Mr. Dingle, The Strong - Twilight-Tober Zone

[@ChannelAwesome]

What are your thoughts on Mr. Dingle, The Strong? Watch more Twilight-Tober Zone here - bit.ly/TwilightToberZone Follow Walter on Twitter - twitter.com/Awesome_Walter Follow us on Twitch - www.twitch.tv/channelawesome

[@trinaq]

While it was grand overall, the best things about it were Burgess Meredith and the two child aliens.

[@melissacooper4282]

Not really one of my favorites but Burgess Meredith was really funny in this.

[@ThePkmnYPerson]

I enjoyed it.

[@jamesgarrett8833]

It not one of my favorite episodes, but holds a place in my heart because this was the very first episode I saw of The Twilight Zone. Now it was not my introduction to TZ, that was the theatrical movie from the 80s

[@DasKame]

This for me was one of the worst Episodes: Very Forgettable, just slightly Funny and not interesting at all

[@philipportelli7700]

Mister Dingle would use his newfound intelligence to move to Gotham City as the Penguin. The Venusians would take away their gift but he always thought he was still that smart!

[@trinaq]

Oh yes, I'd forgotten that Meredith was also the Penguin! 🐧😂

[@RFEM520]

Then when things got too hot in Gotham Dingle changed his name to Micky Goldmill and found a decent career in boxing.

[@shaider1982]

He would then escape the law and coach some boxer named Rocky.

[@NostalgicGamerRickOShay]

I thought he fled to Gotham City because he was an Obsolete Man.

[@lucere3674]

Am I the only one that enjoys the comedic episodes? While far from being the best episodes I find them to be fun and a nice palate cleanser while I'm doing a new year's marathon of the show.

[@teresasevy1563]

I love the comedic episodes! Not everything has to be a serious comment of the times. It's ok to just be entertaining. It gives a breather between the serious stuff.

[@nitorishogiplayer3465]

Penny for your Thoughts surprised me with its comedic take and I really enjoyed that episode.

[@RetroRobotRadio]

Not every episode has to be a thought-provoking masterpiece. Some can just be entertaining. This was just that. Burgess Meredith is excellent at comedy.

[@Crox101]

Exactly, if each episode was thought-provoking it would get old quickly

[@JoseMorales-lw5nt]

I always appreciated the humor behind the character's name. Obviously, Dingle is a takeoff on the adult term DINGLEBERRY! Essentially, the meek, timid Mr. Dingle was jokingly a little s**t!

[@teresasevy1563]

Thank you!

[@careforjusticealways]

@@Crox101hard disagree. if you look at the messages of each show hard enough , you’ll see the depth of Rod’s work is distributed throughout each episode even the comedic ones. He was a great writer

[@mst3KGf]

This does have a few jokes that work, like Serling's opening monologue where he mentions Dingle's volume of business is "roughly that of a valet at a hobo convention." Or later when Dingle explains the only sale he made last month was a vacuum cleaner attachment he sold to a drunk who thought it was a divining rod.

[@NostalgicGamerRickOShay]

And how he missed the caboose on the gravy train.

[@labyfan1313]

A devining rod for alcohol. lol

[@ronaldeliascorderocalles]

This episode is definitely bizarre, but I can't lie: I kinda like it.

[@trinaq]

Indeed, it's goofy, but still entertaining. It reminds me of "Can of Worms", a Disney DCOM which is definitely bizarre compared to other installments!

[@michaeldebellis4202]

I agree. One thing I like is that in spite of the cheesy special effects the aliens actually look alien. So many shows, even Star Trek which I’m a big fan of, settle for humans with weird ears or foreheads.

[@Merit2397]

While I don't really care for Dingle, I can see how someone would get a kick out of this episode for its strength effects and the look of the aliens.

[@wstine79]

Burgess Meredith is the gold standard of Twilight Zone actors.

[@trinaq]

Indeed, he always brought a strong performance to any episode he was a part of.

