Welcome to Patty's Video Palace, where we’re diving headfirst into the bizarre and mind-bending world of "The Twilight Zone" with a focus on the episode "After Hours." The main point we're tackling today? The shocking twist that our protagonist, Marcia, discovers she's not just a regular gal but a mannequin destined to return to her display after a short stint as a human. It’s a wild ride as we chat about the heat wave outside, the kids loitering in the store, and how a simple shopping trip turned into a trip down a rabbit hole of identity crisis. We’ll explore the deeper themes of self-discovery and existence, tossing in plenty of laughs and quips about our shared experiences. So, grab your commemorative fan and get comfy, because we’re about to unpack some seriously fun and thought-provoking moments from this classic episode!

Takeaways:

• In this episode, we dive into the quirky world of Marcia White, who thinks she’s just shopping when she stumbles into a mind-bending reality that reveals her true identity as a mannequin.
• The hosts share hilarious anecdotes about the chaotic atmosphere in Patty's Video Palace, highlighting the antics of kids who don’t quite know how arcade games work.
• With a playful tone, the discussion touches on the societal shifts in the 1960s, including fashion and cultural changes that the characters humorously reflect upon throughout the episode.
• As we unravel the Twilight Zone's classic twist, we ponder deeply about identity and existence, asking ourselves, how much of our lives is shaped by our memories and experiences?
• The episode cleverly juxtaposes the mundane with the bizarre, transforming a simple shopping trip into a philosophical exploration of what it means to be human and the nature of reality itself.
• Through light-hearted banter and puns, the hosts manage to keep the conversation lively while discussing profound themes like self-identity and how we perceive ourselves in relation to others.

Patty's Video Palace invites listeners into a heatwave of conversation where nostalgia and humor collide! It’s the height of summer, and the crew is sweating it out in their un-air-conditioned haven, relying on some rickety fans that just might be older than the last blockbuster. As the trio banters about the kids loitering in the store, who’ve apparently taken to playing games without even inserting a quarter, the episode takes a delightful dive into the absurdities of childhood. Remember the thrill of summer vacations? Well, they’re living in it, as they reminisce about those days when boredom sent us out to explore—only to be stuck in the same store while dreaming of our next adventure. From the kids who think they’re gaming pros to the hilarious realization that one kid is just mesmerized by a screensaver, the humor is infectious. But it’s not all laughs; the conversation shifts to the iconic episode of The Twilight Zone titled 'The After Hours', where a shopping trip turns into a mind-bending exploration of identity. When Marcia, our unsuspecting protagonist, discovers her true nature as a mannequin, it raises the question: How much of our identity is tied to our memories, and what happens when they’re suddenly erased? With twists at every corner, the episode is a captivating blend of comedy and existential pondering, perfect for those hot summer days when you just need to sit back and reflect on the mysteries of life.

Well, hello there and welcome to Patty's Video Palace.

It is.

Well, it's nearing the end of July.

And it's freaking hot.

It is the AC and not working too good in this place.

Go figure.

So we're just trying.

She's cheap.

She is.

Thankfully, we got these commemorative fans from the Historical Society.

They're nice.

Yeah, emphasis on the historical.

They're probably 35 years old.

They all rattle.

Oh, they just came out of Lula Mae's top drawer.

Drawers, maybe.

Drawers.

Hey, they do kind of resemble those.

Yeah, they're big.

If they make a lot of noise, they have a lot of wind.

Come on, ring them bells.

Oh, so here we are.

Yes.

Too far.

Talk about taking it too far.

Those kids in the back there, they have been outstaying their welcome cuz school is out and they've been here for.

For longer parts of time than they usually are.

And well, been coming into the store here because they gotten bored of their games.

And well, they're playing our games.

One little kid in the back, he keeps playing that game.

He didn't even put any quarters in it.

He does not know that that's not actually him playing it.

It's just the screensaver.

He's a special child.

Well, it's no coincidence that truck keeps coming by because I pay them.

We'll just have to make sure that that driver gets his money.

Otherwise we're going to have to put up with those kiddos longer.

I do hear that people actually think that we do work here, even though it's kind of our lunch.

So we'll go ahead and figure out, play this, what we're going to do today.

All right.

Pop that in the vcara.

Matt, are you using static guard now?

Cuz your, your hair.

It, it, it.

It's not standing on end like it used to when we first started doing this.

I've learned.

It's a good thing you stopped biting down on that foil though.

Your dentist wasn't appreciating it.

Well, well.

So if we take a look outside and kind of like that, that movie the Time Machine where.

Why is it in black and white outside?

You know that movie the Time Machine?

He sort of witnessed life happening outside his window.

Well, it looks like the fashions, the skirts, they've gotten longer again.

Or no, Isn't it shorter?

I see a few really short ones there.

I haven't seen those in a while.

Hey, hey, hey.

Stop looking at that.

Oh, but the cars are looking cool in the parking lot there.

I haven't seen tail fins like that in a while.

Tail fin.

I don't understand car talk.

So.

Yeah, those little pointy parts on the back there.

Oh, is that what those are called?

Yeah.

Oh.

So I would guess.

Oh, there's quite a bit of cigarette in there.

So it's, it's, it's Doctor who.

It's definitely before the 80s and the 70s, probably.

And cigarettes inside.

The kids are probably smoking, right?

Oh, well, I shouldn't point it out because it's not encouraged, but I did just see that 13 year old walking down the street with a pack of Marlboros.

But let's just say he was going to the store for dad.

Okay.

Hey, did you ever have to do that?

I have the notes for my grandmother.

When I lived in the SoCal for a summer, I went to the grocery store for my.

Now.

Exactly.

And I don't know what was wrong with the people in that town.

Well, I'll be nice.

I did not have a state ID at the time because I didn't know if I was gonna stay living there.

So I tried to present an out of state ID at the grocery store for my friend's cancer sticks.

And they looked at me like I had lobsters crawling out of my ears.

They're like, that's not a state id.

I figure it's a racket.

Let's see, that's.

I don't.

I don't even know.

I mean, they would just give me.

I mean, I'm 12 years old and they're like, sure, here, take your grandmother's cigarettes.

Here's a.

Give me the note.

Oh.

But in my defense, when I was 12 years old, I'm not sure we still had candy.

Cigarettes even.

Don't make me hit you.

Oh, well, yeah.

I was gonna say it took me.

A long time, the rehab to get over cand decentral.

That and anger management.

Well, let's figure out what year it is.

I'm going to say it's before the 70s.

Let's find out.

Good afternoon, time travelers.

Oh.

As the world stood on the edge of change in the United States.

1960 United States presidential election ushered in a new era as John F. Kennedy became the youngest elected president, symbolizing generational and cultural shifts.

Cold War tensions spiked after the U2 incident when a US spy plane was shot down over the Soviet Union.

Meanwhile, the Sharpeville massacre in South Africa shocked the world and intensified global opposition to apartheid.

The year also brought the loss of towering figures, including philosopher and writer Albert Camus and Hollywood legend Clark Gable.

Amid the upheaval, future icons were born, including musician Bono and soccer great Diego Maradona, signaling the arrival of voices that would shape global culture for decades to come.

