Night Call

Gladys Cooper, the grand dame of The Twilight Zone, is quite brilliant in her third and final appearance. Jacques Tourner (Night Of The Demon, I Walked With A Zombie) brings his usual excellent atmospheric direction to the Zone. Probably the only TZ set in England (I realize 'Passage On The Lady Anne' begins at Southampton), it's by far and away one of the most creepy and chilling.

Besides Gladys Cooper, the so recurring theme of loneliness is probably the only other typical TZ factor. The story is good for a chilly ghost story but somewhat severe in nature for this normally more warm-hearted series.

...i would recommend "Consider Her Ways", an episode in season III of "Alfred Hitchcock Hour". I saw that episode maybe 20 years ago, but seeing Gladys in tonight's TZ episode reminded me of "Consider Her Ways". After 2 decades, I remember Gladys from a single Hitchcock Hour episode? yea, it is that good.

It was startling, frightening, and perverse.

and Gladys Cooper was amazing in that show, too, as in "Night Calls". She was very convincing.

im sorry, this is not a review as much as my trying to share a gem of classic television.

It's really hard for me to claim this or that as the best ever, or my favorite, simply because it's so limiting and something always pops up sooner or later, to prove me a liar. In this case, however, I MUST say, I have seen all of the "Twilight Zone" episodes, half and full hour-long and of any of them, this is the one I always recommend. Directed by the vastly underrated Jacques Tourneur (whose "Cat People" revolutionized horror films as we know them, and has resonance even today), this is a story which simply plays on our fears and messes with our minds. A crippled old woman sits in her lovely cottage home, aided only by a nurse. Alone and miserable, she begins getting strange nightly phone calls from somebody who makes odd sounds and leaves her terrified. Is she senile? Her maid seems to think so, but as you might expect, there's much more here than meets the eye. I won't go into details more than to say that the ending won't disappoint and Martine Bartlett, as the old woman, is likable and sympathetic. I saw this recently and yeah, it's still scary. Is it the best "Twilight Zone" episode, though? Well, if you like creepy irony, then yeah, this one is the best, ever.

Highly suspenseful episode with aptly ironical ending. So who's the prank caller interrupting elderly Elva's (Cooper) needed rest. Sounds like he can barely breathe. Plus he keeps calling at night, adding menace to the ringing phone. Poor Elva, she doesn't have much to think about, so the unwanted rings are preying on her declining health. Good thing sturdy Margaret's (Marlowe) there during the day providing sober comfort and advice. But then, the phone company's no help in diagnosing the problem. So, what's poor Elva to do.

First-rate TZ, even though there's only a cast of three and no real action. Still, the suspense builds as the mystery deepens. Cooper, in a long and distinguished career, is excellent at showing the mounting strain. TZ and Hitchcock Presents were a lot alike in that story was always paramount. Thus good acting came first rather than glamor or celebrity. That plus quality of writing (Here it's Richard Matheson) accounts, I think, for much series success. And shouldn't overlook fine direction here from movie vet Jacques Tourneur who helmed many of the Val Lewton horror classics, (I Walked with a Zombie; Cat People, et al.). Anyway, it's a first-rate TZ entry, so don't miss it.

Gladys Cooper might does not hold the record for appearances in episodes of "The Twilight Zone", though she comes close with three appearances (I think that would be Jack Klugman with four). "Night Call" represents her final appearance, though my favorite is still "Nothing in the Dark".

This episode consists of an old lady that is wheelchair-bound who is receiving creepy phone calls. It's not what is said as much as how the unknown person sounds--almost like someone who is half-dead. Again and again he calls and each time, Cooper becomes more scared--she just wants the calls to stop. Then, in a final act of desperation, she makes them stop...but is this what she REALLY wants? Much of what is good about this episode isn't the plot but how it is handled. The story idea is very simple but combining the cinematography, music, acting and direction, it all becomes amazingly tense and creepy.