Nightmare at 20,000 Feet
- Episode aired Oct 11, 1963
- TV-PG
- 25m
A man, newly recovered from a nervous breakdown, becomes convinced that a monster only he sees is damaging the plane he's flying in.A man, newly recovered from a nervous breakdown, becomes convinced that a monster only he sees is damaging the plane he's flying in.A man, newly recovered from a nervous breakdown, becomes convinced that a monster only he sees is damaging the plane he's flying in.
- Director
- Writers
- Stars
- Flight Engineer
- (as Edward Kemmer)
- Passenger
- (uncredited)
- Passenger
- (uncredited)
- Gremlin
- (uncredited)
- Narrator
- (uncredited)
- …
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
The episode is very simple. There's a nervous guy on a plane (Shatner) and he keeps seeing a horrible monster running about outside the plane as it's flying! The monster is tearing apart the wing and will bring down the plane. However, nobody will believe him, so he decides to take action. The film ends with an excellent twist.
Overall, a great episode. The only serious problem is that the creature is pretty silly--sort of like a guy dressed up in a teddy bear costume! Still, it's enjoyable from start to finish and did will with Shatner's ability to extremely emote!
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaWriter Richard Matheson said he was mostly pleased with Twilight Zone's version of his short story - except for the gremlin. He'd conceived it as a dark, creepy and nearly-invisible humanoid figure. "But this thing," he complained, "looked more like a panda bear."
- GoofsRain can be seen trickling straight down Bob's window, indicating that the "plane" is not moving. In flight the rain would be blown straight back. At the speed these old planes flew, you would only see tiny trickles of water, even in very heavy rainstorms.
- Quotes
[last lines]
Narrator: [Closing Narration] The flight of Mr. Robert Wilson has ended now, a flight not only from point A to point B, but also from the fear of recurring mental breakdown. Mr. Wilson has that fear no longer, though, for the moment, he is, as he has said, alone in this assurance. Happily, his conviction will not remain isolated too much longer, for happily, tangible manifestation is very often left as evidence of trespass, even from so intangible a quarter as The Twilight Zone.
- ConnectionsFeatured in American Masters: Rod Serling: Submitted for Your Approval (1995)
Details
- Runtime25 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
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