A Thing About Machines
- Episode aired Oct 28, 1960
- TV-PG
- 25m
IMDb RATING
6.4/10
2.8K
YOUR RATING
Bartlett Finchley's paranoia about the machines around proves true.Bartlett Finchley's paranoia about the machines around proves true.Bartlett Finchley's paranoia about the machines around proves true.
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaTo make the possessed car scenes work, the stunt drivers used various practical ways of disguising themselves so they would not been seen behind the wheel of the car. In some scenes they crouched down below the dash. In the scenes where the car was filled with dark shadows the driver dressed all in black from head to waist to blend in the shadows. For the brighter scenes the driver appeared to be wearing white canvass to match the convertible top's canvass covering.
- GoofsWhen Finchley is being chased by the car, there are two medium shots of his feet stopping in the dirt. Both times he stops by a cigarette butt, which was probably the mark that he was supposed to hit. Both shots also appear to be done in the same place and edited in two different places in the scene.
- Quotes
Ms. Rogers: Mr. Finchley, in this conspiracy you speak of, this mortal combat between you and the appliances, I hope you lose.
- ConnectionsEdited into Twilight-Tober-Zone: A Thing About Machines (2021)
Featured review
Screw Tops Strike Back
Okay, I have trouble with screw top lids and when the can opener balks, I call the wife. Last time I fixed anything was replacing batteries in my TV wand. So, all in all, I sympathize with Finchley, but I do try to take my ineptitude with some humor. Not Finchley. He's an intellectual snob, certainly dislikable, thanks to an excellent performance by actor Haydn. He not only treats mechanical things with contempt, but people too. So no wonder a reckoning is at hand. But this being the TZ, it's the mechanical world that rebels. Cars, razors, clocks, TV's, even typewriters-- all find a voice and rebel against the insufferable tyrant. The special effects are mostly good, and I really like the first eruption of the electric razor looking just like a coiled cobra. From now on, you can bet I'll keep mine well cleaned. And catch that driverless car-- I was rooting for it.
All in all, it's an unusual episode with what I think is a good moral—something about being kind to our cutting-edge creations and they'll be good to us. I expect that goes for our computerized world as well. Uh oh!— now what's the problem with my keyboard. Guess I'll have to call the wife.
All in all, it's an unusual episode with what I think is a good moral—something about being kind to our cutting-edge creations and they'll be good to us. I expect that goes for our computerized world as well. Uh oh!— now what's the problem with my keyboard. Guess I'll have to call the wife.
helpful•103
- dougdoepke
- Nov 24, 2016
Details
- Runtime25 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
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