Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Changed line(s) 1,2 (click to see context) from:
[[quoteright:345:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tz_hocus_pocus_and_frisby.jpeg]]
to:
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
[[quoteright:345:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/tz_hocus_pocus_and_frisby.jpeg]]
Changed line(s) 3,4 (click to see context) from:
Somerset Frisby, owner of the general store and gas station of Pitchville Flats, is up to his favorite hobby: telling all sorts of outrageous tall tales about his numerous accomplishments, occasionally accompanying himself on the harmonica. Frisby has a story for every possible topic; he claims to have been a prime mover in politics and industry, a genius inventor, a decorated war hero, and overall [[TheAce a naturally brilliant person]] at [[HerCodeNameWasMarySue whatever he attempts to do]]. The townsfolk know full well that Frisby's wild tales aren't true, but they find them highly enjoyable, taking his words with a laugh and a smile. A few mysterious men standing outside the station are not smiling, and in fact seem to be up to some kind of nefarious purpose.
to:
Air date: April 13, 1962
SomersetFrisby, Frisby (Andy Devine), owner of the general store and gas station of Pitchville Flats, is up to his favorite hobby: telling all sorts of outrageous tall tales about his numerous accomplishments, and occasionally accompanying himself on the harmonica. Frisby has a story for every possible topic; he claims to have been a prime mover in politics and industry, a genius inventor, a decorated war hero, and overall [[TheAce a naturally brilliant person]] at [[HerCodeNameWasMarySue whatever he attempts to do]]. The townsfolk know full well that Frisby's wild tales aren't true, but they find them highly enjoyable, taking his words with a laugh and a smile. A few mysterious men standing outside the station are not smiling, and in fact seem to be up to some kind of nefarious purpose.
Somerset
Changed line(s) 39 (click to see context) from:
->'''Creator/RodSerling''': Mr. Somerset Frisby, who might have profited by reading an Aesop fable about a boy who cried wolf. Tonight's tall tale from the timberlands of the Twilight Zone.
to:
----
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
* PinkElephants: After seeing the aliens real apperances, Frisby says that the last time he saw anything that looked like them, he'd "been four days on the corn jug".
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None
Added DiffLines:
->'''Creator/RodSerling''': The reluctant gentleman with the sizable mouth is Mr. Frisby. He has all the drive of a broken camshaft and the aggressive vinegar of a corpse. As you've no doubt gathered, his big stock in trade is the tall tale. Now, what he doesn't know is that the visitors out front are a very special breed, destined to change his life beyond anything even his fertile imagination could manufacture. The place is Pitchville Flats, the time is the present. But Mr. Frisby's on the first leg of a rather fanciful journey into the place we call the Twilight Zone.
Somerset Frisby, owner of the general store and gas station of Pitchville Flats, is up to his favorite hobby: telling all sorts of outrageous tall tales about his numerous accomplishments, occasionally accompanying himself on the harmonica. Frisby has a story for every possible topic; he claims to have been a prime mover in politics and industry, a genius inventor, a decorated war hero, and overall [[TheAce a naturally brilliant person]] at [[HerCodeNameWasMarySue whatever he attempts to do]]. The townsfolk know full well that Frisby's wild tales aren't true, but they find them highly enjoyable, taking his words with a laugh and a smile. A few mysterious men standing outside the station are not smiling, and in fact seem to be up to some kind of nefarious purpose.
The mysterious men enter Frisby's store at closing time and insist that the man come with them. After a few unsuccessful bluffs, he reluctantly agrees, only to discover that the "men" have a gigantic spaceship hidden in the woods. They happily reveal themselves as aliens who [[TheCollector collect specimens from across planets]]. The aliens explain that they've been observing Earth for a while to choose someone for their intergalactic zoo, and have settled on Frisby because according to his stories, he's the single most accomplished, talented, and intelligent person on the planet. Frisby confesses that all of the things he has said were nothing but lies, but he runs into a snag when he learns that these aliens [[CannotTellALie have no concept of lying]], instead simply believing that whatever someone says must automatically be true. They assume Frisby is simply being modest about his accomplishments and ignore his pleas. A frustrated Frisby rears back and punches one of the aliens, whose human disguise [[GlamourFailure cracks in two]] and reveals an unsettling, otherworldly face beneath a mask. Frisby is so terrified by this that he faints dead away.
