This episode of The Twilight Zone is somewhat different to most of the rest; as instead of being a bizarre tale; it's based more on human morals, and is also something that could very easily happen. "The Shelter" follows a street, where only one person has a bomb shelter. After nuclear war is threatened; the street is thrown into disarray, as everyone wants a piece of the shelter. This story might not have as big an impact nowadays as it did when it was first aired in 1961. In the middle of the Cold War, the nuclear threat was very real; and knowing that the events of this show could be just round the corner must have been terrifying. The tale is very well written, and the exercise in morality is very well felt. Unlike the rest of The Twilight Zone, this story takes place in our world, and has a very realistic feel throughout. The final words on morality and civilisation sums it all up perfectly, and while it might not be what you'd expect from The Twilight Zone, this is still an ingenious little tale and it still makes you think. Another episode that comes highly recommended!
36 Reviews
A Landmark Television Event
gavin694228 April 2014
A suburban dinner party is interrupted by a bulletin warning of an impending nuclear attack. As the neighbors scramble to prepare themselves, they turn against the one family that installed a permanent bomb shelter.
Although a great many episodes of "Twilight Zone" were philosophical and raised ethical points (a big part of what made it great), this episode has the distinction of being one of only four to be strictly realistic in nature -- no science fiction or fantasy elements can be found.
This realism is what made the story both memorable and powerful. Rod Serling, in an interview with Bob Crane, claimed that shortly after the episode aired, he received 1300 letters within two days from folks who were both delighted and terrified, and from those who understood the message and those who obviously did not.
We have a tale of the haves versus the have nots, though not necessarily with money -- with safety and shelter. The episode shows that hysteria and panic can easily turn one group against he other -- a situation every bit as dangerous as an atom bomb.
Further, the ethical elements are compounded by having the lead character be a medical doctor. If you have a shelter, are you obligated to allow neighbors in, or wise to leave them out? And with a doctor the question must be asked: are they to be held to a higher standard because they are caregivers who are loyal to the Hippocratic Oath?
Of course, it could reasonably be argued that saving your family and excluding others is saving some people rather than risking the lives of all when oxygen runs low... but then, maybe your own kids are not as worth saving as someone else? The ethical elements are many.
Interestingly, in the Crane interview, Serling was conflicted on the whole idea of fallout shelters. He said his family thought about it, but ultimately decided against it -- not because of the ideas shown in the episode, but because of what he feared would happen to the survivors, left to scavenge like wild beasts. They might survive, but is that kind of survival worth having?
Although a great many episodes of "Twilight Zone" were philosophical and raised ethical points (a big part of what made it great), this episode has the distinction of being one of only four to be strictly realistic in nature -- no science fiction or fantasy elements can be found.
This realism is what made the story both memorable and powerful. Rod Serling, in an interview with Bob Crane, claimed that shortly after the episode aired, he received 1300 letters within two days from folks who were both delighted and terrified, and from those who understood the message and those who obviously did not.
We have a tale of the haves versus the have nots, though not necessarily with money -- with safety and shelter. The episode shows that hysteria and panic can easily turn one group against he other -- a situation every bit as dangerous as an atom bomb.
Further, the ethical elements are compounded by having the lead character be a medical doctor. If you have a shelter, are you obligated to allow neighbors in, or wise to leave them out? And with a doctor the question must be asked: are they to be held to a higher standard because they are caregivers who are loyal to the Hippocratic Oath?
Of course, it could reasonably be argued that saving your family and excluding others is saving some people rather than risking the lives of all when oxygen runs low... but then, maybe your own kids are not as worth saving as someone else? The ethical elements are many.
Interestingly, in the Crane interview, Serling was conflicted on the whole idea of fallout shelters. He said his family thought about it, but ultimately decided against it -- not because of the ideas shown in the episode, but because of what he feared would happen to the survivors, left to scavenge like wild beasts. They might survive, but is that kind of survival worth having?
The most intense episode in my opinion
mghee-615773 January 2021
After watching several episodes for the billionth time over a 4 day span as part of the New Year's Twilight Zone marathon, I've finally come to the conclusion that this one is the most intense episode of the series. The premise is pretty simple. Beloved neighborhood doc has the only bomb shelter on the block. The neighbors are all enjoying themselves at the doc's house as part of his birthday celebration and then an emergency broadcast comes on warning the country that unidentified objects are flying toward the U.S. and citizens should immediately take cover. However, the doc faces an additional dilemma. He only has room for his family to survive in his bomb shelter and the neighbors are pleading for him to share it (since they do not have one) given the zero hour that has been thrust upon them.
This episode displays a lot of human drama in 30 minutes. There is fear obviously and the urge for survival gets ugly and very primitive amongst the neighbors vying for the attention of the doc to let them into his shelter. As a result, there are a couple of striking scenes of prejudice that rise to the surface as well as violence in the midst of it all.
I'm not a cinematographer but there is a shadowy camera shot from behind of a woman neighbor on the stairs holding her baby that is crying, while her husband is pleading for the doc to let him , his wife and the baby in the shelter. This scene reeks of the desperation the neighbors are experiencing. Gets me everytime. I will not give away the ending but it is an unforgettable episode.
Profound
ivegonemod16 March 2014
Warning: Spoilers
This is my favorite episode of the Twilight Zone, right above The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street.
