Twilight Zone Companion

by Marc Scott Zicree

  Producer: Herbert Hirschman

  Director: Walter E. Grauman

  Director of Photography: Robert W. Pittack

  Music: Fred Steiner

  Cast: Charley Parkes: Robert Duvall Mrs. Parkes: Pert Kelton Myma: Barbara Barrie Buddie: Len Weinrib Dr. Wallman: William Windom Museum Guard: John McLiam The Doll: Claire Griswold The Maid: Nina Roman The Suitor: Richard Angarola Diemel: Barney Phillips Harriet: Joan Chambers Robert Duvall The Guide: Chet Stratton

  To the average person, a museum is a place of knowledge, a place of beauty and truth and wonder. Some people come to study, others to contemplate, others to look for the sheer joy of looking. Charley Parkes has his own reasons. He comes to the museum to get away from the world. It isnt really the sixty-cent cafeteria meal that has drawn him here every day, its the fact that here in these strange, cool halls he can be alone for a little while, really and truly alone. Anyway, thats how it was before he got lost and wandered into the Twilight Zone.

  Charley, a shy bachelor who lives with his mother, goes to the museum cafeteria, only to find it closed for alterations. Suddenly, he is caught up in a tour group and carried along to a different part of the museum. Extricating himself, he finds himself facing an elaborate nineteenth-century dollhouse and is astounded to see inside a lifelike, mechanical doll, a beautiful woman playing Mozarts Piano Sonata in A Major on a miniature harpsichord! Curious, he asks a friendly museum guard about the mechanism, and is told that the doll is carved from a solid piece of wood and doesnt play any music! Returning late to work, Charley is fired by his boss, mainly for being someone who doesnt quite fit into the life of the officea square peg. In the days that follow, however, he doesnt search for another job; instead, he spends all his time at the museum, watching the doll whom everyone else sees as totally inanimate go through a routine of eating her meals, playing music, being groomed by her maid, reading, and greeting a miniature gentleman callerall in pantomime. He has fallen in love with the doll, but he keeps this a secret. His mother, sister Myrna and brother-in-law Buddie are dismayed by his solitary habits. Trying to help Charley break out of his cocoon, Myrna sets him up with a coworker named Harriet. But the date ends in disaster when Harriet makes a pass! Next day, Charley is back at the museum, absorbed in his dollhouse. Suddenly, the tiny gentleman caller barges drunkenly into the dollhouse, knocking the maid away and carrying the terrified doll out of sight. Desperate to protect her honor, Charley grabs a nearby stone cherub and smashes the glass case surrounding the dollhouse an act that lands him in an asylum. Eventually, Charley is able to convince Dr. Wallman, a psychiatrist, that he is cured of his delusion that the doll is alive. He is released back to his family, but the first chance he gets, he sneaks back to the museum. There, in the dollhouse, he finds the doll weeping tears of loneliness. He tells her that he understands; he, too, has been alone all his life. Together, they could understand, help and love each other. Frantic to find him, Dr. Wallman, Charleys family and the police search the museum. But there is no sign of him. Then the museum guard peers into the dollhouse, and is surprised to see two miniature figures. One is the doll … and the other is Charley!

  They never found Charley Parkes, because the guard didnt tell them what he saw in the glass case. He knew what theyd say, and he knew theyd be right, too, because seeing is not always believingespecially if what you see happens to be an odd comer of the Twilight Zone.

  With Miniature, Charles Beaumont crafted a most peculiar and touching love story.

  I consider it Beaumonts best script, period, says William F. Nolan. He said it was based on me. It was about kind of a shy guy who hadproblems with women, which Ive always had, Ive never been a womanizer.

  I dont remember the genesis of the story, says Herbert Hirschman. I remember reading a story once in some anthology of God reaching down and grabbing someone, and that image of a real person in a gigantic hand may have been part of the concept and inception of the thing. I thought it was a delightful story, and it was fun to make it work. The real person in a gigantic hand refers to the scene in which a psychiatrist places the tiny doll in Charleys palm to prove it is not a real woman. As seen from Charleys point of view, though, the little figure he holds is clearly alive.

  Throughout Miniature, Charley Parkes visits the dollhouse and watches a pantomime melodrama unfold as the girl is served by her maid and courted by a suitor whose intentions are most assuredly not honorable. In order to accomplish this, a four-room dollhouse and a full-size, identical replica were constructed. It was expensive, but well worth the effort.

