The Five Best Episodes of "The Loner"

Lloyd Bridges as William Colton.

We originally wrote a post about Rod Serling's 1965-66 Western TV series The Loner back in 2009. At that time, it seemed destined to be one of those cult TV shows lost forever except for an episode or two on YouTube. Fortunately, that turned out not to be the case. In 2016, Shout Factory released all 26 episodes of The Loner.

The premise has Lloyd Bridges playing William Colton, a former Union officer wandering through the Old West following the end of the Civil War. Serling, who wrote many of the episodes, uses that backdrop to explore issues such as racial prejudice, redemption, and resignation. While it's not as consistently thought-provoking as Twilight Zone, The Loner is a different kind of Western and Bridges is excellent as its complex hero.

Here's are our picks for the five best episodes:

1.  The Oath - When Colton stops by an isolated inn on a rainy night, he discovers that its residents are being held at gunpoint by a critically-wounded outlaw. During the night, the outlaw's plight changes the lives of the innkeeper's daughter and an alcoholic former surgeon with one hand. Rod Serling once said: "Humanity is our business." That's the theme in this potent episode featuring fine performances from Barry Sullivan and Viviane Ventura. I love the unexpected conclusion, which is filled with both melancholy and hope.

Barry Sullivan and Lloyd Bridges in the background.

2.  The Lonely Calico Queen - Colton finds a letter on a dead man and delivers it. The recipient is a lonely saloon girl, who was waiting for the letter writer--a pen-pal she has never met--to "rescue" her from her mundane existence. She assumes that Colton is her knight in shining armor. Serling wrote this touching tale of dreams and disillusionment. Jeanne Cooper shines as the saloon girl's pragmatic boss, who has accepted her station in life.

3.  Westward the Shoemaker - Colton meets a naïve immigrant (David Opatoshu), who is traveling to a nearby town to open a shoe shop with his life's savings. Part character study and part celebration of the goodness in people, this one features a Twilight Zone-like twist at the climax. Writer Serling also fills it with natural little touches like the two men soaking their feet in a nearby stream as they talk.

Cindy Bridges (Lloyd's daughter) with Colton's horse Joshua.

4. Pick Me Another Time to Die - Veteran TV writer Ed Adamson penned this more conventional, but still compelling episode in which Colton is framed for the murder of a popular sheriff. Even worse, the man responsible is the deputy! The only flaw in this tight-paced, twisty tale is its hurried conclusion. Character actor Lewis Charles has some great scenes as the deputy's underling and there's a doozy of a fight in a jail cell between Bridges and Mike Mazurki.

5. The Flight of the Arctic Tern - En route to a friend's wedding, Colton encounters a beautiful blonde on horseback, who flirts openly with him. Later that day, when he meets the bride-to-be, she turns out to be the same woman! Producer Andy White wrote the teleplay for this offbeat outing about a manipulating woman (well played by Janine Gray) who doesn't know what she wants in life. Colton's look of disgust in the closing scene is not to be missed.

You can view clips from three of these episodes on the Cafe's YouTube Channel by clicking on the image below:

John Frankenheimer Counts Down "Seven Days in May"

John Frankenheimer followed his classic The Manchurian Candidate (1962) with this equally original political thriller. Rod Serling’s taut screenplay interweaves the stories of three men: President Jordan Lyman (Fredric March), whose popularity has plunged as a result of pushing for a nuclear arms treaty with Russia; General James Mattoon Scott (Burt Lancaster), the influential, egotistical head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff; and Marine Colonel “Jiggs” Casey (Kirk Douglas), a key member of Scott’s staff.

The still-timely political debate is neatly conveyed in the opening scene of protestors marching outside the White House. One group is holding up signs that proclaim: “Peace on Earth or No Earth at all!” The other protestors wave posters with slogans like: “Don’t ban the bomb Stupid—Ban the Treaty.”

The President.

After this prologue, Colonel Casey sets the plot in motion when he learns of a top secret message involving a Preakness Stakes betting pool. Later, he meets Colonel Henderson, an old friend, who makes an odd comment about his Army unit: “It’s funny…we spend more time training for seizure than prevention.” Casey continues to collect more unusual clues—none of which means much individually. However, they slowly lead him to a stunning realization that has ramifications upon the very nature of our democracy.