I have seen this episode so many times I know the dialogue word for word, but there has never been a time when I didn't sit on the edge of my seat and choke up while watching.
The way the neighbors behaved when they thought a bomb was headed their way, was just appalling. I get that nobody wants to die from a bomb, but how can you justify trying to break your way into someone else's bomb shelter, ruining it, and essentially killing them as well? With no door, the shelter isn't any good.
At the point where the neighbors want to break down the door of the one bomb shelter in the area, Dr. Stockton and his wife and son are safely inside, listening to some of the neighbors talking about busting in and turning on each other. One neighbor is suddenly considered a foreigner, and his life isn't worth squat to most everybody else in that moment.
The group is so disgruntled because Dr. Stockton won't let them into the shelter built for three, that they cannot even think straight. Some believe that it would be best to go back down to the basement and try to talk Dr. Stockton into letting just one family with kids in, others think it is best to knock down the door and go in themselves.
One guy who regained his senses, seems to realize that there are about 10 people plus kids who would need to get into the shelter, even breaking in wouldn't solve the problem of too many people.
It seemed to me that in some way, the group realized that they weren't going to really save themselves, but they resented the doctor for being safely tucked away, and if they were going to be exposed to a bomb, so was he and his wife and son.
It was such a shame to see how people really are in a crisis like this. Such a shame.
I have seen this episode so many times I know the dialogue word for word, but there has never been a time when I didn't sit on the edge of my seat and choke up while watching.
The way the neighbors behaved when they thought a bomb was headed their way, was just appalling. I get that nobody wants to die from a bomb, but how can you justify trying to break your way into someone else's bomb shelter, ruining it, and essentially killing them as well? With no door, the shelter isn't any good.
At the point where the neighbors want to break down the door of the one bomb shelter in the area, Dr. Stockton and his wife and son are safely inside, listening to some of the neighbors talking about busting in and turning on each other. One neighbor is suddenly considered a foreigner, and his life isn't worth squat to most everybody else in that moment.
The group is so disgruntled because Dr. Stockton won't let them into the shelter built for three, that they cannot even think straight. Some believe that it would be best to go back down to the basement and try to talk Dr. Stockton into letting just one family with kids in, others think it is best to knock down the door and go in themselves.
One guy who regained his senses, seems to realize that there are about 10 people plus kids who would need to get into the shelter, even breaking in wouldn't solve the problem of too many people.
It seemed to me that in some way, the group realized that they weren't going to really save themselves, but they resented the doctor for being safely tucked away, and if they were going to be exposed to a bomb, so was he and his wife and son.
It was such a shame to see how people really are in a crisis like this. Such a shame.
Neighbors, everybody need good neighbors!
Coventry1 July 2020
This episode perfectly illustrates why "The Twilight Zone" is the greatest show that ever aired on television. It's not a typical TZ-tale, mind you, since it doesn't feature any supernatural or mystery elements, but it's disturbing, contemporarily accurate, thought-provoking, intelligent and indescribably tense. What a true genius you were, Mr. Rod Serling! Throughout a total of five seasons and 150+ episodes, we've seen stories with a wide variety of greatly horrific subjects (aliens, parallel dimensions, dystopian futures, post-nuclear landscapes, ...) but, in "The Shelter", Serling establishes once and for all that the biggest menace for the survival of our species is, in fact, man itself. The story opens in the living room of the respectable Dr. Stockton, where he and his family are cozily enjoying a diner party with the closest neighbors and friends. Moments after the neighbors jokingly mocked the good doctor for being the sole resident in the area with a bomb shelter in his basements, the party is rudely interrupted by a government announcement. A nuclear attack is imminent and seemingly unavoidable. Suddenly, the idea of being prepared with bomb-proof shelter isn't so funny anymore.
What happens next is jaw-dropping, because it's simultaneously disturbing and realistic. Everybody thinks they are entitled to seek refuge in Dr. Stockton's shelter. Lifelong friends turn into selfish enemies, neighbors who were enjoying a drink together before the news bulletin are now turning violent on each other, and literally everybody feels that his/her life is more valuable than that of another. And, of course, during all this you can't help thinking: "How would I react?". It's easy to assume we are more civilized than this, but ... are we really? Only great cinema/television can evoke these kinds of thoughts, and "The Twilight Zone" is great television! The events and circumstances obviously look dated in 2020, but can you imagine what impact this must have had upon its release in the fall of 1961, at the height of the Cold War paranoia? In fact, I wouldn't even be too surprised if this TV-episode was single-handedly responsible for the sudden construction of hundreds of domestic bomb shelters all across the United States. I have yet to see and review quite a large number of "Twilight Zone" episodes, but I'm already quite sure that "The Shelter" will eventually pop up in my personal top 10.
What happens next is jaw-dropping, because it's simultaneously disturbing and realistic. Everybody thinks they are entitled to seek refuge in Dr. Stockton's shelter. Lifelong friends turn into selfish enemies, neighbors who were enjoying a drink together before the news bulletin are now turning violent on each other, and literally everybody feels that his/her life is more valuable than that of another. And, of course, during all this you can't help thinking: "How would I react?". It's easy to assume we are more civilized than this, but ... are we really? Only great cinema/television can evoke these kinds of thoughts, and "The Twilight Zone" is great television! The events and circumstances obviously look dated in 2020, but can you imagine what impact this must have had upon its release in the fall of 1961, at the height of the Cold War paranoia? In fact, I wouldn't even be too surprised if this TV-episode was single-handedly responsible for the sudden construction of hundreds of domestic bomb shelters all across the United States. I have yet to see and review quite a large number of "Twilight Zone" episodes, but I'm already quite sure that "The Shelter" will eventually pop up in my personal top 10.