When Frisby comes to, he finds himself in a small room on the aliens' ship, which will be taking off in five minutes. He begs to be let go, but the aliens again refuse. Resigned to his fate, Frisby asks if he could at least have some music for his journey. When the aliens refuse this, he reaches into his pocket and produces his harmonica to calm his nerves. To his shock, the sound from the instrument [[BrownNote gives the aliens immense pain]], and he quickly improvises a lengthy tune to overpower them. Frisby rushes out of the ship and back to his store, where his friends have gathered to throw him a surprise party, the old shopkeep completely forgetting that today is his birthday. When they ask what he's been up to, Frisby describes his adventure, only for the others to declare it the best story he's ever told. Frisby continues to frantically claim that he really ''is'' telling the truth this time, much to the amusement of his buddies, who proceed to give him his birthday present: a trophy that declares him the "World's Greatest Liar".
----
!!Hocus-Pocus and Tropes:
* AlienAbduction: The aliens plan to bring Frisby back to their planet, since their lack of the concept of lying has them seeing him as the most impressive specimen humanity has to offer.
* BeQuietNudge: As a pair of aliens are talking to Frisby outside his store, one of them starts to ask Frisby a question, prompting the alien in charge to nudge him to shut him up. As he incorrectly considers Frisby highly intelligent, he doesn't want to risk alerting him to their intentions.
* ABirthdayNotABreak: The episode is revealed to be set on Frisby's 63rd birthday, where he's almost abducted by aliens.
* BeenThereShapedHistory: Frisby loves using this trope in his stories, claiming that he's advised US Presidents and fought in numerous wars throughout his long life.
* BizarreAlienBiology: The aliens tell Frisby that their gallery holds a [[UsefulNotes/{{Venus}} Venusian]] specimen who can sing at eight different pitches simultaneously, even accompanying himself with his tail.
* BreatherEpisode: The episode is a more comedic offering that features a perpetual braggart encountering aliens who have no concept of dishonesty, and wish to take him back to their planet.
* BrownNote: The aliens become wracked with excruciating pain by the sound of Frisby's harmonica.
* CannotTellALie: The aliens mistake Frisby's tall tales about his past for a variety of impressive accomplishments, and wish to take him back to their world, because they have no idea what lying is.
* CatchPhrase: Frisby has a tendency to say that all sorts of famous/important people have given him nicknames befitting whatever accomplishment he's bragging about at the time, reciting it along the lines of "Ol' _____ Frisby".
* ChekhovsGun: Near the beginning of the episode, Frisby plays his harmonica, prompting someone to ask him to stop because of the poor sound. Near the end of the episode, he plays the instrument while he's being held prisoner by the aliens, and the music acts as a "[[BrownNote death sound]]" on them, granting him the chance to escape.
* ChromosomeCasting: The episode has an all-male cast.
* ConsummateLiar: A rare "positive" version. Frisby's ludicrous stories are packed with lies of all kinds. It's clear that none of his friends or customers actually believe any of it and are firmly aware that he's a liar. But since he's not hurting anyone, they happily indulge him because the stories are so good.
* CowardlyLion: Frisby isn't as brave as his stories suggest, but he ''does'' try to punch out one of the aliens abducting him. Upon discovering their weakness to his harmonica, he actively fights them with it.
* CrazyMemory: Frisby spends the first half of the episode telling outrageous lies about his past to his friends. This comes back to bite him ''hard'' when he's abducted by aliens who have no concept of lying. Fortunately, the one thing he's really good at, playing the harmonica, turns out to give them excruciating pain.
* CryingWolf: Frisby constantly tells made-up tales of all sorts of great things he's done, and eventually gets abducted by aliens who mistake his lies for truth. After they let him go, he tells his friends about the experience. Naturally, they don't believe him. Rod Serling himself even notes that Frisby could've learned something by reading the fable of the same name in his closing narration.
* FaintInShock: When Frisby punches one of the aliens in the face, the alien's human head splits to reveal it's a mask covering his true head. When he sees this, Frisby faints from the shock. He wakes up on their spaceship, five minutes before the aliens are scheduled to leave.
* FlyingSaucer: The aliens arrive on Earth in a classic flying saucer.
* ImprovisedWeaponUser: Once Frisby realizes that his harmonica can overpower the aliens, he immediately starts using it in a more aggressive manner.
* LatexPerfection: The aliens wear masks that perfectly hide their true appearance. Frisby shatters their leader's mask when he punches him in the face.
* LighterAndSofter: Like "Mr. Bevis", "The Whole Truth", "Mr. Dingle, the Strong", and several others before and after it, this episode is a lighthearted comic romp. It helps that Frisby is played by Andy Devine, a gifted comedian and character actor.
* MilesGloriosus: Frisby builds himself up as a genius, a noted advisor, and an incredibly brave hero who takes on danger with ease. When he's put into a genuinely dangerous situation, he shows his cowardice and begs to be set free.
