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I've not voted yet. Not easy, I don't think: there are a number of shows which might rank in the series' Top Ten overall.

Quote from: Karl Henning on March 13, 2024, 06:50:51 AMa number of shows which might rank in the series' Top Ten overall.

Top 25, certainly. I'm going to watch some more before weighing in on my selection. As I leafed through that chapter of the Zicree book to harvest these titles, I was tickled/relieved to confirm that the episodes I recalled as being the very weakest were none of Serling's writing. That said, there are certainly some scripts here which are not the author's best. Which of these do I hold in least regard? Probably "Uncle Simon." I nearly said a toss-up between that and "The Brain Center at Whipple's," but then I reflected that some elements in the latter feel almost like a study for the later "They're Tearing Down Tim Riley's Bar" on Night Gallery.

Yeah, I'd have to watch a few more before making mine as well, Karl. But thanks for reminding me to take advantage of my ad-riddled Paramount+ "premium" sub.  8)

Quote from: ando on March 13, 2024, 02:18:07 PMYeah, I'd have to watch a few more before making mine as well, Karl. But thanks for reminding me to take advantage of my ad-riddled Paramount+ "premium" sub.  8)

Quote from: Karl Henning on March 13, 2024, 01:11:17 PMTop 25, certainly. I'm going to watch some more before weighing in on my selection. As I leafed through that chapter of the Zicree book to harvest these titles, I was tickled/relieved to confirm that the episodes I recalled as being the very weakest were none of Serling's writing. That said, there are certainly some scripts here which are not the author's best. Which of these do I hold in least regard? Probably "Uncle Simon." I nearly said a toss-up between that and "The Brain Center at Whipple's," but then I reflected that some elements in the latter feel almost like a study for the later "They're Tearing Down Tim Riley's Bar" on Night Gallery.

All from Season 5!


I remember Season 1 the best.


I will also need to review some of these.  ;)

Voted, and thanks Karl. A very attractive poll.  ;)

I chose Probe 7, although it was difficult to choose!


Richard Basehart's portrayal of the marooned astronaut was a big factor, along with the melancholy aspect that, even if he had received the transmission from Earth,  what would he return to anyway?


The story seemed to be a variation on the episode from Season 1 (The Lonely) with Jack Warden and Jean Marsh, where a man imprisoned (unjustly?) on an asteroid is given a female robot for companionship.

That episode is - I think - better than this variation, although Probe 7 is more hopeful.

 

Quote from: LKB on March 13, 2024, 04:23:29 PMVoted, and thanks Karl. A very attractive poll.  ;)

Quote from: Cato on March 14, 2024, 06:24:35 AMI chose Probe 7, although it was difficult to choose!


Richard Basehart's portrayal of the marooned astronaut was a big factor, along with the melancholy aspect that, even if he had received the transmission from Earth,  what would he return to anyway?


The story seemed to be a variation on the episode from Season 1 (The Lonely) with Jack Warden and Jean Marsh, where a man imprisoned (unjustly?) on an asteroid is given a female robot for companionship.

That episode is - I think - better than this variation, although Probe 7 is more hopeful.

 

Thanks for taking part, gents! I nearly voted (as @LKB has) for "In Praise of Pip," because (a) it certainly is excellent and (b) it is the episode I had just watched and which inspired the notion of the poll. I forbore simply because I did want to review some more episodes before casting my ballot. That's not to say that I don't already have a short list going into this, but I'm working to keep my powder dry.
Nice observations on "Probe 7," @Cato 

Quote from: Karl Henning on March 14, 2024, 07:35:05 AMThanks for taking part, gents! I nearly voted (as @LKB has) for "In Praise of Pip," because (a) it certainly is excellent and (b) it is the episode I had just watched and which inspired the notion of the poll. I forbore simply because I did want to review some more episodes before casting my ballot. That's not to say that I don't already have a short list going into this, but I'm working to keep my powder dry.

Nice observations on "Probe 7," @Cato

Yes, that was one of my top choices also!

Concerning the Season I Episode, The Lonely, I should have mentioned that it has an ancestor in E.T.A. Hoffmann's highly disturbing story The Sandman.

We had this in the UK but I missed it -- all of them, not just season 5. I just watched In Praise of Pip. Tremendous -- they don't make 'em like that no more.

I love the hall of mirrors (Twin Peaks style); and the diegesis, the narrator voice in the film.

Nice poll. I'm not voting because I don't recall some of the named episodes and don't have time to track them down. Pip is the one on the ballot I recall most vividly, excellent choice.

Interesting that two of the all-time most famous TZ episodes were in Season 5 but not on the ballot:
1) An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, which I would have shortlisted (when I was in middle school, the episode was even specially screened in a class);
2) Nightmare at 20,000 Feet with William Shatner on the plane and the weird animal on the wing, which I do not think deserved consideration.

