Second episode in the newly imposed hour-long format is a prime example of its limitations: Story involves a U.S. Navy destroyer in the South Pacific that makes sonar contact with a long-sunken submarine that seems to have an inexplicable hammering come from inside it. This news greatly troubles Chief Bell(played by Mike Kellin) who it turns out was the sole survivor from that sub back in World War II, but he has a secret that he may literally take to that thirty-fathom grave... Costars Simon Oakland as the Captain, and an early appearance by future star Bill Bixby("The Incredible Hulk") Plot has a great deal of potential, but is hurt by obvious padding like too much exposition about what could be down there. Still, this succeeds as an eerie ghost story, with fine acting, but at 25 minutes, would have been a classic...
25 Reviews
This might contain a spoiler.
hunnja27 March 2008
Warning: Spoilers
Before I saw this episode for the first time yesterday, back in the 80s I read a book called Ghost Boat (by George Simpson and Neal Burger) which was written in the 70s. The plots and outcomes of both the Twilight Zone episode and the book are exactly the same: A WW2 sub comes back decades later to claim its lone survivor! After seeing the Twilight Zone episode, I wondered if Simpson and Burger had written that screenplay and later turned it into a book? Apparently not. The Twilight Zone episode credits Serling with writing it. So, was the Ghost Book idea stolen from Twilight Zone? Who knows! It's a good read and has a good plot twist to it that might have helped make this Twilight Zone episode the best one ever!
Why so long?
ericstevenson9 August 2018
Warning: Spoilers
I think the problem is that the episode is an hour long. The plot isn't complicated at all. It features these sailors that discover a boat sunk in World War II that keeps making this sound. One of the sailors turns out to have been on that exact boat. He feels as though it was his fault it sunk. He's haunted by the ghosts of that ship's sailors.
It's revealed that a periscope's shears were cut in half which is what presumably causing the sound. One of the dead bodies was carrying a hammer however. If it could have been mundane, how was the one guy seeing the ghosts earlier? Well, I guess he could have just been crazy. It just seems like a waste for the episode to be this long. Still, it was pretty unique and well built up. ***
It's revealed that a periscope's shears were cut in half which is what presumably causing the sound. One of the dead bodies was carrying a hammer however. If it could have been mundane, how was the one guy seeing the ghosts earlier? Well, I guess he could have just been crazy. It just seems like a waste for the episode to be this long. Still, it was pretty unique and well built up. ***
Drawn Out And Dragged Down
a_l_i_e_n6 December 2006
"The Thirty-Fathom Grave" is an atmospherically rich tale in which mysterious pounding noises from a sunken submarine are detected by a passing US naval vessel. As it turns out, onboard the naval ship is the lone surviving member of the crew of that sub. Plagued by creepy visions of his dead comrades sopping wet and beckoning him to join them, one cannot help but feel for the tormented character in this very well shot episode that ends with an effectively eerie revelation.
So why does it ultimately fail?
Quite frankly, because there just isn't enough story here to sustain the episode's momentum over the course of an hour. After starting off with a promising first act, the pace quickly begins to bog down to the point where the character of a young naval diver has to fill air time by making descent after monotonous descent to check out the wrecked sub. One other problem is the question of why the ghostly crew are so determined that their comrade should re-join them at the bottom of the ocean? Afterall, he didn't cause their deaths, and since the ending pretty clearly indicates that the phantoms are not just hallucinations, it becomes even harder to understand why they would be so determined to drive this guy to take his own life.
Had it been told at the usual "Twilight Zone" episode length of 30 minutes, this could well have been one the best such tales of the entire series, perhaps attaining the same standout status as did other classic episodes like "The Invaders" and "Nightmare At 20,000 Feet." Unfortunately, "Thirty-Fathom Grave" just drifts along before ultimately sinking due to it's own bloated length.
So why does it ultimately fail?
Quite frankly, because there just isn't enough story here to sustain the episode's momentum over the course of an hour. After starting off with a promising first act, the pace quickly begins to bog down to the point where the character of a young naval diver has to fill air time by making descent after monotonous descent to check out the wrecked sub. One other problem is the question of why the ghostly crew are so determined that their comrade should re-join them at the bottom of the ocean? Afterall, he didn't cause their deaths, and since the ending pretty clearly indicates that the phantoms are not just hallucinations, it becomes even harder to understand why they would be so determined to drive this guy to take his own life.
Had it been told at the usual "Twilight Zone" episode length of 30 minutes, this could well have been one the best such tales of the entire series, perhaps attaining the same standout status as did other classic episodes like "The Invaders" and "Nightmare At 20,000 Feet." Unfortunately, "Thirty-Fathom Grave" just drifts along before ultimately sinking due to it's own bloated length.
Good story, suffers from hour long format
dgl119918 December 2017
Warning: Spoilers
This is one of eighteen episodes from season four of the Twilight Zone, the only season of it's five season run shot in hour-long lengths rather than the customary 30 minute episodes which made the show much more compact and appealing. This story was crafted before Rod Serling and the network chose to experiment with longer run times. As a consequence, it was necessary to re-write the story to fit it's hour length which meant padding it with extended scenes of chatty, dull, unnecessary dialogue. The story was meant to me told in a much shorter time and as a result drags endlessly in places and loses some of it's haunting atmosphere and thriller moments.
