Previously on Joshuaonline: We've proven ourselves to be a in the grip of time as eight-years ago was when I wrote about the "It's Still a Good Life" which was the 2002 "Twilight Zone" episode that was a made as a sequel of "It's a Good Life" from the OG series. Also, it strangely is the only post on this site that is written in a different font, and I don't know why. You can read that here, if you'd like.
Now I'm writing about the original. This is also a very well known episode it's been parodied including "The Simpsons" and "Johnny Bravo" and it's also one without a big famous twist ending or something that I think would be hard to explain to a first time watcher. I will say if you are a first time watcher to "The Twilight Zone" watch this episode first before reading this post, it will be more fun to watch the episode then come in and read this, probably, I think. But I don't think this post really has a spoiler of the episode that ruins the experience of it before watching though.
This good episode, a wonderfully good episode is based off a short story as some episodes of the show were, with the same name written by Jerome Bixby. It was published in 1953 in Star Science Fiction Stories No.2. The short story is about 3-year-old Anthony Freemont, a good boy, a very good boy, with the very good powers. The story presents the idea of a 3-year-old boy and 3-year-olds are well 3, and then he was born with very powerful powers and the process of him connecting with that seems to go as well as one would expect. He's not presented as evil, but more 3-years-old with ultimate power. [It's a good read]
The episode does changes some changes, very good changes, the best changes. The teleplay version was written by Mr. Serling, himself. He did some changes like Anthony who was changed to six-years-old, played by a 7-year-old. He didn't go wild and change too much of it. He didn't use the part where Anthony forces a rat to eat itself, which I guess was very disturbing, they didn't want to try or couldn't do that effect in 1961, or CBS would have said no anyway because they would have been disturbing. (especially for the rat viewers) Somethings he was able to kind of fill in the gaps himself if they weren't described like the TV show Anthony makes. Like how Anthony looks so he was free to just find anyone and why not use Billy Mumy who appears in the "Twilight Zone" a few times, by few I mean three. Three very good times.
Serling also changed some aspects of the character where in the story, Anthony, again age 3, does most of his stuff in the sheer will of trying to help and slightly more playful in the same sense.
He apparently, and why would he not? it's a good story, a real good story, wanted to make it a feature film idea too, but didn't get the chance to do so.
This, because of course, is one my favorite episodes of the series too. Yeah, it's a popular episode, but it is because it's good, very well good. This episode is the eighth episode of season 3, which first aired on November 3, 1961 on CBS- a real fine network, the best network.
It's a special episode even Rod Serling says it is, he brought in a map of the United States and everything. (Rod it's 1961! Your map needs Alaska and Hawaii, they're states now!) There's a town called Peaksville. Ohio, that apparently has been cut off from the rest of the world (they don't know that the AFL and NFL will soon merge!) the town doesn't have cars, and electricity because a monster was displeased with them. He makes a fair point.
Now the weather, in your neck of the woods/ Copyright Paramount
There's Mr. Freemont who has a connection to the monster the monster lives in his house. Mrs. Freemont, and Aunt Amy. She was noticed for having the most control of the monster, but then she sung and monster doesn't like singing and Rod she's not smiling in this shot, why are you saying she's smiling?! (It's a good thing she can't sing a real good thing, think of how much the royalties would be!. Also this episode has Cloris Leachman playing Mrs. Freemont, so that's a very very good thing.
There's other people in the town who we don't care about their names, but they have to be happy and think good thoughts because otherwise the monster can get rid of them or turn them into grotesque things. (Reality TV stars?) He can read minds, so be careful. Then we can see the monster, move little boy I want to see the monster! Oh! the boy is the monster, what a twist!
