Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955) 1.27

Help Wanted

starring John Qualen, Lorne Greene

written by Stanley Ellin, 

directed by James Neilson

Mr. Crabtree (John Qualen) accepts a job working for a mysterious man (Lorne Greene) who hires him to work in an office by himself and write reports. The mysterious employer visits Mr. Crabtree in his office one day and explains to him that he has a new assignment for him. He wants him to kill a man.

Mr. Crabtree doesn't know what to say. He really needs the money he's been making. His wife is sick and needs an operation. The employer has it all figured out. He explains to Mr. Crabtree how it will work. It's foolproof according to his employer but Mr. Crabtree has his doubts.

Amazing Stories (1985) 1.11

Santa '85

starring Douglas Seale, Pat Hingle, Gabriel Damon

written by Joshua Brand, John Falsey, Steven Spielberg

directed by Phil Joanou

Santa (Douglas Seale) goes out on Christmas Eve 1985 to deliver presents. He trips the silent alarm in one house. The owners call the police who come and arrest the old man. He winds up in jail with three other men dressed as Santa Claus.

Sheriff Horace Smyvie (Pat Hingle) is a bit of a curmudgeon and refuses to believe that he has actually arrested Santa Claus.

Bobby (Gabriel Damon), the young boy whose house Santa was visiting when he was arrested, finds Santa's sleigh and reindeer behind his house. He makes his way to the police station in Santa's sleigh and uses it to break him out.

The Twilight Zone (1959) 1.24

Long Live Walter Jameson

starring Kevin McCarthy, Edgar Stehli, Estelle Winwood

written by Charles Beaumont

directed by Anton Leader

Professor Sam Kittridge (Edgar Stehli) suspects that his colleague Professor Walter Jameson (Kevin McCarthy) is older than he claims to be. Jameson is engaged to Susanna Kittridge, his colleague's daughter. Walter confesses to the truth, he is more than 2,000 years old once Sam presents him with the evidence he has amassed.

Sam doesn't want Walter to marry Susanna now that Walter has confirmed his suspicions. Walter refuses to break things off with Susanna but after returning home he discovers that he isn't the only one who has a say in the matter. Laurette (Estelle Winwood), one of his former wives, is waiting for him when he gets home. She insists that he break things off with Susanna.

Tales from the Crypt 2.01

Dead Right

starring Demi Moore, Jeffrey Tambor

written by Andy Wolk

directed by Howard Deutch

Cathy (Demi Moore) goes to see a fortuneteller who informs her that she will meet a large man who stands to inherit a lot of money from a relative. She meets Charlie (Jeffrey Tambor) who is very large. She finds him disgusting but decides to trust the fortune teller and marry him. She puts up with him as long as she can. She is reassured when she learns that he has a rich uncle but then she learns that the uncle has a wife and children.

Cathy wins a million dollars when she is the millionth customer at an automat. She decides that's it. She's had it with Charlie. She goes up to pack her things. She insults him and tells him she's leaving him. It drives him crazy. He picks up a knife and stabs her to death.

The Outer Limits (1953) 1.21

The Children of Spider County

starring Lee Kinsolving, Kent Smith, John Milford

written by Anthony Lawrence

directed by Leonard J. Horn

The Space Agency Investigative Service sends John Bartlett (John Milford) to Spider County to talk to Ethan Wechsler (Lee Kinsolving) hoping than Ethan is the key to solving the mysterious disappearance of four scientists. Ethan is in police custody and accused of committing murder at the time that Bartlett departs for Spider County. Ethan never knew his father but a mysterious man (Kent Smith) claiming to be his father shows up and helps Ethan get away from the police.

Alfred Hitchcock Presents 1.26

Whodunit

starring John Williams

written by C. B. Gilford, Francis Cockrell, Marian Cockrell

directed by Francis Cockrell

Author Alexander Arlington (John Williams) arrives in heaven where he learns he was murdered. He has no memory of the incident. He writes mystery novels and desperately wants to know how it happened and who did it. The archangel Wilfred, who is checking Alexander in offers to let him relive his last day on Earth so that he can find out who did it and why. Alexander accepts the offer and moments later wakes up in his bed  the morning of the day he was murdered.

