The Twilight Zone - Vol. 35

Rating:
Summary: Dean Jagger in the classic Twilight Zone episode "Static"
Review: One classic episode of "The Twilight Zone" is included on Volume 35 of the DVD series. Dean Jagger turns in a wonderful performance as Ed Lindsay in "Static," written by Charles Beaumont and based on an unpublished story by OCee Ritch. Lindsay cannot stand television and retrieves his old radio set from the basement of his boarding house. He discovers that he can receive radio programs from the past--but only when he is alone. Vinnie Broun, an old maid who was once engaged to Lindsay, thinks he is losing his mind. "Static" represents nostagia with a Twilight Zone twist. "Four O'Clock," written by Rod Serling and based on Price Day's short story, stars Theodore Bikel as Oliver Crangle, a hateful little man who keeps files on people that he considers evil. Somehow, Crangle has decided that at Four O'Clock he will shrink every evil person in the world down to two inches tall. Want to guess how this one ends? Bikel's performance is wasted on Crangle, an over simplified caricature who gets his just deserts. Finally we have "The Parallel," an hour-long Zone written by Serling. Robert Gaines (Steve Forrest) is orbiting the Earth when his space capsule suddenly disappears. Gaines wakes up in the hospital, told his capsule landed 46-miles from where it lifted off for space. Although it looks like he has returned home, Gaines discovers that things are not the same and becomes convinced something is terribly wrong. An interesting premise, but like most of the Zones from the fourth season, "The Parallel" simply drags on too long. So what we end with is one classic episode of "The Twilight Zone" and a couple of lesser efforts. Sure looks like a marketing ploy to me.

Rating:
Summary: Dean Jagger in the classic Twilight Zone episode "Static"
Review: One classic episode of "The Twilight Zone" is included on Volume 35 of the DVD series. Dean Jagger turns in a wonderful performance as Ed Lindsay in "Static," written by Charles Beaumont and based on an unpublished story by OCee Ritch. Lindsay cannot stand television and retrieves his old radio set from the basement of his boarding house. He discovers that he can receive radio programs from the past--but only when he is alone. Vinnie Broun, an old maid who was once engaged to Lindsay, thinks he is losing his mind. "Static" represents nostagia with a Twilight Zone twist. "Four O'Clock," written by Rod Serling and based on Price Day's short story, stars Theodore Bikel as Oliver Crangle, a hateful little man who keeps files on people that he considers evil. Somehow, Crangle has decided that at Four O'Clock he will shrink every evil person in the world down to two inches tall. Want to guess how this one ends? Bikel's performance is wasted on Crangle, an over simplified caricature who gets his just deserts. Finally we have "The Parallel," an hour-long Zone written by Serling. Robert Gaines (Steve Forrest) is orbiting the Earth when his space capsule suddenly disappears. Gaines wakes up in the hospital, told his capsule landed 46-miles from where it lifted off for space. Although it looks like he has returned home, Gaines discovers that things are not the same and becomes convinced something is terribly wrong. An interesting premise, but like most of the Zones from the fourth season, "The Parallel" simply drags on too long. So what we end with is one classic episode of "The Twilight Zone" and a couple of lesser efforts. Sure looks like a marketing ploy to me.

Rating:
Summary: STATIC Deserved Better
Review: Six episodes of the "Twilight Zone" were recorded directly onto videotape instead of film. STATIC is one of those episodes. It was written by Charles Beaumont and directed by Buzz Kulik. It starred veteran character actor Dean Jagger as a cantankerous old man tired of the mundane quality of television. Confined to a boarding house full of idly comfortable couch potatoes, he longed for the simplistic days of his beloved radio broadcasts and for a fellow boarder whom he once loved but was never able to express his feelings for. This is one of the best episodes of the "Twilight Zone" and is a companion piece to KICK THE CAN. Because it was recorded direct to videotape it suffers from the technical shortcomings from that era and loses all its dramatic impact. I never realized how good this episode was until I watched this DVD. STATIC should have been the classic episode it was meant to be right up there with WALKING DISTANCE. I recommend this one from the heart.

FOUR O'CLOCK is a tour de force for actor Theodore Bikel as a man bent on exposing all evil at 4 o'clock. I believe that this is Rod Serling's commentary on the McCarthy era. This is a very memorable and important episode.

THE PARALLEL is a fourth season hour episode written by Rod Serling. Steve Forrest gives a very good performance as a returning astronaut whose life seems to contain very subtle changes. I read some criticism about Steve Forrest's "wooden performance." On the contrary, Steve Forrest is the professional United States Marine pilot who remains cool headed and objective while trying to analyze the dilemma he is now in. This is a good episode.