Julie Harris 1925 - 2013

Julie Harris passed away this week. There have been many obituaries (such as this one in People) that listed her roles in movies, television and broadway. Most, if not all, of these obituaries omitted her role in KST's Robrioz Ring in 1964.

Studio press release for Julie Harris' role in 1964's Robrioz Ring

Clip of Julie Harris in Kraft Suspense Theatre's Robrioz Ring.

Julie Harris in Robrioz Ring

The Jack Is High; Kraft Suspense Theatre; Edd Byrnes; Ralph Senensky; Larry Storch; Pat O'Brien

Click here for the previous episode review.

Season #2, Episode #6

The Jack is High

Original air Date: November 19, 1964

Setting/Time:  The present - mainly on a highway between Nevada and Los Angeles.

Plot/Review/Discussion:

Five armed men stop and rob an armored car near Reno, Nevada and steal the $3,000,000 inside.  When the robbery is discovered they become the most wanted men in the region. They must elude the police, transport themselves and the cash to Los Angeles and melt into the city before the police find them. 

The main conflict of this story is, obviously, cops v. robbers.  The robbers put into place an ingenious plan to hide themselves in the belly of a gasoline tanker truck, into which a false inner tank has been inserted. The robbers will take turns driving and hiding in the inner tank (with the money) during the journey to Los Angeles. This plan is intended to fool police checkpoints that will inevitably appear on the highway as the police attempt to prevent the unknown robbers from escaping.

Other conflicts emerge between the robbers.  Some of the robbers are portrayed as decent (even refined) men who are simply down on their luck, while one of them is a more brutal thug and career criminal. The career criminal is impatient with the plan and the miscues that inevitably occur.  Threats and fistfights result as the truck stops at various points along the highway so the robbers can switch drivers or treat an ill member of their gang. (The highway obviously predates the limited access, modern interstate.)

The audience learns about the robbers only through the police investigation, as the police learn about their backgrounds and motivations for robbing the armored truck. The robbers talk about themselves only to reveal their bad luck and their hopes for a better life with the stolen money. All of the robbers have interesting, but sad, stories, except for the career criminal. The career criminal seems to be inserted mainly to add contrast to the other characters.

There are numerous points of suspense during the epsiode, as the robbers confront police checkpoints and barely escape suspicion a couple of times.  The writer and director build the suspense effectively, as the police investigation and the robbers' plan/journey reach critical points in the climax.

I will avoid plot spoilers, but the ending scene is quite memorable. The ending was simple, chilling, believable and avoided excessive cleverness and violence.  Many of those who saw this episode in 1964 still remember this scene decades later.

One of the best sources of information about this episode is the blog of director Ralph Senensky.  Senenksy's blog includes plot spoilers (even at the beginning of the post), so be careful if you have not seen this episode. Senensky's blog is here and here. Senensky includes a great deal of information, including the story of how a man died during filming of the opening scene. 

Senensky also writes of the general difficulties involved in filming outside, including obstacles to audio recording.  Senensky writes in detail of Universal's (and other studios') policy of inserting studio-recorded dialogue to compensate when background noise ruined a take. Senensky explains how he circumvented that policy to preserve quality.  The viewer does not always fully appreciate the effort involved in filming outdoors. Senensky's blog helps us to associate better quality films with actual outdoor shots instead of indoor shots with painted backgrounds.

William Wood wrote this episode.  This was the first of five episodes he wrote for KST.  Those episodes are somewhat diverse - often (but not always) involving action.  Wood often wrote crime stories, including one 1979 tv movie (Death Car on the Freeway) involving  highway suspense. 

The idea of gangsters hiding in the belly of a tanker truck was used (very differently) in the James Cagney 1949 movie White Heat. While I have no idea if White Heat inspired the tanker scenes in this episode, White Heat is known for having inspired many movies in different ways.

Cars

This episode featured many 1964 Ford Galaxies as police cars.  The following car appeared amidst the police Galaxies several times:

1964 Dodge 880?

It appears to be a 1964 Dodge 880.

The most prominent vehicle was the tanker truck, but I could not identify the make or year.

The highway featured a number of interesting cars. The clip below shows a 1962 - 1964 Buick Riviera (that traveled in the other direction a moment earlier) and a 1954 or 1955 Cadillac convertible.

A moment earlier, a 1959 Pontiac and a 1963 Pontiac passed in the opposite direction (if you blinked you would have missed them).

In this scene, the white car with its trunk open appears to be a 1956 Pontiac convertible.

It was obvious that the producers/directors of this (and every other KST) episode were not concerned with the historic/classic importance of the vehicles (for which I do not blame them, given their job in getting a show on the air). The vehicle shots were brief, included only a portion of each car and were often blocked by people or other cars. 

A show produced in 2013 and set 50 years in the past would overemphasize the vehicles and use only the most memorable models.  Such shows make for nice eye candy, but sacrifice authenticity.  The cars that appear in KST are much more meaningful because there was no obvious effort to display those cars. It is much more fun to see which cars turn up randomly in an episode where there was no intention to highlight those cars.  The viewer has the feeling that he is actually looking through a window into the past.

Actors

Ralph Senensky's blog also contains a great deal of information about the casting choices in this episode, including how those choices were made and what difficulties those choices presented.

Edd Byrnes played one of the robbers.  He was the "good guy" in the disputes with the career criminal.  The major role of his career (77 Sunset Strip) had just ended a year earlier.  Byrnes would remain active through the 1990's, including as host in the pilot of Wheel of Fortune and other series work.  Senensky provides interesting thoughts on the studio's choice to cast Byrnes.

Larry Storch played another robber.  He has enjoyed a near 60 year career as a comedian and impressionist, with his most famous role (on F Troop) beginning a year after filming "Jack is High."  Storch's comedic talents played a brief, but pivotal role in the plot.  Senensky's blog comments on the importance of his own avoidance of Universal's outdoor retake policy, especially as it related to Storch's performance.

In September 2008 (almost 44 years after this episode aired) Storch and Byrnes took part in a panel discussion at a Maryland nostalgia convention.  During questioning regarding their careers and different films they had made, both Storch and Byrnes denied ever having made a film or show together.

(Byrnes is in the middle (speaking) and Storch is on the left.)  KST received no mention during the discussion of these actors' lengthy careers. While they obviously forgot their (major) role in this episode, such forgetfulness is hard for the viewer to imagine. We watched their characters sit next to each other, interract, talk, argue and even fight.  This discussion indicates that a television episode can mean more to the audience after 4 decades than it does to the actors. 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Edd Byrnes (left) and Larry Storch (right) in Kraft Suspense Theatre in 1964

Edd Byrnes and Larry Storch - Kraft Suspense Theatre (1964)

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Larry Storch (left) Edd Byrnes (middle) in 2008 discussing everything but their only role together

Harry Bellaver played another of the robbers.  His film career lasted almost 50 years (interspersed with a long Broadway career).  He played Sitting Bull in Annie Get Your Gun (both on Broadway and on film). His longest television role was on The Naked City, which role ended about a year before this KST episode aired. Bellaver's role in this episode was pivotal, although no larger than the other robbers. His role was also sympathetic.

