episode #138 - Black Leather Jackets

Air Date: 01/31/64    written by Earl Hamner Jr.    Directed by Joseph M. Newman

Another tale of alien invasion, resembling low budget sf films of the fifties, but beginning as if it's emulating Brando's The Wild One (53): 3 young motorcyclists ride into town, wearing black leather jackets; their intentions seem most benign - purchasing a house; but, the audience is quickly made privy to their telekinetic powers, showing that they're aliens. The family next door has no clue, of course - even when the aliens' machines cause interference in TV & radio reception, the father is simply hypnotized to forget the matter. Then, the daughter falls for the youngest member of the alien trio and so complications ensue. But, will love win out in the end...?
This one does defy expectations for the conclusion, so it does have some edge, but it's pedestrian overall. It specifically resembles alien invasion films such as Invaders From Mars (53), It Conquered the World (56) and I Married a Monster From Outer Space (59), meaning a mostly quiet and unobtrusive invasion of suburbia, but the short length of such a TV episode and the non-budget actually work against the concept. There's no time for the story or the characters to develop appreciably and the ending is therefore abrupt. BoG's Score: 6.5 out of 10


Star Trek TOS actor alert: Michael Forest plays the tallest of the alien trio; he played Apollo in the episode Who Mourns For Adonais