After completing barely one season, I can state already that "The Twilight Zone" never ceases to amaze me in terms of diversity, quality and sheer craftsmanship. Judging from the previous couple of episodes, like "A Passage for Trumpet" and "Mr. Bevis", I got the false impression that the series was becoming more soft and sentimental, but in "The After Hours" Rod Serling strikes back with genuine suspense and an unequaled ambiance of pure mystery and eeriness. Of all the individual tales I've seen thus far, "The After Hours" is undoubtedly the most effective one when it comes to keeping the viewer unaware of what's going on and simultaneously making him/her feel increasingly uncomfortable. The things that help to accomplish this are the settings (like abandoned shopping center floors) and scenery (mannequin dolls are creepy) but there's more! The screenplay is very well-written and doesn't reveal anything too soon, Anne Francis' vulnerable performance is truly forceful and the exact right use of photography and sound effects make the mannequin dolls at least 10 times scarier than they really are! I'd like to write a brief plot description, but in this particular case I rather encourage everyone to discover this wonderful episode! I guarantee that "The After Hours" contains one or two unforgettable and haunting sequences, as well as a conceptual idea that is fundamentally petrifying.
41 Reviews
'Miss White, are you happy ?'
darrenpearce11118 November 2013
Visually striking and compellingly atmospheric addition to the anthology. One YOU WILL REMEMBER- THAT I PROMISE ! Nice contrast between Anne Francis as the central character, Marsha, and Elizabeth Allen as the very mysterious sales assistant on the 9th floor of a department store (which only has 8 floors!).Anne Francis excels here as the infant-like woman becoming frightened. Miss Allen (best known from John Wayne film 'Donovan's Reef') exudes mature, confident,glamour perfectly for her part. 'The After Hours' is a positive victory for skilled execution of a story over the story's implausibility. For those of you who find it a little too far fetched I can only say I felt a bit like Marsha did every time I walked past the London Dungeon.
The After Hours
Scarecrow-881 January 2011
Warning: Spoilers
The bottom line..mannequins are creepy. In one of the all-time great TWILIGHT ZONE episodes, THE AFTER HOURS concerns the impossibly beautiful Anne Francis(THE FORBIDDEN PLANET)finding herself trapped on the darkened floors of a department store hearing voices and supposedly being spooked by mannequins. Through the thrilling direction of Douglas Heyes, THE AFTER HOURS chills the bones with spine-tingling ease as the camera follows poor Francis as she wonders why no one knows who it was that sold her a thimble on the "ninth floor" where the boss of the store claims there isn't such. Boy revisiting this episode late tonight, my nerves were on end as Heyes gleefully zooms the camera in on the faces of mannequins as Francis' Marsha's name is being called. The way she scurries about, the floor so ominous and dark, no escape, it reminded me of how well THE TWILIGHT ZONE could grip and compel me. I felt genuinely eerie and didn't envy Francis all alone on that floor, trapped with those lifeless painted wooden bodies, the eyes of mannequins alone cause the hairs on my arms to stand up. This is as good as it gets. Maybe the ending is a bit silly, but for the most part I consider this one of the very best episodes the show had to offer.
Marsha
AaronCapenBanner26 October 2014
Anne Francis plays a beautiful young woman named Marsha White, who goes into a big department store in order to buy a gold thimble for her mother. She takes the elevator to the ninth floor, and after dealing with a rather odd saleslady(played by Elizabeth Allen) discovers that the thimble has a dent in it, but upon returning it, discovers that there is no ninth floor, and that she isn't who she thinks she is either... Memorable episode is both amusing(James Millhollin as Mr. Armbruster nearly steals the episode) and frightening, as age-old fears of identity are once again explored for remarkable effect, right down to the chilling final freeze-frame and end narration.
Beware the 9th Floor
philhodgman1 January 2008
I saw this episode when I was about 12 years old, and it is one of the Twilight Zone episodes which has been etched in my consciousness as an almost archetypal story. Without giving the plot away, suffice it to say that the combination of a large urban department store, darkness, and a plethora of life-like manikens would be frightening even without the added twists.
When our heroine, a young female shopper, goes to look for a present for her mother and winds up on the 9th floor of an 8-story department store, the real weirdness begins.
