Thief enters The Twilight Zone

Noir Time

08-10-23

Originally Posted by Thief

Season 1, Episode 3
Mr. Denton on Doomsday
(October 16, 1959 � Allen Reisner)

I'm a fan of Duryea in everything I've seen him in. He's great as the titular Denton, as you see him go from a defeated and regretful shell of a man to someone that has regained a bit of confidence as the episode goes on...
Grade:

You're a fan of Duryea, you're my new favorite MoFo! I'm a huge fan of Dan Duryea. You might remember that I use to have him as my avatar. I have every movie that he was ever in...I haven't seen them all...yet but I'm working on it.

So I got ask you what have you seen him in? And do you mind a few movie recommendations?

Mr. Denton on Doomsday is one of my favorite Twilight Zone episodes.

Thief

Master of None

08-10-23

Originally Posted by Citizen Rules

I've seen...

Scarlet Street
The Woman in the Window
Winchester '73
Ministry of Fear

Recommendations are always welcome.

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Takoma11

Registered User

08-11-23

Originally Posted by Thief

I've seen...

Scarlet Street
The Woman in the Window
Winchester '73
Ministry of Fear

Recommendations are always welcome.

The Little Foxes for starters!

Thief

Master of None

08-11-23

Originally Posted by Takoma11

The Little Foxes for starters!

Hell of a cast!

BenjisDad

Msg

Pauline Kael's Hideous Mutant Love CHUD

08-11-23

Originally Posted by Citizen Rules

So I got ask you what have you seen him in? And do you mind a few movie recommendations?

Chicago Calling is vastly underrated.

__________________
"If it was priggish for an older generation of reviewers to be ashamed of what they enjoyed and to feel they had to be contemptuous of popular entertainment, it's even more priggish for a new movie generation to be so proud of what they enjoy that they use their education to try to place trash within the acceptable academic tradition." -- Pauline Kael

Citizen Rules

Noir Time

08-11-23

Originally Posted by Thief

I've seen...

Scarlet Street
The Woman in the Window
Winchester '73
Ministry of Fear

Recommendations are always welcome.

All great Duryea films and great films period. I'll second The Little Foxes. I haven't seen Chicago Calling.

My recommendation and my favorite serious dramatic role by Duryea who for once had the lead is:
The Burglar (1957) it's a character study and not only one of Duryea's best performances....it's also hands down the best performance I've seen of Jayne Mansfield. She does not do her trademark Monroe imitation and is stripped of the usual glamour. It's not really about the caper it's about the group's dynamics.

dadgumblah

Registered User

08-13-23

Originally Posted by Thief

Season 1, Episode 3
Mr. Denton on Doomsday
(October 16, 1959 � Allen Reisner)

SYNOPSIS: A former gunslinger turned alcoholic (Dan Duryea) gets a second chance to regain his former skills and maybe his confidence when he is visited by Fate. But is there a catch to this deal?

QUICK THOUGHTS: I really enjoyed this one, mostly because of the performances. I'm a fan of Duryea in everything I've seen him in. He's great as the titular Denton, as you see him go from a defeated and regretful shell of a man to someone that has regained a bit of confidence as the episode goes on. He's paired with Martin Landau, who is also excellent as a younger gunslinger that constantly bullies him. Finally, Atterbury is also pretty good as Henry J. Fate, "the third principal character of our story".

Aside from the cast, the direction from Reisner is also pretty good, paired with George Clements cinematography. I really liked the way they moved the camera around; concisely but without being too flourished. Overall, I enjoyed the mixture of gunslinging action with the more introspective layers of the episode, and what it has to say about our choices and our fate.

THE TWIST:

WARNING: spoilers below

I really enjoyed the setup from this episode; to lead us with this potion that gives Denton his abilities only to sweep the rug from under our feet in the final act. I have to say that I smiled when it is revealed that the young gunslinger that comes to face Denton had also taken the potion. I thought it was a neat twist.

I think that part of me was expecting something more sinister overall, but like I said above, I really liked what it had to say about our dispositions and pre-dispositions, our choices and the role they play in our fate. In an episode with a character called Henry J. Fate, it might've seemed too in-your-face, but it worked great here.

