Profile in Silver
Encyclopedia
"Profile in Silver" is the first segment of the twentieth episode of the first season (1985-1986) of the television series The Twilight Zone.
professor of history from the year 2172 has travelled back in time and assumed the identity of an instructor at Harvard from 1961 to 1963. When he is visited by a colleague from his own time, Dr. Kate Wang, we learn that his mission is to observe the assassination
of John F. Kennedy
, from whom he is descended.
Fitzgerald is understandably nervous about watching his own ancestor be murdered, especially since he never got to know the man himself, he has only met him once. Wang reassures him that every field historian has moments of doubt such as this. When she departs for their home time, she says something that Fitzgerald does not quite catch. He decides to get it over with and journeys to Dealey Plaza
in Dallas. However, when he glances up to the Texas School Book Depository
and sees Lee Harvey Oswald
raise a gun to kill Kennedy, Fitzgerald is unable to stand by and watch the killing. He intervenes and saves the president's life, shouting for the president and his entourage to take cover. Oswald fires anyway, but misses, and is later arrested by Dallas police.
A grateful President Kennedy (Andrew Robinson) invites Fitzgerald to stay at the White House
. As Kennedy and his entourage return home, the president is notified that Soviet
troops have captured West Berlin
. Fitzgerald is astonished, and claims that Khrushchev
would never do such a thing. Kennedy sadly points out that Khrushchev was assassinated earlier that day.
In his room that night, Fitzgerald frantically consults his time-travel wrist computer, which informs him that his alteration of history has caused massive rips in the fabric of time. The assassination of Khrushchev was not enough to "fix" the damage to the time stream; the computer informs Fitzgerald that all possible outcomes to this timeline will result in total war between the superpowers and mutual annihilation. There is only one way to repair the timeline, the computer intones: "The Kennedy presidency must end, as history originally recorded it."
Meanwhile, the president and his chief Secret Service
bodyguard, Ray (Louis Giambalvo
), have discovered that Fitzgerald's movie camera is not the standard model it appears to be. Metallurgists cannot open it up or determine what it may be. They summon Fitzgerald, who tells them that the camera is a holographic camera from the future, as he himself is. They are skeptical but are convinced of the truth when the professor demonstrates the camera's use. President Kennedy asks whether Fitzgerald was sent back in time to observe Kennedy's reaction to the Berlin crisis, but the professor replies that he did not know about that. Kennedy is puzzled at this, until he looks again at Fitzgerald's half dollar
coin - dated 1964 (no living American can be put on money) with Kennedy's face on it - which the Secret Service had recovered after Fitzgerald dropped it on Air Force One, and he quickly deduces the truth: that Fitzgerald came to Dallas to witness an assassination, Kennedy's own.
Kennedy volunteers to do whatever is necessary to repair history. Fitzgerald, overwhelmed by his ancestor's heroism, removes his time travel ring and places it on Kennedy's hand. Kennedy vanishes, and Fitzgerald's computer reports that the president has been transported to the year 2172 - Fitzgerald's home. The professor tells Ray that a few changes need to be made; then, when Dallas and the motorcade are revisited, it is Fitzgerald who appears in the car and is shot and killed.
At Parkland Memorial Hospital
in Dallas, the dead body of "President Kennedy" (actually Fitzgerald) is being attended to by a doctor, who is actually Fitzgerald's colleague from the future. Ray, the Secret Service agent, recognizes her wrist computer because it is identical to Fitzgerald's. She tells him that she knew what Fitzgerald's fate would be, saying, "Some of us do our research in the even farther future" and goes on to say, "The last time I saw him I couldn't tell him what I knew. All I could do was repeat a phrase" - the remark that Fitzgerald didn't quite catch - "in Chinese that my husband taught me." Holding Fitzgerald's hand tenderly, she repeats the phrase in Chinese and then says it in English: "Goodbye, old friend... Goodbye." Ray asks her if what they have seen will change history, and she replies that it will not - because it did not. "Even the act of traveling in time is part of history," she says.
