Living Doll (The Twilight Zone)

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The Twilight Zone original series Season five (1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5) Fall 1963 – Summer 1964 List of The Twilight Zone episodes
Episodes: In Praise of Pip Steel Nightmare at 20,000 Feet A Kind of a Stopwatch The Last Night of a Jockey Living Doll The Old Man in the Cave Uncle Simon Probe 7, Over and Out The 7th Is Made Up of Phantoms A Short Drink From a Certain Fountain Ninety Years Without Slumbering Ring-a-Ding Girl You Drive The Long Morrow The Self-Improvement of Salvadore Ross Number 12 Looks Just Like You Black Leather Jackets Night Call From Agnes—With Love Spur of the Moment An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge Queen of the Nile What's in the Box The Masks I Am the Night—Color Me Black Sounds and Silences Caesar and Me The Jeopardy Room Stopover in a Quiet Town The Encounter Mr. Garrity and the Graves The Brain Center at Whipple's Come Wander With Me The Fear The Bewitchin' Pool

“Living Doll” is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.

[edit] Details

Episode number: 126
Season: 5
Production code: 2621
Original air date: November 1, 1963
Writer: Jerry Sohl, credited to Charles Beaumont
Director: Richard C. Sarafian
Music: Original score by Bernard Herrmann

[edit] Cast

Erich Streator: Telly Savalas
Annabelle Streator: Mary LaRoche
Christie Streator: Tracy Stratford
Talky Tina (voice): June Foray

[edit] Synopsis

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

It's little Christie's birthday and she is excited about her new present. However, as they pull into the drive, her mother, Annabelle, instructs Christie to run upstairs with her new doll, 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 hears it say "I don't think I like you", and throws it across the room. Annabelle re-enters, and we learn that Erich isn't actually Christie's father and is bitter because he cannot sire children; further, that Annabelle did not tell him she had a daughter until after they were married. Annabelle pleads with Erich to be kinder to Christie.

At dinner, 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 that Annabelle bought Tina as a reminder that they cannot have children of their own.

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 denies it.

Finding the doll in the garage, Erich puts it in the garbage, and when Christie seeks the doll, tells her he doesn't know where it is. He receives a phone call, and the voice on the other end says, "My name is Talky Tina, and I'm going to kill you."

He checks the garbage can, but Tina is gone. He again accuses Annabelle of teaming up with Christie to frighten him; she again denies it. Erich finds Tina in Christie's bed. Christie is asleep, but the doll speaks again and wakes her. Erich confiscates the doll as Christie cries and Annabelle walks in. Erich says "The doll was in her bed. She's the one that's been doing it." Christie cries "Daddy!" and Erich yells "I'm not your Daddy!" He tries to destroy the doll, but it is seemingly invulnerable; he hears it laughing at him.

He puts the doll back in the garbage can, with heavy objects on top of it, and hears it laugh. He returns to his bedroom to find Annabelle packing. She states that Erich needs to see a psychiatrist. Erich insists that the doll was talking to him, but offers to return it. When he takes it from the trash, he hears it say "My name is Talky Tina, and I don't forgive you."

Later, Erich is awake in bed, when he hears noises. He looks in Christie's room; Tina is gone. He walks down the stairs, but trips on Tina, falling down the stairs to his death. Annabelle screams "Erich!" and runs down the stairs. She picks up Tina who proclaims, "My name is Talky Tina...and you better be nice to me!"

[edit] Trivia

Foray also provided the voice of Chatty Cathy, a talking doll manufactured by Mattel that was the inspiration for the doll in this episode.
Parodied in The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror III Episode "Clown Without Pity."
Also parodied in the Johnny Bravo episode "Little Talky Tabitha."
The doll used to play Talking Tina was a doll named Brikette that was made by the Vogue doll company. Brikette is a non-talker, except in the Twilight Zone.
This episode is mentioned in the movie The Terminal.