Grade:

I'd seen this episode a few times but the last viewing was several years back. Still, your review had me wanting to see it again so I did. And it was really excellent. Duryea was outstanding as he always was. I liked Malcolm Atterbury as

WARNING: spoilers below

Henry J. Fate

and his seeming benevolence, then his intensity when "encouraging" Denton to practice. It was fairly startling seeing the normally easy-going Atterbury turn grim for a moment. I'd forgotten all about that! And it was quite a kick seeing Doug McClure show up as the young gunslinger at the end. All-in-all a great episode I was glad to view again.

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Thief

Master of None

08-13-23

Yeah, like some of you said before in this thread, it's really cool to see so many known actors pop in this. Regardless of how popular they were at the moment, or if they were just on the rise, it's always pretty neat to go "oh, look!"

I just saw Episode 4 and I was surprised to see Ida Lupino as the lead! Upcoming review.

Thief

Master of None

08-13-23

Season 1, Episode 4
The Sixteen-Milimeter Shrine
(October 23, 1959 � Mitchell Leisen)

"This is the world, Dan, right in here. From now on, I keep the drapes drawn and doors locked. I don't want any of the outside world coming in."

SYNOPSIS: An aging actress (Ida Lupino) is struggling to move on past her old glories by secluding herself in her studio. But how far will she go to shut down the outside world or shut herself in?

QUICK THOUGHTS: The first thing I'll say was how surprised I was to see Lupino in here. I love her, and she was truly magnificent in the role. It was also nice to see Martin Balsam again as Lupino's agent. As for the story, the shades of Sunset Boulevard are pretty evident, but this story still knows how to differentiate itself enough. I do wish it would've done a bit more with the premise, as I feel it more or less stayed flat all through.

THE TWIST:

WARNING: spoilers below

I do think the twist was neat, part eerie and part melancholic, but it is one that you kinda see coming as the episode goes on and we see the actress obsession with her movies and her past life. I also think the episode failed to properly build up to the climax. It was as if it had barely peaked.

That said, I do appreciate some of the points it tries to make about the fate of aging female actresses, how studios essentially push them aside, and how that contrasts with aging male actors. The point is still a bit muddled (does it want us to agree with the actress in terms of not settling for stereotypical "mother" roles, or does it want us to agree with the studio-head and the agent in that she needs to move on) but I'm glad it was still raising the questions.

Grade:

Last edited by Thief; 08-14-23 at 12:37 AM.

Thief

Master of None

08-20-23

Need to update this; probably tomorrow.

GulfportDoc

Registered User

08-20-23

Originally Posted by Thief

I've seen...

Scarlet Street
The Woman in the Window
Winchester '73
Ministry of Fear

Recommendations are always welcome.

The Underworld Story (1950) is a "B" picture, but Duryea really shines as a cold blooded newspaperman reminiscent of the later The Ace in the Hole (1951).

It co-stars Gale Storm, Herbert Marshall and Howard Da Silva.

Thief

Master of None

08-20-23

Season 1, Episode 5
Walking Distance
(October 30, 1959 � Robert Stevens)

"Maybe when you go back, Martin, you'll find that there are merry-go-rounds and band concerts where you are. Maybe you haven't been looking in the right place. You've been looking behind you, Martin. Try looking ahead."

SYNOPSIS: An unexpected car repair leads a self-absorbed ad executive (Gig Young) back into his childhood hometown; literally. Will he find what he's looking for there?

QUICK THOUGHTS: This was certainly an interesting watch, a fairly moving episode that has perhaps a more personal introspective look into oneself. Apparently it was one of Rod Serling's favorite episodes, and you can tell in the way it is written and even in his own narration.

One thing that impressed me was the great direction by Robert Stevens, especially in the last act. The overall use of camera angles, especially the dutch angles, was extremely well done and effective. Plus, this is another instance of a great score from Bernard Herrmann.

THE TWIST:

WARNING: spoilers below

The twist is not much of a twist since it's fairly evident from the beginning, and actually revealed halfway through. But it does lends itself to some really thought-provoking and profound exchanges, especially the last one between Martin and his father (Frank Overton). For a middle-aged man like me, the reckoning of life's expectations versus reality does hit hard.

