The Twilight Zone:

The Twilight Zone: Mr. Dingle, the Strong

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Martians give Luther Dingle the strength of 300 men. Read full recap »

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Writers:: Rod Serling

Director:: John Brahm

Stars:: Rod Serling (Narrator/Host); Burgess Meredith (Luther Dingle)

Guest Star:: James Westerfield (O'Toole); Edward Ryder (Joseph G. Callahan); Douglas Spencer (1st Martian); Michael Fox (2nd Martian); Donald Losby (1st Venusian); Gregory Irvin (2nd Venusian); Douglas Evans (2nd Man); Phil Arnold (1st Man); Frank Richards (3rd Man); James Millhollin (Jason Abernathy); Jo Ann Dixon (Nurse); Jay Hector (Boy); Don Rickles (Bettor); Bob Duggan (Photographer)

The sound effect of the breaking table in the bar begins to play before Dingle has actually hit it edit »
In the bar the newscaster is carrying a microphone with a long rolled-up cord. The cord is not attached to anything, so the mic is not actually plugged in. edit »
When Dingle holds Don Rickles over his head, we can clearly see his face, and it's obviously not Burgess Meredith. edit »

Don Rickles is billed as Special Guest. edit »
Included on volume 4 of Image-Entertainment's DVD collection. edit »

(Opening Narration)
Narrator: Uniquely American institution known as the neighborhood bar. Reading left to right are Mr. Anthony O'Toole, proprietor who waters his drinks like geraniums but who stands foursquare for peace and quiet and for booths for ladies. This is Mr. Joseph J. Callahan, an unregistered bookie, whose entire life is any sporting event with two sides and a set of odds. His idea of a meeting at the summit is any dialogue between a catcher and a pitcher with more than one man on base. And this animated citizen is every anonymous bettor who ever dropped rent money on a horse race, a prize fight, or a floating crap game, and who took out his frustrations and his insolvency on any vulnerable fellow barstool companion within arm's and fist's reach. And this is Mr. Luther Dingle, a vacuum-cleaner salesman whose volume of business is roughly that of a valet at a hobo convention. He's a consummate failure in almost everything but is a good listener and has a prominent jaw. And these two unseen gentlemen are visitors from outer space. They are about to alter the destiny of Luther Dingle by leaving him a legacy, the kind you can't hardly find no more. In just a moment, a sad-faced perennial punching bag who missed even the caboose of life's gravy train will take a short constitutional into that most unpredictable region that we refer to as the Twilight Zone. edit »
Bettor: When a guy calls me a liar, there's my honor to be considered.
Callahan: Your honor? You've got nothing in you from the bottom of your arch to the part in your hair. Which is pretty tough to find. And when you die, my friend, they're going to have to screw you into the ground. edit »
1st Martian: You're sure we're invisible?
2nd Martian: Beyond any doubt.
1st Martian: I wish they were. edit »
1st Martian: I think we should be off. Three planets on tomorrow's itinerary. One should be particularly interesting. Contains only females. edit »
(Closing Narration)
Narrator: Exit Mr. Luther Dingle, formerly vacuum-cleaner salesman, strongest man on Earth, and now mental giant. These latter powers will very likely be eliminated before too long, but Mr. Dingle has an appeal to extraterrestrial note-takers as well as to frustrated and insolvent bet-losers. Offhand, I'd say that he was in for a great deal of extremely odd periods, simply because there are so many inhabited planets who send down observers, and also because, of course, Mr. Dingle lives his life with one foot in his mouth, and the other in the Twilight Zone. edit »

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4.3
00
marbles01
member since: Aug 26, 2006
Mr. Dingle, the Strong
The Bottom Line: "Not my favorite storyline"
Not the standard that I expect from the usual TZ episode. ...Continue »
06/18/08 12:29pm | report abuse
5.7
00
fletch000
member since: Dec 18, 2005
Mr. Dingle, the Strong
The Bottom Line: "Silly"
Dingle is a meek and physically weak loser who frequents the neighborhood bar.
Luther is abused by his fellow patrons in the bar regularly. Enter two spacemen from Mars,who decides that he would be the perfect Test speciman for a strength ray.Zapp ...Continue »
12/31/05 02:23am | report abuse
5.8
10
Oracle2127
member since: Aug 8, 2005
Mr. Dingle, the Strong
The Bottom Line: "Not my favorite storyline"
Mr. Dingle, a man who has been picked on most of his life, is given incredible strength by two martians. ...Continue »
08/20/05 10:42am | report abuse