"I don't know what normal is, I thought I did once. I don't know anymore".
classicsoncall11 May 2010
Warning: Spoilers
This episode of The Twilight Zone went in an entirely different direction than I think most casual viewers give it credit for. It was the first time in the series in which Rod Serling tackled the subject of racism head on. When the situation got really intense with the families vying for a spot in Dr. Stockton's (Larry Gates) bomb shelter, Frank Henderson (Sandy Kenyon) lashes out at neighbor Marty Weiss (Joseph Bernard), impugning his race by declaring him one of 'your kind'. It was a daring sit up and take notice for a television show to expose us to back in the early Sixties. It would take at least another decade before 'All in the Family' would get right in your face with the the subject, but this was probably one of the earliest instances of taking on a significant social issue.
The other, and more overt one, of course, was the way in which Serling exposed just another one of man's petty foibles. The responsible family man does the right thing by providing for his family's welfare in the event of a nuclear attack, and is then expected to do the same for the rest of the neighborhood while they didn't lift a finger to help themselves along the way. The episode exposes the real monsters on Maple Street, the ones living right among us who under otherwise normal circumstances might be the best friends and neighbors you ever had. The disillusionment suffered by Dr. Stockton to close out the story is a most discomfiting one. He realizes that things will never be the same again, even if he was the only one who showed character throughout the ordeal. Lingering resentment would far outlive an attitude of forgive and forget.
Another thought I had while watching had to do with a sentiment expressed by Mrs. Stockton (Peggy Stewart). She probably had it right when she questioned whether it was all that necessary to survive a nuclear attack. 'What's the good of it?' she wonders. Considering the congestion of a city like New York and the virtual impossibility of evacuating millions of people on short notice, wouldn't it be better to head toward the epicenter of the cataclysm and face Armageddon heroically instead of lingering on in the death throes of agony the way survivors on the fringes might be forced to suffer? This is certainly getting way too heavy for a mere movie review, but that's what you often got to think about with a Serling script.
The other, and more overt one, of course, was the way in which Serling exposed just another one of man's petty foibles. The responsible family man does the right thing by providing for his family's welfare in the event of a nuclear attack, and is then expected to do the same for the rest of the neighborhood while they didn't lift a finger to help themselves along the way. The episode exposes the real monsters on Maple Street, the ones living right among us who under otherwise normal circumstances might be the best friends and neighbors you ever had. The disillusionment suffered by Dr. Stockton to close out the story is a most discomfiting one. He realizes that things will never be the same again, even if he was the only one who showed character throughout the ordeal. Lingering resentment would far outlive an attitude of forgive and forget.
Another thought I had while watching had to do with a sentiment expressed by Mrs. Stockton (Peggy Stewart). She probably had it right when she questioned whether it was all that necessary to survive a nuclear attack. 'What's the good of it?' she wonders. Considering the congestion of a city like New York and the virtual impossibility of evacuating millions of people on short notice, wouldn't it be better to head toward the epicenter of the cataclysm and face Armageddon heroically instead of lingering on in the death throes of agony the way survivors on the fringes might be forced to suffer? This is certainly getting way too heavy for a mere movie review, but that's what you often got to think about with a Serling script.
A wonderful parable--and one parodied on The Simpsons, believe it or not!
planktonrules29 January 2008
Warning: Spoilers
There is a surprise announcement that a nuclear attack is coming and at that point the citizens of a town are forced to deal with impending annihilation. However, amidst all this panic is the realization that one person in the community has a bomb shelter and people might be able to survive if only they can manage to get inside.
I guess I am a real cynic, as among my very favorite episodes of The Twilight Zone are those that expose how fundamentally screwed up people are--particularly when we are in groups. My favorite of these is probably THE MONSTERS ARE DUE ON MAPLE STREET, but this one is very close and very similar in its view of mankind at its worst.
By the way, this was parodied on an older episode of The Simpsons, in which Ned Flanders and his family are going to be the only residents of Springfield who will survive the impact of a meteorite and so, naturally, all his neighbors want inside as well.
I guess I am a real cynic, as among my very favorite episodes of The Twilight Zone are those that expose how fundamentally screwed up people are--particularly when we are in groups. My favorite of these is probably THE MONSTERS ARE DUE ON MAPLE STREET, but this one is very close and very similar in its view of mankind at its worst.
By the way, this was parodied on an older episode of The Simpsons, in which Ned Flanders and his family are going to be the only residents of Springfield who will survive the impact of a meteorite and so, naturally, all his neighbors want inside as well.
Maple Street 2, just when you thought it was safe to go back in to the suburbs.
darrenpearce1114 December 2013
The human race hits the communal self destruct button again, like in 'The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street'. Rod Serling wrote both these classics, and little known character actress Mary Gregory plays a role in both troubled streets. Again it's innate fear that's the real enemy making mankind unkind and cowardly. The hitherto friendly residents resort to judgments like 'semi-American'. Earlier Grace Stockton (Peggy Stewart) asks her husband 'Why's survival so necessary?', and this seems a rather good question if civilization is barely to survive anyway. The power of 'The Shelter' is showing us that there is one thing more frightening than the thought of nuclear devastation and that is the despicable change in people that fear alone can bring. TZ gets genuinely scary from time to time when the story could actually happen.
