Gramma
When his mother leaves to visit his older brother in the hospital, 11-year-old Georgie (Barret Oliver) is left alone with his grandmother, an infirm, senile, and horrifically ugly old woman. Georgie has a reputation for being utterly terrified of "Gramma" and has heard his mother's siblings discussing rumors that she's a powerful witch, so he tries to prove himself brave enough to watch over her and the house while his mother's away. He soon finds a set of ancient tomes hidden underneath the kitchen floor, proving that Gramma is a witch after all. Things soon grow dire when Gramma appears to die under Georgie's watch.
Based on a short story by Stephen King, with a script by Harlan Ellison.
Tropes
- 555: Dr. Arlinder's phone number is 555-3502.
- Actor Allusion: Barret Oliver, who plays Georgie, once again steals and reads a book he shouldn't have read.
- Adaptational Backstory Change: There isn't any history given about Georgie's relationship with his older brother Buddy. In the short story by Stephen King, it's said that Buddy regularly bullies Georgie physically and verbally. In the end, when Georgie is possessed by Gramma's spirit, he plans revenge against Buddy for the years of torment.
- The Bad Guy Wins: Gramma cheats death by possessing her own grandson, leaving her free to keep unleashing evil upon the neighborhood.
- Bottle Episode: All of the episode takes place in Georgie's house.
- Bratty Food Demand: When she stirs awake, Gramma keeps pestering Georgie to bring her some tea.
- Cross-Cast Role: Gramma is played by Frederick Long, giving her a masculine, monstrous voice.
- Downer Ending: Georgie is taken over by Gramma, allowing her to keep living after her original body dies.
- The Dreaded: Georgie reminisces on his mother's siblings being utterly terrified of Gramma, and about how his mother was basically forced to take Gramma in by the others because they were too scared and frazzled to take care of her.
- Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": Gramma's true name is never revealed.
- Evil Old Folks: Gramma, a powerful witch who torments her neighborhood and worships the Great Old Ones. It's to Georgie's great displeasure that he's forced to look after her while his mother's away.
- Grand Theft Me: Gramma pulls Georgie to her at the episode's climax, allowing her to possess his body to escape death.
- Hollywood Acid: To demonstrate her inhuman nature, Gramma's "tea" burns a hole through her bedroom floor when Georgie drops it.
- Inner Monologue: Georgie's thoughts are heard throughout the episode, narrating everything he's feeling and arguing with himself since he's the only human character for most of it.
- Motor Mouth: Georgie's neighbor Ms. Dodd, who keeps chatting over the phone for the whole episode, preventing Georgie from calling the hospital when Gramma appears to die.
- Noodle Incident: Georgie remembers how Gramma was responsible for quite a lot of ghoulish madness in his neighborhood, burning houses to the ground, prompting dogs to eat human flesh, making all the graves in the cemetery explode, and conjuring a massive storm.
- Our Witches Are Different: Gramma appears as a large, senile, and utterly inhuman troll-like thing with red eyes, and she draws her power through magic tomes and pledging her loyalty to Cthulhu, Yog-Sothoth, and Hastur.
- Playing with Fire: The title character has the ability to conjure fires, and is mentioned to have used her powers to burn down several of her neighbors' houses.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: Gramma has blood-red eyes to show how monstrous she is. Georgie's eyes later glow her shade of red to reveal she's taken control of him.
- Shout-Out:
- Several of them to the Cthulhu Mythos are present. Georgie finds the Necronomicon, which his grandmother derives her powers from. The tome's passages mention Hastur, Yog-Sothoth, and Cthulhu (which Georgie thinks is a dumb name).
- The cookie jar in Georgie's kitchen resembles Falkor from The Neverending Story. Georgie's actor, Barret Oliver, played Bastian in the film.
- Spanner in the Works: Georgie's mothers' siblings, who forced Gramma onto her so they could get her out of their hair.