I rather liked the final Season 5 episode about the swimming pool, The Bewitchin' Pool. Would probably have voted for it.

[Added] Voted for Stopwatch. Will also put in a word for the unlisted Number 12 Looks Just Like You.

Quote from: T. D. on March 15, 2024, 04:33:29 AMInteresting that two of the all-time most famous TZ episodes were in Season 5 but not on the ballot

I restricted the poll to Serling scripts. Nightmare is one of a number of brilliant Richard Matheson scripts! And Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge is sui generis, a French film of which Serling paid for the rights, an Ambrose Bierce story which fits Twilight Zone like a glove.

Quote from: Karl Henning on March 15, 2024, 11:05:36 AMI restricted the poll to Serling scripts. Nightmare is one of a number of brilliant Richard Matheson scripts! And Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge is sui generis, a French film of which Serling paid for the rights, an Ambrose Bierce story which fits Twilight Zone like a glove.

Thanks! I arrived late and missed the background.

Occurrence... is indeed sui generis! By far the most cinematically impressive thing ever on the TZ (IMO).

Owl is quite a thing. I thought the way they used music was magic. And the way the voices of the soldiers slowed down, after the hanging - like the dwarf in Twin Peaks!

But sorry @Karl Henning - this is off topic I guess.

Quote from: Mandryka on March 16, 2024, 07:21:48 AMOwl is quite a thing. I thought the way they used music was magic. And the way the voices of the soldiers slowed down, after the hanging - like the dwarf in Twin Peaks!

But sorry @Karl Henning - this is off topic I guess.

No, that folds in fine.

Quote from: T. D. on March 15, 2024, 04:33:29 AM2) Nightmare at 20,000 Feet with William Shatner on the plane and the weird animal on the wing, which I do not think deserved consideration.

 

No. It's just funny in a bad way. The monster's wearing a onesie and looks kind of cuddly. And the way Shatner's wife look at him when he tells her there's someone on the wing is hilarious.

(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BOGE1MDhjY2QtYmE1YS00Y2YyLWFjMGYtYWJhN2NiMGYwZDNjXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTMwMjg5Njgw._V1_QL75_UY140_CR64,0,140,140_.jpg)  (https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:640/format:webp/1*H6VqrgrFgYQNHc9fLMOcDA.jpeg)   (https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:640/format:webp/1*q7Vzxj0HlVqo3pv0UPya1A.gif)

Quote from: T. D. on March 15, 2024, 04:33:29 AM[Added] Voted for Stopwatch.

I hope Patrick McNulty never starts to post on this forum. On second thoughts . . . maybe he has.

Quote from: Mandryka on March 17, 2024, 03:46:29 AMNo. It's jut funny in a bad way. The monster's wearing a onesie and looks kind of cuddly. And the way Shatner's wife look at him when he tells her there's someone on the wing is hilarious.

(https://m.media-amazon.com/images/M/MV5BOGE1MDhjY2QtYmE1YS00Y2YyLWFjMGYtYWJhN2NiMGYwZDNjXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTMwMjg5Njgw._V1_QL75_UY140_CR64,0,140,140_.jpg)  (https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:640/format:webp/1*H6VqrgrFgYQNHc9fLMOcDA.jpeg)  (https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:640/format:webp/1*q7Vzxj0HlVqo3pv0UPya1A.gif)

I hope Patrick McNulty never starts to post on this forum. On second thoughts . . . maybe he has.

You think about that!

(* chortle *)

Quote from: T. D. on March 15, 2024, 04:33:29 AMThe Bewitchin' Pool.

 

Outstanding. What is that weird accent?

Quote from: T. D. on March 15, 2024, 04:33:29 AMI rather liked the final Season 5 episode about the swimming pool, The Bewitchin' Pool. Would probably have voted for it.

Sort of a sombre twin to Peter Pan

Quote from: Karl Henning on March 18, 2024, 11:51:45 AMSort of a sombre twin to Peter Pan

I have to admit that although I've watched many TZ reruns, my most vivid and magical memories are from "live" childhood viewings of the original broadcasts.

I noticed that The Bewitchin' Pool rates very poorly on imdb, and some Youtube pundits rank it among the worst Twilight Zone episodes. So it's possible that my high ranking is an outlier and would not hold up if I viewed the episode today.  :blank: But I thought it was the greatest back in 1964 and won't surrender the memory I still treasure...which might speak to the nature of my childhood.  ;D

Quote from: T. D. on March 18, 2024, 07:37:45 PMI have to admit that although I've watched many TZ reruns, my most vivid and magical memories are from "live" childhood viewings of the original broadcasts.

