Games - The Midnight Sun

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	Games - The Midnight Sun

Cast

Norma: Lois Nettleton
Mrs. Bronson: Betty Garde
The Intruder: Tom Reese

Synopsis

The Earth has left its path and is now heading towards the sun. A woman and her landlady are the last people in their building, the rest having moved north (or, presumably, died from the heat). The landlady collapses, and then the woman.

The scene cuts to the apartment at night. It's snowing, the woman is bedridden with a fever and attended by her landlady and a doctor. She has been hallucinating, the Earth has left its path and is heading away from the sun.

Trivia

The effect of oil paintings was accomplished by painting the pictures in wax on the surface of a hotplate. Serling made a slight mistake at the end of this episode, for if the Earth were in the place of Venus, the Mercury in the thermometer would turn to vapor. Also, if Earth were in the place of Mars, the mercury would freeze and break the thermometer's glass. (Sources: Studyworks! Science and Time Almanac 2004)

Missing Scenes

Serling's original script featured two characters who did not appear in the finished episode, a police officer and a refrigerator repairman. These roles are signficant not only because Serling wrote them, but because he went so far as to cast them before he cut them from the script (Ned Glass was slated to be the repairman and John McLiam the police officer). Why they were cut probably traces back to Twilight Zone's budget problems, which had been growing significantly since James T. Aubrey, Jr. became chief executive of CBS in the show's second season. :Jim Aubrey was a very, very difficult problem for the show. He was particularly tough on The Twilight Zone, because for its time it was a particularly costly half-hour show. I spent a lot of time with Buck trying to reduce scripts, some by Rod, by one speaking part or two speaking parts because we were just about to start shooting the show and we were over budget. And Aubrey was real tough on this subject even if it was a small number of dollars. —Del Reisman quoted in Serling: The Rise And Twilight of Television’s Last Angry Man

Similar problems occurred during the shooting of “The Self-Improvement of Salvadore Ross”.

Repairman scene

Mrs. Bronson: (very softly) And now we are two.

Norma: (nodding toward the door) They were the last?

Mrs. Bronson: (nods) The last. Building's empty now except for you and me.

There's the sound of footsteps from inside Mrs. Bronson's apartment. A dungareed repairman carrying a tool kit comes out into the hall.

Repairman: She's running again, Mrs. Bronson. I wouldn't sign no guarantee as to how long she'll run—but she shouldn't give you any trouble for a while. (he looks briefly at Norma then a little nervously down to the ground) Was you gonna pay for this in cash?

Mrs. Bronson: I have a charge—

Repairman: (ill at ease) Boss says I should start collectin' in cash. (then to Norma) We've been working around the clock. (he shakes his head) Refrigerators breaking down every minute and a half. Everybody and his brother trying to make ice. Then with the current being shut off every coupla hours—it's tough on the machines. (he looks back toward Mrs. Bronson) About the bill, Mrs. Bronson...

Mrs. Bronson: (softly) How much is it?

Repairman: (looking away from her) I gotta charge you a hundred dollars.

(Close shot Norma reacting)

(Close shot Mrs. Bronson. The quiet of her voice doesn't cover the dismay.)

Mrs. Bronson: For fifteen minutes work?

(Two shots, repairman and Mrs. Bronson)

Repairman: (nods) For fifteen minutes work. Most outfits are charging double that and triple. It's been that way for a month. Ever since... (he looks out toward the street) Ever since the thing happened.

Close shot with him. As he turns back toward Mrs. Bronson, stops, starts, and reacts. (Pan over to Mrs. Bronson. She’s taking off her wedding ring and holds it out to him.)

Mrs. Bronson: (quietly) I don’t have any money left, but this is gold. It’s worth a lot more than a hundred dollars.

Medium group shot favoring repairman. The repairman just stands there, obviously torn now. He makes a motion as if to reach out to take the ring, then shakes his head, lets his hand abruptly fall to his side, hoists up the tool kit under his arm and starts for the stairs.

Repairman: Go ahead and charge it. I ain’t taking a lady’s wedding ring. Goodbye, Mrs. Bronson. Good luck to you. (he pauses. He looks through the window at the landing, squinting toward the broiling white sky, very softly) I’m going to try to get my family out tonight. Drive north. Canada, if we can make it. They say it’s cooler there. (he turns to look back toward the two women, very resignedly) Not that it makes much difference. Just kind of...kind of prolonging it. (he smiles a crooked twisted smile) Like everybody rushing to fix their refrigerators and air conditioners... (he shakes his head) Like somebody drowning in the ocean and trying to get a firm grip on a piece of seaweed. (he shakes his head again) It’s nuts. It’s just prolonging it, that’s all. (he takes a deep breath, heaves a big sigh) Lordy...Lordy, it’s hot.

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