The Last Rites of Jeff Myrtlebank
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| “The Last Rites of Jeff Myrtlebank” | |||||||
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| The Twilight Zone episode | |||||||
 Scene from "The Last Rites of Jeff Myrtlebank" |
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| Episode no. | Season 3 Episode 88 |
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| Written by | Montgomery Pittman | ||||||
| Directed by | Montgomery Pittman | ||||||
| Guest stars | James Best : Jeff Myrtlebank Sherry Jackson : Comfort Gatewood Lance Fuller : Orgram Gatewood Dub Taylor : Mr. Peters Ralph Moody : Pa Myrtlebank Ezelle Poule : Ma Myrtlebank Helen Wallace : Ma Gatewood Vickie Barnes : Liz Myrtlebank |
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| Featured music | Tommy Morgan | ||||||
| Production no. | 4811 | ||||||
| Original airdate | February 23, 1962 | ||||||
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| List of Twilight Zone episodes | |||||||
"The Last Rites of Jeff Myrtlebank" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.
Contents |
[edit] Opening narration
| “ | Time, the mid-twenties. Place, the Midwest - the southernmost section of the Midwest. We were just witnessing a funeral, a funeral that didn't come off exactly as planned, due to a slight fallout - from the Twilight Zone. | ” |
[edit] Synopsis
A man, Jeff, wakes up at his own funeral in a small rural town in the "southernmost section of the Midwest". The townspeople believe that the man must be possessed by wandering demons, even though the town doctor declares it was more than likely a medical condition that imitated death. Jeff seems normal enough, yet he has changed: He has suddenly become a hard worker and a good fistfighter, and now he wants to marry his long-time girlfriend, Comfort, who is loyal, but unsure.
In the final scene, just as Comfort is about to respond to Jeff's proposal, a truckload of angry townspeople shows up ready to take on the "demon". Myrtlebank makes an inspired speech in which he tells them they have nothing to fear from him; but if he just happened to be a demon, they had best be nice to him or else. They agree to this, and they even say they will attend the wedding.
After they leave, Jeff pulls out a pipe and a match, making the latter spontaneously ignite, thus proving now-fiancee Comfort and the townspeople were indeed correct. But when Comfort asks how he lit the match, "Jeff" laughs and says "Comfort, you have got to stop imaginin' things," and puts his arm around her shoulders to take her inside.
[edit] Closing narration
| “ | Jeff and Comfort are still alive today, and their only son is a United States Senator. He's noted as an uncommonly shrewd politician. And some believe he must have gotten his education in the Twilight Zone. | ” |
