The Evil Within

This is a decent episode. Rod Steiger is a research scientist. He has developed some substance that affects the personality, that unleashes the id impulses. His resentful wife damages his body of work, destroying his samples and burning his research notes. She has been affected by the spillage of some of the stuff on piece of pie she is eating. Her baser instincts take over and she becomes a veritable beast. Now it's up to Steiger and lab assistant James Dean to try to recreate the work. Meanwhile, she become a vamp, acting in ways she has never done before, totally out of character. She vows to destroy him, but she, herself, becomes self destructive. This does have a kicker which is worth waiting for.

Caught this oldie but goodie on RETRO TV, which is famous for vintage series you never see anymore. This was a major find.

I agree with the last reviewer, it's a take-off on DR JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE, only the twist is it's the doctor's wife that becomes a monster, sort of.

Rod Steiger, in an early and telling role, plays a young scientist who is working on a revolutionary formula that could change a person's personality -- from bad to good. So he thinks!

Two problems. His wife Anne (played by British actress Margaret Phillips) is all alone and resents him working seven days a week. He brings home his test tube invention, puts it in the refrigerator and it happens to spill on an apple pie. When Steiger leaves her all alone again, Anne has a slice of the pie -- not realizing what's she eaten -- and turns into one mean lady. She burns his critical notebook, tosses the test tubes and it's not too pleasant.

Margaret Phillips matches Rod Steiger in the emotional acting department, and in a switch, even threatens to kill herself instead of him. You would think he'd be the victim. We also get to see James Dean, in a pre-stardom role, playing Steiger's assistant. He appeared in many early tv shows, building up his resume, although this role is rather bland. Steiger gets all the attention.

Without giving too much away, there is a happy ending, which comes as a surprise. This story had TWILIGHT ZONE-ish possibilities. Directed by Don Medford, who in fact worked on TZ, also many years directing the FBI.

TALES OF TOMORROW is on dvd via various production companies, the only thing is some of the episodes are not fully restored, even copies released for tv. Thanks again to RETRO TV for showing this little gem.

A researcher's wife (Margaret Phillips) accidently ingests his experimental serum that releases 'the beast within'. The story is essentially 'Dr. Jekyll and Mrs. Hyde', with quiet, passive Anne becoming more sensual, emotive, and animalistic after taking the drug. The story is predicated on the implausible notion that a research biologist would take home an experimental neurological drug in test-tubes and then store them unsealed and not in a secondary container in a refrigerator full of food (early on he says that they have to be kept cold and the lab fridge is broken). Phillips is pretty good as the frustrated wife whose strong-willed and alluring alternate self is awakened, but otherwise the episode is noteworthy only for the casting: Rod Steiger brings his usual gruffness to the part of the less-than-safety-conscious researcher and future Hollywood icon James Dean plays his lab assistant (in typical James Dean 'method' fashion). Casting aside, this is one of the less interesting episodes in the highly variable old anthology.

This episode of "Tales of Tomorrow" stars James Dean and Rod Steiger before they were stars. And for that reason alone, it's well worth seeing.

This show is a bit like a reworking of the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde story. However, in this case, a man (Steiger) makes a formula similar to Jekyll's and the intention is to come up with a counter-formula--one that will unlock the goodness in people. Unfortunately, his wife is a bit of a ditz and she accidentally spills some of the formula on some food and she accidentally eats it--and becomes a nasty and rather cruel woman.

Margaret Philips' performance of as the wife vastly overshadows her soon to be famous co-stars. And, it's quite fun to watch her be so cruel and histrionic! Subtle, no--but fun and well worth seeing for the story and acting.