Amazing Stories 1.10

Remote Control Man

starring Sydney Lassick

written by Douglas Lloyd McIntosh, Steven Spielberg

directed by Bob Clark

Walter (Sydney Lassick) has a miserable life. He hates his job. His wife and children hate him. His only solace in life is his television, until his wife sells it so that she can buy some clothes. He goes out and buys a new television that changes everything. The remote control transforms his wife into a participant in a beauty pageant. His sons get transformed into Face (from the A-Team) and Arnold (from Different Strokes). 

Kraft Suspense Theatre 1.05

A Hero for Our Times

starring Lloyd Bridges, John Ireland, Geraldine Brooks, Sandra Church

written by David E. Lewis, Andy Lewis

directed by Ralph Senensky

Mason Etheridge (Lloyd Bridges) is getting ready to leave the apartment of Ruth Evans (Sandra Church), with whom he is having an affair, when he looks out the eindow and sees a woman get murdered. He calls the police, tells them what he saw, but hangs up before giving his name. He is spotted by the killer, whom he saw but not clearly.

Mason returns to his wife Doris (Geraldine Brooks) and their three children. He tries to go on with his life but starts to have second thoughts about not stepping forward to provide testimony after a janitor gets arrested and put on trial for the murder. Mason is certain that the janitor wasn't the man he saw. The height, hair color, and age are all wrong.

The Twilight Zone (1959) 1.23

A World of Difference

starring Howard Duff

written by Richard Matheson

directed by Ted Post

Arthur Curtis (Howard Duff) discovers, suddenly, one day that the world he knows isn't exactly what he thinks it is. He is actually an actor named Gerald Raigan. That's what everytone calls him when shooting stops on the movie. He doesn't understand why they keep calling him Gerry. He doesn't recognize Nora, the woman who claims to be his wife. He can't find the home he remembers. He doesn't recognize Brinkley, the man who claims to be his agent.

None of it makes sense to Arthur Curtis. It is like a bad dream for him. Nothing can dissuade him from believing that he is Arthur Curtis. He returns to the studio only to find that the set is being taken apart. He sits back down in the office he knows. His wife Marion enters. He's so happy to see her. He leaves the office with Marion.

Four Star Playhouse 1.19

Shadowed

starring Dick Powell

written by Seeleg Lester, Merwin Gerard, Mary Synon

directed by Robert Florey

Burton Stroude (Dick Powell) learns that Del Martin, a woman with whom he had an affair years before, is on her death bed. He was single at the time but she was not. Del wants to see him one last time. He is hesitant to go. He didn't know that she was married when the affair began.

Rhoda, Burt's wife, already knows about Del Martin, but not because Burt told her. She knows because she opened a letter from Del to Burt, that arrived the day before. Burt and Rhoda talk about it a bit. It hurts her to know that he had such a relationship and never told her about it.

The Outer Limits (1963) 1.20

The Bellero Shield

starring Martin Landau, Sally Kellerman

written by Joseph Stefano, Lou Morheim

directed by 

Richard Bellero (Martin Landau) creates a laser beam that enables an alien to travel to Earth. Richard is fascinated by the alien and shares all kinds of things with him but the alien's time is limited. Richard wants his father, the president of the Bellero Corporation to see the alien. He goes to find his father but Judith, Richard's wife who doesn't get along with her father-in-law, kills the alien before Richard returns his father.

Alfred Hitchcock Presents 1.25

There Was an Old Woman

starring Estelle Winwood

written by Marian Cockrell, Jerry Hackady, Hal Hackady

directed by Robert Stevenson

Frank and Lorna Bramwell smell an opportunity when they learn about Monica Laughton, a rich elderly woman who lives in town. They go to see her but she seems to be hallucinating all sorts of things, including other guests in her home and the body of a relative for whom she says they are holding a funeral.

Frank gets increasingly agitated with the Mrs. Laughton. They wind of staying the night. Mrs. Laughton promises to be more cooperative in the morning. 

Amazing Stories (1985) 1.09

Guilt Trip

starring Dom DeLuise, Loni Anderson, Charles Durning

written by Gail Parent, Kevin Parent 

directed by Burt Reynolds

The Big Guy (Charles Durning) sends Guilt (Dom DeLuise) on a cruise because he's been working too had and screwing things up. Guilt meets Lovely (Loni Anderson) while on the cruise and falls in love with her.

Thoughts

This episode doesn't really go anywhere. I think it might have been a little too cute for it's own good. It didn't help that the characters were kind of paint by numbers.

