Twilight Zone – The Hunt

★★★★1/2  January 26, 1962 Season 3 Episode 19

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

Some may question my rating and that is fine but this one to me is great. This is a lighter episode and a very pleasant one. Earl Hamner Jr. who wrote and created The Waltons wrote this episode. It’s among my favorites. It resolves it self and if you are a dog fan…you should like this one.

Hyder Simpson, played wonderfully by Arthur Hunnicutt, takes off with his dog Rip…hunting at night. After treeing a racoon they fall into the water and find themselves on the bank the next morning. They soon run into neighbors burying what Hyder thought was their dog didn’t notice him or Rip. There is a good reason for this…Hyder and Rip had passed on the night before and didn’t know it. That is when the story really begins.

This show was written by Earl Hamner Jr. and Rod Serling

Rod Serling’s Opening Narration: 

An old man and a hound-dog named Rip, off for an evening’s pleasure in quest of raccoon. Usually, these evenings end with one tired old man, one battle-scarred hound dog, and one or more extremely dead raccoons, but as you may suspect, that will not be the case tonight. These hunters won’t be coming home from the hill. They’re headed for the backwoods—of The Twilight Zone.

Summary

Hyder Simpson and his wife Rachel have been married for 50 years. They are simple country folk who live in a small cabin in the mountains. One evening after dinner, Hyder and his dog go off raccoon hunting. When the dog jumps into a fast moving stream Hyder jumps him to rescue him. He wakes up the next morning having apparently spent the night in the woods. When he gets home however, he and his dog are invisible to everyone around them, Rachel is dressed in black and it’s apparent that he’s died. Thus begins Hyder’s journey, one that presents him with choices.

Cannot find a video clip that doesn’t give the ending away. 

Rod Serling’s Closing Narration:

Travelers to unknown regions would be well advised to take along the family dog. He could just save you from entering the wrong gate. At least, it happened that way once—in a mountainous area of the Twilight Zone.

CAST

Rod Serling… Narrator / Self – Host (uncredited)
Arthur Hunnicutt…Hyder Simpson
Jeanette Nolan…Rachel Simpson
Titus Moede…Wesley Miller
Orville Sherman…Tillman Miller
Charles Seel…Reverend Wood
Robert Foulk…Gatekeeper
Dexter Dupont…Angel

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.

18 thoughts on “Twilight Zone – The Hunt”

  6. I really enjoyed the first part with the interaction between the couple. It was so well done. Completely makes sense that it was written by the sam guy that did the Walton’s.

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      1. Yeah we got our first dog about 9 months ago – a labradoodle named Louie. If he was in this episode he would have sniffed the hell out of the place (see what I did there 😀 lol) and moved on. We go for walks and sometimes bumps into things since he’s got his nose to the ground so much 😀

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      2. Great name Paul! lol…Louie sounds like a cool dog. I like Labradoodles.
        We got our 3rd Saint Bernard a year and a half ago named Martha…its like having a horse in your house…a lovable horse but one all the same. I’m not a snob with dogs but my mom would not let me have a pet in the house…so right before Jen and I got married…I picked the largest pet I could! I do love that breed.

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      3. Wow yeah that must be a riot having that big a dog around. My friend Mike has always had big dogs as well – Newfoundland- even as a puppy it’s like a bear cub mauling you. Yeah my parents were same way – my Mom didn’t like dogs. Still doesn’t although interestingly she adores Louie

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      4. Oh I love those dogs…thought about them or a Great Dane…but Danes have such a short life. That is cool that she is taking up with him.

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