No Santurary
hellraiser711 January 2017
This is my seventh favorite tale of the show if you can believe that. There isn't much to say it's once again a tale about civilization crumpling or evil next door. This of course is a story that took place during the Cold War and Cuban Missle Crisis so in a way the story is also kinda educational as it also is glimpse of a time when it seemed the end of the world could be a minute away.
I really like the protagonist Bill as he is doing everything he can to keep his own family safe while feeling a little of the pain of his inability to save anyone else. We see slowly but surely the whole neighborhoods civility just crumple as most of them act in fits of desperation even almost resorting to murder.
This is sort of the dark side of humanity but also based on our fear of how little we know about our fellow man, how our own enemy can be our own next door neighbor. There are moments when we here some of them spout out toward each other a few make some racist remarks which I'll admit I found sickening, or even seeing most of them just vandalize Bill's house for no reason not even caring that may'be certain things in the house had some sacred value to them. It just goes to show once again how little we can know about the person living in our neighborhood and talk to; may'be this crisis is what brought out what that person is on the inside all along.
It also shows how heroism has it's limitations. it's true Bill has built a shelter but the Shelter isn't big enough nor have enough provisions to support 30 or even 100 people so he's not Noah. Bill isn't being selfish as he does think about all the others but he has to think about protecting the people he loves even more and making sure that his own son at least has a future. And it's mentioned Bill is a Doctor but even Doctors lose patients sometimes; it's true that his job is to save lives but it's not to save every ones lives because logically it's impossible, you can try but it most of the time but usually it does no good.
It's not going to be the bombs that will strike first it's going to be ourselves.
Rating: 4 stars
I really like the protagonist Bill as he is doing everything he can to keep his own family safe while feeling a little of the pain of his inability to save anyone else. We see slowly but surely the whole neighborhoods civility just crumple as most of them act in fits of desperation even almost resorting to murder.
This is sort of the dark side of humanity but also based on our fear of how little we know about our fellow man, how our own enemy can be our own next door neighbor. There are moments when we here some of them spout out toward each other a few make some racist remarks which I'll admit I found sickening, or even seeing most of them just vandalize Bill's house for no reason not even caring that may'be certain things in the house had some sacred value to them. It just goes to show once again how little we can know about the person living in our neighborhood and talk to; may'be this crisis is what brought out what that person is on the inside all along.
It also shows how heroism has it's limitations. it's true Bill has built a shelter but the Shelter isn't big enough nor have enough provisions to support 30 or even 100 people so he's not Noah. Bill isn't being selfish as he does think about all the others but he has to think about protecting the people he loves even more and making sure that his own son at least has a future. And it's mentioned Bill is a Doctor but even Doctors lose patients sometimes; it's true that his job is to save lives but it's not to save every ones lives because logically it's impossible, you can try but it most of the time but usually it does no good.
It's not going to be the bombs that will strike first it's going to be ourselves.
Rating: 4 stars
"The Shelter" is Cold War drama at its best
chuck-reilly10 November 2008
Warning: Spoilers
The 1961 entry "The Shelter" is a stark tale of Cold War sensibilities and writer Rod Serling dispenses with the usual Twilight Zone fantasies in favor of a heaping dose of reality. The story begins with a surprise birthday party for a local physician named Doctor Stockton (Larry Gates) who has won the admiration of his neighbors for his selfless work and long-time friendships. The man (Jack Albertson) handing out the most accolades to the good doctor cheerfully forgives him for banging away at all hours of the night while he's building a bomb shelter in his basement. The happy party ends abruptly, however, when the television informs the gathering that a nuclear attack is imminent and that they should all take shelter where they can. And what better place for everyone to run to than Stockton's shelter. But there's a problem. The shelter was only built for the doctor's immediate family and there's no room for the neighbors he's been serving all these years. Within minutes, Stockton and his family are under siege from everyone and a mob mentality takes over. Survival is placed at an absolute premium and it's decided that Stockton's shelter has to accommodate everyone, even if that means battering and blasting their way in. Stockton is soon perceived as Public Enemy number one as his hysterical neighbors begin to smash their way into his bomb shelter.
"The Shelter" is a cautionary tale and Serling's view of "the majority" and their destructive nature is on full view in this episode. Although the nuclear attack ends up being a false alarm, the damage is done to the community-at-large as trust and friendship are permanently thrown to the proverbial wolves. As for the capable cast, Gates does a fine job as Stockton and Peggy Stewart lends support as his besieged wife. Jack Albertson is his usual jovial self, until he realizes that gaining entrance into Stockton's shelter is his only chance for survival. The episode was expertly directed by Lamont Johnson. He's one of Hollywood's most prolific television directors and has quite a few feature films under his belt as well.
