To Serve Man (The Twilight Zone)

"**To Serve Man**"
"To Serve Man"
The Twilight Zone episode
	Susan Cummings and Richard Kiel
Episode no.	Season 3; Episode 24
Directed by	Richard L. Bare
Teleplay by	Rod Serling
Based on	"To Serve Man"; by Damon Knight
Featured music	Stock (from Jerry Goldsmith's scores for "Back There" and "The Invaders")
Production code	4807
Original air date	March 2, 1962
Guest appearances
	Lloyd Bochner; Richard Kiel; Susan Cummings; Joseph Ruskin; Hardie Albright; Theodore Marcuse; Bartlett Robinson; Carleton Young; Nelson Olmsted; Robert Tafur; Lomax Study; Jerry Fujikawa;
Episode chronology
← Previous; "The Last Rites of Jeff Myrtlebank"	Next →; "The Fugitive"
	The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series) (season 3)
	List of episodes

"To Serve Man" is the 24th episode of the third season of the anthology series The Twilight Zone, and the 89th overall. It originally aired on March 2, 1962, on CBS.^[1] Based on Damon Knight's 1950 short story of the same title, the episode was written by Rod Serling and directed by Richard L. Bare.^[2]^[3] It is considered one of the best episodes from the series, particularly for its final twist.

Opening narration

Respectfully submitted for your perusal — a Kanamit. Height: a little over nine feet. Weight: in the neighborhood of three hundred and fifty pounds. Origin: unknown. Motives? Therein hangs the tale, for in just a moment, we're going to ask you to shake hands, figuratively, with a Christopher Columbus from another galaxy and another time. This is the Twilight Zone.

Plot

A man named Michael Chambers lies on a cot in an otherwise empty, locked room. A voice offers him a meal, delivered through a small aperture in the wall, which he grimly refuses.

The setting changes to several months earlier, on Earth. The Kanamits, a race of 9-foot-tall (2.7 m) aliens, land on Earth as the planet is beset by international crises. As the Secretary-General of the United Nations announces the landing at a news conference, one of the aliens arrives and addresses the assembled delegates and journalists using an artificially created voice. He states that his race's motive in coming to Earth is to provide humanitarian aid by sharing their advanced technology that can easily and inexpensively solve all energy and food shortages and prevent international warfare. After answering questions, the Kanamit departs without comment and leaves behind a book in his language; Chambers, a cryptographer working for the United States government, is pressed into service to decipher it.

International leaders express wariness of the Kanamits' uninvited arrival on Earth, but start to believe their claims of benevolence upon seeing their advanced technology at work. Patty, a member of Chambers' staff, translates the title of the book as To Serve Man, further bolstering public trust in the Kanamits. One member of the race submits to polygraph-monitored interrogation and is determined to be telling the truth.

The Kanamits deliver on their promise to turn the world into a Utopia, transforming barren deserts into blooming fields, and each nation is given an impenetrable force field that leads to the virtual disbandment of all militaries. Humans soon begin volunteering to travel to the Kanamits' home planet, which is described as a paradise, and the Kanamits set up embassies in every country on Earth and weigh all passengers boarding their ships. Even though Chambers' staff no longer have any real work to do, due to worldwide declarations of peace and the dissolution of the United States Armed Forces, Patty continues her efforts to decode the Kanamits' book, while Chambers decides to simply enjoy the newfound paradise and signs up for his own trip to the Kanamits' planet.

Some time later, as Chambers is boarding a Kanamit ship, Patty pushes through the waiting line and shouts for him not to go. She has successfully translated To Serve Man and discovered that it is not a book about humanitarian aid, but a cookbook. Chambers tries to flee, but a guard forces him onto the ship and closes the hatch so it can lift off.

In the present, Chambers angrily throws another meal across the room when it is offered to him. A Kanamit picks up the food and encourages him to eat so that he will not lose weight. Chambers addresses the viewers directly to ask whether they have left Earth yet and remarking that the Kanamits will eventually cook and eat all of humanity. He then begins to eat his dinner, ending his hunger strike and thus surrendering to the Kanamits.

