The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine (23 Oct. 1959)
"The Twilight Zone" The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine (original title)

Barbara Jean Trenton is a faded film star who lives in the past by constantly re-watching her old movies instead of moving on with her life, so her associates try to lure her out of her self-imposed isolation.

Director:

Mitchell Leisen

Writer:

Rod Serling

Stars:

Rod Serling, Ida Lupino, Martin Balsam

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
Rod Serling	...	Narrator (voice)
Ida Lupino	...	Barbara Trenton
Martin Balsam	...	Danny Weiss
Jerome Cowan	...	Jerry Hearndan
Ted de Corsia	...	Marty Sall
Alice Frost	...	Sally

Storyline

Barbara Jean Trenton is a faded film star who lives in the past by constantly re-watching her old movies instead of moving on with her life, so her associates try to lure her out of her self-imposed isolation.

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Plot Keywords:

screening room | narrator | aging | agent | selfishness | 

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Genres:

Fantasy | Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 October 1959 (USA)

Filming Locations:

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

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cayuga Productions, Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

25 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Ida Lupino, who starred in this episode, would later direct the Season 5 episode, "The Masks." She thus became not just the only woman to direct an episode of the series, but also the only person both to star in an episode and to direct one.

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Quotes

Danny Weiss: Barbie, it's no good, honey. None of this is any good.
Barbara Trenton: Look, if you won't fix yourself a drink, sit down and be quiet - will you? You know something, Daniel, you have a habit of looking poised, ready to spring.
Danny Weiss: What was the picture?

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Connections

References Sunset Blvd. (1950)

User Reviews

Some fine performances, but not a whole lot else

Picture of a woman looking at a picture. Movie great of another time, once-brilliant star in a firmament no longer a part of the sky, eclipsed by the movement of earth and time. Barbara Jean Trenton, whose world is a projection room, whose dreams are made out of celluloid. Barbara Jean Trenton, struck down by hit-and-run years and lying on the unhappy pavement, trying desperately to get the license number of fleeting fame.

Playing a bit like Billy Wilder's 'Sunset Blvd.' but with Ida Lupin ('High Sierra') instead of Gloria Swanson as the distressed, aging movie star. To me, this has always been one of the least entertaining & watchable episodes of the series. While Lupino, who would later be the only female ever to direct an episode of the show, does a great job as Barbara Jean Trent, and Martin Balsam is a solid co-star as Trent's agent & friend, the overall episode just does not have enough oomph behind it to make it a classic. This may come from the fact that it, for so long, played out as little more than just a standard Hollywood-themed drama, and the 'Twilight Zone'-ness of it doesn't appear until the final few moments which, to be honest, weren't creative enough to steal the show.

Overall, it's a nice effort to do something a bit different, but it just wasn't a stellar episode and won't go down as one of the tops of this wonderful series.

-AP3-