At 2 p.m there was darkness over a street in Dallas, Texas. It was at 2 p.m. EST - 1 p.m. CST - that President Kennedy was officially declared dead. Nice subtle use of the time reference by Rod Serling.
Serling created The Twilight Zone because he realized he could write about the prejudices and peculiarities of people using sci-fi as a springboard. He wrote this episode as his reaction to JFK's assassination. He refers to it in the closing narration. Cast included Paul Fix, ( The Rifleman, ) George Lindsey, ( Andy Griffith, Hee-Haw, ) and Michael Constantine, ( Room 222, ) and Ivan Dixon, ( Hogan's Heroes. ) One of the most powerful gut-punches Serling wrote about racism.
I THOUGHT that African-American pastor looked familiar! And the Sheriff guy - Michael Constantine - as you say, from Room 222 (used to watch it) and the “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” movies. That’s one reason I like watching old shows - see famous people before they were famous.
This episode was not about racism, but about hate. The Berlin Wall was not about race, same for North Vietnam, which was a civil war that we got involved with as fallout from WW2 and the Korean War. You see a black face and classify the subject because, guess what, you're a racist. In Serling's "The Monsters are Coming to Maple Street, it's all Whtie People, who devolve into paranoia which brings out all sorts of ugliness as personal prejudices, and the search for a scapegoat. This is because the one thing that human beings cannot cope with is uncertainty.
"I Am the Night-Color Me Black" is episode 146 of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone. It originally aired on March 27, 1964 on CBS. "Sheriff Charlie Koch on the morning of an execution. As a matter of fact, it's seven-thirty in the morning. Logic and natural laws dictate that at this hour there should be daylight. It is a simple rule of physical science that the sun should rise at a certain moment and supersede the darkness. But at this given moment, Sheriff Charlie Koch, a deputy named Pierce, a condemned man named Jagger, and a small, inconsequential village will shortly find out that there are causes and effects that have no precedent. Such is usually the case-in the Twilight Zone." In a small town, a man by the name of Jagger is about to be executed after being found guilty of murder. The local newspaperman, Colbey, is convinced that Jagger is innocent. He accuses Deputy Pierce of having perjured himself to get a conviction and accuses Sheriff Charlie Koch of just plain laziness in investigating the case. As the morning of his execution arrives, the townsfolk realize that the sun hasn't risen that day. They soon begin to understand the cause of the darkness that surrounds them. After Jagger is hanged and the town folks are pleased with his hanging, The Reverend tells them that they are as doomed as Jagger, and that the darkness is a result of their hatred and cruel behavior. At that moment, the darkness deepens even further. Back at the sheriffs office, Deputy Pierce insists that the darkness is just "a fog" that will soon lift, but Koch replies that only God knows if the sun will rise again. The radio then reports that other areas of the world, particularly areas of notable hatred and strife, are also going dark as well. "A sickness known as hate. Not a virus, not a microbe, not a germ-but a sickness nonetheless, highly contagious, deadly in its effects. Don't look for it in the Twilight Zone-look for it in a mirror. Look for it before the light goes out altogether.
As a 12-year-old I wrote Rod Serling a short letter to which I never received a reply. This episode was shown the following new season and the main character had my name: Charlie Koch
Oh for the days when you could paint a metaphor so broadly. This is what great theater is all about. Without a doubt, one of the finest television programs that was ever made. Thank you Rod. I sure wish you hadn't smoked so much.
"Hatred is like a long, dark shadow. Not even the person it falls upon knows where it comes from, in most cases. It is like a two-edged sword. When you cut the other person, you cut yourself. The more violently you hack at the other person, the more violently you hack at yourself. It can often be fatal. But it is not easy to dispose of. Please be careful, Mr. Okada. It is very dangerous. Once it has taken root in your heart, hatred is the most difficult thing in the world to shake off." ― Haruki Murakami, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
@@crivket1233 Last time I checked, your god once drowned an entire planet because he didnt like what he created even though he's so all powerful that he knows everything and would have known that he would have had to genocide an entire planet to begin with. Last time I checked it was your god responsible for setting in motion things like the crusades, the spanish inquisition, colonization and the deaths of hundreds of thousands of indigenous children and its still your god today that leads the religions responsible for hateful bigotry, homophobia, etc.
You can't preach peace and love when you legalize and celebrate the murder of innocent lives. Abortion will be a stain on this country for generations to come.
How many future and past tv shows are represented in this episode? Hogan's Heroes, Andy Griffith Show, Star Trek, The Rifleman, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Room 222. Any more?
Strangely Biblical. [Revelations 16:10] Then the Fifth Angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast and his kingdom became full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues because of the pain.
The ending confused me. So the black night was a symbolic reference to his hatred. Well...they hung him. Wouldn’t it be daylight out now that he’s dead? This episode reminded me of The Midnight Sun: Sunlight all day. While in this episode, it’s darkness all day.
