11 - An Evening in the Zone

    This is a little different - it’s not quite a movie, but it seemed to be on the cusp of being one.  This is a DVD collection of three TV screenplays of Rod Serling’s, done before he found his success with The Twilight Zone.
    First, Nightmare at Ground Zero.  A man who creates mannequins is tasked with creating a family to decorate a house being demolished in a nuclear test.  His henpecking wife bothers him enough that he swaps her with one of the mannequins.
        This is unusually dark for Serling.  He tended to have more of a focus on moral and philosophical issues.  This seems more like a Tales From the Crypt predecessor than his work.  Still, it’s actually pretty enjoyable, mostly because of the interesting mannequin photography.
    Second, The Arena.  This deals with a senator whose father was also a senator.  He spends most of his efforts trying to argue with and discredit a rival of his fathers.  Eventually, he’s offered the opportunity, when he discovers that the rival was once a member of a poorly-regarded organization.  This seems more like classic Serling.  It’s still padded, and it moves slowly until we get to the meat of the story, but there’s something pleasant about it.
    And last, A Town Has Turned to Dust.  A small town lynches a young Mexican boy.  The Mexican population turns against the storeowner that led the mob.  This is an utterly predictable story, but it captures most of Serling’s style and interests.  His writing is ridiculous by modern standards.  There’s hardly enough plot to justify the 83-minute running time… but he manages to accomplish it by throwing all of the backstory you could possibly want, and more.
    But what makes this last story more watchable is the format.  It was broadcast on Playhouse 90, which started off as a live-to-broadcast anthology series.  By the time this episode came along, it seems to have been shot almost the same way, but committed to tape before broadcast.  The result is interesting.  Limited sets, static camera work, a pretty blank background… but it still retains a certain immediacy.  You know that these people are learning their lines and are putting on the best show they can.
    Which brings me to the other high point - William Shatner is actually really good in this.  He doesn’t engage in any of his trademark delivery.  He’s a sleazy, bad guy.  He’s drunk half of the movie.  It’s much more interesting than I expected.