Click here for the previous episode review.
Season #2, Episode #4
That He Should Weep for Her
Original Air Date: November 6, 1964 (unlike previous and subsequent episodes, this episode appears to have aired on a Friday instead of Thursday).
Setting/Time: A small California town near the Mexican border in the present.
Plot/Review/Discussion -
This episode is fairly typical of many KST episodes. It features one or more major stars, takes place in a small town and focuses more on resolution of personal conflict than action or adventure.
Milton Berle plays a middle aged jeweler (Sam Morris) who is fair (but firm) with his customers. One night his store is robbed by two masked men from the Hispanic part of town. Morris' assistant tries to fight the robbers while Morris pleads, "Give him the money!" Morris retrieves a gun and, in a near panic, shoots to protect his assistant. He ends up killing the younger of the two robbers. The other robber escapes.
The major conflict revolves not around finding the robber. The audience knows who it is (even though the other characters do not). The conflict occurs between Morris and the dead robber's sister (Marta). Morris is plagued by guilt for the death of the robber, while Marta is angry and bitter at Morris for shooting her brother. Morris spends much of the episode trying to express his remorse to Marta, while Marta tries to punish Morris with her anger.
They begin to talk and see each other more often while continuing the fight over what happened. (I am simplifying the description to avoid plot spoilers.) Gradually Marta's anger subsides and she and Morris become close. In addition to the tragic circumstances of how they met, Morris wrestles with the age difference between the two.
The Morris-Marta relationship is more plausible than I am making it sound. It takes a great deal of subtlety to depict a relationship the way the writers depicted this relationship over the course of one show. Modern shows would not be content with showing a mere relationship such as the one that evolved between Morris and Marta. Modern writers would feel compelled to add intrigue, mystery and implausible complications. In doing so, they water down the main story and the fictional relationship suffers. There was a time when one simple story was enough for one episode. Such a story, if subtle and deep enough, would be thought provoking and satisfying to the viewer. But when too much is added, the whole product becomes superficial. Sometimes, less is more.
Marta's friend Juano is the surviving robber (unknown to Marta). He was older than Marta's brother and was supposed to look out for the brother while Marta was living out of town. Juano cannot tell Marta the truth. He remains quiet while Marta rages about the unknown man that led her brother to join the robbery. Juano becomes angry as Morris and Marta grow closer together.
The plot proceeds to the final conflict as Morris and Marta work out their situation while Juano interferes and acts as the catalyst for the story's resolution.
The writer is Irv Pearlberg, whose writing credits include episode 1.25 and many police and law stories. Even though the background for this story involves a crime, the main focus is on the relationship between Marta and Morris. The crime is only a tool to get to the real story. The same was true of episode 1.25.
The title comes from Hamlet, and it contains the implicit question that the episode tries to answer. What is Marta to Morris that he should be sympathetic to her situation and her grief? Morris spends most of the episode asking that question. The ultimate answer and the plot resolution is credible.
Cars
At one point, the viewer can spot a 1964 Dodge on the street. I am not sure of the make, because the Dodge is difficult to distinguish from the 1964 Plymouth. Juano drives a 1955 Ford. (This follows one of the lessons from 1.15). Morris drives what looks like a 1961 Ford Galaxie.
Actors
Milton Berle played Morris. It is unusual to see him in a dramatic role, but he had more than a few of those in his career.
Carol Lawrence played Marta. She had recently achieved stardom on Broadway in West Side Story. At the time this episode aired, she was married to KST actor Robert Goulet. Her acting/broadway career continues at this time. Her acting credits include multiple roles on KST spinoff Run For Your Life.
Alejandro Rey played Juano. His most famous role was as a regular on The Flying Nun in the late 1960's.
Berkeley Harris played a friend of Juano whose interference advanced the plot to its resolution. This episode was his third appearance on KST.
Norman Leavitt played a farmer buying jewelry at Morris' store. Leavitt's transaction established Morris' fairness as a businessman. Leavitt was playing in the second of his three KST episodes.
Showing posts with label Shakespeare. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shakespeare. Show all posts
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Milton Berle and Carol Lawrence 1964 publicity photo for this episode of Kraft Suspense Theatre
Sunday, September 12, 2010
The Threatening Eye; Kraft Suspense Theatre; Jack Klugman; Annie Farge; Phyllis Thaxter; Ida Lupino; Coleen Gray
Click here for the previous episode review.