[@Galantski]

Yes, for me, he and Jack Klugman share the honor. Meredith can do no wrong in _TZ._ Even in this clunker of an episode, he shines through.

[@Merit2397]

He's one of them.

[@AlanCS1104]

Seeing the kids have adult male voices reminds me of the unaired Star Trek TOS pilot, “The Cage” where they had the women who played the aliens who kidnapped Pike speak with male voices.

[@FlinxWeasel]

My word, Burgess is even chewing that cigar at the end like Penguin's cigarette holder.

[@claytonrios1]

To me Rod Serling works best as a mystery or thriller writer rather than a comedy writer. He's had some good comedy episodes but I often see them as the lesser installments of the series.

[@trinaq]

Agreed, his comedy stories are honourable attempts, but not as memorable as his dramatic fares!

[@mst3KGf]

The best comedic "TZ" episodes tend to be written by other writers than Rod. "A Penny For Your Thoughts", for example (George Clayton Johnson did that one). Or "A World of his Own", since that was Richard Matheson. Or anything by Charles Beaumont, because he had a delightfully dark sense of humor.

[@ericjanssen394]

A few of Rod's comedy episodes, like "The Whole Truth", may have come out of his attempt to spin "Mr. Bevis" into an entire TV sitcom, as he tried again with "Cavender is Coming"-- In other episodes of the sitcom, wackiness would ensue when the guardian angel tried to improve Bevis's life with more wishes gone wrong, and this one feels like it MIGHT have been another salvaged storyline.

[@theterbear9915]

I actually liked this episode. It's good to be light hearted every once in a while.

[@paulbaresel6784]

I used to show these every Friday in my 9/10th grade English classes. I was surprised how much 15-16 year old kids, especially the boys, enjoyed these old Twilight Zone episodes.

[@legorocketraccoon8297]

This is actually one of my favorite episodes, probably not top 5 or even 10 but it's still up there. I don't know why but I just really like this one and find it extremely memorable.

[@ianr.navahuber2195]

In hindsight, the episode being comedic is not what makes the episode fail a little. If anything can see the episode working if it was more focused in Mr. Dingle at first claiming "if he had the talents and strenghts other use to belittle him, he would be a better person", only to later see him wasting them, but getting a second chance at doing something thanks to the Venus aliens giving him intelligence

[@SuperSongbird21]

This premise sounds almost like the pilot for a superhero show - the aliens could add a proviso to their gift (maybe give Dingle a sidekick character and they each get one of the abilities) where they basically say "You were given this to help your kind progress, if you use it for petty things we'll remove it" and thus Dingle spends the whole series resisting the temptation to use his power solely for his own benefit; for example "Hey, lifting my car out of that ditch wasn't petty - I need to get to the next town to help a buddy move house!"

[@NostalgicGamerRickOShay]

The POINT of this "pointless" episode is that the man is given a gift that many of us dream of having, and instead of using it for something good, something useful, he WASTES it.

[@amandaparsons6650]

It's not one of the best episodes, but this one holds special place in my heart. All the Burgess Meredith episodes do.

[@tskmaster3837]

Nah, this is one of my favorites. If you can't have fun with this show every now and then, you must be a Dingleberry.

[@walterpetersen776]

Or Dingleberg

[@Brenda-cg1px]

I love this episode. Then again, I tend to be more forgiving of comedic TZ episodes than most. At the end of the day, I just enjoy the goofiness and something about them is kind of charming to me. Plus, Burgess Meredith and James Millhollin are always a treat to watch.

[@cdorman11]

Getting the name right of a marginal character really adds something. Dingle is like Dilbert--automatically conveys to the viewer that this is not a dominating figure.

[@andrewgallup2129]

Every episode with Burgess Meridith is worth watching at least once. From Mice of Men to the movie Tall Tale, every part he played is gold.

[@Whatsdogpee]

When Walt said, "weak, cowardly" the phrase/song "a superstitious cowardly loooooooot" began playing in my head.

[@davidjohnson8231]

They made a song out of Batman comic dialogue?