Anne Francis is both lovely and convincingly bewildered as the eerie plot unfolds. While the episode is creepy and scary, it also has a certain humor and "humanity" which in the end relieve the tension in an entertaining and ultimately satisfying way.
This is the Twilight Zone at its very best.
When our heroine, a young female shopper, goes to look for a present for her mother and winds up on the 9th floor of an 8-story department store, the real weirdness begins.
Anne Francis is both lovely and convincingly bewildered as the eerie plot unfolds. While the episode is creepy and scary, it also has a certain humor and "humanity" which in the end relieve the tension in an entertaining and ultimately satisfying way.
This is the Twilight Zone at its very best.
Marsha, Marsha, Marsha.
pfon71361-14 January 2011
The Afer Hours wasn't one of my favorite episodes of the Twilight Zone when I first saw the show back in the early sixties. When you're only a 9 year old boy action and scary scenes are what you crave. This episode staring the lovely Anne Francis stands out to me now because it takes a mundane situation such as returning an item bought in a large department store and gives it a seemingly sinister twist. Marsha, the Anne Francis character, wants to purchase a gift but winds up on a floor of the store where there seems to be only one sales person and only the one item she is looking for on display. Things get progressively stranger and the climax is a interesting if not entirely unexpected revelation. Overall, a worthwhile episode to view. Anne Francis never looked more enchanting. We'll miss you Anne.
one of my all time favorite Twilight Zone episodes
donbanf7 January 2011
Warning: Spoilers
**possible spoilers**
Just heard that Anne Francis passed away on January 2nd, 2011. So sad. Ms Francis shines in this wonderful and unusual episode of the original Twilight Zone. Having seen almost the entire series, this has always been high up among my most favorite of all the episodes. There's something just unique about it in all the episodes, perhaps because it is told almost entirely through hint and innuendo, atmosphere and lighting. Very little is revealed in the dialogue. Instead, this is a very visual story, e.g. the elevator arrow going to the ninth floor (which probably existed but appears to be just storage, hence there should not be any "saleslady" there), the lighting, the realistic use of shadows, the facial expressions of the actors. The clues are all there if you just look for them. Almost any of us would be scared to find ourselves locked in a dept. store or bank or just about anywhere, alone, "after hours". What stands out in this story is empathy. Think "Pinocchio". He was made of wood but dreamed of being a "real" boy. Similarly, we can all feel some empathy for these characters. Worth noting, bears some similarity to another TZ episode, "Five Characters in Search of an Exit".
Just heard that Anne Francis passed away on January 2nd, 2011. So sad. Ms Francis shines in this wonderful and unusual episode of the original Twilight Zone. Having seen almost the entire series, this has always been high up among my most favorite of all the episodes. There's something just unique about it in all the episodes, perhaps because it is told almost entirely through hint and innuendo, atmosphere and lighting. Very little is revealed in the dialogue. Instead, this is a very visual story, e.g. the elevator arrow going to the ninth floor (which probably existed but appears to be just storage, hence there should not be any "saleslady" there), the lighting, the realistic use of shadows, the facial expressions of the actors. The clues are all there if you just look for them. Almost any of us would be scared to find ourselves locked in a dept. store or bank or just about anywhere, alone, "after hours". What stands out in this story is empathy. Think "Pinocchio". He was made of wood but dreamed of being a "real" boy. Similarly, we can all feel some empathy for these characters. Worth noting, bears some similarity to another TZ episode, "Five Characters in Search of an Exit".
One of TZ's Finest Episodes
dgl119922 January 2018
Twilight Zone was all over the place when it came to the unexplained and the supernatural. Time travel, lost identity, lost airplanes, guardian angels, alien invasions, on and on. Some worked, some were dogs. What makes The After Hours stand out is it's one of the few genuine thrillers produced by the show, with a twist ending that works superbly. Anne Francis was positively amazing as she tries to sort out the mystery in the empty department store. No music, no punchy chords, just a tense walk around of the floor, trying to find her way out before she discovers her real destiny. A few jumpy moments that will make you gasp. Truly one of the best directed episodes and dare I would say inspired by Hitchcock.
