because he was quite fetching looking] I remember Bob was from Tulare, California, had really big feet which some say helped him win medals in the 1948 and 1952 Olympics and he had the ability to fall asleep on a whim, between events which might have helped his stamina. But back to the topic, the parts in films that are just teensy weensy with people like Babe Ruth playing himself [who else could he play...Mickey Rooney's uncle maybe?] are the ones I am looking to hear about. Whether it be another movie star, or a famous person in sports, or music, or politics of whatever, I'd like to hear about your favorite auto-acting personages. Thanks for any submissions!

Oh geez, isn't that the one with a title like "The Old Man and the Mountain" or something like that? I'm too lazy to look it up in my book. This one is a true study in psychology of someone wielding power and then wanting to keep their primary role over helping those they seem to care about. Masterfully done and a lesson to all about the true motives of our leaders no matter how caring they seem to be. James Whitmore is great in the role by the way.

When I was very young, my uncle on my mother's side used to continually use Fields' catchphrase at the sight of even one flake of snow. At that time, I had not seen the short so I could not figure out what was so funny about the line. But upon seeing it finally at the age of about sixteen, I immediately fell prey to its comedic suggestibility. It's funny because it is nonsensical, ridiculous, surrealistic and probably from a demented mind's deep recesses. And it's so freakishly hilarious that it never does not make me laugh. Even the title of the bit is just out there, and the caricature of the son is psychotically amusing as is Fields in his outdoor and outlandish garb. Really not something one can explain logically as the whole shebang has to be seen. Great choice and thanks for joining in the Fieldsian frivolity!

No, not the song by Don Williams set in Tulsa, but any film focusing on an entity that might be manifested via auto-suggestive means, which exists independently yet seems to live in a parallel state to its symbiotic twin, who came first hopefully. For me, that term is more than a doppelganger and could be represented well by the character in the Edgar Allan Poe tale called "William Wilson" which was filmed as a part of the three episodes in "Spirits of the Dead" [1968] as directed by Fellini, Malle and Vadim. The Tulpa I am referring to is the character of William Wilson's seeming double, as played by French heartthrob, Alain Delon and as directed by Louis Malle. The whole film is a fun ride with this sequence well done as it the one directed by Federico which showcases the talents of Terence Stamp as a narcissistic movie star, but "William Wilson" still shines with its tulpa rendering theme. Name the Tulpa you like best in films or on tv, and if you are unfamiliar with the term, just think of the foul Agent Cooper in Lynch's return to "Twin Peaks" recent journey!

I was just going to mention that episode. I know in the original "Twilight Zone Companion" book there is a nice bit about Serling needing one more episode and choosing that French film he had seen as the award winner thinking it would save money for their limited budget. I think it fits in admirably with the TZ canonical episodes, being of the same mien and unworldly attitude. I find it very evocative and since I think many US students have had that tale on their reading lists in college, it was fun to see it filmically told after reading the original story in high school. The ending, even if known ahead of time, takes one's breath away.

So kind of you, Janet and consider yourself now in my best friends list [whether you like it or not]! You are so right, that scene still makes me laugh out loud. Fields is so innocently bereft of any real knowledge of the mess he is creating. Just watching him eat that sandwich is a joy, though if I really knew him and was watching it I'd be so appalled. He is the master of chaos yet so lacking in any real understanding of his ability to create havoc, that we see him as the victim. I think as a whole, "It's a Gift" is one of his finest and most realized comedies on tap. Thanks for your very sage assessment of the picnic hilarity!

One thing that added resonance to this episode for me as I watched it the other day, was that Neville Brand had actually served in WWII and was a highly decorated soldier winning a Silver Star, Purple Heart amongst many other awards. I think that added to the authenticity of his performance in this stirring drama against the equally impressive performance of Takei. Though not the most decorated soldier in said war, like Audie Murphy, I think Brand was more effective as an actor playing parts as cold as Al Capone in the original tv "The Untouchables" along with parts of a more lighthearted message. But if you want a tough guy, pick him for your role or someone like WWII tailgunner, Charles Bronson and you will get exactly what you want on film, as opposed to movie tough guys who are more like cream puffs!

Oh, geez! Trying to make me feel guilty, Dargo. Sure I said all that but I expected more of you than just a rehash of your Marx Brothers addiction and I was going to say you were a "bad man" and should be sent to "the cornfield" where all the Groucho jokes come from but now I'm relenting since you've written such a nice thread and are making me look bad. Thanks a lot and to apologize be watching in your mailbox for an autographed photo of George Fenneman!

As much of a TZ fan and addict I am, I have to say the only episodes I don't particularly enjoy are the ones with comic elements. I don't think this was a forte of the series or of Serling, but I can see why they were a part of the package, so even with people I love like Keaton, I feel a bit letdown whenever they try to do something comedic.

What a great story, TB! I thank you so much for sharing it. I too love "It's a Gift" since it has so many classic scenes. The family at meals and the abrasive Kathleen Howard as Mrs. Bisson-AY, the picnic in the supposed park, Fields eating a sandwich with the crumbs falling into the kid's mouth below and the bumbershoot episode, Baby [Leroy] Dunk almost skewering him with a screw driver falling through the opening on the porch above, the horrible mother and daughter with the sing-songy voices waking him up, the hammock falling down and of course, the search for Carl LaFong. I was worried when you mentioned that perhaps your teacher, Jean did not mention Fields due to having a bad experience with him, but in searching her name came up with the fact that she attended a celebration of Fields with his grandson, Ronald at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2007, and there are some nice photos of this online to check out. As you say, she had quite an interesting life on and off the film period and I enjoyed reading her entire bio online. Without you bringing up her name, I would have missed knowing about her, since we can often forget all the other people in smaller parts in a film, so thanks again for your contribution to information on this Fields' film!

I gotta be honest. I always liked Barry's brother, Arthur Shields way more than he. Maybe Barry reminds me a bit too much of some parish priests I used to have to sit through sermons by...

Sweetie! You traded Fields for a flu epidemic? This is a travesty particularly since you missed Jack Oakie singing the song of all songs in films. Seriously, I'm shocked and may need to get a shot of adrenaline to go on today with my normal routines. For shame, Sepia! What are you...an influenza addict or something???