Pat O'Brien plays a police detective for the second time in KST, having played earlier in Threatening Eye. His career lasted more than 50 years. 

Henry Jones was the "brains" behind the robbery, playing the character known as "The Professor."  Jones was a constant presence in movies, television and Broadway for  years.  I recall him playing mostly smooth talking villains.  Jones' villains, by design, were not very menacing and were sometimes comical.  Jones' most famous roles were in Vertigo, Bad Seed and as a regular on Phyllis.  I remember him from the Six Million Dollar Man and Big Valley. 

Don Kennedy plays a policeman for the first of two times in KST, appearing later in episode 2.15.

William Boyett plays a policeman for the second time in KST, having appeared previously in episode 1.07.

Star Trek connections.

William Bramley played the career criminal in the second of his two KST episodes.  He would later play the lead policeman in Star Trek's "Bread and Circuses."  He often played authority figures (police, judges, military, etc.) during his 25 year career, including West Side Story, The Outer Limits, The Streets of San Francisco and Barnaby Jones.

This episode was the second of three KST episodes that Ralph Senensky directed. Senensky directed more than half a dozen Star Trek episodes, each of which Senensky writes of at his blog (along with many other series that he directed in his quarter century career). 

"Jack is High" was one of several television shows in which Bramley and Senensky teamed up, including KST's "A Hero for our Times," Star Trek's "Bread and Circuses," three episodes of The F.B.I. and one episode of Breaking Point.

The Kamchatka Incident; Kraft Suspense Theater; John Forsythe; Roger Perry; Leslie Parrish; Malachi Throne

Click here for the previous episode review.

Season #2, Episode #5

The Kamchatka Incident

Original Air Date:  November 12, 1964 

Setting/Time: The present (or some time in "the past few years") in Tokyo and the North Pacific Ocean.

Plot/Review/Discussion:

Major Livingston is the pilot of an American military transport that is scheduled to fly from Tokyo to the American West Coast during a typhoon. The flight is complicated by the presence of a flight attendant with whom he has had an affair and a Russian defector among the passengers.  Further complicating the flight are mechanical defects that become apparent after the transport plane is airborne.

The episode begins with a narrative voice-over:

For the past few years, a report has circulated in the Orient about certain events, which occurred while a typhoon named Hazel was spinning itself in the far reaches of the Pacific. The report was originally classified 'Confidential', but word has continued to spread, and more and more people have heard and passed on the story that has come to be known as The Kamchatka Incident.

There are many conflicts in this episode, the biggest of which plays out between the American flight crew and the Russian military plane that attempts to intercept them in midair when they stray into Russian air space.  As Major Livingston and his co-pilot ponder their options for dealing with the Russians just outside their cockpit window, they are informed of the Russian defector among the passengers. The defector will almost certainly be killed if the American plane is captured. This reality creates conflict between the flight crew and the defector's handler from the U.S. government (also a passenger), who demands that the crew refuse to surrender. 

The Russian conflict has pushed to the background the drama between Livinston and the flight attendant.  The two had previously suffered tense moments at the airport and during the early part of the flight when discussing the affair and its end.  
The typhoon provides the added conlfict of "man v. nature." Even though they are beyond the storm's reach, the storm has forced them to fly an unusual flight path, which path, coupled with the plane's mechanical troubles, led them into the outer reaches of Russian air space. 

The North Pacific, Japan and the Kamchatka Peninsula

Livingston and his co-pilot must decide whether to surrender or try to flee in their damaged plane, while considering the safety of all of their passengers, including the Russian defector. The resolution is primarily action based.  The romantic angle does not contribute to the resolution, although the resolution of the primary conflict helps resolve the romantic plot.

John Forsythe as Major Livingston

It is apparent from the conversation between Livingston and the attendant that the affair was an adulterous one, even though the writing subtly avoids making that point clear (as best I recall).

The Kamchatka Peninsula is controlled by Russia and has been on the front lines of military and political conflict over many decades, especially involving Russia and Japan.  Nineteen years after this episode aired, the Kamchatka Peninsula was near the location where Russian fighter planes shot down Korean Airlines flight 007 in September 1983.  This episode also predated Pueblo by four years and Mayaguez by 11 years. Instead of copying this episode from modern headlines, this episode predated those headlines.

In 1985, Robert KcKinney wrote a novel with the same name as this episode, based loosely on KAL 007 (with substantial changes).  The online descriptions of this book describe very different plots than this KST episode.  It is possible that McKinney had never even seen this episode.

I was pleased by the realism of this episode.  The writers did not complicate the plot with implausible twists and complicated mysteries, such as you might see in modern political thrillers.  The writers presented a basic story with the Russians as the "bad guys."  They did not see the need to create a new "bad guy" that the Americans and Russians would team up to defeat, such as the shadowy groups fighting James Bond or those that appear in such movies as Sum of All Fears.

The Russians in this KST episode appear only on the periphery of the action.  They are the largely unseen enemy that cannot be ignored.  The primary conflict appears more ominous that way as the flight crew and passengers engage in their own conflicts attempting to deal with the problem. 

This episode has much in common with the old western series, Wagon Train, in which traveling groups must contend with various dangers while traveling great distances in the western desert. Wagon Train featured characters with stories in their past that are explored and revealed over the course of the episode while the convoy deals with their primary danger and their isolation.  This type of story idea is well represented here.  (Episode 1.19 was also similar to Wagon Train, without being overly similar to this episode.)

Actors

John Forsythe played Major Livingston in the second of his two roles in KST.

Frank Maxwell played the Russian defector's American handler in the second of his three KST roles. 

Star Trek connection

Roger Perry played the co-pilot.  Two years later, he would play Captain Christopher on Star Trek's "Tomorrow is Yesterday."  Perry's career has spanned more than 50 years, with his most recent credit coming in 2010.  Perry starred in two series that lasted only one season.  He has played guest roles on many famous series, including Ironside, Barnaby Jones and Falcon Crest.

Leslie Parrish played the flight attendant with the not-completely-defined romantic link to Major Livingston.  She played Lt. Palamas in Star Trek's "Who Mourns for Adonais?"  Her careen spanned more than 20 years, beginning with uncredited roles in movies in the mid-1950's and continuing with guest roles on shows such as Perry Mason, Big Valley, Adam-12 and Police Story. 

Malachi Throne played the Russian defector in the third of his three KST appearances.  Little more than two weeks after this episode aired, Throne and the cast of Star Trek would begin filming the pilot episode ("The Cage") of that series.  A more detailed summary of his career appears for episode 1.07.  Throne died at age 85 on March 13, 2013.  Throne is the third actor from "The Cage" to appear in the second season, and one of eight different actors from "The Cage" to appear in KST over both seasons.

In one scene, where the defector came to the cockpit to confer with Major Livingston, the only people in the scene were the three Star Trek actors and John Forsythe.