Okay, have you noticed that this announcer guy, he's always all, oh, it was the year that the world stood on the edge of change.

Like all season, every year that we go to is on the edge of change, and it's bringing in significant advances.

I think we ever just have a year where he's going to be all, nothing happened.

I think he's.

I think he's a retired sportscaster, and you have to forgive him.

He gets excited easily.

I thought it was Burgess Meredith, but.

What do I know from beyond the grave, huh?

Probably figuring out our entertainment options here, because back then, some places used to have a morning paper and an evening paper, and we want to fig what we might be doing for a good old time in the hot town tonight.

Thumb through some of those pages and tell me what's playing in the theaters.

Well, actually, I don't know what's playing in the theaters because I have the TV Guide section.

Oh, hey, do we have TV dinners yet?

Yeah.

Well, I guess this is odd.

Let's see.

Okay, so Gunsmoke's on.

That was.

That was a Western starring James Arness, his National Net marshal, Matt Dillon.

Matt.

And then.

Oh, we got Wagon Train.

I thought that was a dog food.

Apparently, it's a.

A wagon train that travels west during the American frontier era.

Oh, here's.

Here's a.

A different one.

Half done.

Will travel, however, insert that song.

Yeah.

With the.

Richard Boone starring as a sophisticated gunfighter for hire.

I wonder was so.

Right.

I was gonna say I wonder was any relation to Pat Moon?

I thought it would be Daniel, but who knows?

I mean, apparently Pat Boone turned over a new leaf later in his career, and he decided he was going to be modern, and he started wearing things like red leather.

Oh, oh.

And here we have the Andy Griffith Show.

That's a real modern take on things.

And finally, we have the real McCoys, a family comedy about a West Virginia clan adjusting to life in California.

So apparently, the Wagon Train people finally made it to California, and now it's that.

There's a lot of westerns on here.

A lot of cowboys, a lot of backward folk.

Yeah.

And a lot of commercials for cigarettes, too.

So I think.

I think that.

Yeah, right.

I think that they also had Bewitched around this time.

No, that would.

No, that was he, like, what Eight years, nine years later.

Yeah, they didn't even have Star Trek yet, so I. I don't know that I could.

I don't think I could.

I don't think I could go outside of these doors here because I don'.

Can you imagine living in a time when every TV show was just the Western?

Oh, no, thank you.

No, thank you.

I mean, how could you tell when it was a different program?

I know, right?

Didn't he just get shot?

No, that was another show he's guesting this week.

That's my.

My.

Actually my father used, when he was still around, used to watch.

I think it was Gunsmoke or There was one show that he used to watch all the time, the Rifleman, I think it was.

Okay.

He used to watch all the time.

And there were several times that I walked in there and I'm like, is this the same show?

And.

And then finally he would told me, oh, yeah, this is a channel that just plays one show.

And I'm like, how could you watch.

How could you watch Gunsmoke and 24 Hours a Day?

No, that's like being stuck in high school study hall without even having a walkman.

Or on a.

On a plane when they play really bad kids movie over and over.

Oh, my God, I can't stand Bluey.

Or any Will Ferrell movie except Elf.

Elf.

I will give you the rest of them.

Yeah, no, thank you.

If I had to see weatherman or weatherman 2 over and over, Christ, Cena was the only thing that saved that movie.

The only reason I'll watch Elf is because of Mary Steenbergen and the rest of the cast.

Yeah, I don't know.

He was okay.

Although when he was pouring syrup all over stuff, I'm like, that's.

My stomach just went.

Well, I am hoping.

I'm crossing my fingers here that we don't get stuck with Western.

Well, it looks like we're gonna watch something TV, though.

Yeah, something from the 60s.

Let's find out.

After discovering flaws in her purchase, she returns to complain, only to learn the store has only eight floors and no employee matches the salesperson's description.

Trapped inside after closing, Marsha hears mannequins calling her name and discovers a startling truth.

She is one of them, granted.

30 Days as a human and now destined to Return to the display window she left behind.

Oh, Marcia.

Marsha.

Marsha.

Oh, no.

Yeah, I love that she's one of them.

What is she one of them?

We have no ninth floor.

Go figure, right?

Yeah, right.

What's that expression?

The elevator goes all the way to the top, but there's no lights on.

Okay, girl, I think you need to be checked.

If those metaphors straight in your head,.

Then, well, here's a sound check for those kids out in the alley.

Rewind through time into movie nights, blockbusters,.

Cindy's in black and white.

From 80s thrills to silver screen dreams.

Trapped in the past by a time machine.

Matt.

To explore the lore.

The past is present and you're gonna want more.

They hadn't gotten hitched yet.

So the things that people did for fun back then included bowling and roller skating.

I wasn't very good on the roller skates there.

Although if I paid attention and I liked the music that was playing, I could kind of get around.

Don't expect me to do anything fancy.

Well, yeah.

Don't forget that there was also drive ins.

So your parents were probably necking in the back seat as a drive in.

Well, funny thing about that.

My grandmother never got her driver's license, so dad used to have to tote her around.

Hey, she could watch, I'm sure, huh?

All right, so if you didn't pay attention or you didn't hear the man in the box, they're telling you about the story here.

This is actually an episode of the Twilight zone from the 60s.

So we're.

We're actually talking about a TV show for change here.

And this is actually from the very first season of the Twilight Zone.

So people weren't used to the idea of this freaky show that made people think about what was going on and wondering, is that real?

Did that happen?

Oh, my gosh.

So here we are at the beginning of the story, the setup and the problem.

Marcia White.

Because what other name would she have?

Is simple shopping trip takes a bizarre turn when she visits a department store to buy a gold thimble.

Right there, that's the shop.

I'm on a simple shopping trip.

I'm looking to buy a gold thimble for my mother, who goes looking for a gold thimble.

Anyway, I'm sorry I interrupted.

Go ahead.

So an elevator.

Yeah.

So there's an elevator and it goes all the way to the top.

Yeah, the elevator operator.

Because fancy places, they had people's in uniforms that helped you do everyday ordinary things because it made it look fancy.

So the guy who was running the elevator, he sends her to a mysterious ninth floor where there's an unusual saleswoman, and she has exactly what Marcia needs.

By coincidence, there.

When Marcia returns to exchange the flawed item because it's.

It's not perfect.

It's got a scratch and it looks it's been stepped on and, well, when she goes back to return, store management insists the building only has eight floors.

What are you talking about?

We don't have a ninth floor.

And no one has ever worked where she shopped.

Well, as strange events pile up.

Marcia, Marcia, Marcia, Marcia begins to question her own sanity as you do when you are walking through vacant sections of buildings.

And despite her answers, she uncovers an astonishing truth that forever changes everything she thought she knew about herself.

Okay, so now let's pick a.

Pick this apart for a minute, shall we?

Okay.

Vultures.

So for.

Yeah, so first off, she's taken to a ninth floor, and she gets off the elevator into a room where there ain't anything.

Okay?

All the.

All the furniture's covered and everything.

And apparently this 9th floor doesn't exist, right?

