The Twilight Zone (TV Series) The Little People (1962) User Reviews

Size Is Relative

[AaronCapenBanner · 8/10 · 29 October 2014]

Claude Akins plays Commander Fletcher, and Joe Maross plays Navigator Peter Craig, two astronauts who are forced to make an emergency landing on an unknown planet after their ship runs into trouble. Forced to make repairs, Craig is told to explore the area for supplies, and to determine if it is inhabited or not. Craig does find life, but the tiny kind, as it turns out a very small community of little people about 1/100th their size exist, and unethical Peter Craig decides to become their God, and doesn't much care if it's a loving or angry one... Far-fetched but memorable episode may be morally obvious, but it makes its point well, and Maross is quite a sight to see, especially at the surprise(?) ending.

"They've picked themselves a corker of a deity".

[classicsoncall · 8/10 · 6 June 2010]

There's an interesting play on words in the title here. Certainly "The Little People" pertains to the insect size inhabitants of a distant planet two U.S. astronauts find themselves stranded on. It can also refer to the way elitist politicians and wealthy businessmen look at the masses. As Peter Craig (Joe Maross) explains to his Commander William Fletcher (Claude Akins), in a monotheistic society, there can only be room for one god. All the rest, his inferior subjects, are the little people.

Rod Serling found the theme of tyranny versus liberty to be a particularly intriguing one. An earlier episode of Season III dealt with a banana republic dictator with the combined qualities of a Hitler and a Castro who similarly meant to protect his legitimacy (#3.6 - The Mirror). It seems to me though, that Craig had severe self esteem issues if he wanted to lord it over a race of people only visible under a magnifying glass. So severe that he passed on a trip back to Earth once the ship was repaired. Come on, really, how long would it take to go completely out of your mind with boredom? There's only so many statues you can have built to yourself before the novelty wears off.

Just as in the prior episode of the series (#3.27 - Person or Persons Unknown), writer Rod Serling takes the basic plot point of the story and turns it upside down. The self appointed lord and master in turn becomes one of the little people when a pair of super-human giants land on the same planet. They had no more regard for Craig than Craig himself did for any one of his subjects. The ending is a replay of another Season III story, in which an Army Major dubiously achieves success as a character in search of an exit.

Perspective

[sscal · 8/10 · 13 June 2019]

I see many posters make the comparison of The Little People episode to God and religion. While that,s a logical consideration, I saw a greater connection to the concept of perspective. As humans we are quite myopic - we view everything primarily from how it relates to our human form. We look at the solar system and judge heavenly bodies based solely on what the human body needs to survive. If water is not there, oh well - no "life" can survive. No true consideration that perhaps, just perhaps, our survival capabilities may be different from the manifestation and evolution of other beings. Also, might we minimalize the cognizance of smaller beings (microscopic?) here on earth? We make ourselves the benchmark from which to judge all else. Perhaps others are doing the same to us!

"The Little People" ....proves size is everything

[chuck-reilly · 10/10 · 30 April 2008]

In the 1962 entry "The Little People", two US astronauts are stranded on a desolate planet after their spacecraft breaks down. While repairing their ship, one of the men called Craig (Joe Maross) discovers a race of little people the size of insects on the ground below them. At first he is merely curious about their existence, then he finds out he can communicate directly with them---to ominous results. Sensing a new-found power, Craig decides to terrorize the little folks and begins to threaten them with annihilation unless they do his bidding. While this is taking place, the commanding pilot named Fletcher (Claude Akins) remains oblivious to his partner's antics; he's too busy concentrating on repairing the ship so the two can continue their mission. Soon, however, Fletcher learns that Craig is no longer interested in anything but the domination of the little people. "It is the age of Craig," he roars to Fletcher, "and there's only room for one 'god' on this planet." At the point of a gun, Craig forces Fletcher to leave the planet without him. With his former partner out of the way, Craig can begin his reign of terror with no interference. But not for long. There are other 'gods' on the way.

"The Little People" exposes the dark side of human behavior. It's the Twilight Zone version of how absolute power corrupts absolutely. Maross fits the bill as the out-of-control Craig. He's so delirious with his new power of domination that he sabotages his mission and completely self-destructs. Akins is his usual stern self here and provides a nice sane counterpart to his co-star's histrionics. The title of this piece ("The Little People") is served up with a load of irony that only the Twilight Zone could deliver. Naturally, the story was written by Rod Serling.

Control freak much?