One of the writers for this episode is Paul Schneider, who wrote episodes "The Squire of Gothos" and "Balance of Terror" from Star Trek, along with "The Terratin Incident" from Star Trek's animated series.

Cars.

The only vehicles in this episode were the American transport plane and the Russian fighter plane.  I do not know what type of airplanes the producers used.

Kraft Suspense Theatre; That He Should Weep For Her; Milton Berle; Carol Lawrence; Hamlet; Alejandro Rey

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. 

Milton Berle and Carol Lawrence 1964 publicity photo for this episode of Kraft Suspense Theatre

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. 

Kraft Suspense Theatre; A Lion Amongst Men; James Whitmore; Tommy Sands, Peter Duryea

Click here for the previous episode review.

Season #2, Episode #3

A Lion Amongst Men

Original Air Date: October 22, 1964

Setting/Time: A small rural/mountain/western town (Cedar Bay) in the present (in late October).

Plot/Review/Discussion -

James Whitmore plays "the Major," a Korean War veteran that emphasizes preparedness and physical fitness in his daily living. He and his army friends have built a training center at their mountain cabin retreat. The Major believes that the rest of society, particularly the young people in high school, have gone soft. The conflict is established early, as the Major confronts some smart-alec students who show no respect to the Major and his friends.

The writer faced some difficulty in creating a balanced conflict among the characters. Ordinarily, smart-alec teenagers do not make for sympathetic characters - especially when they confront or oppose military veterans. So the writers gave the Major some unpopular traits. He disliked ethnic students. He used sneaky methods. He spoke in favor of "real Americans" and against "their kind." The Major was Archie Bunker nearly a decade before All in the Family. These traits balanced the negatives of the teenagers.

The Major's animus toward ethnic students and use of non-PC buzzwords served no purpose in the plot, as it played no role in the final confrontation. That character trait existed just so that the writers could present a political view.

The local teenagers, led by the high school quarterback named Riccio, go on a rampage of vandalism on Halloween eve. Their last stop is the Major's house. The teens' vandalism included cherry bombs. The noise from the cherry bombs sent the Major into an episode of post traumatic stress disorder. He began suffering flashbacks to the Korean War.

The Major captured Riccio and took him prisoner in the house while the other teenagers escaped. The Major began berating Riccio for various aspects of unAmericanism, while slowly slipping into a delusion that both of them were fighting in Korea a decade earlier.

The Major then began blaming his former superiors for orders that resulted in the death of the Major's soldiers in a particular Korean War battle. The Major took Riccio to the mountain retreat where his breakdown became complete. He eventually began firing his gun into the night air while Riccio tried to run away. This confrontation took place while the other teens and the sheriff raced to the retreat to rescue Riccio.

The main point of the story appears to focus on post traumatic stress. The Major's confrontation with Riccio brings that issue to the forefront, while the prejudice issue appears to serve no purpose. The "generation gap" also looms in the background, but is overshadowed by the other issues.  At the end, Riccio gains a new appreciation for the Major and what he endured in the war.  The episode was a learning experience for both characters, but the political issues got in the way.

The story could have been much more effective and dramatic had the writers not injected the political and PC elements into the story. In 1964, Americans were not yet tired of seeing fictional bad guys made obvious with dialogue that referred to "real Americans" while criticizing "their kind." The Archie Bunkers of television were still considered controversial and had not yet become mere parodies of themselves. Today, Americans have grown weary of the "race card." It has become too easy for a writer to place a "racist" label on a character by having him insult someone's ethnicity. For this reason, this episode has not aged well.

Just as importantly, both the war on terror and recent economic troubles in the U.S. and Europe have created a new emphasis on preparedness. The Major does not seem as out of place today as he would have been in 1964. As I watched this episode, I had to remind myself from the beginning that the Major would soon emerge as the bad guy.  The Major's emphasis on preparedness probably caused the 1964 audience to peg him as the bad guy much sooner. 

The Sheriff doubled also as the high school football coach. But he did not provide sports updates or serve as an art critic.

Cars

The Sheriff drove a 1964 Ford Galaxie. There also appeared to be a 1964 Dodge or Plymouth, which was somewhat common for this and other shows of that era. The high school kids drove a 1957 Dodge convertible.

Actors

James Whitmore played the Major. This was his second appearance on KST. His acting career spanned almost 60 years and featured such TV shows as Twilight Zone, Big Valley, KST spinoff Run For Your Life and The Virginian. He played a prominent role in 1970's Tora! Tora! Tora!

Tommy Sands played Riccio. Sands was, at the time, Frank Sinatra's son-in-law. He made guest appearances on such shows as United States Steel Hour, Wagon Train and Hawaii Five-0. He enjoyed a successful music career as a teen idol in the 1950's, singing in an episode of Kraft Theatre in 1957.

Star Trek connection

Peter Duryea played Palchek - one of Riccio's teenage friends. Little more than one month after this episode aired, Duryea began filming his role in Star Trek's first pilot episode - "The Cage." Duryea is one of many actors from that particular episode to be featured in KST.

Kraft Suspense Theatre; Museum TV; Once Upon a Savage Night

Commenter Nick Hall of the Zoom Boom has alerted us to the availability of Once Upon a Savage Night (# 1.21) on Museum.tv.

Museum TV features four episodes of KST. There appears to be an intention for more episodes to appear in the future. You will have to look at the archive/search page to see what I mean.

The episodes appear in black and white (or possibly very faded color) for reasons that I do not know. The black and white appearance gives the episodes an air of more advanced age than the other episodes.

The episodes use the original Kraft Suspense Theatre title instead of the syndicated "Crisis" title that appears today on RTV and was used in the 1970's. The episodes appear with the original Kraft food commercials.

The episodes are even downloadable using RealPlayer or a similar program.

I have already fully reviewed three of the four episodes that appear at Museum.tv. I provided only a speculative review of Once Upon a Savage Night because I had never seen it before. I will update that review shortly.

Museum TV features many other programs, including news and documentaries, that aired in past decades. There seems to be an emphasis on Chicago based programming.

Kraft Suspense Theatre; Operation Greif; Robert Goulet; Claude Akins; Claudine Longet

Click here for the previous episode review.

Season #2, Episode #2

Operation Greif
Original Air Date: October 8, 1964. This episode, whether by design or otherwise, aired a little over two months before the 20th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge.

Setting/Time: Western Europe, World War II, 1944/1945. This is the third episode that took place during World War II.

Plot/Review/Discussion -

"Operation Greif" appears, on its surface, to be a war story. In fact, the real story is deeper. This episode is more of a mystery story than a war story. The writer, Jerome Ross, had numerous writing credits to his name - many of which were for crime/mystery shows while none that I know of were military in nature.

The story is based loosely on the Battle of the Bulge, which took place in Western Europe as the allies were preparing their final push toward Germany and victory in the European war. The setting for the episode is the German attack, although we hear few references to the actual battle. The viewer hears nothing about "Bastogne," "Nuts" or other familiar words from that famous battle. The episode appears to take place in warm weather under clear skies, while the actual battle took place in heavy snow and cloud cover.

