Forgotten TV: Ray Bradbury Theater- 'Exorcism'

I did another experiment in random picks, on account of the fact that I have so many of these Anthology Shows 'in stock' and can't always decide what to pick.

The dice lead us to this Episode of a mostly-forgotten Show called The Ray Bradbury Theater.  I haven't done an Episode since October of 2018, so I guess I was overdue.

This one is called Exorcism...

A local woman learns that her strange neighbor is getting books on Spiritualism and what looks like the Occult.  What is she up to?

She suspects that the woman is the cause of all her misery.  How?

She's obviously a Witch!

This woman has a litany of complaints and issues that all apparently 'go back to' the so-called Witch, the biggest of which is the fact that only she can get elected to the head of the Local Women's Club.

Her husband is the Mailman, who keeps peeping at the mail to share the gossip.

He thinks that she's crazy, especially when she makes a bizarre drink to 'protect herself' after getting a zit the next morning.  Damn Witch!

She goes to the Meeting and makes a strong pitch for why SHE should be in charge of the group.

Well, it might have been stronger if she wasn't slurring her words and about to pass out, thanks to what she drank right before!

In a stupor, she falls out the window.  The 'Witch' says that she would do anything if she came back to life, even let her be in charge of the group.

Naturally, she pops back up.

That's it?  Alright then...

That was it then?  Seriously, this Episode isn't bad, but it surely is anticlimactic.  I feel bad picking on Ray Bradbury for so many reasons, but this story is just 'meh.'  I wish I could say that there was a big, interesting twist or reveal.  I wish I could say that I really cared about these characters.  Sadly, I can't.  It's not terrible, mind you, but the bar is definitely set higher when the Bradbury name is attached.  The Acting is good, if over the top throughout.  Sally Kellerman as the maybe-Witch is the best part of this.  The other Actress does a good job playing an over-the-top WASP Character, but, she's still, you know, an over-the-top WASP Character.  I just didn't care for her.  There are definitely better Episodes out there and I still have *checks* Math, 58 more to potentially cover.  I should just calm down and move on.  Right, Sally?

A curious Episode for all of the wrong reasons.  Oh well- nobody nails every one.

Forgotten TV: Ray Bradbury Theater- 'A Sound of Thunder'

At last, one of Bradbury's more famous Stories.  Granted- it didn't make for a good Movie, but maybe 22 minutes will work well.

In the near-future, we have lots of fun technology.  Most importantly- time travel.  People use it to hunt...since rich assholes.

They travel in a neat-looking orb and have clear rules.  The big one- kill no animal with a future.

They go back to the Age of Dinosaurs (yes, there were a few) and find some big game to hunt!

They shoot and kill a T-Rex, but one Hunter gets nervous and shoots some trees in the process.

He is forced to remove all of the bullets from the surrounding area, so as not to affect the future.

Unfortunately, the group returns back home to find that something has gone wrong.  They're in Idiocracy!

The Lead Hunter does the only natural thing after finding the dead butterfly on his boot.  The End.

Bad things happen when you time travel!  This is one of his more famous tales and with good reason.  Again- the Movie wasn't great.  Personal note: I worked in a Theater when the Film (briefly) came out and remember nothing about it.  My job was literally to walk in and out of the Theaters all day and still nothing.  The Story is definitely a good one.  Adapted to the small screen and for what I can't imagine was a huge Budget, they do a pretty good job presenting it.  Yes, the 'Future City' is clearly just a backdrop on par with the original Troma Logo.  Yes, the Dinosaur Time Set is kind of small.  No, I don't know how the Time Machine's raised walkway weaves around trees and right to where a T-Rex is.  Yes, they do just shoot most of this in a small indoor building that is just supposed to be super-futuristic.  With all of that said, the Episode has a nice, rustic charm to it and the Story still works.  Unless you shoot this one for like $50 with a Toy Dinosaur and your Tool Shed, it will probably work just fine.  They do a good job here of simple set-up, explanation of the dangers involved in their actions and then showing you the results of said actions in a simple way.  If you want to see a good (especially for TV) version of this kind of story, check this one out.  It's good, even if won't you blow away like it did this guy.

