The Dummy
Encyclopedia
"The Dummy" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone
.
Willie in the middle of one of his acts, somewhere in New York City
. After the act, he goes back to his dressing room and begins to drink from a liquor bottle
he'd had hidden in a drawer
. His agent
comes in and is upset that he's drinking again
. He tells his agent that Willie is alive and frequently talks to him. When he tells the agent that he is at the mercy of the dummy, he does not believe Jerry and thinks he might need psychiatric help.
Jerry decides that he is going to perform with a different dummy, "Goofy Goggles
", for his next act (and all acts in the future) and locks Willie in a trunk. After the second act, (which is not as successful as the ones with Willie) his agent tells him that he is quitting, but Jerry says he is leaving to go to Kansas City
and try to get away from Willie. His agent tells him that it doesn't matter where he goes; he'll still have this delusion if he doesn't deal with it here and now. While he's standing outside of the back door to the theater, he hears faint whispers of Willie's voice. He sees the dummy's shadow and continues to hear his voice until a coworker from the theater walks up and asks if anything is wrong. Jerry invites her to get a drink, but does it nervously and eccentrically, thereby causing the woman to become frightened and run away.
As soon as she leaves, he hears Willie's voice again and runs back into the theater. He goes into the dark dressing room, opens the trunk
and throws the dummy on the floor, brutally smashing it. But when he turns on the light
, he realizes that he destroyed the Goofy Goggles dummy that he was going to use in his future acts. He can't understand how he could have been mistaken. He sees Willie sitting on the couch, laughing. Jerry asks how he can be real when he's made of wood, and Willie tells him that it was he, Jerry, who made him alive. Realizing the truth, Jerry lowers his head as Willie cackles crazily.
The scene cuts to a stage in Kansas City announcing that the next act will be "Jerry & Willie", and we see the beginning of the act from the back of the man who walked out. As the camera rotates to the front, it is revealed that the man is actually Willie, and he is holding a dummy that looks just like Jerry.
also directed "Number Twelve Looks Just Like You."
The same dummy was used in the 1964 Twilight Zone episode, "Caesar and Me
." The actual dummy which was used in both episodes has been in a private collection in Connecticut since the late 1970s.
A figure of Willie can be seen at Disney's Hollywood Studios
in the dark corner of a barred off exhibit to the side of one of the elevator exits of the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
ride.
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 episode opens with ventriloquist Jerry Etherson and his dummyDummy
Dummy may refer to:*Military dummy:**dummy round—a cartridge that is inert, i.e. contains neither primer nor gunpowder**decoy—fake military equipment intended to deceive the enemy...
Willie in the middle of one of his acts, somewhere in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. After the act, he goes back to his dressing room and begins to drink from a liquor bottle
Bottle
A bottle is a rigid container with a neck that is narrower than the body and a "mouth". By contrast, a jar has a relatively large mouth or opening. Bottles are often made of glass, clay, plastic, aluminum or other impervious materials, and typically used to store liquids such as water, milk, soft...
he'd had hidden in a drawer
Drawer
A drawer is a box-shaped container that fits into a piece of furniture in such a way that it can be drawn out horizontally to access its contents.-Construction:Drawers can be built in a variety of manners using a variety of materials...
. His agent
Talent agent
A talent agent, or booking agent, is a person who finds jobs for actors, authors, film directors, musicians, models, producers, professional athletes, writers and other people in various entertainment businesses. Having an agent is not required, but does help the artist in getting jobs...
comes in and is upset that he's drinking again
Alcoholism
Alcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
. He tells his agent that Willie is alive and frequently talks to him. When he tells the agent that he is at the mercy of the dummy, he does not believe Jerry and thinks he might need psychiatric help.
Jerry decides that he is going to perform with a different dummy, "Goofy Goggles
Glasses
Glasses, also known as eyeglasses , spectacles or simply specs , are frames bearing lenses worn in front of the eyes. They are normally used for vision correction or eye protection. Safety glasses are a kind of eye protection against flying debris or against visible and near visible light or...
