"A Hundred Yards over the Rim", Poll and discussion thread

A pioneer from 1847 (Cliff Robertson) finds himself in 1961.
Originally aired April 7, 1961.

Full video of the episode on CBS.com
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.

One of my favorites, the mood, the haziness of this episode gets me. I love the acting too.

10 Zones

For some reason this episode sticks with me more than others. Maybe it is the time travel, maybe it is the reference to penicillin (my dad is a retired M.D.), and maybe it is Cliff Robertson's role saving his son's life. Cliff also reminds me of my grandfather, who used to go to the desert on camping trips...maybe that's what it is. To me, those Gas Stations in the middle of nowhere and a Diner hundreds of miles away on a lonley highway are the best atmosphere for the twilight zone. Even today, if a movie shows a traveler pulling into a roadside cafe or gas station... you WATCH... you WONDER... and you think SOMETHING is GOING to HAPPEN here... Characters with NOTHING else in their lives MAKING something Happen...

You never know if you will run into a man or woman or child who, by circumstance, happened to cross into your life from a past time or from another planet. You can say all you want about "NONSENSE and EXAMINE HIS HEAD"...the truth is YOU DON'T REALLY KNOW FOR SURE, DO YOU? And you don't have the ways or means to prove it one way or another.

I like this a lot. Cliff Robertson gives a good performance here, especially in the 1961 scenes IMO. And I don't know what my ten favorite TZ scores are, but this is one of them (by Fred Steiner).

Something I learned from Matthew Cregg's old Fifth Dimension site: The truck on the highway that terrifies Chris is the same truck that was used in "The Rip Van Winkle Caper." If you pause "Hundred Yards" at the right time, you should be able to see the same words on the side of the truck.

This is a good one, I like it a lot. Cliff Robertson is good in it.

My mom is an original Zoner, and this is one of her favorites.

"9" Love it. I like the time travel ones and the Cliff Robertson ones anyway.

Is it just me or does anybody else have the habit of voting and then just scrolling down to reply? Forgetting to actually push the Vote button?

Oh, wait, I'm from Florida. I get a free pass on this!




Leen

I LOVE this episode!!
Cliff was great, and the ending with the old rifle was a fantastic reveal ending!!

A 10 for me. #4 on my list. Absolute gem. I liked the couple from Joe's diner. They were genuinely compassionate. I can't get over her name though (Evans Evans).

My all-time favorite episode! I love the expression on his face when he sees 1961, and when he's looking around the store. Cliff gives one of the best acting jobs in the series!

"But how can that be, when it's eighteen hundred and forty-seven?" or something like that...yeah, this is a really great Zone. Gave it a 9.

Joe's wife was cute but sort of annoying and whiny, otherwise this ep.'s a 10.

Well-crafted episode with a good acting job by Robertson. You can feel his sense of satisfaction upon learning that his son will one day accomplish great things and he played a role in making sure it happened. What could make a father prouder and more happy!

LOVE the picture!

Neat, isn't it. And with 2 autographs, no less!

It's good to see that Evans Evans is alive and well. Is there any truth to the rumor that she retired from acting to marry Sirhan Sirhan?

No, wait ... she actually married Maurice Evans and changed her name to Evans Evans-Evans.

It's good to see that Evans Evans is alive and well. Is there any truth to the rumor that she retired from acting to marry Sirhan Sirhan?

No, wait ... she actually married Maurice Evans and changed her name to Evans Evans-Evans.

I thought she married the character actor Gene Evans!

Leen

All kidding aside, though, Evans Evans was married for about 40 years to noted film director John Frankenheimer until his death in 2002.

This is one of my favorites as well. Easily one of my top 5.
Cliff Robertson is just excellent all the way around. I knew this was one of the
more popular ones amongst the hardcore TZ fans. Little did I know I was in for a
big surprise a couple of weeks back when I finally got to see this gem.
There are so many good scenes in this its hard to pick a few that stand out.
There's just something about the "laid-back" setting/nature of this one that
really makes it shine to me. Its hard to explain.

My goosebumps started when I first saw Serling's "next week" promo about
this episode.


TZ DZ Fan

I think I mentioned this before but I had a bantam paperback when I was a kid that had about 6 or 7 TZ episodes. This was one and the title was "Beyond the Rim". I always liked that title better. Mindless trivia.

This is without question one of my favorite Season 2 episodes.

Christopher Horn's initial bewilderment of seeing a highway, telephone poles and a passing truck is right on the mark. The kindness and curiousity of Joe and Mary Lou at the diner really adds to the story. The real TZ "twist" occurs about 2/3 of the way through the episode instead of at the end.

