Jess-Belle
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The Twilight Zone Original series |
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Episodes:
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“Jess-Belle” is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.
[edit] Details
- Episode number: 109
- Season: 4
- Original air date: February 14, 1963
- Writer: Earl Hamner, Jr.
- Director: Buzz Kulik
- Producer: Herbert Hirschman
- Director of photography: Robert W. Pittack
- Music: Van Cleave
[edit] Cast
- Jess-Belle: Anne Francis
- Billy-Ben Turner: James Best
- Ellwyn Glover: Laura Devon
- Granny Hart: Jeanette Nolan
- Ossie: Virginia Gregg
- Minister: Jon Lormer
- Luther Glover: George Mitchell
- Mattie Glover: Helen Kleeb
- Obed Miller: Jim Boles
[edit] Synopsis
Jess-Belle, determined that Billy-Ben Turner and Ellwyn Glover not marry, enlists the aid of a local witch who casts a spell that makes Billy-Ben forget Ellwyn and fall madly in love with Jess-Belle. Jess-Belle learns there's a price for the spell when she transforms into a leopard from midnight until dawn. A hunting party finds the leopard and shoots it, and it disappears in a cloud of smoke. A year later when Billy-Ben is preparing to marry Ellwyn, Jess-Belle reappears. Billy-Ben learns from the local witch that to kill Jess-Belle he must stab one of her dresses with silver. He returns home to find Ellwyn possessed by Jess-Belle. He grabs one of her dresses and stabs it. Jess-Belle appears in the dress, and then disappears forever.
No closing narration. It ends with a folk song heard at the beginning of the episode:
- 'Fair was Elly Glover,
- Dark was Jess-Belle.
- Both they loved the same man,
- And both they loved him well.'
[edit] The Song
Each 'act' of the episode begins with a verse of a haunting folk song. The lyrics are as follows:
Fair was Elly Glover, dark was Jess-Belle. Both they loved the same man, and both they loved him well.
By day she knew a woman's form, by night a witch's spell. For love of Billy Turner, accursed was Jess-Belle.
A fitful night was spent by all on Eagle's Rock did dwell. Strange things were seen by moonlight's fall, but none saw Jess-Belle.
Warm was Elly Glover, cold dead was Jess-Belle. And husband would be Billy Ben, of the one he loved so well.
[edit] Trivia
This is the only episode to not end with closing narration.
