The Twonky

This film scared me to death when I was a kid. I remember watching it on some Saturday morning scary feature show, on our old black and white TV, you know the ones... big rounded-corner screen, two knobs below. If you see the movie, that's what the alien/future thing looks like. And of course, I started seeing the "face" that was formed from that particular configuration of knobs and screen. To see it reviewed as a comedy is so far removed from my memories of this film, that it makes me want to see it again. I've always believed that my brother and I are the only two people who ever saw this film, or at least remembered it.

What an odd, odd little film. It's about a professor whose wife goes out of town and his TV set becomes possessed by a spirit of the future! I didn't understand much about the entire thing, but catch it if you can when it's on your local station.

Hans Conreid is one of my favorite character actors of all time, and here he is put to the test as a man whose wife has bought him a television to entertain him while she is away So many people don't get the point of this movie, and it really is quite simple considering the history of the time. This is in the infancy of television and the motion picture industry was suffering at the time because people found it was cheaper to stay at home for their entertainment. So what does the industry do? They hire Arch Oboler of radio fame to write a screenplay about an almost despotic TV set. It's pretty basic, and makes for a surreal and entertaining time. Think of "The Twilight Zone" with a sense of humor and you get "The Twonky Zone" basically. Just sit back and enjoy, and if smoke 'em if you got 'em. The Twonky will light it for you.

I agree, this movie scared me half to death when I saw it as a kid (probably around 8 or so).

I was surprised when I ran into it much later on IMDb, and it was billed as a comedy. Looking back through adult eyes, it was probably pretty funny, and I hope to see it again someday. But back then, the idea that a TV that looked just like our TV could be alive, was really scary, particularly since I was already having nightmares about the big speaker from my dad's hi-fi system chasing me around the room.

Maybe it will come out on DVD or VCD some day, and I can see it again.

Keeping in mind that the entire budget was probably more than Spielberg spends for lunch, this was not bad, especially for '52-53.

Somewhat different from Henry Kuttner's original story (where the twonky was a console radio set), I still really liked it. We just need to keep in mind the time it was made.

I've always liked Hans Conreid & thought he was a good pick for this role. It wouldn't have worked as a drama, but as a comedy -- great! As a long-time sci-fi & horror fan, I'm amazed that I had no idea this film existed until I stumbled across it on Turner Classic today.

Henry Kuttner, the short story author, also wrote the short story ("Mimsy Were the Borogoves") that was turned into the feeble "The Last Mimzy." For anyone who appreciates sci-fi from The Golden Age, it's well worth tracking down both of these. Kuttner died in his 30s of a heart attack, cheating us out of what should have been some great work.