The Thirty Fathom Grave, otherwise, is a well conceived and interesting ghost story at sea. A U.S. Navy destroyer on routine patrol in the south Pacific in 1963 detects an unusual underwater contact, the sound of clanging metal, almost rhythmic enough to sound like Morse code. The Captain, his officers and crew, are befuddled by the incessant sound, although based on the sonar signature they have have determined it's likely originating from a motionless submarine on the sea floor thirty fathoms (180 feet) below them. Beyond that they have no answers, and all attempts to contact the vessel have gone unanswered. A diver is dispatched to investigate. He finds the submarine is American, and eventually they are able to identify it as having been lost in a sea battle in 1942 with the loss of all hands. But the mysterious banging sound from inside continues.
The destroyer's Chief Boatswain's Mate, a career Navy vet, is inexplicably afflicted by the odd encounter. He suffers crippling physical effects, sees visions of the dead crew, and is increasingly guided by a supernatural force to join the submarine below. He reveals to the Captain, who has grown intensely concerned about his erratic behavior, that he was the sole survivor of the doomed submarine below in 1942, whose sinking he blames on himself due to an an error in nighttime concealment, for twenty-one years he has carried the guilt inside him. He must join them, which he finally does.
A great and haunting story. Yet poisoned not by poor writing or acting, but by misguided television executives who knew nothing about science fiction and everything about the ad revenues they could reap from hour long episodes. It was a bad idea, but the story of the ghost submarine never was. It just should have been told in a shorter tale.
The Thirty Fathom Grave, otherwise, is a well conceived and interesting ghost story at sea. A U.S. Navy destroyer on routine patrol in the south Pacific in 1963 detects an unusual underwater contact, the sound of clanging metal, almost rhythmic enough to sound like Morse code. The Captain, his officers and crew, are befuddled by the incessant sound, although based on the sonar signature they have have determined it's likely originating from a motionless submarine on the sea floor thirty fathoms (180 feet) below them. Beyond that they have no answers, and all attempts to contact the vessel have gone unanswered. A diver is dispatched to investigate. He finds the submarine is American, and eventually they are able to identify it as having been lost in a sea battle in 1942 with the loss of all hands. But the mysterious banging sound from inside continues.
The destroyer's Chief Boatswain's Mate, a career Navy vet, is inexplicably afflicted by the odd encounter. He suffers crippling physical effects, sees visions of the dead crew, and is increasingly guided by a supernatural force to join the submarine below. He reveals to the Captain, who has grown intensely concerned about his erratic behavior, that he was the sole survivor of the doomed submarine below in 1942, whose sinking he blames on himself due to an an error in nighttime concealment, for twenty-one years he has carried the guilt inside him. He must join them, which he finally does.
A great and haunting story. Yet poisoned not by poor writing or acting, but by misguided television executives who knew nothing about science fiction and everything about the ad revenues they could reap from hour long episodes. It was a bad idea, but the story of the ghost submarine never was. It just should have been told in a shorter tale.
A Classic Ghost Story
Hitchcoc21 April 2014
I first saw this episode about fifty years ago and when I finally watched it again, it all came back to me. This is a wonderful ghost story. It takes place aboard a Naval destroyer where strange pounding sounds are picked up on sonar. This is puzzling. They seem to be coming from a submarine, lying at the bottom of the ocean. It had been sunk twenty years earlier, yet it seems that there is someone alive in there. A diver is sent to investigate and after two tries he identifies the number. Meanwhile, another plot is going on. A career Navy man is experiencing great anxiety which is affecting his performance on the ship. He is irrational and hallucinatory. He is under psychological care. He claims to have seen a group of sailors, soaked and covered in seaweed, beckoning him to join them. Of course, no one else can see them. This sets up a conclusion which is classic Rod Serling. Yes, it isn't all that surprising, considering the circumstances, but it is a very satisfying episode. The acting is quite good and the suspense builds well. A full hour may have been a bit long, but it didn't bother me as much as others.
deja-vu
fraisselaurent7 January 2010
As the story slowly (very slowly...) unfolded, i had an vague impression of deja-vu. strange, the fourth season has never been aired in France, so it couldn't be one of those episodes i saw long ago...
After some important element of the plot was revealed, i knew why i had this feeling.
The writing of the story is accredited to Rod Serling, but i think it should be better to only acknowledge him the screenplay writing. The story in itself can be read in a short story untitled "The eyes of the dead", written in 1927 by Irish politician, writer and teacher Daniel Corkery (1878–1964).
I've been a huge fan of Serling's work until today. Now i wonder how many of his stories have been similarly "borrowed".
After some important element of the plot was revealed, i knew why i had this feeling.