It starts off as a "rather prosaic" story of a young woman who visits a major department store to purchase a gift for her mother. Told by the elevator man that what she's looking for can be found on the 9th floor, a floor that turns out to be completely empty. Later we learn the building has only 8 floors. Yet, she finds the gift she was looking for on that floor anyway. Later through a trick of fate she finds herself locked in the store after closing time. And her nightmare truly begins.
There are many unanswered questions, too many to list. As well as an abundance of logical conundrums replete in this episode. The thing about TZ is we have the benefit of 60 years to pick apart episodes and ask why, how, yeah but, and that makes no sense. But for a 30 minute time slot, there just wasn't time to answer them all. And in After Hours, you don't really care. Because the payoff was worth it. One of the top 10 episodes.
It starts off as a "rather prosaic" story of a young woman who visits a major department store to purchase a gift for her mother. Told by the elevator man that what she's looking for can be found on the 9th floor, a floor that turns out to be completely empty. Later we learn the building has only 8 floors. Yet, she finds the gift she was looking for on that floor anyway. Later through a trick of fate she finds herself locked in the store after closing time. And her nightmare truly begins.
There are many unanswered questions, too many to list. As well as an abundance of logical conundrums replete in this episode. The thing about TZ is we have the benefit of 60 years to pick apart episodes and ask why, how, yeah but, and that makes no sense. But for a 30 minute time slot, there just wasn't time to answer them all. And in After Hours, you don't really care. Because the payoff was worth it. One of the top 10 episodes.
My worst childhood fear explored!
lmullins41117 November 2006
Warning: Spoilers
I don't think this is considered one of the classic episodes of "The Twilight Zone", but it is one of my favorites. If I had seen this episode as a child when it originally aired, I would not have slept alone for months! It explored one of my worst childhood fears, probably one of yours, too! Think about being in a large department store as a youngster, what do you remember being the most frightening? Rod Serling must have had the same fear, as he did an excellent job of "bringing it to LIFE". If you remember Jan Brady whining, "Marsha, Marsha, Marsha!", wait until you hear that name whispered rather ominously on a deserted storage floor of a large department store. If you ever get the opportunity to see this episode in reruns, by all means don't miss it.
A classic episode, wonderfully told
nikatnyte1 November 2017
This is one of my favorite episodes because it zeroes in on two classic "Twilight Zone" themes: identity and reality. Who are we, really? And what reality do we really occupy? Watching this again (for perhaps the fourth or fifth time) I was reminded of the Pixar "Toy Story" films, where inanimate toys become living, breathing entities when humans are not observing them. It's the same as this episode! Do man-made creations become "real" when not observed, if only because they are created by people? Does the David statue in Florence become real "after hours" when nobody is observing him? Wonderful food for thought!
The life of a model
AvionPrince165 March 2023
Warning: Spoilers
A strange episode i need to admit. That woman will soon realise that she can take the human appearence of a human once a month and the rest of the time she is a model. It was pretty strange. But it was clearly well made: the mise en scene was quite effective and the revelation at the end let us understand what the real situation is. Pretty original and interesting story. Even if it look surreal but it is in the Twilight Zone anyway. I dont really know what morality we can take from that episode but i really enjoyed it and some effects with the model statue and the shift with the human was really well made and interesting visually. Very good for the cinematography.
TZ's Absolute Best
MrChirpsky23 September 2010
Most TZ episodes are worth watching two or three times, but I'm not ashamed to admit that I've watched this episode countless times and the emotional effect is undiminished every time. This episode is about being a misfit in a world that demands and rewards outward conformity. It is about forgetting your true self to the point of self-parody. It is about the terror and trauma of being suddenly confronted with the self you betrayed for the sake of receiving love and acceptance from a world that refuses to recognize the real you. Lastly, it is about the rapture that comes from rediscovering one's self, often with the help of sympathetic friends -misfits themselves.
Most TZ episodes fall into one of 4 categories of realization: homespun warmth & nostalgia, scientific paradox & warning, social criticism -usually in an historical context, and psychological disorientation & epiphany. Of this last category, I consider After Hours to be the best by far.
