TWILIGHT ZONE: WORDPLAY; A LITTLE PEACE AND QUIET (TV)
Summary
One in this 1980s revival of the 1959 television series of the same name, featuring an anthology of fantasy and science-fiction stories. In the first story, “Wordplay,” Bill Lowery is a salesman having difficulty memorizing the names of his company’s new line of medical products. As Bill goes about his day, he begins to notice people using odd words in their sentences, such as when his neighbor refers to his dog as an “encyclopedia.” Bill goes home for lunch and to visit his young son Donnie, who has a fever and whose condition is growing steadily worse. He notices his wife using strange words as well, echoing one of his co-workers who said “dinosaur” instead of “lunch,” making Bill confused and agitated. No one else seems to be aware that they are using out-of-place words and are confused when Bill tries to correct them. As the day progresses, the bizarre word use grows worse, to the point where Bill can no longer understand anyone else. Even written words have been rearranged in a seemingly random fashion, further distressing him. He runs out of his office and drives home in a panic. He finds his wife in great distress; Donnie is severely sick and they rush him to a hospital. After some time Bill infers that the doctor tells him that Donnie is recovering, and he and his family eventually head home. Bill opens one of Donnie’s educational books in order to figure out the altered language surrounding him; the word “Wednesday” is written beneath the image of a dog. The next story, “A Little Peace and Quiet,” Penny Stilwell is a housewife feeling stressed due to attending to her four children and her husband Russell. She feels increasingly unsettled and hopes for a few moments of quiet in her busy life. Later, while out tending her garden, she finds a small metal box buried in the dirt. Inside she finds a golden medallion in the shape of a sundial. While at the supermarket, Penny has difficulty managing her children and accidentally causes a commotion, and her rambunctious children continue their behavior at home, aggravating her further. Exasperated, she yells at her family to “shut up,” and much to her surprise time seems to freeze in place until she asks for them to resume. The medallion somehow allows her to halt and restart the flow of time at will, and she decides to use this ability to grant herself the quiet she desperately desires, allowing her to get more sleep, eat breakfast in silence, and accomplish mundane tasks with ease. Over the next few days there are various signs, subtle and otherwise, that nuclear conflict is imminent between the major world powers. Penny uses her control over time to get rid of a pair of anti-nuclear weapons lobbyers who come to her door. One night, Penny and Russell hear an alert on the radio warning of incoming Soviet nuclear weapons. In fright, Penny stops time and goes out into the street, where crowds are frozen in mid-panic. She looks up and sees a missile frozen in flight, about to land and obliterate the city. Commercials deleted. (These segments originally aired on different dates. “Wordplay” aired on October 4th, 1985. “A Little Peace and Quiet” aired on September 27th, 1985.)
Details
- NETWORK: CBS
- DATE: November 30, 1984
- RUNNING TIME: 0:40:00
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:56232
- GENRE: Drama, fantasy/science fiction
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama, fantasy/science fiction
- SERIES RUN: CBS - TV series, 1985-1989
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Philip DeGuere … Executive Producer
- James Crocker … Producer
- Harvey Frand … Associate Producer
- Charles Aidman … Narrator
- The Grateful Dead … Theme Music by
- Merl Saunders … Theme Music by
- Marius Constani … Theme Music by
- For "Wordplay"
- Wes Craven … Director
- Rockne S. O'Bannon … Writer
- Robert Klein … Cast, Bill Lowery
- Annie Potts … Cast, Kathy Lowery
- Adam Raber … Cast, Donnie Lowery
- Robert Downey Sr. … Cast, Mr. Miller
- Brian Bradley … Cast, Hotshot
- Bernard Behrens … Cast, Older Salesman
- Anne Betancourt … Cast, Admitting Nurse
- Willard Peugh … Cast, Man in Elevator
- Helene Udy … Cast, Woman #1
- Mimi Meyer Craven … Cast, Receptionist
- Brynja Willis … Cast, Secretary
- Alexandra Morgan … Cast, Nurse #1
- Lee Arnone … Cast, Nurse #2
- Raye Birk … Cast, Bearded Man
- Joseph Whipp … Cast, Doug Seaver
- For "A Little Peace and Quiet"
- Wes Craven … Director
- James Crocker … Writer
- Melinda Dillon … Cast, Penny
- Greg Mullavey … Cast, Russell
- Virginia Keehne … Cast, Susan
- Brittany Wilson … Cast, Janet
- Joshua Harris … Cast, Russ Jr.
- Judith Barsi … Cast, Bertie
- Claire Nono … Cast, Newscaster
- Elma V. Jackson … Cast, First Shopper
- Pamela Gordon … Cast, Second Shopper
- Laura Waterbury … Cast, Third Shopper
- Todd Allen … Cast, Preppy Man
- Isabelle Walker … Cast, Preppy Girl