The real monsters: children / Copyright Paramount
Atmosphere and tension this episode has a good assortment of both. There's a tension of seeing interactions with Anthony and how they walk on egg shells to make sure he doesn't snap at them. It starts with a guy named Bill delivering some supplies to the Freemont house. You see how he interacts in a way with the boy to make sure he knows that he's not thinking one negative thought in his head. (not even about how the Oakland A's are trying to leave Oakland) Aunt Amy says the day is terribly hot , but he cuts her off and says that it's a good day then makes sure the focus is on something else, by asking the boy what he's doing. The whole interaction works, Amy is a curious one because she was affected by Anthony already so her adding a negative thought is something that kind of throws in a what could happen to her? Also, that line will come to play later in the episode.
Also seeing Anthony making a gopher with three heads then telling it to "be dead" gives a great introduction to his character. I also like how the episode does off screen things, we don't see the disturbing creation, but the face Bill gives before still doing the it's good thing really gives it. Bill continues to say it's great and that we all love you is again showing how much length their fear goes. Then, Bill goes to Mrs. Freemont and here we get to find out how the town is doing being cut off from things. People have resorted to growing their own food, and there's a lack of things like bar soap. (Not even Ivory?) He's found some cans of tomato soup and really wants the boy's mom to let the boy know he brought it, like appeasing a god almost.
Oh no! You brought Campbell's He's Progresso! No!!/ Copyright Paramount
Anthony's mom lets out a thought that she kind of hoped a creature he invented that tried to bite him did bite him. Bill's reaction is like "I'm out of here". It's all great tension and setting up for the last act, and gives some interesting views of what's going on. Agnes, the mother, and Aunt Amy talk to each other and you can still see a split between them where Agnes worries about the woman and doesn't want her to slip up and think a bad thought, while she says he's not even around.
We see the dad and Anthony shows up in the door way. It's kind of interesting to see how he kind of senses his son stops and then says something. It's also kind of unsettling. I like that Anthony acts like a six-year-old boy, the idea of him being played where the character acts like a six-year-old boy while having a slight off-ness to him is great. He doesn't seem to be unnatural or the sense of overplayed creepy where the kid part is gone. Even matching in with the original story a little. It doesn't feel like he's evil and filled with intent to do evil. He made a three headed gopher just because why not? Making strange animals, turning pigs into monsters, there's a sense of what would a six-year-old boy do if he had tons of random powers?
Dinos are cool/ Copyright Paramount
It's also been brought up that it's television night. Apparently that's once a week. I kind of think it's funny because modern times, that this kid really didn't seem to like electricity's functions or have much television. If this was like 90's kid, he would have been more television loving, in theory. (It's a really good thing that he doesn't watch too much TV) The father and son interactions are also pretty depth , the father mentions some negative things but spins it in away that it's done lightly and with some positivity. Anthony wonders why kids didn't play with him and apparently a year ago (does Anthony wonder this all the time, and just forgets?) he was playing with two kids then sent them away to the cornfield. Their parents weren't very happy. (Not even getting free corn)
I miss Irish Spring/ Copyright Paramount Plus
I like the cornfield idea, it's really good, what's interesting is that a nebulous idea of what it is. Is it some sort of hell space , Anthony made up, is it a literally corn field themed purgatory? I like that it's not fully explained and not shown at all. The dog scene can be seen different ways again, the whole episode can be, but here we go. There's a dog barking and we find out that it's really good that he's made most of the dogs go away. He uses again 6-year-old logic of dogs don't like me so I don't like them and hates anyone that doesn't like him. It's a simple explanation and a fitting one. That's why he made a man go on fire. I do hope that having the dog be a collie is some guy really hated "Lassie" and did some in joke. Anyway, he put the dog in the cornfield.