Next time, perhaps I'll cover another more famous tale.  Who knows- he did like Mars.  See you then...

Forgotten TV: Ray Bradbury Theater- 'Skeleton'

A tale of a man obsessed with his health...which is his undoing.  Let's see how odd this can get...

A man- Eugene Levy - is a hypochondriac and won't leave his Doctor alone.

The Doctor tells him to go away and stop reading Medical Journals.

Desperate and obsessed with health, he goes to a Bone Expert.  He's certainly someone you can trust.

Speaking with the man, Levy only gets worse.  Yes, that was possible.

He eventually sees the Doctor again at his home and...something happens.

The Doctor steals his skeleton (somehow)!  That's...kind of gross.  The End.

Finally- something actually quite interesting!  No offense to the late Author, but the Episodes so far have been meandering or vague at best.  That's obviously not 100% his fault- he just wrote the Stories.  Having said that, this one is actually interesting.  Levy is fun as the uptight hypochondriac and the Doctor is at his creepy best.  Any time a guy claims to have the skulls of Antony and Cleopatra on display is a winner in my book!  Does this make much sense?  No.  How did he steal his skeleton and keep him alive?  How did it come out cleanly?  None of these questions are important.  It's just a weird, fun Episode.  I'll take what I can get at this point.  It also features the world's smartest skeleton too...

Next time, another Star and some (hopefully) freaky stuff.  Can Ray deliver twice in a row?  See you then...

Forgotten TV: Ray Bradbury Theater- 'Marionettes Inc'

Another chance for the Show to really 'wow' me.  Can this more hard Sci-Fi Plot do the trick?

A man is working hard, but feels empty inside.  So much of his life is out of his control and he's just a 'puppet' in it.

He keeps getting mysterious messages on his BRIEFCASE COMPUTER from the titular company and they know a lot about him!

He talks to his friend about it.  He tells him to find out what the company is all about.

The owner explains to him that he was chosen as a perfect subject.  Oh hi, Leslie Nielsen.

What they make are perfect robot doubles for you.  They can be swapped out for parts of your life you don't like in exchange for just all of your life's savings.

At first, things seem great.  He tells his friend about it, who considers doing it.

Unfortunately, he goes home to find his life savings are gone.  He checks on his wife and...oh.

The man finds his double in place when he wasn't told to be.  The double wants to replace him- naturally.

After an awkward battle, he gets the robot back in its charging base and boldly tells his wife that he wants to spend more time with her.

Strangely enough, I finally get around to the first Episode.  To be fair, this is an Anthology Show, so it's not like that's really an issue.  The Episode is definitely stronger than the last one for me.  It features a simple enough Premise, a nice twist or two and a good conclusion.  It's not the most shocking story, but do bear in mind that the original Short Story predates famous riffs on it like The Stepford Wives.  Much like watching the original Blade Runner or Ghost in the Shell, you have to remember that this one did it before most and you've just watched the copies.  Besides, this Episode had Windom Earle from Twin Peaks in it!  I can still nitpick of course.  For instance, Nielsen being Italian- for an obvious Pinocchio connection- means that he's using a less-than-convincing accent.  I was also hoping for more of him- oh well.  The Acting is real nice here and it all works as a simple, stand-alone story.  This one also, thankfully, was missing a pointless Ray Bradbury intro, but it did give me this...

Next time, more Stars and perhaps a more famous Ray Bradbury Story.  Let's see what I can find...

Forgotten TV: Ray Bradbury Theater- 'The Town Where No One Got Off'

Another Episode of Ray Bradbury's Anthology Show and another Star.  This one has promise, but does it deliver?

