An underrated time dislocation episode about an aging stage actor (Brian Aherne) in an unhappy second marriage to a much younger floozey who finds himself extremely nostalgic about his past. His travel back to the past takes unexpected turns, and makes a sharp lesson for him and the viewer. The twenties are stylishly and movingly evoked, with Pippa Scott making one fantastic flapper. An extremely young Sydney Pollack shows up in the present, playing an obnoxious director (there's a stretch!). But the show is Aherne's and he does a wonderful job with it, reminding us of the quality actors this series attracted. Nothing horrifying or scary, but it's one that sticks with you.
32 Reviews
"The Trouble with Templeton" ...is all in his mind
chuck-reilly29 April 2008
Warning: Spoilers
Revisiting one's youth and halcyon days was a familiar theme for Rod Serling. The pressures of Hollywood, TV ratings, deadlines etc. were all part of Serling's anathema for Show Business, in general. Although Serling himself didn't write this particular episode (E. Jack Neuman did), this is one after his own heart, as they say. Brian Aherne plays Booth Templeton, an old-time Broadway actor who's reluctant to continue his career now that most of his peers have passed on. After a heated argument with his young director (Sydney Pollack of all people) Templeton enters the Twilight Zone for some first-hand nostalgia. There he meets the long-ago love of his life (Pippa Scott) and many former friends and associates. Of course, everyone is a ghost and after a brief stay in this netherworld, Templeton finds that he is unwanted. He just doesn't belong there....yet. Templeton discovers that his trouble has been that he's living in the past and it's killing him slowly. When he arrives back in the present, he soon has a new appreciation for the "here and now" and is able to begin his career again in earnest.
Veteran actor Aherne is outstanding as Templeton and his performance here is a late career high-water mark for him. Within a few years after the Twilight Zone series ended, Pollack became one of Hollywood's great directors and it's quite ironic that in this episode he actually portrays one. Lately, Pollack has gone back to acting with some good results. As for Pippa Scott, she's the life of the party in this entry and still a working actress today.
Veteran actor Aherne is outstanding as Templeton and his performance here is a late career high-water mark for him. Within a few years after the Twilight Zone series ended, Pollack became one of Hollywood's great directors and it's quite ironic that in this episode he actually portrays one. Lately, Pollack has gone back to acting with some good results. As for Pippa Scott, she's the life of the party in this entry and still a working actress today.
Rather philosophical...
planktonrules3 October 2009
Warning: Spoilers
Brian Aherne stars as an aging stage actor. He is rich and famous, but very unhappy and tired. Most of this is because he's feeling that life has somehow passed him by--he's a relic of the past. His trophy wife isn't particularly interested in him and he longs for his long dead first wife and his idyllic youth.
When he arrives late for the first rehearsal of his next play, the director (real-life director Sydney Pollack plays this part) is brash and obnoxious--further pushing him to long for the good old days.
Then, suddenly, upon leaving the theater it's now 1927. He looks the same but everyone else is younger. And, to his great surprise, his old friend and wife are alive and full of life. You'd think that this would be everything he'd ever wished for, but Aherne soon learns that you can never go back.
The theme of this episode is living in the moment and while this installment of the series isn't as weird or unpredictable as most, it manages to work well because of the nice leisurely pace that was created by Aherne. He glides slowly and deliberately through his role--instilling it with both class as well as sentimentality that I really liked. Not a great episode but also one well worth seeing.
When he arrives late for the first rehearsal of his next play, the director (real-life director Sydney Pollack plays this part) is brash and obnoxious--further pushing him to long for the good old days.
Then, suddenly, upon leaving the theater it's now 1927. He looks the same but everyone else is younger. And, to his great surprise, his old friend and wife are alive and full of life. You'd think that this would be everything he'd ever wished for, but Aherne soon learns that you can never go back.
The theme of this episode is living in the moment and while this installment of the series isn't as weird or unpredictable as most, it manages to work well because of the nice leisurely pace that was created by Aherne. He glides slowly and deliberately through his role--instilling it with both class as well as sentimentality that I really liked. Not a great episode but also one well worth seeing.
I am shocked....
zigomanis185 August 2017
Warning: Spoilers
..That many here have not understood the meaning of this excellent episode. It is, in one sense VERY much like "Walking Distance". AS a matter of fact, the meaning is essentially the same. I see some reviews that state the meaning is to show Templeton that the past is not what he thought is would be, and that his wife and his friends were not what he thought and that he is the one that has changed. I believe that is totally incorrect. Templeton is totally disgusted with what he sees his young wife as...because his wife and friends are acting that way on purpose to discourage him from embracing the past. They want him to live in the now. The proof of this is when Templeton leaves his wife and friends... suddenly his wife and everyone else stops their silly actions and have a very serious look..as if to wish and hope Templeton finds his happiness in his current world. That moment lets the viewers know that the entire actions of his wife and friends is just that..an act. They are in essence, ghosts who understand his issues and what is at stake....namely his sanity and ability to adjust to the now.