The Twilight Zone 1.22

The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street

starring Claude Akins, Barry Atwater, Jack Weston

written by Rod Serling

directed by Ron Winston

The power goes out suddenly on Maple Street after an unknown object passes overhead. Nothing works including things that aren't plugged in like portable radios and cars. The residents don't suspect anything strange until really strange things start happening: cars starting by themselves, lights coming on in just one house. The residents of Maple Street grow increasingly paranoid as to whom they can trust.

The tension turns to hysteria when someone is spotted walking down the darkened street. One man brings out his shotgun. Another man takes it and shoots the approaching man, killing him. It turns out to be someone they all knew. Things get progressively worse as more weird things happen.

Four Star Playhouse 1.18

To Whom It May Concern

starring David Niven

written by Oliver Crawford, Wally Kline, Jack Hannum

directed by Robert Florey

Bingham (David Niven) has made plans to kill himself. He writes a letter explaining his reasons. He embezzled money from the bank where he works. He used it to buy some stock in but the value of the stock has dropped precipitously. He mails the stock certificates along with the letter but then sees a headline indicating that the company and it's stock price has rebounded.

Bingham rushes around desperately trying to intercept the letter. He makes numerous attempts. All seems lost and at the last minute he almost gets it back but he is oblivious to the fact that the letter is coming back to him due to insufficient postage and kills himself.

The Outer Limits (1963) 1.19

The Invisibles

starring Don Gordon, George Macready, Dee Hartford, 

written by Joseph Stefano

directed Gerd Oswald

Two men, Planetta and Spain (Don Gordon), join a secret organization known as The Invisibles which is a front for an alien invasion of Earth. Planetta and Spain survive the indoctrination process, which kills another man who tried to join at the same time as them. Spain is secretly an agent of the GIA, tasked with infiltrating the Invisibles. He is sent by The Invisibles to Washington, DC to turn General Hilary J. Clarke.

Alfred Hitchcock Presents 1.24

The Perfect Murder

starring Hurd Hatfield, Mildred Natwick

written by Victor Wolfson, Stacy Aumonier

directed by Robert Stevens

Brothers Paul (Hurd Hatfield) and Henri make plans to murder their Aunt Rosalie (Mildred Natwick) after she inherits a tidy sum of money. Paul is much more proactive than Henri but both of them contribute to the murder attempt. Paul's eagerness to do away with his aunt causes him to be a bit too over confident and costs him dearly.

Thoughts

This was fun although I don't think it had enough of a twist for me to call it a favorite. I very much enjoyed the performances by the two lead actors. I'm not sure if everyone would agree with me. 

Amazing Stories (1985) 1.08

Mr. Magic

starring Sid Caesar

written by Joshua Brand, John Falsey

directed by Donald Petrie

The career of stage magician Lou Bundles (Sid Caeser) is spiraling downward, after years of success, when he finds a deck of magic cards. They briefly revive his career but then he decides that it is time to retire.

Thoughts

There isn't much to this episode. The central conflict is internal as Lou struggles with aging and accepting that he is no longer the stage magician that he once was. The special effects probably looked very impressive in 1985 when this episode first aired but 41 years later they don't look all that special.

Goodyear Theatre 1.15

The Giant Step

starring Robert Ryan, Michael Landon

written by Leonard Freeman, Floyd Beaver

directed by Robert Florey

Two sailors from a submarine are sent (during the midst of World War 2) to find a deadly snake on an island held by the Japanese. Gunner Smith (Robert Ryan) would rather be on the mission with anyone but Karl Wallace (Michael Landon). Wallace was tried but found innocent of actions that might have resulted in the death of Barney Callan, Smith's best friend. Smith doesn't care that Wallace was found innocent. He still blames Wallace for Callan's death.

The Twilight Zone (1959) 1.21

Mirror Image

starring Vera Miles, Martin Milner

written by Rod Serling

directed by John Brahm

Millicent Barnes (Vera Miles) is waiting for a bus to Buffalo, NY. She doesn't understand why everyone keeps telling her that they just saw her a minute ago when she is meeting them for the first time. Twice sees she sees herself. Once in a bathroom mirror and then again in on a bus that she is about to board. Paul Grinstead (Martin Milner), who is waiting for the same bus tries to help her but he ultimately decides to call the police and let them deal with the matter. That gets her out of his hair but then he starts seeing someone who looks just like himself.