The Twilight Zone (TV Series) Walking Distance (1959) User Reviews

"Maybe there's only one summer to every customer".

[classicsoncall · 8/10 · 28 February 2010]

For the second time in a row, Rod Serling takes his protagonist back in time by twenty five years. However in the prior Twilight Zone episode, "The Sixteen Millimeter Shrine", Ida Lupino's character escapes into a world of her own imagining, trapped by the obsession of a youth and glamor she can no longer have but desperately desires. In "Walking Distance", business executive Martin Sloan (Gig Young) avoids that fatal leap, taking the advice of his father to stop looking behind and start looking ahead. It's a poignant and sentimental episode, one that certainly resonates with anyone who might have been around when the story first aired. But there's the rub as well; no matter what your present age is, it seems like that period of time corresponding to one's pre-teen years is what constitutes one's personal golden age.

I don't know if there ever was a town as tranquil and idyllic as Homewood, but I'd like to think so. A place where friends and neighbors come together to supervise their kids on the playground and enjoy evening concerts at the town square. Kids playing outside, just think about that one for a minute. It just doesn't happen anymore, or maybe I'm living on a different planet.

For all the sci-fi stories I've seen in which a character's past and future selves were never supposed to meet or it would precipitate a disaster, I'm glad Rod Serling decided to go the other way. Yet interestingly, it was only the elder Martin who was ever shown with his parents. The conversation between Martin and his father is one of the most impactful and memorable exchanges the series had to offer, and one of the most heart rending as well. Armed with a second chance, Martin Sloan finds himself within walking distance of a new life if only he chooses to accept it.

Sees Ron Howard and recalls happy days of his past.

[darrenpearce111 · 8/10 · 7 February 2014]

Gig Young plays Martin Sloan in this. There's a second lead character called Sloan in the Rod Serling written 'On Thursday We Leave For Home' in series four. Other surnames that Serling gave to a vital character more than once in a TZ episode are Horn, Koch, and Beechcroft.

'Walking Distance' explores a subject that Serling touched on several times in TZ and 'Night Gallery', that of a man going back to a happier time in his life. Martin Sloan is first seen honking his car horn and looking agitated. He is the vice-president of an ad agency and at thirty-six finds himself by chance within walking distance of Homewood where he grew up. First he meets a little boy (Ron Howard) who says he cant be Martin Sloan and runs away, but Sloan begins to realize the happy days of his childhood are still happening here.

The story is deceptively simple but the message is strong. You only get one unique stab at life and you must cherish the present. Martin Sloan gains a fantastic perspective by chasing after his eleven-year-old self hoping to tell him to enjoy the 'happiest' part of his life. The essence of a carefree childhood can stay a valuable part of you.

The carousel is a good plot device interestingly filmed for showing the elusive and magical quality of childhood happiness that nonetheless is nearer to you than you think. Walking distance actually.

One of My Favorite Episodes

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 10 January 2014]

The busy and stress VP of a company Martin Sloan (Gig Young) stops his car at a gas station in a road and the attendant tells that he needs to change the oil. Martin sees a warning plate informing that Homewood is 1.5 miles away from the spot and he decides to walk to revisit his hometown. Soon he finds that he has returned to the past and he finds himself and his parents in the place.

"Walking Distance" is one of my favorite episodes of "The Twilight Zone". The idea of having a chance to travel back to your childhood or adolescence when the days were better and better is a dream of most elder people and the amazing journey of Martin Sloan is very nostalgic and makes the mature viewers think of what he or she would do if he or she would have the same opportunity. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Além da Imaginação - Walking Distance" ("Beyond Imagination - Walking Distance")

Beautifully Understated

[dougdoepke · 7 August 2006]

Perhaps the most richly artistic of all the TZ episodes. Gig Young's harassed advertising executive is undergoing a mid-life crisis when he finds himself next to the town he grew up in. Naturally, he's drawn back to the boyhood innocence of long ago as relief from the fast-paced pressures of an empty adult life. I suspect Serling reached deep within himself for this one.The half-hour is a near-perfect blend of script, atmosphere, and direction, with a subtly moving music score to deepen the mood of days gone by. Notice how subtly Young is transported back in time and how expertly the camera moves in for close-ups at the right emotional moment. The nighttime encounter bringing Young together with his father (Frank Conroy) is one of the most poignant in a series not known for highlighting such sensitive passages. It's also a moment of wonderfully understated high drama that I would think touches a near universal chord. There was always something deeply melancholic about Gig Young the person that comes through on the screen. Here he's perfectly cast and as a result adds greatly to the compelling mood. This may not be the creepiest, scariest, or most suspenseful entry, but it may be the most touching and artistically complete.