Closing narration

The recollections of one Michael Chambers, with appropriate flashbacks and soliloquy. Or, more simply stated, the evolution of man. The cycle of going from dust to dessert. The metamorphosis from being the ruler of a planet to an ingredient in someone's soup. It's tonight's bill of fare from the Twilight Zone.

Cast

Lloyd Bochner as Michael Chambers
Richard Kiel as the Kanamits (all of whom appear alike)
Susan Cummings as Patty
Joseph Ruskin as Kanamit voice (uncredited)
Hardie Albright as Secretary General
Theodore Marcuse as Citizen Gregori
Bartlett Robinson as Colonel #1
Carleton Young as Colonel #2 (credited as Carlton Young)
Nelson Olmsted as Scientist
Robert Tafur as Senor Valdes
Lomax Study as Leveque
Jerry Fujikawa as Japanese Delegate (credited as J.H. Fujikawa)

Production

The arriving Kanamit ship is shown as scenes extracted from The Day the Earth Stood Still, but with different sound; the departing Kanamit ship is shown as a scene extracted from Earth vs. the Flying Saucers, also with different sound.

Critical response

TV Guide ranked the episode at number 11 on its list of the "100 Greatest Episodes of All Time"^[4] and ranked the ending as the "Greatest Twist of All Time".^[5] Time listed the episode among the "Top 10 Twilight Zone Episodes".^[6] Rolling Stone named the episode first on its list of the "25 Best Twilight Zone Episodes".^[7]

Cultural influence

The episode is occasionally referenced in popular culture, usually with the line "It's a cookbook!" or some variation thereof.^[8]^[9] References or parodies can be found in such television series as Futurama, The Simpsons,^[10]^[11] and Buffy the Vampire Slayer; movies such as The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear, and Madagascar (The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear featured a tongue-in-cheek cameo by Lloyd Bochner, who played Michael Chambers in the TZ episode);^[12]^[8] the comic strip Mark Trail;^[13] and musical works by artists Nuclear Assault, Cattle Decapitation, Mono Puff, and El-P. A reference to the episode has even found its way into an unofficial emblem for a United States Air Force unit.^[14]

Sequel

The 2020 Twilight Zone final episode "You Might Also Like" by Oz Perkins serves as a thematic sequel to "To Serve Man", featuring the Kanamits, who are still learning about Earth's culture to plot further evil.^[15]

References

^ Hunter, Rob (October 22, 2011). "Exploring The Twilight Zone #89: To Serve Man". Film School Rejects. Archived from the original on October 24, 2018. The Twilight Zone (Episode #89): "To Serve Man" (airdate March 2, 1962)
^ Belasco, Warren James (2006). Meals to come: a history of the future of food. University of California Press. pp. 130, 358. ISBN 0-520-24151-7.
^ To Serve Man at Rotten Tomatoes
^ TV Guide Guide to TV. Barnes & Noble. 2004. p. 667. ISBN 0-7607-5634-1.
^ Roush, Matt (November 4–10, 2013). "Eyes on Surprise! The 60 Most Startling Twists of All Time". TV Guide Magazine. 61 (3187). TV Guide: 22–23.
^ Cruz, Gilbert (October 2, 2009). "Top 10 Twilight Zone Episodes". Time Inc. Archived from the original on March 1, 2013. Retrieved March 6, 2013.
^ Fear, David; Collins, Sean T.; Martoccio, Angie (April 1, 2019). "25 Best 'Twilight Zone' Episodes". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 5, 2019. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
^ ^a ^b Guerrasio, Jason (December 30, 2014). "The 10 Most Shocking Episodes of The Twilight Zone". Esquire. Archived from the original on July 4, 2017.
^ Muir, John Kenneth (March 14, 2014). "Reflections on Cult Movies and Classic TV". Reflections on Film and Television. Archived from the original on April 28, 2017.
^ Booker, M. Keith (2006). Drawn to television. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 117. ISBN 978-0-275-99019-0. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
^ Booker, M. Keith (2006). Drawn to television. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 67–68. ISBN 978-0-275-99019-0. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
^ Duffin, Allan T.; Matheis, Paul (2005). The 12 O'Clock High Logbook: The Unofficial History of the Novel, Motion Picture, and TV Series. BearManor Media. p. 236. ISBN 9781593930332. Retrieved November 7, 2020.
^ Allen, James (April 19, 2018). "Mark Trail". Comics Kingdom. Archived from the original on October 24, 2018.
^ Broad, William J. (April 1, 2008). "Inside the black budget". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 3, 2017. Retrieved February 23, 2017.
^ Murray, Noel (June 27, 2020). "The Twilight Zone's "To Serve Man" sequel cautions about consumerism". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on October 25, 2021. Retrieved October 24, 2021.

