DVD Reviews

The Twilight Zone: Season Five - Blu-ray Review

By Jeff Swindoll Sep 17, 2011, 12:43 GMT

All 36 episodes of the fifth and final season of Rod Serling’s classic, groundbreaking series, now presented in pristine high-definition for the first time ever, along with hours of new and exclusive bonus features not available anywhere else! Episodes: In Praise of Pip, Steel, Nightmare at 20,000 Feet, A Kind of a Stopwatch, The Last Night of a Jockey, Living Doll, The Old Man in the Cave, Uncle Simon, Probe ...more

“My name is Talky Tina and you’ll be sorry if you don’t buy this Blu-ray.”

The fifth and final season of the Twilight Zone suffers some of the same problems that caused the show to begin its descent (and no it’s not sparkly vampires).  Even with some less-than-stellar episodes, this season still manages to hit some fabulous homeruns and maybe even the best show of the series.

All good things must come to an end and the Twilight Zone is no exception.  After suffering some missteps and personnel changes, the fifth and final season continues some of the problems but also produces some of the greatest episodes of the series.  We consider Zone to be classic television, but we tend to forget that it was up for cancellation and only got last minute reprieves (so much so that Serling took another job after season 3 only to have season 4 approved when the replacement show flopped). 

This season would have another name in the producer’s seat, William Froug, and the writers seemed to be reusing some ideas whether they knew it or not.  Serling would rather say that he was writing so much that he didn’t remember what ideas were good or bad.  The season starts off strong and back to form with such classic as In Praise of Pip, Nightmare at 20,000 Feet, and Living Doll, but as we go on the mediocre or repetition outweighs the classic. 

This season also features Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, which didn’t originate on the show but certainly feels at home here.  There are still some gems to be found and fans will certainly want the set for the pristine restorations and grand special features.  The episode list will tell you what is old and new in the special features department. 

Disc One:

In Praise of Pip: An alcoholic bookie (Jack Klugman) regrets that he wasn’t a better father to his son Pip (Bill Mumy) who is critically wounded in South Vietnam.  A visit to an amusement park gives them both a second chance. Old: interview with Bill Mumy, commentary by Mumy, isolated score by Roger Garriguenc, and sponsor billboards.  New: commentary by authors Neil Gaiman (Sandman, Stardust, Doctor Who) and Marc Scott Zicree (Twilight Zone Companion)

Steel: In the future only androids are allowed to box. Desperate to raise money, penniless flight manager Steel Kelly (Lee Marvin) makes a desperate choice when his robot breaks down. Old: interview with Richard Matheson, isolated score by Van Cleave, and billboards. New: commentary by authors Bill Warren (Keep Watching the Skies! American Science Fiction Movies of the Fifties) and Zicree and Twilight Zone radio drama starring Louis Gossett, Jr.

Nightmare at 20,000 Feet: A salesman (William Shatner) recovering from a nervous breakdown spots a gremlin (Nick Cravat) on the wing of the plane. When he attempts to warn others, his nightmare truly begins.  Old: interview with Matheson, Serling lecture at Sherwood Oaks College (1975), isolated score, and billboards. New: commentary by episode director Richard Donner and Zicree, and radio drama starring John Schneider.

A Kind of Stopwatch: The world’s biggest bore (Richard Erdman) and most avid talker gets a magical stopwatch that can stop everything except him. When he misuses it, a wonderful conversation piece becomes a real party killer. Old: isolated score by Van Cleave, billboards, and radio drama starring Lou Diamond Phillips. New: commentary by author/historian Martin Grams, Jr.

The Last Night of a Jockey: Grady (Mickey Rooney), a former jockey, banned from horse racing and down on his luck. When he is granted one big wish, he finds out it can be too big. Old: a surrealist, darkly humorous commentary with Rooney and billboards.  Must be heard to be believed… unless you’re watching something “sexy.” 

Living Doll: Erich Streator (Telly Savalas) is displeased when his wife buys an expensive doll for his stepdaughter. He becomes even more displeased when the doll tells him it doesn’t like him.  Old: commentary and interview with voice actress June Foray, isolated score by Bernard Hermann, billboard, and radio drama starring Tim Kazurinsky. New: commentary by radio host George Noory and Zicree and another with author/historian Gary Gerani.