Going Home Again

[ron_tepper · 10/10 · 10 May 2007]

You know the saying "You can't go home again? Martin Sloan actually does. "Walking Distance" is one of the finest episodes in the entire series.I believe this is one Serling adores and you can tell so much about Serling from his writings. He poses an interesting question here "If you go back in time and meet yourself as a child, what would you say?.I doubt everyones answer would be the same although Martin's would be a popular one. This is a story of a man trying to escape the pressures of his life by going home again. I also have had fantasies such as this. What is it about our childhood that is so sacred? I assume someone with a happy childhood would like it revisited for hedonistic reasons.People who had depressing childhoods would go back with more of a purpose,maybe to correct those things that would cause hardship in the future. Martin Sloan realized he is not that little boy anymore but all of us carry with us that "Inner Child". What a brilliant piece of work.

Probably the Best Zone Ever Written

[donnielee46 · 10/10 · 6 January 2008]

If I was sucked into that old conundrum, "Suppose you were trapped on a desert island...in space...in a locked room...etc. and could only bring one episode of the Twilight Zone with you, which one would it be???" By far, it would be "Walking Distance." I was thirteen when I first saw it as it premiered in 1959, and despite the fact that I have seen it probably dozens of times since, it never loses its magic. Those who view it for the first time now may criticize the acting, sets, dialog, etc...but putting it into the perspective of its age...it was wonderful. After all, being transported back from 1959 to 1934 would not be as significant today (2008) as being transported back to 1983. The changes in the former are probably far less dramatic in scope to us now who have experienced it. Television was the biggest technological advancement then (with automobiles not far behind)...look at us today with computers, the internet, IPOD's, DVD's, Gameboys...and the list goes on.

So Gig Young was able to transition more easily back 25 years, and as Martin Sloan, he doesn't even realize it until he sees his old house, knocks on the door, and finds his parents still living there. "Mom, how can you be here?" he stammers, as he recalls her death. "Pop" Sloan is not stilted, as many critics may imply...he speaks simply the way a puzzled Midwesterner might, given the implausible set of circumstances into which he has just been thrust. He now has two sons...one who is eleven and one who is 36...and they are one in the same. "Mom" is merely a secondary character...the typical "weak woman" role of the times, who panics, and then steps immediately into the background to let "Pop" Sloan deal with the "Madman" who has presented himself at their front porch. When "Pop" finally comes to the realization of the truth, he confronts Martin...not is a hostile way, but in a fatherly way, with a mixture of sadness and sympathy: sadness at what his son will become, but with the sympathy to confer a father's words of wisdom, which finally enable Martin to return to the present and deal with his life in more peaceful manner.

"Walking Distance" has a message for all of us. Yes, it's true that you can't go home again, but you can apply those lessons learned at "home" to today, in order to make our lives a lot better.

Perfection.

[Hey_Sweden · 10/10 · 7 July 2015]

Extremely appealing and heartfelt early 'Twilight Zone' episode stars Gig Young. Mr. Young plays Martin Sloan, a rather gruff business executive. One day he brings his car to a service station, and realizes that the hometown of his childhood is within walking distance. So he moseys on over there, and is magically transported back in time to 1934. He meets the younger incarnation of his mother (Irene Tedrow), father (Frank Overton),...and the young version of himself (Michael Montgomery).

It's only human nature to often long for the simpler times of our youth, something series creator Rod Serling keeps in mind throughout. There are certainly some joys that are wonderful to experience again, such as an ice cream soda for a mere 10 cents. However, as Martin comes to realize, one "can't go home again". The past is over, which all of us must accept, as hard as that may be at times. We can only live in the moment or look towards the future.

Much like Marty McFly learned, years later in "Back to the Future", Martin sees that there can be consequences from messing with a timeline. As honest and sincere as his intentions are, it's obviously not such a smart thing to try to reach out to his younger self.

Serlings' dialogue is literate and beautiful, and brought to life by a superb cast. Another heavy asset is the lovely score by Bernard Herrmann.

