The Night of the Meek
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"The Night of the Meek" is episode 47 of the American television
anthology series An anthology series is a radio, television, video game or film series that spans different genres and presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a differ ...
''
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 ...
''. It originally aired on December 23, 1960, on
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainm ...
. It was one of the six episodes of the second season which was shot on videotape in a short-lived experiment aimed to cut costs.


Introductory scene/opening narration

As snow begins to fall, a drunk Henry Corwin, wearing his
Santa Claus Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a Legend, legendary figure originating in Western Christianity, Western Christian culture who is said to Christmas gift-bringer, bring ...
suit, stumbles and half-falls at a curbside lamppost. He is approached by two
tenement A tenement is a type of building shared by multiple dwellings, typically with flats or apartments on each floor and with shared entrance stairway access. They are common on the British Isles, particularly in Scotland. In the medieval Old Town, i ...
children pleading for toys, a Christmas dinner, and "a job for my daddy." As Corwin begins to sob, the camera turns to
Rod Serling Rodman Edward Serling (December 25, 1924 – June 28, 1975) was an American screenwriter, playwright, television producer, and narrator/on-screen host, best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his anthology television series ' ...
standing on the sidewalk:


Plot

On
Christmas Eve Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas Day, the festival commemorating the birth of Jesus. Christmas Day is observed around the world, and Christmas Eve is widely observed as a full or partial holiday in anticipation ...
, Corwin arrives for his seasonal job as a department-store Santa an hour late and obviously drunk. When customers complain, Dundee, the manager, fires him and orders him off the premises. Corwin says that he drinks because he lives in a rooming house with the poor, for whom he is incapable of fulfilling his role as Santa. He declares that if he had just one wish granted him on Christmas Eve, he'd "like to see the meek inherit the earth." Still in his outfit, he returns to the bar but is refused re-entry by Bruce. Stumbling into an alley, he hears sleigh bells. A cat knocks down a large burlap bag full of empty cans, but when Corwin trips over it, it is now filled with gift-wrapped packages. Overjoyed at his sudden ability to fulfill dreams, Corwin proceeds to hand out presents to passing children and then to derelict men attending Christmas Eve service at a mission house. Irritated by the disruption, the proprietress goes outside to fetch Officer Flaherty. Flaherty takes Corwin to the police station on suspicion of theft. Dundee meets them at the station, where he and Flaherty find empty cans in Corwin's sack. Angry at having his time wasted, Dundee accuses Flaherty of incompetence; when Dundee challenges Corwin to produce a bottle of
cherry brandy A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus ''Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit). Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet ''Prunus avium'' and the sour ''Prunus cerasus''. The na ...
,
vintage Vintage, in winemaking, is the process of picking grapes and creating the finished product—wine (see Harvest (wine)). A vintage wine is one made from grapes that were all, or primarily, grown and harvested in a single specified year. In certa ...
1903, Corwin does just that, and is set free. He continues to distribute gifts until midnight, when the bag is empty. A man named Burt, whose desired pipe and smoking jacket comes from Corwin's bag, points out that Corwin himself has not received a gift. Corwin says that if he had his choice of any gift at all, "I think I'd wish I could do this every year." Returning to the alley where the gift-laden bag had presented itself, he encounters an elf sitting in a large reindeer-hauled sleigh, waiting for him. Realizing that his wish has come true and he is now the real Santa Claus, Corwin sits in the sleigh and sets off with the elf. Emerging drunkenly from the precinct, Flaherty and Dundee look upward upon hearing bells and see Corwin ascending into the night sky. Dundee invites Flaherty to accompany him home and share some hot coffee, with brandy poured in it, adding, "...and we'll thank God for miracles, Flaherty..."


Closing narration

The original narration, on December 23, 1960, ended with the words, "and a Merry Christmas, to each and all", but that phrase was deleted in the 1980s and is now excluded from reruns, VHS releases and the five-DVD set ''The Twilight Zone: The Definitive Edition''. The phrase is heard in the Blu-ray release of Season 2 as well as the version streamed by
Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
, but with noticeably different sound quality from the rest of Serling's narration. As broadcast on the
MeTV Network MeTV, an acronym for Memorable Entertainment Television, is an American broadcast television network owned by Weigel Broadcasting. Marketed as "The Definitive Destination for Classic TV", the network airs a variety of classic television program ...
on Christmas Day 2019 and thereafter, the last line has been restored in syndication.