The story is not about the larger battle, but about five soldiers traveling together in a Jeep while the battle rages around them. Stock war footage is inserted at various transition points. The soldiers discover that the Germans have sent spies to infiltrate the American forces and disrupt allied operations. The soldiers begin to suspect each other (with some justification).

At this point, the episode is not merely about the action or even the mystery. The show is about the choices that the soldiers must make. Sergeant Henning has picked up the other four soldiers (in his Jeep) during the chaos of the battle at random locations as he rides to rejoin his unit with needed blood. None of them know each other. Each of them, especially the Sergeant in command, must make decisions as to whether to trust the other men in the Jeep. They face this decision repeatedly as they confront snipers, repair the Jeep and mingle with local farm residents.

At this point I will be vague as I try to avoid plot spoilers. The main characters are written and acted very well. Upon seeing this episode for the second and third times, I noticed that the characters are introduced to the story seemlessly in a way that the veiwer cannot fully appreciate until the end. One can almost recreate the writer's thought process as he works backwards from the basic story line to the details that establish the main conflict.

The plot was similar in some ways to the Twilight Zone episode, "The Monsters are Due on Maple Street." The KST episode was superior because it did not contain a hidden political message.

"Operation Greif" featured a tight plot while developing strong, entertaining characters with which the audience could identify. The plot advanced briskly toward a realistic conclusion.

Actors

Robert Goulet plays the pivotal role of Private Brubaker. Goulet was fresh from his success in Broadway's Camelot, whose 2+ year run had ended a year earlier (and which would be briefly revived with Goulet in 1993). Goulet would later win a Tony for The Happy Time in 1968. Goulet also enjoyed television and movie acting credits spanning nearly fifty years. He was married for 18 years to Carol Lawrence, who starred in one episode of KST during Season #2.

Claude Akins was perfect for the role of the gruff sargeant stereotype. Even though he was playing a stereotype, the role and character worked. His short commands and inquiries got to the point, advanced the plot and made the viewer believe that the story was real. Akins avoided the pitfall of overdoing the role with exaggerated gestures and mannerisms, as many of the more modern stereotype sargeant roles tend to do. His acting career spanned 40 years, including an uncredited role in 1953's From Here to Eternity, a part in 1959's Rio Bravo and many roles as military men, policemen, sheriffs and western gunfighters. He landed guest roles on such shows as Bonanza, Wagon Train, Dragnet, Big Valley, Guns of Will Sonnett, The Lucy Show and many, many others. He starred in two series of his own in the 1970's and early 1980's - Movin' On and Lobo. It is mildly ironic that in 1960, Akins played one of the leading roles on Twilight Zone's "Monsters are Due on Maple Street."

Claudine Longet played the teenage/20+ farm girl. She was known for numerous guest roles in the 1960's and 1970's. She was married for a time to Andy Williams. In 1976, she shot and killed her olympic skier boyfriend. Following a sensational trial, she served a 30 day jail term. That event now overshadows her entire career.

Peter Helm played the soldier muted by battle fatigue. He had previously starred in Season #1's "Are There Any More Out There Like You?"

Linden Chiles played Private Buttel. He continues to act today after more than 50 years in show business. I recall his guest role in the Time Tunnel when he played the main character's father at Pearl Harbor.

Don Dubbins played Corporal Shale. He acted for nearly 40 years, including an uncredited role in From Here to Eternity, guest roles in Big Valley, The Guns of Will Sonnett, Dynasty, KST spinoff Run for Your Life and other shows.

At least five of the actors in this episode appeared in more than one program/movie that took place during World War II. This fact helps show how influential that War was on film fiction for at least the following twenty years - influence that has waned following the 1960's. How many actors today can claim more than one World War II based credit?

Cars - The only vehicles in this episode were military vehicles such as the Jeep that carried the five soldiers and stock footage of tank battles inserted briefly at transition points in the story.

Kraft Suspense Theatre; The World I Want; Leonard Nimoy; Sal Mineo

Click here for the previous episode review.

Season #2, Episode #1

The World I Want

Original Air Date - October 1, 1964

Setting/Time - A modern city in the present.

Plot/Review/Discussion -

This episode is somewhat melancholy and sweet at the same time.

The main conflict in this episode is between an elderly cabinet maker and his wife. The man suspects that his wife is planning to kill him. He wants to disinherit her and leave his money to his orphaned niece. The conflict between the man and his wife escalates as the wife begins to suspect the husband's plans.

The title refers to the state of mind of the niece and the underlying conflict in the story. The niece has befriended a deaf and mute cousin that lives with the family. The growing conflict between her aunt and uncle upset her to the point that she would rather retreat into her fantasy world in which both she and the cousin are safe and happy and the conflict does not exist.

The niece takes on a larger role in the episode as the story goes on, as her fantasy world clashes directly with the aunt/uncle conflict when she and the cousin are forced into a final violent confrontation.

I am being vague as I wish to avoid plot spoilers and I have not seen this episode in well over a year. If RTV broadcasts this episode again, I will look for specific examples of scenes supporting the niece's longing for the "world" that she wants. As I recall, her desire for a different world is expressed both through her conversations with the cousin and her unhappiness with the growing strife in the household.

The underlying conflict in this story is the secret desire of the niece for her "world" versus the harsh reality in which she lives. Despite her desire for this world, the niece is not a child. I recall her being in her late teens or early 20's (as is the cousin). The outcome of the violent struggle helps determine the outcome of the niece's own desire for her world.

The idea of a separate "world" apart from the conflict of the aunt and uncle is reinforced by the living arrangements of the cousin. He lives below deck in a boat on the property of the aunt/uncle. The niece is never so happy as when she is visiting the cousin in his cramped quarters.

Halsted Welles received writing credits for this episode. His television writing credits span nearly thirty years, including four episodes of KST. His other KST episodes seemed to have the melancholy undertones that characterized this episode, although the plots were in no way similar.

Cars - I cannot remember the vehicles used in this episode, as most of it took place in and around the home. There were a few street scenes, so I am sure that cars played some role in the background. I will provide an update if RTV reruns this episode.

Actors

Albert Dekker played the uncle. He performed mainly character roles for over thirty years in movies and television, including Bonanza, Mission Impossible, Rawhide and KST spinoff Run For Your Life. He acted in 1955's East of Eden with future KST star Julie Harris and 1954's The Silver Chalice with KST actor Ian Wolfe. He had previously served as a Democrat state representative for the Hollywood district. He died in 1968 from what the coroner labeled autoerotic asphyxiation.

Jo Van Fleet played the aunt. She acted for over 35 years, including three episodes of Kraft Theatre in the 1950's and guest roles on shows such as Hitchcock, Route 66, Bonanza and Police Woman. In 1955, she acted in East of Eden with Albert Dekker.

Sal Mineo played the cousin. Mineo was 25 years old at the time. He was in a transition phase of his career. He was too old to play teen idol types and had begun playing darker characters.

Patricia Hyland played the niece. Her career appears to have been brief.

