She was able to pay him back with compound interest. He even complimented her on her retorts. All of his demands was essentially grownups playing a child's game, "Simon Says."
Indeed, "bovine crab"! I think _Lost in Space's_ Dr. Smith must have been a prize pupil at The Uncle Simon Academy for Inventive Insults. (Hmm, and maybe Smith inherited Simon's robot.)
I was 14 when this episode aired, and already a HUGE fan of "The Twilight Zone". Greatest t.v. show ever, and it's creator, Rod Serling, the best writer ever.
I used numerous of these insults on my new landlord after my lovable old landlord passed away and that old crow inherited the building. RIP Sir Cedric.
One of my three most favorite "Twilight Zone" episodes. The great writing is certainly matched by two great acting heavyweights - Sir Cedric Hardwicke and Constance Ford. I always felt she never got her due as a great actress.
"I'd like a cup of hot chocolate. I'd like it in the English bone china cup; And if it's not hot, I'll throw it on the floor!" Some of the my favorite lines from television history, as delivered by Sir Cedric, the master.
Cedric (Uncle Simon) Hardwicke was genius in this great episode of The Twilight Zone. Uncle Simon had a PHD in hurling insults at his niece (Constance Ford).
In my youth, my friends and I used to trade insults with each other, usually "Yo Mama" insults. Back then, we called it "bagging". Uncle Simon would've fit right in. Lol!
Her own greed kept her a prisoner in that house and to the robot. She could have walked any time, but that also would have meant giving up the house and the family fortune.
Why is she a horrible person for wanting money after visiting, living with, and taking care of her sick uncle for free!? She basically gave up her life to take care of him, and he's nothing but an in-grateful asshole. No wonder she wanted him to die, wouldn't you? Maybe it was written to be appealing to both types of people.. The Rich Old Uncle wanting nothing more out of life to abuse his caretaker, and a poor young woman who was probably just trying to do that right thing and is now stuck with that asshole. If she left, she'd be an even worse niece! This is some surprisingly complex shit.
Maybe it wasn't greed. Maybe Barbara had nowhere else to go? I actually feel sorry for her. Uncle Simon is an insulting jackass. Barbara isn't exactly a saint, but she's the typical abused caregiver.
No different with ANY job. People complain about low pay, work conditions, no personal days, not being able to form unions, etc, when they can just find another job..🤷♀️
Nope. The will also stipulated that she could NOT alter the robot's programming or mechanism in ANY form, other than what Simon "built" into him. As Rod noted at the end, "Barbara....discovered that all BAD things don't come to an end- and that once a bed is made, one should lie in it."
Constance Ford was a 15 year old model for Montgomery Ward catalogue and was on Another World, a soap opera, for over twenty-five years. Sir Cedric Hardwicke had a fifty year career. Of course, everybody remembers Robby the Robot from Forbidden Planet.
I’ll never forget that episode. When I was about 11(1978 - I’m an old dude now) I found out a kid I didn’t like had a mother named Barbara... He was done after I got finished using lines from Uncle Simon! This was back in the day when kids would gather in groups and use those “Your Mama” jokes on each other. Here is an old rap song that came out back in the day... ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-87A_XQCK6Ys.html
Such a good episode; and I only got acquainted with it once I got the set of dvd's. Had never seen this one on Nick at Nite, and missed it on the holiday marathons. What a delightful discovery this was, like finding some buried treasure. This is a super tale of a mad scientist and his frumpy flunky niece ... with a slew of delicious insults to boot (which were some of the greatest and most colorful ever written for television). And the twist, well, that's just something special. One of my favorite moments is the music cue when Barbara starts heaving things around (after saying she now intends to reap, and throws the drapes open, etc) ... it is so strong and stirring, and packed with emotion and power. The scene would be so diminished without that musical score. I've listened to the TZ radio drama of this episode, made in the early 2000's (there's a bunch of these audio dramas, fun adaptations to listen to during the commute, etc); but the voice actress they utilized sounds too advanced in age for the part, to be frank. Barbara needs to be at the age where she still has a chance to start over (if she has the means), where freedom from her rotten uncle would mean a chance at happiness. Anyway, this is a cool capsule of the episode. Now it's time for a nice cup of hot "cho-col-ate". 😉
Robbie also played Smiley, when he guest stared on an episode of The Addams Family! Gomez decided Lurch was over worked, and he, Fester, and Pugsley built him a robot assistant.
@@Sashazur I have never been able to figure out why they did that. I think The Addams family appearance was later, but had the complete original head. Back on an edit... I just googled it. Robbie the robot was in Twilight Zone four times. His final episode was 1964. His one appearance in The Adams Family was 1966. In that episode of The Addams Family, his head was complete and intact as it appeared in Forbidden Planet. I have no idea why they changed it for this episode of The Twilight Zone.
This is the definition of "reading" - Uncle Simon was wayyyy ahead of her...I mean his time. Fantastic, classy and intelligent reading. "keep your spindle-shanked carcass out of my laboratory, and your probing nose out of my business. " "So don't go mouthing your sweetnesses at me, you thin-lipped, toothpick-legged conniver. " READ!!!!!
Sir Cedric is probably best remembered for his performance in "The Ten Commandments", but he also appeared in the 1936 sci-fi film "Things To Come" and was a guest on "The Outer Limits".
As a child my mother explained how the most horrifying things you guys will dooo or say 😂,,, youuuuuuu guys are treacherous to each other,,, it has caused others to become this way in families,,, entirely,,, him and I would be calling each other horrifying names 😂 innocuously 😉 harmlessly
Another thing. I always thought this was the most poorly written episode of The Twilight Zone. Any first year graduate out of law School could have such an insane condition stricken from the will.
Smitters uncle Simon's old but non eldery lawyer was to inspect every on how Barbera was taking of his robot in order to not be disinherented it could eventually result Barbera going insane and wanting to throw away her uncle Simon's estate to the university once she tells Smitters
Cedric Hardwick was another renown actor from stage and screen with a long list of accomplishments, I wonder why he did these TV parts, could it have been to raise to money to pay back taxes? Oh well, at least new generation get to watch these and hopefully it peaks their interest enough to look him up online and learn more about this old characters and learn something about his accomplishments and look up other parts he played like the villain in The Hunchback Of Notre dame 1939.
Constance Ford also played the witch Mom in A Summer Place... in one scene she slaps her daughter played by Sandra Dee and Sandra has to grab on to a Christmas tree to break her fall...
When Robby guest starred on an episode of The Addams Family, they left the original inside in his glass dome head. I can't figure out why they made Robby look stupid in this one.
I don't think Barbera will be able to obey the robot impersonating her Uncle Simon forever and Smitter Uncle Simon old but non elderly lawyer visits every week to make sure Barbara is taking good care of the robot uncle Simon built
she got a lot of money right? so she should have hired someone to reprogram the robot or alter the voice box or find the f ing off switch until the guy comes to inspect .and she could have hired a maid to take care of it while she went about her day
Yes it is Robby the robot from the movie Forbidden Planet, except the face inside the plastic housing. Bet you didn't think you would see a reply to this comment 7 years later.
Episodes on Netflix. . .The robot was so hokey, like an oversized toy or something--it would have been more effective to the story..and creepy..to have him be more human-like in appearance
Kate Quinn You know this is from the 1960s and a 30 minute show, right? No CGI, no special effects for tv and not even that much for theatrical releases. You can’t compare the technology that exists now with something that did not exist at all back then.
