And When the Sky Was Opened
Encyclopedia
"And When the Sky Was Opened" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone
. It was first aired on December 11, 1959.
s flying the X-20 DynaSoar into space for the first time disappear from radar on a test flight, then reappear. Serling's voiceover is spoken showing the ship represented in a hangar by a canvas-covered form.
However, all is not as it seems upon their return to Earth. After they land, Gart is sent to the hospital with a broken leg. During the evening the other two, Forbes and Harrington, go to a bar. There, Harrington suddenly gets a strange feeling as if he no longer belongs in the world. He immediately goes to a phone booth to call his parents, but they tell him they have no son. Then Harrington mysteriously disappears, and no one but Forbes remembers his existence. Forbes tells his story to Gart, who says he does not know any person named Harrington. Then Forbes looks in the mirror, only to find there is no reflection and runs out of the room. By the time Gart gets up to run after him, Forbes has mysteriously disappeared too, and nobody remembers him. Then Gart himself mysteriously disappears, and the ship does too – wiping them off the face of the Earth.
Although there are no special effects showing the spacecraft in flight, the disappearances are emphasized by props. The headline on the newspaper first says "Three Men..." then "Two Men..." and finally "Lone Man..." There is one fewer bed in the hospital room when one man disappears. At the end, the hospital room is shown empty, as is the hangar where the ship was originally housed.
The episode ends in standard fashion with a voice-over from Serling, while panning out on a view of the now empty hanger but provides only a vague reference of the men and the ship who were taken 'somewhere' by 'something'.
. The story was first published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction (March 1953).
Rod Taylor and director Douglas Heyes
later worked together on the TV series Bearcats!
The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)
The Twilight Zone is an American anthology television series created by Rod Serling, which ran for five seasons on CBS from 1959 to 1964. The series consisted of unrelated episodes depicting paranormal, futuristic, dystopian, or simply disturbing events; each show typically featured a surprising...
. It was first aired on December 11, 1959.
Synopsis
Three astronautAstronaut
An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
s flying the X-20 DynaSoar into space for the first time disappear from radar on a test flight, then reappear. Serling's voiceover is spoken showing the ship represented in a hangar by a canvas-covered form.
However, all is not as it seems upon their return to Earth. After they land, Gart is sent to the hospital with a broken leg. During the evening the other two, Forbes and Harrington, go to a bar. There, Harrington suddenly gets a strange feeling as if he no longer belongs in the world. He immediately goes to a phone booth to call his parents, but they tell him they have no son. Then Harrington mysteriously disappears, and no one but Forbes remembers his existence. Forbes tells his story to Gart, who says he does not know any person named Harrington. Then Forbes looks in the mirror, only to find there is no reflection and runs out of the room. By the time Gart gets up to run after him, Forbes has mysteriously disappeared too, and nobody remembers him. Then Gart himself mysteriously disappears, and the ship does too – wiping them off the face of the Earth.
Although there are no special effects showing the spacecraft in flight, the disappearances are emphasized by props. The headline on the newspaper first says "Three Men..." then "Two Men..." and finally "Lone Man..." There is one fewer bed in the hospital room when one man disappears. At the end, the hospital room is shown empty, as is the hangar where the ship was originally housed.
The episode ends in standard fashion with a voice-over from Serling, while panning out on a view of the now empty hanger but provides only a vague reference of the men and the ship who were taken 'somewhere' by 'something'.
Episode notes
This episode is closely based on the short story "Disappearing Act" by Richard MathesonRichard Matheson
Richard Burton Matheson is an American author and screenwriter, primarily in the fantasy, horror, and science fiction genres. He is perhaps best known as the author of What Dreams May Come, Bid Time Return, A Stir of Echoes, The Incredible Shrinking Man, and I Am Legend, all of which have been...
. The story was first published in The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction (March 1953).
Rod Taylor and director Douglas Heyes
Douglas Heyes
Douglas Heyes was an American film and television writer, director, producer, actor, and composer with a long list of accomplishments.He was the father of actor Douglas Heyes, Jr..He died in Beverly Hills, California....
later worked together on the TV series Bearcats!
See also
- "Remember Me", an episode of Star Trek: The Next GenerationStar Trek: The Next GenerationStar Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
in which a character undergoes a similar experience.
External links
- TV.com episode page
- And When The Sky Was Opened | John's Twilight Zone Page
- DeVoe, Bill. (2008). Trivia from The Twilight Zone. Albany, GA: Bear Manor Media. ISBN 978-1593931360
- Grams, Martin. (2008). The Twilight Zone: Unlocking the Door to a Television Classic. Churchville, MD: OTR Publishing. ISBN 978-0970331090