* TheStoryteller: Frisby may own a store and gas station, but his ''real'' industry is story-telling. His friends come from miles around just to listen to him spin his yarns, even though they know they're not true in the least. As it happens, a group of otherworldly visitors ''also'' come quite a long way to hear them.
* TallTale: Frisby continually tells tall tales throughout the episode, Serling himself even calling them his most common commodity. During the episode, he's abducted by aliens (ironically, because they actually ''believe'' all his stories) and escapes, but when he tells his friends of the adventure, they believe he is just CryingWolf again.
* ThatRemindsMeOfASong: A "story" variant. Frisby can turn any comment or question into a tall tale about himself and his imagined exploits, and it's clear that the townspeople get a kick of seeing how he'll connect whatever they've just said to one of his boasts.
* TwoOfYourEarthMinutes: The aliens' leader tells Frisby that they'll be taking off in "fourteen minutes, by your measure of time."
* YouHaveToBelieveMe: The ending has Frisby saying that even though he's been a liar before, his story about the aliens and his harmonica saving him is the real deal. Naturally, his friends don't buy it for a second.
----
->'''Creator/RodSerling''': Mr. Somerset Frisby, who might have profited by reading an Aesop fable about a boy who cried wolf. Tonight's tall tale from the timberlands of the Twilight Zone.
Somerset Frisby, owner of the general store and gas station of Pitchville Flats, is up to his favorite hobby: telling all sorts of outrageous tall tales about his numerous accomplishments, occasionally accompanying himself on the harmonica. Frisby has a story for every possible topic; he claims to have been a prime mover in politics and industry, a genius inventor, a decorated war hero, and overall [[TheAce a naturally brilliant person]] at [[HerCodeNameWasMarySue whatever he attempts to do]]. The townsfolk know full well that Frisby's wild tales aren't true, but they find them highly enjoyable, taking his words with a laugh and a smile. A few mysterious men standing outside the station are not smiling, and in fact seem to be up to some kind of nefarious purpose.
The mysterious men enter Frisby's store at closing time and insist that the man come with them. After a few unsuccessful bluffs, he reluctantly agrees, only to discover that the "men" have a gigantic spaceship hidden in the woods. They happily reveal themselves as aliens who [[TheCollector collect specimens from across planets]]. The aliens explain that they've been observing Earth for a while to choose someone for their intergalactic zoo, and have settled on Frisby because according to his stories, he's the single most accomplished, talented, and intelligent person on the planet. Frisby confesses that all of the things he has said were nothing but lies, but he runs into a snag when he learns that these aliens [[CannotTellALie have no concept of lying]], instead simply believing that whatever someone says must automatically be true. They assume Frisby is simply being modest about his accomplishments and ignore his pleas. A frustrated Frisby rears back and punches one of the aliens, whose human disguise [[GlamourFailure cracks in two]] and reveals an unsettling, otherworldly face beneath a mask. Frisby is so terrified by this that he faints dead away.
When Frisby comes to, he finds himself in a small room on the aliens' ship, which will be taking off in five minutes. He begs to be let go, but the aliens again refuse. Resigned to his fate, Frisby asks if he could at least have some music for his journey. When the aliens refuse this, he reaches into his pocket and produces his harmonica to calm his nerves. To his shock, the sound from the instrument [[BrownNote gives the aliens immense pain]], and he quickly improvises a lengthy tune to overpower them. Frisby rushes out of the ship and back to his store, where his friends have gathered to throw him a surprise party, the old shopkeep completely forgetting that today is his birthday. When they ask what he's been up to, Frisby describes his adventure, only for the others to declare it the best story he's ever told. Frisby continues to frantically claim that he really ''is'' telling the truth this time, much to the amusement of his buddies, who proceed to give him his birthday present: a trophy that declares him the "World's Greatest Liar".
----
!!Hocus-Pocus and Tropes:
* AlienAbduction: The aliens plan to bring Frisby back to their planet, since their lack of the concept of lying has them seeing him as the most impressive specimen humanity has to offer.
* BeQuietNudge: As a pair of aliens are talking to Frisby outside his store, one of them starts to ask Frisby a question, prompting the alien in charge to nudge him to shut him up. As he incorrectly considers Frisby highly intelligent, he doesn't want to risk alerting him to their intentions.
* ABirthdayNotABreak: The episode is revealed to be set on Frisby's 63rd birthday, where he's almost abducted by aliens.
* BeenThereShapedHistory: Frisby loves using this trope in his stories, claiming that he's advised US Presidents and fought in numerous wars throughout his long life.
