CBS airs the 15th episode of Rod Serling’s anthology series The Twilight Zone. Serling adapts a short story of the same name by Madelon Champion.
A rocket manned by eight astronauts is launched, and then disappears off of the scopes. Of the eight-man crew, four survive the rocket’s crash landing, into what they believe to be an asteroid near Earth’s orbit, since the sun is approximately the same size in the sky. The asteroid has a conveniently breathable atmosphere, but between them, the four survivors have only five gallons of water. One of them suffered critical injuries in the crash, but the mission’s commander refuses to entertain notions that water no longer be “wasted” on the injured. His subordinates, however, are feeling less charitable, until the expedition is whittled down to a single survivor…who finds that he’s far closer to home than he thought.
teleplay by Rod Serling
based on the story by Madelon Champion
directed by Stuart Rosenberg
music not credited
Cast: Dewey Martin (Corey), Edward Binns (Colonel Donlin), Ted Otis (Pierson), Harry Bartell (Langford), Leslie Barrett (Brandt)
Notes: The “asteroid” exteriors were shot in Death Valley, so it’s likely that the cast members were in need of water almost as badly as their characters…
LogBook entry by Earl Green