"Why don't you go back where you came from?"
classicsoncall11 April 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Rod Serling often took his main character to another time and another place (Walking Distance, A Stop at Willoughby), usually in an attempt to fulfill a longing desire to fill a hole in their lives. Reliving one's youth is a common theme, and in 'The Trouble With Templeton', the protagonist achieves his wish by literally walking through a door. What Booth Templeton (Brian Aherne) discovers on his sojourn into the past is not the rose colored view of his early acting career, but a stark confrontation with a life that wasn't all that it was cracked up to be. The reverential way he remembers his first wife Laura (Pippa Scott) is shattered upon seeing her dance the night away in utter disregard for his desire to recapture the past. With this profound new insight, Templeton decides to take command of his life in the present, and assumes his career with new gusto.
I can empathize with Booth Templeton, having rounded that corner of my youth. It's an easy exercise to see things not so much for the way they once were, but the way we would have liked them to be. Too much of that kind of daydreaming can leave one paralyzed and dysfunctional however, and that's what writer E. Jack Neuman seemed to be saying. The episode is an intriguing indictment on living in the past, although truth be told, I don't think it's so bad to hang out there once in a while.
I can empathize with Booth Templeton, having rounded that corner of my youth. It's an easy exercise to see things not so much for the way they once were, but the way we would have liked them to be. Too much of that kind of daydreaming can leave one paralyzed and dysfunctional however, and that's what writer E. Jack Neuman seemed to be saying. The episode is an intriguing indictment on living in the past, although truth be told, I don't think it's so bad to hang out there once in a while.
Powerful
defman512 March 2008
A wonderful episode that doesn't seem to get the credit it deserves. Brian Aherne does a special job with his role here, and carries the day, but that isn't all there is to this one. The writing was first rate, and I believe this writer (E. Jack Neuman) was a rookie to the Twilight Zone. The twist was not predictable, and was carried out very well by the supporting cast. Also fun was seeing Sydney Pollack when his hair was still dark. Its tempting to say this is not a run-of-the-mill Twilight Zone episode, but actually, none of them were, so I guess my point is that this one stands out for reasons one might not expect, and since I don't want to write any spoilers here, I'll leave it for you to watch and see for yourselves. For me, I'll happily watch this one again, even knowing what the ending is.
A familiar premise, done differently
Coventry1 April 2018
"The Trouble with Templeton" certainly isn't the most overwhelming or spectacular TZ-outing, but it's arguably one of the most intelligent and subtle episodes of the entire franchise. The short tale features a very typical and almost routine premise: an ageing stage actor is nostalgic and sentimental about the earliest years of his career, back when he was successful, respected and - most of all - married to the love of his life, Laura. But his Laura died very young and now, decades later, Booth Templeton is married to a much younger girl (of which he doesn't care if she cheats or not) and heavily struggling with the next generation of directors' new styles. And then, quite archetypal for the Twilight Zone, Booth goes through a door and gets catapulted back to his glory year 1927. But when he finds his beloved Laura and his former best friend Barney, they're not as perfect as Booth remembers them. Up until here, "The Trouble with Templeton" feels very derivative and commonplace, but then comes one beautifully mysterious sequence. When Booth leaves the noisy bar, the place literally fades out and the expression on Laura's face is utmost somber. These mere five seconds are some of the most significant and powerful of the entire series thus far, and they give a whole different swing to the story. The second of nine episodes directed by Buzz Kulik ("Villa Rides", "Bad Ronald") and benefiting from solid performances from Brian Aherne and sixties' beauty Pippa Scott. There's also a very well-cast role for Sydney Pollack as over-ambitious young director.
OVERLOOKED ! -that's the trouble
darrenpearce11111 November 2013
PLEASE watch this grossly overlooked and under appreciated entry in the anthology. If you think of the Zone as just tales with a twist, aliens, cowboys, or comedy anti- heroes, THEN THIS WLL CHANGE THAT PERCEPTION.
Templeton (Brian Aherne) is an aging actor unhappy in the present and still missing his deceased first wife Laura (Pippa Scott). He clashes with a director (Sydney Pollack-good casting) and starts to walk out of the first rehearsal of a new play. Templeton finds himself back in his heyday-the 1920's- and meets his wife again.
There is a superb scene in a speakeasy where the action comes to a halt, producing one of the loveliest moments in TZ.
Overlooked, but you can do something to change that.
Templeton (Brian Aherne) is an aging actor unhappy in the present and still missing his deceased first wife Laura (Pippa Scott). He clashes with a director (Sydney Pollack-good casting) and starts to walk out of the first rehearsal of a new play. Templeton finds himself back in his heyday-the 1920's- and meets his wife again.
There is a superb scene in a speakeasy where the action comes to a halt, producing one of the loveliest moments in TZ.
Overlooked, but you can do something to change that.
Living in the Past
claudio_carvalho25 May 2018
The nostalgic actor Booth Templeton I still longing for his former wife that is deceased and his life in the past. Out of the blue, when he leaves the theater through the stage door after a discussion with the new director and producer, he returns to 1927 where he meets his first wife Laura and his best friend Barney Fluegler. Soon he realizes that his past was not the way he had recollections.