At Harvard University in 2172, a man speaks to a classroom full of students, delivering a rousing speech in which he implicitly lauds Fitzgerald's sacrifice and the sacrifices of other honorable men like him. As the camera turns, we see that the speaker, dressed in clothing appropriate to the period, is John F. Kennedy.
The musical score for this episode was composed by Basil Poledouris
.
J. Neil Schulman's account about the writing and production of this episode, along with his first two drafts of the script, are included in Schulman's book, Profile in Silver and Other Screenwritings.
Synopsis
Dr. Joseph Fitzgerald, a Harvard UniversityHarvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
professor of history from the year 2172 has travelled back in time and assumed the identity of an instructor at Harvard from 1961 to 1963. When he is visited by a colleague from his own time, Dr. Kate Wang, we learn that his mission is to observe the assassination
John F. Kennedy assassination
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the thirty-fifth President of the United States, was assassinated at 12:30 p.m. Central Standard Time on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dealey Plaza, Dallas, Texas...
of John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
, from whom he is descended.
Fitzgerald is understandably nervous about watching his own ancestor be murdered, especially since he never got to know the man himself, he has only met him once. Wang reassures him that every field historian has moments of doubt such as this. When she departs for their home time, she says something that Fitzgerald does not quite catch. He decides to get it over with and journeys to Dealey Plaza
Dealey Plaza
Dealey Plaza , in the historic West End district of downtown Dallas, Texas , is the location of the assassination of John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963...
in Dallas. However, when he glances up to the Texas School Book Depository
Texas School Book Depository
The Texas School Book Depository is the former name of a seven-floor building facing Dealey Plaza in Dallas, Texas . Located on the northwest corner of Elm and North Houston Streets, at the western end of downtown Dallas, its address is 411 Elm Street. The building is notable for its connection to...
and sees Lee Harvey Oswald
Lee Harvey Oswald
Lee Harvey Oswald was, according to four government investigations,These were investigations by: the Federal Bureau of Investigation , the Warren Commission , the House Select Committee on Assassinations , and the Dallas Police Department. the sniper who assassinated John F...
raise a gun to kill Kennedy, Fitzgerald is unable to stand by and watch the killing. He intervenes and saves the president's life, shouting for the president and his entourage to take cover. Oswald fires anyway, but misses, and is later arrested by Dallas police.
A grateful President Kennedy (Andrew Robinson) invites Fitzgerald to stay at the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
. As Kennedy and his entourage return home, the president is notified that Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
troops have captured West Berlin
West Berlin
West Berlin was a political exclave that existed between 1949 and 1990. It comprised the western regions of Berlin, which were bordered by East Berlin and parts of East Germany. West Berlin consisted of the American, British, and French occupation sectors, which had been established in 1945...
. Fitzgerald is astonished, and claims that Khrushchev
Nikita Khrushchev
Nikita Sergeyevich Khrushchev led the Soviet Union during part of the Cold War. He served as First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1953 to 1964, and as Chairman of the Council of Ministers, or Premier, from 1958 to 1964...
would never do such a thing. Kennedy sadly points out that Khrushchev was assassinated earlier that day.
In his room that night, Fitzgerald frantically consults his time-travel wrist computer, which informs him that his alteration of history has caused massive rips in the fabric of time. The assassination of Khrushchev was not enough to "fix" the damage to the time stream; the computer informs Fitzgerald that all possible outcomes to this timeline will result in total war between the superpowers and mutual annihilation. There is only one way to repair the timeline, the computer intones: "The Kennedy presidency must end, as history originally recorded it."
Meanwhile, the president and his chief Secret Service
United States Secret Service
The United States Secret Service is a United States federal law enforcement agency that is part of the United States Department of Homeland Security. The sworn members are divided among the Special Agents and the Uniformed Division. Until March 1, 2003, the Service was part of the United States...
bodyguard, Ray (Louis Giambalvo
Louis Giambalvo
Louis Giambalvo is an American actor, frequently seen on television in guest roles.His television credits include: Barney Miller, Hart to Hart, St...
