The Town Where No One Got Off

A simple situation, obviously analogous to the all-time "Twilight Zone" classic "A Stop at Willoughby", becomes a true classic in the hands of Ray Bradbury. This unsettling short suspenser is nearly perfect.

After Ray makes a useful acting appearance in a prologue to the tale, Jeff Goldblum takes over in a performance that could easily be shown in acting classes. He manages to be his famous persona, yet oh so subtly bringing the fictional character to life indelibly, never straining or exaggerating (the way William Shatner did in his episode of this series).

Cec Linder plays a commuter on the train who gives Jeff a hard time in an idle conversation, accusing him of being a "bleeding heart writer" when Jeff expresses a fondness for little towns by the train tracks that are far away from the hustle and bustle of modern big-city life. Cec dares him to get off the train at a random stop and see who's right.

Jeff impulsively bribes the conductor and does just that, leaving at the train at the unscheduled stop at Erehwon (yes, nowhere spelled backwards).

The bucolic town (in Canada, no doubt given this being a Canadian production) is very pleasant looking in fall, with the leaves strewn everywhere, but the few inhabitants Jeff meets are all surly and hostile to him. It takes him a while to catch on to the "not wanted here" general attitude.

Story comes to a head when an old coot (wonderfully played with great skill by character actor Ed McNamara) brings a sinister psychology to the surface and confronts Jeff with a realization of man's worst instincts. And it's amazing how Jeff reacts to this.

I was surprised after watching it to realize I liked this forgotten little gem even more than my affection for the Willoughby classic.

This episode "The Town Where No One Got Off" from season one of "The Ray Bradbury Theater" is one that's strange and odd as it is really hard to call and get a take on. As you the viewer will ask what would you do in that kind of a situation. It stars Jeff Goldblum(before he became a big star) as Cogswell a train traveler who has interest in seeing a different land mostly the country and rural life where things are suppose to be peaceful. However when he gets off the train and tours the town and finds it to be different really a surprise, then an old man appears which is like somewhat of a wild card of the story. And things spin and take a twist. In my opinion not one of season one's better episodes still one that does spark interest still you the viewer have to form your own conclusion.

While traveling by train, the aspirant writer Cogswell (Jeff Goldblum) is challenged by a salesman to get off the train and settle in a small town to have a boring life. Cogswell asks the conductor to stop the train and arrives in a calm town. He wanders through the town and finds hostile dwellers; further, he notes that an old man is following him. The man tells Cogswell that he has been waiting for twenty years for a strange to commit the perfect crime. Cogswell replies that he has had the same feeling, reason why he got off in the town to kill a stranger.

I found this tale very disappointing. The situation of the hostility of the dwellers with the newcomer in town is easily understood, but the weird situation of the confrontation of the old man and Cogswell is silly. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "The Town Where No One Got Off"