Part mystery, part suspense film, Seven Days in May is a rare motion picture in which the outcome is always in doubt until the climax. That uncertainty is a testament to Frankenheimer’s craftsmanship as a filmmaker. He also excels in making excellent use of his settings and in making time an important element in the film. Frankenheimer gives us a complete tour of the nation’s capitol—from the Pentagon’s chambers to the President’s study to dark alleyways where deals are made. And, after cueing us into the fact that something will happen on Sunday, he counts down each day, leading his characters to their inevitable confrontation.

The General.

In Serling's screenplay, President Lyman and General Scott initially appear to be polar opposites. Scott comes across as a strong, charismatic leader convinced that a nuclear threat is the only way to hold the Soviet Union in check. Lyman, on the other hand, seems bland, weak, and unpopular (his approval rating is a disasterous 29%). Lyman can't even convince his own military leaders that peace is the best option. However, as events unfold, these initial perceptions are put to the test. One realizes that Lyman's conviction to stay his course despite an onslaught of criticism is a testament to his inner strength. In contrast, Scott's impatience and ego propel him to attack the very foundations of our country, using its best interests--as interpreted by him--as an excuse.

The man in the middle.

Though March and Lancaster are compelling as the protagonists, Kirk Douglas grounds the film with his excellent performance as Jiggs. It's a great role, as Jiggs is the man in middle whose compass shifts from one man to the other--as the audience moves along with him.

Seven Days in May represented a career peak for director John Frankenheimer. He continued to make interesting movies in the 1960s with The Train (1964), the cult classic Seconds (1966), and Grand Prix (interesting from a technical standpoint). However, his career faltered in the 1970s, with critics drubbing Prophecy (1979), an entertaining monster film with an environmental message. Toward the latter part of his career, he earned recognition again with well-reviewed made-for-cable films.

Ironically, Seven Days in May was remade as the 1994 cable movie The Enemy Within, but it was not directed by Frankenheimer. The cast featured Sam Waterston as the President, Jason Robards as the general, and Forest Whitaker as Casey.

12 Days of Christmas: Art Carney Plays Santa in Rod Serling's "The Night of the Meek"

This is Mr. Henry Corwin, normally unemployed, who once a year takes the lead role in the uniquely popular American institution, that of the department-store Santa Claus in a road-company version of 'The Night Before Christmas'. But in just a moment Mr. Henry Corwin, ersatz Santa Claus, will enter a strange kind of North Pole which is one part the wondrous spirit of Christmas and one part the magic that can only be found... in the Twilight Zone.

Rod Serling’s introduction of one of his most beloved Twilight Zone episodes sets the stage for a touching Christmas tale starring Art Carney as Henry.

The opening scene finds a department store Santa missing—much to the dismay of waiting children and their parents. Alas, it turns out that Henry, still dressed as Santa, is downing drinks at a depressing bar. On his return to the store, the manager berates Henry, calling him “a wino who’d be more at home with Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer.” When a mother also realizes that Henry is drunk, she chides him: “You ought to be ashamed.”

“I am ashamed,” admits Henry, who realizes he is “an aging, purposeless relic.”

But Henry feels no sorrow for himself. Rather, he is saddened that he cannot bring joy to the “hopeless and dreamless” who live in poverty in the tenements (the “meek” of the title). Henry feels that Christmas should come with patience, charity, compassion, and love.

After being fired from his Santa job and booted out of the bar, Henry wanders the city’s snowy streets…then hears the sound of jingle bells in an alley. When he investigates, a cat jumps out of the shadows, and a large bag filled with gifts lands on the ground. Henry picks it up and subsequently makes this Christmas Eve an unforgettable experience for “the meek” and for himself.

In The Twilight Zone Companion, producer Buck Houghton says that Serling wrote this episode “because he wanted to see Art Carney as Santa.” In doing so, Serling provided Carney with one of his most memotable roles. Carney brings out the hopelessness of Henry as a drunk and then his joy as a gift-giving Santa. There are also a couple of quietly humorous scenes in which Carney gets to display his wonderful comedic talent.

