Judgment Night

Infobox Television episode
Title = Judgment Night
Series = The Twilight Zone


Caption = Nehemiah Persoff in Judgment Night
Season = 1
Episode = 10
Music = Stock
Airdate = December 4, 1959
Production = 173-3604
Writer = Rod Serling
Director =John Brahm
Guests = Nehemiah Persoff : Carl Lanser
Ben Wright : Captain Wilbur
Patrick Macnee : First Officer
James Franciscus : Lt. Mueller
Hugh Sanders : Potter
Leslie Bradley : Major Devereaux
Deirdre Owens : Ms. Stanley
Kendrick Huxham : Bartender
Barry Bernard : Engineer
Richard Peel : 1st Steward
Donald Journeaux : 2nd Steward
Episode list = List of Twilight Zone episodes
Prev = Perchance to Dream
Next = And When the Sky Was Opened

"Judgment Night" is an episode of the American television anthology series "The Twilight Zone".

Opening narration

ynopsis

A somewhat nervous passenger by the name of Carl Lanser appears aboard a British ship in 1942. As the story opens, it becomes clear that Lanser has no idea of how he got aboard or who he really is. Gradually, through listening to fellow passengers discuss various topics related to the War, Lanser experiences a sense of déjà vu, as it becomes seemingly obvious that he is, unbeknownst to the others, a German submarine officer. After unsuccessfully trying to convince the crew that they will soon be under attack, Lanser must suffer the agony of watching the passengers be killed. At precisely the hour that Lanser predicts, the freighter is sunk by a German U-boat commanded by a Kapitan Leutnant Lanser.

Later, we see Lanser in his cabin on the U-boat, recording that night's kill. When his second-in-command asks Lanser if they might be judged according to the way they attacked the defenseless ship, he replies only that the British will surely judge them. The first mate questions Lanser on whether God might also be judging them, condemning them to relive the final moments of the doomed ship. With this thought left open for debate, we learn that the First Mate's fears are realized: The attacking U-Boat and crew are condemned to sink the freighter over and over, with Lanser being an unwitting passenger among those killed without mercy on the ghost ship. The episode thus recounts Carl Lanser's private hell.

Closing narration

Preview for Next Week's Story

Episode notes

In the first 18 episodes, Serling only had one minor conflict with CBS regarding episode content. In an interview with Mike Wallace on September 22, 1959, Serling said, "We changed, in eighteen scripts, Mike, we have had one line changed, which, again, was a little ludicrous but of insufficient basic concern within the context of the story, not to put up a fight. On a bridge of a British ship, a sailor calls down to the galley and asks in my script for a pot of tea, because I believe that it's constitutionally acceptable in the British Navy to drink tea. One of my sponsors happens to sell instant coffee, and he took great umbrage, or at least minor umbrage anyway, with the idea of saying tea. Well, we had a couple of swings back and forth, nothing serious, and we decided we'd ask for a tray to be sent up to the bridge. But in eighteen scripts, that's the only conflict we've had."

References

*Zicree, Marc Scott: "The Twilight Zone Companion". Sillman-James Press, 1982 (second edition)
*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

*
* [http://www.tv.com/the-twilight-zone/judgment-night/episode/12594/summary.html TV.com episode page]