"The Bard" is an episode of the American anthology television series ''

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology series, anthology television series created by Rod Serling in which characters find themselves dealing with often disturbing or unusual events, an experience described ...

''. It first aired on

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

on May 23, 1963, and was the final episode of the fourth season, which had hour-long episodes. A direct

satire Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of exposin ...

of the American television industry, the episode features a character played by

Burt Reynolds Burton Leon Reynolds Jr. (February 11, 1936 – September 6, 2018) was an American actor most famous during the 1970s and 1980s. He became well known in television series such as ''Gunsmoke'' (1962–1965), '' Hawk'' (1966) and '' Dan Augus ...

that is a parody of

Marlon Brando Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Widely regarded as one of the greatest cinema actors of the 20th century,''Movies in American History: An Encyclopedia''

, and concerns an inept screenwriter who, through the use of

black magic Black magic (Middle English: ''nigromancy''), sometimes dark magic, traditionally refers to the use of Magic (paranormal), magic or supernatural powers for evil and selfish purposes. The links and interaction between black magic and religi ...

, employs

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

as his

ghostwriter A ghostwriter is a person hired to write literary or journalistic works, speeches, or other texts that are credited to another person as the author. Celebrities, executives, participants in timely news stories, and political leaders often h ...

. Since airing in 1963, the episode has received polarized reactions. It was described as the worst episode of the season upon release and it has been placed near the bottom of episode rankings by ''

/Film ''/Film'', also spelled ''SlashFilm'', is a blog that covers movie news, reviews, interviews, and trailers. It was founded by Peter Sciretta in August 2005. The site's reviews appear on Rotten Tomatoes, and as of 2024, two of its leading film cr ...

'' and '' Paste''. However, it has been praised by critic Emily St. James and television producer

David Chase David Henry Chase (born August 22, 1945) is an American writer, producer, and director. He is best known for being the creator, head writer, and executive producer of the HBO drama ''The Sopranos'', which aired for six seasons between 1999 and 2 ...

Plot

Julius K. Moomer, a bumbling screenwriter, is becoming desperate for a sale after years of working on unproduced scripts, such as ones about a woman being unaware that her husband is a zombie, a romance between a female scientist and robot, and

Belle Starr Myra Maybelle Shirley Reed Starr (February 5, 1848 – February 3, 1889), better known as Belle Starr, was an American outlaw who gained national notoriety after her violent death. She associated with the James–Younger Gang and other outlaws. ...

being president of the

Union Pacific Railroad The Union Pacific Railroad is a Railroad classes, Class I freight-hauling railroad that operates 8,300 locomotives over routes in 23 U.S. states west of Chicago and New Orleans. Union Pacific is the second largest railroad in the United Stat ...

. His agent, Gerald Hugo, mentions a television series to his secretary which causes Julius to beg to write a pilot episode for it. Gerald derides Julius as the show is about

and Julius knows nothing about it. However, Julius convinces Gerald to let him research the subject and submit a pilot. Arriving at a

used bookstore Used bookstores (usually called "second-hand bookshops" in Great Britain) buy and sell used books and out-of-print books. A range of titles is available in used bookstores, including in print and out-of-print books. Book collectors tend to freque ...

, a book of black magic pulls itself off the shelf, to the confusion of the bookstore owner and Julius. After multiple failed attempts at using the book, Julius accidentally summons

, who says he is at the command of the conjurer and will provide any service. Shakespeare's script ''The Tragic Cycle'' is accepted by the television producers despite its archaic language. Shakespeare is annoyed at Julius' egotism and claiming sole credit for the scripts. He threatens to leave, stating that his task is finished, but Julius argues that if he stops writing now, Shakespeare will lose his chance at Hollywood fame and become forgotten. Shakespeare says he will attend a rehearsal and continue working for Julius if it does justice to his script. At the rehearsal, Shakespeare is so horrified at the revisions by the sponsor and producers that he assaults lead actor Rocky Rhodes and storms out. Julius's next assignment, a TV special on American history, seems doomed to failure until he remembers his book on black magic, and uses it to conjure up

Robert E. Lee Robert Edward Lee (January 19, 1807 – October 12, 1870) was a general officers in the Confederate States Army, Confederate general during the American Civil War, who was appointed the General in Chief of the Armies of the Confederate ...

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was the 18th president of the United States, serving from 1869 to 1877. In 1865, as Commanding General of the United States Army, commanding general, Grant led the Uni ...

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

Pocahontas Pocahontas (, ; born Amonute, also known as Matoaka and Rebecca Rolfe; 1596 – March 1617) was a Native American woman belonging to the Powhatan people, notable for her association with the colonial settlement at Jamestown, Virginia. S ...

Daniel Boone Daniel Boone (, 1734September 26, 1820) was an American pioneer and frontiersman whose exploits made him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. He became famous for his exploration and settlement of Kentucky, which was then beyo ...

Benjamin Franklin Benjamin Franklin (April 17, 1790) was an American polymath: a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher and Political philosophy, political philosopher.#britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the m ...

, and

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. (October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), also known as Teddy or T.R., was the 26th president of the United States, serving from 1901 to 1909. Roosevelt previously was involved in New York (state), New York politics, incl ...

to act as consultants.

Production

Marlon Brando publicity for One-Eyed Jacks

The episode aired on May 23, 1963, and was the final episode of the fourth season.

extended the length of ''

''s episodes for the fourth season from 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Rod Serling Rodman Edward Serling (December 25, 1924 – June 28, 1975) was an American screenwriter and television producer best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his Anthology series, anthology television series ''The Twilight Zone (1 ...

criticized this decision as it led to episodes being "too padded" and that "

On Thursday We Leave for Home On, on, or ON may refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * On (band), a solo project of Ken Andrews * ''On'' (EP), a 1993 EP by Aphex Twin * ''On'' (Echobelly album), 1995 * ''On'' (Gary Glitter album), 2001 * ''On'' (Imperial Teen album), 200 ...

