Show129
At least once during the incidental music to “Meddling Medium” we can hear an homage to the theme music of The Twilight Zone. Submitted by gracep, 11/29/2010.
The rather inappropriate desire Philip expresses for his first cousin seems rather daring, even for today! And this marks the second time we see a quasi-incestuous situation, the first being a nephew-aunt affair (see this comment). Submitted by gracep, 11/29/2010.
This is absolutely one of my favorite episodes. It has both gothic and sci-fi elements and even mild horror. The first half is gothic—the house, the rainstorm, the writing, even the book of poetry—and the second is all sci-fi—the paranormal tamed and rationalized for your reassurance—but it’s still fun! Submitted by gracenote, 13 June 2011.
Anyone familiar with scientific research of the time shouldn’t be surprised at Puharich’s presence here. There was, for a brief time, serious interest in both the science fact and fiction worlds into “Psi” power. The test cards, the Faraday cage and the computer all figured into a serious attempt to ascertain if there was such a thing. This business never quite goes away, there is an excellent Columbo that deals with the related phenomemon of “remote viewing.” Submitted by MikeReese, 12/1/2011.
Addendum: The episode of "Columbo" I mentioned is 'Columbo Goes To The Guillotine", starring Anthony Andrews and Anthony Zerbe, as a sort of James Randi type ...if I said anymore, I'd be giving the story away, and it's a pretty good story. Since I knew a bit about the 'trickery' in the story, my wife, a Columbo fan, shushed me for the whole show! Submitted by MikeReese, 1/4/2017
Further info: I suspect the 'Faraday Cage' was a trick to flush out the person who knew enough about electricity to ... I won't spoil it, but I think that there was some theory of telepathy that at one time was given thought, that it was some form of actual electromagnetic transmission - so the cage was a way of blocking any 'interference' that might cross between the two people in the cage. The plot twist is that it wasn't used in the first two tests ... and anyone familiar with the science fiction world probably recalls the 'Telzey' stories of James Schmitz, or Robert Silverberg's 'More Than Human'. edited and added by MikeReese, 12/24/2015.
It's amazing to anyone today that it was perfectly acceptable for a man 'after a drunken rage' to take a 'fast drive'. No one turned a hair when that was said. Submitted by Rickapolis 05/02/2012
Instead of showing the scheduled episodes 129 and 130 today, Hallmark Movie Channel showed episode 1, Perry Mason Returns, of the two-hour modern PM series. Apparently HMC did not notify FIOS TV, which gave program info for the original shows. Submitted by MikeM, 1/28/2013
Hallmark Movie Channel is showing this episode as the first of a Saturday PM marathon today. Submitted by MikeM, 2/16/2013.
Is it me or are there some music/theme clips from The Addams Family in this episode ? Submitted by HamBurger, 10/12/2014
+ Unlikely, since The Addams Family didn't premiere until three years later unless it was stock music which is also unlikely since The Addams Family wasn't produced by CBS. Submitted by Wiseguy70005, 1/14/15.
++ It's not The Addams Family tune, but it does feature a harpsichord, giving it a similar sound. JohnK, 12 October 2015
Poetry Sells: Philip Paisley had a best seller of poetry, supposedly from a dead man. Too bad he was killed. He might have given some tips to Ben Nicholson, publisher of The Pleides, the poetry magazine seen in episode 108 TCOT Envious Editor. Submitted by H. Mason 11/12/14
Poor James Forrest - in “Dodging Domino” he was electrocuted in his bath, here he dies in a plunging elevator. The guy just can’t get a break. DOD 11/11/20
Thinking Inside the Box(es) Claustrophobes beware: practically the entire episode takes place in one of a number of crowded rooms (a living room, Perry's Office, The Courtroom, a lab); the theme of enclosure even extends to the MO of the murder (an elevator) and the denouement (Farady Cage). Submitted by Notcom, 122815.
"An Abundance of Ham." What is it about a supposedly "gothic" setting that pushes actors into unrestrained histrionics? Sonya Wilde had turned in a decent performance in "TCOT Violent Vest" (Episode 119), but she's way over-the-top here as the possibly ESP-endowed Bonnie Craig. And James Forrest, with rolling eyes and outlandish facial expressions, seems to have graduated summa cum laude from the Robert H. Harris Acting Academy. Toss in the reliably over-emotive Virginia Field for good measure and we are provided with an abundance of ham. Submitted by BobH, 3 March 2017.
Lea Marmer (Princess Charlotte) bears a startling resemblance to Maureen Stapleton in some shots. This episode may set a record for the least amount of courtroom time - can't amount to much more than 4 to 5 minutes. The telepathy angle was very trendy then. Even the military was spending millions testing the possibilities of ESP. Surprise! - nothing came of it. Kent Smith appeared in two of the most memorable horror films of the 40’s - ‘Cat People ‘ and its sequel ‘Curse of the Cat People’. DODay 10/03/17
High Voltage Wall: That wall of switches has a few technical flaws. The two switches on the far left are shorted out by their external wiring so serve no purpose. Same for the light bulb but remarkably it's still lit! It also appears that the bulb starts to extinguish a tad before the switch is thrown. Possibly by a stage hand. Also, isn't it convenient that none of the switches are labeled. Seems odd for a 22,000 volt control panel. Kilo 3/29/2019.
>Low Wattage Logic Maybe the bulb has ESP ?? The premise of the of the reveal was that because the killer had electrical training (generally) s/he would be able to instantly determine which switch to throw on equipment they had never even seen (specifically). This is, of course the kind of naive, screwy logic the show often turned to - "How did you know he drove a FIAT, Perry? Easy, Della, he served us spaghetti !!"...both one of it's maddening features, and yet part of its charm. Ciao, Notcom 031220.
It seems amazing that Bonnie Craig’s aptitude for ESP is being tested in the presence of witnesses with strong personal biases for/against her (one of whom being the actual murderer!), and that the first test is done with the ‘assistance’ of the revenge-hungry widow of the man Bonnie is accused of murdering--talk about psychic interference! But then, this scene is really show biz on Perry’s part, intended to get the killer to reveal him/herself. ckbtao 6/6/20
Does anyone have an explanation for the fraudulent medium getting the poem out of the safe? The exact wording of this poem persuaded Mom that her son was speaking from beyond the grave. We find out the medium was a fraud but never learned how he managed that trick. I think I saw the complete episode (including the Princess Charlotte scene) but saw nothing to explain that. Thanks. SoCalSis 17 Nov 2022
> When Bonnie shows Phillip to his room, Tom’s old room, we learn Phillip and Tom corresponded regularly, and likely shared some of their writings. DOD 12/13/22
>> What isn't explained however, is how he's able to perform the trick (not the contents of the writing but the process of doing it). We've seen on the show a number of times a word or two scrawled on the bottom of things - always written in lipstick - but the idea that someone could legibly write a lengthy text sight unseen (and perhaps upside down) seems dubious, at best. And regardless, neither he nor Bonnie could possibly have written what they did that quickly. Notcom 042523.
Well, it may not be a complete explanation, but in a scene often cut from TV prints (see above), Phillip pays $500 to Princess Charlotte for training on automatic writing and trance-faking. Ed Zoerner, 7/17/24