Why This Classic Episode of The Twilight Zone was Delayed Almost 3 Months from its Original Air Date

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On February 7, 1964, “The Twilight Zone” (usually shown on SYFY) reached the midpoint of its fifth and last season with the broadcast of “Night Call.” This episode was based on a short story of the same title by Richard Matheson, who was a regular contributor to the series. The story revolves around Elva Keene, played by Gladys Cooper, a solitary elderly woman who mysteriously starts receiving late-night calls from a spectral-sounding man.

Following numerous concerns expressed to the telephone service provider, who dismissed her escalating apprehension as mere ramblings of an elderly mind, Elva managed to pinpoint the mysterious caller to the burial site of her late fiancé, Brian Douglas. This man met a gruesome end in a car accident three decades ago, exactly a week before their wedding day. Elva herself was driving when the vehicle collided with a tree, causing it to shatter and Brian to be thrown through the windshield, resulting in his tragic demise. She’s spent years grappling with the guilt of this lonely existence but finds comfort in the hope that she can communicate with Brian once more. However, upon receiving another call from Mr. Douglas, he promises to cease contact following her persistent pleas for the calls to cease.

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In the style of Henry Bevis (portrayed by Burgess Meredith) in “Time Enough at Last,” Elva finds herself appealing to a seemingly unforgiving and ironic universe, as creator Rod Serling delivers poignant commentaries on humanity’s universal duty. However, it is hard not to feel a sense of unfairness towards Elva when she is left alone after a completely ordinary weakness afflicts her, as writer Marc Scott Zicree notes in his book The Twilight Zone Companion. He further explains that the ending of the TV adaptation is significantly less harsh than the original short story, which concludes with the deceased character vowing to haunt Elva like a vengeful spirit from a tale similar to “The Monkey’s Paw.

Remarkably, “Night Call” had been scheduled for broadcast in late November 1963, but its airing was postponed by almost three months due to a nationwide event that you might easily deduce. This significant event is, of course, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

How the assassination of President John F. Kennedy delayed The Twilight Zone episode “Night Call” by almost three months

In an unexpected twist of events, the debut episode I was eagerly anticipating was scheduled for November 22, 1963 – the same day President John F. Kennedy was tragically assassinated in Dallas, Texas. Of course, all the major networks rearranged their programming schedules to report on this shocking event, with Walter Cronkite providing the iconic coverage. As a mark of respect for our fallen leader, whose funeral took place three days later, they postponed my gaming joy.

50 years ago, during an interview with The Los Angeles Times to commemorate the anniversary of JFK’s assassination, former CBS News anchor Dan Rather stated: “On any TV screen across the nation, there was only one thing to be seen – the Kennedy Assassination. This tragic event transformed television into the central gathering place for the nation during significant occurrences, and from that day forth, it became the primary news source for our country.

Additionally, it could be seen as highly inconsiderate for CBS to air an episode of their program that depicted the tale of a person who met a gruesome death in a car accident, considering the timing. In its day, The Twilight Zone was remarkably farsighted.

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2025-02-04 23:32