Very well done overall.

10 out of 10.

"Mr. Sloan Is Now Home Again".

[Skeeter700 · 10/10 · 4 February 2006]

'Walking Distance' is another fine episode of "The Twilight Zone". This time a busy business executive, named Martin Sloan, decides to revisit his home town: Homewood. To his surprise, he finds that Homewood has been frozen in time for the past 25 years. He meets his father, mother, and even himself at age 11. However, Mr. Sloan discovers that even traveling through time "you can't go home again". The highlight of this episode is when the father tells Mr. Sloan that he doesn't belong in the past. This conversation feels rushed in a way. However, it still packs an emotional impact and contains the lesson of the episode. Perhaps this wonderful episode would have been better presented as a 1 hour special or 2 parter. Finally, the score for 'Walking Distance' by Bernard Herrmann would be used throughout the series and even the 1983 Twilight Zone movie. I give 'Walking Distance' a 9.6 for 10.

Getting Off the Merry Go Round

[bkoganbing · 7/10 · 14 December 2012]

There were a few Twilight Zone episodes about people just wanting to chuck it all and go or go back to a more simpler time or what they considered paradise. One way or another the moral of the story is that one should be careful of what you wish for.

Gig Young is such a person, he's a television executive and in a high pressure job. He takes some time away to visit the small town he grew up in and finds it very strange in that it doesn't seem to have changed. He can't wrap his mind around that concept and then he meets his parents Frank Overton and Irene Tedrow. And a younger version of himself in Matthew Montgomery.

He witnesses a childhood accident when he fell off a merry go round and was left with a limp, probably got him out of World War II. But the highlight of the story was a confrontation scene with Young and Overton when Overton realizes he is who he says he is, but from another time. It's an incredibly moving and well played scene worth watching the whole episode for.

And the rest of the show ain't shabby either.

Serling's therapy for nostalgia

[mitch-meyer · 10/10 · 30 October 2012]

As an 18-year-old transitioning into adulthood, I often feel frightened about the future. I worry about getting a job, finding a wife, maintaining friends, staying healthy, keeping happy--basically I just worry about being an adult and shedding off my youth and childhood. I feel like this episode shows me in my thirties, missing all the good things that made childhood memorable. Often I'll wish I could go back and relive my past, and often in my mind I will visit those memories. In this episode, Martin really does get to visit his past. When he discovers where he is (or when he is), all he wants to do is tell his young self to enjoy his childhood. As kids, we never really appreciate our youth. It's not until we're well past night-lights and kisses from Mom goodnight that we realize how special that time was. Martin knows this and just wants to share this knowledge with his past self. He realizes after talking with his dad that he can't stay in the past. He can make new memories in the present to look back on in the future. It's not a happy ending because it won't end. We'll always be looking back on our past with fondness, neglecting most of the negatives and focusing on the special parts. The thing is just not to dwell on it too much. Like Martin, we can't keep living in our past. There's no room for us there. And like Martin we sometimes need not to indulge in the old sweets of the past, symbolized with the 35-cent ice cream, and move on with our lives. Toward the end of this episode I had tears in my eyes and a new appreciation not just for the past but for my present, as well as a new hope for my future. Not many TV shows hit you with such strong emotions and messages. "Walking Distance" is a real treasure as a show and as a therapeutic experience. Thank you, Serling.

Country roads take me home to the place I belong

[Coventry · 7/10 · 2 May 2016]

"Walking Distance" must be one of the more popular episodes of the entire "The Twilight Zone" series. It appears in many favorite episode rankings and just recently I was watching a romantic comedy with my wife – "The Rewrite", starring Hugh Grant and Marisa Tomei – where this particular episode got mentioned as well. I can see why it's so beloved to many people, considering it's such an endearing and moralistic story, but personally I found it a bit too soft for my liking. It's a tale about almost every normal human being's occasional desire to return back to his/her carefree and nostalgic childhood years. Back to the park they used to play, to the merry- go-round where they shared their first kiss or to the gazebo where they toughly carved their names in… Martin Sloan has that desire as well. He's the 36-year-old VP of a company in the big city of New York and balancing on the verge of an immense burn-out when his car breaks down on a lonesome road in the countryside. When he notices a signpost for "Homewood", Martin realizes he's very close to the little town where he grew up and decides to walk over there. Martin literally walks 25 years back in time and ends up in the year 1934, where he runs into his own former neighborhood pals, parents and eventually the eleven-year-old version of himself. Martin so obsessively wants to tell his younger self to enjoy his youth to the fullest that he nearly causes an accident. "Walking Distance" contains a couple of very powerful scenes and dialogs, most notably the conversation between adult Martin and his same-aged father, but it's lacking the typical Twilight Zone aura of mystery. This episode must have been very dear and personal to creator Rod Serling, and allegedly the fictional town of Homewood is even based on his own hometown (with merry-go-round!) Gig Young convincingly portrays Martin Sloan. The actor's own life ended quite tragically with severe alcoholism, murder and suicide.

