Twilight Zone episode review — 3.22 — A Piano in the House
Episode 3.22 “A Piano in the House”
Original air date: February 16, 1962
Writer: Earl Hamner, Jr.
Director: David Greene:
Rating: 7/10
Barry Morse (TV’s The Fugitive) plays a cruel and insensitive drama critic, Fitzgerald Fortune. He wants to buy a player piano from a curio shop as a birthday gift for his much younger wife, and when the grouchy owner of the store puts a roll of music in to play, he suddenly starts acting sweet and polite, and giving Fitzgerald a discount.
When he gives it to his wife Esther (Joan Hackett), he explains that this player piano will save her a bunch of time with lessons only to find that she’s not any good. When Fitzgerald puts a song on, their normally very serious butler, Marvin (Cyril Delavanti) cannot help but smile and enjoy himself. When the song ends, he’s back to normal.
His suspicions that the piano reveals people’s innermost thoughts are confirmed when his wife admits that she hates him while the piano plays.
Fitzgerald decides to use the piano at the birthday party to embarrass the guests. Before he can do that, however, he gets Gregory (Don Durant) to admit he had an affair with Esther while the piano plays.
Fitzgerald uses the piano to humiliate the overweight Marge (Muriel Landers), who dances to the amusement of everyone but Gregory and Esther.
Fitzgerald decides to go next, thinking he’ll shock his guests with his innermost thoughts. His wife switches out the song, though, so it plays something soft and sweet, and he breaks down and admits that he’s terrified of everything and everyone, and he treats Esther poorly because he is not mature enough to react to her in love.
The guests all leave, and Fitzgerald remains, broken. He tears apart the room and breaks the piano.
I like this episode. It’s a good example of The Twilight Zone issuing a commupance to a truly despicable character, but I admit there are a few things that aren’t too effective. It’s never properly established in the episode that the specific song played has an effect on what feelings will be shared. It wouldn’t seem as if Esther switching out the song would make any difference if the song is just to reveal someone’s innermost thoughts. In addition to that, I don’t think Fitzgerald is properly motivated to volunteer to share his innermost thoughts, considering he understands what the piano is capable of doing.
Rating: 7/10
