Classic Horrors Club

Writer | Frank De Felitta
Director | Don Medford
Air Date | March 6, 1953

Famous last words… At the end of “The Cocoon,” Professor John Blanforth said he couldn’t help but rejoice that he’d seen the last of the hideous invisible creature that he and his niece, Susan, discovered in the jungle. We then saw another hatch from its cocoon. In the direct sequel, “The Fury of the Cocoon,” the people who were late arriving last time arrive to find the makeshift lab deserted. As per usual, we have two strong-willed men with opposing viewpoints. Borden (Cameron Prud’Homme) is the thoughtful scientist and Brenegan (Peter Capell) is the emotional adventurer.

When they discover bodies in the jungle with pierced throats, drained of every drop of blood, Susan (now played by Nancy Coleman) stumbles out of the foilage mumbling “hundreds of them… hundreds of them.” We know what she means, but the men don’t, and they’re reluctant to believe Professor Blanforth’s notes about invisible insects until they uncover the plaster cast of the creature created in “The Cocoon”… and until something begins scratching outside their door.

This is a perfectly adequate follow-up to the original story but doesn’t have nearly the same impact. When Borden and Brenegan manage to capture and hogtie one of the creatures, just like their predecessors, and subsequently learn that regular insecticide kills it, the conclusion becomes anticlimactic. Prior to that, though, there’s a bit of tension as all three characters shelter in the lab waiting and watching for a threat they cannot see. And when the “bad” guy gets what’s coming to him, the satisfaction peaks early.

Writer | Alvin Sapinsley
Director | Don Medford
Air Date | March 20, 1953

When we don’t see the person to whom Professor Kimworth (Everett Sloane) hands a book from his shelf, we’re immediately suspicious. We should be. Kimworth has built a robot to read to him. His daughter, Patricia (Mercedes McCambridge) doesn’t like it at all, and brings one of his former students, Sidney Strong (William Kemp), to assess the situation. She dislikes it even more when it develops a mind of its own and not only wants the professor to read to him, but also wants to become human.

What’s not so interesting about this is that the robot falls in love with Patricia. What’s interesting about it, though, is the explanation. It doesn’t really have human feelings for her, but from what the professor has read to him from the likes of Shakespeare, it’s behaving as if it’s in love. The line between the two isn’t as fine as it sounds. This is proven in the conclusion when — spoiler — Professor Kimsorth tells the robot that the books are wrong. It’s enough of a revelation to cause it to shut down, its metaphorical mind blown.

This episode isn’t a particular favorite of mine. I can’t pinpoint why it didn’t quite work for me, but I will say my attention was riveted on McCambridge. She’s a “mannered” actor, which to me means she embellishes her lines with dramatic actions and facial expressions that emphasize what she’s saying. I don’t mean to say they’re distracting, but I guess if I’m focusing on them instead of the story or the other characters, they may be. Perhaps I simply didn’t want to focus too closely on the primitive 1950’s television robot. It has no manners.