  Miniature is a fragile and wonderful story, a fairy tale about a man who just does not fit in with the rest of the world. Robert Duvall, a

  Claire Griswold and Robert Duvall inside the dollhousemarvelous chameleon of an actor, plays Charley as an intelligent and likeable man who is never at ease with other people. He is not a nonconformist so much as an alien. As his mother, Pert Kelton is a perfect caricature of the doting, possessive mother, speaking with a nasal voice that sounds like its buzzing through a comb wrapped in wax paper, making him hot chocolate, and demanding to take off his shoes for him.

  Above all, Miniature is a gentle story with gentle humor. A prime example is when Charley returns home after being committed to a mental institution as a result of his delusions concerning the doll. Charley is still crazy as a bedbug (at least as defined by the rest of society) but hes determined to convince everyone that hes fineso that hell have the opportunity to get back to the museum. Sipping hot chocolate, he says to his mother, I sure missed this. No one makes cocoa the way you can.

  Did they hurt you, Charley? his mother asks.

  He replies, Well, they were afraid they were gonna have to use shock treatment, and I hear that hurts quite a bit, but they decided not to when I got well.

  Of all the hour-long Twilight Zone episodes, Miniature is the only one never put into syndication. The reason is that when the series was originally syndicated, Miniature was involved in a lawsuit. A script entitled The Thirteenth Mannequin had been submitted to Cayuga Productions prior to Miniature. The script concerned an old man who preferred the company of store mannequinsmannequins who ultimately come to life. The suit claimed that since both works dealt with main characters becoming involved inanimate human figures who come to life, Miniature had stolen the idea.

  Ultimately, the case was dismissed, both by the initial judge and on appeal. The Thirteenth Mannequin was no ancestor of Miniature. The curious thing about this whole affair is that if any Twilight Zone episode was similar to The Thirteenth Mannequin, it was Serlings The After Hoursand that was written long before anyone at Cayuga ever heard of The Thirteenth Mannequin. Even when it was submitted, The Thirteenth Mannequin was not unique; The Twilight Zone had already explored its central idea.

  Still, the damage was done. Because of the suit, Miniature was aired only once. A sad finale to a movinga nd unique episode.

  PRINTER S DEVIL (2/28/63)

  Written by Charles Beaumont

  Producer: Herbert Hirschman

  Director: Ralph Senensky D

  irector of Photography: George T. Clemens

  Music: stock

  Cast: Mr. Smith: Burgess Meredith Douglas Winter: Robert Sterling Jackie Benson: Patricia Crowley Mr. Franklin: Ray Teal Andy Praskins: Charles Thompson Landlady: Doris Kemper Molly: Camille Franklin

  Take away a mans dream, fill him with whiskey and despair; send him to a lonely bridge, let him stand there all by himself looking down at the black water, and try to imagine the thoughts that are in his mind. You cant, I cant. But theres someone who can and that someone is seated next to Douglas Winter right now. The car is headed back toward town, but its real destination is the Twilight Zone.

  Doug Winter, dedicated editor of the Danzburg Courier, is being driven out of business by the Gazette, which is owned by a big newspaper syndicate. When linotype operator Andy Praskins resigns in order to work for the Gazette, Doug is certain the Couriers had it. He get
s drunk and contemplates jumping off a bridge. He is interrupted in this by Mr. Smith, an ironic, cigar-smoking fellow who offers to work as both reporter and linotype operator for freethen pulls out five thousand dollars cash to pay off the Couriers debts. Jackie Benson, Dougs girlfriend and devoted employee, is suspicious of Smiths motives, but Doug seeing this as his papers only chance hires Smith on. Soon Smith is turning out editions with sensationalistic headlines that cause readership to soar. But when a fire destroys the Gazette building and the Courier reports the story within thirty minutes of the event, Doug suspects Smith may be doing more than just reporting. This is confirmed when Smith shows Doug his next scoop, all about a local sweepstakes win written before the winner himself knows! Smith then produces a contract. The terms: his services in exchange for Dougs soul. Smith, it seems, is the Devil! Doug scoffs at this, but fearful of losing Smith and having to face the bridge again he signs. Soon, however, he has reason to regret it, as Smith gleefully brings about a wave of disasters in order to fill the Courier’s front page. When Doug pleads with him to stop, Smith makes a counter-offer: hell stopif Doug kills himself. He then produces an added inducement: a story hes set on the linotype machine saying that Jackie will be seriously hurt in a car crash that evening. Smith has made modifications in the machine. Whatever is typed on it comes to passand the only thing that will save Jackie is Dougs death. As Doug ponders what to do, Smith asks Jackie to drive him out of town. He then takes the wheel, intending to steer headlong into an oncoming car. With only minutes to go, Doug gets a brainstorm. He sets in type a story stating that his contract with Smith is rendered null and void, and that Smith is banished. Just in time, Smith vanishes. Jackies car sideswipes the other vehicle and Jackie escapes uninjured. Doug intends to battle the Gazette without Smiths aid from now onand the first order of business is to get rid of that linotype machine!