[mlh1963 · 9/10 · 1 October 2019]

Great episode. The best Twilight Zone episodes are the ones that are as thought-provoking and timely today as they were then--or ever for that matter. The character of Craig is the type of person I think we've all met at some time or another--a complete control freak and narcissist who borders on being a psychopath. I don't see a theological message in this episode like some other reviewers. I see it as a study of how weak and fairly pathetic a person with these severe control issues can become. I rarely give nine stars and I reserve ten for what I consider perfection. This episode could be nine and a half.

A brilliant look at the darker side of human nature

[planktonrules · 9/10 · 9 September 2007]

A spaceship and its crew arrive on a distant planet. However, the planet appears pretty worthless and they are planning on soon returning to Earth---that is, all but one of the crew. The lone crew member has apparently discovered a race of tiny people who are just the size of little specks. He doesn't want to go--not out of love for these beings but because he decides he is going to be their god! The episode is a standout because of its look at human nature and its dark side. While not all the crew members are crazed egomaniacs, one sure is and reveals a Hitler-like aspect of his apparently normal persona. How all this is played out is truly creative and makes such a simple idea come to life and have deeper meaning. Good stuff.

I knew the ending

[ericstevenson · 8/10 · 9 August 2018]

Two astronauts go to a planet where they find tiny people the size of ants. One of them realizes he can play God with them and they built a life sized statue of him. I really am amazed at how they were able to do that in a single night. Well, it is describe as being amazing in universe. "Gulliver's Travels" is at one point mentioned. I admit that they used the same thing that happened in that book as well.

Yeah, a lot of people aren't aware of the second part of that book (which I've read) where Gulliver goes to a world of giant people. I knew that would happen at the end of this too. It was still entertaining to see them topple the giant (to them) statue. It's still pretty well acted. It's just not one of their best episodes. ***

There's always a bigger dog

[Calicodreamin · 7/10 · 16 June 2021]

A solid episode with some cool effects and an interesting premise. The storyline flowed well and had an unexpected ending. Good acting.

Megalomania

[nickenchuggets · 9/10 · 23 February 2023]

Dr. Seuss once said, "a person's a person, no matter how small." Continuing with the tradition of the best Twilight Zone (and tv program episodes in general) being the most simple ones, we arrive at The Little People. This episode only involves 2 named characters and (technically) hundreds if not thousands of unnamed ones, even if they don't appear directly. The plot begins with two spacemen, Peter Craig and William Fletcher (Joe Maross and Claude Akins respectively) landing on some faraway planet because their rocket ship needs to be fixed. Craig, Fletcher's copilot, argues with his superior officer about how he wants to be in charge for once. While exploring the canyons and rock formations of the planet, Craig tells the captain that he hears what sound like tiny voices. Some time later, Craig goes off to explore by himself while Fletcher stays put and tries to fix the ship. When Craig comes back, Fletcher is astonished to see he hasn't touched his water canteen in over a day, which, given the twin suns the planet orbits, seems highly unlikely. Fletcher interrogates Craig and finds he has discovered a source of water nearby. He then says he's found an entire community of tiny people who live in what looks to be a sizable human city, but scaled down to a ridiculous degree. Craig starts ranting to Fletcher about how he finally gets to know how it feels to be in command, and now considers himself a god because the tiny men are afraid of him. Craig steps on and destroys several of their houses before he's punched out by Fletcher, who apologizes to them. Later on, Fletcher resumes his efforts to repair the ship, and finds that the little people have constructed a life size statue of Craig. Craig tells Fletcher their reward for seeing him as a god is not having to be killed by him. Fletcher no doubt thinks his crewmate is out of his mind by this point, but tells him that since the repairs are completed, they can leave the planet. Craig pulls a ray gun on his captain, telling him to leave the planet by himself, and that because the little people are monotheistic, there isn't enough room for two gods. Shocked at his partner's acts, Fletcher leaves the planet. Now finally alone, Craig starts to revel in all the newfound control over the tiny city he has. Suddenly, two more spacemen land, each one thousands of times Craig's size. Craig yells at them to get lost, and one of the astronauts picks him up to hear him better. In the process, he accidentally crushes him to death. The spacemen say they're only on the planet to make repairs and should keep moving. After throwing Craig's corpse away, the tiny people use ropes to pull the statue they built for Craig down on top of him. This is one of my favorite TZ installments. The plot is very easy to understand, and the twist at the end will definitely take most by surprise. I enjoyed seeing Craig turn into a maniac before the eyes of his captain. He thinks he's tough, but his bullying of the microscopic city doesn't prove anything really. In the end, he learns the hard way that no matter who you are, there's always a bigger person. As someone who likes science fiction, it was nice to see Craig wield the same laser gun from the 50s classic Forbidden Planet.

