Miniature (The Twilight Zone)

"Miniature"
The Twilight Zone episode
Robert Duvall and Claire Griswold in The Twilight Zone episode Miniature
Episode no.	Season 4 Episode 110
Directed by	Walter Grauman
Written by	Charles Beaumont
Featured music	Fred Steiner
Production code	4862
Original air date	February 21, 1963
Guest stars
Robert Duvall: Charley Parkes Pert Kelton: Mrs. Parkes Barbara Barrie: Myra William Windom: Dr. Wallman John McLiam: Guard Barney Phillips: Diemel Claire Griswold: The Doll (Alice) Lennie Weinrib: Buddy
Episode chronology
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List of Twilight Zone episodes

"Miniature" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.

Synopsis

Charley Parkes thinks he sees a figure in a museum dollhouse that comes alive. Charley returns to the museum numerous times and gazes into the dollhouse. He keeps coming back and sees the doll in the house come alive.

Charley falls in love with the figure, a woman, but is institutionalized because of his belief that the figure of the woman (as well as a housekeeper and a man) is alive. He eventually is "rehabilitated" and is returned to the care of his mother.

On the evening of his return home, his mother, sister, brother-in-law and his former girlfriend plan to celebrate his release with him, but discover that he has escaped from the house. They contact the psychiatrist who treated Charley in the hospital and surmise that he has returned to the museum and the dollhouse.

The family members, psychiatrist and museum guards search the museum but find nothing. Except for one guard, who glances into the dollhouse and sees Charley, now a miniature figure, finally together with his love in the dollhouse, sharing a stereoscope. Smiling, the guard decides to never reveal what he's witnessed.

Re-airing

Because of a lawsuit, this episode was not included in the syndication package for The Twilight Zone. It was finally re-aired in 1984. When it was re-released in 1984, a colorized version had been created in an early public demonstration of the process.^{[citation needed]}

Robert Duvall

This episode's reputation derives primarily from Robert Duvall's performance. It has been described as an "absolute tour-de-force" (IMDb.com); "a tour-de-force of underplaying" (Amazon.com); and "great acting" (TV.com). See the External Links below.

References

• 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
• Zicree, Marc Scott: The Twilight Zone Companion. Sillman-James Press, 1982 (second edition). ISBN 1-879505-09-6.

External links

• "Miniature" at the Internet Movie Database
• TV.com episode page
• IMDb.com user comments
• Amazon.com reviews
• TV.com summary