Back in 1961, a legend of Hollywood’s silent film era starred as an unlikely time traveler in one of the best episodes of The Twilight Zone. Widely regarded as one of the greatest TV shows of all time, The Twilight Zone explored over 150 self-contained stories following sci-fi, horror, and fantasy themes. The Twilight Zone, created and presented by Rod Sterling, originally released five seasons over as many years, but it was season 3, episode 13, “Once Upon a Time,” that starred one of Hollywood’s most iconic stars in a story that was well ahead of its time.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Silent film legend Buster Keaton starred in The Twilight Zone’s “Once Upon a Time” as Woodrow Mulligan—one of the actor’s latter roles. Buster Keaton is best known for performing in silent films during the 1920s, most prominently with moments of physical comedy and inventive stunts that he pulled off with a deadpan expression, earning him his title of “The Great Stone Face.” Five years before his passing in 1966, Buster Keaton, whose first film role was way back in 1917, joined The Twilight Zone as an unlikely time traveler in one of the series’ best episodes.
“Once Upon a Time” Was the Perfect Time Travel Story in The Twilight Zone
“Once Upon a Time” explores the story of Woodrow Mulligan, a janitor for inventor Professor Gilbert (Milton Parsons) in 1890. Mulligan has grown dissatisfied with his once-quiet town of Harmony, New York, where prices have increased, livestock roams the streets, and horse-drawn carriages and penny-farthing bicycles make traveling as a pedestrian more dangerous. At work, Mulligan tries on Gilbert’s newly-invented “time helmet,” which allows its user to time travel for 30 minutes, and it takes him to 1961. In the chaos of a then-modern Harmony, Mulligan damages the helmet, and seeks help from scientist Rollo (Stanley Adams) to fix it.
This creates the opportunity for the episode’s beautiful and touching moral to come to the forefront. Rollo regards the 1890s as an idyllic period, but when they fix the time helmet and travel back there, he experiences dismay at the lack of technology and modern comforts. Conversely, Mulligan earns a new appreciation for his own time after traveling to the future, while Rollo is returned, so everyone ends up happy. “Once Upon a Time” also opens and closes with an ode to the silent film era that made Buster Keaton famous, acting as a perfect love letter to old Hollywood.
The time travel story on display here is simple but effective, and full of charm thanks to Keaton and Adams’ performances. Norman Z. McLeod’s direction gives the episode a unique style that makes it stand out as one of the series’ best, while the music composed by William Lava and performed by veteran Hollywood session pianist Ray Turner perfectly balances the silent film-style 1890s scenes and the “talkies” of the 1960s. Not every episode of The Twilight Zone relied on comedy, but with Keaton’s involvement, “Once Upon a Time” became one of the funniest chapters in the entire series.
What do you think? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!
Most Viewed
-
Image courtesy of Virgin Films -
Image Courtesy of Netflix