Most TZ episodes fall into one of 4 categories of realization: homespun warmth & nostalgia, scientific paradox & warning, social criticism -usually in an historical context, and psychological disorientation & epiphany. Of this last category, I consider After Hours to be the best by far.
Mannequin meets at 9th floor!!
elo-equipamentos20 May 2017
After many years waiting, this series came out on a small label, all five seasons in a thin box-set properly dubbed, alias the original one, in this episode "The After Hours" Anne Francis pretty beauty as always is shopping on a big department store looking for a gold thimble, according elevator men she must takes a elevator until 9th floor to find it there, but when she arrived finds an empty room, however appear a sales clerk and she bought the thimble, when she is back and realize that the thimble was scratched and to claim for the manager about that, he has to return to 9th floor, quite intriguing plot!!!
Bad.
bombersflyup19 August 2019
Warning: Spoilers
The After Hours is dull and pointless and there's a lot of overacting. Francis looks a bit like an eight year old Drew Barrymore. Once we know she has spoken to a mannequin, it's obvious she will be a mannequin herself one way or another. Serling's getting on my nerves a bit.
Anne Everlasting
darbski10 May 2017
Warning: Spoilers
I'd like to be one of those who spreads the praise around, but in this case, the whole show is Anne Francis. I saw "The Forbidden Planet" when I was about ten years old, and fell in love. This show not only capitalizes on miss Francis' terrific looks, but her depth of acting talent. Yeah, I know; Rod Serling, directors, settings, blah, blah, blah. All that stuff we discuss all the time in these reviews. Forget all that and just watch her. Not just a serious fox, but a hell of an actress. Sure glad I bought this from Amazon, Oh, yeah, for you other fans, miss Francis' own show "Honey West" is also available from Amazon, and while not great drama, it's pretty good, and, we get to enjoy Anne's presence again. R.I.P. Anne, we love you.
Who do you think you're fooling, Marsha?
Woodyanders7 July 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Lovely young lass Marsha White (a fine and charming performance by the beautiful Anne Francis) tries to purchase a gold thimble for her mother in a department store only to discover that things are strangely out of whack in said department store.
Director Douglas Hayes relates the compelling story at a brisk pace, ably crafts an intriguing enigmatic mood, and makes nicely eerie use of a desolate department store floor that's littered with mannequins (the close-up shots of the mannequin's blank lifeless faces are especially creepy and unnerving). Rod Serling's clever script delivers a real doozy of a surprise twist, presents a fascinating alternate world in which mannequins come to life in the after hours, and even makes an interesting point about conformity and outward appearances. Francis elicits sympathy in the lead role, Elizabeth Allen lends sturdy support as a peculiar saleswoman, and James Millhollin contributes amusing comic relief as fey fussbudget store manager Mr. Armbruster. One of this show's most impressive half hours.
Director Douglas Hayes relates the compelling story at a brisk pace, ably crafts an intriguing enigmatic mood, and makes nicely eerie use of a desolate department store floor that's littered with mannequins (the close-up shots of the mannequin's blank lifeless faces are especially creepy and unnerving). Rod Serling's clever script delivers a real doozy of a surprise twist, presents a fascinating alternate world in which mannequins come to life in the after hours, and even makes an interesting point about conformity and outward appearances. Francis elicits sympathy in the lead role, Elizabeth Allen lends sturdy support as a peculiar saleswoman, and James Millhollin contributes amusing comic relief as fey fussbudget store manager Mr. Armbruster. One of this show's most impressive half hours.
Are You Happy?
Samuel-Shovel28 April 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Twilight Zone episodes almost always have a deeper meaning and this episode is no exception. This episode is stunningly shot with a great audio component, as well. The silent halls of the department store, the eerie voices of the mannequins. Well done.
Marsha comes to find that she is a mannequin and, in the end, it makes the audience think about our own lives. Are we all mannequins? Are we all just pretending to live a life that is not really ours? Some of us may just be fake, plastic shells roaming through life without really experiencing what it is to be ourselves. Just like Marsha' time of flesh, our lives are short and precious. We need to cherish them and live them out to their fullest.
