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The Twilight Zone
S5.E25
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IMDbPro

The Masks

  • Episode aired Mar 20, 1964
  • TV-PGTV-PG
  • 25m
IMDb RATING
8.6/10
2.8K
YOUR RATING
Virginia Gregg and Robert Keith in The Twilight Zone (1959)
DramaFantasyHorror
Wealthy Jason Foster is dying and he invites his greedy heirs to a Mardi Gras party where they must wear the masks he specially had made for them or else be cut off from their inheritance.Wealthy Jason Foster is dying and he invites his greedy heirs to a Mardi Gras party where they must wear the masks he specially had made for them or else be cut off from their inheritance.Wealthy Jason Foster is dying and he invites his greedy heirs to a Mardi Gras party where they must wear the masks he specially had made for them or else be cut off from their inheritance.
IMDb RATING
8.6/10
2.8K
YOUR RATING
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Ida Lupino
    • Writer
      • Rod Serling
    • Stars
      • Robert Keith
      • Milton Selzer
      • Virginia Gregg
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Ida Lupino
    • Writer
      • Rod Serling
    • Stars
      • Robert Keith
      • Milton Selzer
      • Virginia Gregg
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 40User reviews
    • 2Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info

    • Photos18

    Willis Bouchey and Robert Keith in The Twilight Zone (1959)
    The Twilight Zone (1959)
    Virginia Gregg and Milton Selzer in The Twilight Zone (1959)
    Brooke Hayward in The Twilight Zone (1959)
    Virginia Gregg, Brooke Hayward, Milton Selzer, and Alan Sues in The Twilight Zone (1959)
    Brooke Hayward and Alan Sues in The Twilight Zone (1959)
    Robert Keith in The Twilight Zone (1959)
    Brooke Hayward in The Twilight Zone (1959)
    Virginia Gregg, Brooke Hayward, Milton Selzer, and Alan Sues in The Twilight Zone (1959)
    Milton Selzer in The Twilight Zone (1959)
    Virginia Gregg, Brooke Hayward, Milton Selzer, and Alan Sues in The Twilight Zone (1959)
    Milton Selzer in The Twilight Zone (1959)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Robert Keith
    Robert Keith
    • Jason Foster
    Milton Selzer
    Milton Selzer
    • Wilfred Harper
    Virginia Gregg
    Virginia Gregg
    • Emily Harper
    Brooke Hayward
    Brooke Hayward
    • Paula Harper
    Willis Bouchey
    Willis Bouchey
    • Dr. Samuel Thorne
    Alan Sues
    Alan Sues
    • Wilfred Harper, Jr.
    Maidie Norman
    Maidie Norman
    • Maid
    • (uncredited)
    Rod Serling
    Rod Serling
    • Narrator
    • (uncredited)
    • …
    Bill Walker
    Bill Walker
    • Jeffrey
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Ida Lupino
    • Writer
      • Rod Serling
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      This was the only episode of the series to be directed by a woman, Ida Lupino. She previously played Barbara Jean Trenton in The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine (1959), which also made her the only person to star in one episode and direct another.
    • Goofs
      Milton Selzer (born 1918) and Virginia Gregg (born 1916) play the parents of Alan Sues (born 1926) and Brooke Hayward (born 1937). Even more bizarrely, Sues (age 37 at time of filming) is described as a member of his school's football team.
    • Quotes

      Jason Foster: [dying] ... It's what you've all been waiting for, I believe. Now you can dig deep in the treasury.

      Emily Harper: Are you feeling weaker, father?

      Jason Foster: At last, a note of hope in your voice, Emily.

      Emily Harper: Why must you always say such miserable, cruel things to me?

      Wilfred Harper: I quite agree, Father!

      Jason Foster: Why indeed, Emily. Because you're cruel and miserable people. Because none of you respond to love. Emily responds only to what her petty hungers dictate. Wilfred responds only to things that have weight and bulk and value. He feels books; he doesn't read them. He appraises paintings; he doesn't seek out their truth or their beauty. And Paula there lives in a mirror. The world is nothing to her than a reflection of herself. And her brother. Humanity to him is a small animal caught in a trap to be tormented. His pleasure is the giving of pain, and from this, he receives the same sense of fulfillment most human beings get from a kiss or an embrace! You're caricatures. All of you. Without your masks, you're caricatures.

    • Connections
      Featured in American Masters: Rod Serling: Submitted for Your Approval (1995)
    • Soundtracks
      Twilight Zone Theme
      (theme song)
      Composed by Marius Constant
      (seasons 2-5)

    User reviews40

    Review
    Top review
    10/10
    A Great Performance By Robert Keith!
    I am so glad I have the opportunity to say something good about Robert Keith! His performance in this episode of The Twilight Zone was absolutely great! He portrayed a dying bitter, sarcastic old man in such a way that we can not hate him-quite the opposite, we feel sorry for him, and we admire his honesty in telling his family exactly what he thought of them! He could have portrayed this man in such a way that we hate him, but because of his skill as an actor, he did not portray him that way! The supporting cast was very good, but it was Robert Keith's performance that stood out! I have seen this episode more than once, and I never fail to be in awe of Robert Keith's performance!
    helpful•22
    2
    • marlene_rantz
    • Oct 1, 2012

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • March 20, 1964 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Filming locations
      • Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA
    • Production companies
      • Cayuga Productions
      • CBS Television Network
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      25 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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