Bert Granet Movies

This eerie Twilight Zone entry was scripted by Richard Matheson from his own short story "Long Distance Call." In her third appearance on the series, Gladys Cooper plays elderly, embittered spinster Elva Keene. Already nervous and high-strung, Elva becomes even more so when she begins receiving mysterious, cryptic telephone calls in the dead of night. Could this be the work of pranksters, or is Wanda being besieged by the ghost of her long-dead fiancée Brian? Originally scheduled for broadcast on November 22, 1963, "Night Call" was moved to February 7, 1964 as a result of the JFK assassination coverage. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

On the eve of Mardi Gras in New Orleans, dying millionaire Jason Foster (Robert Keith) summons his greedy relatives to his mansion. In a faint but firm voice, Foster informs his niece Emily (Virginia Gregg), nephew-in-law Wilfred (Milton Selzer), and Emily and Wilfred's despicable offspring Wilfred, Jr. (Alan Sues) and Paula (Brooke Hayward), that -- despite his hatred of them -- he intends to leave them his entire fortune. But there's a condition -- all four relatives must don grotesque masks which reflect their true natures -- and they are forbidden to remove those masks until the stroke of midnight. This memorable Twilight Zone episode was directed by Ida Lupino, who had starred in the first-season Twilight Zone entry "The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine." Written by Rod Serling, "The Masks" originally aired on March 20, 1964. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

While on maneuvers near the site of Custer's Last Stand, a modern-day Army tank crew encounters evidence that they have travelled back in time. This evidence is largely gleaned from the crew's knowledge of the events leading up to the Custer debacle. The climax is inevitable -- but fascinating nonethless. The cast of this Twilight Zone episode includes such series-TV stalwarts as Ron Foster, Randy Boone, Warren Oates, Robert Bray, and Greg Morris. Written by Rod Serling, "The 7th Is Made up of Phantoms" initially aired on December 6, 1963. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

This 60-minute Twilight Zone entry was adapted by Rod Serling from Malcolm Jameson's short story "Blind Alley." Wearing thick "age" makeup, Albert Salmi stars as ruthless millionaire Feathersmith, who would give anything to relive his carefree youth. Enter Miss Devlin (Julie Newmar) -- actually the Devil, but a very shapely Devil -- who offers to strike a deal with the decrepit tycoon. Curiously, Devlin doesn't want Feathersmith's soul (which he had already lost several years earlier), but she will settle for cold, hard cash. Another cautionary "Be Careful What You Wish For" yarn, "Of Late I Think of Cliffordville" originally aired April 11, 1963. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

While on an orbital flight, American astronaut Robert Gaines (Steve Forrest) experiences a sudden blackout. When he awakens, he finds himself in a hospital room surrounded by his friends, loved ones and fellow officers, and he is told that his spacecraft somehow managed to land by itself. All well and good -- until Gaines begins to suspect that the world on which he landed was not the world he had originally left behind. Written by Rod Serling, the 60-minute Twilight Zone episode "The Parallel" first aired March 14, 1963. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Thirty years after leaving Earth, a group of space colonists live a spartan existence on a desolate asteroid. All that keeps these castaways together is the charismatic leadership of Captain William Benteen (James Whitmore), an archetypal "benevolent despot." When a rescue ship arrives to transport the colonists back to Earth, everyone rejoices -- everyone but Benteen, who is unwilling to relinquish his self-anointed authority. Written by Rod Serling, "On Thursday We Leave for Home" was the last of the 60-minute Twilight Zone episodes, though not the last one to be telecast. The episode made its network debut on May 2, 1963. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Cited by many aficionados as the all-time best Twilight Zone episode, "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" benefits immeasurably from a bravura performance by star William Shatner. While travelling through rough weather on a passenger plane, former mental patient Bob Wilson (Shatner) peers out of his window -- and sees a hideous gremlin balanced on the plane's wing. Doubting his own sanity, Bob tries to convince himself that he is merely hallucinating. . .and then the gremlin begins to tear the wing apart. Adapted by Richard Matheson from his own short story, "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" was originally telecast October 11, 1963. The basic story was later incorporated into the omnibus theatrical feature Twilight Zone: The Movie (1983) and has since been mercilessly lampooned in TV comedy series ranging from The Simpsons to 3rd Rock from the Sun. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

After a brief flirtation with the 60-minute form, Twilight Zone wisely returned to its original half-hour format with the first episode of the series' fifth season, "In Praise of Pip." Upon learning that his beloved son Pip is dying in a field hospital in South Vietnam, two-bit bookie Max Philips (Jack Klugman) suddenly experiences an epiphany -- which earns him a bullet in the gut from a disgruntled gangster. The wounded Max stumbles into a deserted amusement park, where he is met by the younger version of his boy Pip. Expressing his undying love for his son, Max begs the Powers Above to spare the grown-up Pip's life, as the younger version begins fading into the void. Billy Mumy and Bobby Diamond share the role of the eponymous Pip. Written by Rod Serling, "In Praise of Pip" originally aired September 27, 1963. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Several years after a nuclear war, a handful of survivors are compelled to follow the instructions of the mysterious "old man in the cave." Enter a band of mercenaries headed by Major French (James Coburn), who laughs at the notion of a group of people living under the thumb of an unseen entity. Despite the dire warnings of community leader Goldsmith (John Anderson), French is determined to expose the "old man" as a fraud -- but even he is not prepared for what he finds when he storms the cave. Scripted by Twilight Zone creator Rod Serling from a short story by Henry Slesar, "The Old Man in the Cave" was originally telecast November 8, 1963. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