The writing of the story is accredited to Rod Serling, but i think it should be better to only acknowledge him the screenplay writing. The story in itself can be read in a short story untitled "The eyes of the dead", written in 1927 by Irish politician, writer and teacher Daniel Corkery (1878–1964).
I've been a huge fan of Serling's work until today. Now i wonder how many of his stories have been similarly "borrowed".
Eerie Episode
jawlaw6 July 2006
Warning: Spoilers
This episode remains in my memory as one of the most eerie of all. It was well suited to the one hour format that was alloted to Serling for one year's worth of the show. The story concerns a sailor from WWII who is a career military man and still serving in the early 60's. A submarine sunk during the war, of which he was the sole surviving crew member, is discovered by sonar. A strange banging noise has brought the sunken hulk to the attention of the sonar operator. The sole survivor, recognizing his shipmates are all still sealed up in the wreck, becomes convinced that the tapping sound is their ghosts reaching out, as it were, from the grave for him. As always, Serling plays up the psychological aspects to the hilt. It is, in my estimation, the best of the one hour episodes, with an eerie Serling conclusion.
The Submerged Grave
claudio_carvalho4 August 2023
While sailing in the South Pacific, a US destroyer detects the sound of beating on a metal undersea. The Chief Boatswain's Mate Bell feels disturbed and sick and is sent to the infirmary by Captain Beecham. The diver McClure finds a submarine stranded in the bottom of the sea and based on the Hull # 714, Captain Beecham learns that the submarine has sunk during the World War II. Further, Chief Bell is the only survivor and blames himself for the sinking of the submarine.
"The Thirty-Fathom Grave" is an ambiguous episode of "The Twilight Zone". The plot has double interpretation, one logical based on the feeling of guilt of the disturbed Chief Bell for the sinking of the submarine, and seeing and imagining ghosts. The other, a supernatural ghost story that would be simply that he is right and the ghosts are summoning him. My vote is seven.
Title (Brazil): "O Túmulo Submerso" ("The Submerged Grave")
"The Thirty-Fathom Grave" is an ambiguous episode of "The Twilight Zone". The plot has double interpretation, one logical based on the feeling of guilt of the disturbed Chief Bell for the sinking of the submarine, and seeing and imagining ghosts. The other, a supernatural ghost story that would be simply that he is right and the ghosts are summoning him. My vote is seven.
Title (Brazil): "O Túmulo Submerso" ("The Submerged Grave")
"They're calling muster on me!!"
cjevans17 June 2007
Warning: Spoilers
This is one of the best Twilight Zones episodes, in my opinion, despite coming from the much-maligned season four, the one with the hour-length episodes. I agree that stretching out the material to fit the longer format could be a problem in several episodes, with boring stretches filled with long, expository speeches, but "Thirty-fathom Grave" doesn't suffer from this problem. On the one hand, we have Chief Bell, in a great performance by Mike Kellin, in peril from the strange manifestations, on the other we have Captain Beecham in a typical, first-rate authoritative performance by Simon Oakland (everyone remembers him as the psychiatrist in Psycho) trying to get to the bottom of it all. The plot is an expansion and enhancement of King Nine Will Not Return, from season two (with seaweed instead of sand!). That was a good, atmospheric episode, with a solid performance by Bob Cummings, but Grave is more haunting and moving, with a kicker of a final revelation and some really eerie visual and aural effects that make it one of film's most memorable ghost stories. Above all is Tony winner Mike Kellin's performance, which really drives home Serling's moving point about war survivor guilt in a way you won't forget, long before we began to hear, after the end of Vietnam War, of post-traumatic stress disorder. One of the great pleasures of Twilight Zone is its highlighting of fine actors like Kellin, who were not first-tier films stars, but were still powerful performers who deserved some spotlighting. Twilight Zone often gave these fine thesps a deserved chance to shine. Kellin's seven- minute scene with Oakland near the end of the film offers marvelous dialogue and a master class in great acting. John Considine as the diver and David Sheiner as the doctor also give strong performances. And, yes, there's a quite young Bill Bixby, as ingratiating as ever. But it's Kellin who sticks in your mind, like those lost, sunken sailors.
30 Fathom Grave - My all time favorite
RedPony6010 February 2012
Warning: Spoilers
This episode is probably my favorite Twilight Zone episode ever! The scene was set so vividly, and back in 1963 when this episode was first aired,it was within the proper time frame for the subject character to have served in WWII and still be alive. This, combined with haunting images, and the main character's apparent guilt at having survived when the rest of his crew went down with the sub, is sure to send chills up your spine.
My Grandsons are both WWII fans and I've told them about this episode because it is still so vivid in my mind. complete errieness leading up to the discovery couldn't have been done any better.
When I remember the sailor's trembling voice to his commander that "he had a hammer in his hand" - I still get chills to this day!
My Grandsons are both WWII fans and I've told them about this episode because it is still so vivid in my mind. complete errieness leading up to the discovery couldn't have been done any better.
When I remember the sailor's trembling voice to his commander that "he had a hammer in his hand" - I still get chills to this day!
