The Masks
- Episode aired Mar 20, 1964
- TV-PG
- 25m
Dying millionaire Jason Foster invites his greedy Boston heirs to a Mardi Gras party where they must wear the masks he had custom-made for them - or else be cut off from their considerably l... Read allDying millionaire Jason Foster invites his greedy Boston heirs to a Mardi Gras party where they must wear the masks he had custom-made for them - or else be cut off from their considerably large inheritance.Dying millionaire Jason Foster invites his greedy Boston heirs to a Mardi Gras party where they must wear the masks he had custom-made for them - or else be cut off from their considerably large inheritance.
Featured reviews
I thought that there is definitely foreshadowing of the ending throughout the episode, and it makes sense. Also, what makes it great is how chilling it is (in that department it reminds me of The Eye of the Beholder as well). Also, seeing it reminds me of the Goosebumps episode that i used to watch when I was a kid. This is a great episode, and together with Monsters Due on Maple Street it is perhaps the shows finest 30 minutes.
Dying millionaire Jason Foster (Robert Keith) brings his venal family together on what will likely be the last night of his life, during Mardi Gras. However, rather than allowing them to make their perfunctory goodbyes, the patriarch forces them them to wear masks -- reflecting their true natures (his daughter's self-pity, his son-in-law's avarice, and his grandchildren's vanity and cruelty) -- as a condition of receiving their inheritance.
While this episode could have been unbearably preachy, what prevents this is Serling's well-written script, and the magnificent lead performance by Keith, who plays the role with such sarcasm and Mephistophelean charm that the payoff is richly anticipated, rather than dreaded. Moreover, the payoff itself is worth the price of admission.
A very old and sickly rich man is waiting to die. Instead of enjoying his final days in the bosom of a loving family, he is beset by greedy and selfish relatives waiting for him to die like a pack of vultures. Make no mistake about it, the old guy knows exactly what they are like and has no illusions about their intentions. So, in a final gesture of contempt, he makes them spend an entire evening at his home "celebrating" while wearing grotesque Mardi Gras masks--resulting in a wonderful and satisfying twist.
The acting is excellent but what really makes this stand out are the wonderful writing and direction (by Ida Lupino). With such a simple story, they truly make the most of it and the pacing and execution are perfect.
Did you know
- TriviaThis was Robert Keith's final acting role before his death on December 22, 1966 at the age of 76.
- GoofsMilton Selzer (born 1918) and Virginia Gregg (born 1916) play the parents of Alan Sues (born 1926) and Brooke Hayward (born 1937). Even more bizarrely, Sues (age 37 at time of filming) is described as a member of his school's football team.
- Quotes
Jason Foster: [early draft: Jason's time has come at last] ... It's what you've all been waiting for. Now you can dig deep in the treasury.
Emily Harper: Are you feeling... weaker, Father?
Jason Foster: At last; a note of hope in your voice, Emily.
Emily Harper: Why must you always say such twisted, vile things to me?
Wilfred Harper: I quite agree, Father.
Jason Foster: Why indeed, Emily? Because you're vile and twisted people! Because none of you *respond* to love! Emily responds only to what her petty hungers dictate, a prime example of this being her marriage to Wilfred... a marriage which broke her dear late mother's heart, in every sense. Wilfred responds only to things that have mass and volume and price tags. He gauges novels; he doesn't experience them. He appraises works of art; he doesn't seek out their beauty or their meaning. And Paula there lives in a mirror. The world means nothing to her save as a reflection of herself. And her brother. Humanity, to him, is a small animal caught in a trap and waiting to be tormented. His pleasure is the giving of pain; and from this, he feels the same sense of fulfillment which most human beings get from a kiss or an embrace. You're caricatures, all of you! Without your masks, you're *caricatures!*
- Crazy creditsAn image of Pall Mall appears throughout the credits.
- ConnectionsFeatured in American Masters: Rod Serling: Submitted for Your Approval (1995)
Details
- Runtime
- 25m
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1