Marsha comes to find that she is a mannequin and, in the end, it makes the audience think about our own lives. Are we all mannequins? Are we all just pretending to live a life that is not really ours? Some of us may just be fake, plastic shells roaming through life without really experiencing what it is to be ourselves. Just like Marsha' time of flesh, our lives are short and precious. We need to cherish them and live them out to their fullest.
Things Are Seldom What They Seem--Skim Milk Masquerades As Cream!
malvernp17 January 2022
Warning: Spoilers
The After Hours (TAH) is one of the more fondly remembered gems that Rod Serling created for his memorable first season of the TZ. In it, he dealt yet again with one of his favorite TZ plot elements---when attempting to understand what appears to be a human representation, how can we tell the difference between what is real and what is not---especially when at the same time we may also be afflicted by a universal fear of the unknown?
In TAH, a customer goes to a department store to embark on a seemingly uneventful shopping visit. The trip becomes increasingly stressful as she senses sights and sounds that appear to defy logic and experience. In particular, why do some of the store mannequins project some sort of a life of their own? And why is this increasingly difficult adventure happening to her? These and other questions are finally resolved by Serling, but only after taking the viewer through a somewhat terrifying journey on the road that separates fantasy and reality.
Producer Buck Houghton signed the beautiful and talented Anne Francis in the leading role of the increasingly disoriented and unsettled customer. In two subordinate but important supporting roles, Elizabeth Allen played the mysterious and somewhat menacing store saleswoman who waited on Francis, and John Conwell acted the part of the bland yet distracting store elevator operator who took Francis "to the ninth floor." Douglas Heyes directed the episode with careful attention to the mood both suggested and implied by all the strange goings on at the store. It is a miniature masterpiece of illusion and resulting suspended disbelief.
As previously mentioned, the store mannequins occupy a significantly essential part of the narrative. This is because at different times, the mannequins are transformed from inanimate to human form---and visa versa. To resolve the logistical challenge of how to successfully pull this off, Serling, Houghton and Heyes had veteran makeup artist WilliamTuttle make facial molds of Francis, Allen and Conwell. From these molds, Tuttle cast duplicate plaster heads painted with lifelike acrylic colors. The finished plaster heads were then attached to mannequin bodies. The total effect was so realistic that it is difficult to distinguish the real from the fake. Much credit for this must also go to both the actors' skill and the inspired direction of Heyes. The enormous set itself became a character in the episode as well, and allowed for many fright-inducing scenes to be developed with creativity and imagination.
A special nod of appreciation must go to James Mullhollin as Armbruster, the department store floor walker. For those of you who remember the veteran comedic actor Franklin Pangborn---Mullhollin could double as Pangborn's "black sheep" brother. Mullhollin steals almost every scene he appears in. Quite a talent!
But in the end, TAH belongs to Anne Francis. She created a startling and compelling "human" character that moved us very much as we suffered with her during what started off as a seemingly routine shopping trip. But then again, nothing is routine in the TZ!
In TAH, a customer goes to a department store to embark on a seemingly uneventful shopping visit. The trip becomes increasingly stressful as she senses sights and sounds that appear to defy logic and experience. In particular, why do some of the store mannequins project some sort of a life of their own? And why is this increasingly difficult adventure happening to her? These and other questions are finally resolved by Serling, but only after taking the viewer through a somewhat terrifying journey on the road that separates fantasy and reality.
Producer Buck Houghton signed the beautiful and talented Anne Francis in the leading role of the increasingly disoriented and unsettled customer. In two subordinate but important supporting roles, Elizabeth Allen played the mysterious and somewhat menacing store saleswoman who waited on Francis, and John Conwell acted the part of the bland yet distracting store elevator operator who took Francis "to the ninth floor." Douglas Heyes directed the episode with careful attention to the mood both suggested and implied by all the strange goings on at the store. It is a miniature masterpiece of illusion and resulting suspended disbelief.
As previously mentioned, the store mannequins occupy a significantly essential part of the narrative. This is because at different times, the mannequins are transformed from inanimate to human form---and visa versa. To resolve the logistical challenge of how to successfully pull this off, Serling, Houghton and Heyes had veteran makeup artist WilliamTuttle make facial molds of Francis, Allen and Conwell. From these molds, Tuttle cast duplicate plaster heads painted with lifelike acrylic colors. The finished plaster heads were then attached to mannequin bodies. The total effect was so realistic that it is difficult to distinguish the real from the fake. Much credit for this must also go to both the actors' skill and the inspired direction of Heyes. The enormous set itself became a character in the episode as well, and allowed for many fright-inducing scenes to be developed with creativity and imagination.