Season #1, Episode #18
The Threatening Eye
Original Air Date - March 12, 1964
Setting/Time - Present day California [update April 13, 2013 - in March in a medium sized town.]
Plot/Review/Discussion -
I saw this episode once over a year ago (which means that RTV should be getting ready to re-run it again, but only after another 5 airings of "My Enemy, This Town"). I don't remember much of the detail, but I recall the basic plot.
"The Threatening Eye" was generally unique among KST episodes because the main plot involved a mystery. A middle aged man was pursued romantically by an attractive young woman. The reasons for this pursuit were unclear. We watch as the young woman does her best to wreck the man's marriage. Eventually, the young woman resorts to illegal means to pursue her goal. (Pardon my vagueness, but I am trying to avoid plot spoilers.) We share the man's puzzlement as he tries to explain/understand the woman's attraction to him and her anger at his rejection of her advances.
The plot thus combines both the pursuit (by various means) and the mystery. The underlying reason is not revealed until the very end. I recall the reason, but I do not recall that reason even being foreshadowed during the episode. In fact, the viewer might not even realize that a mystery exists until the answer to the mystery is revealed.
Much of the plot focuses on subtle manipulation and deception. The actual resolution of the mystery (and the lack of foreshadowing of such resolution) is less important than the subtle drama that takes us to that resolution. Of course, the plot and the young woman's tactics become less subtle as the story unfolds.
This snippet (midway through the episode) summarizes the mystery that the audience and Klugman's character struggle with until the final scene.
The title comes from Shakespeare's "King John." Shakespeare's quote reads, "When Fortune means to men most good, She looks upon them with a threatening eye." -King John, Act iii. Sc. 4. This reference might be the closest the episode comes to foreshadowing the explanation to the mystery. [Update - April 27, 2013 - This is the second of at least three episodes with a Shakespearean quote in the title.]
The episode was written by Howard Browne, who was well known for crime, mystery and action writing, including 1967's St. Valentine's Day Massacre, numerous television episodes, two later episodes of KST and his work editing a science fiction journal in 1952.
[Update - April 27, 2013 - There is an interesting line early in the episode that is a subtle reference to work-related sexual harrassment. Dabney Coleman's character, in describing the sexual harrassment of a female employee, tells Farge's character, "It seems that her boss figures a secretary should perform two functions - one of which is to be a secretary."]
Actors -
Jack Klugman plays the middle age businessman. He is most famous for his starring roles in The Odd Couple and Quincy M.E. in the 1970's and 1980's. Klugman has been visible in recent years for his appearances on numerous syndicated Twilight Zone reruns from the early 1960's. "Threatening Eye" was the first of his two KST episodes. Klugman remained active for more than 50 years.
Annie Farge played the pursuing secretary. Farge had played the title role in the sitcom Angel in the early 1960's. I could find no reference to her, either at IMDB.com or elsewhere, that post-dated 1964, even though she was young at that time. She appeared on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson less than a month after this KST episode aired. Her final known acting role occurred in the fall of 1964 on Perry Mason. [Update - April 27, 2013 - Wikipedia reports that Farge returned to France in the mid-1960's and died six months after I posted the initial version of this review.]
Phyllis Thaxter plays the victimized wife. She enjoyed a 50 + year career in theatre, tv and movies. Her first movie was Thirty Seconds over Tokyo in 1944. In 1948, she starred with future KST actor Robert Ryan in Act of Violence. She acted in her share of Hitchcock episodes and one Twilight Zone episode. By the late 1970's she would play Clark Kent's mother in Superman. She often played similar roles to that of the wife in this KST episode - the patient and overshadowed victim of the more flambouyant villains. Her ex-husband, James Aubrey, was, at one time, the President of CBS-TV.
Pat O'Brian played the first of his two roles as a policeman on KST. Dabney Coleman made the first of his two KST appearances in this episode. [Update - April 27, 2013 - Coleman played a private detective early in the episode.]
Ida Lupino directed this episode. She had starred in Season 1's "One Step Down."
[Update - April 27, 2013 - Coleen Gray played another employee of Jack Klugman's company, whose friendship with Klugman played a pivotal role at various points in the show. Her career spanned 40 + years, including recurring guest roles on such shows as Perry Mason, McCloud and Ironside, as well as a guest appearance on KST spinoff Run For Your Life. For many years, she was active in Chuck Colson's Prison Fellowship.]
Cars - I cannot recall the cars used in this episode. I recall only that they played an important role at one point in the plot and that interesting models were used.