Monotheism -perhaps a bit too weird for the Twilight Zone?

[darrenpearce111 · 6/10 · 19 November 2013]

This one deserves a higher score in terms of having some very thought provoking dialogue from Serling, but I give it six as it doesn't really work as TV. Less still does it stand the test of time. Nonetheless this is an interesting piece. William (Claude Akins) is the solid and sensible astronaut finding himself on a planet of little people. The one man he is in charge of, Craig, fancies himself as god of these Lilliputions. I find it interesting that the unstable and resentful Craig should want to be their god, while the better man, Williams, has no such interest, but has empathy for them when Craig gets into his new role. Craig emphasizes monotheism, and this is the point I find interesting. I cant help noticing a possible suggestion here that maybe only a nasty little nut-job like Craig would want to be an all powerful god. The merely human Williams does not see the point in keeping them in terror for the psychotic vanity of one being. I'm not trying to make any anti-religious point or suggesting that's what Serling was trying to do. Still it's thought-provoking. See what you think?

Little big man

[Woodyanders · 8/10 · 15 June 2018]

Commander William Fletcher (a sturdy performance by Claude Atkins) and Navigator Peter Craig (expertly played to the bitter cynical hilt by Joe Maross) find themselves stranded on a desolate planet. The angry and vengeful Craig discovers a race of diminutive beings that he decides to lord over.

Director William F. Claxton relates the absorbing story at a quick pace and ably crafts a stark grim tone. Rod Serling's caustic script makes a chilling point about how the most petty and hateful low level person has a latent capacity for extreme cruelty and a repressed need to be in charge. Atkins and Maross act off each other well. The sharp black and white cinematography by George T. Clemens vividly captures the oppressive heat of the desert world. The bleak ironic ending packs a fierce punch. An excellent episode.

There will always be someone who's bigger than you

[Coventry · 6/10 · 7 February 2021]

My sweet old grandma, may she rest in peace, taught me a couple of valuable life lessons when I was young. Particularly her lesson in modesty is one I'll always remember. She taught me to remain humble whenever I'm good at something, or when I'm are more privileged than others, because someone bigger and better than you will always come along at one point or another. This "Twilight Zone" tale instantly reminded me of that lesson, and in more ways than one.

After running adrift in space, astronauts Fletcher and Craig land on an unknown planet, but quickly discover it's inhabited by a race of miniscule people. Navigator Craig abuses his towering height and plays for God, while the modest Commander Fletcher attempts to temper his dictatorship against the little people. Very good, although unremarkable and predictable "Twilight Zone" episode, mainly saved by the strong performances of the two leads and the respectable references towards Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver's Travels". The climax is really cool, but fairly easy to predict if you're slightly familiar with the legendary TV-series.

Tainted by serlingspeak but not ruined by it.

[fedor8 · 7 April 2022]

This used to be one of my favourite episodes, as I'm a sucker for space pulp. I still like it, of course, but am a little annoyed by the typical Serling dialog - the usual "bitter squabbling" he just couldn't seem to shake off from his writing, a style that aged very poorly because it sounds so old-fashioned, naive and unnatural. Especially in the early minutes the astronuts talk in a language that is too serlingian for me.

Nevertheless, the ideas explored here are nifty. Megalomania, sadism, the inferiority complex... and of course tiny and giant aliens. The twist is a sort of sci-fi equivalent of the big fish small fish principle.

Of course it's a pity that the special effects are practically non-existent but this is made up for by the premise which almost single-handedly carries this episode.

Watched this one with mom.

[mm-39 · 5/10 · 24 April 2023]

Many years ago as a teenager. Grade 11! I watched this episode, The Little People. Mom said I actually remembered watching this back in the 50's. A play. These two astronauts non stop talk about the tiny microscopic kingdom. Little guys in a magnifying glass! Talk, talk, and more dialogue! Blah blah blah I am a god! I rule. Kind like a demented Bives and But Head episode. Well heavy social message about a narcist. The $%$% @#$ stays behind and gets just deserts. Lame budget, lame budget and even lamer story. I get the social message, but Rod give me a break taking this one seriously. 5 stars. Skip this one!