"The Night of the Meek" ranks with Serling’s best Twilight Zone episodes. It could easily have been overly sentimental and “too cute.” But Serling, Carney, and director Jack Smight find just the right tone. The opening scenes border on bleak and the later ones contain just the right amount of whimsical magic. The ending isn’t a surprise, but that doesn’t diminish its effect.

Serling’s closing narration is one of my favorites (the last sentence was edited out of repeats of this episode): A word to the wise to all the children of the twentieth century, whether their concern be pediatrics or geriatrics, whether they crawl on hands and knees and wear diapers or walk with a cane and comb their beards. There's a wondrous magic to Christmas and there's a special power reserved for little people. In short, there's nothing mightier than the meek. And a Merry Christmas, to one and all.

If you’ve never seen "The Night of the Meek," click here to view the full episode online for free at CBS.com.

The Christmas TV Companion by Joanna Wilson -- A Stocking Full of Christmas Treats (and some tasty lumps of coal)

And now for something completely different -- The Christmas TV Companion: A Guide to Cult Classics, Strange Specials and Outrageous Oddities by Joanna Wilson. The author diligently viewed and researched hundreds of TV episodes, motion pictures, and animated features and shorts, to create a compendium of the charming, offbeat, bizarre, irreverent, offensive and crude interpretations of Christmas and its popular icons, including Santa Claus, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, and the Nativity Story. Her entries run the gamut from amazing to thoroughly tasteless; however, they are never dull and often fascinating.

The book is divided into five major chapters, Macabre , Sci-Fi, Variety, Animation, and Dark. Each section includes three subcategories, Kids' Christmas, Hidden Gems, and Make Your Own Marathon, which highlight additional material not previously covered and deserving of a special mention. Some of the well-known Christmas staples are omitted in favor of presenting a worthy list of esoteric, rarely seen, and difficult-to-find holiday fare. The author made sure that the majority of the titles were available for public viewing, either on DVD, VHS or online. The details of each selected title are summarized in paragraphs, ranging in length from one devoted to the Academy award nominated 1993 short film Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life to an in-depth analysis of the 1978 debacle The Star Wars Holiday Special. She also provides occasional margin notes as further comment on the current topic. Other entries in this eclectic compilation include Mad TV's send-up of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer as a Martin Scorsese-directed mobster film, Raging Rudolph; Hard Nut, a revisionist version of The Nutcracker Suite by the highly-regarded Mark Morris Dance Company; a 1958 Christmas episode of the Western TV series Wanted Dead or Alive entitled "8 Cent Reward"; and Carol for Another Christmas, a 1964 made-for-television movie retelling of the Dickens Christmas classic, written by Rod Serling as a film with a political message. It boasted a star-studded cast including Sterling Hayden, Ben Gazzara, Peter Sellars, and Eva Marie Saint.

The above-mentioned titles are merely a micro sample of the wealth of information found in this unique guide. Television enthusiasts searching for unusual Christmas TV and film topics, presented in an informal and entertaining format, should seek out The Christmas TV Companion: A Guide to Cult Classics, Strange Specials and Outrageous Oddities. The extensive index provides references and cross-references to all material contained in the book, the good, the bad, and the ugly of holiday entertainment, offering myriad possibilities for creating personalized Christmas viewing schedules based on family traditions, childhood memories and genre preferences.

This is the first book by Joanna Wilson, a bona fide TV junkie from childhood, who earned a college degree in film and an advanced degree in philosophy. She draws upon these two areas of expertise to provide cogent analysis of the film and television elements which comprise the content of her initial effort as a published writer.

The Christmas TV Companion: A Guide to Cult Classics, Strange Specials & Outrageous Oddities will be published by 1701 Press on November 10, 2009. This 160-page book retails for $22.00 and can be ordered through Amazon.com and booksellers everywhere.

31 Days of Halloween: The Twilight Zone's "The Invaders"

Originally shown on January 27, 1961, episode #51 "The Invaders" was a very different Twilight Zone. Written by Richard Matheson and directed by Douglas Hayes, it starred Agnes Moorehead. Her co-star was Jerry Goldsmith's music. Richard Matheson did a total of sixteen Twilight Zone episodes and "The Invaders" is my favorite. This is Matheson's version of the classic "things that go bump in the night" but with a twist.