[Update - April 27, 2013 - Jack Klugman drove a light blue 1964 Ford Galaxie (one of two 1964 Galaxies that appeared in this episode). The stalking secretary drove a 1961 Ford Galaxie.
Phyllis Thaxter's character drove a 1954 Ford - probably a "Crestline."
A snippet of one Galaxie following another (with a third Galaxie passing by).
Season #1, Episode #18
The Threatening Eye
Original Air Date - March 12, 1964
Setting/Time - Present day California [update April 13, 2013 - in March in a medium sized town.]
Plot/Review/Discussion -
I saw this episode once over a year ago (which means that RTV should be getting ready to re-run it again, but only after another 5 airings of "My Enemy, This Town"). I don't remember much of the detail, but I recall the basic plot.
"The Threatening Eye" was generally unique among KST episodes because the main plot involved a mystery. A middle aged man was pursued romantically by an attractive young woman. The reasons for this pursuit were unclear. We watch as the young woman does her best to wreck the man's marriage. Eventually, the young woman resorts to illegal means to pursue her goal. (Pardon my vagueness, but I am trying to avoid plot spoilers.) We share the man's puzzlement as he tries to explain/understand the woman's attraction to him and her anger at his rejection of her advances.
The plot thus combines both the pursuit (by various means) and the mystery. The underlying reason is not revealed until the very end. I recall the reason, but I do not recall that reason even being foreshadowed during the episode. In fact, the viewer might not even realize that a mystery exists until the answer to the mystery is revealed.
Much of the plot focuses on subtle manipulation and deception. The actual resolution of the mystery (and the lack of foreshadowing of such resolution) is less important than the subtle drama that takes us to that resolution. Of course, the plot and the young woman's tactics become less subtle as the story unfolds.
This snippet (midway through the episode) summarizes the mystery that the audience and Klugman's character struggle with until the final scene.
The title comes from Shakespeare's "King John." Shakespeare's quote reads, "When Fortune means to men most good, She looks upon them with a threatening eye." -King John, Act iii. Sc. 4. This reference might be the closest the episode comes to foreshadowing the explanation to the mystery. [Update - April 27, 2013 - This is the second of at least three episodes with a Shakespearean quote in the title.]
The episode was written by Howard Browne, who was well known for crime, mystery and action writing, including 1967's St. Valentine's Day Massacre, numerous television episodes, two later episodes of KST and his work editing a science fiction journal in 1952.
[Update - April 27, 2013 - There is an interesting line early in the episode that is a subtle reference to work-related sexual harrassment. Dabney Coleman's character, in describing the sexual harrassment of a female employee, tells Farge's character, "It seems that her boss figures a secretary should perform two functions - one of which is to be a secretary."]
Actors -
Jack Klugman plays the middle age businessman. He is most famous for his starring roles in The Odd Couple and Quincy M.E. in the 1970's and 1980's. Klugman has been visible in recent years for his appearances on numerous syndicated Twilight Zone reruns from the early 1960's. "Threatening Eye" was the first of his two KST episodes. Klugman remained active for more than 50 years.
Annie Farge played the pursuing secretary. Farge had played the title role in the sitcom Angel in the early 1960's. I could find no reference to her, either at IMDB.com or elsewhere, that post-dated 1964, even though she was young at that time. She appeared on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson less than a month after this KST episode aired. Her final known acting role occurred in the fall of 1964 on Perry Mason. [Update - April 27, 2013 - Wikipedia reports that Farge returned to France in the mid-1960's and died six months after I posted the initial version of this review.]
Phyllis Thaxter plays the victimized wife. She enjoyed a 50 + year career in theatre, tv and movies. Her first movie was Thirty Seconds over Tokyo in 1944. In 1948, she starred with future KST actor Robert Ryan in Act of Violence. She acted in her share of Hitchcock episodes and one Twilight Zone episode. By the late 1970's she would play Clark Kent's mother in Superman. She often played similar roles to that of the wife in this KST episode - the patient and overshadowed victim of the more flambouyant villains. Her ex-husband, James Aubrey, was, at one time, the President of CBS-TV.
Pat O'Brian played the first of his two roles as a policeman on KST. Dabney Coleman made the first of his two KST appearances in this episode. [Update - April 27, 2013 - Coleman played a private detective early in the episode.]
Ida Lupino directed this episode. She had starred in Season 1's "One Step Down."
