The Cube
Encyclopedia
The Cube is an hour-long teleplay
that aired on NBC
's weekly anthology television show NBC Experiment in Television on February 23, 1969. The production was produced and directed by puppeteer Jim Henson
, and was one of several experiments with the live-action film medium which he conducted in the 1960s, before focusing entirely on the Muppets
and other puppet works. The screenplay was co-written by long-time Muppet writer Jerry Juhl
.
The teleplay starred Richard Schaal
as a man trapped in a cubical white room that anyone else could enter and leave, but which he himself apparently could not leave. The main character, who is called "The Man", is subjected to an increasingly puzzling and frustrating series of encounters as a variety of people come through various hidden doors. But as many remind him, he can only leave through his own door, so he must find it.
At one point Henson comments on his own teleplay through a Professor
who wanders in from yet another door.
The teleplay only aired twice (it was rerun in 1970).
The central plot point is strikingly similar to "The Squirrel Cage
", a short story by Thomas M. Disch
that was published in 1967. Both stories are about a man who is imprisoned in a big white cube. The man doesn't know why he's there and never finds out. He never gets out of the cube. Disch's story also appeared in his collection Fun With Your New Head
(Doubleday, 1968).
In 2007, the German Fringe Theater troupe glassbooth, directed by Roger Hoffmann and starring Jens Dornheim presented a live stage adaptation of The Cube titled KUBUS.
Teleplay
A teleplay is a television play, a comedy or drama written or adapted for television. The term surfaced during the 1950s with wide usage to distinguish a television plays from stage plays for the theater and screenplays written for films...
that aired on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's weekly anthology television show NBC Experiment in Television on February 23, 1969. The production was produced and directed by puppeteer Jim Henson
Jim Henson
James Maury "Jim" Henson was an American puppeteer best known as the creator of The Muppets. As a puppeteer, Henson performed in various television programs, such as Sesame Street and The Muppet Show, films such as The Muppet Movie and The Great Muppet Caper, and created advanced puppets for...
, and was one of several experiments with the live-action film medium which he conducted in the 1960s, before focusing entirely on the Muppets
The Muppets
The Muppets are a group of puppet characters created by Jim Henson starting in 1954–55. Although the term is often used to refer to any puppet that resembles the distinctive style of The Muppet Show, the term is both an informal name and legal trademark owned by the Walt Disney Company in reference...
and other puppet works. The screenplay was co-written by long-time Muppet writer Jerry Juhl
Jerry Juhl
Jerome Ravn "Jerry" Juhl was an American television and movie writer, best known for his work with Jim Henson's "Muppets".Juhl was born in St. Paul, Minnesota; his family moved to Menlo Park, California, when he was 14...
.
The teleplay starred Richard Schaal
Richard Schaal
Richard Schaal is an American television actor.He was married to actress Valerie Harper from 1964 to 1978. His daughter is actress Wendy Schaal by his first marriage to Lois née Treacy....
as a man trapped in a cubical white room that anyone else could enter and leave, but which he himself apparently could not leave. The main character, who is called "The Man", is subjected to an increasingly puzzling and frustrating series of encounters as a variety of people come through various hidden doors. But as many remind him, he can only leave through his own door, so he must find it.
At one point Henson comments on his own teleplay through a Professor
Professor
A professor is a scholarly teacher; the precise meaning of the term varies by country. Literally, professor derives from Latin as a "person who professes" being usually an expert in arts or sciences; a teacher of high rank...
who wanders in from yet another door.
- PROFESSOR: Well, as I interpret what you’re doing here, this is all a very complex discussion of RealityRealityIn philosophy, reality is the state of things as they actually exist, rather than as they may appear or might be imagined. In a wider definition, reality includes everything that is and has been, whether or not it is observable or comprehensible...
versus IllusionIllusionAn illusion is a distortion of the senses, revealing how the brain normally organizes and interprets sensory stimulation. While illusions distort reality, they are generally shared by most people....
. The perfect subject for the television medium! - MAN: What do you mean, television?
- PROFESSOR: Well, this is a television play.
- MAN: What?
- PROFESSOR: Oh, you don’t believe that?
- MAN: Of course not!
- PROFESSOR: I should have thought you’d want to. After all, there's only one other possible explanation.
- MAN: Which is?
- PROFESSOR: Hallucination. That you are altogether insane.
The teleplay only aired twice (it was rerun in 1970).
The central plot point is strikingly similar to "The Squirrel Cage
Under Compulsion
Under Compulsion is a collection of science fiction stories by Thomas M. Disch. It was first published by Rupert Hart-Davis in 1968 in the UK. It was subsequently published in the US in 1970 by Doubleday under the title Fun with Your New Head...
", a short story by Thomas M. Disch
Thomas M. Disch
Thomas Michael Disch was an American science fiction author and poet. He won the Hugo Award for Best Related Book – previously called "Best Non-Fiction Book" – in 1999, and he had two other Hugo nominations and nine Nebula Award nominations to his credit, plus one win of the John W...
that was published in 1967. Both stories are about a man who is imprisoned in a big white cube. The man doesn't know why he's there and never finds out. He never gets out of the cube. Disch's story also appeared in his collection Fun With Your New Head
Under Compulsion
Under Compulsion is a collection of science fiction stories by Thomas M. Disch. It was first published by Rupert Hart-Davis in 1968 in the UK. It was subsequently published in the US in 1970 by Doubleday under the title Fun with Your New Head...
(Doubleday, 1968).
In 2007, the German Fringe Theater troupe glassbooth, directed by Roger Hoffmann and starring Jens Dornheim presented a live stage adaptation of The Cube titled KUBUS.