Living Doll (The Twilight Zone)
Encyclopedia
"Living Doll" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone
.
Annabelle follows Christie, and Erich examines the doll. He winds the key on the back of the doll and hears it say "My name is Talky Tina and I don't think I like you." He winds the key again and the dolls says, "My name is Talky Tina and I think I could even hate you". At hearing this, he throws the doll against the wall across the room.
Annabelle re-enters, and we learn that Erich is actually Christie's stepfather and is bitter because he cannot sire children
. While Annabelle understands that it is difficult for Erich to suddenly have a new daughter, she pleads with Erich to be kinder to Christie.
At the dinner table, Christie pretends to feed Tina. Erich becomes annoyed and Annabelle declares that Tina is good for Christie, that it gives her someone to play with. Erich still believes Annabelle bought Tina as a reminder they cannot have children of their own. Erich catches the doll winking at him, while the others are looking elsewhere at the table.
Left alone with the doll, Erich hears it say "My name is Talky Tina and I'm beginning to hate you." He replies, "My name is Erich Streator and I'm going to get rid of you." Tina exclaims "You wouldn't dare! Annabelle would hate you, Christie would hate you, and I would hate you." Erich places a match next to Tina, who gasps. He says "Then you have feelings!" The doll replies "Doesn't everything?" Erich accuses Annabelle of placing a walkie-talkie in Tina and speaking through the doll to "get back at him." She, of course, denies it.
Finding the doll, Erich goes into the garage and places it in a trash can with a lid. When Christie seeks the doll, he tells her he doesn't know where it is. Later, the telephone rings. Erich answers and the voice on the other end says, "My name is Talky Tina and I'm going to kill you."
He checks the trash can and is startled to find Tina gone. He again accuses Annabelle of teaming up with Christie to frighten him. He declares "Will the two of you stop it?!" ; she, worried and baffled by his seemingly irrational accusations and suddenly insane behavior, pleadingly denies it. Erich finds Tina in Christie's bed. Christie is asleep, but the doll speaks to awaken her. Erich confiscates the doll as Christie cries and Annabelle rushes in. Erich says "The doll was in her bed. She's the one that's been doing it." Christie begs "Daddy, please!", and Erich yells "I'm not your Daddy!"
As Annabelle desperately tries to reason with Erich, he starts to come to the chilling realization that neither she nor Christie is the source of Tina's taunts. It is something unexplained and frightening.
Now knowing he must destroy the doll to save his life, he returns to the garage intending to destroy the doll. He first places the doll's head into a vise and tightens it, but the doll only looks at him and laughs. He then tries to use a blow torch to burn it, but the flame keeps going out before it reaches the doll. He then attempts to decapitate it with a table saw. Annabelle walks in and tries to stop him, but he angrily pushes her away. After Annabelle flees the garage, Erich looks at the doll's neck, only to find there isn't even a scratch on it.
Realizing he is unable to damage the doll, he puts it into a burlap sack and ties a cord around it, then throws the doll back into the trash can. As he places three heavy bricks on top of the can's lid, he hears the doll laugh. He returns to his bedroom to find Annabelle packing to leave. "How could I live with you after what you've done?" "I had to", Erich insists. "You had to, to show your hatred for me and for Christie!", she snaps. She states his need to see a psychiatrist. Erich insists the doll was talking to him, but offers to return it. She agrees to stay. Returning to the trash can, he is relieved to see Tina still there. As he retrieves it from the can, it says "My name is Talky Tina and I don't forgive you!" Erich hushes "Shut up, please shut up", and goes back to Christie's bedroom to hand her the doll reluctantly.