How is the message of this episode not clear to you? (SPOILERS)

[bigdumbgeek · 9/10 · 16 May 2015]

***SPOILERS***

What kind of God would create beings to spend eternity on their knees worshiping it?

What kind of God would say, "Love me- or suffer my wrath"?

We would regard a human - in this case, Co-Pilot Craig - with such sentiments as weak, pathetic, small, insecure, mean, vengeful, etc. All of these are repugnant human emotions. As a god, Craig acts just like the God of the Bible. A petty, capricious, immature God who Will punish you for eternity for not believing in him.

Serling is saying less about the human condition than he is about the nature (ludicrousness) of religion. It is a powerful and brilliant allegory delivering an atheist message. Given the zeitgeist of 1962, it is unlikely that this message, clearly enunciated, would get aired. Perhaps it only escaped network censors because the message is ambiguous to some.

Go Peter go

[gpeltz · 9/10 · 12 April 2019]

There it is, this reviewers childhood dream. Manifest as The Little People" Yes to the adolescent, size is power. and to be as awesomely huge as Peter Craig playing Joe Maross and his fellow astronaut Fletcher played by Claude Atkins. Are huge visitors. It's the size factor, A thousand feet tall. I too would want to stay to rule this tiny world. It would be a solo gig. Alas it ends too soon.

You know this story, even if you haven't seen it.

[leoocampo · 8/10 · 6 January 2023]

Chances are, if you know this episode then you'll know it's one of the most parodied, spoofed, and influential storylines of the series. It's right up there with "To Serve Man", "A Kind of Stopwatch", and "Night Call". If you're not familiar, then chances are you will get a third of the way into the episode and be like "OH, so THIS is where _____ took that idea". It's been done many times, by the Simpsons (of course), but more recently with a somewhat different twist in "Love, Death, and Robots".

This is so much a sci-fi morality tale that it must have taken inspiration from fables, where the notion of there always being someone or something bigger, stronger, more powerful, and the relationship of the strong and the meek.

I wouldn't rate this so high except that it's just SUCH a classic. The performances are well done, too. The rest, though, is solid, but probably just par for the course of the series. This is high concept Twilight Zone at it's best. If you wouldn't like the story based on basic plot alone, the episode won't give you much to convince you, but it will do a great job allowing you to love it if you're already into the idea of it. The end effects are probably some of the better ones of the series, as well, with simple use of perspective and overlapping of shots to create something reasonably passable today, which cannot be said for many of the effects in this series.

Daydreams of a Narrow-Minded Ambitious Loser

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 28 July 2023]

Cmdr. William Fletcher and navigator Peter Craig land in a desolate planet to repair the propulsion system of their rocket. Fletcher is repairing the system, while Craig, who is an ambitious loser, walks around of the area. Soon Fletcher learns that Craig has found an entire society of tiny people, and has threatened them as if he were a god. When Fletcher fixes the rocket, Craig decides to stay to have a society of minions to serve him. But soon something happens with him.

"The Little People" is another great episode of "The Twilight Zone", with the daydreams of a narrow-minded ambitious loser. Navigator Peter Craig, the last in the chain of command, dreams on being a kind of king and give orders to many people. When he finds a city of tiny people in the canyon where his commander has landed, he believes his dreams come true. The problem with narrow people is that they are limited and do not accept that better persons may exist. In the end, Craig learns his lesson in the worst way. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Gente Pequenina" ("Little People")

Watch Your Step!

[Hitchcoc · 7/10 · 4 December 2008]

This is about power. Instead of reveling in the idea that there is a civilization (all the Whos down in Whoville), these jerks simply try to establish themselves as overlords. The Man Who Would be King featured this a century ago and Mark Twain did it in The Mysterious Stranger. This kind of power never works out and this is no exception. They have nothing to gain by their actions and eventually turn on each other. Of course, the boss, Serling, has plans for them. They are not going to get to have their way very long. In Richard Matheson's Incredible Shrinking man, the main character comes to realize that when compared to the vastness of the universe, we are all pretty small potatoes.

Come on people this Is Serling's idea of explanation of God...

[lbowdls · 8/10 · 10 April 2024]

And mine too. If there truly is a a supreme being which I don't believe. I do however totally believe this scenario of someone from outa space looking down on Earth and trying to rule as "a God".

I totally believe this was Serling trying to explain how the explanation of the bible and God is so flawed.