[@-thesalemcrow-5941]

"Cause Micky loves you"

[@davidjohnson8231]

This is actually....one of my favorite episodes

[@yukimikasaki9705]

This episode may never rank with even "Will the Real Martian Stand Up?", or "A World Of His Own", but it puts far more forgettable TZ comedy clinkers like "The Mighty Casey", and the second worst of them all, "The Whole Truth" further into the fortnight of shame. Again, we see the versatility of Burgess Meredith, and great comic support from "Mr. Mischief" Don Rickles. The two hit the slapstick comedy off not unlike The Three Stooges. Then, the special strongman effects by Virgil Beck, who would front the special effects later on "My Favorite Martian", and shortly after this episode "The Prime Mover" with Bloody Ebsen this time in the role of a hapless second banana enlightening us with HIS telekinetic magical powers. Further, Luther Dingle, like James B.W. Bevis, and a succession of others, was Serling's creative, and fascinating expertise; the urban loser continuously thrashed hard by the world. The short story appeared in "More Stories From The Twilight Zone". Curiously, Don Rickles was given a character surname (Kransky) in the prose short story, but not in the production episode. He may have been more of an antagonist than his friend Callahan, but Callahan looked the more vicious of the two. Maybe no one should be accused of not knowing what's GOOD when it comes to "Mr. Dingle, The Strong", but I found it more of an entertainment quotient as I said before than ANY of Serling's previous dud comedies, especially "The Whole Truth". AND, the worst was yet to come later with Carol Burnett "Cavender Is Coming".

[@ChrisOnStage2]

You couldn't be MORE wrong on this one! This episode was hilarious and fun!! One of my favorites!!

[@careforjusticealways]

i know this comment is 2 years old but i agree! I thought it was hilarious how the martians were fed up with Mr Dingle because he didn’t use his new power in order to better the world💀💀

[@SunnysFilms]

Got to say, this is the first time I've fully disagreed with your thoughts on an episode. I really love this one. I actually do appreciate the more comedic Twilight Zone episodes, especially because TZ DID challenge its audience. Episodes like this one are, to me, like lighter filler episodes in a heavy show/anime. They allow their audience to recover from the heavier episodes before it and brace them for the heavier episodes after. That's not to say that TZ's more comedic episodes were always good, but they really did have their place in the series and I feel this is a better example of them. It's just something very remarkable happening to a very unremarkable person and the result of it all is - nothing. Absolutely nothing changes for him. And I find that hilarious and poignant. If I had any complaint regarding this episode, it's that people so easily decide that Dingle is faking at the end. If he really were faking, wouldn't it stand to reason that he'd only attempt feats he knew he could fake? So why would he suddenly tackle a feat he knew would fail? I know you could argue that the people around him weren't smart enough to come to that conclusion themselves, but it still always bothered me. Call it a nitpick. Still loving all your videos in this series!

[@nitorishogiplayer3465]

I did wonder about them calling him a fake at seeing him fail too.

[@careforjusticealways]

it was so hilarious how the aliens took back his power because they were upset with him using his power for uselessness😂😂☠️. I genuinely enjoyed how funny this episode was, LOL!!

[@humps678]

@@careforjusticealways It's a good homage to the phrase, "With great power comes great responsibility"

[@sarahakm]

The scene I always remember is when he tears a phonebook in half.

[@theflyingbadger8999]

I love this entire series, but I feel like you skipped over the (to me) funniest implication - that all the aliens out there know each other, are friendly to each other, and all using Earthlings for experiments in a very "it's a job" manner.

[@KyleRobots]

Didn't come in hear expecting this review of Mr Dingle, the Strong. Yeah, it's goofy, but there's a charm to it. Like said, the strength special effects are fun and well done. The funny episodes are worth it because it helps with the variety of stories they deliver and help keep it interesting. Am I getting a hard hitting drama? Am I getting a scifi examination of the real world? Am I getting a goofy comedy? Who knows!