- A neighbor lady, Ms. Dodd, holds up the phone lines by chatting incessantly, preventing Georgie from calling for help.
- Tome of Eldritch Lore: Georgie finds the Necronomicon hidden under the kitchen floor, which Gramma, a powerful witch, uses to gain her powers.
- Trademark Favorite Food: Gramma has quite a penchant for tea, asking Georgie to come and bring it to her so she can take over his body.
- Would Harm a Child: Gramma has no hang-ups about possessing her grandson to gain a new life.
Personal Demons
Rockne O'Bannon (Martin Balsam) is an aging TV writer who is suffering from a strong case of writer's block, wishing for the chance to create one last good idea before he retires. Soon after he makes this wish, Rockne begins glimpsing a group of small creatures wearing hooded cloaks, which follow him and damage the surrounding area for their own amusement. As Rockne is the only person who can see them, he thinks that the creatures are out to kill him, but their true intentions are radically different.
Tropes
- Actor Allusion: Rockne is said to have written scripts for Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse. The version of him here is played by Martin Balsam, who played Dr. Gillespie in the WDP episode "The Time Element", which served as the unofficial pilot for the original Twilight Zone.
- Author Avatar: Rockne is modeled after the real-world writer who wrote several episodes of the series, including this episode. While the fictional Rockne is in his 60s and has been writing TV scripts for 30 years, the real Rockne was only 31 when the episode was made.
- Credits Gag: As part of the episode's nature, Rockne S. O'Bannon's writing credit appears at the end of the episode instead of the beginning.
- Crying Wolf: Rockne's claims that hooded creatures are following him and wrecking his things.
- Griping About Gremlins: Rockne starts seeing strange hooded creatures all around him, but he can't convince his agent Brian, his friend Herman Gold, or anyone else around of their existence because he's the only person who can see them at all.
- Invisible to Normals: The hooded creatures hounding Rockne can only be seen by the man himself. He starts growing fiercely paranoid when they start following him everywhere, destroy his car, and wreck his apartment. In spite of this, everyone else is able to notice the damage the creatures can do.
- Riddle for the Ages: What exactly are the hooded creatures who keep following Rockne? The end of the episode, where they disappear as Rockne writes about them, hints that they may have been physically manifested ideas that had come to him to end his writer's block.
- Shout-Out: The establishing shot of Rockne's office showcases a number of scripts for TV shows he's written for, including Gunsmoke, The Mod Squad, S.W.A.T. (1975), and The Dukes of Hazzard.
- Writer's Block: Rockne, a veteran television writer, is suffering from severe burnout, to the point he admits to Herman that he hasn't had an original idea in 20 years. Shortly afterwards, he begins seeing a group of hooded creatures everywhere he goes, which only he can see. When he finally confronts them, they tell Rockne that if he wants them to leave, he can write about them. As soon as he starts typing, they begin to disappear one by one.
- Whole-Plot Reference: The episode serves as one to The Elves and the Cobbler, since the hooded creatures appear to Rockne so that he can cure his chronic writer's block by writing a story about them.
Cold Reading
"Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear, when radio was king, and the special effects were as big as your imagination. All recorded live in the studios of — the Twilight Zone.
In the 1930s, Nelson Westbrook (Dick Shawn) is the eccentric director of the popular radio drama Dick Noble, African Explorer, who consistently desires his programs to be as authentic as possible. When one of his crewmen shows him a voodoo fetish he bought for authenticity, Nelson grasps it and makes an offhand wish that all the sound effects in the latest episode come from something real. Unaware that the artifact is genuine, Nelson's actors begin discovering wild animals, tribesmen, and even a rainstorm manifesting inside the studio as they read the script. After witnessing a rifle appear from nowhere in the studio and fire off a shot, Nelson discovers the genuine danger he has unleashed and is forced to rewrite the script as fast as he can to edit out the more dangerous scenes.