It drags....
planktonrules10 June 2010
In the fourth season of "The Twilight Zone", they experimented by making the show an hour long instead of the usual half hour. In some cases the new episodes worked well and in other cases it really made you look back fondly at the original format. Obviously the experiment was not successful, as the next season returned to the original length. If you would ask me why I think the shows ultimately failed, I think it's because too often they were just too long--drawing out a half hour story too far--thus ruining the suspense. "The Thirty-Fathom Grave" is a prime example of a story that was harmed by this.
The episode is set on a modern US Navy ship. When they are in the middle of very routine duty, they suddenly begin hearing tapping sounds on the sonar--very much like the sound you'd hear from a crew on a wrecked sub as they tap on the ship as a distress call. The ship stops to investigate and the next 40 minutes are basically doing nothing--waiting until the ultimate twist occurs. But, because it took so long, you are left feeling disappointed.
It's a shame, really, as one of the stars is a fun actor from the era--Simon Oakland. I loved seeing him on a wide variety of shows playing gruff blow-hard characters--especially since here he is NOT that sort of fellow. Because the show was a failure, I am sure his fine performance was overshadowed by the shallow plot and overacting of the main character--who was written in a rather bizarre and inexplicable manner.
Perhaps it's worth seeing, but it is far from a classic despite some reviews giving it a 10. In fact, EVERY episode of the series has a few people giving it 10s...making you wonder if either guys like me are idiots because we don't love every episode or there are people who are such die-hard fans that you need to take these glowing reviews with a grain of salt!
The episode is set on a modern US Navy ship. When they are in the middle of very routine duty, they suddenly begin hearing tapping sounds on the sonar--very much like the sound you'd hear from a crew on a wrecked sub as they tap on the ship as a distress call. The ship stops to investigate and the next 40 minutes are basically doing nothing--waiting until the ultimate twist occurs. But, because it took so long, you are left feeling disappointed.
It's a shame, really, as one of the stars is a fun actor from the era--Simon Oakland. I loved seeing him on a wide variety of shows playing gruff blow-hard characters--especially since here he is NOT that sort of fellow. Because the show was a failure, I am sure his fine performance was overshadowed by the shallow plot and overacting of the main character--who was written in a rather bizarre and inexplicable manner.
Perhaps it's worth seeing, but it is far from a classic despite some reviews giving it a 10. In fact, EVERY episode of the series has a few people giving it 10s...making you wonder if either guys like me are idiots because we don't love every episode or there are people who are such die-hard fans that you need to take these glowing reviews with a grain of salt!
"The Thirty-Fathom Grave" will keep you awake at night...
chuck-reilly19 February 2008
Warning: Spoilers
In the hour-long "Thirty-Fathom Grave", a modern-day (1963) US Battleship passes over the remains of a sunken US Submarine from World War II. Through its sonar equipment, the ship picks up a slight banging sound emanating from the wreck. It almost sounds like someone is still alive in the submarine and banging a hammer against its hull. To make matters more eerie, one of the battleship's crew members (Mike Kellin) is the sole survivor of the sunken sub. He just happened to be up on top when the vessel went way down. Soon, he begins to hallucinate and receives visions of his old mates, now calling "muster" on him and begging him to join them in the hereafter. When the captain (Simon Oakland) learns of Kellin's illusions, he does his best to calm the poor guy down. Of course, it's all to no avail as Kellin completely loses his mind as the horrific visions keep returning. It's enough to make a sailor jump overboard.
"The Thirty-Fathom Grave" is one of the best of the Twilight Zone's hour-long episodes and the ending is both frightening and satisfying. Kellin is terrific as the guilt-ridden sailor who knows it's inevitable that he rejoin his former crew. Usual bad-guy Simon Oakland plays against type as the understanding captain who has to find out what's making all that noise down below. A very young Bill Bixby is also around as a junior officer. Rod Serling wrote the story and it was one of his best and most original. Simon Oakland's final line about how war not only destroys men's bodies but also their minds, adds much needed closure to the proceedings.
"The Thirty-Fathom Grave" is one of the best of the Twilight Zone's hour-long episodes and the ending is both frightening and satisfying. Kellin is terrific as the guilt-ridden sailor who knows it's inevitable that he rejoin his former crew. Usual bad-guy Simon Oakland plays against type as the understanding captain who has to find out what's making all that noise down below. A very young Bill Bixby is also around as a junior officer. Rod Serling wrote the story and it was one of his best and most original. Simon Oakland's final line about how war not only destroys men's bodies but also their minds, adds much needed closure to the proceedings.
A crew wants a member returned.
Alocam4 July 2006
Warning: Spoilers
In this episode, an active duty navy ship on tour in the "present day" passes over the spot that a WWII US Navy submarine sank with all hands, but one, aboard. The one survivor, washed overboard while on the duty outside of the ship when it was attacked, is a non-commissioned officer on the present day ship. He begins to hear and see visions of his soaking wet former shipmates calling him home. In the end, he jumps overboard in an uncontrollable need to join his old ship mates, now long dead and sealed inside the sunken submarine.