Credits

*Directed by
Jack Smight John Ronald Smight (March 9, 1925 – September 1, 2003) was an American theatre and film director. His film credits include ''Harper'' (1966), '' No Way to Treat a Lady'' (1968), ''Airport 1975'' (1974), '' Midway'' (1976), and ''Fast Break'' ...
*Written by
Rod Serling Rodman Edward Serling (December 25, 1924 – June 28, 1975) was an American screenwriter, playwright, television producer, and narrator/on-screen host, best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his anthology television series ' ...
*Produced by
Buck Houghton Archible Ernest "Buck" Houghton (May 4, 1915 – May 14, 1999) was an American television producer and writer best known for producing the first three seasons of ''The Twilight Zone'', as well as many other television programs and independen ...
*
Art Carney Arthur William Matthew Carney (November 4, 1918 – November 9, 2003) was an American actor and comedian. A recipient of an Academy Awards, Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and six Primetime Emmy Awards, he was best known for his role as Ed ...
as Henry Corwin *
John Fiedler John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...
as Mr. Dundee *Robert P. Lieb as Flaherty *
Val Avery Val may refer to: Val-a Film * ''Val'' (film), an American documentary about Val Kilmer, directed by Leo Scott and Ting Poo Military equipment * Aichi D3A, a Japanese World War II dive bomber codenamed "Val" by the Allies * AS Val, a Sov ...
as the Bartender *
Meg Wyllie Margaret Gillespie Wyllie (February 15, 1917 – January 1, 2002) was an American actress who appeared primarily on television. Best known as Mrs. Kissel in '' The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters'' (1963-1964). Early years Born in Honolulu, H ...
as Sister Florence *
Kay Cousins Johnson Kay Cousins Johnson (May 28, 1923 - January 20, 1980) was an American actress and screenwriter born in Los Angeles, California. Born Kay Levy, she is known for her appearances in television series such as ''The Twilight Zone'', ''Wagon Train'', a ...
as Irate Mother *
Burt Mustin Burton Hill "Burt" Mustin (February 8, 1884 – January 28, 1977) was an American character actor.Obituary ''Variety'', February 2, 1977, page 94. Over the course of his career, he appeared in over 150 film and television productions. He ...
as Old Man (Burt) *Trains by
Lionel Corp. Lionel Corporation was an American toy manufacturer and holding company of retailers that had been in business for over 120 years. It was founded as an electrical novelties company. Lionel specialized in various products throughout its existence. ...
*Reindeer furnished by Santa's Village
Skyforest, California Skyforest is an unincorporated community in San Bernardino County, California, United States. Skyforest is located at an elevation of approximately 5,700 feet in the San Bernardino Mountains, along California State Route 18, southeast of Lak ...


Production

"The Night of the Meek" was one of six ''Twilight Zone'' episodes shot on videotape instead of film in an attempt to cut costs. By November 1960 ''The Twilight Zones season two had already broadcast five episodes and finished filming sixteen. However, at a cost of about $65,000 per episode, the show was exceeding its budget. As a result, six consecutive episodes (production code #173-3662 through #173-3667) were videotaped at
CBS Television City Television City, alternatively CBS Television City, is an American television studio complex located in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles at 7800 Beverly Boulevard, at the corner of Fairfax Avenue. Designed by architect William Pereira and Ch ...
and eventually transferred to 16-millimeter film kinescoped".html" ;"title="kinescope.html" ;"title="kinescope">kinescoped"">kinescope.html" ;"title="kinescope">kinescoped"for syndicated rebroadcasts. Total savings on editing and cinematography amounted to only about $30,000 for all six entries, not enough to justify the loss of depth of visual perspective, which made the shows look like stage-bound live TV dramas (such as ''Playhouse 90'', which was also produced at CBS), or even daytime soap operas, which, at the time, were quickly and cheaply produced live on one or two sets. The experiment was deemed a failure and never attempted again.