I noticed that The Bewitchin' Pool rates very poorly on imdb, and some Youtube pundits rank it among the worst Twilight Zone episodes. So it's possible that my high ranking is an outlier and would not hold up if I viewed the episode today.  :blank: But I thought it was the greatest back in 1964 and won't surrender the memory I still treasure...which might speak to the nature of my childhood.  ;D

If you give it a fresh shot, I'd be interested to hear your current thoughts. I think the negative voting is driven partly by a "This is the swan song for this great show?!" factor. I certainly think it better than the aggregate review suggests. I find the drama poignant.

Quote from: Karl Henning on March 19, 2024, 05:53:45 AMIf you give it a fresh shot, I'd be interested to hear your current thoughts. I think the negative voting is driven partly by a "This is the swan song for this great show?!" factor. I certainly think it better than the aggregate review suggests. I find the drama poignant.

I watched it again. Didn't have quite the same magic as an oldster: the acting (especially the parents) was too unsubtle with the siblings also a bit over the top.

Couldn't rate it among the season's best, but still enjoyed it. Definitely poignant, and there was a nervous moment during the siblings' first visit to Aunt T when one wondered whether Aunt T could possibly be malevolent in some way. (After the kids left and Aunt T went to look out her window.) I didn't catch that subtlety as a 6 or 7 year old.  ;) And no, she was thoroughly good.

Quote from: T. D. on March 19, 2024, 04:44:27 PMI watched it again. Didn't have quite the same magic as an oldster: the acting (especially the parents) was too unsubtle with the siblings also a bit over the top.

Couldn't rate it among the season's best, but still enjoyed it. Definitely poignant, and there was a nervous moment during the siblings' first visit to Aunt T when one wondered whether Aunt T could possibly be malevolent in some way. (After the kids left and Aunt T went to look out her window). I didn't catch that subtlety as a 6 or 7 year old.  ;) And no, she was thoroughly good.

Agreed: not the season's best, but a good deal better than the consensus allows.

"Uncle Simon" is not my favorite, yet one must concede it to be acidically well written. The show is fundamentally a dysfunctional family of two, a curmudgeonly uncle and his long-suffering yet equally loveless niece. In a wry way they deserve one another. Still, considering the pains Uncle Simon took to build the cruel joke which he posthumously plays upon Barbara. I admire the episode more than enjoy it, but I must admit that the possibility of selecting it as a top show is not a crazy hypothetical. Indeed, the episode was positively reviewed in more than one periodical at the time.

Quote from: Karl Henning on March 19, 2024, 07:41:56 PM"Uncle Simon" is not my favorite, yet one must concede it to be acidically well written. The show is fundamentally a dysfunctional family of two, a curmudgeonly uncle and his long-suffering yet equally loveless niece. In a wry way they deserve one another. Still, considering the pains Uncle Simon took to build the cruel joke which he posthumously plays upon Barbara. I admire the episode more than enjoy it, but I must admit that the possibility of selecting it as a top show is not a crazy hypothetical. Indeed, the episode was positively reviewed in more than one periodical at the time.

" If my circuits become overheated, I'll throw you on the floor! "

(  How they might have updated the hot chocolate line.  ;)  )

I think one reason I enjoyed The Bewitchin' Pool was the authenticity of the childrens' response to their parents failed marriage, especially where one says to the other "they're going to hurt each other", and the way they blame themselves for the all the hatred. I thought the portrayal of the mother was pretty good actually. My own parents were like that, especially my mother, so maybe I'm a bit too invested in the theme.

Good understanding of kids' relation to cake too. Irrelevently, in the Uk we have the expression "cakeism"

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/cakeism

I also was intrigued by the strange accents,

Quote from: Mandryka on March 20, 2024, 04:57:08 AMI think one reason I enjoyed The Bewitchin' Pool was the authenticity of the childrens' response to their parents failed marriage, especially where one says to the other "they're going to hurt each other", and the way they blame themselves for the all the hatred. I thought the portrayal of the mother was pretty good actually. My own parents were like that, especially my mother, so maybe I'm a bit too invested in the theme.

Good understanding of kids' relation to cake too. Irrelevently, in the Uk we have the expression "cakeism"

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/cakeism

I also was intrigued by the strange accents,

The accents were indeed weird. I was trying to locate the house. California came to mind (clearly warm weather, near reasonably large and cosmopolitan city per mother's remarks), but the children's accents were more or less Southern.

One of the reasons I loved and related to the episode at the time was the family dynamics. I think the episode / script was far ahead of its time (1964) in addressing divorce and implications.

Last night was a "7" Double-feature: "Probe 7—Over and Out" and "The 7th Is Made Up of Phantoms."

Both very fine scripts, I'd forgotten just how good.

Tonight, "A Short Drink from a Certain Fountain," which Serling based on an idea by Lou Holtz. I don't see this making anyone's short list of TZ's Best, but the conclusion is wrily comic.

I didn't really remember "The Long Morrow," though maybe that will change now: one of the most poignant shows in the series. Shan't say more.

