Of the two episodes of "The Twilight Zone" he did - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Rezny@gmail.com · 04-04-2010, 11:45 PM

Which did you like Martin Landau better in? In 1959's "Mr.Denton on Doomsday"(as sadistic gunslinger Hotaling-I'm glad his character got his comeuppance from Dan Duryea as Al Denton),or 1964's "The Jeopardy Room"(I'm glad his character Maj.Ivan Kochenko defeated his sadistic captors).To me,he was good in both.How about the rest of you?

Zoneboy · 04-05-2010, 02:16 AM

I prefer Landau's performance in "Mr. Denton on Doomsday" but overall "The Jeopardy Room" was the better episode.

TV Knowledge Fan · 04-05-2010, 02:47 AM

...he often cast those actors and actresses whose talents he admired, if they were available. Obviously, in "Mr. Denton On Doomsday", he saw Martin as the same kind of sadistic bully he portrayed in "North By Northwest" (he does everything but plant his foot on "Al Denton's" neck to humiliate him)- while Dan Duryea, who was often known for playing "despicable weasels" in his films, appears as a down-on-his-luck ex-gunfighter turned "town drunk" who gets a second chance, putting people like Landau's "Hotaling" in their place.

In "The Jeopardy Room", Landau has the "Al Denton" role, so to speak, as a defector trying to leave a neutral country while a sadistic Soviet agent [John Van Dreelen] tries to destroy him by being "clever" than him....only to get caught in his own trap in the end. Landau was good at playing both ends of the spectrum- and since he's the primary "guest star" here, naturally the part's "meatier", and he got to show more nuances in his acting ability.

04-04-2010, 11:45 PM	#1
Rezny@gmail.com Member Senior Member Join Date: Jul 20, 2007 Location: Nebraska Posts: 2,675	Of the two episodes of "The Twilight Zone" he did Which did you like Martin Landau better in? In 1959's "Mr.Denton on Doomsday"(as sadistic gunslinger Hotaling-I'm glad his character got his comeuppance from Dan Duryea as Al Denton),or 1964's "The Jeopardy Room"(I'm glad his character Maj.Ivan Kochenko defeated his sadistic captors).To me,he was good in both.How about the rest of you?

04-05-2010, 02:16 AM	#2
Zoneboy RIP, I'LL NEVER FORGET YOU :( Moderator Forum Superstar Join Date: Jul 13, 2003 Location: AT HOME WISHING ALL THIS WAS JUST A DREAM AND THAT I'LL WAKE UP FROM THIS NIGHTMARE. Posts: 34,375	I prefer Landau's performance in "Mr. Denton on Doomsday" but overall "The Jeopardy Room" was the better episode.
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04-05-2010, 02:47 AM	#3
TV Knowledge Fan Member Senior Member Join Date: Mar 29, 2006 Location: Long Branch, N.J. Posts: 2,577	Since both of the episodes were written by Rod Serling... ...he often cast those actors and actresses whose talents he admired, if they were available. Obviously, in "Mr. Denton On Doomsday", he saw Martin as the same kind of sadistic bully he portrayed in "North By Northwest" (he does everything but plant his foot on "Al Denton's" neck to humiliate him)- while Dan Duryea, who was often known for playing "despicable weasels" in his films, appears as a down-on-his-luck ex-gunfighter turned "town drunk" who gets a second chance, putting people like Landau's "Hotaling" in their place. In "The Jeopardy Room", Landau has the "Al Denton" role, so to speak, as a defector trying to leave a neutral country while a sadistic Soviet agent [John Van Dreelen] tries to destroy him by being "clever" than him....only to get caught in his own trap in the end. Landau was good at playing both ends of the spectrum- and since he's the primary "guest star" here, naturally the part's "meatier", and he got to show more nuances in his acting ability.