The present crew know he was a survivor from WWII and he stayed in the Navy as a career man, allowing for him to still be active duty in 1963, the year this episode was aired.
Effective special effects, done with simple television techniques of the day and a good score make this one of the better Twilight Zone episodes.
The episode also has a minor role played by Bill Bixby of "The Courtship of Eddie's Father" and "The Incredible Hulk" television series.
The present crew know he was a survivor from WWII and he stayed in the Navy as a career man, allowing for him to still be active duty in 1963, the year this episode was aired.
Effective special effects, done with simple television techniques of the day and a good score make this one of the better Twilight Zone episodes.
The episode also has a minor role played by Bill Bixby of "The Courtship of Eddie's Father" and "The Incredible Hulk" television series.
GREAT script, great writing, great dialogue, and REALLY GREAT ACTING.
xsgame311524 February 2022
MIKE KELLEN as lieutenant Bell makes you BELIEVE this episode is really happening. The story is 100% believable and expertly written--as are ALL Rod Serling pieces--but it is Mike Kellen's acting, with an assist from Simon Oakland, that drives this story. One of my top ten Twilight Zone favorites.
Alternate Ending...Definitely has spoilers....
PhilK-21 January 2010
Warning: Spoilers
This was one of my all time favorite episodes. Mike Kellin's performance was wonderful as was Simon Oaklands. But please can someone help mer here.....I distinctly remember the ending this way: Diver McClure enters the submarine thru the air-lock attachment that arrived via another ship in response to the Captains request for this type of equipment. So in the final scene McClure enters the sub thru the air lock and the expression on his face says it all. He is staring past the camera with this look of horror and reports to the captain what he can see: 8 dead sailors and "one of them is holding a hammer". Thats the way I remember it, but thats not the ending I just saw today during the SyFy marathon, in which the scene is shot on the deck of the ship and McClure just gives a verbal account of what he saw inside the sub. Does anybody else remember it that way or is somebody calling muster on ME???
One Step Beyond did it first.
toddholmes-888832 March 2020
I am not knocking a great ghost story, ghost stories that revolve around ships at sea and oceans are always PRETTY SCARY. The Thirty-Fathom Grave is a great story, but it seems very similar to an episode of the show One Step Beyond entitled the Haunted U-Boat. In this story, a U-boat at the end of World War 2 is making it's way to South America with a Nazi war criminal on board. A mysterious knocking sound is heard, basically driving the Nazi mad, and upsetting the crew.
It is later revealed that at a scrap yard, a skeleton holding a wrench was found of a workman trapped in the U-boat. The moral of the story of course, is that the Nazi was cursed by this unfortunate soul. The similarity of the stories is striking.
Somebody Who Dies Damn Hard!
snicewanger8 August 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Captain Beecham commands the Edson, a destroyer paroling the waters of the South Pacific in the Spring of 1963. His ship weathered a storm the night before but not without some preventable damage because the ship was not properly secured for bad weather.When he confronts Chief Bosons Mate Bell about the situation, Bell admits that he hasn't been feeling "up to par". Bell is normally the picture of efficiency but he has been stumbling in the dark the last few days.He tells the Captain that he is okay and will snap back into shape In the meantime , the ships SONAR has picked up what sounds like hammering noises from the hull of a ship the is apparently sitting on the ocean floor.The destroyers deep sea driver McClure is sent down underwater to investigate and sure enough discovers a submarine resting on the ocean floor 30 fathoms down.Whats more the ship seems to have suffered major damage from shelling and depth charge explosions. Captain Beecham learns from Naval Headquarters that there have been no reports of a ship sinking any where in the Pacific.
As the crew learns of the discovery, Chief Bell passes out and is taken to the sick bay. The diver goes back down and gets the number of the sub-714. According to the registry the sub was sunk with all hands in a naval battle twenty years before in WWII. The possibility that someone is still alive on board the sub and signaling for help is beyond belief, but something is making the noise. Spoiler Alert*****
In the sick bay Chief Bell is becoming more erratic and convinced that something is pulling him to oblivion. The doctor attempts to calm him but soon Bell sees the images of drowned young men beckoning him to join them in the mirror. After being reassured by the the doctor that nothing is there, Bell goes into the hallway and again sees the ghostly young men beckoning him to join them in death.When the doctor goes back into the hallway he finds wet seaweed on the deck.
With a submarine rescue ship on it's way , McClure dives for a third time to examine the torpedo tubes for a possible entry way. While on the deck he finds a set of dog tags. When McClure comes back up on deck he gives the tags to the Captain and tells him he had better take a good look at them. The tags belonged to Chief Bell!
When Captain Beecham shows the tags to Bell, the Chief admits that they belonged to him and tells him that he was aboard the sub as a signalman. One night, while trying to changed the infra red filter on the signal light he dropped it which cause the signal light to be seen by the enemy. The Japanese guns opened up on the sub. Bell was thrown clear but he could hear the screams of his terrified shipmates as the sub went down. In telling Captain Beecham the story, Bell realizes that he is the reason for all the unnatural occurrences., the hammering, the visions, the sick feelings. His dead shipmates know he is above them on the Edson and are calling for him to join them. He was responsible for the subs sinking and was saved.He has to join them in death. Bell breaks from the Captain and Doctor and runs on deck where he dives overboard to join his drowned shipmates. Rescuers are unable to find his dead body.
