Twilight Zone – Elegy

★★★★  February 19, 1960 Season 1 Episode 20

If you want to see where we are…HERE is a list of the episodes.

This episode gets to me when I see it. You feel the confusion of the astronauts as they land on a planet that everything is frozen in time…literally frozen in time. Everybody on this strange planet is just standing or sitting  still. A beauty pageant is going on, men fishing and they are all still.

After exploring everywhere an older man finally talked to them…Jeremy Wickwire (I love that name). He explains what is going on and where they are… and then does something just terrible.

It’s an good episode and the Twilight Zone will explore this plot a little more in the future. We are certainly on a great streak of shows…only broken by The Fever.

The flashing dials in the spaceship seen right after landing are the same ones used in Forbidden Planet

Charles Beaumont wrote this years earlier under the guidance and influence of Beaumont’s literary mentor, Ray Bradbury…THAT is some mentor.

This show was written by Charles Beaumont

Rod Serling’s Opening Narration: 

The time is the day after tomorrow. The place: a far corner of the universe. A cast of characters: three men lost amongst the stars. Three men sharing the common urgency of all men lost. They’re looking for home. And in a moment, they’ll find home; not a home that is a place to be seen, but a strange unexplainable experience to be felt.

Summary

In a far corner of the universe, a spaceship with three astronauts lands on a planet with gravity and air conditions virtually identical to that on Earth. Their surroundings appear as Earth did 200 years ago but the planet has two suns so they’re fairly certain they didn’t somehow end up back home. People however seem to be frozen in time. They eventually stumble upon Jeremy Wickwire, who is the caretaker for the locale. His explanation of what he is and where they are defies belief but in the end, he does grant them their wish.

This one is a good episode. I will admit the first time I watched it…I hadn’t worked out the twist.

Rod Serling’s Closing Narration:

Kirby, Webber, and Meyers, three men lost. They shared a common wish—a simple one, really. They wanted to be aboard their ship headed for home. And fate—a laughing fate—a practical jokester with a smile stretched across the stars, saw to it that they got their wish with just one reservation: the wish came true, but only in the Twilight Zone.

CAST

Cecil Kellaway … Jeremy Wickwire
Jeff Morrow … Kurt Meyers
Don Dubbins … Peter Kirby
Kevin Hagen … Captain James Webber
Walter Bacon … Beauty Contest Guest (uncredited)
Frank Baker … Hotel Guest (uncredited)
George Boyce … Minor Role (uncredited)
Barbara Chrysler Barbara Chrysler … Beauty Contestant (uncredited)
Alphonso DuBois … Minor Role (uncredited)
Joseph Glick … Rally Spectator (uncredited)
Chester Hayes … Ice Cream Man (uncredited)
Jimmie Horan … Minor Role (uncredited)
June McCall … Beauty Contestant (uncredited)
William Meader … Minor Role (uncredited)
Spec O’Donnell … Poker Player (uncredited)
Charles Perry … Spectator at Rally (uncredited)
Joe Ploski … Beauty Contest Guest (uncredited)
Paul Power … Farmer (uncredited)
Rod Serling … Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Stephen Soldi … Minor Role (uncredited)
Jack Stoney … Finch (uncredited)
Martin Strader … Minor Role (uncredited)
Walton Walker … Minor Role (uncredited)
Sally Yarnell … Waitress (uncredited)

…

Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player.

31 thoughts on “Twilight Zone – Elegy”

  6. Yes a good episode. Although I thought I got the twist but maybe not since you said you didn’t get it at first? They said they wanted to be on their space ship headed home and they ended up that way only just in the condition like everyone else on the planet?

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      1. Right. Since they’d stumbled on this place they couldn’t be allowed to leave. Kind of like Hotel California! Haha

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  7. Favorite things about the episode – I love how at the beginning the three astronauts are sitting around the table and when they realize they are landing they hustle over to the bench for the crash landing but they aren’t strapped in or anything – might have just as well stayed at the table! Second how they keep asking Wickwire what is name is. At first I thought there was something to that. And last how all the actors who played the frozen people did so well to remain frozen although you could detect subtle movements here and there

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    1. I’ve read about that a little. The extras had to stay so still and it is almost impossible for that length of time…the original story had cars that were frozen…like a race track but they scrapped that and wrote the beauty pagent instead.

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    1. Oh yes! That one is huge I agree. That one is a…no I’ll wait til Wednesday lol…I was going to say that Wednesday could happen in real life in many ways.

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      2. Hey Max on a different topic I have a suggestion for your 80s college radio series – Lone Justice – cow punk band from LA that had I think 2 albums before they broke up. Phenomenal lead singer in Maria McKee. Little Steven contributed some of the songs.

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      3. Oh I LOVE Lone Justice and still have a crush on Maria Mckee to this day! I’ve posted some about them before but I’m willing to double post for them. Shelter and Ways to be Wicked. Consider it done.
        I would like to know if you heard about a band I listened to back in the late eighties…one song anyway. I think I’m going to just post it tomorrow and forget about saving it for a Monday…a band named Camper Van Beethoven…ring any bells?

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      4. LOL Re Maria McKee – me too! I always thought she had an incredibly beautiful voice. I’ll check out your earlier posts.

        Yes I remember CVB – can’t remember the song but something about bowling? The lead singer went on to form Cracker right?

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      5. That is the one I’m posting! That bowling song amuses the hell out of me. I hated it at first but then had to have it back then.
        I think he did yes…they tour together and I think I’ve seen him pose with both bands.

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  12. I watched this one yesterday – pretty good, interesting twist … when they got served drinks I had a notion of what was going on, but up to then I was at a loss to figure it out!

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  13. Pingback: Twilight Zone Season 1 Review – PowerPop… An Eclectic Collection of Pop Culture

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