The Awakening was an episode of the syndicated anthology series Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Presents: The Rheingold Theatre, which aired from 1952 to 1957. The black-and-white Keaton episode aired in different American cities on different dates in July of 1954. The Awakening doesn’t fit easily into any particular genre. While the episode has a solid dose of humour, its dark, verbal wit seems more fitting for Stanley Kubrick (Dr. Strangelove) than Keaton. Writer Lawrence B. (Larry) Marcus loosely adapted the screenplay from a famous short story, The Overcoat by Gogol. The story was originally published in Russia in 1842, but was not translated into English until 1949, five years before this teleplay.
Gogol’s short stories, novels and plays, including Taras Bul’ba (which was made into a British film in 1939 and an American film starring Tony Curtis in 1965), and The Government Inspector (which was made into the musical The Inspector General with Danny Kaye in 1949), often dealt with the dehumanizing effects of oppressive governments on the common people.
Watching the episode demonstrates why Buster was a fine choice. His stoic but expressive face projects a resignation that fits the part well. His low, gruff baritone voice is also remarkable. When he speaks, his voice is surprisingly forceful, which allows him to transform himself from a meek bureaucrat to an angry rebel with surprising skill.
The social commentary contained in The Awakening was especially daring, in part because the program was made during the Red scare of the 1950s, during which many in film and television were blacklisted for holding unpopular political viewpoints. It was rare for a producer to tackle such a political topic in those uncertain times, when blacklisting had become a common occurrence.
Dan Lybarger, “The Keaton Chronicle”, Spring 1996