The Twilight Zone: The Purple Testament

Episode score 8.3 Great

The Purple Testament

  • 19.
  • Season: 1
  • Episode: 19
  • First Aired: 2/12/1960
  • Prod Code: 173-3619
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TRIVIA

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QUOTES

  • (Closing Narration)
    Narrator: From William Shakespeare, Richard the Third, a small excerpt. The line reads, "He has come to open the purple testament of bleeding war." And for Lieutenant William Fitzgerald, A Company, First Platoon, the testament is closed. Lieutenant Fitzgerald has found the Twilight Zone. edit »
  • (Opening Narration)
    Narrator: Infantry platoon, U.S. Army, Phillipine Islands, 1945. These are the faces of the young men who fight. As if some omniscient painter had mixed a tube of oils that were at one time earth brown, dust gray, blood red, beard black, and fear - yellow white, and these men were the models. For this is the province of combat and these are the faces of war. edit »
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NOTES

  • This episode was removed from the schedule the night it was to air because director Bare and actor Reynolds were the victims of a disabled plane that crashed in the Caribbean. Both men were injured but were able to swim to safety. Reynolds has commented that it was classy of Buck Houghton to reschedule the episode and not take advantage of the publicity or subject their families to additional heartache. During their swim, they apparently discussed the planned airing of the episode that night to which Bare is reported to have asked Reynolds not to look at him. edit »
  • Barney Phillips appeared in three other episodes: "Miniature," "A Thing about Machines," and "Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?" edit »
  • Dick York later stars in "A Penny for Your Thoughts"; Warren Oates in "The 7th Is Made Up of Phantoms" edit »
  • Dean Stockwell was originally slated to play the part of Lt. Fitzgerald but was forced to drop out due to a conflicting schedule. Stockwell later went on to play a soldier in the later episode "A Quality of Mercy." edit »
  • Included on volume 13 of Image-Entertainment's DVD collection. edit »
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ALLUSIONS

  • The title is taken from Shakespeare's "Richard II" The complete line reads: "He is come to open the purple testament of bleeding war". edit »
Show Score 9.1 great
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