Personnel with multiple ''Twilight Zone'' credits

*
Jack Smight John Ronald Smight (March 9, 1925 – September 1, 2003) was an American theatre and film director. His film credits include ''Harper'' (1966), '' No Way to Treat a Lady'' (1968), ''Airport 1975'' (1974), '' Midway'' (1976), and ''Fast Break'' ...
directed three other ''Twilight Zone'' episodes: "
The Lonely "The Lonely" is episode seven of the American television anthology series ''The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series), The Twilight Zone''. It originally aired on November 13, 1959 on CBS. Opening narration Plot In 2046, an inmate named Corry, convic ...
", " The Lateness of the Hour", and " Twenty Two" *
John Fiedler John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...
played a bureaucratic angel in the third season's penultimate episode, "
Cavender Is Coming "Cavender Is Coming" is episode 101 of the American television anthology series ''The Twilight Zone''. It originally aired on May 25, 1962 on CBS. Opening narration The narration continues after Cavender is assigned as Agnes' guardian angel. ...
", a failed
sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...
pilot replete with a
laugh track A laugh track (or laughter track) is a separate soundtrack for a recorded comedy show containing the sound of audience laughter. In some productions, the laughter is a live audience response instead; in the United States, where it is most common ...
*
Burt Mustin Burton Hill "Burt" Mustin (February 8, 1884 – January 28, 1977) was an American character actor.Obituary ''Variety'', February 2, 1977, page 94. Over the course of his career, he appeared in over 150 film and television productions. He ...
plays one of the residents of the old-age home in third season's "
Kick the Can Kick the can (also known as kick the block, guard the block, can can, 40 40, pom pom, tip the can, tin can copper, and can up can down), is an outdoor children's game related to tag, hide and seek, and capture the flag, played with as few as thr ...
" * Andrea Margolis' second appearance came the following week, "
Dust Dust is made of fine particles of solid matter. On Earth, it generally consists of particles in the atmosphere that come from various sources such as soil lifted by wind (an aeolian process), volcanic eruptions, and pollution. Dust in homes ...
", in which she portrays Estrelita, a little
Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...
girl * Nan Peterson's three other appearances are in "
Walking Distance "Walking Distance" is episode five of the American television series ''The Twilight Zone''. It originally aired on October 30, 1959. The episode was listed as the ninth best episode in the history of ''The Twilight Zone'' by ''Time'' magazine. ...
", " The Whole Truth", and "
From Agnes—With Love "From Agnes—With Love" is episode 140 of the American television anthology series ''The Twilight Zone''. A comedic episode, it relates the mishaps faced by a meek computer programmer when the world's most advanced computer falls in love with him ...
", in which, as here, she is unbilled


Remake

* This episode was remade into an episode of the 1980s version of ''
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 ...
'' called "
Night of the Meek "Night of the Meek" is the first segment of the thirteenth episode from the first season (1985–86) from the television series The Twilight Zone (1985 TV series), ''The Twilight Zone''. It is a remake of the original ''The Twilight Zone (1959 TV ...
", which starred
Richard Mulligan Richard Mulligan (November 13, 1932 – September 26, 2000) was an American character actor known for his roles in the sitcoms ''Soap'' (1977–1981) and ''Empty Nest'' (1988–1995),. Mulligan was the winner of two Emmy Awards (1980 ...
as Henry Corwin and
William Atherton William Atherton Knight (born July 30, 1947) is an American actor, best known for portraying Richard Thornburg in '' Die Hard'' and its sequel and Walter Peck in ''Ghostbusters''. Early life Atherton was born in Orange, Connecticut, the son ...
as Mr. Dundee * There was a radio adaptation of ''
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 ...
'' episode "The Night of the Meek" which starred
Christopher McDonald Christopher McDonald (born February 15, 1955) is an American film, television, theatre and voice actor. McDonald is best known for playing the villainous professional golfer Shooter McGavin in the 1996 comedy ''Happy Gilmore''. Other notable ...


See also

* List of ''The Twilight Zone'' (1959 TV series) episodes


References


Sources

*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

*
''The Night of the Meek'' at the TV.com episode page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Night Of The Meek, The 1960 American television episodes The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series season 2) episodes American Christmas television episodes Santa Claus in television Television episodes written by Rod Serling