"The Shelter" is a cautionary tale and Serling's view of "the majority" and their destructive nature is on full view in this episode. Although the nuclear attack ends up being a false alarm, the damage is done to the community-at-large as trust and friendship are permanently thrown to the proverbial wolves. As for the capable cast, Gates does a fine job as Stockton and Peggy Stewart lends support as his besieged wife. Jack Albertson is his usual jovial self, until he realizes that gaining entrance into Stockton's shelter is his only chance for survival. The episode was expertly directed by Lamont Johnson. He's one of Hollywood's most prolific television directors and has quite a few feature films under his belt as well.
Simplistic Today: Probably Pretty Startling Back Then
Hitchcoc18 October 2006
The "Twilight Zone" always made a point of putting people into situations and then seeing what made them tick. This is about a man who has taken the government's warning to heart and built a fallout shelter for his family with predictable results. The episode begins with a birthday party where there is a range of personalities, all joking, having a good time. There is also a refreshing ethnic mix. This must have been a bit daring for the time. Of course, when a real attack is suspected, all hell breaks loose and the "true" nature of people emerges. This is a nice companion piece to "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street." Desperation is what it's all about. It's a great example of how you can't put the toothpaste back in the tube. The denouement is strained and painful to watch, but it's probably pretty realistic. I recall that a man in my home town built a fallout shelter. I found out later that it is still there, being used as a storage shed. That "duck and cover" mentality seems almost amusing today, but I would be that some were envious of him in those days.
As Prescient and Timeless As Ever - Just as the People in Hawaii Today
gmakgenericuse13 January 2018
This episode is timeless - and prescient. Just ask the people in Hawaii today (Jan 13, 2018) after their "Nuclear Attack Is Imminent! This is not a Drill!" broadcast scare. Initial stories of a panicked people tearing down streets at 100mph, breaking into shelters... more and more stories will surface as the inevitable investigations proliferate. But Rod Serling got it right back in 1961 and showed what people turn into, and are capable of, when faced with their own imminent demise. Perhaps there will be a movie out of this (Hawaii false nuclear attack), but remember, you heard it here first: Rod Serling, 1961 "The Shelter".
a Cold War time capsule
HelloTexas1124 March 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Like 'The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street,' 'The Shelter' is a feverish episode which puts forth the suggestion that below a fairly shallow facade of manners and politeness, we're all uncivilized, just waiting for the right circumstances to revert to selfish, greedy savages. In best 'Twilight Zone' fashion, the show begins in an everyday community, specifically a birthday party for good old Dr. Stockton, neighborhood physician, much loved. The only criticism the neighbors can come up with is that godawful racket he makes late at night building his bomb shelter, which they all consider a damn fool idea. Then over the radio comes an emergency message- early warning radar has detected a possible missile attack on the US. The neighbors all run off to their homes. Rod Serling's intro is classic- "What you're about to watch is a nightmare. It is not meant to be prophetic; it need not happen. It's the fervent and urgent prayer of all men of goodwill that it never shall happen. But in this place, in this moment, it does happen. This is the Twilight Zone." The neighbors start to drift back over to the doctor's house, singly and then in a group, pleading and then demanding to be let in to the bomb shelter. Finally they fashion a battering ram of sorts and beat down the shelter door just as it is announced over the radio that the previous warning was a false alarm... there is no missile attack in progress. Everyone feels appropriately sheepish and embarrassed about their behavior, but the doc feels it is worse than that: they've all revealed their true nature and nothing will ever be the same again. Pretty ham-handed, 'The Shelter' suffers from a surfeit of illogic in a number of ways. Surely at least SOME of the neighbors realize there's no way they can all fit in the shelter. And for a shelter that we assume is designed to withstand an atomic blast, the door sure proves to be flimsy. Along the way there is much sweaty-browed arguing, even race-baiting... this is pure Cold War hysteria. It has been parodied so many times in the years since that audiences today are likely to find much of it unintentionally amusing. But this is a theme that Serling and writers like him would return to again and again... the fear of a nuclear Armageddon really motivated them. It perhaps reached its most dramatic peak with the ending of 'Planet of the Apes,' which Serling co-scripted.
Gave me a headache.
jamericanbeauty1 January 2021
I was relaxing. I watched this as part of Syfy's New Year's marathon. It gave me anxiety and a headache. It's easy for people to be (or act) nice in the best of times. You see their true nature during bad times, especially during pandemonium or a life-threatening crisis. Apparently to Rod Serling, who penned this episode, the true nature of all people during a crisis is ugly. Every single character in this episode is unbearable. I could not stand or relate to one person. Mr. Serling is at his brilliant-best when he delivers messages with subtlety or dark humor or a sadistic twist. Shelter was over-the-top with a predictable, preachy ending.
What Would You Do
dougdoepke13 July 2016
This is a really unnerving entry, probably because it hits so close to home for not just Cold War 1961, but even now. Nonetheless, 1961 was a time when a Hot War could break out at any moment, which the 30-minutes capitalizes on. Note how the opening shows our typical suburban community in joyous abandon. That sets up the tragedy that follows, when reports of atomic missiles striking are broadcast. Immediately, the boisterous good feeling collapses into panic as family survival suddenly becomes uppermost. The problem is that only one of the families has followed Civil Defense instructions to construct a bomb shelter. Thus the Stocktons rush to their shelter, while the others frantically mill about. Having nowhere obvious to go, the panicked, folks plead with the Stocktons to share their shelter. But the confines are too small, so Dad Stockton refuses. But what will happen now that suburban comity has collapsed into sheer clamor for survival.
