“Living Doll” is Twilight Zone episode 6 of Season 5. It first aired on November 1st, 1963 on the CBS television network. It is on the Top 10 list of many Twilight Zone fanatics.
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A Little About Rod Serling
Before we dive into “Living Doll”, we’d like to share something about the brilliant writer and creator Rod Serling.
Rod was a huge fan of Pulp Fiction stories and gobbled up any books and articles he could find. At the same time, he was incredibly interested in themes about social issues such as racism, society, war, psychology and government.
All of these ideas combined made his writing immensely deep. It’s very hard to find any writers who were as creative in this way.
“Living Doll” – 1963
Opening narration:
“Talky Tina, a doll that does everything, a lifelike creation of plastic and springs and painted smile. To Erich Streator, she is the most unwelcome addition to his household…..but without her, he’d never enter the Twilight Zone”.
Living Doll: Intro
Annabelle purchases a wind-up doll named “Talky Tina” for her daughter, Christie, seeking to provide comfort. She is now married to Erich Streator, who is unable to have children and faces Erich’s frustration towards Christie and disapproval of the doll purchase. Annabelle tries to convince Erich to open his heart to Christie.
When Erich winds up the doll alone, it unexpectedly turns hostile, expressing disdain. Initially attributing it to a manufacturing defect, Erich later suspects Annabelle of orchestrating the doll’s behavior as retaliation.
He discards the doll in the garage but receives a threatening call from its voice. Upon checking, the doll is gone. Confronting Annabelle, he realizes she couldn’t have made the call while putting Christie to bed.
Rushing upstairs, Erich discovers the doll with Christie. Despite Christie’s protests, Erich takes the doll away, attempting to destroy it with various tools to no avail. Annabelle intervenes, but Erich persists.
He eventually ties the doll in a sack and discards it, leading Annabelle to decide to leave due to Erich’s hostility. Erich questions if the doll’s interactions were his imagination and offers to return it to keep Annabelle.
Reluctantly, Annabelle agrees, and Erich returns the doll to Christie.
Bye Bye Telly
During the night, Erich is disturbed by muffled sounds. Investigating, he finds Tina missing from Christie’s room. As he descends the stairs, he trips over Tina, falls, and sustains fatal injuries.
Annabelle discovers his body, beside Tina, whose eyes open as she threatens Annabelle. Shocked, Annabelle realizes Erich was telling the truth and drops the doll. “My name is Talky Tina… and you’d better be nice to me!”
“My name is Talky Tina, and I am going to kill you“ – Talky Tina
Living Doll: Closing Narration
“Of course, we all know dolls can’t really talk, and they certainly can’t commit murder. But to a child caught in the middle of turmoil and conflict, a doll can become many things…. friend, defender, guardian. Especially a doll like Talky Tina, who did talk and did commit murder….in the misty region of the Twilight Zone“
“Living Doll” Cast:
The Cast:Telly Savalas - Erich Streator
Mary La Roche - Annabelle Streator
Tracy Stratford - Christie Streator
June Foray - Talky Tina (voice)
Trivia:
The young actress who portrayed the character of Christie is acknowledged for lending her voice to “Lucy Van Pelt” in the timeless television special, “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”
About Telly Savalas
Aristotelis “Telly” Savalas (January 21, 1922 – January 22, 1994) was an American actor of Greek descent.
Renowned for his distinctive bald head and deep, resonant voice, he is most widely recognized for his portrayal of Lt. Theo Kojak in the crime drama series Kojak (1973–1978) and his role as the James Bond archvillain Ernst Stavro Blofeld in the film On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (1969).
Savalas’ diverse acting career includes notable performances in Birdman of Alcatraz (1962), The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965), Battle of the Bulge (1965), The Dirty Dozen (1967), Kelly’s Heroes (1970), Horror Express (1972), Lisa and the Devil (1974), and Escape to Athena (1979).
His role in Birdman of Alcatraz earned him nominations for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor.
In addition to his acting prowess, Savalas ventured into singing and achieved success with his cover of the Bread song “If,” which secured the top spot on the UK singles chart in 1975.
The song also reached number 12 in Australia, #40 on the AC/Pop chart in Canada, and #88 on the rock chart.
Kojak: A Classic TV Cop Show In the golden age of television, few characters were as iconic and beloved as Lieutenant Theo Kojak. Portrayed by the legendary Telly Savalas, Kojak captivated audiences with his no-nonsense attitude, sharp wit, and unyielding dedication to justice. Spanning five seasons from 1973 to 1978, the television series “Kojak” remains…
About The Author: I’m Eric James Hartman, a passionate enthusiast of Americana in all its forms. Having resided in different corners of the USA throughout my life, I draw inspiration from these diverse experiences in my writing endeavors
3 responses to “Living Doll – The Twilight Zone”
Beverly
This episode is in my top ten favorite Twilight Zone episodes. I own a replica of the Talky Tina doll, gifted to me by my daughter a few Christmases ago; I’m a doll collector. I believe Rod Serling might have been inspired to write that particular episode, Based on the Chatty Cathy doll that was popular in the 1960s.
[…] “Clown, hobo, ballet dancer, bagpiper, and an army major: a collection of question marks. 5 improbable entities stuck together into a pit of darkness. No logic, no reason, no explanation: just a prolonged nightmare in which fear, loneliness, and the unexplainable walk hand in hand through the shadows. In a moment, we’ll start collecting clues as to the whys, the whats, and the wheres. We will not end the nightmare, we’ll only explain it: because this is the Twilight Zone“ […]
[…] Telly Savalas was originally cast as a villain in the pilot episode but impressed producers so much that he was offered the lead role of Theo Kojak. […]
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