Hocus-Pocus and Frisby

Last updated
"Hocus-Pocus and Frisby"
The Twilight Zone episode
Hocus Pocus And Frisby.JPG
Frisby's Alien
Episode no.Season 3
Episode 30
Directed by Lamont Johnson
Story byFrederic Louis Fox
Teleplay by Rod Serling
Featured music Tommy Morgan
Production code4833
Original air dateApril 13, 1962 (1962-04-13)
Guest appearances
Andy Devine: Frisby
Milton Selzer: Alien #1
Larry Breitman: Alien #2
Peter Brocco: Alien #3
Howard McNear: Mitchell
Dabbs Greer: Scanlan
Clem Bevans: Old Man (Pete)
Episode chronology
 Previous
"Four O'Clock"
Next 
"The Trade-Ins"
The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series) (season 3)
List of episodes

"Hocus-Pocus and Frisby" is episode 95 (season 3, number 30) of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone .

Contents

Opening narration

The reluctant gentleman with the sizable mouth is Mr. Frisby. He has all the drive of a broken camshaft and the aggressive vinegar of a corpse. As you've no doubt gathered, his big stock in trade is the tall tale. Now, what he doesn't know is that the visitors out front are a very special breed, destined to change his life beyond anything even his fertile imagination could manufacture. The place is Pitchville Flats, the time is the present. But Mr. Frisby's on the first leg of a rather fanciful journey into the place we call the Twilight Zone.

Plot

Somerset Frisby has a general store/gas station in a small town, and the townsfolk know him well for the tall tales he spins of his experiences, from his heroism in war to his inventions to his advice to presidents and captains of industry, all of which he fabricates. His friends gather in the store to hear him spin his stories, which they find very entertaining, and he often accompanies himself on harmonica.

One day, two identically dressed men pull up at the store in need of fuel for their car. Seeing their odd behavior and lack of familiarity with the vehicle, Frisby brags that he designed the American automobile and can predict the weather 24 hours in advance. The men depart, impressed with his claimed achievements and background, and say that they will see him again very soon. That afternoon, as Frisby is closing up his store for the day, the voice of one man suggests that he will have "quite an adventure" if he steps outside and walks down the road. As soon as Frisby leaves his store, he is transported onto a vessel crewed by the two visitors and several others dressed like them.

The men, actually aliens, have selected Frisby as an outstanding member of the human race and are planning to take him back to their home planet and exhibit him alongside specimens from other planets. Frisby protests that he has fabricated all his exploits and is a consummate liar, but discovers that the aliens have accepted all his tales as true since they have no concept of dishonesty. He punches one alien, causing its human disguise to break apart and expose its true face.

Unable to overpower the aliens or persuade them to release him, Frisby decides to relax by playing his harmonica. The sound causes unbearable pain to the aliens and renders some of them unconscious, and the others allow Frisby to escape. Running back to the store, he finds his friends waiting to throw him a surprise party; in the evening's excitement, he has forgotten that it is his birthday. When he tries to tell them what happened, they enjoy a laugh at what they take to be another of his tall tales and give him a "World's Greatest Liar" trophy.

Nicknames

Mr. Frisby often mentions nicknames that he supposedly has received, which pertain to his tall tales. These nicknames include (ordered as mentioned):

For his 63rd birthday, Mr. Frisby received a trophy from his friends, declaring him to be the "World's Greatest Liar". Andy Devine himself would have been 57.

Closing narration

Mr. Somerset Frisby, who might have profited by reading an Aesop fable about a boy who cried wolf. Tonight's tall tale from the timberlands of the Twilight Zone.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street</span> 22nd episode of the 1st season of The Twilight Zone

"The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street" is the 22nd episode in the first season of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone. The episode was written by Rod Serling, the creator-narrator of the series. It originally aired on March 4, 1960, on CBS. In 2009, TIME named it one of the ten best Twilight Zone episodes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">People Are Alike All Over</span> 25th episode of the 1st season of The Twilight Zone

"People Are Alike All Over" is episode 25 of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.

"The Whole Truth" is episode 50 of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone. It originally aired on January 20, 1961 on CBS. It was one of the six episodes of the second season which was shot on videotape in a short-lived experiment aimed to cut costs.