A Writer- Jeff Goldblum- is riding on a train and talking about 'Middle America.'

His Neighbor is a cynic who tells him that he is 'all talk' and dares him to get off at the next random town.

...so he does.  He finds that the people are not too friendly.

A mysterious man starts to follow him everywhere.  Why?

He starts to talk to the old man, who seems to be very interested in the stranger.  Why?

They go to an old Building and the man reveals his secret- he's been waiting for about 2 Decades for a stranger to show up.  Killing him would be the perfect crime.

Goldblum counters with his own revelation- he's been thinking about the same thing, only in reverse.

They jump cut to Goldblum on the Train.  Did he kill the old man?

No.  He didn't.  Alright...then.  The End.

A lot of setup for, well, nothing much.  I'm not entirely clear what the whole point of this was.  Is it just a story about mysterious people?  Is it to talk about the mystery of 'small town America?'  Is it just to, um, exist?  Don't get me wrong- it has some interesting stuff in it.  Goldblum is, as always, charismatic.  The actual Town they shot in looks nice.  Like the Town itself, however, there's just not much here.  He wanders around.  He wanders around.  Nobody talks to him.  Weird guy talks to him.  Scary monologue.  He leaves.  I feel like this is just missing something.  Am I right?  It's just...okay.  Sorry, Mr. Bradbury.

Next time, another Star and another tale.  Will something big happen this time?  See you then...

Forgotten TV: Ray Bradbury Theater- 'The Screaming Woman'

Another Episode of this all-but-forgotten Show.  Only 63 more to go after this!

Okay, I probably won't do all of them, but I will at least do this one, on account of its future Star...

After a weird, 2nd open (see the Stinger), we see the actual Story.  It focuses on a girl- Drew Barrymore- who loves scary stories and over-sized magazines.

Fun fact: the then-10-year-old Drew had already drank more than I had in over 3 times that many years.  Yea or Boo?

She is sent to pick up some Ice Cream, but hears a strange moaning sound.  She follows it to a nearby Field and hears it coming from the ground!

She tells her Parents, who jokingly-dismiss it.

Since this is by a good Writer, however, the Dad eventually plays along, but no sound happens then.

She takes matters into her own hands- '80s kids being incredibly-unparented!- and tries to dig near the sound, but is stopped by her Neighbor.

She cons a neighbor kid into helping her, but their late-night snooping (again- no parents to interfere) doesn't prove to be fruitful.

In a strange move, she goes to the creepy Neighbor's House alone and he's clearly up to something.

I figured that you wanted a break from Drew shots, but is this really better?

Eventually, the Dad starts to hear someone humming a song.  In a Chekhov's Song, he remembers it being the one that the Neighbor's Wife- who he once dated- had written for him.

He shows up to save Drew and the Police find the woman alive.  The End.

A decent tale of suspense and family.  After the last Episode's confusing Story and turn, my hopes were less high.  Thankfully, this one mostly delivers on what it promises.  It wisely focuses on the young girl and sticks with it.  As a big Star at the time, this may seem obvious, but I could easily see this with a more split focus.  This way, it makes a more consistent tale and a stronger one.  She knows that she heard something.  She knows that she has to do something.  She's only 10, but she has to help a person.  That's a strong motivation for anyone- especially a child!  The whole thing isn't perfect, but I do like that everything pays off.  Creepy Neighbor- paid off.  Random song- paid off.  It all works together nicely.  This is still Made-for-TV stuff, so it doesn't look super-expensive and doesn't do all that much with the darker elements here.  That does give it a certain charm, even as it limits it.  I'll leave you with this- why did we need this Intro (after the Show's actual Intro) with Bradbury meeting a guy and playing with a Dowsing Rod?  I mean, it kind of relates, but...why is it on this Episode?  Was it just short?

Next time, more Stars and more tales.  I doubt any of these will ever really get scary, but I'll certainly try to find one.