Now I understand...

[info-16951 · 10/10 · 30 December 2012]

The confluence of three factors make this a timeless masterpiece for me: Bernard Herrmann's haunting score that reaches secret corners deep within; the universal desire to escape one's ineluctable destiny, back to one's safe, sheltered past; and Serling's World War II experiences, which warped him into the master story-teller he became. Each of us dreams of a return to the paradise of childhood, however fanciful. In most of us, something gives, something snaps, and we reluctantly turn away, back to face our fate. Serling understood and accepted this natural process. Thanks partly to Walking Distance, I now understand it, too.

Serling the sentimentalist

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 3 October 2009]

Rod Serling was an enigma. Although he did many episodes of "The Twilight Zone" that were extremely cynical when it came to human nature, he also made quite a few extremely sentimental episodes that seemed to hint at a strong desire to get away from it all and go back home. "Next Stop Willoughby" and "Walking Distance" are both fine examples of this.

In "Walking Distance", Gig Young is burned out and goes for a drive. When he stops at a gas station, he realizes he's within walking distance of the town where he grew up, so he decides to go there to see how much it has changed in the 20+ years since he was last there. However, in an odd Zone twist, the town turns out to be exactly like he remembered it--because it IS the town of decades ago!! In fact, he can even visit his family...and even a younger version of himself!! An interesting but not especially great episode. If you like sentimental, you'll love it. If, like me, you like the ones that show people to be real jerks, then this will just be average.

By the way, the acting is just fine and you wonder how much the leading man, Gig Young, could have benefited from the advice of this show.

Weak, but watchable.

[bombersflyup · 3/10 · 3 August 2019]

I don't really get Walking Distance, it ain't going to be the same going back to your childhood as a grown up, even though everything literally is in the episode. It can only be experienced as a child.

One of the finest episodes of Twilight Zone

[sllfthom · 3 April 2006]

This is one of my all-time favorite episodes, because it taps into the desire of all of us to return to that place (Real or imagined) where we were carefree and worry-free. The scene where Gig Young (Martin SLoan) realizes that he cannot stay in the past is masterfully directed and filmed, with all of the characters leaving the scene except young, who is left alone in the dark on the merry-go-round. Just a wonderful scene. Everything about this episode is well done. I agree that the scene with his father is very powerful as well. It is clear that Sloan will go back to his own time with a renewed sense of vigor and leave that summer to his 11 year old self. He will look for "merry-go-rounds" in his own way and his own place.

The loneliness of the short-distance time traveller

[ShadeGrenade · 10/10 · 4 November 2010]

'Walking Distance' is one of my favourite 'Twilight Zone' episodes. The late Gig Young is excellent as 'Martin Sloan', a 36 year old businessman worn down by the pressures of modern life. One day he stops at a garage in the middle of nowhere and sees his home town - 'Homewood' - is nearby. While his car is being fixed, he decides to pay a visit. The place looks just as he remembers it. Even the three-scoop ice creams on sale still cost a dime. Sloan does not yet realise it but he has gone back into the past. He sees himself as a young boy carving his name on a bandstand. But when he tries to talk to him, the lad gets scared and runs off. Martin's parents react disbelievingly as he struggles to prove who he really is...

