Plot: After a sudden flash of light, a peaceful suburban street in Anytown USA, loses all of its power—cars, lights, telephones, appliances - and stokes everyone's paranoia to a disastrous intensity.
Stars: Claude Akins, Jack Weston
Best Quote: This is Maple Street on a late Saturday afternoon. Maple Street in the last calm and reflective moment - before the monsters came.
One of the most popular
Twilight Zone episodes (IMDB rating of 9.0),
Monsters Due on Maple Street has become such a pop cultural icon its been remade several times, and even taught in HS and Junior HS. A not so subtle attack on McCarthyism, the shows warns us about the evils of jumping to conclusions and giving in to fear.
Unfortunately, I can't go along with the high rating.
Yes, its a good civics lesson, but that doesn't make it good TV, and the episode
suffers from some significant flaws. Everyone behaves like a panicky idiot, there's no humor, no one is likable, and the story is too familiar. Its a
Twilight Zone episode, that has a realistic setting and contemporary feel, but with unrealistic characters and behaviors.
The Unrealistic Panicky Idiots
Good God, where to begin? Everything stops working, and a crowd gathers. Then a silly kid starts talking about space aliens. Everyone laughs - but 5 minutes later, they all behave like the Kid was speaking God's Truth. Yes, that neighbor
must be a space alien in disguise because 10 y/o Tommy read it in a comic book. Ridiculous! Sorry, these characters aren't believable people - they're cartoon characters in adults bodies.
Later, someone shows up with a shotgun (why?) and Charlie grabs it and shoots a neighbor who's returning to his house. Why, didn't Charlie say,
"who goes there?" Instead, he just blasts away, for no reason. And we end the story, with the neighbors grabbing bricks and weapons and going after each other. Its badly done, and the story gives no valid reason for their change in behavior.
But Its not supposed to be Realistic - Its the Twilight Zone!
Except this is supposed to be some great parable about McCarthyism and human behavior. That's why, except for the power going off and on, and the space aliens showing up in the last 2 minutes, there's nothing "fantastical" or "weird" about the setting or story. Sterling wanted Americans to see "Us" in these characters,
but they aren't "Us" they're crazy figments of Sterling's imagination. No real adults ever behaved this hysterically, on such silly and flimsy grounds.
So, Why is it so Popular?
First of all its well acted. Watching Jack Weston play the ultimate jerk/idiot in a bad Hawaiian shirt is the highlight. Secondly, it has a moral that people seem to love hearing over and over again. People just love watching stories about mob violence or, lynch mobs, or attack McCarthyism.
Conclusion: Despite my qualms, this is one of the better TW episodes. . I just wouldn't put it in the top 30. I'd rate it a 7.0 rather than 9.0
