A Piano in the House
| "A Piano in the House" | |||
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| The Twilight Zone episode | |||
 Joan Hackett as Esther Fortune |
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| Episode no. | Season 3 Episode 87 |
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| Directed by | David Greene | ||
| Written by | Earl Hamner, Jr. | ||
| Featured music | Stock plus the player piano | ||
| Production code | 4825 | ||
| Original air date | February 16, 1962 | ||
| Guest stars | |||
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Barry Morse: Fitzgerald Fortune |
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| Episode chronology | |||
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| List of Twilight Zone episodes | |||
"A Piano In the House" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.
[edit] Plot
Drama critic Fitzgerald Fortune goes to Throckmorton's curio shop to buy his young wife Esther a player piano as a birthday present. At the shop, as the hard-bitten and hard-shelled owner plays the piano, he reveals his soft, sentimental side. Fortune notes the piano's magical properties, which reveal men's true natures, and purchases it.
Later at home, the solemn butler, Marvin, bursts out laughing under the influence of the piano and reveals that he actually enjoys working for Fortune. When Fortune puts on a roll for his wife, she reveals that she detests him for his cruelty to her and the people around him.
He then tries it out on one of his wife's party guests, a jaded playwright, Gregory Walker, who admits to being in love with Fitzgerald's wife Esther and that they had a tryst while she was on vacation away from Fitzgerald. At the party, Fitzgerald chooses a guest—a heavy-set woman named Marge Moore—in order to demonstrate the piano's effects. Marge admits to really wanting to be as light, graceful and ethereal as a snowflake as she moves with surprising delicacy whilst in the trance.
Fitzgerald then announces he's going to reveal the devil himself and inserts a new roll into the piano, but Esther swaps it for a different one. When the music (a lullaby) plays, everyone looks to see who will be affected. Fitzgerald reveals himself to be nothing more than a frightened and sadistic child who is jealous of others around him. He admits to writing bad reviews for Greg's play because he is jealous of his talent. He also admits to Esther that the reason he treats her so terribly is because he cannot understand and accept love. Disturbed, the guests suddenly depart; Gregory and Esther leave together.
A rejected Fitzgerald throws a tantrum and ruins the piano roll by pulling it out and ripping it up. Finally, Marvin walks in and finds Fitzgerald in the middle of his tirade. Fitzgerald asks Marvin not to laugh at him, to which he replies; 'I'm not laughing. You're not funny anymore'.
[edit] References
- Zicree, Marc Scott. The Twilight Zone Companion, Bantam Books, 1982. ISBN 0-553-01416-1
- DeVoe, Bill. (2008). Trivia from The Twilight Zone. Albany, GA: Bear Manor Media. ISBN 978-1-59393-136-0
- Grams, Martin. (2008). The Twilight Zone: Unlocking the Door to a Television Classic. Churchville, MD: OTR Publishing. ISBN 978-0-9703310-9-0
