Living Doll (The Twilight Zone)

"Living Doll"
The Twilight Zone episode

"Talky Tina" whose design was inspired by Chatty Cathy and was voiced by June Foray (the original voice for Chatty Cathy),
Episode no. Season 5
Episode 6
Directed by Richard C. Sarafian
Written by Jerry Sohl
(Credited to Charles Beaumont)
Featured music Original score by Bernard Herrmann
Production code 2621
Original air date November 1, 1963
Guest appearance(s)

Telly Savalas: Erich Streator
Mary LaRoche: Annabelle Streator
Tracy Stratford: Christie Streator
June Foray: Talky Tina (voice)

Episode chronology

"Living Doll" is the 126th episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.

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.

Plot

Annabelle buys her young daughter, Christie, a talking doll named "Talky Tina" in order to comfort Christie. Annabelle has recently remarried to an infertile man named Erich Streator, who is hostile toward the child. Erich begins to transfer this hostility to the new doll.

When Erich finds himself alone with the doll, it tells Erich she hates him and warns him to be nice to it. At first, Erich thinks Annabelle is playing a trick on him. He places the doll in a trash can in the garage, but then receives a phone call and hears the doll's voice threatening to kill him. Erich attempts to destroy the doll using a vise, a blow torch and a saw, but fails each time. Erich then places the doll in a burlap sack and returns it to the trash can weighing the lid with bricks.

He returns to his bedroom to find Annabelle packing to leave, unable to tolerate his hostility and irrational behavior any longer. She insists that Erich should see a psychiatrist. Erich maintains that the doll was talking to him, but offers to return it to Christie if Annabelle will stay. He returns to the garage and finds the doll still in the trash can. It says "My name is Talky Tina and I don't forgive you!" Erich desperately urges it to be quiet, and reluctantly returns the doll to Christie.

Later that night, Erich is awakened by muffled noises from within the house. He tells Annabelle to stay in the bedroom, and leaves to investigate. Christie is in bed, but Tina is gone. Skulking down the stairs, he trips over Tina, who is lying on one of the treads, and falls. Sustaining fatal injuries, he sees the doll watching him as he dies. Attracted by the noise, Annabelle screams and runs down the stairs. She picks up Tina, who says, "My name is Talky Tina... and you'd better be nice to me!" Annabelle drops the doll in shock.

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.

Episode notes

The score composed by Bernard Herrmann consists of a solo bass clarinet, flourished by harps and celesta. This ensemble creates the sinister tone appropriate for the episode's mood.

The house in this episode was also used in another Twilight Zone episode, Ring-a-Ding Girl (1963).

The doll used to play Talky Tina was a doll named Brikette that was made by the Vogue doll company. Brikette is a non-talker, except in the Twilight Zone; however, the inspiration for Tina was Chatty Cathy, a talking doll manufactured by Mattel. Cathy and Tina were both voiced by June Foray, one of the most prolific voice actresses of the era.[1][2]

This episode was parodied in a The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror segment, "Clown Without Pity" (1992), where Homer buys Bart a talking Krusty the Clown doll for his birthday that tries to kill Homer.

In the Californian and Parisian versions of the popular Disney attraction The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, what some mistakenly think to be a Talky Tina doll can be seen on a couch in the lobby as guests wait in line.

The X-Files episode "Chinga," written by Stephen King, features a murderous talking doll.

A mute telepath in the French film Bloody Mallory (2002) is named Talky Tina.

The episode also was spoofed in an episode of Cartoon Network's animated series Johnny Bravo (1997–2004), "The Man Who Cried 'Clown!'/Johnny, Real Good/Little Talky Tabitha!", in which the character of Suzy receives a talking doll, Tabitha, that, unbeknown to all of the other characters in the series, is alive and relentlessly terrorizes Johnny.

See also

References

  1. Clare, Nancy (June 18, 2010). "June Foray". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 4, 2015.
  2. Clare, Nancy (June 18, 2010). "June Foray". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 4, 2015.
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