Later that night, Erich is awakened in bed by muffled noises outside the closed bedroom door. Telling Annabelle to stay in the bedroom, he goes out of the bedroom to investigate. He looks into Christie's room to see Tina gone. He starts to walk down the stairs, but trips on Tina, lying on one of the steps, and tumbles uncontrolled down the long stairway. Tina falls down to the bottom of the stairs, landing inches away from where Erich lies dying. Erich, with just enough fading strength to open his eyes, sees Tina looking at him - as his vanquisher. He then closes his eyes and dies. Annabelle screams "Erich!" and runs down the stairs. Kneeling over Erich's body, she picks up Tina who chillingly warns her, "My name is Talky Tina...and you better be nice to me!" Annabelle, in stunned horror after realizing the doll's true, evil nature, drops the doll to the ground.
composed by Bernard Herrmann
consists of a solo bass clarinet
, flourished by harp
and vibraphone
. The bass clarinet excels in creating the sinister tone appropriate for this episode's mood .
The doll used to play Talky Tina was a doll named Brikette that was made by the Vogue doll company. Brikette is a non-talker, except in the Twilight Zone; however, the inspiration for Tina was Chatty Cathy
, a talking doll manufactured by Mattel
. Cathy and Tina were both voiced by June Foray
, who is most recognized as the voices of Granny
, Rocky the Flying Squirrel
and most female characters in Looney Tunes
and The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show
.
The film Child's Play
had a similar plot about a doll with an evil nature.
This episode was parodied in a The Simpsons
Treehouse of Horror segment, "Clown Without Pity", where Homer
buys Bart
a talking Krusty the Clown doll for his birthday that tries to kill Homer.
In the Californian
and Parisian
versions of the popular Disney attraction The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
, what some think to be a Talky Tina doll can be seen on a couch in the lobby as guests wait in line. However, some think it is meant to look like the little girl who is transported to the Twilight Zone in the ride, Sally Shine.
A mute telepath in the French film Bloody Mallory is named Talking Tina.
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
Little Christie's mother, Annabelle, buys her a new doll, trying to make up for her new stepfather's indifference. As they pull into the driveway, Annabelle instructs Christie to run upstairs with her new doll and not to show it to her father. However, mother and daughter are stopped by Erich as they enter the home. Christie is eager to show off her new present, a talking doll called "Talky Tina", which repeats "My name is Talky Tina and I love you very much!" Erich demands to know how much it cost. Annabelle says Christie has wanted this doll for months and that she charged it. Erich angrily states that Christie does not need another doll. Christie flees the room, leaving Talky Tina behind.Annabelle follows Christie, and Erich examines the doll. He winds the key on the back of the doll and hears it say "My name is Talky Tina and I don't think I like you." He winds the key again and the dolls says, "My name is Talky Tina and I think I could even hate you". At hearing this, he throws the doll against the wall across the room.
Annabelle re-enters, and we learn that Erich is actually Christie's stepfather and is bitter because he cannot sire children
Male infertility
Male infertility refers to the inability of a male to achieve a pregnancy in a fertile female. In humans it accounts for 40-50% of infertility. Male infertility is commonly due to deficiencies in the semen, and semen quality is used as a surrogate measure of male fecundity.-Pre-testicular...
. While Annabelle understands that it is difficult for Erich to suddenly have a new daughter, she pleads with Erich to be kinder to Christie.
At the dinner table, Christie pretends to feed Tina. Erich becomes annoyed and Annabelle declares that Tina is good for Christie, that it gives her someone to play with. Erich still believes Annabelle bought Tina as a reminder they cannot have children of their own. Erich catches the doll winking at him, while the others are looking elsewhere at the table.
Left alone with the doll, Erich hears it say "My name is Talky Tina and I'm beginning to hate you." He replies, "My name is Erich Streator and I'm going to get rid of you." Tina exclaims "You wouldn't dare! Annabelle would hate you, Christie would hate you, and I would hate you." Erich places a match next to Tina, who gasps. He says "Then you have feelings!" The doll replies "Doesn't everything?" Erich accuses Annabelle of placing a walkie-talkie in Tina and speaking through the doll to "get back at him." She, of course, denies it.
Finding the doll, Erich goes into the garage and places it in a trash can with a lid. When Christie seeks the doll, he tells her he doesn't know where it is. Later, the telephone rings. Erich answers and the voice on the other end says, "My name is Talky Tina and I'm going to kill you."