External links

"To Serve Man" at IMDb
To Serve Man at Rotten Tomatoes

[1] Hunter, Rob (October 22, 2011). "Exploring The Twilight Zone #89: To Serve Man". Film School Rejects. Archived from the original on October 24, 2018. The Twilight Zone (Episode #89): "To Serve Man" (airdate March 2, 1962)

[2] Belasco, Warren James (2006). Meals to come: a history of the future of food. University of California Press. pp. 130, 358. ISBN 0-520-24151-7.

[3] To Serve Man at Rotten Tomatoes

[4] TV Guide Guide to TV. Barnes & Noble. 2004. p. 667. ISBN 0-7607-5634-1.

[5] Roush, Matt (November 4–10, 2013). "Eyes on Surprise! The 60 Most Startling Twists of All Time". TV Guide Magazine. 61 (3187). TV Guide: 22–23.

[6] Cruz, Gilbert (October 2, 2009). "Top 10 Twilight Zone Episodes". Time Inc. Archived from the original on March 1, 2013. Retrieved March 6, 2013.

[7] Fear, David; Collins, Sean T.; Martoccio, Angie (April 1, 2019). "25 Best 'Twilight Zone' Episodes". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on April 5, 2019. Retrieved March 17, 2021.

[esquire-8] Guerrasio, Jason (December 30, 2014). "The 10 Most Shocking Episodes of The Twilight Zone". Esquire. Archived from the original on July 4, 2017.

[9] Muir, John Kenneth (March 14, 2014). "Reflections on Cult Movies and Classic TV". Reflections on Film and Television. Archived from the original on April 28, 2017.

[10] Booker, M. Keith (2006). Drawn to television. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 117. ISBN 978-0-275-99019-0. Retrieved November 7, 2020.

[Booker-11] Booker, M. Keith (2006). Drawn to television. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 67–68. ISBN 978-0-275-99019-0. Retrieved November 7, 2020.

[12] Duffin, Allan T.; Matheis, Paul (2005). The 12 O'Clock High Logbook: The Unofficial History of the Novel, Motion Picture, and TV Series. BearManor Media. p. 236. ISBN 9781593930332. Retrieved November 7, 2020.

[13] Allen, James (April 19, 2018). "Mark Trail". Comics Kingdom. Archived from the original on October 24, 2018.

[14] Broad, William J. (April 1, 2008). "Inside the black budget". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 3, 2017. Retrieved February 23, 2017.

[15] Murray, Noel (June 27, 2020). "The Twilight Zone's "To Serve Man" sequel cautions about consumerism". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on October 25, 2021. Retrieved October 24, 2021.

