The Twonky (1953)

Funny, strange, confrontational and subversive, this is one of the most interesting experiences you'll have at the cinema this year.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

This film was made two years prior and then it was shelved until 1953. When it debuted, finally, it appeared in only three theaters and apparently a lot of folks walked out of the screening!"The Twonky" is a strange sci-fi comedy...complete with a completely ridiculous 'monster'. And, the monster is a TV set that seems possessed!! It can walk, it can talk, it can use mind control AND it can make or destroy things. Because of that, although Professor West (Hans Conried) is scared of it, the robotic TV keeps out-thinking him and seems indestructible! No matter what he does, the TV survives and thrives...and in the process the Professor seems ready to lose his mind!The movie is dumb...that goes without saying. But unlike some dumb monster films of the 1950s, this one doesn't take itself seriously...which is why I think it's worth seeing provided your expectations aren't high! Ultra-silly, that's for sure!

This film is a pleasant waste of time, with a reasonably clever script and good performances by Hans Conried and the slightly drunken guy who played the coach. There are a few surprising double-entendres that I did not expect, which contribute to an understated subversive message to this film.For those that watch scifi movies expecting rocketships, monsters, FX, and explosions, this film will be a disappointment. As far as spectacle goes, this could easily be a radio or television play. As far as scifi-satire, this is pretty decent stuff and certainly one of the first cinematic examples of it. It's interesting to note that this film premiered in 1953, the same year as Bradbury's 'Fahrenheit 451,' which also satirized TV.There is a walking TV set in this film, which is named 'the Twonky,' by the drunken coach, and this special effect is achieved by a primitive puppet of some sort...surprisingly, this effect works well from both a story-telling and mood point of view.The basic concept here is that a piece of entertainment technology, in the name of being helpful, comes to take over and tyrannize the life of Hans Conried. My reaction, seeing this film for the first time in the year 2012, is that the writer essentially prophesied the Iphone and 'Android', and every similar 'personal electronic device' which now seems indispensable to us.

I agree, this movie scared me half to death when I saw it as a kid (probably around 8 or so). I was surprised when I ran into it much later on IMDb, and it was billed as a comedy. Looking back through adult eyes, it was probably pretty funny, and I hope to see it again someday. But back then, the idea that a TV that looked just like our TV could be alive, was really scary, particularly since I was already having nightmares about the big speaker from my dad's hi-fi system chasing me around the room.Maybe it will come out on DVD or VCD some day, and I can see it again.

Henry Kuttner's short story was terrific, and could have made for a very good movie -- but not as in the hands of Arch Oboler. He overstates everything, drags out the compact story, and insists on inserting a MESSAGE into a story that doesn't require one. It's a shame that the great Hans Conried's only solo starring movie is one as bad as this. Incidentally, this film is a prime example of why the IMDb rating system is faulty. It's inconceivable that 25 people would consider this trifle to be one of the greatest movies ever made -- but that's how they voted. 25 people gave this a 10. What a foolish thing to do.