Walking Distance

Walking Distance is an episode of the television series The Twilight Zone.

Details

Episode Number:5

Season: 1

'Production code': 173–3605

'Original air date': October 30, 1959

Writer: Rod Serling

Director: Robert Stevens

Music: original score by Bernard Herrmann

Cast

Martin Sloane: Gig Young

Martin's Father:Frank Overton

Martin's Mother: Irene Tedrow

Synopsis

A middle-aged man driving cross-country stops his car, and walks toward his hometown, which appears exactly as it was when he was a boy. He sees himself as a boy, and following him home, meets his parents. Trying to convince his parents that he is their son from the future he succeeds only in proving his insanity. Finally, his father confronts him, having seen the papers in his wallet and now believing him to be who he says he is, and tells him to return to his own time. Martin tries to warn himself as a kid to enjoy his childhood before it is too late, but his advances scare young Martin who falls off the merry-go-round and injures his leg. Martin returns to his own time with a limp.

Trivia

Features a bit part by a young Ron Howard.

Themes

Deeply personal story for Serling, who had always wanted to revisit a part of his youth, which largely includes his hometown of Binghamton, New York. In this episode he ultimately concludes that he cannot, or should not, return home. Similar themes are explored in The Incredible World of Horace Ford and, to a lesser extent, Young Man's Fancy. The episode also deals with the relentless pressures of the business world, which also serve as the basis for A Stop at Willoughby, The Brain Center at Whipple's and two Serling teleplays from before and after The Twilight Zone: Patterns and the Night Gallery episode They're Tearing Down Tim Riley's Bar.

Critical Response

"It's been three decades since he made that journey but the experience still tingles the flesh and waters the eye. This was "Walking Distance,” Episode Five of Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone. Originally aired on October 30, 1959, it was the most personal story Serling ever wrote, and easily the most sensitive dramatic fantasy in the history of television. The yearning to recapture one's youth is an inescapable part of the human condition, and to discover, in the end, that the past is irrevocably behind you can be heartbreaking and sobering. With mesmerizing performances by Gig Young and Frank Overton, Serling played out this theme of ice cream and irony, of band concerts and broken dreams, and allowed us to take a better look at ourselves in the process. Devoid of the gimmickry that pervaded other episodes, "Walking Distance" stands alone in its simplicity and maturity. It captured the essence of Serling's poignant pen. Moreover, it's a fine example of how inventive cinematography and inspired direction could propel a half-hour teleplay forward—a rarity in the "golden days" of harried, grind-'em-out production schedules." Paul Mandell, excerpt from "'Walking Distance' from The Twilight Zone", first published in the June 1988 of the American Cinematographer magazine.

External link

• TV Tome episode page

References

• Zicree, Marc Scott: The Twilight Zone Companion. Sillman-James Press, 1982 (second edition)