[@barryon8706]

One of my favorite episodes. The two-headed alien(s) make a good point -- Dingle gets super-strength and just uses it for cheap stunts. And the audience has been enjoying it. It's social commentary that doesn't just point the finger at the viewer like a lot of episodes do, but actually baits the trap and makes it self-evident when the viewer's been caught.

[@ChrisCastellaniCLC]

I yelled "OMG! DON RICKLES" at my laptop screen! I forgot about this episode!

[@bassmickeyd]

In Jan 1961 I was 8 and I liked it because it was goofy and it proved the TZ could be all kinds of things in a world of 'much the same' TV. ... And the two 8 years old Martins, at the end, really was a plus.

[@jabbarmuhammad7529]

Another twilight zone favorite of mine

[@jessehcreative]

The title and Burgess Merideth are the only things I remember about this episode

[@Sawlon]

I like every episode of Twilight Zone!

[@RonSilver-j3r]

The being from Mars appears as an Extraterrestrial Hemophiliac with an enlarged Goiter situation and extra chromosome modified Spacialities ? !

[@tomious4257]

This is the first time I've seen love for this episode. Nice to see like-minded people

[@knottheory79220]

I always liked this one as a palette cleanser, it's just silly.

[@melissadahl7561]

I kind of wish they would have used intelligence as the power to begin with. I think it would have been much more interesting and would have given it more of a TZ feel.

[@truerandomness]

I literally watched this episode the day before this video came out.

[@mysticranger6894]

He could use his 500 times intellegence to get his strenght back

[@feathero3]

And discover the aliens that gave it to him and reveal them to the public.

[@DogOfHades]

Don Rickles has been old for 60 years. He died only a few years ago.

[@KeepThoseEyesOpen]

I love this ep, the characters and story are cheesy and charming. I don’t see how anyone can not adore it.

[@theyoutubeanalyst3731]

I thought the story would explore how a person can get corrupted by power, it ended up going nowhere.

[@skarloey1214]

Great Video Walter.

[@barackmycat9448]

Some episodes are just fun and even Rod himself implies this in his introductions. imo

[@darthstarkiller1912]

I grew up with Burgess Meredith as Puff the Magic Dragon from the '70s cartoon. Would love to see you do a review of those specials.

[@magicamadeye]

today i learned...that he was the voice of puff...did not know that actually...says the 24 year old

[@JoshuaRastia]

I remember the first time I saw this episode and the camera suddenly pans to reveal the giant two headed alien, it broke me so bad and I couldn’t stop laughing 🤣 do love this episode and Burgess Meredith is always great!

[@carealoo744]

Perfect thumbnail

[@chrisazylum6624]

Think I remember watching this episode! Next time yet another videotape episode!

[@jlev1028]

Wait, the aliens took the man's superstrength away because he was using it for trivial purposes? What did they expect? That a man who's been constantly bullied would use his powers for infrastructure projects?

[@MandleRoss]

They wanted him to lift up his fellow man, and that is exactly what he did! Damn hypocrite aliens!

[@robo-nidai4236]

I feel like the main problem with a lot of the more comedic episodes is that they tended to be episodes where not a lot happens. You could have easily cut them down to half length and still have the same effect.

[@dantedingle3505]

Good name!

[@Chkhitoooo]

1:02 That camera though 😂

[@datmeme8967]

You missed the John Hamm cameo as "right Martian head". He's a lot older than people think.

[@covcova]

3:32 “Michael Fox (no, no that one)” Fun fact. Actor Michael Fox is the reason Michael J Fox uses the middle initial “J”, to distinguish himself. Actually , Michael J Fox’s middle initial is “Andrew”, but he thought that “Michael A Fox” didn’t sound right

[@petergray7576]

Next Episode: S2E20 Static. A very rare use of an Academy Award winner (Dean Jagger) in a TZ episode. Remaining Twilight-tober 2021 schedule: S2E21: The Prime Mover (Buddy Ebsen) S2E22: Long Distance Call (Billy Mumy!) S2E23: A Hundred Yards Over the Rim S2E24: The Rip van Winkle Caper S2E25: The Silence And last but not least S2E26: Shadow Play (the greatest mind f*** in TZ? And it stars Dennis Weaver!)

