Ring-A-Ding Girl

People smoke to past the time. Rod Serling loved his smokes, too. But when movie star Bunny Blake slips her latest "token-of-appreciation" on to her fourth digit, it has become clearly evident to all that something is amiss: the huge, gaudy gem on her finger has begun to stir and smoke, messages of desperation flickering across its stone's face. These cryptic waves of light and sound plot a collision course between two very different worlds: one of celebrity, one which isn't. Performing center stage is the clash of two titans: Hollywood versus Americana. I like the acting chemistry exhibited by the two sisters. Although they live completely different lives in the outside world, they have an unconditional love for one another. Their chats have a poignant and supportive feel to them. The smaller roles are handled well, especially the trooper. His final declaration is sincere, frantic and effortless in its delivery. In the end, Bunny Blake is a wayward traveler who commits a selfless act of kindness. Her exit--through the front door and into a needling rainstorm--signals a trip to a blissful thereafter. It rings so very true in a picnic grounds mapped-out in "The Twilight Zone."

This is one of the very best stories of the series, with an incredibly moving ending.

When people talk about classic Twilight Zone episodes, I'm surprised this one isn't mentioned more often.

Hollywood movie star Barbara "Bunny" Blake (Maggie McNamara), known to her fans as the Ring-a-ding Girl, receives a gift from the people of her hometown of Howardville: a ring that, when she stares into its stone, reveals to her familiar faces asking for her help. Bunny decides to pay a surprise visit to Howardville, her journey taking her via The Twilight Zone.

Sentimental without being schmaltzy, Ring-a-ding Girl is one of the best tales from the final season of Rod Serling's iconic show, with winning performances by McNamara and Mary Munday as Bunny's sister Hildy, an engaging script by Earl Hamner, and a bitter-sweet supernatural twist that shows the seemingly superficial star to be a caring and devoted sister and far more appreciative of her small town roots than her glittering Hollywood career has led people to believe.

Others before me on this IMDB section have done a fine job of going over the basics and finer points of this great episode,there is no need for me to go through it and possibly print a spoiler by accident. Let me simply say that this was a well-made,interesting episode that everyone should see. I liked it and you just might like it too !🌞

I've seen this episode many times, and while I always remember it being top-notch, I can never seem to recall why I like it so much. In watching it again today, I was in a receptive enough mood to realize why. The acting is excellent; the script is compact and concise. It's a classic Earl Hamner episode - sentimental and mysterious, with a core of Americana. (Much as I idolize Rod Serling, I've come to realize his writing has some annoying characteristics -- the everpresent "I...I think..."/"What do you think, Edith?" kind of thing -- while other regular writers, among them Hamner, Charles Beaumont and Richard Matheson, in particular, were much better WRITERS per se.) I personally disagree that the main character is annoying: she's supposed to be driven and self-centered, at the same time that she can appreciate her roots. That makes her sacrifice so much more appealing -- even if it could only happen in... the Twilight Zone.