I do think that some of it felt a bit rushed, and that it could've been helped to see more of Martin's supposed self-absorbedness. Other than his rude attitude towards the gas station attendant in the first scene, he behaves like a pretty affable and friendly man to everybody in town, which makes it a bit harder to see that this is a man that has lost something, and needs to change.

Grade:

Takoma11

Registered User

08-20-23

It's a great episode. I agree with you that the story could have used a little more breathing room.

It really takes that idea that

WARNING: spoilers below

the past is a foreign country into interesting territory.

For me what most struck a chord was the idea that he was actually changing his past, not just reliving it. I think it asks some interesting questions about the relationship that we have to our past self.

I thought that the moment between Martin and his father was very touching, and that it was a compassionate way to get Martin to make the right choice instead of being chased out of town or something.

Thief

Master of None

09-19-23

I'm not lost in the Twilight Zone, but I'm putting this in a bit of a hiatus. Trying to make a deadline for something film-related so I'm prioritizing films over TV shows for the moment. I did see the next episode, "Escape Clause", but I might have to rewatch it to review it properly. Anyway, stay tuned for more.

Thief

Master of None

09-30-23

Season 1, Episode 6
Escape Clause
(November 6, 1959 � Mitchell Leisen)

"Why does a man have to die? The world goes on for millions of years, and how long is a man's life? This much! A drop, a microscopic fragment! Why can't a man live 500 years? or a thousand? Why does he have to die almost the moment he's born?"

SYNOPSIS: A middle-aged (David Wayne) hypochondriac is convinced that he's seriously ill, so he strikes a deal for immortality with a mysterious man named Cadwaller (Thomas Gomez) who might be the Devil himself. But what does he want in return?

QUICK THOUGHTS: The thing that most caught my attention here is how light everything is played. My dark side wishes it would've been less comedic, but it is still a fun watch, mostly thanks to the performances from Wayne and Gomez. I do feel like the "Devil's pact" story felt like a bit of a retread, since it was done just 3 or 4 episodes ago in "One for the Angels", but it was still entertaining to see.

THE TWIST:

WARNING: spoilers below

Regardless of how comedic the episode might feel, there is quite a good dose of bleakness in how Wayne's character reacts to certain things that happen to him, especially his wife's death. Also, not sure if to call it a twist, but the "escape clause" in the end felt like a satisfying piece of karma for Wayne's character. Again, things did feel a bit rushed as he rides this immortality wave quite fast, at least as far as we can see, but I suppose there's only so much you can put in a 20+ minute TV show.

Grade:

Last edited by Thief; 10-01-23 at 12:06 AM.

dadgumblah

Registered User

10-02-23

Very good episode if somewhat straightforward. I pretty much agree with all you've said about it. But it was the acting and comedy I loved, despite the ending. I loved David Wayne's line "Ethel, there's a draft in here and I feel a coma coming on."

Lots of popular actors from Disney movies, TV shows, and commercials populated this episode so it was a blast spotting nearly every face. A middling episode in general but sill enjoyable. Nice review, @Thief!

Thief

Master of None

10-14-23

Season 1, Episode 7
The Lonely
(November 13, 1959 � Jack Smight)

"Every morning when I get up, I tell myself this is my last day of sanity. I can't stand this loneliness one more day. Not one more day!"

SYNOPSIS: Corry (Jack Warden), a man convicted of murder, is sentenced to spend 50 years alone in a distant asteroid. Four years into his sentence, he is despaired by loneliness with the only consolation of quarterly visits of Allenby (John Dehner), an astronaut that brings him supplies, until he brings something else.

QUICK THOUGHTS: This one was pretty darn good. First, I thought the idea of sentencing someone to solitude in a distant asteroid was a really interesting premise. But then you add the layers to what the character is feeling, the loneliness, the anguish, the need for company, and how we try to fill that void, and Warden was pretty good conveying that. Overall, it ended up being quite a thought-provoking episode.

THE TWIST: