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"The Last Flight" is episode 18 of the American television anthology series ''
The Twilight Zone
''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, su ...
''. Part of the production was filmed on location at
Norton Air Force Base
Norton Air Force Base (1942–1994) was a United States Air Force facility east of downtown San Bernardino in San Bernardino County, California.
Overview
For the majority of its operational lifetime, Norton was a logistics depot and heavy-li ...
in
San Bernardino, California
San Bernardino (; Spanish for "Saint Bernardino") is a city and county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 cen ...
. The vintage 1918
Nieuport 28
The Nieuport 28 C.1, a French biplane fighter aircraft flown during World War I, was built by Nieuport and designed by Gustave Delage. Owing its lineage to the successful line of sesquiplane fighters that included the Nieuport 17, the Nieu ...
biplane was both owned and flown by
Frank Gifford Tallman, and had previously appeared in many
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
motion pictures.
Opening narration
Plot
Flight Lieutenant (actually
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank.
Australia
The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...
) William Terrance "Terry" Decker of
56 Squadron Royal Flying Corps
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
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lands his
Nieuport
Nieuport, later Nieuport-Delage, was a French aeroplane company that primarily built racing aircraft before World War I and fighter aircraft during World War I and between the wars.
History
Beginnings
Originally formed as Nieuport-Duplex in ...
biplane on an American airbase in France, after flying through a strange cloud. He is immediately accosted by
provost marshal
Provost marshal is a title given to a person in charge of a group of Military Police (MP). The title originated with an older term for MPs, '' provosts'', from the Old French ''prévost'' (Modern French ''prévôt''). While a provost marshal i ...
Major Wilson, who is dumbfounded by Decker's archaic appearance. Decker, likewise, is baffled, but by the unexplainable large modern aircraft. He is then taken into custody and questioned by the American base commander, Major General George Harper, and by Wilson. Decker snaps to attention, identifying himself as being from the UK's
Royal Flying Corps
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
, colors =
, colours_label =
, march =
, mascot =
, anniversaries =
, decorations ...
(the predecessor of the modern
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
). This puzzles Harper and Wilson. Harper, seeing Decker's antique uniform, queries Decker if a vintage air show is nearby, or if he is making a film - Decker has no idea of what he is asked. He then asks Harper: "Excuse me sir, but where exactly am I?" Harper sardonically responds, "Where exactly did you think you were?", to which Decker says, "Well, I thought I was landing at 56th Squadron RFC." When asked to identify the year, Decker answers that it's 1917. When they inform him it's March 5, 1959, he is stunned.
Decker tells the officers his flying partner Alexander Mackaye and he were fighting seven German aircraft; Mackaye was shot down and Decker escaped into a cloud. The Americans, to Decker's astonishment, inform him Mackaye is alive and is an
air vice marshal
Air vice-marshal (AVM) is a two-star air officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes u ...
in the Royal Air Force, a war hero from
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
who saved hundreds, if not thousands of lives by shooting down German bombers over London. The American officers add that Air Vice Marshal Mackaye, in addition to being alive and well, is coming to the base that very day for an inspection. Decker says that is impossible, as Mackaye is dead. Harper, at this time, confiscates Decker's pistol and personal effects. Later, Major Wilson tries to help Decker remember what happened. Decker finally confesses that he has consistently avoided combat throughout his service, and that he deliberately abandoned the greatly outnumbered Mackaye when the two were attacked by the German fighters. He refuses to believe that Mackaye somehow survived against such odds.
When Wilson suggests that someone else helped Mackaye, Decker realizes that he has been given a second chance. He tells the American officer that no one was within 50 miles who could have come to Mackaye's aid, so if Mackaye survived, it had to be because Decker went back himself. Knowing he cannot have much time to go back to 1917, Decker pleads with Wilson to release him from custody. When Wilson refuses, Decker assaults him and a guard and hurriedly escapes (without his badge and personal items). Running outside, he locates his plane, punches a mechanic who tries to get in his way, and starts the plane's engine. He is about to take off when Wilson catches up and puts a pistol to his head. Decker tells Wilson he will have to shoot him to stop him. After hesitating, Wilson allows him to escape and Decker flies his plane into white clouds and vanishes.
Wilson is rebuked by Harper for believing such a fantastic story and for allowing "that madman" to escape. When Mackaye arrives and takes a seat, and Wilson asks him about Decker, he says "Oh I certainly should know him - he saved my life." Mackaye proceeds to recount how Decker and he were attacked by seven German aircraft while out on patrol. Decker, in his fit of cowardice, flew away, disappearing in a cloud, with Mackaye thinking at first that Decker had abandoned him. Suddenly, Decker came diving out of the cloud with his aircraft guns blazing, and proceeded to shoot down three of the German planes before being shot down himself. With Decker's unbelievable story now corroborated by Mackaye, Wilson comes to believe what Decker had told him. General Harper, now also beginning to believe Decker, asks Mackaye if the Germans returned Decker's personal items, to which Mackaye responds no. Baffled, Harper then shows Mackaye the confiscated identification photo card and other personal effects of his young friend Decker, startling him. As Mackaye gets increasingly agitated, Wilson suggests, "Maybe you'd better sit down, Old Leadbottom", shocking Mackaye further with that nickname known only to Decker and him, from over 42 years earlier. "What did you call me?", he incredulously asks.
