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Did you know two actresses played Janet Tyler in this popular Twilight Zone episode?
When the character's face is revealed, we see a young Donna Douglas. However, Maxine Stuart was the one in bandages.
The Twilight Zone had a lot of popular episodes throughout the series, and one of them was "Eye of the Beholder." The season two episode revolves around a young woman in a hospital bed with bandages around her head.
She and the doctors await the "finished product" of her surgical procedure as a last attempt to make her look "normal."
There was nothing normal about this episode, but it wouldn't be classic Twilight Zone if it were. The doctors and nurses have unusual facial structures, and the young character feels like an outsider as the bandages unravel and her face differs from theirs.
In the end, the character, Janet Tyler, says, "Mr. Smith, why do we have to look like this?"
Donna Douglas, the actress we saw when the bandages came off, spoke those words, but did you know that Douglas wasn't the only actress that played the starring role in the episode? While wrapped up, another actress played the part: Maxine Stuart.
Both are credited for the role at the end of the episode and on IMDb. We've all heard of Douglas, one of the stars of The Beverly Hillbillies, but if you aren't familiar with Stuart, there are many reasons why you should check out her decades-long resume.
She saw success with the 1953 TV remake of Elaine Sterne Carrington's radio series When A Girl Marries.
It was called Follow Your Heart and 111 episodes were produced. Stuart is likely best known for the Twilight Zone character, but she starred in the 1980 film Private Benjamin. She could also be seen on several of The Young and the Restless episodes, NYPD Blue, The Fugitive and Cannon.
The next time you watch this episode and hear, "If I'm still terribly ugly, well, is there any other alternative? Could I please be put away?" remember that Stuart and Douglas both played the classic part.
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