Quote from: Karl Henning on March 21, 2024, 06:45:01 AMLast night was a "7" Double-feature: "Probe 7—Over and Out" and "The 7th Is Made Up of Phantoms."

Both very fine scripts, I'd forgotten just how good.

I didn't recognize either episode offhand, but googled the titles.
Upon reading plot synopses, "The 7th Is Made Up of Phantoms" is a classic episode I recall most vividly (aside from the title  :laugh: ).
Surely one of the strongest of the season. Eerie aurally (near quiet) and visually (isolation), with a sense of foreboding that ratchets up as the show progresses.

Quote from: Karl Henning on March 25, 2024, 07:32:55 PMI didn't really remember "The Long Morrow," though maybe that will change now: one of the most poignant shows in the series. Shan't say more.

I always loved that one and found the ending so tragic. 

Quote from: Karl Henning on March 21, 2024, 06:45:01 AMLast night was a "7" Double-feature: "Probe 7—Over and Out" and "The 7th Is Made Up of Phantoms."

Both very fine scripts, I'd forgotten just how good.

Probe 7 received my vote!   8)

Quote from: T. D. on March 25, 2024, 07:44:26 PMUpon reading plot synopses, "The 7th Is Made Up of Phantoms" is a classic episode I recall most vividly (aside from the title  :laugh: ).

Surely one of the strongest of the season. Eerie aurally (near quiet) and visually (isolation), with a sense of foreboding that ratchets up as the show progresses.

Yes, one of the episodes which made choosing a "best episode" difficult!

Quote from: Cato on March 26, 2024, 07:02:29 AMProbe 7 received my vote!   8)

 

I can Adam and Eve it.

https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/Would+you+Adam+and+Eve+it%3F

Quote from: hopefullytrusting on March 30, 2024, 01:35:39 PMSo many good ones to choose from, but I chose the one which I thought had the best acting involved plus it was also heavily relatable: The Last Night of a Jockey, which started Mickey Rooney acting with himself.

I relate as I am 5 foot 2 inches (158 cm), black, currently fat, and with an alternative sexuality, so I get wanting to fit in, especially when you can't, especially when genetically nothing can be done, and mocking that genetic feature is accepted far and wide.

Also a fine choice: Mickey Rooney had his personal issues, but he knew how to bring a character to life.

Alimony for all his divorces nearly bankrupted him: I recall seeing an interview with him in the early 1960's, in a show where the reporter always went to the star's house, usually a mansion of some sort.

For the Mickey Rooney interview, the reporter went to a drugstore: Mickey Rooney lived upstairs above the store in a small apartment!   ;D

Quote from: hopefullytrusting on March 30, 2024, 01:35:39 PMSo many good ones to choose from, but I chose the one which I thought had the best acting involved plus it was also heavily relatable: The Last Night of a Jockey, which starred Mickey Rooney acting with himself.

I relate as I am 5 foot 2 inches (158 cm), black, currently fat, and with an alternative sexuality, so I get wanting to fit in, especially when you can't, especially when genetically nothing can be done, and mocking that genetic feature is accepted far and wide.

Rooney also played the lead in "The Comedian" a live television drama on Playhouse 90. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Comedian_(Playhouse_90))

I created the poll on having re-watched "In Praise of Pip," and might happily if slightly impulsively (but in no way mistakenly) have cast my vote for it, but I've cast my vote for "The Masks," a superbly mordant moral fable stylishly directed by Ida Lupino.

Quote from: Karl Henning on April 04, 2024, 06:21:34 PMI created the poll on having re-watched "In Praise of Pip," and might happily if slightly impulsively (but in no way mistakenly) have cast my vote for it, but I've cast my vote for "The Masks," a superbly mordant moral fable stylishly directed by Ida Lupino.

I'll agree that " The Masks " is certainly enjoyable, possibly because I am not so unlike the patriarch ( except for not being at Death's door... I think... ).  ::)

T'other day I re-watched "I Am the Night—Color Me Black," another case where I couldn't make the case for its being Serling's best, yet it was markedly better than I seemed to remember it. It's perhaps a shade (so to speak) heavy-handed, but very good-hearted.

Directed by Richard Donner, and starring Martin Landau, "The Jeopardy Room" is rather unusual for Twilight Zone, a Cold War thriller. Good, perhaps even excellent, but untrue to the show's mission, we might almost feel. And how interesting that it's the series' creator who went astray.

Quote from: Karl Henning on April 09, 2024, 07:37:35 PMDirected by Richard Donner, and starring Martin Landau, "The Jeopardy Room" is rather unusual for Twilight Zone, a Cold War thriller. Good, perhaps even excellent, but untrue to the show's mission, we might almost feel. And how interesting that it's the series' creator who went astray.

Well, and in his commentary, Martin Landau remarks that this show is more on the lines of Alfred Hitchcock Presents.