[Update - April 27, 2013 - Coleen Gray played another employee of Jack Klugman's company, whose friendship with Klugman played a pivotal role at various points in the show. Her career spanned 40 + years, including recurring guest roles on such shows as Perry Mason, McCloud and Ironside, as well as a guest appearance on KST spinoff Run For Your Life. For many years, she was active in Chuck Colson's Prison Fellowship.]
Cars - I cannot recall the cars used in this episode. I recall only that they played an important role at one point in the plot and that interesting models were used.
[Update - April 27, 2013 - Jack Klugman drove a light blue 1964 Ford Galaxie (one of two 1964 Galaxies that appeared in this episode). The stalking secretary drove a 1961 Ford Galaxie.
Phyllis Thaxter's character drove a 1954 Ford - probably a "Crestline."
A snippet of one Galaxie following another (with a third Galaxie passing by).
1954 Ford Crestline
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Kraft Suspense Theatre; Action of the Tiger; Telly Savalas; Peter Brown; Ulla Jacobsson; Paul Comi; King Henry V
Click here for the previous episode review.
Season #1, Episode #16
The Action of the Tiger
Original Air Date - February 20, 1964
Setting/Time - World War II in Europe, both occupied and allied territory. This is the second KST episode set in World War II.
Plot/Review/Discussion
An American bomber copilot is sent back into action over Europe shortly after being shot down. You see stock footage of air battles interspersed well with film of the main character in his cockpit. The battle scene seemed realistic to me (given that I have no experience in such things).
The main character is shot down again and becomes a German POW. Once in his POW camp, he is recruited (because he can speak French) by fellow prisoners in an escape attempt that is designed to provide vital information to the allies. The majority of the plot involves the pilot making his way across occupied Europe to the point where he can meet a boat to take him back to England. Most of the suspense results from his attempts to elude German authorities at a train station, on the train and in a nearby town.
He does not know who he can trust. He must stay in character and remember details of his invented life to avoid suspicion. Most of all, he must not show fear. The story managed to incorporate each of those elements into the story, as he was forced to interact with other passengers, railroad employees and security personnel along the way.
He confides to another traveler that every choice he has ever made was, in fact, made by someone else. From his choice of college and fraternity to his military career to this very mission, he has always let others make his choices for him. This exposition adds some depth to his character, but the plot might have been better had this factor played a larger role instead of being a matter simply for that particular discussion.
This episode is discussed in more detail at the Peter Brown website. That site contains many plot spoilers so do not go there if you hope to see this episode for the first time. That site summarizes the episode as follows:
I agree with that characterization. The pictures below are from that website.
The easy comparison with "Action of the Tiger" is Hogan's Heroes. While Hogan was only a "comedy," the comparison remains valid. "Action" shows how bad Hogan's Heroes was and how good it could have been. Just because a show is labelled a "comedy," does not mean it has to abandon plot and believability.
The title is part of a Shakespearean quote from King Henry V. The full quote appears onscreen at the end.
Miscellaneous
This is the first of two KST episodes to contain the word "Tiger" in the title - both of which starred Peter Brown. Numerous KST episodes can be paired together by virtue of their confusingly similar titles.
Actors
Peter Brown plays the American flyer and lead character. This was the first of his two KST episodes. His 50 + year career continues in 2010. He has played regular and guest roles on numerous television programs throughout that time. I recall him from an episode of the Bob Newhart Show in the 1970's. He played a regular role on Laredo in the mid-1960's.
Peter Brown as the copilot in the opening battle scene
Telly Savalas played a fellow passenger that befriends, helps and advises Brown's character. His most famous role, of course, came in the long running detective show Kojak in the 1970's. This was the first of his two KST episodes.
Telly Savalas advising Peter Brown's character
Ulla Jacobsson played a passenger that befriended Brown's character on the train while providing cause for him to fear exposure and capture. Jacobsson was a Swedish actress most famous for movie roles in the 1950's and 1960's.
Ulla Jacobsson tries to learn more about Peter Brown's cover story.
Cars - There were no vehicles except for the aircraft in the air battle and military vehicles on the ground. I do not remember what type of airplane they were supposed to be flying.
Star Trek Connection -
This episode's Star Trek connection is Paul Comi, who played one of the POWs who helped hatch the escape plot. Comi is probably most well-known for playing Lt. Stiles in Star Trek's "Balance of Terror."