Closing narration
Episode notes
This was the first episode of ''The Twilight Zone'' scripted by Richard Matheson. Rod Serling had previously adapted the episodes "
And When the Sky Was Opened
"And When the Sky Was Opened" is episode eleven of the American television anthology series ''The Twilight Zone''. It originally aired on December 11, 1959. It is an adaptation of the 1953 Richard Matheson short story "Disappearing Act."
Openin ...
" and "
Third from the Sun
"Third from the Sun" is episode 14 of the American television anthology series ''The Twilight Zone''. It is based on a short story of the same name by Richard Matheson which first appeared in the first issue of the magazine ''Galaxy Science Ficti ...
" from short stories of Matheson's.
Radio historian
Martin Grams Jr.
Martin Grams Jr. (born April 19, 1977) is an American popular culture historian who wrote and co-wrote over thirty books about network broadcasting and motion-pictures. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Grams is the son of a magician, Martin Grams Sr. ...
noted the similarities between this episode and a 1948 episode of the acclaimed radio drama series ''
Quiet, Please
''Quiet, Please!'' was a radio fantasy and horror program created by Wyllis Cooper, also known for creating '' Lights Out''. Ernest Chappell was the show's announcer and lead actor. ''Quiet, Please'' debuted June 8, 1947 on the Mutual Broadca ...
'' called "One for the Book". According to Grams' book ''The Twilight Zone: Unlocking the Door to a Television Classic'', Serling himself was so concerned about the similarities that he attempted to buy the rights to the ''Quiet, Please'' episode to avoid any potential copyright infringement.
Inaccuracies
The
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...
major general
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
repeatedly refers to Mackaye as "sir", and suggests that he is a superior officer inspecting the air base. However, Mackaye is ranked as an air vice marshal, which is a Royal Air Force rank equivalent to major general, thereby making the two officers equals. Unless, of course, the American general was junior in rank by date of commission (the reason so often cited, on ''
Hogan's Heroes
''Hogan's Heroes'' is an American television sitcom set in a Nazi German prisoner-of-war (POW) camp during World War II. It ran for 168 episodes (six seasons) from September 17, 1965, to April 4, 1971, on the CBS network, the longest broadcast ...
'' for Colonel Crittenden technically outranking Hogan). The Royal Flying Corps never flew the Nieuport 28, which also did not enter service until 1918. The death of
Georges Guynemer
Georges Guynemer (, 24 December 1894 – 11 September 1917 Missing in action, MIA) was the second highest-scoring French Third Republic, French Flying ace, fighter ace with 54 victories during World War I, and a French people, French Folk h ...
is mentioned by Decker, but Guynemer died in September 1917, six months ''after'' Decker's last flight. Finally, 56 Squadron was not deployed until April 1917, at which point it flew the
S.E.5
The Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 is a British biplane fighter aircraft of the First World War. It was developed at the Royal Aircraft Factory by a team consisting of Henry Folland, John Kenworthy and Major Frank Goodden. It was one of the ...
aircraft. The rank of
flight lieutenant
Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in air forces that use the Royal Air Force (RAF) system of ranks, especially in Commonwealth countries. It has a NATO rank code of OF-2. Flight lieutenant is abbreviated as Flt Lt in the India ...
existed in the
Royal Naval Air Service
The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was the air arm of the Royal Navy, under the direction of the Admiralty's Air Department, and existed formally from 1 July 1914 to 1 April 1918, when it was merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps t ...
and later in the RAF, but it never was used in the Royal Flying Corps. However, the only reference to "flight lieutenant" is during Mr. Serling's introduction; during the episode itself, Decker refers to himself as "
second lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank.
Australia
The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...
", which is the correct rank for the RFC. However, "second lieutenant", the most junior commissioned officer rank, is equal to a "pilot officer" in the RAF. Flight lieutenant is equal to the Army rank of captain.
Further reading
*DeVoe, Bill. (2008). ''Trivia from The Twilight Zone''. Albany, GA: Bear Manor Media.
*Grams, Martin. (2008). ''The Twilight Zone: Unlocking the Door to a Television Classic''. Churchville, MD: OTR Publishing.
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Last Flight, The
1960 American television episodes
Adaptations of works by Richard Matheson
Television episodes about death
Television episodes written by Richard Matheson
Television episodes based on short fiction
Television episodes about time travel
The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series season 1) episodes
Television episodes about World War I
Fiction set in 1917
Fiction set in 1959
Television episodes set in France