Me when I remembered something I shouldn't have forgotten / Copyright Paramount
I also hope someone really just wanted to make stop motion dino footage or had some, because otherwise they didn't really need to show what was on the TV. (It was better than 90% of stuff on now) I do question the logic of these people also doing a surprise birthday party for a guy named Dan Hollis. Putting this in the area near the scary god kid is asking for trouble and they should all feel bad. Also getting the guy a Perry Como record at the party around the scary, but good, kid with the powers and doesn't like singing was also a choice that doesn't seem very smart and they should all feel bad. Dan also decides to ask if he can play the record but hope that he can stop it before the it gets to the words around the kid who made a three headed gopher, had a man be on fire, and removed dogs, was a choice and he should feel bad. Also giving a man an acholic beverage around the scary kid who can have him killed, was a choice and everyone should feel bad.
They were very stupid for coming to a party at the house with scary kid/ Copyright Paramount
Blessed Anthony likes instrumental music. It's good he likes that. (He'd be a fan of Sirius XM's escape channel, except when they play a song with words then they are in trouble) Going back to the tension, also the world's worst birthday party, Dan goes drinking. It's a bad idea a real bad idea, his wife tries to get him to stop. Then it starts to get worse, Dan realizes that there's only 5 bottles of Whisky on the wall, uh I mean left. (He really should slow down here then) I also like the the guy playing piano in a nervous tenseness, and everyone getting scared for ole Dan as he seems to become more unhinged. He breaks the glass of against the fire place. (He wanted to play Perry Como that badly) Then he wants to sing Happy Birthday (wait, that's illegal, or not ,hmm). I'm with Anthony that wasn't very good.
Dan gets mad that everyone is afraid of the child and he points at the Freemonts and gets mad they had the boy in the first place. Then he starts to sing "You are My Sunshine". Again, not very well. Anthony looks at him and starts to call him a monster and murderer and using this as a distraction and hopes that someone would take Anthony out , by that I mean kill him and end this thing. The reactions of the other people are interesting there are some reacting in sheer frozen horror, there's two people restraining Dan's wife to keep her from screaming and stuff, and Aunt Amy has gotten up and apparently thinking of doing Dan's offer, but then stops.
In my day we used to knock out children, that's why we had so many/ Copyright Paramount
Then Dan is turned into a jack-in-a box, or I should say Dan in a box heh. His father pleads to send Dan to the cornfield and Anthony agrees. The boy warns the guy's wife and then goes back to music. (The true moral is don't drinking) Then Aunt Amy starts to mention how she mentions she misses cities (even the City of Topeka?) real television (even the 1953 series, Meet Mr. McNutley?) I do wonder why these people don't wish for the sweet relief of death. Then Anthony apparently took concerns that it was too hot and decided to make it snow. Maybe a slight notation of the original story's sense that he really does want to help.
not the worst way to die/ Copyright Paramount
I like that this episode can be open to different interoperations for viewers and how it can be seen. I think that Anthony is an interesting in that he's not directly evil in the sense that he does things that are scary and bad on a planned stage it's more out of a sense of being wronged. Billy Mumy does a great job acting in this and this show was mostly good at having children actors play roles that fit well. There's a good reason he was used 3 times in the show. Here playing our monster, he does a good job of making Anthony still feel like a young boy naturally, and still kind of scary.
The adults all brought something here too. Dan goes and snaps and it makes sense , there's sense of the world that was set up through the episode there's a lack of soap and other things and running of supplies, they have to farm their own food, etc. he's stressed. When he yells at the others to kill the boy, they are frozen and yet maybe they morally feel that it would be wrong to kill him. It also works in how a bystanders do freeze and are unsure what to do, or trying to make sure no one else gets hurt. Maybe they think they'll get hurt if they try, that's why Aunt Amy put her hands down.
The whole episode brings in the tenseness and sense of dread well. I liked the interactions with Anthony and his dad there was something interesting about how he tries to still do normal father things but has to do things to make sure he doesn't draw Anthony's ire. He says some negative things but knows how to make sure it's not seen as negative and kind of wants Anthony to understand.
This episode is a favorite for me and many others and it's because it does a great job and memorable.
That was a very good episode, a swell episode, the best, that's it for now, tune in next time when Anthony writes a post, a good post.
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