Talk:The Bard (The Twilight Zone)

The Bard (The Twilight Zone) has been listed as one of the Media and drama good articles under the good article criteria. If you can improve it further, please do so. If it no longer meets these criteria, you can reassess it.
Review: April 12, 2025. (Reviewed version).

Television: Episode coverage / The Twilight Zone Low‑importance

	Television portal This article is within the scope of WikiProject Television, a collaborative effort to develop and improve Wikipedia articles about television programs. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page where you can join the discussion. To improve this article, please refer to the style guidelines for the type of work.TelevisionWikipedia:WikiProject TelevisionTemplate:WikiProject Televisiontelevision
Low	This article has been rated as Low-importance on the project's importance scale.
	This article is supported by the Episode coverage task force (assessed as Low-importance).
	This article is supported by the Twilight Zone task force.

A fact from The Bard (The Twilight Zone) appeared on Wikipedia's Main Page in the Did you know column on 27 April 2025 (check views). The text of the entry was as follows:

Did you know... that ratings for The Bard range from A− by The A.V. Club to being the second-worst episode of The Twilight Zone by /Film and Paste?

A record of the entry may be seen at Wikipedia:Recent additions/2025/April. The nomination discussion and review may be seen at Template:Did you know nominations/The Bard (The Twilight Zone).

Wikipedia

When was this episode made?

I am asking because I notice "Howard McNear as Bramhoff". Howard McNear was off the Andy Griffith show from late 1962 into 1964 because of a severe stroke. Carlm0404 (talk) 05:08, 9 July 2020 (UTC)[reply]

GA review

Passed. DaniloDaysOfOurLives (talk) 05:01, 12 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

The following discussion is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

This review is transcluded from Talk:The Bard (The Twilight Zone)/GA1. The edit link for this section can be used to add comments to the review.

Nominator: Jon698 (talk · contribs) 17:15, 9 March 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Reviewer: DaniloDaysOfOurLives (talk · contribs) 04:00, 4 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Hey! I will be reviewing this episode. Well done on the progress so far, it looks very interesting! :) I am looking forward to helping you get it to GA.

I will do a full review first but these things struck out to me first:

1.) The closing narration and opening narration - I am a bit unsure why these are there, as most GA episode articles I have seen do not have this. Is there a guideline or WikiProject that recommends having these, or can you justify it? I am just a bit unsure as I have not seen it before and it seems quite in-universe as there is not an analysis etc. Additionally, MOS:PLOTSOURCE says "However, if the[plot] summary includes a direct quote from the work, this must be cited using inline citations so that readers can easily verify it", so these sections need sources.

2.) The "Production" section is very interesting but a bit short - can this be expanded? It could include interviews, behind the scenes info, what the actors/writers/crew thought etc.

3.) "Guest appearances" in the infobox - can you write the characters that the portrayers are playing? (E.g. "Jack Weston as Julius K. Moomer")

4.) I would recommend getting rid of the "Cast" section as it overlaps with the infobox and plot - instead, the cast members can go in brackets next to the characters (e.g. "A bumbling screenwriter, Julius K. Moomer (Jack Weston)")

5.) The lead could do with a few more sentences, including info from the reception and legacy section.

6.) Per GA criteria, this article could do with 2 or so free images - maybe the cast members?

Once these have been addressed, I will do a further review and leave more comments :) Please let me know if anything is unclear or if you need any help! :) DaniloDaysOfOurLives (talk) 04:00, 4 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

@DaniloDaysOfOurLives: Thank you for your review so far. I have removed the opening and closing narrations, which were there before I started editing the article. I initially left them in as Time Enough at Last, another Twilight Zone GA, features them, but it's age (it was passed in 2007) is showing. I did as instructed in points 3, 4, 5, and 6. Jon698 (talk) 05:16, 4 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

@DaniloDaysOfOurLives: I have checked for more information for the production section, but nothing else really shows up. I added a bit about the feud between Brando and Reynolds. Jon698 (talk) 00:54, 5 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Hey, well done on your changes already! It is looking even better. I have now done another readthrough and these are my points:

Lead:

1.) "was the final episode of the hour-long fourth season." - I am very confused - was the whole season 1 hour in total or was the episode 1 hour? If the latter, it should be reworded.

Changed to "and was the final episode of the fourth season, which had hour-long episodes"

2.) "the episode features a parody of Marlon Brando by Burt Reynolds" - What does "Marlon Brando by Burt Reynolds mean? Was Reynolds parodying Brando or is a work by Reynolds?

Changed to "the episode features a character played by Burt Reynolds that is a parody of Marlon Brando"

3.) "A contemporary critic stated that it was "the worst TV show of the season"" - Can this be paraphrased?

Changed to "It was described as "the worst TV show of the season" upon release"

4.) "praised by Emily St. James and David Chase" - Can you please briefly explain who these people are (e.g. critics)?