Remember how one of them says to the other in times to come they will get to know the truth of what you really are. Well many of us on earth are finally trying to question the idea of God's existence unfortunately not enough still. And this is why the earth ad we know it now are getting more divided. I bet there will be plenty (mostly Americans) who will be annoyed and curse my opinion but I don't care. This is why I really liked this episode! The ending also is superb and says it all!

He finds his kingdom, but how will he run it?

[mark.waltz · 6/10 · 3 September 2019]

Two astronauts (Joe Maross and Claude Akins) are stranded on an unknown planet and in trying to discover if it is inhabited only hear the tiny little squeaks of an unseen population. Slowly, Maross begins to desire the opportunity to rule this planet, and Akins gets to witness him quickly going mad. Maross speaks to the unseen mass of "little people" as if he has all of a sudden taken over their God (as represented by a statue of another obvious astronaut) as Akins makes his plans to get off this unknown rock and away from Maross's increasing insanity. Left alone, Maross makes a discovery that isn't exactly what he wanted to find, and indeed ends up making him joining the ranks of the people smaller than him and left to his own fate on the planet's rocky terrain. Maross increases in overacting as his madness takes over, leaving the more well known Akins to turn in a subtle performance filled with both fear and disgust. It is another one of those "Twilight Zone" episodes that seems to require a bit more detail, and leaves the viewer disappointed that the little people of the title are never seen.

THE LITTLE PEOPLE REBEL!

[tcchelsey · 10/10 · 27 March 2024]

Definitely, there were similarities between TWILIGHT ZONE and ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS, particularly the ironic endings. This has got to be one of them. 10 Stars.

Two excelllent actors, Joe Maross (as Craig) and Claude Akins (as Fletcher) play astronauts who crash land on a planet that has a civilization of tiny ant-like inhabitants? An incredible story Rod Serling cooked up, and one of the most memorable. First off, you can tell right off the bat Craig has that (I'm fed up with everybody and you too!) attitude, definitely a recipe for disaster.

While Fletcher is busy attempting to repair their space craft, sly, self centered Craig wanders off and happens to discover "the Little People..." Their miniature civilzation is incredible, and love the close-up shots, looking like something out of a Matchbox car city! That all said, Serling shifts it into high gear and we find Craig now becoming their COMMANDER and CHIEF!

The towering monument built to him is a campy treat. And look out for the BIG SHOE!!!

Peppered with some unforgettable dialogue, mostly on the part of egotistical Craig, and yes, reminding you of someone you have crossed paths with in your own life, right?

Excellent direction by William F. Claxton, who did four episodes for the series. Claxton later headed HIGH CHAPARRAL and LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE.

The ending is simply outstanding, and hooray for Fletcher! SEASON 3 EPISODE 28 remastered.

Peter plays god.

[BA_Harrison · 7/10 · 4 April 2022]

His spacecraft damaged in a meteorite storm, Commander William Fletcher (Claude Akins) lands in a canyon on a rocky planetoid (with twin suns, a la Tatooine) millions of miles from Earth. While Fletcher attempts to fix the damaged ship, his navigator Peter Craig (Joe Maross), a bitter man who dreams of being the one to give the orders, investigates the area, chancing upon a microscopic society of aliens. He proceeds to act like a god to the little people, keeping them in line by occasionally bringing a space-boot crashing down on their tiny heads. When Fletcher witnesses Craig's cruelty, he tries to intervene, but the navigator pulls a ray-gun and orders his commander to take-off (the ship now mended), leaving him behind to continue with his delusions of grandeur.

Of course, this being The Twilight Zone, such behaviour doesn't go unpunished...

The Little People raises all kinds of theological, philosophical and existential questions for those who like to cogitate about such things, but it also succeeds as a frivolous piece of fantasy that shows no matter how big and important a person thinks he is, there's always someone bigger to knock them down a few pegs (or in this case, accidentally crush them in the palm of a hand).

Bad.

[bombersflyup · 1/10 · 3 November 2019]

The Little People is trash. What's suppose to be interesting about watching a lunatic. Like Qui-Gon Jinn said in "The Phantom Menace," there's always a bigger fish. Serling says every actor's exceptional and every upcoming episode's wonderful, what a load of baloney.

Worth Watching

[cjskama-956-515706 · 6/10 · 7 July 2021]

It's nice when Twilight Zone takes a science fiction route. This episode was ok. But one aspect that bothered me was: in the future, won't they screen astronauts for antisocial behavior? And while I watched, I kept thinking about the Outer Limits story "The Sandkings" which would follow two decades later. All in all, a half-hour well spent but I won't watch it again.