You are correct that the night symbolized the hatred the guy felt, but it also symbolized the hatred that everyone else around him felt. That’s why it gets darker after he’s dead, because all those people acted on their hatred and were successful. Also, that’s why the dark spot starting popping up in other places in the world too. The Midnight Sun is also a very good episode!
You did not get the episode I take it, listen to the preacher, he killed because he hated, the town killed him because they hated. The darkness represented the hate in the whole town, it was so right in your face, did you not pay attention to episode? Seriously, you can't be this dumb.
Until unbelievers recognize that there is a God, darkness remains within them. I have chosen to believe in God/ Jesus. I have tasted darkness and it is miserable. Keep your heart and mind turned to God.
To many people are in the dark they have not yet take this covid seriously I pray 🙏🙏 every single night and day to bring a cureand I ask God in his only so s name to keep us all protected a6to ope6there eyes it's like since this deadly killer any so many other people that are suffering from so many other killing deseàses be taken more serious this just the beginning we haven't seen anything yet 🙏🙏🙏
There was nothing hateful about North Vietnam. The Vietnamese fought to liberate their country from the Japanese, then the French and then the Americans. In the end they succeeded and now they are successful, free nation.
Rod Serling was a sage. He was simply BRILLIANT.
Eerie and everlasting this thing we can't seem to get past. Dark in 1964, Darker today 2022. This episode needs a remake, sadly.
We don't need a remake... we're living the remake right now
The ending really makes you think about our world today.
Yes it does!
Chillingly prophetic. Rod Serling was an absolute genius.
He was Jewish and had fought in WW2. He had seen plenty of darkness.
At 2 p.m there was darkness over a street in Dallas, Texas. It was at 2 p.m. EST - 1 p.m. CST - that President Kennedy was officially declared dead. Nice subtle use of the time reference by Rod Serling.
Rod wrote this episode as his personal reaction to the Kennedy assassination.
And on a April night in 1865 at ford's theater
Serling created The Twilight Zone because he realized he could write about the prejudices and peculiarities of people using sci-fi as a springboard. He wrote this episode as his reaction to JFK's assassination. He refers to it in the closing narration. Cast included Paul Fix, ( The Rifleman, ) George Lindsey, ( Andy Griffith, Hee-Haw, ) and Michael Constantine, ( Room 222, ) and Ivan Dixon, ( Hogan's Heroes. ) One of the most powerful gut-punches Serling wrote about racism.
I THOUGHT that African-American pastor looked familiar! And the Sheriff guy - Michael Constantine - as you say, from Room 222 (used to watch it) and the “My Big Fat Greek Wedding” movies. That’s one reason I like watching old shows - see famous people before they were famous.
@@Ahuntrgw2013 l
This episode was not about racism, but about hate. The Berlin Wall was not about race, same for North Vietnam, which was a civil war that we got involved with as fallout from WW2 and the Korean War. You see a black face and classify the subject because, guess what, you're a racist. In Serling's "The Monsters are Coming to Maple Street, it's all Whtie People, who devolve into paranoia which brings out all sorts of ugliness as personal prejudices, and the search for a scapegoat. This is because the one thing that human beings cannot cope with is uncertainty.
So chilling because it's true
"I Am the Night-Color Me Black" is episode 146 of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone. It originally aired on March 27, 1964 on CBS.
"Sheriff Charlie Koch on the morning of an execution. As a matter of fact, it's seven-thirty in the morning. Logic and natural laws dictate that at this hour there should be daylight. It is a simple rule of physical science that the sun should rise at a certain moment and supersede the darkness. But at this given moment, Sheriff Charlie Koch, a deputy named Pierce, a condemned man named Jagger, and a small, inconsequential village will shortly find out that there are causes and effects that have no precedent. Such is usually the case-in the Twilight Zone."
In a small town, a man by the name of Jagger is about to be executed after being found guilty of murder. The local newspaperman, Colbey, is convinced that Jagger is innocent. He accuses Deputy Pierce of having perjured himself to get a conviction and accuses Sheriff Charlie Koch of just plain laziness in investigating the case. As the morning of his execution arrives, the townsfolk realize that the sun hasn't risen that day. They soon begin to understand the cause of the darkness that surrounds them.
After Jagger is hanged and the town folks are pleased with his hanging, The Reverend tells them that they are as doomed as Jagger, and that the darkness is a result of their hatred and cruel behavior. At that moment, the darkness deepens even further.
Back at the sheriffs office, Deputy Pierce insists that the darkness is just "a fog" that will soon lift, but Koch replies that only God knows if the sun will rise again. The radio then reports that other areas of the world, particularly areas of notable hatred and strife, are also going dark as well.
