 Twilo-ites - Alien race featured on
episode No. 51 "It May Look Like a Walnut" (2/6/1963) on the
classic sitcom THE DICK VAN DYKE SHOW/CBS/1961-66. The Twilo-ites
were the product of a nightmare experienced by comedy writer Rob
Petrie (Dick Van Dyke) after he watched a late show thriller about
aliens from outer space.In his dream, Rob discovers that he is
the last earthling who has not yet been possessed by aliens from
the planet Twilo. These Twilo-ites had eyes in the back of their
head, ate walnuts, and spoke with a British accent. They subdued
earthlings by exposing them to the chemical Absorbitron. The
chemical caused humans to lose their thumbs and thus their ability
to create things.
The Twilo-ite's leader Kolak took the form of Danny Thomas, an
eloquent man dressed in bowler hat and cane who happened to be
billed as the weekly guest star on "The Alan Brady Show."
As Rob returned to the safety of his home, he opened his front
entry closet only to find his wife, Laura (Mary Tyler Moore) inside
lying on top of thousands of walnuts (the favorite food of
Twilo-ites). As Rob's nightmare climaxed, Kolak and all those
possessed by him encircled poor Rob. But just then, Rob woke up.
Kolak and possessed friends attack Rob
Laura on a mound of walnuts
TRIVIA NOTE: Over 600 pounds of walnuts (TV Guide
reports 1700 walnuts) were used to film the closet scene where actress Mary Tyler
Moore came sliding out of the closet atop a pile of walnuts. At one point in
filming, the weight of the walnuts caused the closet door to jam shut. This
surreal episode was nominated as the fifteenth all time favorite episodes in a
survey of "100 Greatest Episodes of All Time" (TV Guide 6/28/1997).
See also - CHEMICALS,
DRUGS & POTIONS - "Absorbitron"
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