Star Trek connection -

Leonard Nimoy played the attorney that helped the uncle with his will. There were other Star Trek actors that played bigger roles on many KST episodes, but there was no KST guest star that was ever as high up on the Star Trek totem pole as Nimoy in this (and one later) episode.

Kraft Suspense Theatre; Season #1

I have now completed my reviews of each of the first season episodes. (Click here to see each of these reviews or consult the "Episode List" on the left side of this page.) Before beginning Season #2, I want to review some of what I have learned from reviewing Season #1. The posting format has developed over the course of the past few months in a way that would benefit from summary and explanation. So here is my section-by-section summary/explanation of what I have written from Season #1.

Title: I use the the title of each post as Google fly-paper. Each "title" is composed of a series of names, words and phrases with little apparent coherence. But it is the title that attracts Google traffic. Google users are not searching for clever phrases or sentences. Google searches look for keywords. I try to pick the most likely searched words and dump them into the title. If you peruse the "Site Meter" data, you will see that this approach works to a certain degree. You can see what the visitors typed into Google that landed them into a particular post.

The opening link: Each post begins with a link to the previous episode review. The most important feature of a blog is the ability of the viewer to move quickly from one post to another. This or any blog contains ongoing references to overlapping information. The more quickly a reader can move to another post, the more likely he is to obtain all of the available information. Readers that find their way to this blog (via Google) because of the information in one post should be able to look around and get to other posts without delay. The closing link for the next review at (or soon to be at) the bottom serves the same purpose. These links supplement the "Episode List" for that purpose.

Episode Number: I occasionally place additional commentary here to help place the episode in context. (Example here)

Episode Title: I place the title of each episode in boldface and larger letters so the reader will know at a glance which episode is at issue. This is especially important since the post title is full of miscellaneous phrases.

Original Air Date: This component often merits additional commentary that focuses on speculation regarding the original schedule, news events from the time in question or other contextual matters (example here and here).

Setting/Time: Most of the episodes take place in the present. There are a few examples from World War II or other situations (example here), many of which are presented through flashbacks (example here).

Plot/Review/Discussion: Obviously, this is the most important part of each review. I try to convey with each review my appreciation for the realism of each plot. I have stated repeatedly how the best plots feature the characters facing a choice instead of simply bed hopping or performing surgery or facing danger. A Hero for our Times (1.04) is a good example of one such plot.
Episode #1.05 is another good example. Episodes 1.25, 1.26 and 1.27 are also good episodes to watch the characters face difficult choices.

Some episodes involve variations on the "facing a choice" theme - such as where the choice is made at the beginning and the character(s) must live with the consequences. (1.06, 1.14, 1.16).

Other episodes with political agendas have plots that are more muddy (1.15, 1.28). Some episodes have mixed political/legal messages that now seem out of date and that make the plot somewhat implausible (1.07, 1.23).

Some episodes are more crime or action oriented with an element of mystery (1.11, 1.13, 1.18, 1.20, 1.22). These episodes vary in quality, with the best of them forcing the main character to struggle with some choice or come to terms with choices in his or her past.

My reviews seem vague because I try to be less specific as the episode goes on so as to avoid plot spoilers. I try to set up the characters and the conflict in a way that avoids any hint at the resolution. I also try to avoid spoiling the opening teasers, as the action in the KST openings sometimes contains a twist that is worth seeing without knowing what to expect.

In some cases, I try to identify the author of the story and explain how the story fits into the author's other work.

Sometimes the story also is based on Biblical, Shakespearean or other references (that are hinted at in the episode title). In the review I try to identify these references and how those references add meaning to the story.

I try to do more than simply establish the basic storyline and invite the reader to "find out" what happens by watching the episode. Much of today's advertising for television programs uses the "find out" approach to attract viewers. Even many of the summaries that appear online describe television and film in this way. This approach assumes that people watch television solely for the purpose of finding out what happens instead of enjoying the story as a whole. The resolution becomes the whole reason to watch the program. The flaw in this approach becomes apparent once the viewer has seen the program. The story is now over. The viewer knows how it ends. The viewer retains no interest in the story or in watching the episode again unless the story itself presented an interesting conflict. In the most enduring programs, it is just as interesting to watch the characters struggle for the conclusion as the conclusion itself. These programs achieve lasting success and are watched in syndication for decades. Viewers watch the same episodes again and again even though they know the outcome. They are not watching simply to "find out" what happens.

My goal is to provide enough context that the reader will want to see the episode for reasons other than the simple desire to "find out" what happened. I believe that the viewer will want to explore the issues created by the conflict and will enjoy seeing the issues play out. I believe that KST possesses the enduring qualities that would create the type of loyal following that would cause viewers to want to see these episodes more than once despite being aware of how the episode ended.

Cars: This portion of the review is often the most fun. I am not an expert on vehicles of the 1950's and 1960's, but I can get a good idea of what I am seeing on the screen. Once I have a rough idea of the year and make of the car, I can narrow it down by searching Google images. Even then, I am sometimes guessing as to the year. If KST had been broadcast 25 or so years later, distinguishing among the various years would be impossible.

Before I began this blog, I was under the impression that the 1963 Mercury Monterey made more appearances than it actually made throughout the series. After paying attention to the extent necessary to write these reviews, it seems that that model makes only a few appearances (although more than most cars of that era and as many as any other model). The 1960 Mercury Monterey is almost as prominent, as is the 1964 Ford Galaxie, various Lincolns and various years of the Ford Thunderbird.

The best season # 1 episodes for cars are 1.04, 1.06, 1.19 and 1.27, (with honorable mention to 1.05, 1.11 and 1.28.) These choices are based on the best variety of cars and the best use of those cars during the episode.

Each discussion of cars begins with a link back to the original "cars" post so that a reader can learn the context of my "cars" discussion.

Actors: Kraft Suspense Theatre has been relatively unknown compared to other shows of its (or any) era. Syndication has been rare until the recent RTV era. I think this relative obscurity is unjustified given the stories and the actors in each episode. As I have tried to make clear in my reviews, each episode featured well-known actors who remain recognizable today. I try to point out the famous actors that appear in each episode.

KST remains a lesser known work in the careers of many actors that would later find fame in movies or television. KST also featured actors that were legendary at the time, thus revealing that KST was somewhat more important during its first run than its later obscurity would indicate.

KST also featured many character actors that made a career from guest appearances in famous television programs of the past six decades. Despite KST's obscurity, these appearances help place KST on a par with those other series.

The same is true of directors that later became famous for major movies or other TV series.

By pointing out these connections, I hope to raise KST's status from that of an obscure television show not popular enough for its own DVD release to that of a classic series from television's golden age.

Star Trek connections: I have written about this feature here. I have several reasons for making the comparison between these shows.

1. To promote KST: Star Trek enjoys a very loyal following. Star Trek fans know the Star Trek actors (including the guest stars). Even the guest stars are popular speakers at the Star Trek conventions. Broader knowledge of the large role that Star Trek actors played in KST would undoubtedly attract Star Trek fans to KST.