But all the mannequins apparently hang out there at night on this floor that doesn't exist.

Does the story ever wonder where the hell the mannequins are?

Right, right.

Okay, so there's that.

I mean, I.

When I first.

When I first watched this, I thought it was just a creative way of.

Of talking about the building because it's bad luck for there to be a 13th floor.

So a lot of hotels don't have one.

So I thought maybe that was it, that she was actually on a different floor than she thought because they call it the mezzanine instead of the first floor, right?

And.

But okay, so then she.

She's in this room where there's nothing except dusty old furniture.

There's no products, anything else.

This beautiful woman comes out and she's, yes, I have what you're looking for.

She said, I want to buy.

Okay?

So on this floor where there's nothing, wrecks covering some old furniture.

And then this one beautiful sales ring.

She's.

I was looking for a gold thimble for my mama, okay?

And she's like, yes, yes, I have that.

Okay?

So she has the one thing that she's looking for, right?

And then she gives it to her and she.

She looks at it and she's, oh, yes, this is perfect.

And yet when she gets it downstairs, it's all flat and broken and scratched.

And she's.

And then she pays $20 for it.

Right.

Right.

I mean, it was gold.

Well, apparently.

But it better be, like, solid gold.

Solid gold.

And.

Okay, so then.

Anyway.

So what then?

I think they were caught up, but yeah, so she goes down, and then she's all talking to this.

The.

I almost said stage manager to the store director guy.

Captain.

Yes, basically.

And he's like, she's insane.

And she said, this is the ninth floor.

And.

Oh, my goodness.

And so anyway, now we're caught up.

Well, so.

But there's an odd exchange that occurs there on the ninth floor.

And I'm not talking about the transaction.

When she's talking to the lady behind the counter.

The lady behind the counter seems to be familiar with her.

She seems to know her.

In fact.

In fact, she even calls her by her first name and Marcia.

Yes.

That takes her into the moment.

She stops and she's.

Oh, I'm sorry.

That was rather forward of me.

Yes, it was.

You are very rude.

And how did you even know my name?

Well, Ms. White.

Wait, I didn't tell you my.

How do you know this?

And.

And then there's a moment where she has almost a hysterical laugh, but she tries to keep it polite, and she's like.

Yeah, now that.

The whole thing.

Oh, my God, this is so scary.

Really.

I'm watching.

Okay.

Did this sales girl really call her by her first name?

Oh, my God.

I'm not ever shopping at that store.

Right.

Like, I'm sure this is.

Oh, she's so forward.

So if you discovered that your entire identity was built on a forgotten truth, would you fight to hold on to the life or accept who you really are?

We're.

We're wondering about this.

This setup, the.

The principle of this story here, Matt.

How does it apply to real life?

And how would you cope with that?

Well, I.

Okay.

Psychological answer probably.

Probably integrate both of them, because you are who you've become, but then you are who you were.

So if you remember who you were, you're.

Now.

It's part of who you are.

So.

Yeah, I don't know.

I think it would have to depend on how traumatic the forgotten truth was.

I mean, yeah, I'm sure that worse things have happened than somebody forgetting why they were in a store.

I mean, as age goes on, you forget why you walked into a room for something, going into a store.

Takes a little bit more.

Yeah.

Well, I went into the store, then I found out I had a whole other life.

I was wood.

Yeah.

My life has been a lie.

Wow.

That must have been an important store.

I mean, can you imagine finding out that you were an underwear model?

You have to find it first.

I haven't worn it in 40 years anyway.

Right.

So, yeah.

So, I mean, at least in this sense, it's just, it's just sort of mistaken identity.

And we'll get to that.

So it's just the tip of the iceberg, as they say.

She's.

She's realizing that there's something strange about this store and the fact that she was taken to a floor that supposedly doesn't exist.

And she's having these strange feelings now because this is the Twilight Zone Zone.

This is probably one of the first televised presentations of a mind bending story like this because we, we don't want to make people lose their marbles when they're watching our show.

So not like what happened with the War of the Worlds when it was first broadcast.

Right, Right.

So I'm sure that the Twilight Zone probably aired when the kiddos had already gone to bed because you don't want to be having philosophical questions with their, with the kids about what their purpose in life is.

Mommy, am I made of wood?

But for my, for me, if I found out that my whole life had been a lie, that would, that would be pretty impacting.

You question your existence.

Wonder why I would be wondering what the motivation was for me to have been put under that quote unquote spell for all this time.

You know, what, what was, what did somebody have to gain from me thinking that my life was different?

It's like you are really the born identity and now you're a podcaster switching places.

So guess what?

You're not even gay.

Right?

I'm.

I'm androgynous.

So let's see.

So accept who I'm really am.

I think it would be difficult in the sense of our lives at this moment.

It would be difficult for either of us to accept that everything had been a work of fiction up to this point.

Because unlike the story that we're discussing, it's had a lot more time to grow on us.

So definitely for Marsha White, it's a different story.

And we'll reveal more of that in a minute here.

But to go ahead and ask that next question, Matt.

All right, well, here's when you have no idea what's coming.

So how much of being Human comes from our memories and experiences.

And how much do you think comes from simply believing that's who we are?

Well, well, that is a.

That is a question, Dr. Freud.

Being human and.

Well, yes.

I mean, part of humanity is being flawed and accepting that we must make mistakes.

So.

Well, that's not me then.

Right.

An experience.

Well, if you're a child, though, for example, you have no.

Or you have very little experience.

So that's why children are impressionable, because they trust that the adults that are around them, their siblings, their parents, know what's best for them or is not going to let something bad happen to them.

So there's.

There's that moment of vulnerability, and I'm sure Marsha felt that too.

She thought for certain that it was just an average day.

She's just an everyday person walking into a store, and now suddenly she has to wonder what's going on.

There's no ninth floor.

What?

Right.

Yeah.

That's crazy.

And how much of that is believing that's who we are?

What are your answers to that?

I don't think that there's necessarily a. I don't feel that there's necessarily something that specifically makes us human other than our shared experiences with other humans, because that's one of the things I always see on.

On the movie things.

Oh, and then they met an alien and found out just how much of human that this alien is.

And it's like, no, they're just.

They're still an alien.

They're just a person.

They're a person who has.

They're a being that has compassion, things that are universal.

So I don't know.

I would say shared experience, anything.

But I don't think that the mannequins were having a bad happiness.

We'll get into that.

So, yeah, because Marsha, she's more than just a pretty face.

And.

And the store that she walked into, that was no coincidence.

It's kind of like turning on a sleeper agent, if you will.

She.

She had to return home.

Oops, did I say that out loud?

And of course that's called a director.

And who was the director of this episode called the After Hours, which, despite its name, is not about a party function, folks.

Yes, the After Hours.

Oh, well, okay.

Well, let's start with talking about the director, as you were saying.

So he wrote as a writer, a director, producer, an actor, composer and a novelist.

So he just, like.

He did everything except, like, tap dancing, but we don't know that.

Maybe he did.

I don't know.

Right.

Maybe he sang a song.

