Jack Warden plays a convict named Corry in this futuristic episode of prison life in the middle of the 21st Century. He's imprisoned on a distant asteroid and his only contact with humans is when his supply spaceship lands every six months. Dying of loneliness and on the edge of insanity, Corry is about to lose all hope when the captain of the supply ship (John Dehner) drops off a mysterious large container and advises him to open it after they've departed. Corry does as he's instructed to do and when he opens the container he is startled beyond belief to find a robot in the guise of a beautiful woman (Jean Marsh before her "Upstairs, Downstairs" days). Strangely, Corry isn't happy nor enthralled with the present. He can't seem to accept the fact that this "scrap of metal" can offer friendship, companionship, and maybe love. He ostracizes "Alicia" and avoids her at all costs until he accidentally manhandles her and causes her some bodily injury. A teary-eyed Alicia convinces him that she has feelings too and Corry has a change of heart. Soon the two are inseparable and a budding romance takes shape---but not for long. Dehner and his men return to the asteroid and inform Corry that he's been given a pardon, but there's only room enough for him and five pounds of personal items on the spacecraft. Alicia, being merely a robot, is the odd one out in the equation. Corry angrily rebels against the idea of leaving his lover behind, but Dehner has the last word on the matter. He destroys the robot.
"The Lonely" examines quite a few prison issues in its twenty-two minutes of airtime (e.g. conjugal visits for prisoners, isolation policies). The asteroid itself is pictured as a cold lifeless expanse that could drive any prisoner into slow madness. The acting in this episode is high-quality. Warden is totally convincing as the inmate who's a half-step away from a straight-jacket. John Dehner, one of TV's better known character actors of the 1950's and 60's, handles his authoritative role with his usual skill. Ted Knight ("Ted Baxter" of the "Mary Tyler Moore" show) is around and very effective as one of Dehner's nastier crew members. Director Jack Smight does a fine job as well and went on to a prolific career in feature films ("The Illustrated Man", "Airport 75", "Harper" etc.). For an episode conceived in 1959, "The Lonely" was way ahead of its time in its subject matter and is certainly worth a look for any modern-day viewers.
"The Lonely" examines quite a few prison issues in its twenty-two minutes of airtime (e.g. conjugal visits for prisoners, isolation policies). The asteroid itself is pictured as a cold lifeless expanse that could drive any prisoner into slow madness. The acting in this episode is high-quality. Warden is totally convincing as the inmate who's a half-step away from a straight-jacket. John Dehner, one of TV's better known character actors of the 1950's and 60's, handles his authoritative role with his usual skill. Ted Knight ("Ted Baxter" of the "Mary Tyler Moore" show) is around and very effective as one of Dehner's nastier crew members. Director Jack Smight does a fine job as well and went on to a prolific career in feature films ("The Illustrated Man", "Airport 75", "Harper" etc.). For an episode conceived in 1959, "The Lonely" was way ahead of its time in its subject matter and is certainly worth a look for any modern-day viewers.