MovieChat Forums > Night Gallery (1969) Discussion > The Joanna Pettet Ending Puzzled Me

The Joanna Pettet Ending Puzzled Me

posted 10 years ago by webfix
14 replies | jump to latest

Regarding the episode in which Joanna Pettet appeared, where she keeps having dreams about a haunted house, I didn't understand the ending. I mean, the part where she says over the phone that "the ghost is me", then just lies back down on the bed and goes to sleep. What was the significance of that? Also, at the end, when apparently her doppelganger drives away from the house, I was utterly puzzled. I mean, if she had already died (e.g. possibly in a car crash as she was driving backwards and forwards from the house), why was there two of her?

Did any of you find this episode difficult to understand too? By contrast, if any of you DID manage to decipher its plot, then I would really love to be enlightened. Thanks.

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[–] Steve-684 10 years ago

This was puzzling, and although it isn't fresh in my mind at the moment, I have to wonder if the ending simply is the case of a time-travelling clone of herself. I'd have to see the episode again to see if that makes sense or not, but that's one possible interpretation. Maybe?

[–] Gialmere 10 years ago

I doubt it will help much but you might try reading the short (two page) story 'house' over at the NG website...

http://nightgallery.net/short-stories/

[–] george.schmidt 10 years ago

I think it's like a GROUNDHOG DAY scenario where she's doomed to re-live this 'dream' of another 'her' and every time she gets thisclose to an awakening it replays from the beginning....forever (i.e. Limbo/Hell)

"I'll have a steak sandwich...and a steak sandwich"

[–] warren_houghton 10 years ago

There was a thread discussing this at some length which may or may not still exist. One plausible theory proposed (not by me) was 'Hey, she was in an institution. She's crazy. She's imagining the ghost.'

My theory involves a popular pseudo-scientific concept in vogue back in the 60's/70's: Astral Projection.

There was another segment where an invalid projects his astral self to sneak around and bludgeon a hated houseguest but confuses the bedrooms and ends up bashing his own skull in.

Briefly, I think the idea is that she was travelling to this house in her dreams (projecting her 'Astral self') and was perceived by the previous owners of the house as the ghost that caused them to sell it. Then she gets out of the institution and is cosmically drawn to discover the house and is unaccountably familiar with its layout since she's "been there" so many times in her dreams. She buys it, moves in but still visits the house in her 'Astral' body (i.e. while asleep and dreaming) so is essentially haunting herself.

I only suggest that this may have been the writers' intent, not that I believe in this supernatural claptrap.

[–] antonasmodeus 10 years ago

Just caught Joanna Pettet again in the "The Caterpillar" the other night on MeTV and she really was beyond gorgeous. The natural beauties of the 60s and 70s like her were truly stunning!

[–] amyghost 10 years ago

I know--don't you miss the days when head-to-toe plastic surgery wasn't required to see a woman as beautiful? These days any actress who hasn't been sculpted to within an inch of her life is called 'fugly', and yet most of these types can't hold a candle to the Sixties and Seventies model for true beauty.

[–] AaronCapenBanner 10 years ago

You should see her in 'The Girl With The Hungry Eyes'... 

The first lady of Night Gallery never looked better!

[–] antonasmodeus 10 years ago

Oh hell yeah, Joanna made for a luscious creature of the night!

[–] 10 years ago

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[–] Noirdame79 9 years ago

Joanna Pettit was a friend of Sharon Tate. In fact, she had visited Sharon at the 10050 Cielo Drive house the day of the murders.

Always wondered if there was any inspiration from that for the story.

[–] 9 years ago

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[–] [email protected] 8 years ago

She was one of the bright spots of the 1967 "Casino Royale" as the illegitimate daughter of James Bond by Mata Hari (repeat to yourself it's just a show, I should really just relax).

[–] SuCue 8 years ago

"The House" is one of my favorite episodes and I agree with your interpretation.

[–] belanger75 9 years ago

It was the end of the 60's. A bad left-wing time (when commie mass-murderer dictatorships (like North VietNam) were believed, by youth, to be good). Nothing on TV made sense anymore as little in real life did. This ep was an allegory of the times so yes the ending made no sense.