[@jill5045]

❤️🍀♾🙏archetype stories are my favorite lessons that lead to blessings🦋🕊💋

[@ivane5110]

I'd have loved to have seen an episode (or even comic) showing these aliens (done seriously) in a story with the To Serve Man aliens and some of the other Zone ones. Though if done now I doubt it'd have the charm.

[@ericjanssen394]

Don Rickles was a good actor when he had to be (check out Roger Corman's "X: the Man with the X-Ray Eyes"), but his short disk commentary strangely cuts and runs the minute the aliens step into the bar at the beginning--"Okay, that's it, I'm not talking about Martians..."

[@JohnnyFiction]

I usually agree with your takes, but this one I have to disagree. This was one of my favorite episodes from that series, and while it wasn't top tier, I kinda feel you were a bit too harsh on it.

[@gingaddict]

I want to point out when I watched this episode for the first time and saw the Martians, I instantly jumped back and said 'WHAT?!' - they just came out of nowhere!

[@Nasser851000]

Mr DIngle must get all the ladies if he's that strong ;)

[@humanimalhedgehog123]

I love how this episode starts out if you go into it blind Just a bunch of people arguing about something and than BAM 2 HEADED ALIEN!

[@Unownshipper]

2:16 Sadly I've got to agree with Walter here, there's not much to this episode except for some visual spectacle. The design for the alien is somewhat iconic, but that's not entirely a good thing; classic series Dr. Who is looking at this guy and saying, "Yeah, we can do better." I could be wrong, but I don't think the Twilight Zone ever went *this* out-there with the design for their aliens again. Even the one from "To Serve Man" seems comparatively more subdued in my opinion. I didn't even realize that was Don Rickles, although I did think there was a familiar quality to him. As for the plot, the idea of hyper advanced beings using humans for casual experiments and not caring about the mess they make of their subjects' lives is potentially a profound and horrifying theme. To bad that's not what this episode is going for in the slightest. I really does seem like a missed opportunity, but at the same time, there's nothing objectively bad about the episode. Just a bit of a waste. I'd put this low on my tier list of Twilight Zone episodes, I'd probably call this a skip.

[@Shyradder]

The best of the comedy episodes, the venus aliens had me laughing the hardest I have all year, I would say highly enjoyable just don't go in if you're looking for anything profound

[@Marinanor]

The Obselete Man is my favorite.

[@hayleybartek8643]

I almost feel for the man that all these aliens use him for their kicks.

[@OtakuSparrow]

Reminds me of the more goofy X-Files episodes. People tend to hate them, but I love them.

[@kuitaranheatmorus9932]

Lovely video

[@jamesgarrett8833]

Rod Sterling really shines as a mystery, suspenseful and horror writer, but when it comes to comedy his writing skills hit a curb. I get why Rod made some comedy episodes it was to entertainment the audience with happiness, make something uplifting, don’t always depress and sickness the audience with dark, scary & curl endings

[@SnowdropHill]

I actually agree with you on this one! It gave me a few chuckles, but was pretty predictable and unsatisfactory otherwise.

[@penguincommunity6218]

Those were actually real aliens - and the reimbursement for mileage was astronomical.

[@mrmcdingle9832]

Yeah, who would ever name somebody “Dingle”?

[@williamswonderland3636]

Today is my birthday 🎁🎉

[@trinaq]

Happy Birthday, hope that you enjoy this episode! 💖

[@williamswonderland3636]

@@trinaq thanks

[@julieporter7805]

The aliens look cheesy IMO but I think it adds to the overall comedy of the episode. Interestingly enough, there is a link between Michael Fox and the other one. When Michael J. Tried to join the SAG he found that there was another actor billed with the name Michael Fox so he chose J. As a middle initial as an homage to Michael J. Pollard.

