"Long Distance Call", Poll and discussion thread

A boy (Billy Mumy) claims that he can talk to his dead grandmother on a toy telephone.
Originally aired March 31, 1961.

List of musical cues

This is the preferred thread for any and all of your "Long Distance Call" posts--facts, opinions, questions, speculations, and whatever else you can think of.* You can also give your opinion of the episode on a 1 to 10 scale, in the poll shown above.

Let the discussion begin!

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

one of the best!!! talk about creepy. this one is how a story should be told.

This one really scared the hell out of me. Awesome episode, one of the best.

10.

Definitely creepy; especially how Billy seems disconnected and emotionless for a time, although that could be a natural reaction to losing someone. I've always found the scene with Chris asking his wife to bed w/a long kiss quite "racy" for its time!!

"9" I agree with the creepy votes here. When I saw this one for the first time I was amazed that the boy attempting suicide got past the censors of the day. That was a pretty horrible moment.

Okay, now talk about a controlling granny! Sheesh!

Bill-eeeeeeeeeeeeee. Haaallooooo. Would you like to speak with Grand-maaa!? Yikes.
Hang up!

Leen

This is a very good and very creepy episode, and I love it!

I think it's Bill Mumy's best TZ episode. I think it's much more frightening than It's A Good Life.

Someone on another thread mentioned that the girl who played the babysitter ended up getting murdered. That stinks! I wonder if they ever caught the killer?

I must not have seen that thread (especially if it was on another board), or I forgot about it. Yeah, that does stink!! Even worse, according to the owner(s) of http://www.angelfire.com/ca4/mypresleygallery/page49jm.html, the murder was never solved, at least as far as they were able to find out.

It was mentioned on this board, I forget just which thread it was.

Ah, now I remember. Here it is: http://twilightzonewor.9.forumer.com/index...st=0&#entry3070. Thanks, TT.

Frightening episode. At least Granny redeemed herself at the end when she let Billy go. Way to go, Dad! (Even if you did look just a little silly talking into a toy telephone).
I remember Philip Abbot from The FBI. In fact, I got to know him from that series before I ever saw this TZ episode and it was years before I could watch it without thinking about his FBI role.
Video tape hurt some episodes and helped others. It hurt this one, in my opinion.

Recently I pulled out a VHS on which I had recorded Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella off of The Disney Channel at least 15 years ago. There was some Disney filler to pad out the 90-minute time allotment, and one segment was a brief film in which two children argue over their fair shares in a business enterprise. The dispute is settled by an aging fisherman they call "Uncle Phil," who uses an excerpt of the Disney animated Cinderella to prove his point.

It was only on examining the closing credits that I learned Uncle Phil was really Philip Abbott, whom I could recognize only after seeing his name. He had natural white hair and moustache that made him resemble Ben in "The Fugitive." He was also the film's writer and director. If I read the copyright date correctly, this film was made in 1981.

Haaalloooooo. Would you like to speak to Grandmaaaa?

Creepy

Yeah dear old Dad on the toy telephone is pretty silly!

Leen

Funny, I thought it helped this one.

The taped episodes have the effect of moving me in closer to the action (if that makes sense). "Call" is an intimate little story that invites me to get close. The videotape effect helps.

Thankfully, this is the last episode of the Twilight Zone that was videotaped. It also happens to be the best of the videotaped bunch. Lili Darvas is absolutely creepy as Grandma Bayles. Billy Mumy is also disturbingly possessed by his Grandma.

This is quite shocking as the young boy actually tries to commit suicide twice. Disturbing to say the least.

A plot turn that, IMO, would not be acceptable by today's standards.

I'm as uncomfortable with this element of "Call" as I am with the notion of young people seeking to escape from reality by jumping into a swimming pool and disappearing ("The Bewitchin' Pool").

A plot turn that, IMO, would not be acceptable by today's standards.

I'm as uncomfortable with this element of "Call" as I am with the notion of young people seeking to escape from reality by jumping into a swimming pool and disappearing ("The Bewitchin' Pool").

And by the same token I'm disturbed by Grandma of "Call" and the parents of "Pool."

A plot turn that, IMO, would not be acceptable by today's standards.

I'm as uncomfortable with this element of "Call" as I am with the notion of young people seeking to escape from reality by jumping into a swimming pool and disappearing ("The Bewitchin' Pool").

And by the same token I'm disturbed by Grandma of "Call" and the parents of "Pool."

Grandma was creepy and the parents were jerks!

Phillip Abott was in "The Parallel" also. Sadly he died on Febuary 23, 1998 He was 74

I remember him well from The FBI TV series.

http://www.fiftiesweb.com/tv/fbi-1.jpg

Is that him in the middle?

I think he's the one on the left, Jayo!

Oh, ok. The show was before my time, sorry!

That's okay Jayo! It was before my time too! I recognize him from "The Twilight Zone"!

Now, I really feel old!
(Left to right: William Reynolds; Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.; Abbott)

Yeah ditto! I recognized all three right away. And I don't think it has to do with being before anyone's time. Just a recognition thing. How bout that, two Zonies right there.

Yeah ditto! I recognized all three right away. And I don't think it has to do with being before anyone's time. Just a recognition thing. How bout that, two Zonies right there.

Ooops! I had Reynolds and Abbott mixed up! I'm losing it

Leen wrote:

Another Senior moment. When I first posted that photo, I thought that William Reynolds would have looked good in a TZ episode. Then I thought "wait a minute, he WAS in one" (Purple Testament). The memory is slipping!

http://img301.imageshack.us/img301/9716/pu...estament4ez.png

Hubba hubba!

Oh Crown, remember, I have that rocking chair reserved for you right next to me.

Do you have one for me too Leen?

Leen wrote:

I haven't forgotten!

William Reynolds...oooh, yeah!

I give it a 7. Probably my favorite videotape episode

Go Mumy

great creepy episode.

a great moment of truth scene when sylvia bayles takes the phone from billy and hears grandma.

talking about creepy.. did anyone ever notice the floor in billy bayles' bedroom?? it has big clowns painted on it in a circle. now that is creepy.
i believe there is a good shot of the floor during the end credits.

this episode is so creepy

This episode is just gruesome, a 7 or an 8 in my book.

While at home, I brought some TZ DVDs with me and watched some episodes with my Nana. This was one that we watched. Since I haven't voted on it yet, I'll drop an 8 for this one. I recall seeing it during marathons as a kid and I definitely liked it then. Still a good watch today, very creepy, and I think the live video helps make this one creepy.

Are you sure "Long Distance Call" is the best episode to show to a grandmother? It might give her ideas!

The very first time that I saw this episode, I felt something was different about it. Then it dawned on me. It was videotaped, not filmed. I read somewhere that Serling videotaped about 5 episodes or so to save money. But he stopped it since videotaped was too constraining or something like that. If there were others that were videotaped, I can't recall which ones they were. But this one is definitely videotape. For whatever reason, I have always been the only one in my family that can tell the difference from a show that has been videotaped, and one that has been filmed. I gave it an 8.

Six: "The Lateness Of The Hour," "The Night Of The Meek," "The Whole Truth," "Twenty Two," "Static," and "Long Distance Call."

so what's the story behind this one? did beaumont write it or not?