★★★ Feburary 14, 1964 Season 5 Episode 20
If you want to see where we are…HERE is a list of the episodes.
This episode is a light Twilight Zone and it was appropriately released on Valentine’s Day. Wally Cox plays James Elwood a computer programmer in the early 60s. Wally Cox’s voice is distinctive. If you are a cartoon fan, he was the voice of Underdog. He was also Marlon Brando’s best friend throughout their lives. The computer he is programming is acting strange…that is because “Agnes” the computer is in love with James.
The problem with From Agnes With Love lies with the main character. James Elwood is enormously brilliant in his position but positively inept and naive in life. Sue Randall appears in this episode and she is probably best known as Miss Landers in Leave It To Beaver. All in all, it’s a fun episode but not as memorable as some of the other lighter episodes. As I’ve said before, the 5th season is not as consistent as the first 3. You do have some great episodes mixed in with good and a couple that are below the Twilight Zone’s high standards.
From IMDB Trivia: When Agnes opens the doors to communicate, there are a few phrases that apparently make no sense. AUT AMAT AUT ODIT FEMINA is Latin for “a woman either loves or hates”. Also T’MA ZHILI BYLI and V TUMANE are stories by Russian author Leonid Andreyev. They translate to “Once There Lived”, and “In the Fog”, both controversial stories about women’s sexuality.
While they are in Walter’s apartment he mentions he wanted to drive a “Mustang 500” sports car. This episode was broadcast on February 14, 1964. The 1964-1/2 Ford Mustang was first introduced to the public on April 17, 1964 at the New York World’s Fair, although there had been Mustang concept cars in 1962 and 1963. The Shelby GT500 Mustang was first produced for the 1967 model year.
The music heard early in the episode and in different variations throughout the episodes, is titled “The Cuckoo Song”. Also known as “Dance Of The Cuckoos”, it is perhaps best known as the theme music from the Laurel and Hardy comedy films of the early to mid 1900s.
This show was written by Rod Serling and Bernard C. Schoenfeld
Rod Serling’s Opening Narration:
James Elwood: master programmer. In charge of Mark 502-741, commonly known as Agnes, the world’s most advanced electronic computer. Machines are made by men for man’s benefit and progress, but when man ceases to control the products of his ingenuity and imagination he not only risks losing the benefit, but he takes a long and unpredictable step into… the Twilight Zone.
Summary
When their computer, known as Agnes, breaks down the company supervisor calls in a master programmer James Elwood to see if he can figure out what has gone wrong. He solves the problem quickly and soon finds himself in charge of the machine. Agnes and Elwood quickly develop a rapport and the machine takes to giving him advice about Millie, Jim’s co-worker who has finally agreed to go out on a date with. The date doesn’t go well and Agnes has more and more advice for him. It turns out that Agnes has her own agenda.
Rod Serling’s Closing Narration:
Advice to all future male scientists: be sure you understand the opposite sex, especially if you intend being a computer expert. Otherwise, you may find yourself like poor Elwood, defeated by a jealous machine, a most dangerous sort of female, whose victims are forever banished… to the Twilight Zone.
CAST
Rod Serling … Narrator (voice) (uncredited)
Wally Cox … James Elwood
Sue Randall … Millie
Raymond Bailey … Supervisor
Ralph Taeger … Walter Holmes
Don Keefer … Fred Danziger
Byron Kane … Assistant
Nan Peterson … Secretary
Underdog was my favorite cartoon.
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Mine also
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Seems to be a bit silly but entertaining!
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Badfinger,
I read my newspaper today and think perhaps this same computer is running and ruling our the world today.
Regards and goodwill blogging.
Ree
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I understand what you are saying!
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I wonder if Ford paid for product placement with the Mustang reference? If so it would make the show ahead of its time in yet another way! I liked Underdog- I remember what he looked like but not the episodes. I should look for some old episodes online.
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I have all of the Underdog cartoons… another gift from IT friends. His voice was so recognizable.
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I appreciate those tidbits about what appeared to be gibberish. I can believe Agnes would fall in love the nerd quicker than I’d believe Millie would. Not a very complimentary look at the female gender or the male gender either in this one. I think this episode is funnier than many of them. The running gag with him passing the gifts to the woman walking down the hall is good. I also like how the cycle repeats at the end. I liked Underdog also. Wally does have a distinctive voice.
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That Wally and Brando were so close still surprises me. Their ashes were mixed together after they died… they were tight.
It was funny and fit Valentine’s Day.
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WTH??? That is surprising! As close as I’ve been with friends, the thought never crossed my mind to mix my ashes with them!
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Yea… Marlon died last and he had some of Wally’s ashes… and requested it.
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James to Agnes;’Just gimmie the fax, ma’am.’
(Oops, wrong Friday night show.)
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Lol…I think of Die Hard when I see that phrase.
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LOL! Crazy, jealous female computer. That was a funny one.
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Lol… I probably should have given it a half more
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A half more of what?
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Oh from 3 to 3 1/2 stars.
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I didn’t see your star rating. Where is it? Help an old woman out…
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LOL at the top…on ALL of them!!! Wake up Vic! Love the Frog by the way
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Oh, dear god…I’m losing my ever-livin’ mind…
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Have you never seen them before?
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Your stars…or my marbles?
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Either one! Maybe you have mine… I lost mine many moons ago
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Honestly, I hadn’t noticed them. And, looking at them, now…they just look like a pretty lead-in to the episode date. I had no idea they were a rating system.
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I guess I should have made them larger
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Or printed…”I give it such & such amount of stars…”
Sorry to not really pay attention to them…☺
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Well I guess I forgive you lol….only 15 more to go….and a precursor to the show.
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LOL!
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Yea but now… we are winding down… hopefully enough people saw them
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I’m sure plenty did. I’m just brain dead.
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yea I know… lol…no I can see how you missed it. I just knew it…I didn’t think much of it.
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*sitting, drooling on self*
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