We're back on track this week with an episode starring Joseph Wiseman (AKA the future Dr. No). He plays a wealthy man who compels three people from his past to visit him in his bomb shelter. And then the air raid sirens go off ...
The Twilight Zone, Episode #82: "One More Pallbearer" (original air date January 12, 1962)
The Plot: Wealthy eccentric Paul Radin (Joseph Wiseman) has constructed a bomb shelter 300 feet beneath a New York City skyscraper. Workers finish installing a television screen and sound system just in time for his three guests to arrive.
All three have a past connection to Radin. Colonel Hawthorne (Trevor Bardette), his military superior during World War II, ordered him court-martialed for refusing to follow a direct order. Mrs. Langsford (Katherine Squire), his high school teacher, flunked him for cheating and then trying to pin the blame on a schoolmate. Reverend Hughes (Gage Clarke) created a public scandal after driving a woman to commit suicide.
The "guests" are not happy to be there, and none of them appreciates Radin's superior tone, nor do they feel any regret for their past conduct. Radin's self-righteous behavior does nothing to change their minds. Then Radin informs them that an enemy attack is imminent, one that will destroy life as they know it. Radin then makes a startling offer: They may stay in the bomb shelter -- and live -- but to do so, they must beg forgiveness from Mr. Radin.
The Goods: This episode is not so much a dramatic story as it is a prickly morality lesson. Each character is unrepentant in their behavior; the three "guests" are just as convinced of their own righteousness as Radin is of his. The show ends with the kind of twist we've come to expect; the morality lesson is, ultimately, plain and simple.
The staging by director Lamont Johnson is straightforward, but, once again, Serling's script and the performances by the four actors are outstanding, almost musical in the rhythm of the speeches and the incredibly convincing turns. The words flow out almost as though they're spoken in another language; you can enjoy it without knowing what all the words mean, merely by listening to the rise and fall of the anger, bitterness, sorrow, and scolding. It's that rich, golden, musical rhythm that marks the outstanding work of Aaron Sorkin and precious few others today, not really naturalistic, but amazingly dramatic all the same.
The Trivia: Wiseman's performance as the evil titular character in Dr. No was released in the US a little more than year later. The actor made his mark on the Broadway stage before moving on to films and TV shows in the 1950s.
This was the fourth of eight episodes directed by Lamont Johnson, who enjoyed more consistent success (and work) on television than in feature films.
On the Next Episode: A homeless man steals the shoes off a dead man's feet, and begins to take on his personality.
Catching up: Episodes covered by Twitch | Episodes covered by Film School Rejects
We're running through all 156 of the original Twilight Zone episodes, and we're not doing it alone! Our friends at Film School Rejects have entered the Zone as well, only on alternating weeks. So definitely tune in over at FSR and feel free to also follow along on Twitter accounts @ScreenAnarhcy and @rejectnation.