Changed to "praised by critic Emily St. James and television producer David Chase."

Plot:

1.) "Julius pleads to be allowed to be given first crack at the series" - Can this be reworded? What does "first crack" mean?

Changed to "His agent, Gerald Hugo, mentions a television series to his secretary which causes Julius to beg to write a pilot episode for it."

2.) Please link Shakespeare, Hollywood and black magic.

Done.

3.) "but turns up only an actual book of black magic" - What does this mean?

Changed to "Arriving at an used bookstore, a book of black magic pulls itself off the shelf at the confusion of the bookstore owner and Julius."

4.) "who says he is at the service of the conjurer" - Can you please clarify this?

Changed to "who says he is at the command of the conjurer and will provide any service".

5.) Final sentence - does nothing else happen when he conjures up those figures? How does the episode end?

That is indeed the final thing to occur in the episode and nothing else happens.

Production:

1.) "and that On Thursday We Leave for Home was the only "effective show this season" - I think you should paraphrase the quote to illustrate that OTWLFH is an episode and not another TV show.

Changed to "that On Thursday We Leave for Home was the only "effective" episode of the fourth season"

2.) "scored by Fred Steiner" - What does scored mean? Can this be reworded?

Changed to "the music was composed by Fred Steiner"

3.) "Reynolds' appearance in this episode is one of the earliest examples of the public feud between him and Brando" - Can this be briefly expanded/clarified?

Expanded to "Reynolds' appearance in this episode is one of the earliest examples of the public feud between him and Brando. Brando threatened to leave The Godfather after Reynolds was offered the role of Michael Corleone. Brando stated during the production of Apocalypse Now that Reynolds was "the epitome of something that makes me want to throw up"".

4.) Can you briefly explain who Weston and Williams are playing?

Done

Reception and legacy:

1.) "The episode aired on May 23, 1963, the last one of the season."

Done

2.) "gave it a rating of A- due to Weston and Williams' acting and the humor" - Can you clarify if the acting and humor made it better or worse? No worries if not

Added that St. James was praising their acting and humor

3.) "it was included in The Sopranos episode Made in America" - What does this mean? Was the episode itself mentioned there? If so, it should be in production. Regardless can you please clarify?

I added "and a portion of the episode was played on TV during a scene of". Hopefully that clarifies it.

4.) "Moomer's reliance on existing works and historical figures was a precursor to ChatGPT and other AI-assisted writing tools" - Can this be briefly expanded/clarified please?

Added "rather than making original work"

Other:

1.) Can you please include the running time of the episode in the infobox?

Done.

2.) Image caption: "The Bard features a parody of Marlon Brando played by Burt Reynolds" - Can this please be clarified?

Changed to "The Bard features character played by Burt Reynolds that is a parody of Marlon Brando."

3.) If you do find any other information to add/more sources I really think it would strengthen the article.

Sorry that there is so many - I am not trying to nitpick, I am just pointing things out that some readers may not understand (including myself) so that I can help you make this article the best it can be. Please let me know if you need any assistance. I look forward to hopefully passing this! :) DaniloDaysOfOurLives (talk) 17:02, 6 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

@DaniloDaysOfOurLives: Don't worry, please nitpick as much since this is a GA review. I have answered a lot of your comments and will do some more later. I will answer the comments for the Plot, points 2 and 4 in Reception and Legacy, and point 3 in Production later on. Jon698 (talk)

Please take your time! :) No rush DaniloDaysOfOurLives (talk) 02:49, 7 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Spotchecked Sources 10, 15, 19 and 20 DaniloDaysOfOurLives (talk) 16:17, 8 April 2025 (UTC) @Jon698: Regarding the last paragraph of the production section, I would remove the information about the Godfather and take some of the information from the same source (specifically this sentence in the source - " In 'The Bard', Reynolds openly mocked Brando's signature performative style, accent, and mannerisms as the character Rocky Rhodes, which may have gotten underneath his opposite number's skin."). Also, I think the reception section could be expanded slightly by including some of the reasonings as to why the critics ranked the episode so low. Also let me know when you have finished everything and I will check and hopefully pass this GA. DaniloDaysOfOurLives (talk) 16:17, 8 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

@Jon698: Just pinging again as I think my ping did not work - there is no rush though :) DaniloDaysOfOurLives (talk) 06:03, 10 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

@DaniloDaysOfOurLives: I have made some significant edits to the plot summary after watching the episode. For some reason the original plot summary mentioned Shakespeare writing a film, but that never occurs in the episode. Per Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Television, a plot summary should be a maximum of 400 words and the one I have written is 307. As for the Reynolds and Brando bit, could you make the edit that you are requesting? Jon698 (talk) 04:53, 11 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

Per your comments, I have expanded the reception section and why it was given negative reviews. Jon698 (talk) 05:02, 11 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

I did the section you requested. Thank you for your edits - the article is good to go now. Well done :) If you plan to bring any other Twilight Zone episodes to GA, please let me know as I would love to review them :) DaniloDaysOfOurLives (talk) 05:00, 12 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

The discussion above is closed. Please do not modify it. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page. No further edits should be made to this discussion.

