"The Twilight Zone" Five Characters in Search of an Exit (1961)

Director:

Lamont Johnson

Writers:

Marvin Petal (short story)
Rod Serling (teleplay) ...

TV Series:

"The Twilight Zone" (1959)

Original Air Date:

22 December 1961 (Season 3, Episode 14)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy | Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Plot:

An army major awakens in a small room with no idea of who he is or how he got there. He finds four other people in the same room, and they all begin to question how they each arrived there, and more importantly, how to escape.

Plot Keywords:

Major | Toy | Doll | Ballerina | Little Girl

Cast

Susan Harrison	...	The Ballerina
William Windom	...	The Major (as Bill Windom)
Murray Matheson	...	The Clown
Kelton Garwood	...	The Tramp
Clark Allen	...	The Bagpiper
Carol Hill	...	Woman
Mona Houghton	...	Little Girl

Runtime:

25 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Cayuga Productions

Trivia:

Vincenzo Natali named this episode as an inspiration for his film Cube.

Goofs:

Continuity: After they fall from the attempted escape, the ballerina lies with her leg straightened, but in the following shot, is kneeling and facing another way.

Quotes:

The Clown: [of the Major] Very active chap. Quite a function. Compulsive worker.
The Major: [still tapping the wall] You a big-teme psychologist, huh?
The Clown: I'm a clown. It's neither here, there, nor anyplace... I could be a certified public accountant, a financier, a left-handed pitcher who throws only curves... What difference does it make?
[singing to the tune of "Awld Lang Syne" while the Major pounds the wall]
The Clown: We're here, because we're here, because we're h -
[breaks off as the Major turns to stare at him, then brokenly starts up again as he resumes hammering]
[...]

Movie Connections:

Remade as "Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense: Child's Play (#1.12)" (1986)

One of Sterling's best, inspired by archetype, the era, and classics

For those curious, this episode is based in theme upon Pirandello's play, "Six Characters in Search of an Author" and Jean-Paul Sartre's play, "No Exit" (as indicated most obviously by its title), but, of course, with a Sterling twist.

Five very different individuals find themselves in a round room with no idea who they are other than the indication of their attire. A bell intermittently rings (perhaps also a Hemmingway allusion?), increasing the agony of their incarceration. The newcomer to the group, a Major, is determined to escape, while the others are resigned to their fate.

Unlike Pirandello, these characters don't even have a story. They have nothing other than the experience of the room in their consciousness, and no one to author their nonexistent story, so their position is even more hopeless than the characters in Pirandello's piece. Unlike both Pirandello and Sartre, there is no relationship involved between the characters and therefore no real conflict between them, though the theme of personal responsibility versus apathy is prominent in this story.

Though this diverges significantly from the storyline of the authors alluded to in the title, themes of Sartre and Pirandello (and many other authors of the twentieth century) come through with absolute clarity. This is very obviously a piece which addresses post-modernist perspective in the context of the Cold War era. There is also an emphasis upon issues of personal insignificance.

This is easily one of the best episodes I've seen, and still exceptionally relevant to current experience (as are Sartre and Pirandello). Exactly what makes a good piece of writing into a classic.