"The Trouble with Templeton" deals with a usual behavior of people when get older, the feeling of nostalgia of the past that is usually idealized and the bad things are forgotten. It was necessary to Templeton to travel to The Twilight Zone and stop in the best year of his life to recall that his wife and friend were not so good as he misses. Mature audiences will certainly understand this episode. My vote is six.
Title (Brazil): "O Problema com Templeton" ("The Trouble with Templeton")
"The Trouble with Templeton" deals with a usual behavior of people when get older, the feeling of nostalgia of the past that is usually idealized and the bad things are forgotten. It was necessary to Templeton to travel to The Twilight Zone and stop in the best year of his life to recall that his wife and friend were not so good as he misses. Mature audiences will certainly understand this episode. My vote is six.
Title (Brazil): "O Problema com Templeton" ("The Trouble with Templeton")
Wonderful episode, but one key scene makes this one of the most moving.
misassistant7 January 2013
Brian Aherne very ably plays the role of Booth Templeton, an aging actor, whose one true love -- Laura, his first wife -- had died early, leaving him to marry a much younger woman in his grief who flagrantly cavorts with young men at their own pool. He longs for his beautiful wife, and -- this being the Twilight Zone, after all -- things take an interesting turn, but it's not quite as easy to predict as one might think. At the close of the scene that is the central part of this story, you see a young Pippa Scott wordlessly convey more emotion with her eyes, face, and body than anyone could ever do with words, which she speaks not one during this part. It's an incredibly poignant moment, and it lifts an already good story into a great one, and Aherne elegantly carries it. Don't look for anything terrifying in this one, but you will find one of the finest episodes in this one.
You cant go home again
Calicodreamin4 June 2021
"I don't like what you're become..."
Anonymous_Maxine26 June 2008
In what is one of the best episodes of the Twilight Zone that I've seen so far, Brian Aherne stars as Booth Templeton, an aging Broadway play actor unhappy with what his life has become. One day, after witnessing his trophy wife flagrantly galavanting with an attractive lodger half Templeton's age, he beings lamenting about his lost past, and soon finds himself transported back to it.
Anytime I see time travel stories in movies or TV shows, one of the most interesting things to me is how the actual time travel is presented. In this case, it's not presented at all, Templeton literally walks out to the door to go to work, we go to commercial, and when we come back he's dropped off more than 30 years in the past, but this episode still has more layers of meaning than any other episode of the show I've seen so far.
Templeton is understandably shocked to find himself transported into his past, and succumbs to the obvious desire to get alone with his wife who, at the time we had met Templeton at the beginning of the episode, had been dead for many years but remained very much alive in his memories. In one of the show's most interesting scenes, he and his lost wife get into an argument, leading him to tell her he doesn't like what she has become.
What we in the audience know, and Templeton eventually figures out, is that it's not her that has become anything, it is him who has been changed by the decades that have passed since the last time they saw each other. It's an interesting analysis of how people change over the years, both from who they were when they were younger and, unfortunately often, from the person they have chosen as their life partner. We wonder how happy Templeton and this woman would be had she lived.
Watch for Sydney Pollack in an early role as an obnoxious director, of all things, and for Adhere's revelation early in the show of the fact that he has no idea how to tie a necktie. Past and present become confused at the end of the episode, but it's still one that makes you think even more than most other...
Anytime I see time travel stories in movies or TV shows, one of the most interesting things to me is how the actual time travel is presented. In this case, it's not presented at all, Templeton literally walks out to the door to go to work, we go to commercial, and when we come back he's dropped off more than 30 years in the past, but this episode still has more layers of meaning than any other episode of the show I've seen so far.
Templeton is understandably shocked to find himself transported into his past, and succumbs to the obvious desire to get alone with his wife who, at the time we had met Templeton at the beginning of the episode, had been dead for many years but remained very much alive in his memories. In one of the show's most interesting scenes, he and his lost wife get into an argument, leading him to tell her he doesn't like what she has become.
What we in the audience know, and Templeton eventually figures out, is that it's not her that has become anything, it is him who has been changed by the decades that have passed since the last time they saw each other. It's an interesting analysis of how people change over the years, both from who they were when they were younger and, unfortunately often, from the person they have chosen as their life partner. We wonder how happy Templeton and this woman would be had she lived.
Watch for Sydney Pollack in an early role as an obnoxious director, of all things, and for Adhere's revelation early in the show of the fact that he has no idea how to tie a necktie. Past and present become confused at the end of the episode, but it's still one that makes you think even more than most other...
A past who really happened?
AvionPrince1611 June 2023
Warning: Spoilers
So it was an interesting episode where we follow that man who will find his old woman? But we will understand that the past was not really what he imagined but we will see also that things seemed to not be as it seemed. It was just a big comedy? That people played for Templeton to make him get the job? I dont really get it but it was kind of interesting to see and to understand. The way that we magnified the past and that the past was not really like we think at the first sight but the memories affect it. A nice episode where make us realised about things that we magnified and let us fooled by our own memories. Nice anyway.