He checks the trash can and is startled to find Tina gone. He again accuses Annabelle of teaming up with Christie to frighten him. He declares "Will the two of you stop it?!" ; she, worried and baffled by his seemingly irrational accusations and suddenly insane behavior, pleadingly denies it. Erich finds Tina in Christie's bed. Christie is asleep, but the doll speaks to awaken her. Erich confiscates the doll as Christie cries and Annabelle rushes in. Erich says "The doll was in her bed. She's the one that's been doing it." Christie begs "Daddy, please!", and Erich yells "I'm not your Daddy!"
As Annabelle desperately tries to reason with Erich, he starts to come to the chilling realization that neither she nor Christie is the source of Tina's taunts. It is something unexplained and frightening.
Now knowing he must destroy the doll to save his life, he returns to the garage intending to destroy the doll. He first places the doll's head into a vise and tightens it, but the doll only looks at him and laughs. He then tries to use a blow torch to burn it, but the flame keeps going out before it reaches the doll. He then attempts to decapitate it with a table saw. Annabelle walks in and tries to stop him, but he angrily pushes her away. After Annabelle flees the garage, Erich looks at the doll's neck, only to find there isn't even a scratch on it.
Realizing he is unable to damage the doll, he puts it into a burlap sack and ties a cord around it, then throws the doll back into the trash can. As he places three heavy bricks on top of the can's lid, he hears the doll laugh. He returns to his bedroom to find Annabelle packing to leave. "How could I live with you after what you've done?" "I had to", Erich insists. "You had to, to show your hatred for me and for Christie!", she snaps. She states his need to see a psychiatrist. Erich insists the doll was talking to him, but offers to return it. She agrees to stay. Returning to the trash can, he is relieved to see Tina still there. As he retrieves it from the can, it says "My name is Talky Tina and I don't forgive you!" Erich hushes "Shut up, please shut up", and goes back to Christie's bedroom to hand her the doll reluctantly.
Later that night, Erich is awakened in bed by muffled noises outside the closed bedroom door. Telling Annabelle to stay in the bedroom, he goes out of the bedroom to investigate. He looks into Christie's room to see Tina gone. He starts to walk down the stairs, but trips on Tina, lying on one of the steps, and tumbles uncontrolled down the long stairway. Tina falls down to the bottom of the stairs, landing inches away from where Erich lies dying. Erich, with just enough fading strength to open his eyes, sees Tina looking at him - as his vanquisher. He then closes his eyes and dies. Annabelle screams "Erich!" and runs down the stairs. Kneeling over Erich's body, she picks up Tina who chillingly warns her, "My name is Talky Tina...and you better be nice to me!" Annabelle, in stunned horror after realizing the doll's true, evil nature, drops the doll to the ground.
Episode notes
The scoreSheet music
Sheet music is a hand-written or printed form of music notation that uses modern musical symbols; like its analogs—books, pamphlets, etc.—the medium of sheet music typically is paper , although the access to musical notation in recent years includes also presentation on computer screens...
composed by Bernard Herrmann
Bernard Herrmann
Bernard Herrmann was an American composer noted for his work in motion pictures.An Academy Award-winner , Herrmann is particularly known for his collaborations with director Alfred Hitchcock, most famously Psycho, North by Northwest, The Man Who Knew Too Much, and Vertigo...
consists of a solo bass clarinet
Bass clarinet
The bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common soprano B clarinet, it is usually pitched in B , but it plays notes an octave below the soprano B clarinet...
, flourished by harp
Harp
The harp is a multi-stringed instrument which has the plane of its strings positioned perpendicularly to the soundboard. Organologically, it is in the general category of chordophones and has its own sub category . All harps have a neck, resonator and strings...
and vibraphone
Vibraphone
The vibraphone, sometimes called the vibraharp or simply the vibes, is a musical instrument in the struck idiophone subfamily of the percussion family....
. The bass clarinet excels in creating the sinister tone appropriate for this episode's mood .
