★★★★ Sept 15, 1961 Season 3 Episode 1
If you want to see where we are…HERE is a list of the episodes.
On this one I do give spoilers away…this one is hard not to…
Like the closing narration says…it is a love story of two on different sides of a war…in the Twilight Zone. The cast was small but brilliant. Elizabeth Montgomery and Charles Bronson. They were known, but not stars…Bewitched and Death Wish was still in the future for both at this time.
This episode is an optimistic story set in an extremely bleak world. The time is presumably after World War III, the setting a devastated town inhabited only by the dead, with the exception of two enemy soldiers. Bronson seems to represent an American soldier and Montgomery a Russian.
Her single line (Prekrasny) is Russian for pretty. This is a gritty and realistic story, told without much dialogue with the emphasis always on characters. In this Bronson is more of a pacifist and Montgomery is suspicious and quick to violence.
Before season 3 was starting…Rod Serling had this to say. I’ve never felt quite so drained of ideas as I do at this moment. Stories used to bubble out of me so fast I couldn’t set them down on paper quick enough but in the last two years I’ve written forty-seven of the sixty-eight Twilight Zone scripts, and I’ve done thirteen of the first twenty-six for next season. I’ve written so much I’m woozy.
This show was written by Montgomery Pittman and Rod Serling
Rod Serling’s Opening Narration:
This is a jungle, a monument built by nature honoring disuse, commemorating a few years of nature being left to its own devices. But it’s another kind of jungle, the kind that comes in the aftermath of man’s battles against himself. Hardly an important battle, not a Gettysburg, or a Marne, or an Iwo Jima; more like one insignificant corner patch in the crazy quilt of combat. But it was enough to end the existence of this little city. It’s been five years since a human being walked these streets. This is the first day of the sixth year, as man used to measure time. The time: perhaps 100 years from now, or sooner—or perhaps it already happened 2 million years ago. The place: the signposts are in English so that we may read them more easily, but the place is the Twilight Zone.
Summary
In a futuristic world a man and a woman, from opposing sides in a devastating war, meet in a deserted city. They don’t share a common language and she is quite wary of her opponent, though he doesn’t appear aggressive in any way. When she attempts to kill him, he goes off on his own. It’s obvious that society and civilization has been destroyed and she begins to reconsider.
The Entire Episode… Click Here on Daily Motion
Rod Serling’s Closing Narration:
This has been … a love story, about two lonely people who found each other … in the Twilight Zone.
CAST
Rod Serling…Narrator
Elizabeth Montgomery…The Woman
Charles Bronson…The Man
PowerPop... An Eclectic Collection of Pop Culture 
Great episode ! I liked how it was just characters and not much dialogue bit the story and their emotions were seen thru their actions a d facial expressions.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I do like this one…for the same reason I like Castaway and silent movies…certain stories lend themselves up for no dialogue.
LikeLiked by 2 people
It was funny though how they found the 5 year old canned rations and it seemed to be chicken drumsticks. 😀
LikeLiked by 2 people
I wasn’t sure if the bomb had been dropped but they would be glowing after eating that chicken.
LikeLiked by 1 person
😀. I was just surprised it would still be good.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I don’t know if any episode had the star power- Elizabeth Montgomery and Charles Bronson- but of course their star power was at the time in the future… solid episode.
LikeLiked by 3 people
I enjoyed re-watching it. This is one for whatever reason I haven’t seen much at all.
LikeLike
I guess it wouldn’t be all that bed being stuck living with Elizabeth Montgomery.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That was supposed yo be bad, not bed.
LikeLiked by 1 person
sounds like an interesting one and a challenge for the actors and camera crew to make it tell a story with so little dialogue. I can imagine Serling was burned out by then. these days I don’t think I could come up with vague outlines for 47 stories in two years, let alone write them all.
LikeLiked by 2 people
No wonder he had burn out…that was crazy but it worked…and still works today because we are talking about a 60 year old show!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Two superb actors…
LikeLiked by 1 person
While I find it a bit stereotypical to cast the Russian as the evil person, the acting with hardly any word being spoken is impressive. Plus, one must not forget 1961 was the height of the Cold War.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yea it was in that time and era…that is the reason I’m sure it’s one sided.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great episode! Bronson and Montgomery are fantastic. So much is conveyed without dialogue!
LikeLiked by 2 people
I love that aspect…like silent movies in a way
LikeLiked by 2 people
I really loved the detailing in this one. No dialogue was needed. The canned chicken, the jars of peaches. The bird cage with the tiny skeletons in there took the cake for me. I loved how Bronson and Montgomery played their roles. I don’t think that either one was portrayed as the enemy, more like two lost refugees from the madness of war.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I can see how it can be seen that way…Montgomery was more defensive but that was because of the situation. The detail was great.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Excellent episode, very well acted and shot. Liked the ending and the whole concept. (I began watching the Martians in a diner last night but snoozed a bit unfortunately and missed the ending! But I did see this one in full)
LikeLiked by 1 person
You need to get the ending in the other one lol…I get it though…I’m like that also.
This one is good….two very good actors.
LikeLike
I like both Charlie and Liz in this piece.
LikeLike