Did you know nomination

The following is an archived discussion of the DYK nomination of the article below. Please do not modify this page. Subsequent comments should be made on the appropriate discussion page (such as this nomination's talk page, the article's talk page or Wikipedia talk:Did you know), unless there is consensus to re-open the discussion at this page. No further edits should be made to this page.

The result was: promoted by LunaEclipse talk 11:43, 25 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

(

Comment or view
Article history

)

... that William Shakespeare assaulted Burt Reynolds in The Twilight Zone episode "The Bard"? Source: Bibbiani, William (November 4, 2023). "The Twilight Zone Parodied Studio Notes By Having Shakespeare Punch Burt Reynolds". /Film. Archived from the original on March 9, 2025.
ALT2 ... that Burt Reynolds played a stand-in for Marlon Brando in The Twilight Zone episode The Bard"?
ALT3 ... that David Chase, creator of The Sopranos, considers The Bard one of his favorite episodes of the The Twilight Zone"?
ALT4 ... that ratings for The Bard range from A− by The A.V. Club to being the second-worst episode of The Twilight Zone by /Film and Paste?"
ALT5 ... that /Film and Paste list The Bard as the second-worst episode of the The Twilight Zone while The A.V. Club gave it an A−?
- Reviewed: Template:Did you know nominations/Marcelino Massana
- Comment: Sources are not to be placed into the plot summaries per style guides, but a source within the article does provide sourcing for the assault part.

Improved to Good Article status by Jon698 (talk). Number of QPQs required: 1. Nominator has 91 past nominations.

Jon698 (talk) 17:56, 12 April 2025 (UTC).[reply]

General: Article is new enough and long enough
New enough: Long enough:

Policy compliance:

Adequate sourcing:
Neutral:
Free of copyright violations, plagiarism, and close paraphrasing: - Earwig is complaining about non-problems, like titles of works or the phrase episode of The Twilight Zone). Manual spot-checks from this revision: I checked refs 3 (no copyright issues), refs 5 (no issues), 11 (see next sentence), and 16 (I would put ahead of its time in quotes, but otherwise nice work!). However, for source 11, changing Brando’s signature performative style, accent, and mannerisms as the character Rocky Rhodes to Brando's signature performative style, mannerisms and accent as the character of Rocky is WP:CLOP. You can just quote the original.

Hook eligibility:

Cited:
Interesting:
Other problems: - ALT0 is ineligible per WP:DYKFICTION, which states in part If the subject of the hook is a creative work, the hook must be focused on a real-world fact [...] Simply acknowledging that a hook is about a creative work is not sufficient. Do you have another hook about the real-world aspects of The Bard?

QPQ: Done.

Overall: Finally, ref 3 (citing p. 296) does not state explicitly that the new episodes were an hour. I'd just add p. 293 to the cite, which contains that information. A couple of nitpicks to address, but this looks like a fun article about a cool TV episode. Even though it got mixed reviews, it sounds like something I would personally enjoy. Nice work! House Blaster (talk • he/they) 22:52, 13 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

@HouseBlaster: I have made the edits that you suggested. As for a new hook how about "... that Burt Reynolds played a stand-in for Marlon Brando in The Twilight Zone episode The Bard" Jon698 (talk) 02:11, 14 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

@Jon698: Thank you for making the edits :)

Apologies for being difficult, but I'm not sure I'd call that draft interesting enough to a broad audience. But I bet we can work with this. Is there a reason why that is cool/interesting/out of the ordinary? Best, and sorry for the trouble, House Blaster (talk • he/they) 03:51, 14 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

@HouseBlaster: How about
ALT3 "... that David Chase, creator of The Sopranos, considers The Bard one of his favorite episodes of the The Twilight Zone"
ALT4 "... that ratings for The Bard range from A− by The A.V. Club to being the second-worst episode of The Twilight Zone by /Film and Paste?"
ALT5 "... that /Film and Paste list The Bard as the second-worst episode of the The Twilight Zone while The A.V. Club gave it an A−?" Jon698 (talk) 09:17, 14 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]

@Jon698: I've fixed some typos (using the correct dash). I definitely think ALT4 and ALT5 are interesting enough. From revision 1285583894, it looks like these are sourced from ref 14 (Paste), ref 15 (/Film), and ref 17 (A.V. club).

approved for ALT4 and ALT5. I think ALT4 has the better framing, so that would be my preference between the two. Thanks for sticking with me :) House Blaster (talk • he/they) 15:29, 14 April 2025 (UTC)[reply]