Cold Reading (The Twilight Zone)
| "Cold Reading (The Twilight Zone)" |
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"Cold Reading" is the third and final segment of the eighteenth episode from the first season (1985–86) of the television series The Twilight Zone.
Opening narration
Return with us now to those thrilling days of yesteryear, where radio was king and the special effects were as big as your imagination. All recorded live in the studios of...the Twilight Zone.
Plot
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Milo Trent, an aspiring radio drama actor back in the 1930s, is invited as a last-minute replacement to a famous weekly show, Dick Noble, African Explorer. The show is a creation of famous writer Nelson Westbrook, who often does rewrites on the fly while in the studio with the actors. But, when Westbrook accidentally wishes for realistic special effects while holding an ancient voodoo artifact, he gets what he wanted—and more.
As the actors in the studio read out their lines, the exact things happen to them—first there is a storm inside the studio, then African tribesmen appear, followed by monkeys, parrots, rifles in the distance, etc. Realizing very well that their safety is in peril, Westbrook feverishly rewrites the show so nothing drastic happens, writing around a plane crash and an earthquake amongst other things.
With all hazards averted, the cast brings the show to an ending and everyone breathes a sigh of relief. The relief turns out to be rather premature, as the show host announces next week's episode: "Invaders from Mars". Westbrook, unable to stop the host, yells, "NOOOOOO!!" right before a flying saucer crashes into the soundstage.