* BizarreAlienBiology: The aliens tell Frisby that their gallery holds a [[UsefulNotes/{{Venus}} Venusian]] specimen who can sing at eight different pitches simultaneously, even accompanying himself with his tail.
* BreatherEpisode: The episode is a more comedic offering that features a perpetual braggart encountering aliens who have no concept of dishonesty, and wish to take him back to their planet.
* BrownNote: The aliens become wracked with excruciating pain by the sound of Frisby's harmonica.
* CannotTellALie: The aliens mistake Frisby's tall tales about his past for a variety of impressive accomplishments, and wish to take him back to their world, because they have no idea what lying is.
* CatchPhrase: Frisby has a tendency to say that all sorts of famous/important people have given him nicknames befitting whatever accomplishment he's bragging about at the time, reciting it along the lines of "Ol' _____ Frisby".
* ChekhovsGun: Near the beginning of the episode, Frisby plays his harmonica, prompting someone to ask him to stop because of the poor sound. Near the end of the episode, he plays the instrument while he's being held prisoner by the aliens, and the music acts as a "[[BrownNote death sound]]" on them, granting him the chance to escape.
* ChromosomeCasting: The episode has an all-male cast.
* ConsummateLiar: A rare "positive" version. Frisby's ludicrous stories are packed with lies of all kinds. It's clear that none of his friends or customers actually believe any of it and are firmly aware that he's a liar. But since he's not hurting anyone, they happily indulge him because the stories are so good.
* CowardlyLion: Frisby isn't as brave as his stories suggest, but he ''does'' try to punch out one of the aliens abducting him. Upon discovering their weakness to his harmonica, he actively fights them with it.
* CrazyMemory: Frisby spends the first half of the episode telling outrageous lies about his past to his friends. This comes back to bite him ''hard'' when he's abducted by aliens who have no concept of lying. Fortunately, the one thing he's really good at, playing the harmonica, turns out to give them excruciating pain.
* CryingWolf: Frisby constantly tells made-up tales of all sorts of great things he's done, and eventually gets abducted by aliens who mistake his lies for truth. After they let him go, he tells his friends about the experience. Naturally, they don't believe him. Rod Serling himself even notes that Frisby could've learned something by reading the fable of the same name in his closing narration.
* FaintInShock: When Frisby punches one of the aliens in the face, the alien's human head splits to reveal it's a mask covering his true head. When he sees this, Frisby faints from the shock. He wakes up on their spaceship, five minutes before the aliens are scheduled to leave.
* FlyingSaucer: The aliens arrive on Earth in a classic flying saucer.
* ImprovisedWeaponUser: Once Frisby realizes that his harmonica can overpower the aliens, he immediately starts using it in a more aggressive manner.
* LatexPerfection: The aliens wear masks that perfectly hide their true appearance. Frisby shatters their leader's mask when he punches him in the face.
* LighterAndSofter: Like "Mr. Bevis", "The Whole Truth", "Mr. Dingle, the Strong", and several others before and after it, this episode is a lighthearted comic romp. It helps that Frisby is played by Andy Devine, a gifted comedian and character actor.
* MilesGloriosus: Frisby builds himself up as a genius, a noted advisor, and an incredibly brave hero who takes on danger with ease. When he's put into a genuinely dangerous situation, he shows his cowardice and begs to be set free.
* TheStoryteller: Frisby may own a store and gas station, but his ''real'' industry is story-telling. His friends come from miles around just to listen to him spin his yarns, even though they know they're not true in the least. As it happens, a group of otherworldly visitors ''also'' come quite a long way to hear them.
* TallTale: Frisby continually tells tall tales throughout the episode, Serling himself even calling them his most common commodity. During the episode, he's abducted by aliens (ironically, because they actually ''believe'' all his stories) and escapes, but when he tells his friends of the adventure, they believe he is just CryingWolf again.
* ThatRemindsMeOfASong: A "story" variant. Frisby can turn any comment or question into a tall tale about himself and his imagined exploits, and it's clear that the townspeople get a kick of seeing how he'll connect whatever they've just said to one of his boasts.
* TwoOfYourEarthMinutes: The aliens' leader tells Frisby that they'll be taking off in "fourteen minutes, by your measure of time."
* YouHaveToBelieveMe: The ending has Frisby saying that even though he's been a liar before, his story about the aliens and his harmonica saving him is the real deal. Naturally, his friends don't buy it for a second.
----
->'''Creator/RodSerling''': Mr. Somerset Frisby, who might have profited by reading an Aesop fable about a boy who cried wolf. Tonight's tall tale from the timberlands of the Twilight Zone.
