Spoilers Within
Perhaps cut off from the universe, perhaps all that's left of the universe, the town of Peaksville continues its fine existence under the guidance of its kind new God, six year old Anthony Fremont. This is but one good day among many. It might be filled with monsters, it might end in death, but it is still good. Because that's the way Anthony wants it...
I didn't realize Rod Serling wrote the screenplay for this one. He does an excellent job of translating the original story to the screen. Certain changes are understandable (i.e. making Anthony six instead of three; six year olds tend to be twice the actors three year olds are) and, while it's been a while since I read the Jerome Bixby's original, I think the episode hits all of the same points.
Except I think Serling or the director (James Sheldon) may have added a bit of conflict that wasn't in the original. Watching this episode for the review, I noticed for the first time that Aunt Amy was considering going for the fire place poker while Anthony was occupied. A brief fumbling, true, but still there. As our little God doesn't seem notice this bad thought, it does give a bit of hope in an otherwise bleak tale that there might be an end to Peaksville's hellish existence.
Of course, he might know every last bit of what his aunt was considering and not care...
Musings about the story aside, the acting is excellent. Billy Mumy as Anthony tends to grate a bit (as child actors tend to do) but he has a definite presence that worked me past that. Creepy eyes.
I do have one little complaint, which may sound petty. For the most part the show does well within it's limits. It obviously can't show us the three headed mole Anthony makes in the beginning, and Dan Hollis's fate works much better than I remember it working.
However, they really shouldn't have shown Anthony's Television Show. The horrified looks and the sound effects would have been enough. The two stop-motion Triceratops we see fighting on the screen really doesn't match up with their reactions and detracts from the over-all atmosphere.
Of course, that's the part I remembered most from watching this as a kid...
* We aren't going to think about the movie version of this story we actually got. Or the sequel presented in the new series. Good thoughts, people. Anthony wants good thoughts.
Except I think Serling or the director (James Sheldon) may have added a bit of conflict that wasn't in the original. Watching this episode for the review, I noticed for the first time that Aunt Amy was considering going for the fire place poker while Anthony was occupied. A brief fumbling, true, but still there. As our little God doesn't seem notice this bad thought, it does give a bit of hope in an otherwise bleak tale that there might be an end to Peaksville's hellish existence.
Of course, he might know every last bit of what his aunt was considering and not care...
Musings about the story aside, the acting is excellent. Billy Mumy as Anthony tends to grate a bit (as child actors tend to do) but he has a definite presence that worked me past that. Creepy eyes.
I do have one little complaint, which may sound petty. For the most part the show does well within it's limits. It obviously can't show us the three headed mole Anthony makes in the beginning, and Dan Hollis's fate works much better than I remember it working.
However, they really shouldn't have shown Anthony's Television Show. The horrified looks and the sound effects would have been enough. The two stop-motion Triceratops we see fighting on the screen really doesn't match up with their reactions and detracts from the over-all atmosphere.
Of course, that's the part I remembered most from watching this as a kid...
End notes
* According to the Wikipedia entry, Rod Serling was writing a screen play adaptation of "It's a Good Life" which sounded like it followed the story even more closely than his first go at it. Now there's a film that would have kicked butt...* We aren't going to think about the movie version of this story we actually got. Or the sequel presented in the new series. Good thoughts, people. Anthony wants good thoughts.
2 comments:
This was one of the better episodes. I always enjoyed, in the original story, that the townspeople were never really sure if they had been transported somewhere or if Anthony had made the entire world disappear. Of course, the former was more likely.
One can only imagine what other horrors could be found in the cornfield.
Soooooo many typos in this review. Soooo many grammer gaffs. But that's a good thing...
Serling's handling of the whole transported/destroyed issue was another sticking point for me. Something more visual rather than in the opening naration...
But, again, what else could he do? The budget to do it right probably would have been to much.
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