Rod Serling's Twilight Zone has some of the finest music ever composed for TV. The reason for this was due, in part, to the nature of the show, and also to the judgment of the head of the CBS music department, Lud Gluskin. Gluskin chose composers who could work in a pressure cooker of tight budgets, limited time, and small orchestral ensembles, which ranged from four to thirteen. Look at who he had to chose from; Jerry Goldsmith, Franz Waxman, Nathan Van Cleave, Bernard Herrmann, Leith Stevens, Fred Steiner, and Lynn Murray. For "The Invaders," he chose Jerry Goldsmith .

Along with the black & white camera work work of George T. Clemens and the fine acting of Agnes Moorehead , Jerry Goldsmith's music had to carry much of the dramatic action, because this show had no dialogue until the very last moments. A bold and daring move for a half hour TV show at the time.

Goldsmith's music for "The Invaders" tells the story of a woman who lives alone on the prairie in primitive conditions and her confrontation with some otherworldly aliens who have landed their ship in her attic, and move around her house.

Like the Bernard Herrmann score for Psycho, much use is made of somewhat daring (for the time) effects of the strings. Goldsmith expands it by using piano, harp, organ, and celeste to describe the battles between the woman and the invaders.

How does it end? I won't tell you. Does it work? I think so. You can see for yourself at http://www.cbs.com/ classic TV shows, Twilight Zone season 2.

31 Days of Halloween: Like an Itch You Can't Scratch - "Caterpillar"- Night Gallery

When the idea for the 31 Days of Halloween was first proposed I tried to think of the scariest motion picture or television show that I'd ever seen; Psycho, The Exorcist, Don't Look Now, Jaws, Alien, Aliens came quickly to mind. It was harder remembering a television show that chilled me to the core. I thought it was "A Feast of Blood" from Night Gallery; however, when I viewed it on line it seemed rather tame and silly. But while doing research I came across what many consider to be Night Gallery's most famous production "Caterpillar". When I read the synopsis I instantly knew that this was the episode that had caused many a nightmare and reinforced my fear of earwigs, those ugly little bugs with nasty looking pincers at both ends of its body.

Set on a tobacco plantation in the steamy jungles of Malaysia, the teleplay depicts the deterioration of one man's already diminished soul by the unyielding forces of nature, the constant rain and debilitating heat, and his increasing boredom and dissatisfaction with the social restrictions inherent in the life of a European plantation owner. And whatever is left of his morality and integrity disintegrates into a murderous lust for the young wife of his much older employer.

Steven Macy (Laurence Harvey), disillusioned with his life in England, signs a one-year contract to work for a tobacco grower in Borneo. His employer Mr. Warwick (Tom Helmore) is married to a much younger and stunningly beautiful woman(Joanna Pettet). Macy erroneously believes that the lovely Mrs. Warwick is unhappy in her marriage and begins to make unwanted sexual overtures to her which she quickly rebuffs, declaring that she loves her husband and plans to be with him forever on the plantation. In spite of these blunt rebukes, Macy's obsession with Mrs. Warwick escalates to a dangerous level.

Robinson (Don Knight), a felon who chose deportation to Malaysia over serving time in a London jail, continues his unsavory dealings in the local village, lurking around in seedy pubs, trespassing on private property, offering his questionable services for hire. On one of his forays onto the Warwick plantation, ostensibly to sell kindling, he witnesses one of Macy's failed attempts to woo Mrs. Warwick. He recognizes Macy's untenable situation and presents a way to solve the problem. He tells Macy about a little beastie called an earwig which likes to feed on wax. Supposedly, if one of the little critters gets into your ear it will eat the wax, but unable to move backwards, it continues boring through the brain causing unimaginable pain as it seeks a way out. This results in the death of the earwig and its host. Macy is appalled at the implication that murder will be done, but tells Robinson to do it as soon as possible, that very night, and pays him 100 pounds to place the earwig into Mr. Warwick's ear.