2. To promote Star Trek: Star Trek is already popular and will continue to do very well even without my contribution, but its popularity has its limitations. Star Trek is viewed as the territory of science fiction fans and middle-aged "kids" that never grew up. By showing the connection between Star Trek and a respectable, non-kid oriented show from the same era, I hope to transfer some of that respectability to Star Trek.

I am primarily a Star Trek fan. There are already too many sites devoted to Star Trek. I have very little to say about Star Trek that has not already been said or written. Discussing KST allows me to write about an underappreciated, quality show while pursuing an unexplored connection to Star Trek.

Lessons - I began including a list of "lessons" of particular episodes only when the plot is weak, when there is an agenda or when the story involves some implausible or bizarre scenario. Eventually, I began including lessons whenever I saw an opportunity for a joke. Episodes that include a list of lessons are 1.15, 1.22, 1.23, 1.25 and 1.28.

Labels - The labels at the bottom serve a specific blog related function. I include in the "label" section only those terms or names that will appear in other posts on this blog. This usage will allow the reader to click on that term and find other posts that use the same term. I will not include the most prominent name in each episode if that name does not appear in other episodes or other posts - even if I have written extensively about that name in that particular post. In this way, the labels allow the reader to move easily from post to post in search of information about a particular topic.

Anne Francis, RIP; Kraft Suspense Theatre; The Machine that Played God; Forbidden Planet

It was reported yesterday that Anne Francis died on January 2 at the age of 80. She starred in Episode # 1.07 - The Machine that Played God. That episode was an indictment of the use of lie detectors in criminal investigations.

Ms. Francis constituted one of the many connections between KST and The Forbidden Planet. (The others include Leslie Nielsen, Jack Kelly, Richard Anderson, Warren Stevens and William Boyett.)

The Washington Post obituary (as well as Ms. Francis' Wikipedia entry) mentioned many of her roles, but did not mention her starring role in KST (much like many sources of information about famous performers who starred in KST).

Francis was the second KST/Forbidden Planet star to pass away in little more than a month, as Leslie Nielsen died on November 28th.

Anne Francis and Robby the Robot from a publicity photo for The Forbidden Planet - H/T insai.net

Kraft Suspense Theatre; A Cruel and Unusual Night; Ronald Reagan; Scott Marlowe; Anne Helm; death penalty debate

Click here to see the previous episode review.

Season #1, Episode #28 - (this episode would be the final episode for season #1)

A Cruel and Unusual Night
Original Air Date - June 4, 1964 (It is almost unheard of today for prime time television programs to air new episodes as late as June).

Setting/Time - A modern city, an abandoned restaurant in the country and the inside of a penitentiary (via flashback).

Plot/Review/Discussion -

For those of us too young to remember Ronald Reagan as an actor, but old enough to remember him as President, this episode has a certain appeal. We enjoy seeing the man we knew as President Reagan confront a killer as the episode builds to a climax.

While Ronald Reagan's involvement is definitely a plus for the episode, it does not make up for a weak and politicized plot. Criminal laws and prosecutions had been under attack for years in the United States at the time this episode aired. The attack on the death penalty was part of this movement. This movement would culminate in the Supreme Court banning the death penalty in a controversial 1972 decision. (That decision would be modified in 1976, as the Court would again allow the death penalty under certain circumstances.)

This episode would reflect that movement, as it would become the second KST episode to make an issue of the death penalty. While the previous episode would skirt the issue (while providing bizarre theories on hitting and killing women), this episode would take on the issue directly. This directness became evident when the main portion of the story was introduced by an argument between Reagan's character and a convicted murderer over the validity of the death penalty.

Ronald Reagan plays a judge who is kidnapped by a former death row inmate/escapee played by Scott Marlowe. Marlowe holds Reagan in an abandoned restaurant outside of town in an effort to recreate for Reagan the feelings that death row creates for the inmates. Marlowe plans an "execution" for Reagan the next morning, while recreating as much as possible the circumstances of a state sponsored execution.

The escapee was bitter over having been sentenced to death by Reagan for a murder. This episode's agenda became apparent as the two men argued during the night. Marlowe compared himself to a victim of the holocaust and Reagan to a Nazi. The dispute would have been more realistic had the writers not held back the best of the pro-death penalty arguments. In particular, when Marlowe likened his own sentence to the holocaust, the obvious response would be to question Marlowe's comparison. The holocaust victims were law abiding citizens who were not being punished for any actual crime. They were not murderers. While Reagan's character was permitted to oppose the comparison of himself to the Nazis, the writers would not permit Reagan's character to speak out against Marlowe's self-elevation to holocaust victim status.

Following the kidnapping and the argument, Marlowe describes his time on death row. Much of the episode is then consumed by a long flashback of Marlowe awaiting execution some time in the recent past. Marlowe recounts many of his death row conversations with the warden, a preacher and the guards. All of them tell Marlowe how "sorry" they are that he will soon be killed. At least I recall Marlowe saying that he is tired of hearing everyone say how sorry they are (I sympathize with him on this point. I, myself, was tired of hearing about their sorrow by this point in the program also). Marlowe remained indignant about his predicament to the very end.

As Marlowe's own execution approaches in the flashback, we see him eat his last meal. Strangely, the meal includes staple side dishes that one normally eats solely for their nutritional value instead of their taste. It seems strange that Marlowe would be concerned with nutrition instead of simply trying to enjoy one or more main dishes. I will definitely do things differently if I ever reach death row.

Marlowe, after additional indignant banter, is then lead into a chamber and strapped into a chair. The guards leave the chamber and seal the door/vault. We see white bags lowered into a liquid by some automated process. We hear a hissing/sizzling sound as a chemical reaction between the bags and the liquid releases gas into the air. Marlowe begins to suffocate/choke. But he is spared when the warden receives the proverbial last minute reprieve via telephone as the gas takes effect and the guards scramble to rescue him. This entire scene is powerful solely because of the details. The viewer sees and hears the execution through the eyes and ears of the prisoner inside the chamber. The director and writers took their time with this scene and let it develop in painstaking detail.

Marlowe wakes up later in the infirmary and learns that the reprieve was only temporary. He screams in terror at the thought of going back to the chamber.

The flashback ends shortly thereafter. We learn at some point that Marlowe's sentence was ultimately commuted to life in prison, but he escaped anyway so he could find Reagan and show him the horror of death row. The conflict in this episode then comes down to a question of whether Reagan will crack under the pressure of the pending execution - which is what Marlowe appears to want.

We never find out exactly what Marlowe's motive was in kidnapping Reagan. The story makes sense only in the context of a larger campaign against the death penalty. Because we are watching what is largely a political message, the conflict becomes watered down and the story becomes less realistic. The message is less likely to resonate with the viewer - not simply because the death penalty is a remote subject to most people, but because the characters are driven by a desire to make a point instead of making real choices in their lives. The characters thus appear to be disposable for the sake of the agenda.

Agenda driven episodes also do not stand up well after time passes. The message of this episode seems almost quaint in light of the anti-crime backlash of the past three decades. It is difficult to understand fully this episode without context.