As I recall, this was a 'water cooler' episode that attracted considerable attention, as folks wondered what they would do in similar circumstances. However, the underlying subtext could apply to any calamitous situation, and what a person or family would do once ordinary bonds are shattered. Thus, the theme has much broader application than Cold War 1961.
The acting here is first-rate, making us feel the desperate fright. Given the alarming relevancy to the time, I expect the producers were especially concerned how the results would be popularly taken. After all, the topic was not really about another time or another place far away. All in all, it's a riveting, if unsettling, 30-minutes.
As I recall, this was a 'water cooler' episode that attracted considerable attention, as folks wondered what they would do in similar circumstances. However, the underlying subtext could apply to any calamitous situation, and what a person or family would do once ordinary bonds are shattered. Thus, the theme has much broader application than Cold War 1961.
The acting here is first-rate, making us feel the desperate fright. Given the alarming relevancy to the time, I expect the producers were especially concerned how the results would be popularly taken. After all, the topic was not really about another time or another place far away. All in all, it's a riveting, if unsettling, 30-minutes.
How We React Under Pressure
Samuel-Shovel14 January 2020
Warning: Spoilers
In "The Shelter" a town doctor is accosted by his friends and neighbors when he doesn't let them into his bomb shelter during a nationwide panic about potential WMDs being deployed.
I think my favorite kind of TZ episode is the mass hysteria type where people's survival instincts kick in and trump any civility towards their neighbors they might have. I see a lot of parallels between this and "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street". Both classic in their own right, this episode also brings an undertone of race into the script. I still enjoy Maple Street a tad more but this is a solid sequel of sorts.
I think my favorite kind of TZ episode is the mass hysteria type where people's survival instincts kick in and trump any civility towards their neighbors they might have. I see a lot of parallels between this and "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street". Both classic in their own right, this episode also brings an undertone of race into the script. I still enjoy Maple Street a tad more but this is a solid sequel of sorts.
A remake of "Monsters are due on Maple Street" but with a more consistent theme.
dave42481851 January 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Previously friendly neighbors, thinking they are under nuclear attack from the Soviets, turn on each other in a grim battle for survival. The ending reveals it was all a mistake. The 'nukes' were just satellites accidentally gone off course. So their violent reaction was completely inexcusable. A previous TZ episode had neighbors turning on each other in a similar fashion, fearing an invasion from Mars. That episode had much less credibility because we find out the invasion was real all along. Making their violent reaction at least a little bit understandable.
Normal!
ericstevenson29 July 2018
Warning: Spoilers
What is it that makes me keep running into normal Twilight Zone episodes today? There were only like four of them ever made! When it's always normal, it's so...not normal. Anyway, this episode features unidentified objects being sighted. It's suspected that they're missiles. Only one guy in town has a bomb shelter.
Everyone else riots to get it. It turns out the unidentified objects were just satellites. It looks like the episode has a happy ending, right? Nope, turns out everyone now knows their true colors as they rioted to get to the bomb shelter. Even Rod Serling says that nothing good was accomplished in this episode. It just shows how angry we can get and the fact that it's a realistic episode makes all the more sense. ****
Everyone else riots to get it. It turns out the unidentified objects were just satellites. It looks like the episode has a happy ending, right? Nope, turns out everyone now knows their true colors as they rioted to get to the bomb shelter. Even Rod Serling says that nothing good was accomplished in this episode. It just shows how angry we can get and the fact that it's a realistic episode makes all the more sense. ****
It's just a shot away.
BA_Harrison22 March 2022
For The Shelter, Rod Serling exploits his viewers' very real fear of nuclear annihilation during the cold war. The titular construction has been built by Dr. Bill Stockton (Larry Gates) for use in the event of a missile attack, and it is designed for his family of three, which causes problems when, after a possible strike is announced on the radio, his friends come calling hoping to also take refuge in the shelter.
Like William Golding's Lord of the Flies, The Shelter reveals what a superficial layer so-called civilisation actually is, people quickly reverting to an animalistic state when it comes to survival. Stockton's friends don't take long to show their true colours when the doctor refuses them entry to his shelter, turning on each other in their desperation, and resorting to violence. The twist in the tale is the attack is revealed to be a false alarm, leaving the people embarrassed and ashamed of what they have become in the face of imminent death.
A gripping, thought-provoking tale about human nature, and one of Serling's more disturbing stories - a resounding success, although that bomb shelter door didn't put up much resistance to a makeshift battering ram... can't see that it would have held up too well against a nuclear blast.
7.5/10, rounded up to 8 for IMDb.
Like William Golding's Lord of the Flies, The Shelter reveals what a superficial layer so-called civilisation actually is, people quickly reverting to an animalistic state when it comes to survival. Stockton's friends don't take long to show their true colours when the doctor refuses them entry to his shelter, turning on each other in their desperation, and resorting to violence. The twist in the tale is the attack is revealed to be a false alarm, leaving the people embarrassed and ashamed of what they have become in the face of imminent death.
A gripping, thought-provoking tale about human nature, and one of Serling's more disturbing stories - a resounding success, although that bomb shelter door didn't put up much resistance to a makeshift battering ram... can't see that it would have held up too well against a nuclear blast.
7.5/10, rounded up to 8 for IMDb.