"The Road," in which Loretta Young plays an unhappy woman whose life is forever changed by an enigmatic hitchhiker, served to launch the seventh successful season of the NBC anthology The Loretta Young Show. Other worthwhile episodes this season include "Mask of Evidence," one of Young's rare forays into damsel-in-distress territory in which she finds herself at the mercy of a masked lunatic; "The Lady in the Fish Bowl," co-scripted by Marilyn Cantor (daughter of Eddie Cantor) and Fred Ebb, the plot of which would be later incorporated into the Broadway musical Cabaret, likewise coscripted by Fred Ebb; and one of an increasing number of the series' social problem entries, "Unmarked Brown Wrapper," directed by actor Richard Carlson and starring Bethel Leslie as an innocent young woman victimized by a pornographer. Season seven concludes with a two-parter, "The Eternal Vow," a romantic drama in which Loretta Young is teamed with dashing Gallic leading actor Jean-Pierre Aumont. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

"You're traveling to another dimension...a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind...a journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. Your next stop: The Twilight Zone." Originally telecast on CBS from October 2, 1959, to September 18, 1964 (not counting a brief spate of network reruns in the summer of 1965), The Twilight Zone was one of the foremost filmed dramatic anthologies on TV and one of a precious few that specialized in fantasy and science fiction. Created by Rod Serling, whose previous TV writing credits included such classic live dramas as Patterns and Requiem for a Heavyweight, the series specialized in concise, economical playlets dealing with the offbeat andsupernatural, many of them with surprising and ironic climactic twists. Many of the individual episodes have stood the test of time as indisputable classics, among them "Eye of the Beholder," "The Monsters are Due on Maple Street," "The Invaders," "It's a Good Life," "To Serve Man," "The Invaders," and "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet." Rod Serling served as the series' host and narrator, and also wrote most of the dramas. Other noteworthy contributors included Richard Matheson, Charles Beaumont, and, on one memorable occasion (the episode "I Sing the Body Electric"), Ray Bradbury.

A veritable constellation of guest stars brought the stories to life; among those making multiple appearances were Burgess Meredith, Jack Klugman, William Shatner, Martin Landau, Anne Francis, Bill Mumy, Ed Wynn, and Lee Marvin, while many more showed up for memorable single performances including Charles Bronson, Elizabeth Montgomery, Robert Redford, Robert Duvall, James Coburn, Mickey Rooney, and Dennis Hopper. The series' famous theme music (heard from the second season onward) was composed by Marius Constant with unforgettable incidental music provided by the likes of Bernard Herrmann and Jerry Goldsmith. Although the series' title has become a household word and many of its episodes are acknowledged masterpieces, Twilight Zone was never a huge ratings attraction during its network run. Indeed, after only three seasons, CBS decided to yank the show. It was saved at the last minute and brought back as a mid-season replacement, expanded from 30 to 60 minutes per week in the process. For its fifth and final season, Twilight Zone returned to its familiar half-hour format, still playing to appreciative but comparatively small audiences. It was not until the series went into off-network reruns that Twilight Zone truly built its fan following, which has increased many times over in the ensuing years. Twilight Zone was revived twice with new, full-color episodes, first as a CBS (and later syndicated) weekly in 1985, then on UPN in 2002. Rod Serling was not involved with these revivals, having passed away in 1975; the 1985 version had no host, though its narrators included Charles Aidman and Robin Ward, but the 2002 version was hosted by Forest Whitaker. In addition, a theatrical feature, Twilight Zone: The Movie, was released in 1983. ~ All Movie Guide

By the time The Loretta Show swung into its fifth season, the popular anthology was running like a well-oiled machine, turning out first-rate work each and every week, with star Loretta Young seemingly more beautiful and versatile than ever. So smoothly did the machinery operate that one would never suspect that there was turmoil off-camera, as Loretta Young was in the process of divorcing her husband and co-producer Tom Lewis (their production company Lewislor would, however, remain in business until the series' finale three years later). Season five opens with "A Dollar's Worth," teaming the ageless Loretta Young with a talented teenager named Susan Seaforth (who, under her married named Susan Hayes, would later achieve soap opera superstardom on Days of Our Lives). In subsequent episodes, Young's characterizations ran the gamut from a Japanese maiden in "Innocent Conspiracy" to an Italian countess in "Faraway Island." On those episodes in which Young did not star, a number of prominent actresses are showcased, including Anita Louise, Laraine Day, Julie Adams, Karen Sharpe, and that quintessential "golden hearted gold digger," Veda Ann Borg. Also, in addition to the usual crop of handsome male leading men for Loretta, season five featured such gifted character actors as Hume Cronyn, Gary Merrill, and Wally Cox. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide