MovieChat Forums > The Twilight Zone (1959) Discussion > The 7th Is Made Up Of Phantoms

The 7th Is Made Up Of Phantoms

posted 8 years ago by telegonus (739)
8 replies | jump to latest

Aired this A.M. after Perry. It's a favorite of mine from the much maligned fifth season. The writing is a bit forced and the episode is "padded" but it works for me. Alan Crosland, Jr. was a very good TV director, with outdoorsy stuff especially, and the ep is nicely moody, evocative, at times spooky.

Good performances from the three leads,--Ron Foster, Warren Oates and Randy Boone--with nice support from Robert Bray, always comfortable looking in a uniform in the Great Outdoors, and soon to be Mission: Impossible regular Gregg Morris.

It's not p.c., and by today's standards the word dated is probably used a lot to describe this one. I prefer time capsule myself [insert laugh emoticon]. It's not a top of the line TZ but if I were a ratings guy I'd say above average; and if I were a teacher I'd give it a B.

[–] kr-1959 (110) 8 years ago

I agree. Its not my favorite by any means, but it does stand out from many of the other season five episodes.

[–] [email protected] (148) 8 years ago

It's not great though it's not "Cavender is Coming" either.

I especially enjoyed its ending which was a memorable confusion of reality and fantasy in the vein of "King Nine Will Not Return."

Furthermore, it's always best when an episode keeps its supernatural effects subtle.

Check out the radio version. It's not half-bad either.

[–] godewey (16472) 8 years ago

🐶

[–] telegonus (739) 8 years ago

It's nice to see some, well, if not love, at least fondness for this episode. It builds up a head of steam nicely, and with its wild west setting it has some of the ambiance of a Fifties sci-fi flick; the kind in which a giant spider or mountain lion would come over the crest of the hill at some point. Some spooky vibes.

[–] godewey (16472) 8 years ago

🐶.

[–] telegonus (739) 8 years ago

I get it. The 7th does channel the "western" mood of its time, and its cast is rugged. Its evocative qualities make it stand out. No space ships, needless to say, and no cavalry or Indians after an early scene. Nothing in the present. Just the wind. I've gotta give it up to director Alan Crosland, Jr. He did a fine job with this one.

[–] SamNoyoun (5917) 3 years ago

I enjoyed the episode, but I'm a bit confused by the actions of the three main characters at the end: If their intention was to join the battle to help out Custer why the heck wouldn't they bring the tank? Seems like a no-brainer...

Also, I could never figure out why the one seemingly sane guy(Warren Oates) looked so familiar-Turns out it's Sgt. Hulka from 'Stripes'!

[–] doug65oh (205) 3 years ago

To have the tank at their disposal would have undoubtedly changed history - and you can't do that, not even in the Twilight Zone.