The 714 is lifted out of the water and McClure goes in with the rescue party to find out what the hammer banging was about. In the conning tower he finds out. McClure reports to the the captain that there were no possible survivors and the para-scope pins were sheared which left them swinging freely. Captain Beecham asked McClure if that was the cause of the hammering and McClure replies Yes Sir,I guess but there were eight men in the tower, or what was left of eight man and one of them, one of them sir had a hammer in his hand!'
The captain tells McClure " Thats the story you tell your grandchildren that you make up yourself."
What makes this episode running is the brilliant acting of Oakland, Kelin, Shiner, and Considine, particularly Kelin. He is quite believable as man driven by inner guilt to the edge insanity. The music is is chilling and the appearance of the apparitions sends chills down your back.This is possibly the most frightening Twilight Zone ever!
As the crew learns of the discovery, Chief Bell passes out and is taken to the sick bay. The diver goes back down and gets the number of the sub-714. According to the registry the sub was sunk with all hands in a naval battle twenty years before in WWII. The possibility that someone is still alive on board the sub and signaling for help is beyond belief, but something is making the noise. Spoiler Alert*****
In the sick bay Chief Bell is becoming more erratic and convinced that something is pulling him to oblivion. The doctor attempts to calm him but soon Bell sees the images of drowned young men beckoning him to join them in the mirror. After being reassured by the the doctor that nothing is there, Bell goes into the hallway and again sees the ghostly young men beckoning him to join them in death.When the doctor goes back into the hallway he finds wet seaweed on the deck.
With a submarine rescue ship on it's way , McClure dives for a third time to examine the torpedo tubes for a possible entry way. While on the deck he finds a set of dog tags. When McClure comes back up on deck he gives the tags to the Captain and tells him he had better take a good look at them. The tags belonged to Chief Bell!
When Captain Beecham shows the tags to Bell, the Chief admits that they belonged to him and tells him that he was aboard the sub as a signalman. One night, while trying to changed the infra red filter on the signal light he dropped it which cause the signal light to be seen by the enemy. The Japanese guns opened up on the sub. Bell was thrown clear but he could hear the screams of his terrified shipmates as the sub went down. In telling Captain Beecham the story, Bell realizes that he is the reason for all the unnatural occurrences., the hammering, the visions, the sick feelings. His dead shipmates know he is above them on the Edson and are calling for him to join them. He was responsible for the subs sinking and was saved.He has to join them in death. Bell breaks from the Captain and Doctor and runs on deck where he dives overboard to join his drowned shipmates. Rescuers are unable to find his dead body.
The 714 is lifted out of the water and McClure goes in with the rescue party to find out what the hammer banging was about. In the conning tower he finds out. McClure reports to the the captain that there were no possible survivors and the para-scope pins were sheared which left them swinging freely. Captain Beecham asked McClure if that was the cause of the hammering and McClure replies Yes Sir,I guess but there were eight men in the tower, or what was left of eight man and one of them, one of them sir had a hammer in his hand!'
The captain tells McClure " Thats the story you tell your grandchildren that you make up yourself."
What makes this episode running is the brilliant acting of Oakland, Kelin, Shiner, and Considine, particularly Kelin. He is quite believable as man driven by inner guilt to the edge insanity. The music is is chilling and the appearance of the apparitions sends chills down your back.This is possibly the most frightening Twilight Zone ever!
"A collision at sea can ruin your day".
classicsoncall18 June 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Back when I was watching The Twilight Zone during it's original run, it never occurred to me that some of the episodes lasted a whole hour. Maybe it's because they were so absorbing that they blew by without one's being distracted by a clock. I got that same feeling today while watching 'The Thirty-Fathom Grave'. I guess one could say the middle of the story was padded to fill out the longer format, but it was far from boring. Serling throws in a nifty horror element with the wet seaweed on a passageway floor, and in a nifty stroke puts Chief Bell's hallucinations back into play as a real possibility.
It was just a few weeks ago that I learned that my uncle, serving in the Navy during World War II, was stationed on a destroyer in the Solomon Islands. Sometimes life's little coincidences play out in the strangest ways. When the Solomons were mentioned in this episode, it was one of those moments of cosmic serendipity that made me sit up and take notice. It took me all this time to learn where he served during the War, and I come across a distinct reference to that campaign here - the submarine at the center of the story was sunk during the first Battle of the Solomon Islands.
Though there are a number of supporting players, this one belongs to Mike Kellin all the way as the tortured Chief Bell, boson of the USS Edson. A career navy man, Bell harbors the suffering and guilt of a man who helped cause the deaths of his comrades twenty years earlier. Though compelling arguments to the contrary are offered by Doc Matthews (David Sheiner) and ship's Captain Beecham (Simon Oakland), Bell's identification with the sub that went down ultimately drives him over the edge. The one element that would have strengthened the story would have had Bell recognizing some of the sailors that beckoned him to join them. I wonder why Serling didn't think of that.