Tropes
- Affectionate Parody: The episode is a light-hearted throwback to the glory days of the radio drama, taking place in the 1930s with an outrageously hammy ensemble and an energetic ragtime/organ soundtrack.
- The Alcoholic: Milo is brought in to replace Earl Sedgewick, who usually plays Dick Noble's younger brother Timmy and has reportedly called in sick. Nelson's assistant Carla makes a drinking gesture to Milo, silently revealing that Sedgewick is actually too drunk to record his part.
- Arbitrary Skepticism: Nelson, for some reason, doesn't believe that a plane crash documented in the script will occur in the studio, since plane crashes happen outside. Carla is quick to point out that it rained in the studio moments prior.
- Bad "Bad Acting": Jack Holland, who plays the title character on Dick Noble, African Explorer, constantly struggles with his lines and mispronounces difficult words, which forces the other actors to cover for him since the series is broadcast live. When Marilyn Cavendish, his co-star who plays Dick's girlfriend Millicent, helps him with pronunciation, he breaks character by thanking her. Unlike Marilyn and even novice actor Milo, he is completely unable to improvise when sound effect scenarios in the script begin manifesting in the studio.
- Be Careful What You Wish For: Nelson, an egotistical radio director, rhetorically wishes that all the sound effects from the latest episode of his program Dick Noble, African Explorer came from something real. Unfortunately, he happens to be clutching a genuine voodoo fetish as he makes the wish. Shortly into the reading, a vulture, a bunch of monkeys, and an African tribesman beating a tribal drum appear in the studio as the actors perform the script. A thunderstorm even breaks out in the recording booth, and a floating rifle appears to fire a live gunshot, prompting Nelson to realize that he's actually putting his cast's lives at risk. Through some very quick rewrites, he manages to avoid a plane crash, an elephant stampede, and an earthquake. But while he and the cast celebrate getting through the script, the announcer suddenly reads a promo for next week's episode... where Dick Noble meets invaders from Mars. A flying saucer promptly crashes into the studio.
- Big Entrance: To establish what a prima-donna Nelson is, he and Carla arrive at the UBS Radio Center in an ambulance, its sirens blaring. As soon as the ambulance stops, he jumps out the back without a moment's hesitation.
- Big "NO!": Nelson unleashes one for the final line, just before a flying saucer crashes into the studio.
- Black Magic: One of Nelson's crewmembers, Sol, acquired a real voodoo fetish for his boss, who always insists on his dramas being as realistic as possible. Nelson dismisses it as nothing but a dime store novelty, then says that if he had one wish, it would be that every sound effect in his latest script would come from something real. His wish comes true, but it turns out to be so much more than he bargained for.
- Bland-Name Product: Dick Noble, African Explorer is sponsored by Krisp-O-Meal cereal, a parody of Kelloggs' Corn Flakes that is paraded as the favorite breakfast treat of Noble himself. A floating bowl of the cereal and pitcher of milk appear in the studio as the announcer promotes it, thanks to the wish.
- Breather Episode: While "Gramma" was dark and horror-filled and "Personal Demons" was centered around an unnerving mystery, this episode eases the viewers by ending things on a straight-up comedy note.
- Broadcast Live: Dick Noble, African Explorer is broadcast live everyday. Milo is horrified that Nelson has completely rewritten the latest episode's script, meaning that he and the other actors won't have any time to rehearse it before they go on air.
- Denser and Wackier: The episode is one of the most comedic in the whole series, and it plays things entirely for giggles. It deals with a Prima Donna Director of a popular radio show making an ill-thought-out wish for every sound effect in his script to come from something real, resulting in wild animals and a tropical storm wreaking havoc on his actors.
- Everyone Has Standards: Nelson is originally more focused on how the sound effects in his script coming to life will boost his ratings rather than how it's inconveniencing the actors. When he discovers that a later scene results in a floating rifle appearing in the studio and firing, genuinely endangering the actors, he drops everything and rushes to change the script.