A recurring theme in Serling's work was 'you can't go back'. Time only has one direction - forward. We all get depressed occasionally and yearn for things to be as they were in the 'good old days'. In a number of 'Twilight Zone' stories ( and in Serling's 'Night Gallery' episode 'They're Tearing Down Riley's Bar' ), an individual missing the past gets a chance to relieve it, only to find it not as good as they thought it was. That is mainly because they made the error of trying to change things, to alter the future to benefit themselves. When Sloan rushes after his younger self, trying to urge him to enjoy life more, the boy falls off the merry-go-round he had been riding, injuring his leg, thus injuring the adult Sloan too. If yours truly could go back to 1980, I would go into a pub and sink a pint or two of 'Arctic Lite' lager - you cannot buy it any more and it was only 66 pence per glass! ( If I could change anything though, I would leave myself a little note recommending avoidance of the film 'Hudson Hawk'! ) The ending in which Sloan's father becomes convinced that the adult Martin is his son and tells him the things he has been looking for are right under his nose is deeply touching. A young Ron Howard ( now a successful film director ) plays 'the Wilcox boy'.

Walking back in time was something Nicholas Lyndhurst was to do forty years later in the excellent B.B.C. sitcom 'Goodnight Sweetheart'.

"Very late. Very late for me."

[meansphene · 10/10 · 12 May 2017]

Perhaps the most biographical of Rod Serling's scripts is the plaintive, simple "Walking Distance". 36-year-old Martin Sloan, worn and disillusioned by the corporate rat-race in New York City, wanders back to the town where he lived as a child. Soon after his arrival, he finds he's not just where he grew up, but when. Having somehow stepped back to the past, he is once again immersed in the sights, sounds, and people of Homewood as he knew them 25 years before. Even his parents are alive and well and in the same house he knew as a boy. Martin has found his way home, and he intends to stay. But Homewood, circa 1934, already has one Martin Sloan, age 11. Can the adult Martin truly reclaim his past, or will he rob himself of his own boyhood in the attempt?

Martin Sloan is Rod Serling's personal mirror, held up to reflect his experiences as a meteoric success in the cutthroat world of TV and movie production and his desire to retain some part of his childhood's simplicity and security. "Walking Distance" is Serling's reconciliation with the knowledge that you really can't go home again. Like any of us, all Sloan has is now, and in reaching for the past he might relinquish both it and the present.

Serling's spare and beautifully prosaic script is complemented by Robert Stevens's sensitive direction and an achingly poignant Bernard Herrman score. But what makes this episode a masterpiece is impeccable acting by Gig Young and Frank Overton. Young's compelling performance makes it easy to suspect that his real-life depression was at the heart of Martin Sloan's world-weariness. His portrayal of quiet, nostalgic pleasure as Sloan eats an ice cream soda at a drug store fountain, one of the strongest emblems of his youth in Homewood, is effortlessly genuine, and as satisfying for us at it is to Sloan. Later, Young is artfully understated as he traverses resolve, desperation, and anguish in Sloan's attempts to reinsert himself into his disbelieving parents' lives. Frank Overton is superb as Martin's dignified and gently compassionate father, and the scenes between him and Young are the highlights of the episode. In one especially notable scene in which the elder Sloan gives his dejected son some touching advice, Overton and Young communicate an authentic father-son affection that makes it clear the whole point behind Martin's fanciful journey was to "hear it from the old man", one last time.

Begin Spoilers ->

By the end of the episode, it's apparent that the 1934 part of the story happened entirely inside Martin's head, probably as he was walking back to his hometown for the first time in 20 years. It was all a fantasy, Martin's reminiscences of his youth transformed into a "what if" daydream. This is why at the beginning of the episode, you can't clearly see whether or not Martin has a limp (an injury that becomes relevant once he seems to have returned to 1934) until he begins his walk to Homewood. Only then do we see him full length, walking normally from the camera while reflected in a vending machine mirror. Likewise, our first sight of him in Homewood is when he appears reflected in a large mirror behind a drug store fountain. He's gone "through the looking glass" on an imaginary journey in which he has no limp, as a fine online article about the show once keenly noted. It's also why Martin doesn't seem to recognize many of the people from his past, and why he doesn't seem that shocked to find he's suddenly moved back in time 25 years. Serling himself touches on this fantasy aspect in his closing narration, when he describes the tendency of men to nostalgically reflect on their pasts with an "errant wish, that a man might not have to become old".

The 1934 events unfolding only in Martin's mind makes the story even more sadly sweet. Martin is facing the stark truth that there is no going back. All that's left for him is to use his memories and sentiments to create a brief sanctuary from a world that he hates, and to conjure up fictional events that allow him to understand why he can't escape his real life and maybe how to deal with it. It's at once a refuge, a farewell, and a resolution. Martin is, in effect, growing up.