"Two" is the season 3 premiere and 66th episode overall of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone. The episode stars Charles Bronson and Elizabeth Montgomery.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andy Devine</span> American actor (1905–1977)

Andrew Vabre Devine was an American character actor known for his distinctive raspy, crackly voice and roles in Western films, including his role as Cookie, the sidekick of Roy Rogers in 10 feature films. He also appeared alongside John Wayne in films such as Stagecoach (1939), The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, and How the West Was Won. He is also remembered as Jingles on the TV series The Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok from 1951 to 1958, as Danny McGuire in A Star Is Born (1937), and as the voice of Friar Tuck in the Disney Animation Studio film Robin Hood (1973).

<i>Todays Special</i> Canadian childrens television series

Today's Special is a Canadian children's television program produced by Clive VanderBurgh at TVOntario, originally broadcasting 120 episodes from 1981 to 1987. Much of the series was set in a department store, based on Simpson's then-flagship location in Toronto. Some store sequences were shot at the Queen Street West and Yonge Street store after hours. The show ran on TVOntario in Canada as well as Nickelodeon in the United States. Reruns of the series continued into 2000 on stations such as PBS affiliates in the United States and on Treehouse TV in Canada.

Tralfamadore is the name of several fictional planets in the novels of Kurt Vonnegut. Details of the corresponding indigenous alien race, the Tralfamadorians, vary from novel to novel:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Great Gazoo</span> Fictional cartoon alien from the future, from The Flintstones cartoon series

The Great Gazoo, or simply Gazoo, is a fictional character from the animated series The Flintstones. He first appeared on the show on October 29, 1965. The Great Gazoo was voiced by actor Harvey Korman.

To Serve Man (<i>The Twilight Zone</i>) 24th episode of the 3rd season of The Twilight Zone

"To Serve Man" is the 24th episode of the third season of the anthology series The Twilight Zone, and the 89th overall. It originally aired on March 2, 1962, on CBS. Based on Damon Knight's 1950 short story of the same title, the episode was written by Rod Serling and directed by Richard L. Bare. It is considered one of the best episodes from the series, particularly for its final twist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Howard McNear</span> American actor (1905–69)

Howard Terbell McNear was an American stage, screen, and radio character actor. McNear is best remembered as the original voice of Doc Adams in the radio version of Gunsmoke and as Floyd Lawson on The Andy Griffith Show (1961–1967).

<i>Hocus Pocus</i> (1993 film) 1993 film by Kenny Ortega

Hocus Pocus is a 1993 American fantasy comedy film directed by Kenny Ortega from a screenplay by Mick Garris and Neil Cuthbert, and a story by David Kirschner and Garris. It follows a villainous comedic trio of witches who are inadvertently resurrected by a teenage boy in Salem, Massachusetts, on Halloween night.

"The Little People" is episode 93 of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone. It originally aired on March 30, 1962 on CBS.

<i>Coconut Freds Fruit Salad Island</i> Animated television series

Coconut Fred's Fruit Salad Island! is an American animated television series created by Sammy Oriti and Don Oriolo that aired for two seasons on Kids' WB from September 17, 2005, to May 27, 2006. The show was produced by Warner Bros. Animation with flash animation provided by Dong Yang Animation, Studio B Productions, and Top Draw Animation.

"The Gift" is episode 97 of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.

"The Fear" is the penultimate episode of the American television series The Twilight Zone. It is the last episode written by series creator/host Rod Serling.

<i>The Nightmare Room</i> American horror anthology television series (2001–2002)

The Nightmare Room is an American children's anthology horror series that aired on Kids' WB. The series was based on the short-lived children's book series that went by the same title created by Goosebumps author, R. L. Stine. The Nightmare Room originally aired from August 31, 2001, to March 16, 2002, in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milton Selzer</span> American actor

Milton Selzer was an American stage, film, and television actor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clem Bevans</span> American actor (1880–1963)

Clem Guy Bevans was an American character actor best remembered for playing eccentric, grumpy old men.

<i>Hocus Pocus 2</i> 2022 film by Anne Fletcher

Hocus Pocus 2 is a 2022 American fantasy comedy film directed by Anne Fletcher, written by Jen D'Angelo and produced by Walt Disney Pictures. It is a sequel to the 1993 film Hocus Pocus and the second installment in the Hocus Pocus franchise. The film stars Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kathy Najimy, and Doug Jones reprising their roles, with Sam Richardson, Whitney Peak, Belissa Escobedo, Tony Hale, and Hannah Waddingham joining the cast in new roles.

<i>Hocus Pocus</i> (franchise) Disney media franchise

Hocus Pocus is an American media franchise consisting of two films, a sequel novelization, and other Disney media and merchandise. The series was created by David Kirschner and Mick Garris.

References