The Twilight Zone aired on CBS from 1959 to 1964 for five seasons, and though it was consistently good, it wasn’t safe from weak episodes and some truly bad ones. The season of The Twilight Zone widely considered as its worst is the fourth, and it doesn’t help its reputation that it’s home to the show’s worst episode: “The Bard.” Written by Rod Serling and directed by David Butler, “The Bard” aired in May 1963, and it received bad reviews from the very beginning.
One of the most notable things about The Twilight Zone is that it gave now-iconic actors some of their first roles, and “The Bard” has one of those cases. “The Bard” counted on the talent of a young Burt Reynolds, who, even though he had a small role in it, left a huge mark with his performance. Most notably, however, is that his performance was the beginning of his years-long feud with none other than Marlon Brando.
The Twilight Zone's “The Bard” Started The Reynolds vs Brando Feud
“The Bard” tells the story of Julius Moomer (Jack Weston), an incompetent screenwriter desperate for a sale after his scripts have gone unproduced for years. Julius learns of a new TV show and begs his agent to write the pilot episode. The show is about black magic, so Julius has to do some research. Julius comes across a book of black magic, through which he accidentally summons William Shakespeare (John Williams). As he was summoned through the book, Shakespeare is at the command of the conjurer and will provide them any service, which Julius definitely takes advantage of.
Julius uses Shakespeare to write the script, which is accepted by the producers. Shakespeare, annoyed at Julius taking all the credit, threatens to leave if Julius doesn’t do justice to his script. Shakespeare, then, attends a rehearsal, where he meets lead actor Rocky Rhodes (Reynolds). The way Rocky speaks, acts, and moves is an obvious parody of Marlon Brando, and it’s not a coincidence. According to the book The Twilight Zone Companion, the character was supposed to be a Brando parody, and Reynolds was cast due to their resemblance and impeccable impersonation of Brando.
This is widely considered the beginning of the feud between Reynolds and Brando, with Brando later calling Reynolds a narcissist and being reportedly annoyed at their physical similarities. Their feud grew to the point of creating tension and conflict during pre-production of The Godfather, as Reynolds was the top choice to play Sonny Corleone. However, Brando, who was already set to play Vito Corleone, reportedly threatened to drop out if Reynolds was cast, and so James Caan was cast instead.
Brando denied this and Reynolds claimed to have turned down the role, but their feud continued for many more years. Reynolds shared on different occasions that he couldn’t understand why Brando didn’t like him, that he never consciously imitated him nor tried to look like him, and he even grew a mustache to stop comparisons (and that, ultimately, became his signature look). The Brando-Reynolds feud is now a Hollywood legend, and it all started in The Twilight Zone.
Why “The Bard” Failed As A Twilight Zone Episode
“The Bard” gave the world one of the most legendary Hollywood feuds, but as a Twilight Zone episode, it totally failed. While “The Bard” does have sci-fi and fantasy elements like any other Twilight Zone episode, it doesn’t lean into these genres and, instead, tries too hard to be lighter and comedic – the problem is that it isn’t funny at all. The performances in “The Bard” are exaggerated and try too hard to be funny, and the ending is too ridiculous.
At the end of “The Bard”, Julius has to write a TV special on American history, so he summons various historical figures to assist him. Overall, the story of “The Bard” is too nonsensical and flat for a Twilight Zone episode, so it’s not surprising that it’s widely regarded as the show’s worst episode. However, “The Bard” can brag about making way for one of Hollywood’s biggest feuds.
Source: The Twilight Zone Companion.
Release Date
1959 - 1964-00-00
Showrunner
Rod Serling
Directors
John Brahm, Buzz Kulik, Douglas Heyes, Lamont Johnson, Richard L. Bare, James Sheldon, Richard Donner, Don Medford, Montgomery Pittman, Abner Biberman, Alan Crosland, Jr., Alvin Ganzer, Elliot Silverstein, Jack Smight, Joseph M. Newman, Ted Post, William Claxton, Jus Addiss, Mitchell Leisen, Perry Lafferty, Robert Florey, Robert Parrish, Ron Winston, Stuart Rosenberg
Writers
Charles Beaumont, Richard Matheson, Earl Hamner, Jr., George Clayton Johnson, Jerry Sohl, Henry Slesar, Martin Goldsmith, Anthony Wilson, Bernard C. Schoenfeld, Bill Idelson, E. Jack Neuman, Jerome Bixby, Jerry McNeely, John Collier, John Furia, Jr., John Tomerlin, Lucille Fletcher, Ray Bradbury, Reginald Rose, Sam Rolfe, Adele T. Strassfield
Image via MovieStillsDB
English (US) ·