An Unsatisfying Conclusion
Samuel-Shovel13 August 2019
Warning: Spoilers
In "The Trouble with Templeton" an aging stage actor nostalgic for the golden age of his life finds himself thrown back in time to his younger days to a restaurant with his best friend and deceased wife. He quickly realizes things here are not the way they are supposed to be.
I really really like the build up to this episode: the concept of an older man looking back forlornly at days of yore. It happens every generation. The men and women start to get older and reflect back at their youth, remembering happier times. We're right smack in the middle of it right now with all these movie remakes and people being nostalgic for the 1970's and 80's. So I was all onboard for the set up of him going back.
His wife is not how he remembers. His friend doesn't seem the same. I thought this plot was going to be about how our memories trick us into believing that the past was better than it actually was, that we remember things too fondly and that our pasts have lots of faults that we forget about...
But no, instead he finds out that this was all scripted by some unknown entity that made his old friends and wife go through this weird drama to give him a kick in the pants. The moral of "living in the moment" is fine I guess, it just lacks the same punch I feel. I also don't think the buildup to this moment really all added up to the conclusion. This one could have done with a rewrite.
I really really like the build up to this episode: the concept of an older man looking back forlornly at days of yore. It happens every generation. The men and women start to get older and reflect back at their youth, remembering happier times. We're right smack in the middle of it right now with all these movie remakes and people being nostalgic for the 1970's and 80's. So I was all onboard for the set up of him going back.
His wife is not how he remembers. His friend doesn't seem the same. I thought this plot was going to be about how our memories trick us into believing that the past was better than it actually was, that we remember things too fondly and that our pasts have lots of faults that we forget about...
But no, instead he finds out that this was all scripted by some unknown entity that made his old friends and wife go through this weird drama to give him a kick in the pants. The moral of "living in the moment" is fine I guess, it just lacks the same punch I feel. I also don't think the buildup to this moment really all added up to the conclusion. This one could have done with a rewrite.
Are We Watching the Same Episode???
EllisFowler26 July 2012
I'm bemused that so many reviewers seem to have missed the point of this stellar and poignant excursion into The Twilight Zone.
Brian Aherne plays Booth Templeton, an aging stage icon who dwells in the past, still longing for his late wife, Laura, who died at 25. The first day of rehearsal for a new play brutally catalyzes a trip backwards during which Booth is reunited with not only with Laura but beloved friends as well, all deceased.
While I'm not going to spoil the episode for those who somehow haven't yet seen it, suffice it to say that its point is ultimately NOT "the past isn't all that it's cracked up to be," or some such. The actual resolution, which is far more subtle and ingenious, is what fuels Booth with the resolve to move on with his life and leaves us, the viewers, glowing like a torch. See it for yourself and behold the glory of 1960s television at its finest.
Brian Aherne plays Booth Templeton, an aging stage icon who dwells in the past, still longing for his late wife, Laura, who died at 25. The first day of rehearsal for a new play brutally catalyzes a trip backwards during which Booth is reunited with not only with Laura but beloved friends as well, all deceased.
While I'm not going to spoil the episode for those who somehow haven't yet seen it, suffice it to say that its point is ultimately NOT "the past isn't all that it's cracked up to be," or some such. The actual resolution, which is far more subtle and ingenious, is what fuels Booth with the resolve to move on with his life and leaves us, the viewers, glowing like a torch. See it for yourself and behold the glory of 1960s television at its finest.
Life in the Blind Pig.
rmax3048234 March 2013
Warning: Spoilers
All of the episodes in this series are improbable but, for the most part, logical. After all, anything can happen on an asteroid. And supernatural forces can do whatever they want. Want to argue about it? I thought not. Come to think of it, though, if these supernatural musclemen can do anything, can they make a rock that's so heavy they can't lift it?
Well, never mind all that. Brian Aherne, in a classy performance, is an aging Broadway star who is overcome with nostalgia for the Jazz Age when he was young and his now-deceased wife, Laura, was alive and they were in love and everyone was drinking bootleg liquor in the speakeasies and doing the Charleston. Well, read "The Great Gatsby." The new director of his play, though, is a real authoritarian. He bosses everyone around and speaks down to Aherne. The director is a young Sidney Pollack, and there is no trace of his later, curly-haired, accommodating, avuncular presence. You won't recognize him when you see and hear him.
Aherne flees the theater in a panic attack. But at the stage door, he finds it's 1927 again. A crowd applauds him and he's informed that his wife, Laura, is waiting for him at a cafe around the corner. She's there alright -- Pippa Scott, the elder daughter in "The Searchers" -- and looking good. However, the place is jammed and noisy, and a band is blaring up-tempo jazz on the stand. Furthermore, Scott is shallow. She eats and drinks like a slob and treats Aherne as an old fuddy-duddy. He begs her to come away but she wants to indulge her senses. Finally she slaps him and he leaves, confused and sad.
