There are scant few television shows aired in the 1950s and early 1960s that really stand the test of time and hold up as well today as they did back then. The first one that comes to my mind from back then that I have always enjoyed viewing is I Love Lucy. The second would be The Twilight Zone.

Rod Serling created The Twilight Zone after being subjected to the whims of sponsors as well as network censors on another show he wrote on, Playhouse 90. He hoped that by couching many of the contemporary themes he wanted to write about in a science fiction setting, he could slip some of the hidden meanings by people. It worked quite well.

With the DVD release of the series, instead of a series of season-long boxed sets, it was released in a series of volumes that were cobbled together around a central theme. What I thought would happen as the volume numbers got higher is showing signs of exactly that: the central “theme” for each episode is becoming harder and harder to see. It just seems that in this case, three episodes are put together that have to do with dying or growing old, but aren’t all that tied together otherwise.

There are only three episodes due to one of them being an hour in length, which happened during the show’s fourth season. Some of the shows worked fine in an hour format, others didn’t. The Thirty-Fathom Grave is from that season and does have the feeling of being dragged out to fill an hour, so it probably was originally written for the shorter format.

The other two episodes on this DVD work a bit better. Elegy has three astronauts traveling through space and coming across an Earth-like planet that is much more than it seems. A Short Drink from a Certain Fountain is a predictable story about an older man with a younger wife and the lengths he will go to please her.

The restoration is good. The black and white picture is clear and crisp with little to no interference. The sound is good as well. There are a few moments where I could hear hissing but otherwise, the sound is pretty good. It’s really nice to be able to see the episodes uncut and uninterrupted for the first time in a long time.

These DVDs are also lacking in extras. Most of what is on here is repeated from disc to disc, sometimes changed a bit to suit the episodes on this DVD. I really wish there were some decent extras with reminisces from those in the cast who are still alive to talk about it.

I was somewhat startled to catch some product placement as I thought that was one thing Serling was attempting to avoid. At the end of A Short Drink from a Certain Fountain there is a still advertisement for Pall Mall Cigarettes.

While I definitely think it is worth checking the episodes out in their uncut and uninterrupted format, I don’t think it’s worth investing in this multiple-volume DVD set. Each one individually is fine to view, but I would be disappointed in the DVD release.

Elegy

Three astronauts are on an Earth-based rocket ship that is running out of fuel. They manage to land on an asteroid with readings showing an atmosphere and topography much like on Earth. When they begin looking around, they find a farm much like on Earth. They know they are not on Earth since there are two suns.

Finally, they think they have found another human as they see a farmer staring off in the distance. However, he acts like a statue and doesn’t move or acknowledge them.

That is the case with everyone they meet. Even when they hear music playing and seek it out, they find a small town where the Mayor is about to be inaugurated – all standing perfectly still.

Finally, one of the “statues” turns his head and smiles after Webber runs out of the room. They come across the man again on the porch of one of the homes. He introduces himself as Wickwire.

Funny to watch the “statues” and look for signs of movement

Wickwire: Tell me, did they ever have that atomic war?
Meyers: Yes, in 1985. Most of the Earth’s surface was destroyed. It took us 200 years to recover.

The Thirty-Fathom Grave

In 1963 in the Pacific Ocean, a Navy Destroyer is on patrol off Guadalcanal. Chief Bell has been acting strangely, but his behavior becomes even more alarming when the sonar picks up a sound from beneath the sea. They believe it is coming from a submarine, but what they are picking up is not moving.

Captain Beecham sends a diver down to investigate the noise. It appears that someone is inside the submarine near the con tower. When the diver finally manages to recover the numbers on the side of the sub, they learn it was sunk twenty years earlier.

A Short Drink from a Certain Fountain

Harmon Gordon is an aging man with a wife forty years younger than him. She had what seemed like endless energy and Harmon couldn’t come close to keeping up with her. Harmon contacts his brother Raymond, who is a doctor.

Harmon asks Raymond to inject him with a youth serum he has been experimenting with. Raymond turns him down at first, then has a change of heart when he fears his brother is suicidal.

The serum has the intended effect. He comes down the next morning looking younger, healthier, and more energetic. At first, this seems terrific. However, the de-aging process doesn’t seem to be stopping.