The Old Man in the Cave: A mysterious guardian helps a tiny community survive after a nuclear holocaust, but spurred on by a bullying outsider (James Coburn) the townspeople become an angry mob bent on learning the secret of their benefactor.  Old: billboard. New: commentary by authors/historians Scott Skelton and Jim Benson, isolated score, and radio drama starring Adam Baldwin.

Disc Two:

Uncle Simon: Barbara Polk (Constance Ford) has taken care of her detested Uncle Simon (Cedric Hardwicke) for 25 years, waiting patiently to inherit his wealth. But his will stipulates that she much take care of his latest invention.  Old: billboards. New: commentary by Grams, Jr., isolated score, and radio drama starring Mark Peter Richman and Beverly Garland.

Probe 7, Over and Out: The lone survivors (Richard Basehart, Antoinette Bower) of two annihilated planets become stranded on the same remote world and must begin again. Old: billboards. New: commentary by episode director Ted Post and Zicree and radio drama starring Louis Gossett Jr.

The 7th is Made up of Phantoms: A trio of National Guardsmen conducting war exercises near Little Big Horn in 1964 encounter evidence that another battle is going on – one that occurred in 1876. Old: billboards and radio drama starring Richard Grieco. New: isolated score.

A Short Drink From a Certain Fountain: An aging man (Patrick O’Neal), desperate to keep up with his much younger wife (Ruth Lee), tries a highly experimental youth serum.  Old: billboards. New: isolated score and radio drama starring Adam West.

Ninety Years without Slumbering: Sam Frostmann (Ed Wynn) believes that he will die if his grandfather clock stops. When the clock begins to wind down, Sam must face his deepest fear.  Old: interview with actress Carolyn Kearney and George Clayton Johnson, interview with Johnson, isolated score from Hermann, and billboards.  New: radio drama starring Bill Erwin. 

Ring-a-ding Girl: Hollywood film star Bunny Blake (Maggie McNamara) gets an unusual gift from her hometown fan club: a ring that shows old friend’s faces. Old: interview with episode writer Earl Hamner and billboards. New: commentary with author/historians Skelton and Benson. 

You Drive: Driving home one evening, Oliver Pope (Edward Andrews) accidentally hits a boy on a bike, killing him. Pope flees the scene, determined to hide his guilt but his car has other ideas. Old: interview with Hamner and billboards. New: commentary by Skelton and Benson. 

Disc Three:

The Long Morrow: Commander Stansfield (Robert Lansing) and Sandra (Mariette Hartley) fall in love shortly before he launches into space to being 40 years in suspended animation.  Will she wait for him or will his desperate measure doom their love? Old: interview with Hartley, billboards, and radio drama starring Kathy Garver. New: commentary by Skelton and Benson.

The Self-improvement of Salvadore Ross: Salvadore Ross (Don Gordon) will stop at nothing to win Leah’s love. He trades his youth for money to court her, but when he buys compassion he gets more than he bargained for. Old: billboards. New: commentary by Grams Jr., isolated score, and radio drama starring Luke Perry.

Number 12 Looks Just Like You: At the age of 19, everyone must undergo an operation that makes them beautiful… and identical to everyone else. But Marilyn (Collin Wilcox) wants desperately to hang on to her identity.  Old: commentary by Zicree and billboards. New: isolates score. 

Black Leather Jackets: Three tough-looking men on motorcycles disrupt a peaceful suburb when they move in. Yet the neighbors could never imagine how dangerous they are. Old: interview with actor Michael Forest and Hamner and billboards. 

Night Call: Confined to a wheelchair, lonely Elva (Gladys Cooper) begins receiving numerous mysterious phone calls. Old: interview with Matheson and billboards. New: commentary by Michael Nankin (Battlestar Galactica) and Zicree, isolated score, and radio drama starring Mariette Hartley. 

From Agnes – With Love: Computer technician James Elwood (Wally Cox) must deal with the queen of all femme fatales: a computer Agnes who wreaks havoc on his love life. Old: billboards. New: radio drama starring Ed Begley, Jr.

Spur of the Moment: Chased by a terrifying, unidentified figure in black, Anne (Diana Hyland) rushes home where she must face the biggest decision of her life. Old: interview with Matheson, isolated score by Garriguenc, and billboards.