When Aherne leaves the jazz club, we get the eeriest moment in the film. The moment he's out the door, the cacaphony stops, the action comes to a halt, all of the patrons stare at the closed door, and the lights dim in silence until we can only see Pippa Scott wearing a sober expression.
Back at the theater, Aherne discovers it was all a play. The actors read their lines and treated him badly because they wanted to teach him a lesson, which in fact they did. Aherne returns to the play with new confidence in himself.
The series had a lot of time-travel stories (eg., "Back There") and many that reflected a nostalgia for the old days (eg., "The Sixteen Millimeter Shrine"). But there's nothing supernatural about this story, and it barks its shins on reality.
Unless he's a mental midget, Aherne should have caught on almost at once, as soon as he ran from the theater. It's supposed to be 1927, in the middle of a big city, and yet passers by must have been in modern dress. All he had to do was stop a stranger, ask what year it was, and then explain it all to the nice doctors at the institute.
In addition, what the hell is going on with the speakeasy? Aherne's wife has been dead for more than thirty years. And he thinks Pippa Scott is Laura? What is she, a clone? Finally, it's all been staged to teach Aherne a lesson. Some lesson! All the guy has left are his dreams, and now they try to rob him of those. He was a bore in the past and a sadly aging actor in the present. And this is supposed to make him happier and restore his self confidence? If so, it belongs to a therapeutic tradition called tough love. I'd have gone back, borrowed the trombonist's instrument, and crowned every phony in that club. Let's see them do the Charleston with the brass slide wrapped around their necks.
Well, never mind all that. Brian Aherne, in a classy performance, is an aging Broadway star who is overcome with nostalgia for the Jazz Age when he was young and his now-deceased wife, Laura, was alive and they were in love and everyone was drinking bootleg liquor in the speakeasies and doing the Charleston. Well, read "The Great Gatsby." The new director of his play, though, is a real authoritarian. He bosses everyone around and speaks down to Aherne. The director is a young Sidney Pollack, and there is no trace of his later, curly-haired, accommodating, avuncular presence. You won't recognize him when you see and hear him.
Aherne flees the theater in a panic attack. But at the stage door, he finds it's 1927 again. A crowd applauds him and he's informed that his wife, Laura, is waiting for him at a cafe around the corner. She's there alright -- Pippa Scott, the elder daughter in "The Searchers" -- and looking good. However, the place is jammed and noisy, and a band is blaring up-tempo jazz on the stand. Furthermore, Scott is shallow. She eats and drinks like a slob and treats Aherne as an old fuddy-duddy. He begs her to come away but she wants to indulge her senses. Finally she slaps him and he leaves, confused and sad.
When Aherne leaves the jazz club, we get the eeriest moment in the film. The moment he's out the door, the cacaphony stops, the action comes to a halt, all of the patrons stare at the closed door, and the lights dim in silence until we can only see Pippa Scott wearing a sober expression.
Back at the theater, Aherne discovers it was all a play. The actors read their lines and treated him badly because they wanted to teach him a lesson, which in fact they did. Aherne returns to the play with new confidence in himself.
The series had a lot of time-travel stories (eg., "Back There") and many that reflected a nostalgia for the old days (eg., "The Sixteen Millimeter Shrine"). But there's nothing supernatural about this story, and it barks its shins on reality.
Unless he's a mental midget, Aherne should have caught on almost at once, as soon as he ran from the theater. It's supposed to be 1927, in the middle of a big city, and yet passers by must have been in modern dress. All he had to do was stop a stranger, ask what year it was, and then explain it all to the nice doctors at the institute.
In addition, what the hell is going on with the speakeasy? Aherne's wife has been dead for more than thirty years. And he thinks Pippa Scott is Laura? What is she, a clone? Finally, it's all been staged to teach Aherne a lesson. Some lesson! All the guy has left are his dreams, and now they try to rob him of those. He was a bore in the past and a sadly aging actor in the present. And this is supposed to make him happier and restore his self confidence? If so, it belongs to a therapeutic tradition called tough love. I'd have gone back, borrowed the trombonist's instrument, and crowned every phony in that club. Let's see them do the Charleston with the brass slide wrapped around their necks.
A Rather Charming Outing
Hitchcoc13 November 2008
This is actually a very human story of an actor who has had acclaim throughout his career, but who has now reached that age where his appearance no longer benefits him. He also has the disadvantage of two things. One is that he quite kind in a bloodthirsty, winner take all society. He is also living in the past. He is still carrying a torch for his wife, who died very young. This is about a man who must confront his past in order to move on. The acting is quite good and the transitions between contemporary time and the past work quite well. We get to see how he can become superior to the dream world he always saw as the model for his life. It's about the reclamation of a life lost.
You can't go home again
Woodyanders15 August 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Aging and worn-out veteran actor Booth Templeton (a fine and affecting performance by Brian Aherne) finds himself transported back to 1927 in which he's reunited with his vibrant flapper wife Laura (well played by Pippa Scott) and his old since deceased friends.
