Saturday, September 11, 2010

King Of The Wild Frontier ~ Part Four ~ The Zone and Late Night Television

There was an amazing right of passage that occurred when a kid reached the magic age when babysitters were no longer really necessary. By the time most of us were about ten years old we had worn out the old ladies that watched us and exhausted the supply of exasperated teenaged girls who would be willing to be tormented by us anymore. The decision was in the works for me by my Mom and Dad. It was November 11, 1960 and a week away from my 10th birthday. Lots of things were being talked about that day. The final results of the presidential election were almost a sure thing but California could swing the tide toward Richard Nixon and away from John Kennedy. Not likely with electoral outcomes but Republicans were holding on to hope. My folks were going out for dinner and were debating not only the future of the country but my fate as an independent kid. I heard the discussions about my trustworthiness, and having friends for sleepovers (in lieu of sitters) when they were going out for the evening. My anticipation was increasing. The decision was made. They were going to get Janice, an older teen sitter and one of my favorites, to come that night and allow me to have friends…with no sitter…on Saturday night when they went out dancing. It all depended on how well both evenings went as to future consideration. No doubt in my mind that it was going to work. Little did I know that spreading your wings is not always safe. There are scary things that lurk in the dark and even scarier ones hiding in our television.

Bobby on Easter Morning 1960
Still innocent of The Zone and Late Night Monsters

Mrs. Tuttle ~ "Tutty"
My very favorite babysitter

I announced my finding to Janice when she came over. It was a week night so Mom and Dad would not be out real late. Janice was a student at Danville High School. She congratulated me on my good fortune and upon reaching such a pinnacle in my life. It was not a horribly difficult task to convince her that I should be allowed to stay up and watch The Twilight Zone. Parents did not like for kids to see that show. It seemed to have had a negative effect, in their opinion, on the passions of my friend Mark Faulkner. He had even created a Monster Club. They did not want for me to be involved in such dark thoughts or to have nightmares. It seemed strange to me because there was no problem with watching Alfred Hitchcock. It made The Zone a tantalizing forbidden fruit. Anyway, Janice said it would be okay…but probably not a great idea to tell my parents about. Ahhh, a secret!

I approached the hour in eager anticipation. Dressed in PJ’s and confident of my bravery, I perched on the couch by the Magnavox. Next thing I knew…it was time! The opening was other-worldly with the instrumental tune and Rod Serling’s intriguing voice…


“There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity.”

WOW! IT WAS ON!

“It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition. And it lies between the pit of man’s fears and the summit of his knowledge.”

YOU GOTTA BE KIDDIN’ ME! WHAT?! I could feel the little hairs standing up on the back of my neck.

“This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area that we call…The Twilight Zone.”

MAN…IF THE GUYS COULD SEE ME NOW. Janice was doing her homework at the dining room table and not aware at all of my juiced up pre-adolescent psyche.

The episode that was airing did not seem all that scary at first. More intriguing really…kinda like Hitchcock. It was called “The Eye of The Beholder” and was about a bandaged ugly woman who had undergone some radical plastic surgery to reconstruct her hideous face. The bandages must hold something that only the devious Serling would keep for us until the ending. We were in the hospital with the woman as she was taken into a surgical type suite surrounded by doctors and nurses. One of them was talking the patient through the facial unwrapping. Layer by layer the gauze was taken off. She could begin to see light through the coverings. The doctor announced the last of the procedure.

THIS IS TOO MUCH. WHAT IS UNDER THERE? By now I was in front of the Magnavox on my knees only inches from the screen.

“I am going to remove the last of the bandages now.” “Would you like a mirror?”

WOULD YOU LIKE A MIRROR? C’MON!

Now…just when I am ready to crawl out of my skin…the stupid doctor starts lecturing the patient about the fact that they have done all they could and that she could still live a long and fruitful life despite her appearance.

WHAT THE HECK?! HOW BAD COULD SHE LOOK?

Then she asks the doctor if she can be “put away” or exterminated as an undesirable by the state.

OH, MY DEAR GOD!

The doctor replies that probably would not happen. That she would be transferred to a communal living situation with people of her kind with her disability.

THERE WERE MORE OF THEM!?

He said, “Now remain very still and keep your eyes open. Here comes the rest of it. I wish you the very best of luck.”

WAS HE TALKING TO ME? My hands were ready to cover my face like my friend Gary did in situations like these.

We could see through the patient’s eyes as the gauze was removed. The shadowed faces of the medical staff began to show. A nurse gasped and the doctor dropped his scissors and hopped back exclaiming “No change…no change at all!”

I KNEW IT! HERE COMES HER AWFUL FACE! BUT WHAT? SHE WAS BEAUTIFUL!

She touched her face and started freaking out. The nurses and doctors restrained her against the wall. “Turn on the light” said one of the doctors. He shifted and revealed his horrible and disfigured mug as well as the contorted faces of the other medical staff. Face after face after face! Then a huge hypodermic needle!

I TURNED OFF THE TV AS QUICK AS I COULD AND RAN UP TO MY ROOM.

There was a question from the dining room table from Janice but I had no intention of sticking around to talk or listen. My door slammed.  The only safe place was in my bed. It was not a good night for dreams let me tell you. But I couldn’t reveal them to my folks. I shuddered alone.  My independence was at stake. The light of day hardly diminished the impact of the television show. I went outside and was met by Gary who walked to school with me every morning. Nothing was said about The Zone. Things changed when I was able to announce to Mark and Joe that I had watched the episode. I bragged. “They weren’t scary. They looked like pigs.” What a lie bu what a triumph! Three young men who were unified in the love of monsters. MARBOJO. Now I was only a day away from my ultimate dream. A sleepover at my house with Steve Magin (sans adults) watching Terror Theatre with Egor and The Master. I knew there would nothing could be worse than “The Eye of The Beholder”. I haven’t watched the ending to this day. It is on YouTube. I am tempted but…

Stay Tuned...Another exciting episode will follow.