I've read some other reviews that touch on the Zone's fourth season hour long episodes and how they weren't as effective as the shorter format stories. However watching them in air date order, I'd have to say the first two, 'In His Image' and 'The Thirty-Fathom Grave' both held up their end as intriguing episodes. Reserving further judgment for now, I look forward to the rest of Season Four with great anticipation.
It was just a few weeks ago that I learned that my uncle, serving in the Navy during World War II, was stationed on a destroyer in the Solomon Islands. Sometimes life's little coincidences play out in the strangest ways. When the Solomons were mentioned in this episode, it was one of those moments of cosmic serendipity that made me sit up and take notice. It took me all this time to learn where he served during the War, and I come across a distinct reference to that campaign here - the submarine at the center of the story was sunk during the first Battle of the Solomon Islands.
Though there are a number of supporting players, this one belongs to Mike Kellin all the way as the tortured Chief Bell, boson of the USS Edson. A career navy man, Bell harbors the suffering and guilt of a man who helped cause the deaths of his comrades twenty years earlier. Though compelling arguments to the contrary are offered by Doc Matthews (David Sheiner) and ship's Captain Beecham (Simon Oakland), Bell's identification with the sub that went down ultimately drives him over the edge. The one element that would have strengthened the story would have had Bell recognizing some of the sailors that beckoned him to join them. I wonder why Serling didn't think of that.
I've read some other reviews that touch on the Zone's fourth season hour long episodes and how they weren't as effective as the shorter format stories. However watching them in air date order, I'd have to say the first two, 'In His Image' and 'The Thirty-Fathom Grave' both held up their end as intriguing episodes. Reserving further judgment for now, I look forward to the rest of Season Four with great anticipation.
Been there ... done that
McArthur200513 April 2018
Warning: Spoilers
The plot is a direct rip-off of the May 1959 One Step Beyond episode The Haunted U-Boat ... right down to a tool in a long-dead man's hand. Otherwise one of the best hour-long episodes thanks to Mike Kellin and Simon Oakland.
One of my favourites
joegarbled-794822 October 2023
Warning: Spoilers
"The Thirty-Fathom Grave" is one of my favourite episodes of "The Twilight Zone", one that I can watch, once per week without getting bored with it.
This is one of Rod Serling's very own babies, and centres around what we'd call "survivor guilt" these days. I'm sure he knew a few ex-servicemen who survived World War Two or Korea, who felt guilty at surviving the conflict when buddies didn't.
Mike Kellin ("Midnight Express") plays an experienced seaman who starts making idiotic blunders, much to the ire of Captain Beecham, played by the perfectly cast Simon Oakland ("I Want To Live!"). Beecham gives Kellin's character, Chief Bell, a chewing out, but doesn't discover WHY Chief Bell has "left his seamanship in a trunk".
Then the men discover a sunken sub, dead on the bottom (in SSRN Seaview fashion!) and with a hammering of metal-to-metal coming from its interior. It's a slow (annoying to many) discovery that the sub was sent to the bottom during World War Two and that Chief Bell was the only survivor. Capt Beecham is desperate to save whoever is hammering....and they must've been hammering for 20 YEARS!!
Beecham finally wrings the story out of Chief Bell. Bell feels desperate guilt that it was HIS blunder that got the sub spotted by the Japanese, yet HE was the only survivor of the sinking. Capt Beecham assures him that "one man doesn't sink a ship". But for all of Beecham and the Doc's attempts, Bell feels doomed as the ghosts of the submarine appear on the ship, and beckon him to join them in the submarine "where he belongs". Bell throws himself over the side, and the search for his body fails. A search inside the sunken sub discovers the skeletal remains of a submariner, with a hammer in its hand!!
The spook factors here are when the Doc finds seaweed after Bell has seen ghostly figures of his old crewmates, the scene where Bell shouts that he's being called to muster and jumps into the sea, and the discovery of the skeleton with the hammer (which we don't get visually). It really is down to Oakland and Kellin to sell this story, and they did a great job.
9/10.
This is one of Rod Serling's very own babies, and centres around what we'd call "survivor guilt" these days. I'm sure he knew a few ex-servicemen who survived World War Two or Korea, who felt guilty at surviving the conflict when buddies didn't.
Mike Kellin ("Midnight Express") plays an experienced seaman who starts making idiotic blunders, much to the ire of Captain Beecham, played by the perfectly cast Simon Oakland ("I Want To Live!"). Beecham gives Kellin's character, Chief Bell, a chewing out, but doesn't discover WHY Chief Bell has "left his seamanship in a trunk".
Then the men discover a sunken sub, dead on the bottom (in SSRN Seaview fashion!) and with a hammering of metal-to-metal coming from its interior. It's a slow (annoying to many) discovery that the sub was sent to the bottom during World War Two and that Chief Bell was the only survivor. Capt Beecham is desperate to save whoever is hammering....and they must've been hammering for 20 YEARS!!