Fallout
AaronCapenBanner27 October 2014
Larry Gates plays Dr. Stockton, an amiable small town physician who is having a dinner party one night with his friends and neighbors. Things are fine until a surprise radio announcement is made that a mysterious unidentified object is on its way to the U.S., and residents should take shelter. The good doctor does have a bomb shelter ready for himself, his wife and son, but no one else, which doesn't sit well with his panicking neighbors, who have no shelter, and in fact want Stockton's, even if they have to bash down the door to get in... Chilling and all-too believable account of human beings under pressure, and how quickly they came become uncivilized is an underrated gem, with a final character summation that says it all...
Relevant Today, and that's not a good thing
tinidrilcharon23 October 2019
Warning: Spoilers
This episode hit home in 2019. Neighbor turning on neighbor, immigrant hate, people denying there was anything wrong until it was too late. Mob mentality violence. And when everything is settled, they all expect to go back to normal. Brutal.
State of Nature.
rmax30482323 March 2013
Warning: Spoilers
It's full of tension and it's thought provoking but it's Serling at his preachiest.
I don't know whether the writer intended it or not but it's an illustration of a a world view made in the 1600s by the English philosopher Thomas Hobbes. Without governing authority -- that is, in a "state of nature" -- people will act like animals because they "shun death" and desire to preserve their own lives. When there is no leader, when the rules break down, life becomes "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short." People may have local affections. Men may love their wives, their children, and their dogs (nobody loves cats), but their benevolence is limited and partial. The end result is "the war of all against all."
Good old Doctor Larry Gates -- the old-fashioned kind of doc who makes house calls -- is being given a birthday party by his neighbors and friends. The gathering is interrupted by a bulletin warning of a nuclear attack. The half dozen guests rush home to prepare. And the doc sensibly gathers his family and herds them into the fallout shelter in the basement, the only one on the block. He locks the door behind him.
One by one, the neighboring couples come creeping back, begging admission to the shelter, which is only designed for the doc, his wife, and their child. The neighbors go on a rampage, looking for a battering ram, punching each other, overturning the doc's furniture. A nice touch by director Lamont Johnson: Two of the children, too young to understand the panic, pick at the left-over birthday cake that, only half an hour ago, was the symbol of neighborhood solidarity.
There are several familiar faces in the cast, mostly having been seen before as character actors. But the performance I enjoyed most was that of Joseph Bernard as Marty Weiss, the immigrant. He's supposed to be Jewish but his screen impact is that of an Italian, constantly beating harps in the air with his hands as he importunes, always on the verge of frenzy.
Well, it's a knotty problem, although presented as if to a kindergarten class. Here's the solution Hobbes advised: Get yourself an unchallengeable KING who would have ordered everyone to build an atomic shelter.
I don't know whether the writer intended it or not but it's an illustration of a a world view made in the 1600s by the English philosopher Thomas Hobbes. Without governing authority -- that is, in a "state of nature" -- people will act like animals because they "shun death" and desire to preserve their own lives. When there is no leader, when the rules break down, life becomes "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short." People may have local affections. Men may love their wives, their children, and their dogs (nobody loves cats), but their benevolence is limited and partial. The end result is "the war of all against all."
Good old Doctor Larry Gates -- the old-fashioned kind of doc who makes house calls -- is being given a birthday party by his neighbors and friends. The gathering is interrupted by a bulletin warning of a nuclear attack. The half dozen guests rush home to prepare. And the doc sensibly gathers his family and herds them into the fallout shelter in the basement, the only one on the block. He locks the door behind him.
One by one, the neighboring couples come creeping back, begging admission to the shelter, which is only designed for the doc, his wife, and their child. The neighbors go on a rampage, looking for a battering ram, punching each other, overturning the doc's furniture. A nice touch by director Lamont Johnson: Two of the children, too young to understand the panic, pick at the left-over birthday cake that, only half an hour ago, was the symbol of neighborhood solidarity.
There are several familiar faces in the cast, mostly having been seen before as character actors. But the performance I enjoyed most was that of Joseph Bernard as Marty Weiss, the immigrant. He's supposed to be Jewish but his screen impact is that of an Italian, constantly beating harps in the air with his hands as he importunes, always on the verge of frenzy.
Well, it's a knotty problem, although presented as if to a kindergarten class. Here's the solution Hobbes advised: Get yourself an unchallengeable KING who would have ordered everyone to build an atomic shelter.
A conclusion that really exclaims, "There goes the neighborhood!"
mark.waltz27 August 2019
Warning: Spoilers
The ghaul of some neighbors, constantly borrowing supplies and never returning them (or returning them in horrible condition), partying all night, owning obnoxious pets or raising beasts as children, and in this case, forcibly intruding on the only home with a bomb shelter due to an emergency announcement. Larry Gates is the beloved neighborhood doctor whose birthday party, a surprise by his friendly neighbors, ends up with panic when the announcement is made, and his efforts to get his wife and child inside the bomb shelter before the explosion to be occurs. All of a sudden, neighbor Jack Albertson shows up, longing to bring his family since his house is not equipped. Other neighbors follow, and soon, the civilized behavior of a supposed friendly neighborhood is tested.
The tension in this episode is great, starting off in a jolly manner but increasing in horror and pending doom and the necessity to survive without the materials to do so. What does a friendly neighbor do in a situation like this? The bomb shelter is only equipped to hold three people, and with nearly a dozen others banging at the door, it could end up being a worse situation for everybody with nobody surviving.
