"The Twilight Zone" Third from the Sun (1960)

User Rating:

8.5/10   

Director:

Richard L. Bare

Writers:

Richard Matheson (short story)
Rod Serling (teleplay)

TV Series:

"The Twilight Zone" (1959)

Original Air Date:

8 January 1960 (Season 1, Episode 14)

Genre:

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

Plot:

Two families of Government employees plan to steal a spaceship and travel to another planet just prior to World War III. They must also deal with a stooge who wants to stop them. |

Plot Keywords:

Planet | Escape | Escape Attempt | Based On Short Story | Government Agent

Cast

Fritz Weaver	...	William Sturka
Edward Andrews	...	Carling
Joe Maross	...	Jerry Riden
Denise Alexander	...	Jody Sturka
Lori March	...	Eve Sturka
Jeanne Evans	...	Ann Riden

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:

The title refers to the position of our planet Earth in it's order revolving around the sun. Earth comes after Mercury and Venus who's orbits are closer to our sun.

Are We Heading into Another Nuclear Age?

I agree with the other reviewers. There is so much threat in this. We watch Fritz Weaver, agonizing over what he must do. He has been a part of what has led to the situation, and now he wants out. Is he a hero? I just don't know. When all is said and done, he puts his family first. The society is dying. There is going to be a holocaust and there is talk of thirty million casualties. They also seem to know when this is going to take place. The cinematography is really interesting. We are invited to look at middle class America (though I guess it isn't). Pretty streets and trees and the sun shining. We get those expressionistic tilts when people talk. I suppose to say that things are awry. There is a threat to the plot being completed. Edward Andrews knows what they are up to and either wants in or wants to stop it. He is a threatening visage, with those glasses and his sly smile. The conclusion is a lesson for us all. Cold war fear mongering perhaps, but it is the classic Twilight Zone ending that really punched us in the gut when we saw it for the first time.