"The Masks" is episode 145 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 television sets; about 114,200,000 American households owned at least one television set each in August ...

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 originally aired on March 20, 1964 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 ...

. In this episode, set on

Mardi Gras Mardi Gras (, ; also known as Shrove Tuesday) is the final day of Carnival (also known as Shrovetide or Fastelavn); it thus falls on the day before the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday. is French for "Fat Tuesday", referring to it being ...

, a dying man coerces his relatives into wearing grotesque masks that reflect their true personalities.

Plot

On the night of

, wealthy Jason Foster is attended to by his physician, Dr. Samuel Thorne, who warns him that his death is imminent. Cranky and candid, Jason is not cheered by the arrival from

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

of his cowardly

hypochondriac Hypochondriasis or hypochondria is a condition in which a person is excessively and unduly worried about having a serious illness. Hypochondria is an old concept whose meaning has repeatedly changed over its lifespan. It has been claimed that th ...

daughter, Emily Harper, and her family: greedy businessman husband Wilfred; oafish, sadistic grandson Wilfred Jr.; and

vain Vain may refer to: * Vain (band), an American glam metal band formed in 1986 * Vain (horse) (1966–1991), an Australian Thoroughbred racehorse * Vain Stakes, an Australian Thoroughbred horse race * Vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia, a medical dis ...

granddaughter Paula. After openly insulting the Harpers, Foster says he has a special Mardi Gras party planned for them. Following dinner, the family gathers in Foster's study, where he instructs them to put on special one-of-a-kind masks that he says were "crafted by an old

Cajun The Cajuns (; French: ''les Cadjins'' or ''les Cadiens'' ), also known as Louisiana ''Acadians'' (French: ''les Acadiens''), are a Louisiana French ethnicity mainly found in the US state of Louisiana and surrounding Gulf Coast states. Whi ...

." Explaining that an old Mardi Gras custom involves wearing a mask that is the opposite of one's true personality, Foster sarcastically gives a sniveling coward mask to Emily, a

porcine The pig (''Sus domesticus''), also called swine (: swine) or hog, is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is named the domestic pig when distinguishing it from other members of the genus '' Sus''. Some authorities consid ...

-featured miser to Wilfred, a brutish buffoon to Wilfred Jr., and a narcissist to Paula while he dons a skull mask, saying that it represents death as opposed to his inherent vivacity. The Harpers initially refuse to participate until Foster correctly accuses them of only being there to claim his fortune upon his death. He then informs them that the terms of his will require them to wear the masks until midnight in order to inherit his estate; if any of them unmasks before then, all four will receive only their return train fare to Boston. The Harpers reluctantly concede, but as the hours pass, they beg to remove their masks, saying that they are unbearable. However, Foster delivers a final tirade, calling them all caricatures before dying as the clock strikes midnight. The Harpers rejoice in their newly inherited wealth and unmask, but discover to their horror, that their faces now conform to the hideous features of their masks. Foster's face, on the other hand, proves to be superficially unchanged. Dr. Thorne observes, "This must be death. No horror, no fear, nothing but peace."

Cast

* Robert Keith as Jason Foster *

Milton Selzer Milton Selzer (October 25, 1918 – October 21, 2006) was an American stage, film, and television actor. Early life Born in Lowell, Massachusetts, Selzer and his family moved to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where he was raised. After graduating fr ...

as Wilfred Harper *

Virginia Gregg Virginia Lee Gregg (March 6, 1916 – September 15, 1986) was an American actress known for her many roles in radio dramas and television series. Early life Born in Harrisburg, Illinois, she was the daughter of musician Dewey Alphaleta (née T ...

as Emily Harper *

Brooke Hayward Brooke Hayward is an American actress. Her memoir, ''Haywire (book), Haywire'', was a best-seller. Early life and education Born in Los Angeles in 1937, Hayward is the eldest of three children born to agent turned film, television, and stage p ...

as Paula Harper *

Alan Sues Alan Grigsby Sues (March 7, 1926 – December 1, 2011) was an American actor and comedian widely known for his roles on the 1968–1973 television series ''Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In''. Sues's on-screen persona was campy and outrageous. Typical o ...

as Wilfred Harper Jr. *

Willis Bouchey Willis Ben Bouchey (May 24, 1907 - September 27, 1977) was an American character actor. Bouchey may be best known for his movie appearances in '' The Horse Soldiers'', '' The Long Gray Line'', '' Sergeant Rutledge'', '' Two Rode Together'', ...

as Dr. Samuel Thorne *

Bill Walker Bill Walker may refer to: Australian rules football * Bill A. Walker (1886–1934), Australian rules footballer for Essendon * Bill Walker (Australian footballer, born 1883) (1883–1971), Australian rules footballer for Fitzroy * Bill J. V. Walke ...

as Jeffrey The Butler *

Maidie Norman Maidie Ruth Norman (October 16, 1912 – May 2, 1998) was an American radio, stage, film, and television actress as well as an instructor in African-American literature and theater. Early life Norman was born Maidie Ruth Gamble on a plantat ...

as Maid *

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 ...

as Host / Narrator – Himself

Episode notes

Ida Lupino Ida Lupino (4 February 1918Recorded in ''Births Mar 1918'' Camberwell Vol. 1d, p. 1019 (Free BMD). Transcribed as "Lupine" in the official births index – 3 August 1995) was a British actress, director, writer, and producer. Throughout her 48-y ...

, who appeared in the

season one Season One may refer to: Albums * ''Season One'' (Suburban Legends album), 2004 * ''Season One'' (All Sons & Daughters album), 2012 * ''Season One'' (Saukrates album), 2012 See also * * * Season 2 (disambiguation) Season 2 may refer to: ...

episode ''

The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine "The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine", starring Ida Lupino, is episode four of the American television series ''The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series), The Twilight Zone''. It originally aired on October 23, 1959, on CBS. The title is a reference to 16 mm ...

'' directed the episode; she was the only woman to direct an episode of ''The Twilight Zone''.

References

Works cited

External links