I don't recall ever seeing John McGiver in a boorish role before, but Rod Serling's script here makes his character out to be a complete jerk. As the president of the Model Ship Company bearing his name, Roswell G. Flemington holds fast the company motto - 'Full Speed Ahead for Fun and Profits'. To say that he's a royal pain to all of his staff would be an understatement, although I was taken aback when one of his employees fantasized about a Kamikaze pilot taking him out during the War. That might have been taking things a bit far.
In typical Twilight Zone fashion, this episode takes it's main character and pivots him from one extreme to the other. With an exaggeratedly keen sense of hearing, old Roswell finds irritation in even the simplest sounds. With the help of a shrink, he discovers that mind over matter may provide the cure, but it's at that point that things really come unglued. I have to admit, I got a kick out of that first faucet drip ricochet. But I had to wonder though, just how loud would that silent record have to be to shake the bookcase and sway the fixtures on the walls of his office?
For a 1960's period piece, it was cool to see once again a dial telephone and a non-digital record player, but I know that soon enough, younger viewers won't even be able to recognize those things. Cool also to see Penny Singleton in a role a couple of decades removed from her 'Blondie' days. And how about one of the old Bowery Boys himself showing up - Billy Benedict as Roswell's man Conklin. What I couldn't figure out was what happened to Benedict's snow white hair as he got older - aging in reverse?
Well even if this isn't one of your more noteworthy TZ episodes, you can still have some fun with it. Roswell's a great character study in how NOT to behave as a husband and business executive, and if that's your only takeaway, it would be a valuable lesson - in a manner of speaking.
In typical Twilight Zone fashion, this episode takes it's main character and pivots him from one extreme to the other. With an exaggeratedly keen sense of hearing, old Roswell finds irritation in even the simplest sounds. With the help of a shrink, he discovers that mind over matter may provide the cure, but it's at that point that things really come unglued. I have to admit, I got a kick out of that first faucet drip ricochet. But I had to wonder though, just how loud would that silent record have to be to shake the bookcase and sway the fixtures on the walls of his office?
For a 1960's period piece, it was cool to see once again a dial telephone and a non-digital record player, but I know that soon enough, younger viewers won't even be able to recognize those things. Cool also to see Penny Singleton in a role a couple of decades removed from her 'Blondie' days. And how about one of the old Bowery Boys himself showing up - Billy Benedict as Roswell's man Conklin. What I couldn't figure out was what happened to Benedict's snow white hair as he got older - aging in reverse?
Well even if this isn't one of your more noteworthy TZ episodes, you can still have some fun with it. Roswell's a great character study in how NOT to behave as a husband and business executive, and if that's your only takeaway, it would be a valuable lesson - in a manner of speaking.