-> End Spoilers

This is a remarkably thoughtful episode that resonates with powerful themes of what it means to grow up and grow old in today's world. It's also one of the finest half-hours of television ever created, and for my money, the best "Twilight Zone" episode of all. Not to be missed. 10/10.

Life is short.

[callanvass · 10/10 · 25 November 2013]

A workaholic named Martin Sloan (Gig Young) stops to get gas and stuff at a fuel station. He decides to go for a walk in his hometown to relive some childhood memories, hoping he can right the ship with his mental state. He heads for a chocolate soda at an old shop. He's surprised to learn the old attendant still runs the place. He pays the man, and explores his hometown. Martin is somehow transported back in time to his childhood, coming face to face with his young self, and his deceased parents. This is just riveting television. Maybe it's because I love anything to do that involves time traveling, but this episode entertained the hell out of me. I've been where Martin's at to a certain extent. Not to the emotional peaks he went, but I know how it feels to be stuck in a rut with where you're currently at. I felt Gig Young did a tremendous job as our emotionally fragile hero. As incredibly neat as this episode is, this episode has a big message that comes along with it. It's about how childhood is precious, and you shouldn't be so eager to grow up. Life is short, and you should always embrace it. Along the way we lose track of these ideals, and tend to stop focusing on the little things that make us happy. That's what I got out of this episode. It's a ton of fun, powerful, and it makes you think. A must see for Twilight Zone fans

10/10

"Walking Distance" is familiar Serling theme---but well done

[chuck-reilly · 8/10 · 16 January 2009]

Gig Young stars as Martin Sloan, an executive from the big city who literally takes a brief trip back in time to his former hometown in the 1959 entry "Walking Distance." Returning to the bygone days of one's youth is a familiar theme for writer Rod Serling, but this episode is less sentimental than some of his other works. It's Sloan's yearning for the past that brings him back to the simpler times of his boyhood, when life was uncomplicated and far less stressful. But his father, played effectively by Frank Overton, convinces him that he doesn't belong there and that he must return to his present life. With reluctance and some heartache, Sloan takes his advice and leaves the past behind as he walks back into reality.

"Walking Distance," directed by television veteran Robert Stephens, is very similar in theme to a later Twilight Zone episode titled "The Trouble With Templeton" starring Brian Aherne. Both stories concern one's longing for their halcyon days and simpler times. A third episode (James Daly's disastrous train exit in "A Stop at Willoughby") took this same idea to a more tragic conclusion.

Future Oscar winner Gig Young is perfect for his role in "Walking Distance." An immensely talented and well-respected actor, his life ended in a tragic suicide, stunning the Hollywood community. A very young Ron Howard can also be seen as one of Sloan's boyhood friends. Little Ron was probably already studying camera angles when they filmed this one.

You Only Have One Summer To Remember

[StrictlyConfidential · 7/10 · 9 October 2020]

If only we could turn back time.....

Written by Rod Serling and directed by Robert Stevens - "Walking Distance" (from 1959) tells the poignant story of Martin Sloan (a disillusioned, 30-something man) who enters into the Twilight Zone and, from there, he takes an unexpected and very sentimental journey back (25 years earlier) to the glory days of his happy boyhood.

This haunting recollection of yesteryear tugs deeply on Martin's heartstrings. And though he cannot remain in this time-warp, he is left profoundly moved by his heartfelt experience.

Arguably the Best of the Series

[chrstphrtully · 10/10 · 31 May 2015]

While his car is being worked on, burned out adman Martin Sloan takes a walk into his old hometown, and finds that it hasn't changed a bit since he was a young boy.

Along with "Patterns", "Requiem for a Heavyweight", "A Passage for Trumpet", and "They're Tearing Down Tim Riley's Bar" (from "Night Gallery"), "Walking Distance" is probably in the top five scripts Serling wrote for television. A brilliant story that taps into a universal desire -- to recapture the best moments of our past at the worst times of our present -- and it delivers in every respect. Serling uses his own personal recollections of his youth to create the town of Homewood, and it's equally clear that Martin's current frustrations find their source in Serling's own experiences in Hollywood. His script is spot on in establishing the high stakes Martin has at the beginning of the story, as well as the genuineness of Martin's fond (but not overly-sentimental) recollections of his hometown.