Anyway, so he actually directed some of Twilight Zone's most celebrated episodes, which actually include the After Hours, which is one of the big Twilight Zone episodes, but also in the Eye of the Beholder, the Invaders and the Howling Man.

And he basically helped define this series visual style and psychological suspense, which he did a really good job of.

But beyond the Twilight Zone, he worked on other series in, like, Maverick, Knight Gallery and the acclaimed north and south, the miniseries that bored the heck out of me.

But off screen, actually, he was an accomplished painter and sculptor.

Oh, my God, he just did everything.

He also served in the army during World War II.

And he was married to actress Joanna Hayes and was the father of, get this.

Douglas Hayes Jr. Yeah.

He had quite the imagination with names there.

I know, right?

Actually, it reminds me of a Doctor who line was like, how many.

How many Mark Hamills can there be?

Oh, well, he's third, so I guess three.

Anyway.

Yeah, I mean, he was.

He was really one of the.

The directors that.

That made.

That they credit as making best Twilight Zone episodes, some of the most memorable ones.

The only one that I don't think that is listed here, that is the most memorable episode of all time.

Do you know which one that is?

I don't.

It's Billy, Mummy and the Cornfield.

You remember that.

The kid from Lost in Space.

Yes.

So the kid.

The kid, basically, he had, like this power that he could just make stuff happen and he.

And if, like, somebody made him mad or something, he would banish them into the cornfield and the cornfield would eat them.

But he could just make stuff happen, make people disappear.

So nobody ever wanted to say anything mean to him.

Mr. President.

Anyway, now, I might be crossing my wires here.

The Twilight Zone was one of a kind, or the first of its kind, perhaps.

There were other similar programs out there, like the Outer Limits, which I think came later.

And I'm trying to remember if it was Twilight Zone or Outer Limits, but you could figure that out.

While I banter.

I remember there was an episode where the woman who played Dora, which was Samantha's mother on Bewitched, Agnes Moorhead.

Yeah.

Was a simple woman who lived in the country where technology had not reached or at least civilization had not yet reached because she didn't have any electricity.

And in that film or in that episode, she was slicing potatoes and she was eating them raw because they had to be a simple country woman.

And your mind was just blown because a spaceship landed on the roof of her home.

And that, that was part of the story.

You gotta see that one, though.

Like I said, I want.

I don't remember if that was Twilight Zone or Outer Limits.

That was the Twilight Zone.

It was called.

Oh, okay.

So, yes.

And of course, Agnes Moorhead was a celebrated theater actress before then, so that might have been one of her earliest TV roles.

Perhaps so.

And do you remember what the twist was?

Well, I know the aliens.

I, I remember that the aliens were small.

Right.

Well, the.

Okay, so it was actually giant alien on her home planet, like landed on her and everything.

But actually, so what it was was that they were from the US Air Force and she was the alien from another world.

Oh.

So we were talking about the pretty young thing, Ms. Marsha White, who walked into the store and had a marriage.

Hope she wasn't hearing those voices too.

Or maybe she was.

She had a big wad of cash because she had $20 set aside for a thimble for mom.

Right.

She's just like, oh, 20 bucks, who cares?

Yeah.

Well, and then of course, then when you find out that she's.

What she is, are they stealing?

Are they pickpocketing people as they're standing in the store?

You know, I wasn't getting all that money.

It would have been funny if they had put a little bit more attention on how she paid for it because maybe she was handing over like store gift cards.

See, I would have thought that they would done something.

Oh, just charge it to my account.

Right.

So anyways, Ann Francis, and it's Anne with an E because fancy Anne Francis played Marcia in this episode of the Twilight Zone.

So she'd been out in the world bit before she got into the Twilight Zone.

Her career spanned more than five decades in film and television, so she was recognizable by many.

And her, her best remembered role was for starring is Marsha White and the after hours that we're discussing.

And as a character named Altera or Altaira in the sci fi classic Forbidden Planet.

I'll tell you More about that in a minute.

Francis also broke new ground as television's first female private detective in the hit series Honey west, because what else would they have called her?

Right and earning Right, earning a Golden Globe and an Emmy nomination.

Now, off screen, she was an advocate for adoption and animal welfare and raised two daughters, one of whom she adopted as a single mother.

I bet you anything in Francis knew Betty White because they were both animal lovers.

Well, I'm an animal lover too, but I didn't know Betty White.

Okay.

So I'm just saying.

Yeah, and.

And I love.

I love Anne Francis.

Totally cool.

Love her anyway.

Well, and on Forbidden Planet, I was going to say that when I was, When I was a ute, that was actually one of the movies that was in my dad's growing collection.

Because back in the day when VHS came out, you could suddenly own your movies, right?

You could suddenly have a copy of your favorite movie at home.

And Forbidden Planet was one of those.

And what I will say of that was that Forbidden Planet was one of my first introductions to sci fi because I was shown that before I started getting interested in, to Star Trek, which at the time, Next Generation was new.

So.

Alrighty.

Well, Miss Anne Francis, she.

She kept the lights on and she had over 180, or, sorry, 168 acting credits in her career, including, as we mentioned, Forbidden Planet in 56, playing Altera Morbius, the innocent daughter of a scientist living on a distant planet.

And this groundbreaking sci fi classic inspired generations of filmmakers, including the creators of Star Trek, who may have borrowed some of the sound effects from the soundtrack of Forbidden planet.

And in 55, just before forbidden Planet, Anne Francis was in Bad Day at Black Rock, which sounds like an episode of Gunsmoke, really.

Francis played Liz Worth opposite Mr. Spencer Tracy in this acclaimed mystery drama about prejudice in hidden secrets in a small western town.

Because it's almost the 60s, so it's going to be Western.

The film earned three Academy Award nominations.

Now also that same year, in 55, she was in a film, and Francis is in this film called Blackboard Jungle, and it was a landmark social drama starring Glenn Ford that tackled juvenile delinquency and helped introduce rock and roll to mainstream movie audiences.

With Rock around the Clock, that sounds like a.

A movie that was remade in more recent years that had Michelle Pfeiffer as a inner city school teacher.

Maybe not in 54, in Francis was in a movie called Susan Slept Here, which may or may not have been a Hugh Hefner story, a romantic or.

Later a Brooke Shields comedy.

Oh, true.

A romantic comedy with Dick Powell in Debbie Reynolds.

That's Carrie.

That was Carrie Fisher's mom, by the way.

Yes, and Francis's performance helped establish her as one of Hollywood's rising young stars there back in 54.

And no, it was not a horror movie, although you might think so with that kind of a name.

It was one of her most dramatic performances portraying a call girl attempting to rebuild her life.

And critics praised Frances for bringing depth and compassion to a role that was considered daring for its time.

I mean, a long time before Jodie Foster was a inappropriate young person of the night.

Well, and don't forget that Elizabeth Montgomery played a prostitute and in a TV movie and it was all praised and everything didn't get her anywhere except made.

Her a homemaker for a number of years.

They're like, why was she a call girl?

Can't she just zap her way out of it?

So she hadn't figured out how to wiggle her nose yet.

Yeah, well, she wiggled everything else in that anyway.