Director Buzz Kulik ably crafts a wistful and melancholy tone and relates the poignant story at a steady pace. E. Jack Neuman's thoughtful script makes valid points about the perils of living too much in the past and how it's better to concentrate on the present instead. Aherne brings a touching pathos to his role; he receives sturdy support from Sydney Pollack as brash and overbearing young hotshot director Arthur Willis, Dave Willock as loyal servant Marty, and King Calder as smarmy financial backer Sid Sperry. A lovely show.
Director Buzz Kulik ably crafts a wistful and melancholy tone and relates the poignant story at a steady pace. E. Jack Neuman's thoughtful script makes valid points about the perils of living too much in the past and how it's better to concentrate on the present instead. Aherne brings a touching pathos to his role; he receives sturdy support from Sydney Pollack as brash and overbearing young hotshot director Arthur Willis, Dave Willock as loyal servant Marty, and King Calder as smarmy financial backer Sid Sperry. A lovely show.
No Trouble At All
AaronCapenBanner26 October 2014
Brian Aherne plays a renowned stage actor named Booth Templeton who is dissatisfied with his life since his new young wife is openly having an affair, and his thoughts turn toward his first wife Laura(played by Pippa Scott) long deceased. After getting cold feet about starting a new play with a young and firm director(played by future film director Sydney Pollack) Booth discovers himself back in time when his wife and best friend Barney were still alive, but they don't act the way he remembers them... Underrated episode is a real gem, with superb performances and direction, and a most poignant and intelligent story that ends perfectly. Deserves to be better remembered by fans.
Fabulous underrated episode
schmenga4 July 2022
Warning: Spoilers
In television history there are single episodes of many series that stand as the best ever.
Think Opie the Birdman in The Andy Griffith Show, The Subway in Homicide. Of course there are countless forever episodes from The Twilight Zone, including On Thursday we Leave for Home, To Serve Man and The Trade Ins
But perhaps the single greatest scene in the entire Twilight Zone is when in 1927 when Templeton leaves, you see the sadness on the faces of everyone else, especially his dead wife and best friend. That tells us what Templeton doesn't yet know. They want him to love is current life and they treated him poorly so he would be less trailed by his past
That 10 seconds elevates this from what we thought would be seeing that maybe you romanticize and elevate your past into a much stronger message and one of the best of the whole series. It worked that Templeton figured it it and immediately conveyed that to his director.
Think Opie the Birdman in The Andy Griffith Show, The Subway in Homicide. Of course there are countless forever episodes from The Twilight Zone, including On Thursday we Leave for Home, To Serve Man and The Trade Ins
But perhaps the single greatest scene in the entire Twilight Zone is when in 1927 when Templeton leaves, you see the sadness on the faces of everyone else, especially his dead wife and best friend. That tells us what Templeton doesn't yet know. They want him to love is current life and they treated him poorly so he would be less trailed by his past
That 10 seconds elevates this from what we thought would be seeing that maybe you romanticize and elevate your past into a much stronger message and one of the best of the whole series. It worked that Templeton figured it it and immediately conveyed that to his director.
Watchable, but weak.
bombersflyup27 August 2019
Warning: Spoilers
The Trouble with Templeton like many episodes, merely sends someone on a journey be it the past or afterlife or whatever and then they're back and their outlook changed. The memory of things can be very selective, when in reality they weren't as great as you recall. However, they're acting out a script and well.. that's the sum of it... nothing special.
There's a good reason we need to move on from our memories.
mark.waltz22 April 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Romanticizing the past is far too easy, and we tend to pick and choose the memories we thrive on. For aging actor Brian Aherne, the memory of a long dead wife (Pippa Scott) is filled with the romance he has kept too close to his heart, refusing to let go of it. Preparing for a new Broadway play (his 30th!), he's unprepared for autocratic director Sydney Pollack, and runs out of the theater after being bullied by him. Aherne goes back to the past and discovers his late wife wanting to party and not in the mood to deal with an aging husband seeking romantic solitude. Will this help him move on from his memories and face the reality of the present?
Beautifully cast as a veteran actor of the theater, veteran actor Brian Aherne reminds classic movie fans as to why he was one of the most dependable movie stars of the 1930s and 40s, even if he is one who is mostly forgotten. This is a very simple story, not difficult to follow and thus a subject of beauty in a series that wasn't always beautiful.
While the temptation to compare Aherne to veteran stage actors like John Barrymore and Alfred Lunt might seem ideal, Aherne is not an actor of the theater on the grand scale of those two legends. This doesn't really give much depth into his career, but paints him as an actor who needs a wake-up call if he is going to enter the twilight years of his career with dignity. Scott, best known as the no-nonsense Peegan in the movie of "Auntie Mame", is quite the opposite here and does a beautiful job. Pollack, years before he became a legendary film director, is delightfully obnoxious. This may not be a flamboyant episode, but it is one that delights in its sweetness and can also help those who find themselves in similar situations to Aherne here in making the past more perfect than it was.
Beautifully cast as a veteran actor of the theater, veteran actor Brian Aherne reminds classic movie fans as to why he was one of the most dependable movie stars of the 1930s and 40s, even if he is one who is mostly forgotten. This is a very simple story, not difficult to follow and thus a subject of beauty in a series that wasn't always beautiful.