A special nod of appreciation must go to James Mullhollin as Armbruster, the department store floor walker. For those of you who remember the veteran comedic actor Franklin Pangborn---Mullhollin could double as Pangborn's "black sheep" brother. Mullhollin steals almost every scene he appears in. Quite a talent!
But in the end, TAH belongs to Anne Francis. She created a startling and compelling "human" character that moved us very much as we suffered with her during what started off as a seemingly routine shopping trip. But then again, nothing is routine in the TZ!
Twilight Zone for Dummies!
Hitchcoc8 October 2008
Rod Serling liked to set things in department stores. They seemed to have their heyday in the fifties before the big shopping malls took over. Places like Macy's and Mashall Fields had a sort of charm to them. He always had a tongue clucking floor manager and a few insipid clerks. Outsiders who came in were often out of their element and are frequently victimized in some way. Here we have the feeling of alienation from an attractive young woman who can't figure out why she can't return an item she bought. One question I have is "How did she get a personal history?" Beyond that this is fraught with strange sounds and mysterious goings on. As she attempts to solve the mystery, the oddest things take place. The conclusion is very satisfying and a lot of fun. This is one of the most memorable episodes, though one with a little imagination might figure it out well ahead of the conclusion.
Very good episode
seacros4 August 2020
Mannequins on the move.
BA_Harrison17 December 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Marsha White (Anne Francis) is in a department store looking for a gift for her mother and is directed to the 9th floor; when she exits the elevator, she finds the floor deserted, save for one shop assistant (Elizabeth Allen), who sells her exactly what she is after (a gold thimble, the only item on display).
When Marsha is back in the lift, she discovers that the thimble is damaged and goes to the complaints department on the 3rd floor; there she is told that the shop doesn't have a 9th floor.
What The After Hours does really well is to build up a sinister atmosphere, its vast department store location, packed with mannequins, used to great effect. Once the store has closed, the customers and staff have left, and Marsha finds herself trapped there, that creepiness factor rises even more. It's a shame, then, that the episode's payoff isn't all that hard to predict; had I been kept guessing right till the end, this one would have been amongst my favourites. As it stands, it's an unsettling little tale for the most part, but one that doesn't leave the viewer quite as impressed once the twist has been revealed.
When Marsha is back in the lift, she discovers that the thimble is damaged and goes to the complaints department on the 3rd floor; there she is told that the shop doesn't have a 9th floor.
What The After Hours does really well is to build up a sinister atmosphere, its vast department store location, packed with mannequins, used to great effect. Once the store has closed, the customers and staff have left, and Marsha finds herself trapped there, that creepiness factor rises even more. It's a shame, then, that the episode's payoff isn't all that hard to predict; had I been kept guessing right till the end, this one would have been amongst my favourites. As it stands, it's an unsettling little tale for the most part, but one that doesn't leave the viewer quite as impressed once the twist has been revealed.
Are You Happy, Marsha?
telegonus31 October 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Written by series creator Rod Serling, directed by Douglas Heyes, this first season entry is one of the most eerie and ambient episodes of the entire series. It's a straightforward telling of an attractive young woman in search of a gold thimble as a gift for her mother in a department store of a large American city. Neither the store nor the city are named. The woman, however, is. Her name is Masha White. Or is it? Ah, there's the rub, and the story hinges on this question, of whether Marsha is a real human or something made of wood.
The hustle and bustle of a large department store is nicely conveyed early on as Marsha asks someone where she must go to find the item she's looking for. She's told the ninth floor, and there she goes. When she arrives the place is dark, like a warehouse, and the only other person there is a strange looking and acting sales woman, who asks her some odd questions. Marsha does get the thimble she was looking for, then leaves. When she arrives back on the first floor she realizes that the thimble is scratched, asks where to return it; and when asks where she bought it, on the ninth floor, she is taken aback, as she is told that in this store there is no ninth floor!
