‘Twilight Zone’ actors recall starring in classic ’60s sci-fi series

Invoice Mumy and Jan Handzlik took completely different routes in their careers, however they share a typical bond: performing in classic episodes of “The Twilight Zone.” Rod Serling’s black-and-white anthology series, which initially aired on CBS (1959-64), is again for its annual New Yr’s marathon on Syfy, which runs Sunday by means of Wednesday and contains episodes in which Mumy and Handzlik co-starred. Mumy (as “Billy” Mumy) was in three “Twilight Zone” episodes — most memorably in 1961’s “It’s a Good Life” because the thought-reading demon seed Anthony Fremont. He additionally co-starred in “Lengthy Distance Name” (1961) — as a 5-year-old speaking to his lifeless grandmother over a toy phone — and with Jack Klugman in 1963’s “In Reward of Pip.” Invoice MumyGetty Photographs Handzlik, now an investigations and trial lawyer in LA, was 15 when he shot the 1961 mob-mentality episode “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Avenue.” He performed Tommy, who stirs lethal neighborhood hysteria by suggesting that outer-space aliens have prompted the weirdly inexplicable occasions on Maple Avenue when the ability goes out. (Seems he was proper.) I spoke to Mumy, 64, and Handzlik, 73, about their “Twilight Zone” roles — and what it was like to look in probably the most acclaimed series in TV historical past. Mumy: I realized a vital lesson from Cloris Leachman on “It’s a Good Life.” One of many very first closeups we have been capturing was of [Leachman] inside the home as I used to be delivering offstage dialogue to her. I used to be goofing round — I bear in mind I used to be type of making humorous faces at her — and he or she stated, “Minimize!” and he or she took me apart. It wasn’t an embarrassing second, however I’ll always remember it. She stated, “Now pay attention, whenever you’re off-camera you need to be simply pretty much as good as you might be whenever you’re on-camera. You possibly can’t simply goof round.” Look, I used to be 6 or 7 and the underside line is [that] no person ever stated that to me. I used to be prefer to myself, “Oh, OK, I get it. I see precisely what you imply. That can by no means occur once more.” And it by no means did. Handzlik: I’ve a really distinct reminiscence of the solid members sitting round a desk going over the script with Rod Serling. I can’t bear in mind something he stated, however he personally participated in at the least the dialogue rehearsals. I actually loved working with [co-stars] Jack Weston, Claude Akins and Barry Atwater. I bear in mind Jack Weston was very humorous and was all the time cracking jokes. Mumy: Jack Klugman was so nice, and so passionate, and we have been filming out in Santa Monica at Pacific Ocean Park at evening, which was actually creepy despite the fact that it was my residence turf and I used to go there on a regular basis. We have been about to movie this scene the place he grabs me and he can’t imagine I’m bodily and actual and there and he begins hugging me and kissing me. Each of my mother and father had accompanied me that evening and Jack … got here as much as them, which he didn’t must do, and defined the fervour of the scene. I bear in mind him saying to my dad, “I’m actually gonna seize your child and actually gonna lay one on him and I need you to be comfy with it.” I’ll see that scene right now and that’s the place my thoughts goes. Claude Akins (from left), Mary Gregory, Jan Handzlik and Jack Weston in “The Monsters are Due on Maple Avenue.”CBS by way of Getty Photographs Handzlik: It was a whole lot of enjoyable by advantage of what occurred in the episode with the lights occurring and off and that’s the place there was a little bit problem on the soundstage as a result of we needed to [shoot that scene] a lot of occasions. Issues didn’t begin and cease the way in which they have been presupposed to. Mumy: There’s a scene firstly of “It’s a Good Life” the place Anthony has made a three-headed gopher and he’s holding it up and enjoying with it. It was so repellent to me — it was a professional prop; it was rubbery and had pores and skin peeling off of it and was a disgusting prop. I bear in mind capturing that [scene] and simply grimacing, like “Oh God, do I’ve to carry this!” (On Rod Serling) What I recall very clearly was that he was a really mild presence on the set. You caught him in that black go well with, however he didn’t really feel like a black go well with type of man … after which, in fact, him filming these intros and outros. I used to be there for couple of these. He stopped manufacturing [on “Long Distance Call”] for about 45 minutes and rewrote that final speech the place my dad, performed by Phil Abbott, picks up the toy phone and pleads along with his mom to not let the child die. Rod went off to a nook — I can truly see him behind a set with 2-by-4s coming down behind the wall — and he rewrote that speech … and made it so significantly better. I’ve carried out a whole lot of TV reveals and definitely a whole lot of reveals as a child and so they all have a fond spot in my reminiscence. However the “Twilight Zones” maintain my consideration and so they keep vibrant. I by no means cringe at them. I’m fairly comfortable to be part of what’s inside that little body. Share this: https://nypost.com/2018/12/28/twilight-zone-actors-recall-starring-in-classic-60s-sci-fi-series/ The post ‘Twilight Zone’ actors recall starring in classic ’60s sci-fi series appeared first on My style by Kartia.