While the temptation to compare Aherne to veteran stage actors like John Barrymore and Alfred Lunt might seem ideal, Aherne is not an actor of the theater on the grand scale of those two legends. This doesn't really give much depth into his career, but paints him as an actor who needs a wake-up call if he is going to enter the twilight years of his career with dignity. Scott, best known as the no-nonsense Peegan in the movie of "Auntie Mame", is quite the opposite here and does a beautiful job. Pollack, years before he became a legendary film director, is delightfully obnoxious. This may not be a flamboyant episode, but it is one that delights in its sweetness and can also help those who find themselves in similar situations to Aherne here in making the past more perfect than it was.
All the world's a stage.
BA_Harrison5 March 2022
I really enjoyed The Trouble With Templeton: it's a little more quirky and unpredictable than some of the earlier episodes in this season, plus it's got some really wild '20s dancing courtesy of Pippa Scott, who plays Laura, first wife of renowned Broadway star Booth Templeton (Brian Aherne).
The episode starts with Booth, now advancing in years and in a loveless second marriage, recalling how he was only truly happy with Laura, who died when she was just twenty-five. Arriving late for the first rehearsal of a new play, and angering the director, Booth leaves the theatre to inexplicably find himself back in 1927.
Calling in at the speakeasy he frequented when he was younger, Booth is reunited with Laura and his old pal Barney Fluegel (Charles Carlson), but their unfriendly behaviour makes him leave. Booth returns to the theatre, and upon entering, finds himself back in the present day. When he reads the papers that he had snatched out of Laura's hands, he discovers that it is a script, and realises that she and Barney were acting mean in order to stop him from yearning for the past and make him live in the moment.
With great performances from all, a neat plot, and that crazy swinging dance by Laura (with Barney joining in as well), The Trouble With Templeton is a welcome return to form for The Twilight Zone.
The episode starts with Booth, now advancing in years and in a loveless second marriage, recalling how he was only truly happy with Laura, who died when she was just twenty-five. Arriving late for the first rehearsal of a new play, and angering the director, Booth leaves the theatre to inexplicably find himself back in 1927.
Calling in at the speakeasy he frequented when he was younger, Booth is reunited with Laura and his old pal Barney Fluegel (Charles Carlson), but their unfriendly behaviour makes him leave. Booth returns to the theatre, and upon entering, finds himself back in the present day. When he reads the papers that he had snatched out of Laura's hands, he discovers that it is a script, and realises that she and Barney were acting mean in order to stop him from yearning for the past and make him live in the moment.
With great performances from all, a neat plot, and that crazy swinging dance by Laura (with Barney joining in as well), The Trouble With Templeton is a welcome return to form for The Twilight Zone.
One of the finest episodes of television I have seen in my 50+ years
rms125a9 October 2019
Warning: Spoilers
"The Trouble with Templeton" is a wonderful hour of fiction that has at its heart a theme that is universal -- the desire to return to times that were happier, simpler, better, or just seem that way when one gets older. There is no sanctimony and no phony message that is contradicted by any other TZ episode -- it is perfection. The performances are flawless.
The pathos is genuine, not cheap bathos. It ends with a good and loving shove to the derriere of our title character by those who love him best and who know that while his concerns and troubles are understandable he must not be allowed to escape them via the stagnation of sentiment, ennui, and nostalgia. Still, the end of the speakeasy scene in its sudden darkness and silence almost brought a tear to my eye.
I must respectfully disagree with comments by certain other posters that Booth and Laura have changed and that his reminiscences of the past are based on flawed recollections. The episode shows NOT that Booth and Laura have changed (although living people do change and, had Laura lived, who is to know what might have happened) -- the point is their unending mutual love. That's why she and his friends make him face HIS reality in the only way they can, by not allowing him to wallow in nostalgia and self-pity and forcing him to move forward until the blessed day they will be reunited.
Her mean behavior towards him was a COMPLETE ACT from start to finish. There is a hint of this when both she and Barney ask him, one right after the other, "What did you expect?" -- in response to his complaints about her behavior -- in tones that don't match the feigned frivolity they have been trying to force on him. There is a hard edge to her voice which lasts until the end of the scene.
After Booth has fled the ghosts of his past begin disappearing in a startling moment. And Laura, standing silent and forlorn, shows her character's true feelings about Templeton before the scene fades to black.
(Minor quibble: I did wish Laura had been a little older than 18 when Booth had married her, and Scott, although 25 herself at the time, and vivacious, beautiful and transfixing, suggests a woman somewhat older and more experienced than 25.)
The pathos is genuine, not cheap bathos. It ends with a good and loving shove to the derriere of our title character by those who love him best and who know that while his concerns and troubles are understandable he must not be allowed to escape them via the stagnation of sentiment, ennui, and nostalgia. Still, the end of the speakeasy scene in its sudden darkness and silence almost brought a tear to my eye.