Miscellaneous

This episode's title is not to be confused with "Once Upon a Savage Night" (episode # 1.21). As I wrote for episode #1.21, this is another pairing of KST episodes with confusingly similar names (with both titles sounding like they were written by Snoopy). I am sure the similarity is purely coincidental, as the title is a reference to the Eighth Amendment's prohibition against "cruel and unusual" punishment.

Actors

As noted, Ronald Reagan played the judge. This episode marked one of his final acting roles before entering politics. Reagan would make headlines later that summer for political speeches on behalf of Barry Goldwater's presidential campaign. Two years later, Reagan would be elected governor of California. This episode aired the same year as The Killers, in which Reagan acted with KST guest stars Lee Marvin and Clu Gulager.

Scott Marlowe appears in the second of his two KST roles, having played in "My Enemy, This Town," earlier in 1964.

Anne Helm played the wife of Marlowe's character. She acted for thirty years, appearing on most of the big-name television programs of her era, including Big Valley, Hitchcock, KST spinoff Run for Your Life, Perry Mason and many others.

Cars

Ronald Reagan drove a light blue 1960 Mercury Monterey, in which he was kidnapped. This episode marked the third appearance of that vehicle (probably the same vehicle in each episode). The previous appearance of this vehicle occurred in the previous death penalty episode. This appearance was somewhat unique, in that the viewer can see exterior shots of the vehicle speed through the streets as part of the action. This model had a distinctive appearance even for cars of its era. Today's museum or car show experience does not equal the sight of a classic car such as this one actually in motion.

I found it interesting when Reagan's car phone played a role in the episode and two of the actors appeared to be momentarily flustered by the novelty of such an item.

The stock footage of the city street rolling behind Reagan as he drives is also very telling. We all know that studios use stock footage of traffic behind drivers as they sit behind a steering wheel in the studio. But in this case, the stock footage was obviously more than a decade old. The cars in the stock footage dated from the late 1940's. The difference between a late 1940's car and the cars of the early 1960's was very large. Today, producers could easily use stock traffic footage from 10 or 15 (or more) years ago without such use being obvious.

This obversation is telling not so much with regard to the production of this episode, but with regard to the state of the automobile industry over the past few decades. Because cars of our generation have become so uniform looking, not only is it impossible to date film by looking at vehicles, but films have lost one interesting aspect. No one in the future will look back on television of 2010 with the goal of commenting on the cars.

Lessons I learned from "A Cruel and Unusual Night."

• When you are executed, everyone involved will be very sorry.
• Even though you are about to be executed, you should make sure that your last meal is well-balanced and nutritious.
• If you were ever on death row, even if you killed someone, you are just like a Holocaust victim.

Leslie Nielsen, RIP; Kraft Suspense Theatre; One Step Down; Green Felt Jungle

Leslie Nielsen passed away on November 28th.

He starred in two Kraft Suspense Theatre episodes - One Step Down (# 1.06) and The Green Felt Jungle (# 2.20).

The online eulogies discuss many of his roles over the decades, including The Forbidden Planet, but I have seen none that mention KST. (Click here to see the connection between Forbidden Planet and KST.)

For today's writers to ignore KST in this way is consistent with my post almost six months ago, in which I identified numerous KST actors whose biographies ignore KST while focusing on less consequential roles on Star Trek. Click here for more discussion of KST's relative obscurity.

Nielsen achieved tremendous fame in his career. It is my hope that fame of the type that Nielsen and other KST actors achieved will eventually shine a brighter spotlight on KST.

Kraft Suspense Theatre; The Robrioz Ring; Robert Loggia; Julie Harris

Click here for the previous episode review.

Season #1, Episode # 27

The Robrioz Ring

Original Air Date - May 28, 1964

Setting/Time - A beach town near San Diego in the present.

Plot/Review/Discussion

Having seen this episode more than once, it is apparent that it takes more than one viewing to appreciate all of the plot layers in this story. Two individuals come together in a west coast beach town, each with their own story, their own history and their own problems. Their stories are brought together almost seamlessly by an ancient ring in ways that will be hard for the viewer to predict.

(Do not be put off by my reference to an "ancient ring." Even though this reference might cause a modern audience to think of magic, sorcery and wizards, nothing of the sort plays a role in this episode. The ring just happens to be the object at the center of the conflict.)

Mario Robrioz is a cliche'd playboy who does not work and lets women support him. He is descended from long lost Spanish royalty that settled the region centuries ago. His most prized possession is an old ring passed down through many generations from son to son. The ring is his tie to the past. His past gives him the pride that allows him to refuse work and live with a royal attitude. Upon returning from a trip, he discovers that his mother has pawned the ring. Enraged, he spends the episode trying to get it back.

Lucy Bram is a spinster school teacher from Philadelphia vacationing on the west coast with two friends. She happens to buy the ring at the pawn shop just as Mario arrives.

Lucy's role is somewhat confusing at first. While Julie Harris is very attractive, she is called upon to play Hollywood's version of a less attractive female. Despite her obvious attractiveness, the role is that of a spinster. So the story uses various devices to convince the viewer that she is the least attractive of her group (clothing, shyness, more outgoing friends, etc.). (Hollywood would never actually cast an unattractive woman as a romantic lead.) This characterization is important because, as the spinster, she is the right woman in the right place to turn Mario's task into a romantic nightmare.

Mario uses romance as a ruse to get close to the women over the next few days. He fixes their flat tire, acts as tour guide, etc. Mario's plan works only too well - Lucy falls for Mario, but Mario also falls for Lucy. That is the point where the proverbial hijinks begin. Lucy will not admit to her friends that she is in love with Mario. When their friends catch them together, she must pretend that Mario's advances are unwanted - thus enraging Mario.

Lucy has two reasons for pretending that there is no affair:

• The pair really have nothing in common. She is not going to throw away her schoolteacher/ spinster life to settle down with a somewhat crude playboy that does not work for a living.


• Lucy is afraid that no one would believe that a man would be interested in her. She is taking the easy way out instead of trying to convince her friends of a scandalous truth.
  

Lucy suffers pain and embarrassment - pain at having to give up Mario and embarrassment for having been with him in the first place. These emotions are explored sympathetically (but are not beaten to death). Lucy is trapped by her past and by who she is. [Mario would later summarize their differences by saying (in one of his calmer moments), "We are who we are." ] But while Lucy is trapped by her past, Mario is predictably enraged by it - even to the point of forgetting (for the moment) his goal of recovering the ring. Mario is angered not at rejection (for he is not really rejected) but at being hidden. Mario is angry because Lucy is embarrassed.

This point is where the conflict is most pronounced. Through a series of encounters with Mario (and as her friends console her) we see Lucy suffer from her own internal conflict about what to do. She also is forced to deal with Mario's anger. At this point, neither Lucy's nor Mario's behavior is exemplary (this is the point where I became vague so as to avoid plot spoilers).

