I can think of a dozen eps off the top of my head that revolve around a poor misunderstood husband who's wife sits around in high heels making unreasonable demands. Are there equivalent eps where a female protaganist has an abusive husband? Seems like most of the female "heroines" spend most of the ep being frightened and hysterical.
my goal as an actress? to remain on payroll
That's an excellent topic. How bout To Serve Man? Diane was the one who deciphered the book whilst the men couldn't. She also managed to avoid getting on the ship!! There was nothing hysterical or "second class" about her.
shareAre there equivalent eps where a female protaganist has an abusive husband?yes, Living Doll
She wasn't the protagonist, but there's "A Piano in the House".
shareRod might have had some female issues in his life. Great song writers will infuse their lives into songs. I'll give him a pass if that is true.
“Willoughby, sir? That’s Willoughby right outside. It’s July. It’s summer. It’s 1888.”
I tend to see the imbalance as a product of two things:
- the times -- men were more likely to be the ones working (some of those episodes hinge on a guy being totally surrounded by meanies, including their boss), running things, etc. Women being the soulmates, helpers, support (or spectacularly failing to do so!) was more a reflection of everyday life.
- the writer being male -- even for someone as flexible and gifted as Serling, making most protagonists like oneself in some way is pretty common.
In general, I think Serling did a good job of seeing things from various points of view. And while there aren't a lot of nice wife/mean husband episodes, there are quite a few with women or girls as protagonists.
What about Nightmare at 20,000 feet? The husband was definitely being unreasonable and hysterical while his wife was very level headed and calm.
shareThere was also "The Nick of Time," with William Shatner, in which he played a husband who was letting a tabletop fortune-telling machine determine his future until his more level-headed wife talked some sense into him.
And then there was "Escape Clause" with David Wayne as a hypochondriac who was convinced he was at death's door, with a wife who was putting up with him. But "The Complete Directory of Prime-Time Network and Cable TV Shows" (by Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh) described her as an "intolerable shrew of a wife." Intolerable shrew? This "shrew" was a very concerned wife who had to deal with an unreasonable husband, and as far as being intolerable, that was him. Any woman would go insane with a husband like that--and incidentally, he got what he deserved in the end.
Telly is starting to make a comeback for DB husbands.
“Willoughby, sir? That’s Willoughby right outside. It’s July. It’s summer. It’s 1888.”
Perhaps the opening of "Printers Devil" might count? It's been years since I've seen it, but as I recall the editor at the outset drinks too much and is suicidal - that is, before he becomes a success and straightens himself out. His girlfriend, as I recall, seemed perfectly normal.
Another long shot is "Nervous Man in a Four Dollar Room". We never see the girlfriend portrayed, but Jackie's image in the mirror tells him he used to have a good girlfriend until he drove her away.