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v t e The Twilight Zone (1959) episodes
Season 1	"Where Is Everybody?" "One for the Angels" "Mr. Denton on Doomsday" "The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine" "Walking Distance" "Escape Clause" "The Lonely" "Time Enough at Last" "Perchance to Dream" "Judgment Night" "And When the Sky Was Opened" "What You Need" "The Four of Us Are Dying" "Third from the Sun" "I Shot an Arrow into the Air" "The Hitch-Hiker" "The Fever" "The Last Flight" "The Purple Testament" "Elegy" "Mirror Image" "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street" "A World of Difference" "Long Live Walter Jameson" "People Are Alike All Over" "Execution" "The Big Tall Wish" "A Nice Place to Visit" "Nightmare as a Child" "A Stop at Willoughby" "The Chaser" "A Passage for Trumpet" "Mr. Bevis" "The After Hours" "The Mighty Casey" "A World of His Own"
Season 2	"King Nine Will Not Return" "The Man in the Bottle" "Nervous Man in a Four Dollar Room" "A Thing About Machines" "The Howling Man" "Eye of the Beholder" "Nick of Time" "The Lateness of the Hour" "The Trouble with Templeton" "A Most Unusual Camera" "The Night of the Meek" "Dust" "Back There" "The Whole Truth" "The Invaders" "A Penny for Your Thoughts" "Twenty Two" "The Odyssey of Flight 33" "Mr. Dingle, the Strong" "Static" "The Prime Mover" "Long Distance Call" "A Hundred Yards Over the Rim" "The Rip Van Winkle Caper" "The Silence" "Shadow Play" "The Mind and the Matter" "Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?" "The Obsolete Man"
Season 3	"Two" "The Arrival" "The Shelter" "The Passersby" "A Game of Pool" "The Mirror" "The Grave" "It's a Good Life" "Deaths-Head Revisited" "The Midnight Sun" "Still Valley" "The Jungle" "Once Upon a Time" "Five Characters in Search of an Exit" "A Quality of Mercy" "Nothing in the Dark" "One More Pallbearer" "Dead Man's Shoes" "The Hunt" "Showdown with Rance McGrew" "Kick the Can" "A Piano in the House" "The Last Rites of Jeff Myrtlebank" "To Serve Man" "The Fugitive" "Little Girl Lost" "Person or Persons Unknown" "The Little People" "Four O'Clock" "Hocus-Pocus and Frisby" "The Trade-Ins" "The Gift" "The Dummy" "Young Man's Fancy" "I Sing the Body Electric" "Cavender Is Coming" "The Changing of the Guard"
Season 4	"In His Image" "The Thirty-Fathom Grave" "Valley of the Shadow" "He's Alive" "Mute" "Death Ship" "Jess-Belle" "Miniature" "Printer's Devil" "No Time Like the Past" "The Parallel" "I Dream of Genie" "The New Exhibit" "Of Late I Think of Cliffordville" "The Incredible World of Horace Ford" "On Thursday We Leave for Home" "Passage on the Lady Anne" "The Bard"
Season 5	"In Praise of Pip" "Steel" "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" "A Kind of a Stopwatch" "The Last Night of a Jockey" "Living Doll" "The Old Man in the Cave" "Uncle Simon" "Probe 7, Over and Out" "The 7th Is Made Up of Phantoms" "A Short Drink from a Certain Fountain" "Ninety Years Without Slumbering" "Ring-a-Ding Girl" "You Drive" "The Long Morrow" "The Self-Improvement of Salvadore Ross" "Number 12 Looks Just Like You" "Black Leather Jackets" "Night Call" "From Agnes—With Love" "Spur of the Moment" "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" "Queen of the Nile" "What's in the Box" "The Masks" "I Am the Night—Color Me Black" "Sounds and Silences" "Caesar and Me" "The Jeopardy Room" "Stopover in a Quiet Town" "The Encounter" "Mr. Garrity and the Graves" "The Brain Center at Whipple's" "Come Wander with Me" "The Fear" "The Bewitchin' Pool"

v t e Works directed by Richard L. Bare
Films	Smart Girls Don't Talk (1948) Flaxy Martin (1949) The House Across the Street (1949) Return of the Frontiersman (1950) This Side of the Law (1950) Shoot-Out at Medicine Bend (1957) Girl on the Run (1958) I Sailed to Tahiti with an All Girl Crew (1969) Wicked, Wicked (1973)
Film and television series	Joe McDoakes (1942–1956) So You Want to Learn to Dance (1953) The Twilight Zone "Third from the Sun" (1960) "The Purple Testament" (1960) "Nick of Time" (1960) "The Prime Mover" (1961) "To Serve Man" (1962) "The Fugitive" (1962) "What's in the Box" (1964) Green Acres (1965–1971)