This is a decent episode. Rod Steiger is a research scientist. He has developed some substance that affects the personality, that unleashes the id impulses. His resentful wife damages his body of work, destroying his samples and burning his research notes. She has been affected by the spillage of some of the stuff on piece of pie she is eating. Her baser instincts take over and she becomes a veritable beast. Now it's up to Steiger and lab assistant James Dean to try to recreate the work. Meanwhile, she become a vamp, acting in ways she has never done before, totally out of character. She vows to destroy him, but she, herself, becomes self destructive. This does have a kicker which is worth waiting for.
5 Reviews
Get a load of the guys in this episode of "Tales of Tomorrow".
planktonrules14 September 2012
This episode of "Tales of Tomorrow" stars James Dean and Rod Steiger before they were stars. And for that reason alone, it's well worth seeing.
This show is a bit like a reworking of the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde story. However, in this case, a man (Steiger) makes a formula similar to Jekyll's and the intention is to come up with a counter-formula--one that will unlock the goodness in people. Unfortunately, his wife is a bit of a ditz and she accidentally spills some of the formula on some food and she accidentally eats it--and becomes a nasty and rather cruel woman.
Margaret Philips' performance of as the wife vastly overshadows her soon to be famous co-stars. And, it's quite fun to watch her be so cruel and histrionic! Subtle, no--but fun and well worth seeing for the story and acting.
This show is a bit like a reworking of the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde story. However, in this case, a man (Steiger) makes a formula similar to Jekyll's and the intention is to come up with a counter-formula--one that will unlock the goodness in people. Unfortunately, his wife is a bit of a ditz and she accidentally spills some of the formula on some food and she accidentally eats it--and becomes a nasty and rather cruel woman.
Margaret Philips' performance of as the wife vastly overshadows her soon to be famous co-stars. And, it's quite fun to watch her be so cruel and histrionic! Subtle, no--but fun and well worth seeing for the story and acting.
An uninspired distaff spin on the classic 'Jekyll/Hyde' premise
jamesrupert201414 December 2021
A researcher's wife (Margaret Phillips) accidently ingests his experimental serum that releases 'the beast within'. The story is essentially 'Dr. Jekyll and Mrs. Hyde', with quiet, passive Anne becoming more sensual, emotive, and animalistic after taking the drug. The story is predicated on the implausible notion that a research biologist would take home an experimental neurological drug in test-tubes and then store them unsealed and not in a secondary container in a refrigerator full of food (early on he says that they have to be kept cold and the lab fridge is broken). Phillips is pretty good as the frustrated wife whose strong-willed and alluring alternate
self is awakened, but otherwise the episode is noteworthy only for the casting: Rod Steiger brings his usual gruffness to the part of the less-than-safety-conscious researcher and future Hollywood icon James Dean plays his lab assistant (in typical James Dean 'method' fashion). Casting aside, this is one of the less interesting episodes in the highly variable old anthology.
Dr Jekyll and Mrs. Hyde
wes-connors27 November 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Neglected housewife Margaret Phillips (as Anne) reads the "Saturday Evening Post" while waiting patiently for scientist husband Rod Steiger (as Peter) to come home from the laboratory. When Mr. Steiger arrives, it's with several vials of experimental serum, which he puts in the refrigerator, because the one at the lab broke down. If consumed, the serum gives you, "a sudden, overpowering, unnatural urge to destroy everything you love." Yikes!
Unfortunately, the serum drips on some refrigerated pie. This brings out "The Evil Within" Ms. Phillips, after she eats some of the contaminated dessert. Phillips begins to act strange. She hangs up on Steiger's spectacled lab partner James Dean (as Ralph), tosses her husband's serum in the sink, and giddily burns some important notes. When she begins to wield a knife, Steiger really has his work cut out for him Early TV appearance for two giants.
***** The Evil Within (5/1/53) Don Medford ~ Margaret Phillips, Rod Steiger, James Dean
Unfortunately, the serum drips on some refrigerated pie. This brings out "The Evil Within" Ms. Phillips, after she eats some of the contaminated dessert. Phillips begins to act strange. She hangs up on Steiger's spectacled lab partner James Dean (as Ralph), tosses her husband's serum in the sink, and giddily burns some important notes. When she begins to wield a knife, Steiger really has his work cut out for him Early TV appearance for two giants.
***** The Evil Within (5/1/53) Don Medford ~ Margaret Phillips, Rod Steiger, James Dean
James Dean as the assistant
kapelusznik188 October 2017
Warning: Spoilers
***SPOILERS***Even though he gets top billing here on the IMDb James Dean-who has 20/400 vision-wearing his glasses has a small part as scientist Peter's, Rod Steiger,lab assistant that last less then 5 minutes and is quickly forgotten. That's before the you know what hits the fan with Peter's wife Anne, Margaret Phillips, going off the deep end and about to murder him. It was a secret formula that Peter developed that brings the worst out of people that accidentally landed in the apple pie Anne ate that he brought home for dinner that turned the sweet and loving Anne into a homicidal maniac.
Peter desperate to reverse the damage that his formula created in turning his loving wife into a nut-case in a race against time, before she kills him, tries to find an antidote but time is quickly running out for him. That's until Ralph, off camera, give him a call telling Peter that the formula's effect will ware off in 24 hours that gives him just a 15 minutes window -with already 23 hours and 45 minutes passed after she ate the apple pie-for him to keep her at bay while she's still effected by the formula.
Peter does his best keeping Anne's mind off from killing him talking about sports as well as the weather and runs out the clock which soon has her back to her good old and normal self. Even though he originally had third billing in this "Tales of Tomorrow" episode James Dean as assistant Ralph saved the day as well as Peter's life by getting the important information-vital telephone-to him in time and thus Peter holding off Anne long enough until the deadly formula's effects wore off and brought her back to sanity.
Peter desperate to reverse the damage that his formula created in turning his loving wife into a nut-case in a race against time, before she kills him, tries to find an antidote but time is quickly running out for him. That's until Ralph, off camera, give him a call telling Peter that the formula's effect will ware off in 24 hours that gives him just a 15 minutes window -with already 23 hours and 45 minutes passed after she ate the apple pie-for him to keep her at bay while she's still effected by the formula.
Peter does his best keeping Anne's mind off from killing him talking about sports as well as the weather and runs out the clock which soon has her back to her good old and normal self. Even though he originally had third billing in this "Tales of Tomorrow" episode James Dean as assistant Ralph saved the day as well as Peter's life by getting the important information-vital telephone-to him in time and thus Peter holding off Anne long enough until the deadly formula's effects wore off and brought her back to sanity.
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