After discussing the matter with the man in charge of returns and complaints, Mr. Ambruster, Marsha is taken to an office suite, where she lies down to wait to speak to someone about the matter. She soon falls asleep, and when she wakes up, the store is dark and empty, with not a soul in sight. What follows is an unsettling series of elevator trips and encounters with store mannequins behaving like people and speaking to Marsha, as if beckoning her to join them, which is in the end is what she does. Unable to escape, and also apparently devoid of personal memories, Marsha is told that she has been on leave, as it were, allowed to live like a normal human being, and that her time is up, she now must return to her true self, that of a department store dummy!
As if aware of the nightmarish aspects of his story, Rod Serling chose to end it on a semi-humorous note, on the next morning, with Mr. Ambruster recognizing the face of Marsha in a crowd, only to suddenly realize that it's a mannequin, not the woman he spoke to the day before. I'd rather they'd handled this differently, but this is a small criticism of an otherwise masterfully written, directed and acted episode. Young and lovely Anne Francis was perfectly cast as Marsha, as her well defined features gave her a somewhat generic look. Elizabeth Allen, as the too inquisitive for comfort ninth floor sales lady and James Milhollin, as the dithering Ambruster, were well cast. Milhollin's playing is broad, and I gather this was what was asked for, which was a lessening of the tension. This was, after all, mid-20th century television, geared to families, and that includes children.
The hustle and bustle of a large department store is nicely conveyed early on as Marsha asks someone where she must go to find the item she's looking for. She's told the ninth floor, and there she goes. When she arrives the place is dark, like a warehouse, and the only other person there is a strange looking and acting sales woman, who asks her some odd questions. Marsha does get the thimble she was looking for, then leaves. When she arrives back on the first floor she realizes that the thimble is scratched, asks where to return it; and when asks where she bought it, on the ninth floor, she is taken aback, as she is told that in this store there is no ninth floor!
After discussing the matter with the man in charge of returns and complaints, Mr. Ambruster, Marsha is taken to an office suite, where she lies down to wait to speak to someone about the matter. She soon falls asleep, and when she wakes up, the store is dark and empty, with not a soul in sight. What follows is an unsettling series of elevator trips and encounters with store mannequins behaving like people and speaking to Marsha, as if beckoning her to join them, which is in the end is what she does. Unable to escape, and also apparently devoid of personal memories, Marsha is told that she has been on leave, as it were, allowed to live like a normal human being, and that her time is up, she now must return to her true self, that of a department store dummy!
As if aware of the nightmarish aspects of his story, Rod Serling chose to end it on a semi-humorous note, on the next morning, with Mr. Ambruster recognizing the face of Marsha in a crowd, only to suddenly realize that it's a mannequin, not the woman he spoke to the day before. I'd rather they'd handled this differently, but this is a small criticism of an otherwise masterfully written, directed and acted episode. Young and lovely Anne Francis was perfectly cast as Marsha, as her well defined features gave her a somewhat generic look. Elizabeth Allen, as the too inquisitive for comfort ninth floor sales lady and James Milhollin, as the dithering Ambruster, were well cast. Milhollin's playing is broad, and I gather this was what was asked for, which was a lessening of the tension. This was, after all, mid-20th century television, geared to families, and that includes children.
"Please come again..., anytime".
classicsoncall29 March 2010
Warning: Spoilers
As in so many episodes, Rod Serling has the unique knack of putting the viewer inside the person of his main character, even though we eventually come to realize that Marsha White (Anne Francis) isn't really a character at all. I think about being a kid and going up into the attic by myself, or walking home late at night in the dark, and I get the same type of feeling one gets watching Marsha navigate the empty ninth floor with the creepy mannequins and the half heard whispering voices. You want to run, but you also want to stick around and hope you've got the courage to outlast the willies that send shivers up your spine. This is the kind of story I dare you to watch at night with the lights out and the sound down low. Be careful when you get on that elevator, you might find yourself... going down.
Amazing
Calicodreamin2 June 2021
Best episode of the twilight zone yet! At first you're confused, like where is this going? Then you're scared because who worst nightmare isn't getting locked in a department store? And then finally the brilliant twist. Great acting and well developed storyline.
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