King Nine Will Not Return
Encyclopedia
"King Nine Will Not Return" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone
.
B-25 Mitchell
bomber King Nine has crashed in the desert
. Captain James Embry finds himself stranded, alone except for the wreckage and the mystery of what happened to his crew
, all of whom have disappeared. The movement of the plane in the wind and his visions of the missing men serve to heighten Embry's disorientation.
Embry finds the grave
of one of his crewmen and sees, in the sky, Navy F9F Cougar jets, impossible for the time. He collapses in the sand
, and we discover that he is actually suffering hallucinations from a hospital
bed, 17 years after the crash.
Confident that Embry will recover, two doctors discuss that Embry's suffering has been triggered by a newspaper headline
. The paper has reported the desert discovery of the long-lost King Nine, which had not returned to base
from a mission during the war. Having come down with a fever just before he was to board the ill-fated flight, Embry had been replaced on the mission by another captain. Embry's sight of the headline has triggered survivor guilt
, in which, we are to understand, he has imagined himself at the crash site.
The doctors assure Embry he has returned to the site only in his mind. A nurse, handling Embry's clothes for the doctors, discovers the shoes are mysteriously filled with sand.
four engine bomber Lady Be Good
and her crew's remains, which had crash-landed at night, deep in the Libyan desert after running out of fuel, while returning from a WWII bombing mission over fascist Italy. In the episode, the marker of a grave
of a member of the crew of King Nine is dated "5 April, 1943," the day on which the Lady Be Good was lost.
The scary and suspenseful score by Fred Steiner was later used in other Twilight Zone episodes.
This was the first episode to feature the familiar Marius Constant
Twilight Zone theme and the first to feature an on-camera Rod Serling narrating at the beginning of the episode.
The bomber aircraft used in this episode was a North American Aviation B-25C-10NA 42-32354
, which still exists in storage with Aero Trader, Borrego Springs, CA.
The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)
The Twilight Zone is an American anthology television series created by Rod Serling, which ran for five seasons on CBS from 1959 to 1964. The series consisted of unrelated episodes depicting paranormal, futuristic, dystopian, or simply disturbing events; each show typically featured a surprising...
.
Synopsis
The World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
B-25 Mitchell
B-25 Mitchell
The North American B-25 Mitchell was an American twin-engined medium bomber manufactured by North American Aviation. It was used by many Allied air forces, in every theater of World War II, as well as many other air forces after the war ended, and saw service across four decades.The B-25 was named...
bomber King Nine has crashed in the desert
Desert
A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...
. Captain James Embry finds himself stranded, alone except for the wreckage and the mystery of what happened to his crew
Crewman
Crewman is a generic term for a crew member of an aircraft, naval vessel, military unit, or team of professionals attempting to accomplish a goal. In some science fiction , Crewman is the lowest military rank on board a spacecraft.The term "Crewman" may also be related in the non-gender specific...
, all of whom have disappeared. The movement of the plane in the wind and his visions of the missing men serve to heighten Embry's disorientation.
Embry finds the grave
Grave (burial)
A grave is a location where a dead body is buried. Graves are usually located in special areas set aside for the purpose of burial, such as graveyards or cemeteries....
of one of his crewmen and sees, in the sky, Navy F9F Cougar jets, impossible for the time. He collapses in the sand
Sand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
, and we discover that he is actually suffering hallucinations from a hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
bed, 17 years after the crash.
Confident that Embry will recover, two doctors discuss that Embry's suffering has been triggered by a newspaper headline
Headline
The headline is the text at the top of a newspaper article, indicating the nature of the article below it.It is sometimes termed a news hed, a deliberate misspelling that dates from production flow during hot type days, to notify the composing room that a written note from an editor concerned a...
. The paper has reported the desert discovery of the long-lost King Nine, which had not returned to base
Military base
A military base is a facility directly owned and operated by or for the military or one of its branches that shelters military equipment and personnel, and facilitates training and operations. In general, a military base provides accommodations for one or more units, but it may also be used as a...
from a mission during the war. Having come down with a fever just before he was to board the ill-fated flight, Embry had been replaced on the mission by another captain. Embry's sight of the headline has triggered survivor guilt
Survivor guilt
Survivor, survivor's, or survivors guilt or syndrome is a mental condition that occurs when a person perceives themselves to have done wrong by surviving a traumatic event when others did not...
, in which, we are to understand, he has imagined himself at the crash site.
The doctors assure Embry he has returned to the site only in his mind. A nurse, handling Embry's clothes for the doctors, discovers the shoes are mysteriously filled with sand.
Inspiration and production
The episode was based on the discovery of the B-24 LiberatorB-24 Liberator
The Consolidated B-24 Liberator was an American heavy bomber, designed by Consolidated Aircraft of San Diego, California. It was known within the company as the Model 32, and a small number of early models were sold under the name LB-30, for Land Bomber...
four engine bomber Lady Be Good
Lady be Good (aircraft)
Lady Be Good was an American B-24D Liberator, AAF serial number 41-24301, which flew for the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. Based at Soluch Field in Soluch as part of the 514th Bomb Squadron, 376th Bomb Group, it failed to return from an April 4, 1943 bombing raid on Naples,...
and her crew's remains, which had crash-landed at night, deep in the Libyan desert after running out of fuel, while returning from a WWII bombing mission over fascist Italy. In the episode, the marker of a grave
Grave (burial)
A grave is a location where a dead body is buried. Graves are usually located in special areas set aside for the purpose of burial, such as graveyards or cemeteries....
of a member of the crew of King Nine is dated "5 April, 1943," the day on which the Lady Be Good was lost.
The scary and suspenseful score by Fred Steiner was later used in other Twilight Zone episodes.
This was the first episode to feature the familiar Marius Constant
Marius Constant
Marius Constant was a Romanian-born French composer and conductor. Known primarily for his television soundtracks, his most widely heard score was the iconic Twilight Zone theme song....
Twilight Zone theme and the first to feature an on-camera Rod Serling narrating at the beginning of the episode.
The bomber aircraft used in this episode was a North American Aviation B-25C-10NA 42-32354
North American B-25 Survivors
-B-25 survivors:-Argentina:Under Restoration.*B-25J Mitchell, s/n 44-31173, Was on display at Vicecomodoro Ángel de la Paz Aragonés Airport. Under restoration to flightworthiness by Gustavo M...
, which still exists in storage with Aero Trader, Borrego Springs, CA.