Reminded me of the H. Rider Haggard novel, "She," but that's not where the writer Charles Beaumont got the idea. Beaumont was pretty ill by this time and writing was beyond him. One of his co-authors who was wearing a scarab ring suggested the story.
Briefly, Ann Blyth is a famous movie star being interviewed by a reporter, Lee Philips, who begins to suspect that she's much older than the thirty-eight years she claims to be. Evidence accumulates that she's had many names in the past and has always looked as beautiful and glamorous as she does now. Philips asks her how she does it, and Blyth shows him. Too bad for Philips.
Aging was a problem that was commonly addressed on "The Twilight Zone," and why not? We all face it, and the dissolution that follows. There's nothing good about being old unless you're Chinese. It's all downhill, which was the underlying theme of "Citizen Kane" too.
There is nothing particularly special about this episode though. Ann Blyth had a stunning voice but her acting talents were pedestrian. She was fine when she was dressed in period costumes, standing in front of lavish sets, and singing. Here, make up has given her a coif of black hair that looks made of iron and frames her already oversized face and forehead. Maybe it was intended to give her presence a sinister cast. If so, it succeeded.
You'll probably recognize the actress Celia Lovsky, who plays Blyth's mother/daughter. But I'll bet you won't figure out why Blyth speaks with the accent of general America whereas Lovsky has a Viennese accent.
Briefly, Ann Blyth is a famous movie star being interviewed by a reporter, Lee Philips, who begins to suspect that she's much older than the thirty-eight years she claims to be. Evidence accumulates that she's had many names in the past and has always looked as beautiful and glamorous as she does now. Philips asks her how she does it, and Blyth shows him. Too bad for Philips.
Aging was a problem that was commonly addressed on "The Twilight Zone," and why not? We all face it, and the dissolution that follows. There's nothing good about being old unless you're Chinese. It's all downhill, which was the underlying theme of "Citizen Kane" too.
There is nothing particularly special about this episode though. Ann Blyth had a stunning voice but her acting talents were pedestrian. She was fine when she was dressed in period costumes, standing in front of lavish sets, and singing. Here, make up has given her a coif of black hair that looks made of iron and frames her already oversized face and forehead. Maybe it was intended to give her presence a sinister cast. If so, it succeeded.
You'll probably recognize the actress Celia Lovsky, who plays Blyth's mother/daughter. But I'll bet you won't figure out why Blyth speaks with the accent of general America whereas Lovsky has a Viennese accent.