  Exit the infernal machine, and with it his satanic majesty, Lucifer, prince of darkness otherwise known as Mr. Smith. Hes gone, but not for good; that wouldnt be like him hes gone for bad. And he might be back, with another ticket to the Twilight Zone.

  Burgess Meredith made his fourth and final Twilight Zone appearance in Charles Beaumonts Printers Devil, playing a character far removed from the good and gentle men he had played in the previous three. Printers Devil was based on Beaumonts first sale, a clever short story entitled The Devil, You Say? that appeared in the January, 1951, issue of Amazing Stories. In it, a young man inherits an unsuccessful newspaper from his father. On the day that he decides to close down the paper, a nattily-dressed old man appears in his office. The old man explains that long ago he made a deal with the mans father: the father would receive $150 per month plus be allowed to put out the newspaper … in exchange for his immortal soul. The old man is the Devil!

  The contract had another stipulation, however. The son, too, must be made happy in order to close the deal. The Devil sets about doing just that, by making audacious things happen and then putting out editions of the paper with such incredible but true headlines as MAYORS WIFE GIVES BIRTH TO BABY HIPPOPOTAMUS, FARMER BURL ILLING COMPLAINS OF MYSTERIOUS APPEARANCE OF DRAGONS IN BACK YARD, S.S. QUEEN MARY DISCOVERED ON MAIN STREET, and BANK PRESIDENTS WIFE CLAIMS DIVORCE EXPLAINS CAUGHT HUSBAND TRIFLING WITH THREE MERMAIDS IN BATHTUB. Soon it becomes obvious that the

  Devil is having such a good time making these events occur that hes no longer at all concerned about whether the young man is happy or not. Our hero decides that the Devil must be gotten rid of. With the aid of a lovely blonde reporter whos come from New York to interview him and with whom hes fallen in love he lures the Devil away from the press long enough to feed in a story that includes the Devil returning to Hell, his father escaping to Heaven, the newspaper office disappearing, and himself getting a job as a reporter on a large metropolitan newspaper. All of these things come to pass, but he suddenly realizes something: he forgot to mention the lady reporter. He finds her working for the same paper, but things have changed ( Dont you remember, honey? You were doing me a favor, coaxing the devil to buy you a few drinks …It was there in her eyes. She could have been staring at an escaped orangoutang). Dejectedly, he realizes that he should have left things just as they were. It wasnt very peaceful, he says, but so what. I ask you, so what?

  In adapting the story, Beaumont removed the character of the lady reporter and changed the astonishing headlines to merely sensational ones: murders, robberies, fires, and the like. This had the effect of reducing Printers Devil to a fairly run of the mill deal-with-the-Devil story. One of the few positive changes was the more appropriate title: printers devil is a term that applies to a printers apprentice or errand boy.

  The best thing about the show, however, and the thing that saves it, is Merediths bravura performance as Mr. Smith. With his hair cut in a widows peak, his eyebrows pointing slightly upward, a twisted cigar in his mouth, he certainly looks the part. He is a grinning, leering Devil, full of subtleties. His interpretation goes well beyond the lines.

  The problem was to get him so that he was witty [while] still being menacing, Meredith says of the characterization, and charming without losing his danger. I think it was a rich part. You know, you cant do anything if the possibilities are not there.

