The Twilight Zone “Miniature” Episode Nearly Missed Reruns

Some episodes of The Twilight Zone are, obviously, better than others, but sitting down to watch the complete run rather than just hitting the classics can be a deeply rewarding experience. You get to see the series evolve, experiment, and even find some latter-day hidden gems, which is why it’s so wonderful that the series still airs several times a week on SYFY, so you can fill in all the blanks.

But for one latter-day Twilight Zone episode, the joy of reruns almost didn’t happen. 

Why “Miniature” almost didn’t make it to Twilight Zone reruns

Originally broadcast in early 1963 as part of the show’s fourth season, “Miniature” is an episode with classic Twilight Zone magic behind it. Written by the great Charles Beaumont, one of the show’s most important writers, it follows a lonely man named Charley (Robert Duvall in an early role) who becomes fascinated with a dollhouse behind a glass display case in a museum. But it’s not just the house Charley is interested in. Inside the house, though only he can see it, a doll (Claire Griswold) has come to life, going about her day to Charley’s complete fascination. 

As Charlie falls in love with his tiny new friend, the people around him become convinced that he’s insane, while Charley is forced to hide his true feelings so he can get free of psychiatric care long enough to get back to the dollhouse and find his beloved. It’s a very sensitive, quiet episode of The Twilight Zone in comparison to other classics, but Beaumont’s script and Duvall’s performance make it work. 

So, what’s the problem? According to Marc Scott Zicree’s The Twilight Zone Companion, “Miniature” quickly fell victim to a lawsuit alleging that the idea was stolen from “The Thirteenth Mannequin,” a script submitted to Twilight Zone production company Cayuga, but never accepted or produced by the show. The script concerned a lonely man bonding with mannequins as they came to life at night, leading the writer to allege that the basic premise — lonely guy falls in love with an inanimate object — was lifted from their work. 

The lawsuit was eventually dismissed, but according to Zicree, the legal battle meant that when The Twilight Zone entered syndication, “Miniature” was not among the episodes making the leap into reruns. For years it sat on a shelf, available only as a memory for those who’d first seen it back in 1963. 

Fortunately, in the modern age of streaming and syndication, “Miniature” has been brought back into the fold! 

The Twilight Zone airs regularly on SYFY. Check the Schedule for listings information.