The Little People

Infobox Television episode
Title = The Little People
Series = The Twilight Zone


Caption = Scene from "The Little People"
Season = 3
Episode = 93
Airdate =March 30, 1962
Production =4822
Writer =Rod Serling
Director =William Claxton
Guests =Joe Maross : Peter Craig
Claude Akins : William Fletcher
Michael Ford : Spaceman #1
Robert Eaton : Spaceman #2
Music = Stock
Episode list = List of Twilight Zone episodes
Prev = Person or Persons Unknown
Next = Four O'Clock

"The Little People" is an episode of the American television anthology series "The Twilight Zone".

Opening Narration

ynopsis

Astronauts William Fletcher and Peter Craig – each of whom happens to be the chief thorn in the other's side – set down in a canyon on another planet to repair their ship. While scouting around, Craig finds a city populated by people no bigger than ants.

He begins terrorizing the population by crushing their buildings, and he proclaims himself a god. Fletcher comes to inform him the repairs are done and they can depart, but Craig pulls a gun on him and orders Fletcher to leave him alone; there's no room for two gods.

Fletcher leaves disgustedly, and immediately another ship lands. Two spacemen, big as mountains, emerge. One of them picks Craig up and accidentally crushes him. The Little People rejoice at the death of their bullying "god."

Closing Narration

Preview for Next Week's Story

Trivia

*The towering two spacemen are wearing uniforms from the MGM film "Forbidden Planet".

*The episode has been spoofed by "The Simpsons" (in "Treehouse of Horror VII") and "Futurama" (in "Godfellas"). Furthermore, the Simpsons episode has itself been spoofed by "South Park" (in "Simpsons Already Did It").

*In The Outer Limits episode "The Sandkings", Beau Bridges plays "god" to a group of Martian "insect"-like creatures who eventually create a "portrait" of him in their habitat. When they eventually break out, he is killed trying to destroy them.

*A strip of Calvin and Hobbes features Calvin (as Spaceman Spiff) discovering a city of little people, only to be attacked by an enormous alien. The alien is, in actuality, Moe, and the little people are ants in an anthill.

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=0734655|title=The Little People
* [http://www.tv.com/the-twilight-zone/the-little-people/episode/12678/summary.html TV.com episode page]