), have discovered that Fitzgerald's movie camera is not the standard model it appears to be. Metallurgists cannot open it up or determine what it may be. They summon Fitzgerald, who tells them that the camera is a holographic camera from the future, as he himself is. They are skeptical but are convinced of the truth when the professor demonstrates the camera's use. President Kennedy asks whether Fitzgerald was sent back in time to observe Kennedy's reaction to the Berlin crisis, but the professor replies that he did not know about that. Kennedy is puzzled at this, until he looks again at Fitzgerald's half dollar
Half dollar (United States coin)
Half dollar coins have been produced nearly every year since the inception of the United States Mint in 1794. Sometimes referred to as the fifty-cent piece, the only U.S. coin that has been minted more consistently is the cent.-Circulation:...
coin - dated 1964 (no living American can be put on money) with Kennedy's face on it - which the Secret Service had recovered after Fitzgerald dropped it on Air Force One, and he quickly deduces the truth: that Fitzgerald came to Dallas to witness an assassination, Kennedy's own.
Kennedy volunteers to do whatever is necessary to repair history. Fitzgerald, overwhelmed by his ancestor's heroism, removes his time travel ring and places it on Kennedy's hand. Kennedy vanishes, and Fitzgerald's computer reports that the president has been transported to the year 2172 - Fitzgerald's home. The professor tells Ray that a few changes need to be made; then, when Dallas and the motorcade are revisited, it is Fitzgerald who appears in the car and is shot and killed.
At Parkland Memorial Hospital
Parkland Memorial Hospital
Parkland Memorial Hospital is a hospital located at 5201 Harry Hines Boulevard, just west of Oak Lawn in Dallas, Texas . It is the main hospital of the Dallas County Hospital District and serves as Dallas County's public hospital.- History :The original hospital opened in 1894 in a wooden...
in Dallas, the dead body of "President Kennedy" (actually Fitzgerald) is being attended to by a doctor, who is actually Fitzgerald's colleague from the future. Ray, the Secret Service agent, recognizes her wrist computer because it is identical to Fitzgerald's. She tells him that she knew what Fitzgerald's fate would be, saying, "Some of us do our research in the even farther future" and goes on to say, "The last time I saw him I couldn't tell him what I knew. All I could do was repeat a phrase" - the remark that Fitzgerald didn't quite catch - "in Chinese that my husband taught me." Holding Fitzgerald's hand tenderly, she repeats the phrase in Chinese and then says it in English: "Goodbye, old friend... Goodbye." Ray asks her if what they have seen will change history, and she replies that it will not - because it did not. "Even the act of traveling in time is part of history," she says.
At Harvard University in 2172, a man speaks to a classroom full of students, delivering a rousing speech in which he implicitly lauds Fitzgerald's sacrifice and the sacrifices of other honorable men like him. As the camera turns, we see that the speaker, dressed in clothing appropriate to the period, is John F. Kennedy.
Production
This episode was stretched into a half-hour run time for syndication, as shown on the Chiller TV network.The musical score for this episode was composed by Basil Poledouris
Basil Poledouris
Vassilis Konstantinos "Basil" Poledouris was a Greek-American music composer who concentrated on the scores for films and television shows...
.
J. Neil Schulman's account about the writing and production of this episode, along with his first two drafts of the script, are included in Schulman's book, Profile in Silver and Other Screenwritings.
External links
- TV.com - The Twilight Zone (1985) episode: Profile in Silver
- Postcards From The Zone episode 1.49 Profile in Silver
- Profile in Silver and Other Screenwritings
- Profile in Silver: An Introduction
- Profile in Silver: Script First Draft
- Back to Dealey Plaza
- "Profile in Silver" Announced as 2014 Feature Film