I must respectfully disagree with comments by certain other posters that Booth and Laura have changed and that his reminiscences of the past are based on flawed recollections. The episode shows NOT that Booth and Laura have changed (although living people do change and, had Laura lived, who is to know what might have happened) -- the point is their unending mutual love. That's why she and his friends make him face HIS reality in the only way they can, by not allowing him to wallow in nostalgia and self-pity and forcing him to move forward until the blessed day they will be reunited.
Her mean behavior towards him was a COMPLETE ACT from start to finish. There is a hint of this when both she and Barney ask him, one right after the other, "What did you expect?" -- in response to his complaints about her behavior -- in tones that don't match the feigned frivolity they have been trying to force on him. There is a hard edge to her voice which lasts until the end of the scene.
After Booth has fled the ghosts of his past begin disappearing in a startling moment. And Laura, standing silent and forlorn, shows her character's true feelings about Templeton before the scene fades to black.
(Minor quibble: I did wish Laura had been a little older than 18 when Booth had married her, and Scott, although 25 herself at the time, and vivacious, beautiful and transfixing, suggests a woman somewhat older and more experienced than 25.)
Beautiful story, beautifully acted.
joegarbled-794824 October 2023
Warning: Spoilers
This episode of "The Twilight Zone" remains one of my all time favourites. Once again, we get the common theme of regret and wanting to go back into your past. These stories worked so well because most watchers have felt the lure of going into the past, to re-live or do something differently.
Here, we get serious Thespian, Booth Templeton (excellently played by Brian Aherne in a wonderful bit of casting) who is coming towards his twilight years, married to a heartless "indiscreet" much younger wife who doesn't bother to hide her infidelity, kept alive by taking pills, and seemingly only truly understood by his valet & friend, Marty.
As he prepares to go to the first rehearsal of his latest stage appearance, Templeton day dreams about his first wife, Laura (Pippa Scott) and their best friend, Barney Flueger (Charles Carson). He exits the theatre to find himself transported back in time and that Laura & Barney are waiting for him at their favourite "speakeasy" just around the corner.
Laura and Barney are just as they were, years before, but Templeton remains "a foolish old man" who Laura has no time for. In fact, both Laura and Barney make fun of him, Laura wanting to dance the Charlston as the jazz band blares away (looks like Dewey Martin hamming it up as the trombonist) rather than sit and talk to Templeton. Templeton is heart broken and storms out, carrying his script, not understanding why they could be so mean to him.
It's only when Templeton reads the script and finds that all the lines were spoken by Laura and Barney and that they were ACTING. "They wanted me to go back." and he realises that the "second chance" he wanted, to re-live his youth with Laura & Barney was wrong. Finding himself back in the present and with renewed belief in his current existence, he puts the pip-squeak producer of his new play, suitably in his place..."It's MISTER Templeton to YOU." then goes to work on the first rehearsal.
It's a well written episode, and the ending reverses on the one used in the episode "Static". It better suits that, as far as we know, nobody ever DID manage to "go back" so we better learn to make the best of how it is. Unless Templeton divorces his undeserving wife, it all remains the same, except for his acting career and it's obvious from his attitude that Booth Templeton is going to make the play a hit, and no doubt give his younger acting colleagues the benefit of decades of experience.
Solid 10/10.
Here, we get serious Thespian, Booth Templeton (excellently played by Brian Aherne in a wonderful bit of casting) who is coming towards his twilight years, married to a heartless "indiscreet" much younger wife who doesn't bother to hide her infidelity, kept alive by taking pills, and seemingly only truly understood by his valet & friend, Marty.
As he prepares to go to the first rehearsal of his latest stage appearance, Templeton day dreams about his first wife, Laura (Pippa Scott) and their best friend, Barney Flueger (Charles Carson). He exits the theatre to find himself transported back in time and that Laura & Barney are waiting for him at their favourite "speakeasy" just around the corner.
Laura and Barney are just as they were, years before, but Templeton remains "a foolish old man" who Laura has no time for. In fact, both Laura and Barney make fun of him, Laura wanting to dance the Charlston as the jazz band blares away (looks like Dewey Martin hamming it up as the trombonist) rather than sit and talk to Templeton. Templeton is heart broken and storms out, carrying his script, not understanding why they could be so mean to him.
It's only when Templeton reads the script and finds that all the lines were spoken by Laura and Barney and that they were ACTING. "They wanted me to go back." and he realises that the "second chance" he wanted, to re-live his youth with Laura & Barney was wrong. Finding himself back in the present and with renewed belief in his current existence, he puts the pip-squeak producer of his new play, suitably in his place..."It's MISTER Templeton to YOU." then goes to work on the first rehearsal.
It's a well written episode, and the ending reverses on the one used in the episode "Static". It better suits that, as far as we know, nobody ever DID manage to "go back" so we better learn to make the best of how it is. Unless Templeton divorces his undeserving wife, it all remains the same, except for his acting career and it's obvious from his attitude that Booth Templeton is going to make the play a hit, and no doubt give his younger acting colleagues the benefit of decades of experience.
Solid 10/10.
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