The next morning at breakfast Macy intently watches his employer for any signs that something is wrong, while noticing a strange feeling in his own ear. This increases in intensity and when Macy holds a handkerchief to his ear it comes away bloody. The realization that the earwig was placed in his ear drives him screaming from the room.

What happens to Macy over the next two weeks is disgusting and horrific and sickening. He lies in the bed, hands tied to the bed post to prevent him from scratching his face off, his countenance twisted with the unbearable agony he suffers. When Robinson appears at his bedroom window to "apologize" for the "mistake", Macy painfully and slowly utters, "I... want... to... die". But he doesn't die! The earwig reached his opposite ear and fell out. Macy confronts the others, expecting to be taken to jail and tried for attempted murder. He tells them that being tortured on the rack, flayed alive, and even hanging would be preferable to the excruciating, persistent, driving itch caused by the earwigs journey through his brain. Mr. Warwick informs him that there will be no arrest and no trial in Malaysia or England. Macy realizes that there is something they are not telling him and after Mrs. Warwick is asked to leave the room, the doctor tells him why he he won't be suffering any punishment from the law. The doctor was the one who caught the earwig as it fell out of Macy's ear; he killed it and discovered that it was a female--and a female lays eggs. There is no reaction shot of Macy and as the screen fades to black, we hear a bloodcurdling scream of terror emanating from the house.

The most amazing thing about this episode is that the horror is not derived from graphic depictions of bugs and blood, but rather from the brilliant, descriptive teleplay by Rod Serling. The fear and disgust we experience does not result from gratuitous scenes of the earwig plowing through Macy's brain or blood gushing from his mouth or nose. There are no close-ups of the doctor squishing the bug. It's in the telling of the story in such a way that our imaginations are given free reign to conjure up our own versions of the hideous images and unrelenting pain suggested by the script.

The actors get their jobs done by accurately delineating their characters and setting up the interactions that follow. The lovely and talented Joanna Pettet is the perfect object of desire, her radiant beauty a forbidden fruit for Steven Macy. But it's Laurence Harvey's terror filled eyes and quiet moaning, his pain ravaged face, his disheveled and unwashed appearance, lying in bed with his hands tied to the bed posts, that enhance the elements of horror, disgust and fear in Serling's script and make "Caterpillar" one of Night Gallery's scariest episodes.

The Loner--Rod Serling's TV Western Cult Favorite

Bridges as former Union officer William Colton.

With The Twlight Zone a big hit for CBS, Rod Serling launched a Western TV series in the fall of 1965. Serling was no stranger to the Western genre, having written 1958's Saddle the Wind starring Robert Taylor and John Cassavetes.

The Loner, like Saddle the Wind, was an "adult Western" that downplayed action in favor of human interest stories. And like The Twilight Zone, the series had a social conscience, this time in the form of hero William Colton, played by Lloyd Bridges. A former Union officer, Colton--like television predecessors Tod and Buz in Route 66--was in search of "something." His travels into the West lead to encounters with various individuals whose stories form the basis of each episode.

The first "An Echo of Bugles," stars Whit Bissell (the hardest working actor in the late 1950 and 1960s) as a former Confederate being harassed by a young punk who throws the old man's Rebel flag on the floor. Colton interecedes and calmly (yet forcefully) states:

"I don't owe any allegiance to that flag either, but too many good men died for it to let me sit by and see it desecrated by a dirty little loudmouth that had no hand in bringing it down...a loudmouth who was still sucking milk and candy drops while this flag was the breeze."

The horrors of war haunt Colton.

In flashback, it's revealed that Colton killed a young Confederate soldier during a battle--only to learn that the Civil War had ended hours earlier with Lee's surrender at Appomattox. This incident drives Colton to resign his commission despite the pleadings of his senior officer.

Potent dialogue for an intriguing Western TV series. Unfortun-ately, The Loner lasted for only 26 episodes--not even a full season back in 1965. And even though Serling is considered one of the great television writers, The Loner has never made it to DVD and, sadly, probably never will. (Since I wrote this post in 2009, I'm thrilled to say that The Loner was released on DVD by Shout Factory in 2016.)

Click here to read our review of the five best episodes of The Loner.