Gig Young's performance in the lead is superb, subtly blending the warmth and intelligence of the character with the more evident world-weariness, making for a fully- rounded interpretation. As Martin's father, Frank Overton (better known to many as either the sheriff in "To Kill a Mockingbird" or from the Star Trek episode "This Side of Paradise") is equally strong, and his final scene with Young is one of the most touching ever shot for the series. And Serling's monologues fit beautifully within the narrative, rather than serving as mere framing devices.

In short, one of the series' top episodes, if not the best.

Back in to the past

[AvionPrince16 · 7/10 · 4 June 2022]

A nice episode with a nice morality . We follow a man who find himself back in his youngest time . And he will be back at present times at the end . The Morality of the episode in my opinion its that we need to move on in life and get rid of the past because its useless to remember old times . I found it pretty good in the mise en scene and the way that they place the cams and present the Story . Nice episode.

Yesteryear

[AaronCapenBanner · 9/10 · 25 October 2014]

Gig Young stars as tired businessman Martin Sloan, who is traveling near his hometown of Homewood, who gets a stopover when his car is being serviced, and decides to walk back there just for old times sake, but is shocked to discover that it is just as he remembered it, right down to meeting himself as a young boy, and his long deceased parents. Just how can Martin deal with this inexplicable event, and should he try and advise his younger self in order to give himself a better future, or do childhoods come around only once? Superbly acted and written piece evokes strong nostalgic memories of childhood, and the unintended consequences of trying to change things. Will no doubt resonate more with older viewers, for obvious reasons.

A return to yesterday, looking at the past while accepting the present, and looking towards the future!

[blanbrn · 7/10 · 17 November 2019]

This "Twilight Zone" episode from season one 1959 called "Walking Distance" is one that's sentimental and heart touching as it shows all of us like to look back at the past and find ourselves before living on in the moment. As things change still memories of time, place, and people are always present!

It involves Martin Sloan(Gig Young) a busy VP of a company who decides to return and revisit his old hometown called Homewood, only after getting gas one day when he walks the short distance to his old haunts he discovers that things have stayed in the past! Martin even sees his self as a young boy and meets his mom and dad! Still despite the revisit it's just not in the cards for Martin to stay in the past. Overall good episode of emotions as it proves memories are touching and it's nice for one to go back to their old life and see the past.

some wisp of memory

[Otoboke · 2 February 2008]

Wow, what a treat. 'Walking Distance' is just one of those Twilight Zone episodes that you finish watching and you have to sit back and wonder how exactly something so fantastic could be dreamt up. Although admittedly a little overdone at times, this is the first real shining star for the series, making testament as to how it became the success it eventually did.

'Walking Distance' is an episode that explores the idea of leaving behind a home, whether it's a collective place, person(s) or event. Much like the previous episode, our main character Martin Sloan is caught up in the memories of his younger self, but the difference with Martin is that he didn't realise how much he missed home until he got back. Stuck in a stressful and demanding job, our troubled character goes for a drive away from the business and hustle of the big city in search for peace, and subconsciously it would seem, for his care-free childhood life.

The whole story has a tragic melancholy tone running throughout that works very well with our main character's reminiscent adventure. Everything else in the script from the dialogue to the great time-bending plot work just as well, running at a great pace, always holding the attention and imagination. Furthermore the cast does a very good job of handling the script, which failing to do so was the downfall of the previous episode. There are noticeable weak spots here and there with some over-acting and dialogue that seems a little forced (how about those 'band-concerts'!) but taken as a whole, 'Walking Distance' has a real class to it, full of professional ideas and implementation.

Aesthetically the episode is just as pleasing, if not more-so. Of special notice is a particular scene where Martin is left alone beside the merry-go-round; the dramatic change to spotlight lighting and cue of Herrmann's magnificent score fit perfectly with the mesmerising monologue that Young then goes on to deliver eloquently. The sets too are elaborate, being similar to that of the pilot, giving the episode a wide-open and fresh feel that is necessary when delving into the character's memories of childhood.

Taken as a whole this is simply a wonderfully realised episode that deals with some great themes in even greater ways. With exceptional photography, music, performances and writing, 'Walking Distance' is true classic Twilight Zone in every way.