[@andrewhaynes5833]

This is hands down my favorite episode of the series.

[@maldon3659]

This is how Mickey Goldmill went on to train Rocky Balboa

[@davidnottennant1161]

This was by far the weirdest episode I watched when I binged the show!

[@adamantium4797]

Funny fun little episode

[@kali3665]

At the end, when the Venusians show up and I hear their line about making Dingle 500 times more intelligent than the average human, I always add a riff that it would only require one-tenth power.... 🤣 While this episode was fun (especially when Don Rickles is on screen), it is definitely the least of the four Burgess Meredith did. Which I suspect is why Rod brought him back at the end of this season for "The Obsolete Man" -- a far better story and the only time TZ would have a starring actor do a second episode within the same season. Appropriate compensation.

[@daviatorcustoms3168]

Yeah, gotta agree, this was not only the worst of Burgess Meredith's episodes, it's one of the worst overall of the series. For me, worst to best episodes with Meredith are this one, Printer's Devil, Time Enough, At Last and The Obsolete Man. As a total package, The Obsolete Man stands as one of the greatest achievements in all of television history. You can watch it dozens of times and find new things to rave about every single time.

[@johnhaladay5541]

I totally disagree. This episode was a fine installment. No, it's not up there with The Obsolete Man, Nick of Time, Deaths' Head Revisited, The Hitchhiker, or The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street, but it doesn't have to be. Usually, Serling's comedic episodes were dreadful, but this one worked quite well.

[@melissacooper4282]

While it's not one of my favorite episodes I thought that Burgess Meredith was really funny in this one!

[@desiv1170]

Someone who says "You might get a kick out of it, but don't kick too hard. You might boot yourself right into The Twilight Zone" is not someone who should be complaining about things that are goofy... Just saying...

[@elpizo1789]

It think there was a Donald Duck comic by Vicar with this premise.

[@thunderdeed1]

They would probably have kept trying until the fuel ran out and then they would have had to land in whatever time they were in and try to survive.

[@the-NightStar]

Man, you are just VERY unfairly harsh to some of these episodes.

[@CrossJeniel]

Cool

[@Vejur9000]

Good lord how you nitpick....

[@Nasser851000]

Is there a twilight zone episode with zombies?

[@josephlosinno2456]

Technically Mr Garrity and the Graves from season 5

[@wjzav1971]

It would be fun if Dingle with his newfound intelligence would immediately figure out that it was given to him by an outside force

[@TheCreepypro]

a fun episode even if it is not intellectually challenging

[@qxillanote9952]

Yo

[@seanromine3932]

They can't all be winners but even then, it is a good reminder that these people were writers as a profession and not everything is going to be great. Look at Stephen King, absolutely prolific writer. Not all great. The fact is that sometimes you have a dumb idea and just have to run with it, hope that the next one will be better. As far as saying that it was a waste of Meredith, not really. Maybe he got a kick out of it. Maybe he just did it for the paycheck. Sometimes you work with people that interest you more out of a personal favor, genuine desire to or because the script or pay is that good. Hopefully, he got several of those out of this. One of my favorite times Meredith appeared in one of Rod's works was an episode of night gallery where he was a retired-forcefully-doctor. Operated drunk on a little girl leading to her death. Now just a bum in an alley with a drinking buddy. Doctor's bag from the future drops into their laps, reminds him of how he could heal. Doesn't end on a positive note, but enough said. Oh, the printer's devil was also arguably my favorite twilight zone appearance of Meridith. I just find it more interesting that they would allow this episode to go over budget and it wasn't one of the shot on video episodes. Been a perfect script for it, lower quality, lower quality picture. Reserve the better quality filming schedule for a better episode.

[@lowrider993]

Yeah I didn't expect this one to be comedic when I first saw it, I kinda prefer the scarier, creepier episodes of the twilight zone

[@tremorsfan]

Interestingly, Michael J Fox added the J so that he wouldn't be confused with Michael Fox.

[@CaptainCJ97]

Two headed alien? Neet