A Classic TV Christmas: Advent 2017 Day 2

After the success of the I Love Lucy's Christmas Special, a number of TV shows decided to get into the fun of producing an episode devoted to the holidays. Most of those shows are ones I have never seen before. But not the one that I am focusing on for today's Advent. In fact, this episode is from a show that I am a devoted fan of, yet I absolutely hate.

The series is called The Twilight Zone. The episode in question is The Night of the Meek.

Submitted for your approval, Henry Corwin is a drunken department store Santa who is fired from his job on Christmas Eve. Disenfranchised with the holiday, our Santa, played by The Honeymooner's Art Carney tries to find solace in the bottom of a bottle. Kicked out of a speak-easy, the destitute Santa stumbles into the snow and finds a giant sack filled with toys. He heads to the nearest orphanage to distribute gifts to the boys and girls housed there.

A cop thinks Henry has robbed the department store from where he was fired and arrests Henry. However, at the police station, Henry's sack turns into a garbage bag. Embarrassed, the policeman kicks Henry and his bag of trash out into the street where Henry meets a man named Burt. Burt asks a now elated Henry what he would like for Christmas and the man answers that he wishes he could do this year round. Burt wishes the man a Merry Christmas and disappears. Bewildered, Henry turns into an alley where awaiting him is a tiny sleigh with eight reindeer and an empty Santa jacket. It's here that Henry realizes that his wish was granted- he is the new Santa Claus!

Okay- looking back on this. It's not such a bad episode. But for a show as eerie and frightening as The Twilight Zone, this episode is a sugary sweet cupcake! It's just not expected from the master of the weird, Rod Serling. 

This is Rod Serling.

Another thing that kinda odd about this episode is how it looks. The show was taped live on December 23, 1960. Unlike most of the other Twilight Zone episodes, this one looks very out of sorts and stunted. The lighting is so washed out in some scenes. In fact, I think at one point, you can hear a stage hand off screen cough. I kid you not on this!

You can get an action figure of Henry either in
classic black and white or colorized.

Since I couldn't find a good version of this episode online, for my Advent present to you today, I present a radio adaptation of The Night of the Meek. It's pretty cool. I hope you'll enjoy...

Until tomorrow, Merry Christmas!