The doll used to play Talky Tina was a doll named Brikette that was made by the Vogue doll company. Brikette is a non-talker, except in the Twilight Zone; however, the inspiration for Tina was Chatty Cathy
Chatty Cathy
Chatty Cathy is a doll manufactured by the Mattel toy company from 1959 to 1965. The doll was first released in stores and appeared in television commercials beginning in 1960. Chatty Cathy celebrated her 50th birthday in 2010....
, a talking doll manufactured by Mattel
Mattel
Mattel, Inc. is the world's largest toy company based on revenue. The products it produces include Fisher Price, Barbie dolls, Hot Wheels and Matchbox toys, Masters of the Universe, American Girl dolls, board games, and, in the early 1980s, video game consoles. The company's name is derived from...
. Cathy and Tina were both voiced by June Foray
June Foray
June Foray is an American voice actress, best known as the voice of many animated characters...
, who is most recognized as the voices of Granny
Granny (Looney Tunes)
Granny is a co-star of many Sylvester the Cat and Tweety Bird animated shorts throughout the 1950s and 1960s, is a Looney Tunes character that was created by Tex Avery. She is the owner of Tweety . Granny's voice was first provided by Bea Benaderet from 1937 through 1953...
, Rocky the Flying Squirrel
Rocky the Flying Squirrel
Rocket J. Squirrel, usually called by the nickname "Rocky", is the name of the flying squirrel protagonist of the 1959-1964 animated television series Rocky and His Friends and The Bullwinkle Show , produced by Jay Ward. Rocky's sidekick is the cartoon moose, Bullwinkle...
and most female characters in Looney Tunes
Looney Tunes
Looney Tunes is a Warner Bros. animated cartoon series. It preceded the Merrie Melodies series and was Warner Bros.'s first animated theatrical series. Since its first official release, 1930's Sinkin' in the Bathtub, the series has become a worldwide media franchise, spawning several television...
and The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show
The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show
The Rocky & Bullwinkle Show is an American animated television series that originally aired from November 19, 1959 to June 28, 1964 on the ABC and NBC television networks...
.
The film Child's Play
Child's Play (film series)
Child's Play is a horror film franchise created by Don Mancini, with its first installment, Child's Play, being released on November 9, 1988. The film has so far spawned four sequels and has gone into other media, such as comic books. The films all feature Chucky, a killer Good Guys doll with the...
had a similar plot about a doll with an evil nature.
This episode was parodied in a The Simpsons
The Simpsons
The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
Treehouse of Horror segment, "Clown Without Pity", where Homer
Homer Simpson
Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the patriarch of the eponymous family. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared on television, along with the rest of his family, in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
buys Bart
Bart Simpson
Bartholomew JoJo "Bart" Simpson is a fictional main character in the animated television series The Simpsons and part of the Simpson family. He is voiced by actress Nancy Cartwright and first appeared on television in The Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987...
a talking Krusty the Clown doll for his birthday that tries to kill Homer.
In the Californian
Disney's California Adventure
Disney California Adventure, or simply California Adventure, is a theme park in Anaheim, California, adjacent to Disneyland Park and part of the larger Disneyland Resort. It opened on February 8, 2001 as Disney's California Adventure Park. The park is owned and operated by the Walt Disney Parks and...
and Parisian
Walt Disney Studios Park
Walt Disney Studios Park is the second theme park to open at Disneyland Paris, owned and operated by Euro Disney S.C.A.. It is located to the west of the hub, next door to Disneyland Park at the heart of the resort in Marne-la-Vallée....
versions of the popular Disney attraction The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, more commonly known as Tower of Terror, is a drop tower thrill ride at Disney's Hollywood Studios , Disney California Adventure Park, Tokyo DisneySea and Walt Disney Studios Park . It is based upon the television show The Twilight Zone...
, what some think to be a Talky Tina doll can be seen on a couch in the lobby as guests wait in line. However, some think it is meant to look like the little girl who is transported to the Twilight Zone in the ride, Sally Shine.
A mute telepath in the French film Bloody Mallory is named Talking Tina.