To Serve Man - The Twilight Zone (1959) Discussion

[–] Strannger (2007) 8 years ago

To serve man on a dish and what would be the second?

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[–] Iwantatoupee (55) 8 years ago

Loved 'Lurch' in it. Haha.

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[–] Strannger (2007) 8 years ago

Oh, I never realized it was the same actor. Nice catch.

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[–] Iwantatoupee (55) 8 years ago

Yeah, check it out again.

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[–] doug65oh (205) 8 years ago

It's actually not the same actor at all. Richard Kiel (who later appeared in a Bond film as "Jaws") portrayed the Kanamit alien.

Ted Cassidy's first television role (as 'most everyone knows) was "Lurch" on The Addams Family. (Less than a year before, was working as an on-air radio personality at WFAA in Dallas, Texas.) He is referenced by name and can be heard if you go to https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8J7H1gdg8Ug and seek to about 43:00 and listen for the next minute or so.

Richard Kiel passed away only a few years ago, aged 74. Cassidy died in 1979 at only 46.

Now as far as how to serve man, it doesn’t really matter. I wouldn’t eat it with a goat, I wouldn’t eat it in a boat…

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[–] Iwantatoupee (55) 8 years ago

Wow, well there you go. I could have sworn it was Lurch. Thanks.

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[–] doug65oh (205) 8 years ago

No problem. It's actually an easy mistake to make all things being all. Of the two actors, however, Ted Cassidy was *shorter* than Richard Kiel - by something like 3 inches or so. I guess the only real way to keep the two separate in your mind is to remember who they worked with. John Astin and Roger Moore are most definitely 2 different people.

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[–] AngularTurnip (3337) 8 years ago

Even more clever is Serling's description of the plight of humankind in his outro: " ... from dust to dessert. From ruler of a planet to the ingredient in someone's soup." Puts things in perspective as well as being equal parts chilling and wickedly funny.

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[–] Strannger (2007) 8 years ago

There meanings. I haven't said it yep, but you guys are the best with this show. It deserves the praise and seeing dedicated fans warms my heart.

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[–] DreamersxDisease (817) 8 years ago

Such a great episode and very humbling...all humans show see it some time, haha. Every time I watch it I wait for that moment for when he realizes what the book is really about. Chilling, indeed!

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[–] [email protected] (5900) 8 years ago

Just one of the all around best episodes! Once you know what the book title means, some of the earlier dialogue really foreshadows what is about to come.

I am referring to some of the tourists boarding the ship and talking about those "silver" clothes they give you to wear. Reynolds wrap folks! Silver baking foil, ha!

And all the "help" that they provided for earthlings so people would be well nourished and stop killing each other with war and aggression. Fattening up the herd folks!

But Mr. Chambers assistant went about trying to rescue her boss in a really dumb way. It WAS shocking for her to blurt out the real meaning of the book title. But if she REALLY wanted to rescue him, she should have walked up calmly and showed her credentials to one of the Kanamits. She should have asked if she could see Mr. Chambers before he left because she wanted to give him a message from a family member, she had a "going away" gift for him, just something! Then after she took him aside, she could've given him the real story and they could've hauled a@@.

The government was obviously in real disarray at that point or not really paying attention anymore since most problems seemed to be "solved". I mean, if Washington discovered the real intent of the Kanamits, why send one low level employee to rescue ONE human? The government should have ordered an immediate shut down of all transports to the Kanamit homeworld!

But then we would not have had the chilling ending!

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[–] AngularTurnip (3337) 8 years ago

Detractors of this episode always point out that the rep of this one resides all in the ending and yet as you so wonderfully illustrate there are plenty of little details sprinkled throughout the episode that are Easter Eggs for the argus-eyed; it's these details that illustrate Serling and his writers weren't just penning one-joke stories but instead carefully crafted and edifying allegories that if you're willing to look beneath their pulpy surfaces stand the test of time.

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