So how many of those have you seen?

Well, probably.

Probably not as many as you.

My, I get around my, my big brother Nerdnom here.

I have seen at least seven of them and as I mentioned, Forbidden Planet is one of my favorites with her.

I want to say that if you are the kind of sci fi nerd that have seen everything that's been made, the kind of character that she played in Forbidden Planet inspired some of the characters that were in the original pilot of Star Trek.

The, the one that had.

Oh, the, the actor that died.

I forgot his name.

And Anton Welsh.

No, that, that's in the 09 movies you're talking about.

I was like, yeah, women in Women in Command.

Anyway, so that kind of a character.

She was sort of a first officer style in Forbidden Planet.

So that.

Yeah, so I've probably only seen seven of her films because Forbidden Planet, right.

So for me, I think I've seen at least 11, maybe more because she did, she did so many TV guest appearances like on so many shows that I am sure that probably watching them, watching them in a rerun, that I'd seen her and stuff, but had no idea that it was actually her.

At least 11 that I know of.

And I think my favorite parts are actually After Hours really won me over.

I thought she was great in that.

Also in Funny Girl, the movie.

Yeah.

Barbra Streisand.

Yeah, she was in Barbara.

I'm not mistaken.

I think that she was one of the characters that lived in.

No, actually I'm, I'm.

I'm confusing her with Debbie Reynolds.

I was gonna say Unsinkable Molly Brown, but that didn't have Barbara in it.

So, Matt, we've established the setup and the problem and we're moving on.

Because just like a play, you know, a screenplay is made for them to decide to turn it into a movie.

And when we get to the second act, that's the middle.

That's the meat and the sandwich.

What do we call that?

Time to go home.

No conflict in.

And the rising action.

So let me tell you about that though.

Okay?

So Mara White is basically just an ordinary shopping trip.

Quickly spirals into this terrifying mystery when she discovers that no one believes the department stores myriad mysterious 9th floor actually exists.

So.

And she is determined to prove that she is not imagining things.

So Marcia is struggling to reconcile her memories with the impossible claims of store employees and customers that are like, girl, there's no ninth floor.

What are you talking about?

She said, I have this thimble and it's all messed up and I got it there, I swear I did.

And they're like.

So basically they try to help her search for answers and it just intensifies and she actually becomes trapped inside the store after closing because she faints.

She's all, I'm not, I.

And she hears all these eerie voices after the store closes.

She's trying to walk through, she's trying to get out.

And then.

Marcia.

Marcia, Marcia.

Moshe.

Moshe.

And it's like, if I heard that, I'd be.

Oh, shut up.

Anyway, so all the eerie voices are calling her name.

And so.

And then she encounters lifelike mannequins moving through the darkened aisles.

I know, right?

And.

And some.

Somehow she ends up.

I think she gets back up to the ninth floor.

I'm not sure.

Then she gets up to the 9th floor floor by herself.

I don't know how she operated the.

The elevator.

The elevator without the guy there.

Right.

Who turns out to be a mannequin as well, I think.

Anyway, so anyway, so she gets up there and with each unsettling revelation, Marsha questions her own sanity until she finally is forced to confront the astonishing truth about the ninth floor and her own identity.

And apparently this ninth floor does not exist.

Except unless you're a mannequin.

Right?

Because I don't I didn't.

And I'm like, okay, we'll go with it.

It's like the penthouse.

There's a special key to get there, apparently.

Or like in.

In like the Doctor who episode where they're.

You don't have a second floor?

Oh, it's just a spaceship that's cloaked sitting on the top of my house.

But okay, whatever.

Apartment.

Anyway, so that's when she is finally having to confront the fact that she herself is actually a mannequin.

Right.

So we'll talk more about her discovery and all that in a little bit.

We receive our big load at 3am on Wednesday morning.

I'm usually here by 7 o'.

Clock.

I'm Jerry Speck.

I've been in the grocery business for 22 years.

You may think my job is keeping this store.

Actually, the most important thing of all is keeping customers.

My customers don't want vegetables.

They want fresh vegetables.

And we buy them by the field full.

Fresh fruit, too.

There are thousands of items.

Anyone can sell you meat, but it's getting the right grade, making sure it's trimmed right.

These are the things that count and keep customers coming back.

Things like friendliness and neatness count, too.

In fact, everything's important in keeping my customers happy.

That's why we give S and H Green Stamps, not just any stamp.

S and H Green Stamps.

Like everything else we get for our customers, we picked the best stamp, our volume went up, and we started to give S and H Green Stamps.

Fits into the way we do business, giving our customers the most for their money.

That's why so many women keep coming back here.

Men, too.

Most men who shop will say, don't let me forget my S and H Green stamps.

My wife will shoot me if I go home without them.

My customers know how much value they get when they redeem their S and H Green stamps.

That's why so many of the best merchants here in Los Angeles give S and H Green Stamp stamps.

Every season.

Every age has its own special beauty, but the quality of freshness never loses its appeal.

Her hair, so soft and shiny.

The color fresh, sparkling.

Does she or doesn't she?

Ms. Clairol?

Hair color looks so natural.

Only your hairdresser knows for sure.

Yet just after the baby was born, she caught a glimpse of herself.

Her hair Seemed lifeless, so faded.

Then she tried Ms. Clairol.

Now she looks as wonderful as she feels.

Ms. Clairol really covers gray.

Keeps hair color young, radiant, sparkling with life.

They're beautifully soft and silky.

Nice Ms. Clairol.

Hair color bath.

The natural looking hair coloring.

So quick and easy.

You'll love it.

This is the Princess phone, an exciting new extension telephone.

Hello, I'm Marilyn Vanderburg.

Isn't this new Princess phone lovely?

It's so small it fits easily almost anywhere you'd like to put a step saving extension phone.

In your kitchen, for example.

The Princess phone saves space where it's most important.

It's light, easy to hold or move around.

A colorful princess phone in your living room gives added telephone convenience to all the family in your bedroom.

It fits the smallest place and if you like a night light glows softly.

Lift the receiver and it brightens for easy dialing.

The lovely Princess phone comes in five attractive colors too.

It's little, it's lovely.

It lights the new Princess phone.

Order yours at your telephone company business office or ask your telephone service man.

Until then, answer me this, Batman.

Okay.

If everyone around you insisted your memories were false, how long would you trust your own mind before beginning to doubt yourself?

Oh, okay.

That's a sixty thousand dollar question.

Geez.

These are, as we said, this is the twilight zone.

So these are sort of mind bending concepts.

I would hate to think that somebody who had problems sleeping at night were staying up watching the twilight zone before bed, having watched the after hours.

That would have probably contributed to some rather interesting dreams.

These days it'd be like, oh, that was funny.

But back then it'd be like, oh my God, my Alexistence.

Because we hadn't even been to the moon yet.

Right?

So if somebody told me my memories were false and how long would I trust them?

Well, I mean, it would all depend on who was lying to me.

Now, if it's family I would trust, I would think that you should trust them more.

In this case, she doesn't know know who these people are that supposedly know her.