Disc Four:

An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge: A Confederate spy is spared death when the rope meant to hang him mysteriously breaks.  Old: Conversations with Rod Serling (part 1), isolated score by Henri Lanoe, and billboards.

Queen of the Nile: A young handsome columnist (Lee Phillips) is startled to learn that famous movie star Pamela Morris (Ann Blyth) is just as lovely and young-looking as when she starred in the 1940 film Queen of the Nile. Old: billboards. New: radio drama starring Kate Jackson.

What’s in the Box: Joe (William Demarest) sees his secret revealed and its horrible consequences on his just repaired TV set. He frantically tries to alter his fate by confronting his wife (Joan Blondell). Old: billboards. New: radio drama starring Mike Starr. 

The Masks: Knowing he is about to die, a wealthy man (Robert Keith) summons his greedy heirs to his mansion for a bizarre Mardi Gras ritual – and gives them the inheritance they so richly deserve. Old: commentary by actor Alan Sues and billboards. New: isolated score and radio drama starring Stan Freberg.

I am the Night – Color me Black: On the morning a unpopular idealist is to be executed for killing a racist bully, Sheriff Koch (Michael Constantine) and other townsfolk are shocked to see the skies are pitch black. Old: interview with actor Terry Becker and billboards.

Sounds and Silences: Roswell Flemington (John McGiver) is a boisterous man who loves loud noise, but when his wife leaves him the volume in his life goes haywire. Old: billboards and radio drama starring Richard Kind.  New: isolated score.

Caesar and Me: Broke and jobless, ventriloquist Jonathan West (Jackie Cooper) is no match for his evil dummy Little Caesar, who grabs the chance to set him up for a fall. Old: billboards. New: commentary by director Robert Butler and Zicree and radio drama starring Jason Alexander.

The Jeopardy Room: In a deadly game of cat and mouse, Soviet defector Major Kuckenko (Martin Landau) has three hours to escape from a room with a ticking bomb. Old: commentary by Landau and billboards. New: commentary by director Donner and Zicree.

Disc Five:

Stopover in a Quiet Town: Bob (Barry Nelson) and Millie (Nancy Malone) wake up to find themselves in a strange room where everything appears to be fake. There are no other people, only the giggling of a little girl. Old: interview with Malone and Hamner and billboards. New: isolated score.

The Encounter: WWII veteran Fenton (Neville Brand) proudly shows his captured samurai sword to young Japanese gardener Arthur (George Takei) – who instantly picks it up and knows he must kill his host. Old: billboards. New: commentary by Takei, director Butler and Zicree. 

Mr. Garrity and the Graves: Garrity (John Dehner) makes a living resurrecting the dead in the old west. He doesn’t make money from people who want to see their loved ones again, but from the townsfolk who want to keep their dead buried. Old: billboards and radio drama starring Chris MacDonald. New: commentary by director Post and Zicree.

The Brain Center at Whipple’s: Callous factory owner Wallace Whipple (Richard Deacon) automates the plant, putting thousands out of work but will he regret this move? Old: billboards. New: radio drama starring Stan Freberg.

Come Wander with Me: A singer (Gary Crosby) journeys to the backwoods to find authentic folk songs where he finds a tune that has meaning for him. Old: isolated score by Jeff Alexander and billboards.

The Fear: An unknown creature hidden in the shadows terrorizes a young woman (Hazel Court) and the state trooper (Peter Mark Richman) who has arrived to help him. Old: billboards. New: commentary by director Post, Peter Mark Richman, and Zicree, and radio drama starring Jane Seymour and James Keach. 

The Bewitchin’ Pool: For children distraught by feuding parents, a swimming pool offers admittance to a happier, simpler place.  Old: interview with Hamner, isolated score, and billboards. New: commentary by Hamner and Zicree and radio drama starring Karen Black. 

Disc Five also has Conversations with Rod Serling (part 2 and 3), the Mike Wallace Interview, a Netherlands sales pitch, Alfred Hitchcock promo, George Clayton Johnson’s home movies, additional billboards, and the concluding interview with cinematographer George T. Clemens.  Missing is the PBS special on Serling that was with the DVD set but it’s still out there on DVD if you want to find it. 

The final season of the Twilight Zone certainly has more misses than hits, but boy when it hits it hits good.  Image continues their fine treatment of the series and you know you want the full set. 

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