Beecham finally wrings the story out of Chief Bell. Bell feels desperate guilt that it was HIS blunder that got the sub spotted by the Japanese, yet HE was the only survivor of the sinking. Capt Beecham assures him that "one man doesn't sink a ship". But for all of Beecham and the Doc's attempts, Bell feels doomed as the ghosts of the submarine appear on the ship, and beckon him to join them in the submarine "where he belongs". Bell throws himself over the side, and the search for his body fails. A search inside the sunken sub discovers the skeletal remains of a submariner, with a hammer in its hand!!
The spook factors here are when the Doc finds seaweed after Bell has seen ghostly figures of his old crewmates, the scene where Bell shouts that he's being called to muster and jumps into the sea, and the discovery of the skeleton with the hammer (which we don't get visually). It really is down to Oakland and Kellin to sell this story, and they did a great job.
9/10.
Ghost story starts after half an hour of nothing.
darrenpearce11130 January 2014
This hour long entry is very dull early on with irritating tautology in the dialogue. It only comes to 'life' at around thirty minutes in. Its at that point you'll see some eerie imagery. So for half an hour you can make the coffee, put the pizza in the oven, let the dog out the back garden etc, and all you need to know of the plot by then is the hammering sounds that are puzzling the Captain and crew.
The Captain (Simon Oakland) becomes aware that Bell (Mike Kellin-overacting) is not himself just lately. Bell is haunted by something as the hammering sounds continue to perplex the men on board.
There are some effective ghost story elements that stand the test of time, but the pace of this episode doesn't. TZ should have always been the intended half hour.
The Captain (Simon Oakland) becomes aware that Bell (Mike Kellin-overacting) is not himself just lately. Bell is haunted by something as the hammering sounds continue to perplex the men on board.
There are some effective ghost story elements that stand the test of time, but the pace of this episode doesn't. TZ should have always been the intended half hour.
That's the sound of the men hammering in the sub...
Coventry19 January 2022
A massive Navy vessel in a forsaken part of the Pacific Ocean, sinister sounds coming from a place that shouldn't even produce sounds, WWII references, haunts from the past, ... Admittedly, "The Thirty-Fathom Grave" features quite a lot of Rod Serling's hobbyhorses and plot elements that already features in previous episodes, but it nonetheless remains a fantastic ghost-story! As this is an installment in the fourth season, the running time is twice as long, but Serling and director Perry Lafferty make splendid use of extra length to patiently build up a tense and uncanny atmosphere. The performances are great as well, notably from Simon Oakland ("Kolchak: The Night Stalker") as the stern but realist Captain, and Mike Kellin ("Sleepaway Camp", "Just Before Dawn") as the mortified Chief Bell. Excellent scary stuff!
Bad.
bombersflyup18 November 2019
Warning: Spoilers
The Thirty-Fathom Grave is a long dreary daytime drama, without tangibility. The Bell character's poorly acted by Mike Kellin. So many episodes about aliens and ghosts, but I think an alien trapped on the sub for twenty years would have been effective... but we got the ghost instead.
Sub-standard.
BA_Harrison8 April 2022
The 25 minute format was perfect for The Twilight Zone's 'short sharp shock' style, but for season four, the runtime was expanded to twice that, the danger being that the stories would feel bloated and the twist endings would lose their impact. The 30 Fathom Grave is a good example where the show struggles to make the slim plot work over the longer runtime.
It's 1963, the South Pacific Ocean: a U. S. Navy destroyer's sonar picks up sounds from an object on the seabed, possibly a submarine. Captain Beecham (Simon Oakland) sends McClure (John Considine), the ship's diver, to investigate, and confirms that the noises are coming from a sub. Meanwhile, Chief Bosun's Mate Bell (Mike Kellin) becomes agitated and sees ghostly apparitions beckoning to him, the spirits of his old crew mates from twenty years ago.
In order to make the 50-minute mark, writer Rod Serling pads out his tale with multiple dives to the wrecked sub for McClure, and lots of Bell looking ill and disturbed, none of which adds much interest to the story. By the time the twist ending rolls around, I imagine the majority of viewers will have zoned out of this particular trip to The Twilight Zone.
It's 1963, the South Pacific Ocean: a U. S. Navy destroyer's sonar picks up sounds from an object on the seabed, possibly a submarine. Captain Beecham (Simon Oakland) sends McClure (John Considine), the ship's diver, to investigate, and confirms that the noises are coming from a sub. Meanwhile, Chief Bosun's Mate Bell (Mike Kellin) becomes agitated and sees ghostly apparitions beckoning to him, the spirits of his old crew mates from twenty years ago.
In order to make the 50-minute mark, writer Rod Serling pads out his tale with multiple dives to the wrecked sub for McClure, and lots of Bell looking ill and disturbed, none of which adds much interest to the story. By the time the twist ending rolls around, I imagine the majority of viewers will have zoned out of this particular trip to The Twilight Zone.
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