"People Are Alike All Over", Poll and discussion thread

When a scientist (Roddy McDowall) traveling to Mars fears the prospect of meeting other life forms, his astronaut companion (Paul Comi) assures him that "people are alike everywhere."
Originally aired March 25, 1960.

List of musical cues

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Let the discussion begin!

*More specific instructions and suggestions about posting questions/comments related to this episode are located here.

Interestingly, there are still a small handful of episodes about which no one has commented, yet. This is one of them.

****** SPOILER ALERT *****

Not one of my favorites but I have always liked Roddy Mdowell (my favorite role being the murderous nephew in the Night Gallery movie). Somehow, PAAAO just falls a little flat. It has a nice twist ending that's a mild shocker but otherwise is basically uninteresting to me. I was able to identify with Sam's fear at opening the ship door, especially when I was a child. Sadly for Sam, his fears were realized, although not in the way he expected - being a zoo animal for the rest of his life, albeit a pampered one.

http://marsmovies.free.fr/over/snap0234.jpg

***possible spoiler***


I like it and find it enertaining. I like Roddy's facial expressions in this one. And I like the ending on this one, the flip on zoos. One time when I was a kid I saw a large wild cat just pacing and pacing back and forth in the area he was in, he looked so sad and worried and I felt terrible for him. I know zoos do good things, too, but that image has always stayed with me.

"8" I like this one. Always have. I think McDowell is very believable in this role and facial expressions is right TZR!

Marcusson! Marcusson! What is with Roddy anyway? Definitely a member of the repetive dialogue club of the TZ Zone.

Portifoy! Portifoy!

Bye! Bye!

Leen Leen

SPOILER

Classic ironic ending, twisting Marcusson's reassuring words.

The late Susan Oliver would follow a recurring theme.
She was in the Star Trek episode "The Menagerie,"
(which used footage from the unaired pilot "The Cage")
playing one of the humans kept in a zoo by aliens.

This didn't occur to me until I spotted her on TV Land
behind the bars of a jail cell on The Andy Griffith Show.

(She also appeared in the final episode of Dan August,
playing a character named Leona Serling!)

It's okay. Not the best, not the worst.

I always got the feeling that Susan Oliver knew what was planned for Roddy McDowall, and felt bad about her part in it--witness her running off when he looks at her from inside his 'cage'.

One of my favorites so I gave it a 9. The twist ending really got me, and I just loved how the "people are alike all over" idea stayed true throughout, though with an unexpected meaning for our astronaut...

I liked this ep, but it's a little slow. It takes half of the show for Roddy McDowell's character to leave the crashed spaceship.

The Martian inhabitants wardrobe is silly. I did like the beginning conversation between the two astronauts. It made you think about how actual astronauts may feel before a mission (not that it's a common occurance).

The ending is a surprise and it's a neat conclusion, even a little funny. I don't know if that's intentional or not. It scores a 6 with me.

great episode.. love roddy mcdowall.

this episode always makes me think about the gorillas at the bronx zoo. i know, like samuel conrad, the gorillas know that they are a 'show' for all the people watching. i always say that those gorillas know something is up.

-ag

One of the main reasons I love this so much is my reference to what it must be like to be the cage instead of the cagee(?). Do we have the right to enslave others just because we can?!

Interesting how Conrad and Marcusson were standing behind the chain link fence in the beginning. And as we know it reminds us of the ending.

Did any of you who remember watching this for the first time notice Teenya's expressions? It's easy to pick up on it now, but I was just wondering if those of you that did figured out something was not all right with the world as Sam thought it was.

I'll post this also in the mile away thread.

Oh and another thing. It isn't clear when this episode was to take place. The means to get to Mars was obviously not gonna happen in the sixties. But I find it interesting that the house they set up for Sam had a kitchen of the sixties.

Leen

Interesting question, Leen. Her expressions and body language are very subtle. I'm sure I missed them as a kid. But watching her as a grown-up, I see that her reactions are essential to the pathos.

i love this episode cause of Susan Oliver

im watching this episode now this is my favorite one

Susan Oliver is so sexy in this episode

I thought "Probe 7" was your favorite. What would Antoinette Bower say if she heard about this?

i like the music when the ship man say thank you and they play thats wonderfull music

when the camera cuts too Susan Oliver i love it:D and hey if you look closely Susan Oliver nose jumps when they cut too her in close up:D dang Susan Oliver is soo sexy!

It's average for me. I gave it a 6.

no a 10

everytime i watch this episode i always look at Susan Oliver!

Reasonable minds can differ about these things sometimes.

? ?

A great idea marred by Roddy McDowall's chronic lack of acting talent.

i like her man

i like her man

Susan Oliver has a:

so she still hot

That music is called "Tycho," and it's part of the "Outer Space Suite" composed by Bernard Herrmann for the purpose of supplying stock cues. You'll hear "Outer Space Suite" all over the series, including elsewhere in this episode (such as right before the ship crashes, and when Conrad sees Marcusson's motionless hand).

thanks Dan Hollis your a big help man! man i love the twilight zone

Been a month or so since I watched this one. I thought this was a good concept right from the start but it seemed to drag some, especially until we get to where Sam (Roddy McDowell) actually goes out onto Mars.
I have always liked Roddy McDowell since one of those "Vampire movies" sometime in the 80s. (I forget the name)
I don't quite know why we had to lose Marcusson but it seems to work out anyway.
Susan Oliver is good for the part and I could tell from the way she acted shyly and didn't say much that something was wrong in this Zone.

Not a knock-down shocker but a surprise none the less at the end.
Not quite a 7 in my book so lets toss it a strong 6.


Thank you and good night.
TZ DZ Fan

i don't have the DVD too this but i would too see it again

Fright Night?

MARCUSSON!!!
'9'...one of the first episodes I had seen during the marathons as a kid. Always enjoyed this one.

7
Not much to say here

what a 7 you got to be kidding me!

Solid 7 for me, too. I'm being perfectly serious.

I find this to be one of the saddest TZ's The look on poor Conrad's face in the end!

Food for thought...
http://aolsvc.news.aol.com/news/article.ad...S00010000000001
I guess we don't have to leave our atmosphere....

dang im the only one would give this a 10