The Voice in the Night (24 Mar. 1958)

After shipwreck survivors manage to struggle ashore on a desert island, they discover that the menacing fungus that covers everything on the cay begins to grow on them.

Director:

Arthur Hiller

Writers:

William Hope Hodgson (story), Stirling Silliphant

Stars:

James Coburn, James Donald, Patrick Macnee

Cast

Episode credited cast:
James Coburn	...	Carson
James Donald	...	Thomason
Patrick Macnee	...	Biersdorf
Barbara Rush	...	Eleanor

Storyline

After shipwreck survivors manage to struggle ashore on a desert island, they discover that the menacing fungus that covers everything on the cay begins to grow on them.

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Plot Keywords:

shipwreck | fungus | desert island

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 March 1958 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Republic Studios - 4024 Radford Avenue, North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Shamley Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Version of Matango (1963)

User Reviews

Castaways marooned on an island of fungus

This is a very faithful rendition of the short story by William Hope Hodgson. James Coburn and Barbara Rush are shipwrecked, and find their way to an island where an unusual fungus has taken over everything. Finally they find a small beach where the fungus cannot grow. Most of the story is the narration of Coburn's character to a passing ship. The mystery is that he refuses rescue, and only asks for some food. Of course the reason for his odd behavior becomes clear at the end. I first heard this story when my mother read it in a collection of short stories edited by Alfred Hitchcock, and titled "Stories They Wouldn't Let Me Put on TV." Oddly enough, we saw this teleplay a few weeks later. I managed to find it again by chance in the early 1960's when it was re-broadcast as a time-filler by a local station. The story always stayed with me, and looking at the credits today (Director Arthur Hiller, writer Stirling Silliphant), it is easy to see why. This was a very well done production, and I would jump at the chance to see it again.