  I remember going to Wardrobe the day that Burgess came in for wardrobe, recalls the episodes director, Ralph Senensky (Star Trek, The Waltons, etc.), and that was a revelation, to watch this man, because he stood in front of the mirror and put on all the possibilities and he just changed. He put on different items and you could see that he was feeling whether that would work for him. Im sure that most of the wardrobe, in black and white, didnt really register, but it was important to him, because he drew from it and it was just a part of his putting together the character.

  One item Meredith had to wear definitely was not his idea. In an early scene, Smith, lacking a match to light his cigarette, snaps his fingers and one of them bursts into flame. They had him wired, explains Ralph Senensky. There was a wire that went onto a battery and ran up his pant leg through his shirt to his hand. Then they stuck his finger into a coffee can of ice water. It would just get good and cold. They poured lighter fluid over it and then, when he did this [snaps his fingers], they would hit the switch, the spark would ignite it, and the lighter fluid would burn. The finger was literally a step from being frozen, so that it wouldnt hurt. Unlike the original story, in Printers Devil it is the main character not his fatherwho makes the deal with the Devil. A high point in the episode comes when Smith, having saved the paper, confronts Winter and lays his cards on the table:

  smith: Now first of all, I should like to ask whether or not youre happy with the way things have been going.

  winter: Just what are you leading up to, Mr. Smith?

  smith: A simple proposition. I hereby guarantee understand? guaranteethat you will become the most successful newspaper editor in the world, if you will affix your signature to this little document. (Hands the document to him)

  winter (Reading): I, Douglas Winter, agree to relinquish my immortal soul to the bearer upon my death, in exchange for his services. (Starts to laugh) Youre the Devil!

  smith (Laughs): Mr. Winter, as a sophisticated, intelligent twentiety-century man, you know that the Devil does not exist. True?

  winter: True.

  smith: But you also know that the world is full of eccentric, rich old men, crazy old men who do all kinds of things for crazy reasons. Now, why dont you think of me like that? Heres a pen. (Hands it to him)

  winter: This is ridiculous!

  smith (Chuckling): Yes, isnt it … You dont really believe Im the Devil, do you?

  winter: No.

  smith: Well then, why dont you put it this way.

  Youre humoring me. After all, what good is

  the soul, anyway? Its sort of like an appendix these days, particularly since it doesnt exist in the first place.

  winter:

  smith:

  winter:

  smith
:

  winter:

  smith:

  winter:

  smith:

  winter:

  SMITH

  WINTER

  Well, just for the sake of argument, why do you want mine}

  Well, for the sake of argument, lets say Im something of a connoisseur. You have a very choice soul, and as the vintners sayits a good year.

  Well then again, just for sake of argument, why dont you just take it? Now, if youre the Devil, as you say you are, well you can do everything.

  Unhappily, not everything. I am bound by certain rules, and I do have my limitations.

  Youre nuts.

  Yes, lets drink to that. I think I should warn you, however, that if you do not sign this, then the certain gloomy predictions you made about the Courier’s future will certainly come to pass. Ill have to resign, andWell, lets not even consider such a proposition. After all, you dont want to go visiting that bridge again, do you?

  Hardly.

  No. Now, why not humor an old man? It would mean such a lot to me. And if you dont sign it, it would be admitting fear and belief. Youre not afraid, are you?

  No. {He raises the pen to sign, then hesitates)

  {Taunting): Fancy thata grownup man who believes in the Devil!

  CAngrily): This stupid thing! {He signs furiously) There. Now lets not hear any more about this, shall we?

  In handling the striking of the bargain in this fashion, Printers Devil avoids all the cliches. Beaumont has done it so cleverly, says Ralph

  Senensky, because the Devil tricks him into doing it, predicated not on that he believes, but that he cant be foolish enough to believe. Its a marvelous approach.

  Senensky has a final recollection regarding Printers Devil, one that seems particularly apt. On that last confrontation between Smith and Doug, I shot the master, shot the two closeups, and with this whole soundstage full of people we didnt know until we went to the dailies the next day that this strange little man from the printing house that we had borrowed equipment from, who had been around observing, was standing back in the doorway, over Bob Sterlings shoulder. Nobody had seen him, including the operator, who sat and looked at this long closeup, never saw him. We went to the dailies and there he was, just as big as life. It almost seemed ghostlikehe looked like a ghost! So we had to do pickups of that shot.