The janitor (Peter Lorre) she and her husband Rick (Bill Williams)
drives Ruth (Babara Hale) to despair: He always seems to be fixing things
that need no fixing, he seems to have eyes in his back, and he seems to
know about some secret rooms and passageways within the house. Plus the
rent for the appartment is way too low ...
Rick naturally thinks it's just Ruth's nerves, especially when she
starts to suspect the janitor of turning the house into a rocketship. One
night though, the house starts shaking, and Rick finally agrees to do some
investigating as his wife has asked him to do for a long time - and he
finds a secret room full of otherworldly engines, and he finds out that
the janitor really has a third eye in the back of his head. Plus the
janitor obviously is an alien who wants to move the whole appartment
building to another planet. Panicking, Rick alarms all the neighbours to
abandon house immediately, but suddenly they find all the doors and
windows shut tight, so there's no way out ... until finally a policeman
arrives - but unfortunately he's an alien too, and he tells them not only
their building but the whole building block is being moved to another
planet.
I know perfectly well that this synopsis for Young Couples Only
sounds incredibly silly - yet on the screen the story works, thanks to a
careful buildup that only gives away what is absolutely necessary and
saves the science fiction elements until late in the story, relying on
creepy atmosphere instead. Add to this a cast of talented actors - first
and foremost of course Peter Lorre as a suitably creepy janitor - and you
have got one fine piece of sci-fi television, which at a running time of
approximately half an hour is just short enough to not outstay its
welcome.
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