Shadow Play (1961 The Twilight Zone episode)

Infobox Television episode
Title = Shadow Play
Series = The Twilight Zone


Caption = Dennis Weaver in "Shadow Play"
Season = 2
Episode = 62
Airdate =May 5, 1961
Production = 173-3657
Writer =Charles Beaumont
Director =John Brahm
Guests =Dennis Weaver
Harry Townes
Wright King
Bernie Hamilton
Music =
Episode list = List of Twilight Zone episodes
Prev = The Silence
Next = The Mind and the Matter

"Shadow Play" is an episode of the American television anthology series "The Twilight Zone".

Opening narration

ynopsis

A man convicted of murder, Adam Grant (Weaver), tries to convince those about to execute him that it is all just a recurring nightmare of his. He claims the warden and the lawyers are all people he has known in his waking life now playing the parts in a dream. They ask why he cares about dying if it is all a dream. He explains that he cannot get a decent night's sleep because he always wakes up screaming. A stay of execution arrives too late, as we see the lights dim, presumably from the electric chair being activated. We discover he was correct, the world was a dream for them, and a nightmare, for him, as everything begins to vanish and the world turns to black. The opening scene recurs as he's sentenced to death for murder again, albeit with the same people in different roles (e.g. a fellow inmate is now the judge at the trial).

Closing narration

Preview for Next Week's Story

Remake

*Shadow Play (1986) (The Twilight Zone)

References

*DeVoe, Bill. (2008). "Trivia from The Twilight Zone". Albany, GA: Bear Manor Media. ISBN 978-1593931360
*Grams, Martin. (2008). "The Twilight Zone: Unlocking the Door to a Television Classic". Churchville, MD: OTR Publishing. ISBN 978-0970331090

External links

*imdb title|id=0734618|title=Shadow Play
* [http://www.tv.com/the-twilight-zone/shadow-play/episode/12646/summary.html TV.com episode page]
* [http://www.cbs.com/classics/the_twilight_zone/video/video.php?cid=649555532&pid=_pVsX_Bqh4OmDR9OIEOLe4Gzh4TqZ5V8&play=true&cc=1 Full video of the episode at CBS.com]

Twilight Zone links

*The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)
*Episode List
*Season 2