The Twilight Zone: Vol. 15
At least one of the episodes collected on volume 15 ofThe Twilight ZoneDVD  offerings is an all-time classic--if by classic we mean the kind of show  that still produces a shudder of recognition years after viewing. This is  "The Midnight Sun," an apocalyptic tale in which a cosmic event has hurled  the earth toward the sun, sending the thermometer to 120 degrees and the  population into despair. Aside from the twist ending and the attractive  sweating of Lois Nettleton, what's likely to be remembered from this episode, is the haunting image of an oil painting melting with the heat. Other episodes in this collection, all scripted by series creator Rod  Serling, emphasize bravura acting. In "Escape Clause," gracefully directed by Hollywood pro Mitchell Leisen, the whimsical David Wayne plays a  hypochondriac whose anxious life is changed by the arrival of Death (veteran heavy Thomas Gomez). Soon the indestructible hero is courting exotic ways of  destroying himself, just to alleviate his boredom: "Let's give the electric chair a little whirl," drawls the blithely curious Wayne. The claustrophobic  "Nervous Man in a Four Dollar Room" takes on technical challenges typical ofThe Twilight Zone. It never leaves the confines of a tiny, shabby hotel room and  leading man Joe Mantell plays much of the dialogue with a mirror image of  himself. The point of the episode is somewhat monotonous, but Mantell's  performance, as a loser facing his last chance at decency, is fully juiced. "A Kind of Stopwatch" shows what happens when a loudmouth pest (Richard  Erdman, the annoying personification of the can-do man with ideas) comes into possession of a watch that can stop the whole world in mid-motion. Justice eventually is meted out, per the usual scales ofThe Twilight Zone.--Robert Horton