"A Hundred Yards Over The Rim" ended the run of videotaped episodes (thankfully) and for me is the first episode of Season 2 that I've rated as a 9 or 10 that wasn't directed by Douglas Heyes (The Howling Man, Eye Of The Beholder, The Invaders).

It's on film. I think what you mean is that it marked a permanent return to filmed episodes, as it immediately followed "Long Distance Call," the last videotaped episode.

Thank God the videotape filming method was abandoned,
since episodes such as this would have proved impossible.

It's on film. I think what you mean is that it marked a permanent return to filmed episodes, as it immediately followed "Long Distance Call," the last videotaped episode.

Yep, sorry for the clumsy sentence. I meant it was a return to film.

great episode.. great visuals.

i love the scene where christian horn first goes over the rim and all you see is a mound of sand with him standing in the distance.

then when he goes back to his present, again going over the rim looking over his shoulder then he turns around and it is a closeup of him realizing he's back.

I'm really out of the norm in my reaction to this episode. I watched it for the first time in about 5 years, not remembering the details of the episode, but remembering that it's never really grabbed me. I was determined to watch it with a fresh eye, give it every possible chance to dazzle me, hoping it would surpass my memory of it. But, sorry to say, it didn't catch fire with me again. It was okay, not bad, but just nothing to get excited about. I thought the dialogue was lacking, I thought Robertson's performance was strangely off key, I thought the people in the cafe turned in a bargain basement acting performance. It's just so-so for me, gave it a 6.

I love time travel stories, and I think this one is very well done. This is one of the second-season episodes I remember more vividly watching on original broadcast. It must have struck a chord with me at that young age.

It's amazing how to TZ fans can respectfully disagree. I love this ep, have since I first saw it over thirty years ago, found Robertson's dead-tired of pushing on across the prarie performance riveting, and liked the work John Crawford and Evans Evans turned in.

Fantastic episode.

Sir Rhosis

10
What a startling performance by Cliff Robertson!!
IMO this definitely outclasses "The Dummy".

IM

I so agree. This is a strong episode, with great acting. This is a Hundred times better that "TD" ( pun not intended)

10 Zones

ZR

another season two episode that i never get tired of watching

I can't remember what I originally gave this one. But as far as I am concerned this one is a definite 10 in so many ways.
And yes TZgrrl................one that I NEVER tire of watching either.
Robertson is just awesome here.

Thank you and good night.
TZ DZ Fan

In another thread, TZ DZ comments:

IMO, Cliff Robertson's performance was absolutely perfect.
You can see how he cares for his son,(particularly so) after he is in the diner and gets ahold of the book....Go back and rewatch the scenes where Robertson is around the wagons and you may see the "completeness" that I see. He is just so rounded in this ep its almost unbelieveable. In The Dummy he was good, but it was full circle here.
BTW, I think there is alot of suspense in it and as far as humanity goes, how he aches for his son gets the job done for me.

By far the most overrated Twilight Zone ever. All I could say is that performances do not make an episode, especially in the TZ. Of course I will go through the trouble that that statement is pretty opinionated but look at Cavender is Coming for pity's sake. It's all in the premise and the story behind it. Now I'm not saying the premise and story is bad in this one but it certainly doesn't even compare to so many other Zones. Robertson was good, sure. You can be sure to hear from me again.

Edit: I'm going to rewatch this one.

To each his own. I feel this was an exceptionally well done episode.

A top 10 episode for me. I've probably seen it 10-15 times and I still like watching it.

This is the best Twilight Zone episode ever.

GRRRRRRRRRRRR... Commanders first post and he's already driving me into insanity.

I guess your welcome here.

Welcome, Commander! You have great tastes, this is my favorite ep also!




And Paul, your lucky you're my friend!

I have to agree with the Commander. Probably top three for me, but has all the great T-Zone qualities plus superb acting and direction. I don't understand the naysayers here (er, Paul...), but to each his own. Best one of Season 2 by far.

My favorite thing about this episode is the music. I don't know what my 10 favorite TZ scores are, but Fred Steiner's score here is one of them. Very powerful stuff, appropriate to the story of a man whose world is turning upside down. The early-American-sounding music is nice, too.

Cliff laid on the brogue a bit too thickly in the 1847 scenes for my taste, but the more stunned and uncomprehending his character gets, the better he sounds. Nice implicit parallel between the pioneer of 1847 and the couple who own the diner, who are moving into new territory in their own humble way. They might have helped settle the West themselves if they had lived in Christian Horn's time. The first shot of Joe in his cowboy hat is great.

8 for me.

I love the music for when he's walking down the highway, and then when he's running back down the road towards the rim! Those two scenes are among the worst synsyndicated cuts in the TZ!