He guested in other series where he was part of a multiple-Star Trek guest cast. He previously played in The Twilight Zone episode "People Are Alike All Over" (with KST's Roddy McDowell) in an episode that featured three other Star Trek actors (including future KST actor Bryon Morrow) and that was rumored to have been the inspiration for Star Trek's original pilot. I remember him also for his role in a Time Tunnel episode that featured two other guest stars from Star Trek (along with the 2 series regulars that also guested on Star Trek). [As complicated as all of that sounds, I do not want to explain further for fear of turning this site into a Twilight Zone/Star Trek/Time Tunnel site.]
Season #1, Episode #16
The Action of the Tiger
Original Air Date - February 20, 1964
Setting/Time - World War II in Europe, both occupied and allied territory. This is the second KST episode set in World War II.
Plot/Review/Discussion
An American bomber copilot is sent back into action over Europe shortly after being shot down. You see stock footage of air battles interspersed well with film of the main character in his cockpit. The battle scene seemed realistic to me (given that I have no experience in such things).
The main character is shot down again and becomes a German POW. Once in his POW camp, he is recruited (because he can speak French) by fellow prisoners in an escape attempt that is designed to provide vital information to the allies. The majority of the plot involves the pilot making his way across occupied Europe to the point where he can meet a boat to take him back to England. Most of the suspense results from his attempts to elude German authorities at a train station, on the train and in a nearby town.
He does not know who he can trust. He must stay in character and remember details of his invented life to avoid suspicion. Most of all, he must not show fear. The story managed to incorporate each of those elements into the story, as he was forced to interact with other passengers, railroad employees and security personnel along the way.
He confides to another traveler that every choice he has ever made was, in fact, made by someone else. From his choice of college and fraternity to his military career to this very mission, he has always let others make his choices for him. This exposition adds some depth to his character, but the plot might have been better had this factor played a larger role instead of being a matter simply for that particular discussion.
This episode is discussed in more detail at the Peter Brown website. That site contains many plot spoilers so do not go there if you hope to see this episode for the first time. That site summarizes the episode as follows:
A good war drama even for those who don't like the war genre -- no blood, some newsreel footage of air battles, mostly a psychological study of a man finding his courage.
I agree with that characterization. The pictures below are from that website.
The easy comparison with "Action of the Tiger" is Hogan's Heroes. While Hogan was only a "comedy," the comparison remains valid. "Action" shows how bad Hogan's Heroes was and how good it could have been. Just because a show is labelled a "comedy," does not mean it has to abandon plot and believability.
The title is part of a Shakespearean quote from King Henry V. The full quote appears onscreen at the end.
Miscellaneous
This is the first of two KST episodes to contain the word "Tiger" in the title - both of which starred Peter Brown. Numerous KST episodes can be paired together by virtue of their confusingly similar titles.
Actors
Peter Brown plays the American flyer and lead character. This was the first of his two KST episodes. His 50 + year career continues in 2010. He has played regular and guest roles on numerous television programs throughout that time. I recall him from an episode of the Bob Newhart Show in the 1970's. He played a regular role on Laredo in the mid-1960's.
Peter Brown as the copilot in the opening battle sceneTelly Savalas played a fellow passenger that befriends, helps and advises Brown's character. His most famous role, of course, came in the long running detective show Kojak in the 1970's. This was the first of his two KST episodes.
Telly Savalas advising Peter Brown's characterUlla Jacobsson played a passenger that befriended Brown's character on the train while providing cause for him to fear exposure and capture. Jacobsson was a Swedish actress most famous for movie roles in the 1950's and 1960's.
Ulla Jacobsson tries to learn more about Peter Brown's cover story.Cars - There were no vehicles except for the aircraft in the air battle and military vehicles on the ground. I do not remember what type of airplane they were supposed to be flying.
Star Trek Connection -
This episode's Star Trek connection is Paul Comi, who played one of the POWs who helped hatch the escape plot. Comi is probably most well-known for playing Lt. Stiles in Star Trek's "Balance of Terror."
He guested in other series where he was part of a multiple-Star Trek guest cast. He previously played in The Twilight Zone episode "People Are Alike All Over" (with KST's Roddy McDowell) in an episode that featured three other Star Trek actors (including future KST actor Bryon Morrow) and that was rumored to have been the inspiration for Star Trek's original pilot. I remember him also for his role in a Time Tunnel episode that featured two other guest stars from Star Trek (along with the 2 series regulars that also guested on Star Trek). [As complicated as all of that sounds, I do not want to explain further for fear of turning this site into a Twilight Zone/Star Trek/Time Tunnel site.]
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