- Expy: Dick Noble, African Explorer is based on Jack Armstrong, the All-American Boy, which aired on CBS, NBC, and ABC from 1933 to 1951. The final scene has the announcer stating that next week's episode will pit Dick Noble against invaders from Mars, a reference to Orson Welles' 1938 radio adaptation of The War of the Worlds.
- Fictional Counterpart: Dick Noble, African Explorer is broadcast on the Unified Broadcasting System (UBS) radio network, a reference to the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS), which broadcast the original Twilight Zone.
- Flying Saucer: In the final scene, Nelson and the cast believe nothing else can materialize in their studio as they have reached the end of the script. However, the announcer reads out a promo for the following week's episode, where Dick Noble fights invaders from Mars. A flying saucer immediately crashes into the studio.
- From Bad to Worse: The situation in the recording booth goes far out of hand as the jungle-themed adventure-show perils manifest in the real world, including monkeys, buzzards, a thunderstorm, and loaded rifles firing. Realizing that his crew is in genuine danger, Nelson has to desperately re-write the show while it's in progress to head off even worse disasters to come, including a plane crash, an earthquake, and an elephant stampede.
- Here We Go Again!: Once the program comes to an end, Nelson and the rest of the cast think they're finally safe... until the announcer promotes next week's program, which involves Dick Noble fighting off Martian invaders. Immediately after this, a flying saucer crash lands in the studio.
- Homage: To vintage radio dramas from the days of old.
- Hope Spot: When the Dick Noble episode ends, everyone breathes a sigh of relief as they think they're home free. Cue the announcer promoting the next episode, where Dick Noble fights off alien invaders.
- Jungle Drums: They are one of the sound effects that manifest from the script, provided by a stone-faced tribesman beating a drum.
- Jungle Japes: The sound effects coming to life prompts a tribal native beating a drum, a vulture, a bunch of monkeys, and a group of parrots coming to life inside the studio. As the program concludes, jungle flora is shown to have grown inside the recording booth.
- Meaningful Name: In-Universe. Dick Noble is the brave, stalwart, and honorable title character of the UBS Radio series Nelson directs.
- Mischief-Making Monkey: When one of the actors mentions the chattering of monkeys in the script, Nelson's wish prompts actual monkeys to appear in the booth and cause mayhem during the reading.
- Oh, Crap!: When it's pointed out to Nelson what's coming up in the script that his unintentional wish has brought to life, he drops everything and hurriedly rewrites the script to keep the cast safe. It happens again at the very end, where Nelson belatedly realizes the story that the announcer is plugging for next week's show.
- Prima Donna Director: Nelson, who makes a big entrance at his studio and demands that everything recorded for his dramas be as authentic as possible.
- The Show Must Go On: The cast of Dick Noble, African Explorer are fully determined to finish the script, refusing to let natives, monkeys, birds, and a monsoon slow them down.
- Show Within a Show: Dick Noble, African Explorer, the radio drama that drives the plot. The episode takes place over the course of a live recording for an episode of the show itself.
- Small Role, Big Impact: Sol, who bought the voodoo fetish that Nelson makes his accidental wish on.
- The Stoic: Carla, Nelson's assistant, spends the first half of the episode acting deadpan and unfazed to contradict her outlandish boss. It's averted when she becomes as frantic and emotional as he does.
- Tuckerization: A sign outside the UBS studio advertises Crocker Bank. James Crocker was the series' supervising producer, and also wrote five episodes.
- Vile Vulture: The first sign that Nelson's wish comes true is when a vulture appears in the studio to produce a bird's call. It doesn't harm any of the actors or crew, and flies away when the storm starts.
- "What Now?" Ending: One can only imagine how Nelson and the others will react to a flying saucer crashing into the studio.
- World of Ham: Given that everyone present is involved in a drama-heavy radio show directed by an absolute prima-donna, you can bet there's some serious ham present.