Because if, if we didn't explain it in the, in the beginning here, when she went up to that mysterious ninth floor, the lady behind the counter seemed to know her a little bit better than an average salesperson should know.

Yeah, she's tripping over herself and she says her first name, her given name, and it's who are you?

How do you know my name?

And she laughed at the idea that she doesn't know her because Marcia actually Said that she's like, you don't know me.

You don't know me.

Exactly.

She's not from the First Wives Club.

Yeah, I. I think for me, I'm really headstrong, so it would have to come from somebody that I. I completely, totally trust.

Otherwise I'd be just like.

No, girl, you tripping it.

No, I am me.

I know what I'm talking about.

No, there ain't no way you're gonna tell, right?

You would have to.

You would have to prove it to me beyond a shadow of a doubt before I would believe you.

Unless it's somebody that I trust completely.

It's a Jim Carrey movie.

Movie.

What was that?

The Truman Show?

Yeah, exactly.

Yeah.

So go ahead.

Oh, I'm just.

You can read that question.

Oh.

Do you exper.

Do.

Do our experience.

Do you believe that our experience make us who we are?

Or is there an unchangeable part of our identity that remains no matter how much our lives change?

And.

And I. I do believe that there is a part of us that remains who we are.

Our core little being, our good.

I mean, it could be something as simple as being good and bad or bad or that type of.

It can be something very simple, but it remains regardless of the outside stimuli.

What do you think?

As you're saying or suggesting there, our experience makes us who.

Who we are.

And in the case of Marsha, where she thinks she's a person, that's all sort of standing on its end like a bad hair day, because suddenly now you're not a person.

You're not one of them, you're one of us.

And it's time for you to come home.

For the.

The idea of our experiences making us who we are.

There are some words in the English language that are up to interpretation, and it's unfortunate that there are people who automatically take offense when you use certain words.

If you say somebody is inexperienced, that doesn't mean they're dumb.

That just means that you haven't done this before or you have not been there before.

And the same goes for ignorant.

People have taken to thinking that the word ignorant means that they are not intelligent, that they're stupid.

But ignorant just simply means the same as inexperienced.

You have not dealt with that environment, that set of particulars.

You have no experience dealing with that.

So if you tell somebody that you're ignorant to the truth, it just simply means you have no room to talk about this subject because you've never lived anywhere that someone doesn't look like you.

Well, we'll go with that.

Sure.

Yeah.

No, that's very true.

So you don't believe that.

So do you believe that part of us remains who we are regardless of how much our experiences change us?

Who.

I think at our cores, we'll always have certain aspects of our identity that are true to our experience in the sense that, you know, maybe your parent was somebody who appreciates history or maybe they're somebody who appreciates music.

You could move to the opposite side of the world and have a totally different life because of those impressions the people have led to your life, the experience is there.

You're always going to have that, I guess to reach for a big word, proclivity.

Proclivity.

You're gonna have that tendency to be fond towards something because it reminds you of someone.

Maybe, maybe your grandmother loved lilacs and every time you smell them, it reminds you you of her.

So maybe every time you hear classical music, it makes you think of your aunt.

So from that, from that experience, you were always going to have some part of you that will remain unchanged.

It's just built upon like a foundation.

Excellent.

That's.

No, that's cool.

I agree.

Right.

All right, so now we're going to talk about the first co star.

Okay, so this is not Marcia.

This was actually the store manager, believe it or not, and his name was James Milholland.

And he was born from.

He was a very versatile American actor.

And, and he, his career spanned more than four decades in television and film.

He was best known, you will not believe this, from the Twilight Zone episode the After Hours, where he played Mr. Armbruster.

Armbruster, the skeptical department store manager.

He appeared in popular television series like Perry Mason, the Andy Griffith Show, Dick Van Dyke Show, Bewitched, the Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres.

I mean, there was rarely a show in the 50s, 60s, 70s, and probably 80s.

Yeah.

That he wasn't in.

And he had a very distinctive voice and very expressive performances that made him a very familiar face in countless supporting roles.

But actually off screen, he maintained quite a private life, focusing on his craft rather than celebrity, which meant he was probably gay.

And he actually entered, ended up having over 180 acting credits.

Oh yes.

Now he rarely played leading roles.

He became one of television's most recognizable character actors.

And his five, his, his best known roles Were, of course, this one, Mr. A.R.M.

Brewster.

Then he played Mr. McBee in the Andy Griffith show, which was the county tax successor.

And he basically was one of the show's recurring comic bureaucrats.

And then he played various characters, actually on Perry Mason multiple episodes.

And then he also did multiple guest stars on Dick Van Dyke Show.

So he played a lot of different characters.

And then he was also in Mr. Kimball's world, the.

In Green Acres, where he appeared in several episodes.

He added his trademark dry humor to the wonderfully eccentric world of Hooterville.

And, yeah, I don't.

I don't remember watching any show from those time periods where I probably didn't see him in it.

So anyway, that's.

That's one of the things about a character actor is while they were never the name that hung on the marquee, they always played those background characters that were unforgettable because they.

They had charm.

Yes.

They had something.

He had that.

He had that.

That guy that you just was, oh, he is gonna be a beast.

He.

He played the.

The.

The store manager.

That was his type of person.

Like that.

His character from that, he was always a tax successor or somebody that you're just, oh, I'm gonna have to put up with this person.

Yeah, he talked to a lot of Karens in his day.

Yeah, he was Karen in his day.

He was.

He was the man in charge.

So that's who.

That's who Karen went to.

Yeah.

So how many roles do you think you saw?

I am probably seen nine.

And I remember Green Acres was a particular favorite of my dad.

So I'm sure that I've seen Mr. What's his name, Mr. Mill Holland in it.

I have no idea, honestly, how many roles I've seen him in because he was in so much and so many shows that I watched and watched multiple times, probably.

So I'm sure I. I know that I've seen him in tons of stuff.

So pretty much everything he did for the parts that he was.

That he played, he did a wonderful job.

So.

Yeah.

So, okay.

On this roller coaster of a conversation, we're reaching the top here, the climax.

And we're gonna.

Oh, yeah, we're gonna resolve the story here because it's gotten complicated.

This lady walked into a store just thinking she was gonna buy her mama gift.

And all of a sudden these things have happened.

Well, there's no ninth floor.

And by the way, she didn't get a receipt because she paid cash.

It's not like today where you've got your reward card and you could prove that you bought something.

So the, the climax and the resolution.

The climax comes when Marsha reaches the mysterious ninth floor and the mannequins finally reveal the truth.

She is one of them.

Now, we actually haven't really brought this up, but for anybody who might be younger who's listening to us, there used to be a time when real stores that actually had walls that you had to walk into pretended to have people modeling the clothes and accessories and whatever that they were selling.

But they didn't use real people.

They had fake people.

They were called mannequins and they used to actually make them look people.

Well, eventually they started caring less about them looking like real people.

So the mannequins no longer had heads or they no longer had arms.

If it was just a T shirt that they were presenting, it didn't need to have a head or arms and it didn't even need to have legs if you weren't displaying pants.

So that's another thing there.

So anyways, so she.

It's revealed that Marsha is one of them, these wooden people, these dummies.