"A sickness known as hate. Not a virus, not a microbe, not a germ-but a sickness nonetheless, highly contagious, deadly in its effects. Don't look for it in the Twilight Zone-look for it in a mirror. Look for it before the light goes out altogether.
As a 12-year-old I wrote Rod Serling a short letter to which I never received a reply. This episode was shown the following new season and the main character had my name: Charlie Koch
@@ChuckDeFuque Oh wow. That is interesting Sir.
Oh for the days when you could paint a metaphor so broadly. This is what great theater is all about. Without a doubt, one of the finest television programs that was ever made. Thank you Rod. I sure wish you hadn't smoked so much.
The finest tv series in the entire history of the small screen
Happy to share this on a day like today.
"Hatred is like a long, dark shadow.
Not even the person it falls upon knows where it comes from, in most cases.
It is like a two-edged sword.
When you cut the other person, you cut yourself.
The more violently you hack at the other person, the more violently you hack at yourself.
It can often be fatal.
But it is not easy to dispose of.
Please be careful, Mr. Okada.
It is very dangerous.
Once it has taken root in your heart, hatred is the most difficult thing in the world to shake off."
― Haruki Murakami, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle
Oh I love this episode! So deep and scary tbh. And of course I first watched it at 1:00 in the morning- don’t do that 😳
This is my alltime favorite!
so is mine ja very odd episode the sun did not come
This episode needs to be aired on every god damn television in America 24/7 right now...
We already got it man it's called Jim Crow Joe aka Mr send a billion dollars every week to the Ukraine
Cant preach Peace and Love or tolerance and disrespect God in so many ways. 👎👎👎👎
@@crivket1233 Last time I checked, your god once drowned an entire planet because he didnt like what he created even though he's so all powerful that he knows everything and would have known that he would have had to genocide an entire planet to begin with. Last time I checked it was your god responsible for setting in motion things like the crusades, the spanish inquisition, colonization and the deaths of hundreds of thousands of indigenous children and its still your god today that leads the religions responsible for hateful bigotry, homophobia, etc.
You can't preach peace and love when you legalize and celebrate the murder of innocent lives.
Abortion will be a stain on this country for generations to come.
Also a subtle reference to Good Friday
You're right it does.
I love The Twilight Zone but this episode hit the hardest, especially the way things are today.
How many future and past tv shows are represented in this episode? Hogan's Heroes, Andy Griffith Show, Star Trek, The Rifleman, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Room 222. Any more?
Sixty years have passed we have learned nothing will we ever learn before it is too late.
maybe i should watch the twilight zone...
I prescribe frequent doses of The Twilight Zone.
Book of revelation
Rod Serling Way Way Ahead oh his Time.
Strangely Biblical. [Revelations 16:10]
Then the Fifth Angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast and his kingdom became full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues because of the pain.
Princess Lavengra
What about whole towns filled with mild dislike?
The ending confused me. So the black night was a symbolic reference to his hatred. Well...they hung him. Wouldn’t it be daylight out now that he’s dead? This episode reminded me of The Midnight Sun: Sunlight all day. While in this episode, it’s darkness all day.
You are correct that the night symbolized the hatred the guy felt, but it also symbolized the hatred that everyone else around him felt. That’s why it gets darker after he’s dead, because all those people acted on their hatred and were successful. Also, that’s why the dark spot starting popping up in other places in the world too.
The Midnight Sun is also a very good episode!
@@AnthonyJMack, yes. ☺️😊
You did not get the episode I take it, listen to the preacher, he killed because he hated, the town killed him because they hated. The darkness represented the hate in the whole town, it was so right in your face, did you not pay attention to episode? Seriously, you can't be this dumb.
Until unbelievers recognize that there is a God, darkness remains within them. I have chosen to believe in God/ Jesus. I have tasted darkness and it is miserable. Keep your heart and mind turned to God.
No, because it was saying that hate only breeds more hate. Revenge won't get rid of it but makes it worse.
Not only his hate but everyone's hate.
To many people are in the dark they have not yet take this covid seriously I pray 🙏🙏 every single night and day to bring a cureand I ask God in his only so s name to keep us all protected a6to ope6there eyes it's like since this deadly killer any so many other people that are suffering from so many other killing deseàses be taken more serious this just the beginning we haven't seen anything yet 🙏🙏🙏
Should have said color me red.
There was nothing hateful about North Vietnam. The Vietnamese fought to liberate their country from the Japanese, then the French and then the Americans. In the end they succeeded and now they are successful, free nation.
The episode was too preachy.
too real, you mean...
One of the most mediocre episodes of the series.
Just curious what you would consider one of the better episodes of the series?
@@AnthonyJMack Nightmare at 40,000 Feet,The Masks,Walking Distance,Nick of Time,A World of His Own,A Game of Pool,The Obsolete Man,many others.