The conflict is presented subtly (despite Mario's outbursts). A first-time viewer might mistake the drama as an abusive suitor vs. a reluctant woman. But upon reflection and consideration of all of the dialogue it becomes obvious that the relationship is very complicated. Just as Lucy is struggling with new and confusing experiences, Mario is coming to grips with his own life. We see him slowly realize that this affair is about more than just the ring and more than merely his relationship with this woman. He, too, has been trapped by his past.

As with prior episodes, I appreciate this episode much more by comparing it to the Hitchcock episodes of that era. Had this story aired on Hitchcock, the ring would have possessed some magical power that would have dominated the plot and resolved the climax. Instead, the characters' own decisions dominated the plot, while the ring slowly got pushed to the background. Rather than take the easy way out by resolving the plot with magic or spirits, the story forced the characters to face their own identities and their own pasts. What the story lacked in cleverness, it made up for in thoughtfulness.

The music score for this episode is unique among KST episode, unlike many of the scores that were repeated in at least three or four episodes.

This episode featured numerous beach scenes, including shots of naval ships near San Diego. The outdoor scenery made the episode more realistic.

Actors

Robert Loggia played Mario. He has been a fixture in movies and television for more than 50 years, including guest appearances on Hitchcock and Big Valley, starring roles on short lived TV series and films now in post-production. This episode was Loggia's first of two KST appearances.

Julie Harris plays Lucy. She has been active for more than sixty years. She starred with James Dean in East of Eden in 1955. She was a regular on Knots Landing in the 1980's. She was honored at Kennedy Center in 2005.

Julie Adams played one of Lucy's traveling companions. This was the first of her two KST episodes. She has acted for roughly sixty years and remains active in lesser roles today. She was featured in recurring roles in The Jimmy Stewart Show, Perry Mason, Murder She Wrote and others (plus numerous one-time guest roles).

Virginia Gregg played the other travelling companion whose wisdom and experience helped Lucy during and after her encounters with Mario. Her voice was a fixture on radio for many years. She received repeat guest roles on shows such as Gunsmoke, Dragnet, Hitchcock, Twilight Zone and others. One of her now most noted roles was uncredited at the time, when she played the voice of Norman Bates' mother in Psycho (and both sequels).

Cars

"Robrioz Ring" was a good episode for observing classic cars. The traveling ladies drove a light blue, convertible 1964 Ford Galaxie, which model was usually reserved for police cars in shows of that era. Numerous other cars appeared on the street during driving or walking scenes, including a 1960 Chevy, a Corvair, a 1959 Cadillac, an early 1960's Volkswagen Beetle, a Thunderbird and a 1961 or 1962 Buick Skylark (and others). The viewer can also see the same 1963 Chrysler as a background vehicle in numerous scenes. This collection of cars would today make for a popular car show. But in TV of the 1960's, they were merely background that you would miss if you blinked.

The Watchman; Kraft Suspense Theatre; Telly Savalas; Jack Warden; Spanish Civil War; Sydney Pollack; David Rayfiel; Ezekiel

Click here for the previous episode review.

Season #1, Episode #26

The Watchman

Original Air Date - May 14, 1964

Setting/Time - The present in New York City and Spain - plus flashbacks to mid/late-1930's Spain and late 1930's New York City.

Plot/Review/Discussion

"The Watchman" is the story of a writer/journalist and his uneasy relationship with a gangster/warlord over nearly three decades.

The conflict in this story is more subtle than in most fiction. The main conflict exists throughout the story between the writer and the warlord - although that conflict always lurks just beneath the surface.

Jack Warden plays the writer who meets a warlord/revolutionary (Telly Savalas) during the Spanish Civil War. Warden is alternately indignant toward Savalas and enabling of Savalas during the coming years. We watch Savalas execute prisoners and petty criminals without trial (and other warlord type activity) in the mountains of Spain. Savalas ends up in New York after the war and becomes involved in organized crime. Warden helps him by covering up for Savalas' crimes. The episode is careful to depict Warden as reluctant and indignant even while helping Savalas.

Most of the story is told through flashbacks as Warden discusses this history with his analyst in present day New York. Savalas has long ago been deported back to Spain. Warden discusses this matter with his analyst now because Savalas has summoned Warden to Spain for an unknown reason. Warden is once again reluctant and indignant.

The story becomes complicated when Warden reveals that he has held romantic feelings for Savalas' wife since Savalas' days in New York City. These feelings, while generally unspoken, have been known both to Warden and the wife for years. The viewer follows the story as Warden flies to Spain to confront his old benefactor/nemesis. The conflicts and complications come to the surface through a series of conversations/confrontations leading to the climax.

The flashback method of telling the story works in this episode. The story begins in modern New York with the "summons" upon Jack Warden. From there, the mystery behind the summons emerges gradually through Warden's flashbacks as he tells the history to his analyst.

The Spanish Civil War remained a favorite subject of writers (fiction and otherwise) for decades. Few subjects were so romanticized. That war has since been replaced as a favorite topic by Vietnam.

I believe the title comes from Ezekiel 33:6. That Bible passage establishes that a "Watchman" shall blow the trumpet as a warning when danger threatens the Israelites. If the Watchman fails to blow the trumpet, he shall be responsible for any deaths that follow. In this episode, Warden's character is torn and disturbed by his own belief that he has been compromised by his friendship with Savalas over the years. The viewer can judge for himself whether Warden is held accountable for failing to blow the trumpet.

The portion of the storyline relating to Savalas' wife tends to confuse the "Watchman/Ezekiel" theme. Warden never acts on his romantic interest, but that storyline is the only part of the plot that involves consequences. (Pardon my vagueness, but I am trying to avoid plot spoilers).

Miscellaneous

This episode marked an early instance of collaboration between director Sydney Pollack and writer David Rayfiel, which collaboration lead to a string of successful movies over the next three decades, including The Way We Were (1973), Three Days of the Condor (1975), The Firm (1993)("screenplay" credit for Rayfiel) and Sabrina (1995). Even though this future collaboration would tend to make this episode somewhat of an historical artifact for movie fans, this episodes lingers in obscurity.

Quote of the episode:

Warden: You've outgrown the truth.
Savalas: It changes.
Warden: No, only what we see and tell of it.

Cars

A Rolls Royce was used at one point toward the end of the episode. Aside from this scene, cars played a minor role in this episode.

Actors

Jack Warden played the title role. He enjoyed a 50 year career in many TV and movie roles, including a small role in From Here to Eternity (1953), parts in two Twilight Zone episodes and numerous additional roles. Always a well-known character actor, he achieved lasting success in 1979-1980 with major supporting roles in three hit movies - Being There, And Justice for All and Used Cars.

Telly Savalas played the mobster/revolutionary. He previously starred in "Action of the Tiger" (episode #1.16).

Victoria Shaw plays Savalas' wife. Her 25 year career saw numerous roles in well-known television programs and movies. She was married for a time to Roger Smith, star of "Knight's Gambit" (episode #1.20).

Star Trek Connection

This episode's Star Trek connection is Arthur Batanides, who played D'Amato on "That Which Survives." He acted for nearly forty years, with repeat guest appearances on shows such as Gomer Pyle, Wild Wild West and Mission: Impossible. Batanides played a police detective in this episode.