And granted.

Right, granted 30 days.

She was given 30 days to live as a human being outside the store walls.

Marcia overstayed her time because she like one day, right, she became so captivated by the human experience that she forgot her true identity.

And that's why the sales lady behind the counter is giving her an attitude.

Not because she had had a bad day at work like most people would use as an excuse, but because it was spoiler, it was her turn next.

And in the Resolution, Marcia peacefully accepts her fate and returns to her place in the department store display window, while another mannequin begins its own month long journey as a human.

And.

And the episode closes with the host, the narrator of the Twilight Zone, Mr. Rod Serling, reminding viewers that even the most ordinary spaces can hold extraordinary mysteries just beyond our perception.

So strike up a conversation with a stranger.

And now suddenly, the time just flies by.

Yeah, couple things here.

Gotta.

Gotta go in on a couple things.

Yeah.

Okay, so first off, she's Grant.

Okay, so the mannequins are granted 30 days to leave the store to go be humans or whatever.

So where do they go?

Where do they sleep at night?

Where, where, where what?

They just.

Apparently they just walk around town and experience being human.

And then they come back in a month and they're like, okay, and now it's another mannequin's turn to do this, right?

And yeah, we said that's why what's her name was mad.

Because you're like, you came in a day late.

I had an appointment.

Right, okay.

But in that time, somehow you enjoy being human so much that you forget that you're a mannequin, which is very humanistic.

Here's the.

Here's another thing about this, okay?

They all go be human and experience the outside world.

And yet while they're mannequins, when there's nobody else around, kind of in the movie, they're all able to move around.

At the end of the thing, they're all at this lovely dance and listening to music and having a good time.

Okay.

It's.

Well, you.

And then during the daytime, they model nice clothes and stand still and in the store.

And then at night, they all get together and have a boogie.

I don't understand.

It doesn't sound that bad for them, honestly.

And.

But not only that.

Okay, but there is a discrepancy here.

But we'll talk about that in just a bit here.

Well, yeah, that's the thing is y' all have a shared apartment that you just rent.

Where are you getting the money for all these symbols and stuff like that.

And.

Well, like, not.

Not only that, but coincidentally.

And I mean, we're talking about a TV show budget here, so there were only maybe a dozen men, AKA and so.

Okay, that's another thing that we're going to talk about.

I mean, sure, you're given a month to go out and live as a human.

That's because supposedly this store only has dozen mannequins now.

So in theory, like a lottery, the more people who play the lottery, the bigger the jackpot could be.

But the opposite is true if you're the poor mannequin who has to wait your turn.

And maybe you've got 50 mannequins in that store because you don't get 30 days, you get three.

Okay.

But anyway, I'll.

Okay, well, okay, before we answer questions, let's just bring it up.

Okay, so there is one of the things that was like a Melissa miscellaneous fact.

Okay, about this.

The.

In the closing narration mentions that Marsha turns human for one month every year.

However, only one mannequin turns human every month without repeats.

Okay, and.

And there's 12 other mannequins that are already present when Marsha is welcomed Back.

So the numbers don't work out.

Right.

So they, they kind of messed everything up there and then.

Of course.

So what's her name has one day short.

Does she have to take that one day shorter?

Can she just go live her 30 days?

You know?

Yeah.

I mean, obviously there's no like magic rules for it because Marsha was able to live a day over.

So.

Well, the workplace rationale, Mike or Matt, is you got to use your floating holiday, apparently.

So.

But yeah, that was the thing.

It's like, I'm going, okay, these numbers don't work out.

And then when I read that, I'm like, yeah, the numbers don't work out.

And do they get to.

So if there's only 12 of them, do they get to do it every year?

How do they only have 12 mannequins on an eight story building?

9 For the mannequins.

And then you gotta screw it all up because there's eventually a leap year.

Right.

How does that work?

So you know who gets February?

That's 28 days.

So anyway, and can you imagine if one of the mannequins has a twin because they only make so many models.

I didn't go the last time.

That was my twin.

Oh.

And then, and then at the end, the store manager sees her as, as a mannequin again, and it's all like, what?

This was the crazy leader yesterday.

And I'm like, but you didn't recognize the mannequin for the last 11 months, otherwise.

Oh, my God.

13 Mannequins in the store.

Come on.

How do you not know what they look like?

They drug the water cooler for the.

Employees, and there's only like one or two male mannequins and they all look like Fred Astaire on steroids.

No, Marcia, Nothing.

Nothing more exciting than boxer shorts anyway.

And there are.

And apparently they're all named, like, all the.

All the.

They're not like mannequin one, two, three, and garbage floor one, floor two.

They're like, Marcia, my name's Rosemary.

Oh, what a lovely name.

Where'd you get it?

Off the kitchen counter.

So in the, in the kitchen section.

Right.

Or off the tag on my back.

Right.

So if you only had 30 days to experience life as a human, what would you.

What would you make sure to do before your time was over as you're stuck in the middle of nowhere, you know, America.

Well, I mean, I, I would say experience Wise, I mean, you've got all of your senses, and as a mannequin, those senses probably don't function the same.

I mean, I, I can't see there being any reason for a mannequin to be able to have a taste of, or a sense of taste or a smell.

They just have to be able to blink their eyes and move one place to the store to the next.

So if I had 30 days to live as a human, I would probably try to see if I can go somewhere like Disney World where I could go to all those restaurants that are different countries across the world.

Of course, that would be a problem though, because I'm sure mannequin can't afford the expense of staying at a hotel at Disney World.

I'm sorry if she can afford to.

$20 For a beat up old thimble?

For her mama, who I'm sure she's like, for my mother.

How do you even realize who your mother was anyway?

For my mother, the wood chipper.

So yeah, then I think she could afford a Disney trip.

So yeah, if, if a mannequin's mom is a wood chipper, I'd say they have an abusive relationship.

Yeah, pretty much.

But I was like, oh, for my mother, the Redward forest.

So, yeah, yeah, I would, I would try to cram in as many experiences as possible.

No, I think it does.

I don't remember when Disney World opened.

Well, too bad we don't have a device that could.

Right.

But in, in general, no matter when the time is that we were given the 30 days, I would still want to experience as much as I could.

So I'd have to go somewhere that I could live the good life.

Oh, it was open.

Okay.

Yeah.

So maybe she traded the gold thimble for a couple of nights at Disneyland.

Well, for 20 bucks, you can probably get there pretty pretty easily.

Original prices were a dollar for adults and 50 cents for kids on opening day.

Oh my.

Yeah.

So anyway, yeah, I think for me, I would exper.

I would want to experience like eating and nice man experience proclivities, if you mean.

And I would, I would want to do all those fun things too.

Yeah, I'd want to find a theme park to add roller coasters and ride on roller coasters.

Well, that's kind of what we're doing.

I don't think we have time outside of the store right now.

Right.

So does Marcia's ending in the story of the after Hours feel tragic because she loses her human life or hopeful because she finally discovers who she truly is?

I don't know if you have a problem.

Yeah, she knew who she was a month and a day ago, so I don't think that.

Yeah, so.