" was the only "effective" episode of the fourth season. ''The Bard'' was produced by

Herbert Hirschman Herbert Hirschman (April 13, 1914 – July 3, 1985) was an American television producer and director. He produced shows as ''Perry Mason'' and the fourth season of ''The Twilight Zone''. Hirschman died in July 1985 of an illness A dis ...

and directed by David Butler, and the music was composed by

Fred Steiner Frederick Steiner (February 24, 1923June 23, 2011) was an American composer, conductor, orchestrator, film historian and arranger for television, radio and film. Steiner wrote the theme music for '' The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show'' and '' Perry M ...

. George T. Clemens was the director of photography, art direction was done by George Davis and Edward Carfagno, and

Edward Curtiss Edward Curtiss (1898-1970) was an American film editor who worked in Hollywood from the 1920s through the 1960s. Biography Curtiss was born in Los Angeles, California, to Frank Curtiss and Mabel West. He got his start in the film industry as a ...

was the editor. Sterling's script for ''The Bard'' was a satire of television writing and it was one of six episodes with a major appearance of a historical figure (alongside '' The Man in the Bottle'', '' Back There'', '' The Passersby'', '' Showdown with Rance McGrew'', and '' He's Alive'').

Jack Weston Jack Weston (born Morris Weinstein; August 21, 1924 – May 3, 1996) was an American actor. He was nominated for a Golden Globe Award in 1976 and a Tony Award in 1981. Career Weston, a native of Cleveland, Ohio, usually played comic roles in fi ...

, who plays Moomer, previously appeared on the show in '' The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street''.

John Williams John Towner Williams (born February 8, 1932)Nylund, Rob (November 15, 2022)Classic Connection review, ''WBOI'' ("For the second time this year, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic honored American composer, conductor, and arranger John Williams, who w ...

, who plays Shakespeare, was known for his work in

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English film director. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featu ...

's films.

was selected to play a

stand-in A stand-in, sometimes a lighting double, for film and television is a person who substitutes for the actor before filming, for technical purposes such as lighting and camera setup. Stand-ins are helpful in the initial processes of film and tele ...

for

due to how closely he looked like Brando and his impersonation. Reynolds' appearance in this episode was considered by Scott Campbell of '' Far Out'' to one of the earliest examples of the public feud between him and Brando due to Reynolds "openly mocking" "Brando's signature performative style, accent, and mannerisms as the character Rocky Rhodes", which Campbell believed could have "gotten underneath" his skin.

Reception and legacy

Percy Shain, writing for ''

The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...

'', gave the episode 3 out of 5 stars and wrote that the support cast "fleshed out the zany plot". Francis Murphy, writing for ''

The Oregonian ''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the West Coast of the United States, U.S. West Coast, founded as a weekly by Tho ...

'', stated that the show drifted into "the worst TV show of the season" with ''The Bard'' due to Weston's poor acting and the "great idea" of the script falling "miserably flat". ''The Bard'' was listed as the second worst episode of ''The Twilight Zone'' by '' Paste'' in 2023, and ''

'' in 2024, only behind ''

The Incredible World of Horace Ford "The Incredible World of Horace Ford" is an episode in season four of the American television Television is one of the Mass media in the United States, major mass media outlets in the United States. In 2011, 96.7% of households owned tele ...

'' in ''/Film''s ranking and '' I Dream of Genie'' in ''Paste'' ranking. ''/Film''s ranking criticized ''The Bard'' for having satire that "lacks bite" and for "being hopelessly unfunny". Arianna Rebolini selected the episode as the 40th best of the series in a ''

BuzzFeed BuzzFeed, Inc. is an American Internet mass media, media, news and entertainment company with a focus on digital media. Based in New York City, BuzzFeed was founded in 2006 by Jonah Peretti and John Seward Johnson III, John S. Johnson III to ...

'' article, stating that "something just clicks" despite humor not being Serling's "strong suit" and that its satire of the television industry was "ahead of its time". Emily St. James, writing for ''

The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was created in ...

'', gave it a rating of A–, praising Weston and Williams' acting and humor.

wrote that it was one of his favorite episodes and a portion of the episode was played on TV during a scene of ''

The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American Crime film#Crime drama, crime drama television series created by David Chase. The series follows Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey American Mafia, Mafia boss who suffers from panic attacks. He reluct ...

'' episode '' Made in America''. Marc Scott Zicree, writing in '' The Twilight Zone Companion'', stated that the episode was "both entertaining and accurate". William Bibbiani, writing for ''/Film'' in 2023, noted that one of the script ideas proposed by Moomer was similar to ''

Love, American Style ''Love, American Style'' is an American anthology comedy television series that aired on ABC from September 29, 1969, to January 11, 1974. The series was produced by Paramount Television. During the 1971–72 and 1972–73 seasons, it was a pa ...

''. James Maddox wrote in a ''

Game Rant Valnet, Inc. is a Canadian media company established in August 2012 by Hassan and Sam Youssef in Montreal, Quebec. It operates primarily in the entertainment media industry, where it has sought to acquire producers of content in this space. In ...

'' article that Moomer's reliance on existing works and historical figures rather than making original work was a precursor to

ChatGPT ChatGPT is a generative artificial intelligence chatbot developed by OpenAI and released on November 30, 2022. It uses large language models (LLMs) such as GPT-4o as well as other Multimodal learning, multimodal models to create human-like re ...

and other AI-assisted writing tools.

References

Works cited

Books

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News

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External links