The brilliance of this episode is not only in its morals but in the twist at the end and the outstanding speech that Gates gives. A character actor of stage and screen who worked for many years and ended up the beloved patriarch H.B. Lewis on "Guiding Light" more than 20 years after this episode aired, Gates is justifiably determined not to risk his family, yet the sympathy for the neighbors is strong as well, both from him and the viewer. But, a person has to stand their ground in certain situations, and to do otherwise would certainly take one into their own Twilight Zone.
The tension in this episode is great, starting off in a jolly manner but increasing in horror and pending doom and the necessity to survive without the materials to do so. What does a friendly neighbor do in a situation like this? The bomb shelter is only equipped to hold three people, and with nearly a dozen others banging at the door, it could end up being a worse situation for everybody with nobody surviving.
The brilliance of this episode is not only in its morals but in the twist at the end and the outstanding speech that Gates gives. A character actor of stage and screen who worked for many years and ended up the beloved patriarch H.B. Lewis on "Guiding Light" more than 20 years after this episode aired, Gates is justifiably determined not to risk his family, yet the sympathy for the neighbors is strong as well, both from him and the viewer. But, a person has to stand their ground in certain situations, and to do otherwise would certainly take one into their own Twilight Zone.
Shelter Half
sol-kay21 January 2012
Warning: Spoilers
****SPOILERS**** There's nothing supernatural in this "Twilight Zone" episode but it hits you flush right in the pit of your stomach with full force. Like the body punch that Tony Zale knocked the wind out of Rocky Graziano to retain his World Middleweight boxing title in the sixth round at Yankee Stadium on the night of September 27, 1946.
With a red alert broadcast on the radio about a possible Soviet nuclear attack on the USA all hell breaks loose in this quite little suburban town some 40 miles outside New York City limits. It just so happens that Dr. Bill Stockton,Larry Gates,had built a fall-out shelter for himself and his family his wife Grace, Peggy Stewart, and 12 year old son Paul, Mchael Burns, to survive the blast. With Dr.Stockton's terrified and desperate neighbors who've known the well liked kind doctor, who makes house calls, for over 20 years having no where to go to save themselves and their families they descend on his house, or fall-out shelter,demanding that he allow them in before the bombs hit!
With just enough food water and air, not counting space,for only Dr.Stockton and his family he tried to tell his by now insane with fear neighbors that there's nothing at all he can do for them but pray to God that this horror is nothing but a bad dream or false alarm. Refusing to take no for an answer the deranged neighbors batter down the door leading to Dr. Stockton's fall-out shelter making it impossible for him and his family as well as themselves to survive the upcoming nuclear blast.
***MAJOR SPOILERS*** As it turned out the attack on America did turn out to be a false alarm, it was a UFO not nuclear missile, and everyone was now back to normal; or were they. What we Dr.Stockton and his hysterical neighbors saw in all this is their own serious short-comings as civilized human beings. Acting like wild men and women they in fact by their actions becomes as crazed and uncivilized as a mindless and blood thirsty lynch mob. And if in fact, if there was a nuclear attack,they succeeded in taking over Dr. Stockton's fall-out shelter they instead of it saving them and their families lives in it the fall-out shelter in fact would have turned out to be their mass grave instead!
With a red alert broadcast on the radio about a possible Soviet nuclear attack on the USA all hell breaks loose in this quite little suburban town some 40 miles outside New York City limits. It just so happens that Dr. Bill Stockton,Larry Gates,had built a fall-out shelter for himself and his family his wife Grace, Peggy Stewart, and 12 year old son Paul, Mchael Burns, to survive the blast. With Dr.Stockton's terrified and desperate neighbors who've known the well liked kind doctor, who makes house calls, for over 20 years having no where to go to save themselves and their families they descend on his house, or fall-out shelter,demanding that he allow them in before the bombs hit!
With just enough food water and air, not counting space,for only Dr.Stockton and his family he tried to tell his by now insane with fear neighbors that there's nothing at all he can do for them but pray to God that this horror is nothing but a bad dream or false alarm. Refusing to take no for an answer the deranged neighbors batter down the door leading to Dr. Stockton's fall-out shelter making it impossible for him and his family as well as themselves to survive the upcoming nuclear blast.
***MAJOR SPOILERS*** As it turned out the attack on America did turn out to be a false alarm, it was a UFO not nuclear missile, and everyone was now back to normal; or were they. What we Dr.Stockton and his hysterical neighbors saw in all this is their own serious short-comings as civilized human beings. Acting like wild men and women they in fact by their actions becomes as crazed and uncivilized as a mindless and blood thirsty lynch mob. And if in fact, if there was a nuclear attack,they succeeded in taking over Dr. Stockton's fall-out shelter they instead of it saving them and their families lives in it the fall-out shelter in fact would have turned out to be their mass grave instead!
It's okay.
bombersflyup23 September 2019
Warning: Spoilers
The Shelter is about a topic that has come up quite a few times on shows and films and there really is no answer. If anyone knows you have a bomb shelter, in a time of need there all gonna wanna use it and will do whatever it takes. There isn't anything here I haven't already seen, maybe if you watched it back in the sixties. Plus, I never connected with any of these characters.
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