Oh, it's hopeful that she's a mannequin again.

Yay.

No, I, I think, I think that it doesn't matter really because like I said, the mannequins are able to like party at night and then hardly a year will go by.

It'll just fly by and she'll be able to go out and have spaghetti again.

So she's fine.

I, I think it, it was fine.

But I see Doctor who.

And, and it was.

It's fine, it's fine.

They're good.

So.

Yeah, so we have talked about the leading lady and the man in charge here.

So the, the, the main actors of note in this cast.

But there were other people that were sprinkled amongst the cast in the after hours here.

And of course amongst those was the host, the narrator and the creator of the Twilight Zones to Rod Serling.

He did the twilight zone from 59 to 64.

He was a creator, a writer and an iconic on screen narrator.

And he also starred in 56 Graham for a Heavyweight which was an acclaimed television play.

And did you know that in 60 he co wrote Planet of the Apes?

That was a surprise to me.

But that, that's great.

I mean I was right up his, his alley to do something like that.

That's probably why it was so good, the original one.

But you can turn.

Yeah, I mean.

Yeah.

And then Elizabeth Allen was the salesperson, also known as Betty Allen.

Oh yes.

Betty.

Or Betty Allen.

Betty Ellen.

So yes.

Anyway.

But her, her biggest roles were in Cheyenne which was a TV series back then.

She was played multiple guest appearances and then she was also in the Fugitive which was Search for the One Armed man apparently.

And again she played a number of guest appearances in that.

So.

Yeah.

Okay.

And then there was John Connor Conwell, the elevator man, the guy that wore the, the hat and had the uniform with the, the fancy shoulders there.

He didn't exist.

Right, right.

Some of the other things said Mr. Conwell had been in this time in entertainment, he was on Perry Mason as a guest, you know, our plus sized guy that loved to eat.

And then of course, because there wasn't much else on tv, he had to be in a western.

He was in Bonanza.

My mom loved that show.

Oh, yes.

Out here it used to be the name of a steakhouse chain.

There, there were two steakhouse chains.

They were like sister restaurants and they were Bonanza and Ponderosa.

They sound like western shows.

Yeah, well, Ponderosa was the.

The Bonanza that.

That's what they called their ranch, I believe, huh?

Yeah.

All right, next up was Patrick White, who played Mr. Sloan.

And he had been in Alfred Hitchcock Presents and Perry Mason, because a lot of these people were in Perry Mason.

And then there was of course the actress who played Ms. Kers, who I think was one of the store employees.

And that was done by Ms. Nancy Renick.

And don't you know, because this was the 60s, she had a guest appearance in the Adventures of Ozzy and Harriet, that happily married couple.

Couple who slept in separate beds.

I like their Christmas shows.

Yeah.

And also Ms. Nancy Renick was in as a guest on the Johnna Reed Show.

She was that wholesome lady that Larry Hagman didn't like when they decided he was going to be her mama for a season.

Donna Reed, one of the whitest women on television in a.

In a show where we have people named White.

Right.

All right.

Hey, so you know what?

I'm gonna dial it back because we actually do have a Star Trek connection, so.

We do.

We have several.

Well, as we're one to do, we like our sci fi.

And I'm the king of the nerd club here.

So there actually was probably many sci fi connections or Star Wars, Star Trek connections.

But I'm gonna go ahead and tell you about the one that I know of.

Yes, Queen.

And that involves the man behind the camera, the director, Mr. Douglas Hayes.

He was involved in the miniseries north and South.

And in the 80s, Mr. Jonathan Frakes, who was the bearded, handsome first officer on the Enterprise with Captain Picard.

He was.

Was in north and South.

And that's actually how he met his wife, Connie, or whatever her name is.

Francis.

But yeah, that doesn't mean they were in Star Trek though.

That is the connection.

The director, very loose connection, girl.

Hey, it's not my fault they didn't go to the doctor.

I mean, that's a connection that's been around a while, if you know what I mean.

Speaking as one Of Lulu May's employees.

Hey, so question for you.

Yeah.

Was there a character you wish had more screen time?

Oh, well, I kind of liked the sassy lady that was the salesperson.

She waited her turn.

I'm Betty Allen.

Yes.

I think she knows where the bodies are buried, if you know what I mean.

I mean, we're on the ninth floor.

Nobody knows what's there.

I mean, every story has a twist, and nowadays we've turned everything dark, including Winnie the Pooh.

Oh, I know, right?

Like, stop doing that.

So I. I have a feeling that there was a little bit more to the Betty character than they let on.

And if there had been more time, if this had actually been a movie or a miniseries, I think that Betty would have been a little bit more dark.

I think the secret would have to have been more dark or it wouldn't have been very interesting.

Right.

Oh, I've watched this.

This for three nights, six hours only to find out she's a happy little mannequin and she'll be alive again in 12 months.

Oh, bet.

And do you know what happened to the last mannequin who outstayed their welcome and made Betty wait?

They're not here anymore.

They met with the wood chipper.

No, they were saved from the wood chipper by Andrew.

What's his name.

And.

Oh, yeah, now she's a real human living in.

Yeah, so she won't.

She won't have any appearances on that HBO show.

She and that actress are fighting.

Oh.

What about you, Matt?

Was there anyone that you thought deserved more screen time?

No, I. I failed.

I think they all did really well.

I mean.

Yeah, I think they did.

It was all pretty balanced.

I want to know how, coincidentally, Marcia ended up on the couch of the store manager's office.

Well, okay, so, yeah, they did explain that when she fainted or was having a panic attack or whatever she's had, the.

The female assistant took her in there and was with her, and then she went back to try to get her and.

And like, she was interrupted by somebody who had wanted her to do something, like, right now.

And so she went and did that and then just forgot to go back and get her and wake her up.

So.

So there was.

There was no Bill Cosby action going on there?

No, probably not.

Not in those.

Well, maybe in those days, because I've seen some TV shows that I'm like, this is really questionable.

I'm outside my comfort zone.

And she never.

And she never worked again.

Right.

But I think.

I think that Betty Ellen did stand out as a somebody that if they had to add more screen time for somebody, it should have been heard.

So.

Yeah.

Did you feel the ending of the show was satisfying?

I guess it explained that everybody was waiting their turn because it, the story starts off with you identifying with Marsha.

You're seeing it from her point of view.

So of course you're going to be on her side when it comes to finding out that she's got a.

She's got to turn the powers over.

It's not her turn anymore.

So.

Right.

I mean, you start out liking her and stuff and then you realize, wow, she's just really selfish.

She's a selfish little mannequin.

So.

Yeah,.

See, one sec here.

Yeah.

So the ending was satisfying in that they explained the reason that they were rushing things along.

I mean, it's a TV show.

You've only got a certain amount of time to tell this story and we don't want you to tune in next week thinking that the story with Marcia continues.

So of course now it's Betty's turn and that's, that's satisfying in the sense that you're not going to be wondering what happened to Marcia.

They answered that question.

She's going to go over there and stand pretty during business hours.

Yes.

So tell me what's next, Mr. T.J.

Well, I thought we'd take a moment here to talk about the, the.