★★★★★ January 5, 1962 Season 3 Episode 16
If you want to see where we are…HERE is a list of the episodes.
A song, a person, flower, or a drawing is beautiful…I don’t think a TV episode would fit into that category but this one does. Future mega star Robert Redford is in this great episode about an elderly lady who would not let anyone inside her soon to be torn down home. She fears “Mr Death” who will come take her. Gladys Cooper plays Wanda Dunn the elderly woman. She was appearing in silent movies in the early part of the century. She would appear in three Twilight Zone episodes…a wonderful actress.
R. G. Armstrong, a great character actor, is also in this classic episode. Everything about this episode works. The acting down to the set is perfect.
This show was written by George Clayton Johnson and Rod Serling
Rod Serling’s Opening Narration:
An old woman living in a nightmare, an old woman who has fought a thousand battles with death and always won. Now she’s faced with a grim decision—whether or not to open a door. And in some strange and frightening way she knows that this seemingly ordinary door leads to the Twilight Zone.
Summary
The old Ms. Wanda Dunn is afraid of Mr. Death, and does not open the door of her room for anyone who knocks the door. When the police officer Harold Beldon is shot at her front door, the reluctant woman opens it and lets him in.
Rod Serling’s Closing Narration:
There was an old woman who lived in a room. And, like all of us, was frightened of the dark. But who discovered in a minute last fragment of her life that there was nothing in the dark that wasn’t there when the lights were on. Object lesson for the more frightened amongst us in, or out of, the Twilight Zone.
CAST
Rod Serling… Narrator / Self – Host (uncredited)
Gladys Cooper…Wanda Dunn
Robert Redford…Harold Beldon
R. G. Armstrong…Contractor
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another good one– featuring a future superstar..
Rod Serling sure knew how to create suspense and in the end Death is going to come for all of us.
Yes he did…this one was hard to write without giving it away.
I wonder if Serling also had a superb eye for talent in spotting future-stars, or if their work in TZ helped them propel their careers forward quickly.
He did have a good eye…he worked on a live TV production before the Twilight Zone…I think many appeared there.
GREAT episode!
Totally agree!
Looks like a good episode. If my math is correct, Robert Redford was 26 at the time!
Man…this was before he was anyone…26…I didn’t know he was that young.
Do you realize that Paul Simon turned 80 today? Just saw it on Twitter. 80, that’s just crazy…
Redford, btw, is 85.
And Captain Kirk returned to space at age 90.
I suppose age is all relative…
Oh man…that is crazy…
I just saw that about Captain Kirk! 90 years old…I’m surprised they let him go up.
Love this episode…Robert Redford as Death, the cop. Come on in, honey…
LOL…he was a good looking fellow…even I have to say that.
😁
This may be my favorite Twilight Zone episode, though I haven’t watched that many. My husband is the big TZ fan in the fam. Regardless, this is a perfect episode. Robert Redford is wonderfully cast…he is so appropriately/inappropriately gorgeous…and the message…it’s beautiful. Very spiritual, I think. As a Christian, I relate to it. There’s nothing to fear if you walk with Christ.
It is way up on my list. I agree with you…it’s very spirtual. The last part is just beautiful.
I was genuinely scared for the old woman at first. My heart went out to her, being forced from her home one way or another. I didn’t even recognize Redford at first! I just thought he sure is a baby-faced cop lol. I agree with your rating. It was very well-done.
I love the ending to it…it was so refreshing and I was glad everything worked out for her.
Me too.
Yes very beautiful episode. Pretty suspenseful at the beginning. I spent the entire episode trying to figure out who the cop was – he looked so familiar 😀
Im going to have an R G Armstrong film festival.
That would be great. Be sure to include The Car!
For sure. So many good ones. Fave is when he tries to get Billy to repent in ‘Pat Garrett’
Yea I love that movie… they style, story, and acting.
Sam loved R G