", for his next act (and all acts in the future) and locks Willie in a trunk. After the second act, (which is not as successful as the ones with Willie) his agent tells him that he is quitting, but Jerry says he is leaving to go to Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
and try to get away from Willie. His agent tells him that it doesn't matter where he goes; he'll still have this delusion if he doesn't deal with it here and now. While he's standing outside of the back door to the theater, he hears faint whispers of Willie's voice. He sees the dummy's shadow and continues to hear his voice until a coworker from the theater walks up and asks if anything is wrong. Jerry invites her to get a drink, but does it nervously and eccentrically, thereby causing the woman to become frightened and run away.
As soon as she leaves, he hears Willie's voice again and runs back into the theater. He goes into the dark dressing room, opens the trunk
Trunk
Trunk may refer to:In biology:*Trunk, an elephant's proboscis or nose*Trunk, torso*Trunk , a tree's central superstructureIn containers:*Trunk , a large storage compartment*Trunk...
and throws the dummy on the floor, brutally smashing it. But when he turns on the light
Light
Light or visible light is electromagnetic radiation that is visible to the human eye, and is responsible for the sense of sight. Visible light has wavelength in a range from about 380 nanometres to about 740 nm, with a frequency range of about 405 THz to 790 THz...
, he realizes that he destroyed the Goofy Goggles dummy that he was going to use in his future acts. He can't understand how he could have been mistaken. He sees Willie sitting on the couch, laughing. Jerry asks how he can be real when he's made of wood, and Willie tells him that it was he, Jerry, who made him alive. Realizing the truth, Jerry lowers his head as Willie cackles crazily.
The scene cuts to a stage in Kansas City announcing that the next act will be "Jerry & Willie", and we see the beginning of the act from the back of the man who walked out. As the camera rotates to the front, it is revealed that the man is actually Willie, and he is holding a dummy that looks just like Jerry.
Production notes
Abner BibermanAbner Biberman
Abner Biberman , was an American actor, director, and screenwriter...
also directed "Number Twelve Looks Just Like You."
The same dummy was used in the 1964 Twilight Zone episode, "Caesar and Me
Caesar and Me
"Caesar and Me" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.-Synopsis:Jonathan West is an unsuccessful Irish ventriloquist. He is perpetually broke, selling valuable keepsakes like his grandfather's watch to pawn brokers to get some money...
." The actual dummy which was used in both episodes has been in a private collection in Connecticut since the late 1970s.
A figure of Willie can be seen at Disney's Hollywood Studios
Disney's Hollywood Studios
Disney's Hollywood Studios is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort. Spanning 135 acres in size, its theme is show business, drawing inspiration from the heyday of Hollywood in the 1930s and 1940s...
in the dark corner of a barred off exhibit to the side of one of the elevator exits of 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...
ride.
See also
- The Great GabboThe Great GabboThe Great Gabbo is an American early sound film musical drama film directed by James Cruze, based on a story by Ben Hecht and starring Erich von Stroheim and Betty Compson....
, a 1928 film about a mad ventriloquist, starring Erich von StroheimErich von StroheimErich von Stroheim was an Austrian-born film star of the silent era, subsequently noted as an auteur for his directorial work.-Background:... - Caesar and MeCaesar and Me"Caesar and Me" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.-Synopsis:Jonathan West is an unsuccessful Irish ventriloquist. He is perpetually broke, selling valuable keepsakes like his grandfather's watch to pawn brokers to get some money...
, a 1964 episode of The Twilight Zone television series, starring Jackie CooperJackie CooperJackie Cooper was an American actor, television director, producer and executive. He was a child actor who managed to make the transition to an adult career. Cooper was the first child actor to receive an Academy Award nomination... - Magic, a 1978 film starring Anthony HopkinsAnthony HopkinsSir Philip Anthony Hopkins, KBE , best known as Anthony Hopkins, is a Welsh actor of film, stage and television...
and Ann-Margaret about a ventriloquist whose delusion leads him to commit murders at what he imagines to be the behest of his dummy, "Fats".