In “The Dummy,” Jerry Etherson’s ventriloquist dummy is named Willy.
The episode aired on May 4, 1962, with Cliff Robertson playing Jerry Etherson. Jerry performs with Willy at a New York nightclub, but he becomes convinced that the dummy is alive and has bitten him. His agent, Frank, believes Jerry is suffering from a delusion and urges him to seek psychiatric help.
Jerry decides to replace Willy with another dummy, Goofy Goggles, and locks Willy in a trunk. Later, after hearing Willy’s voice and seeing his shadow, Jerry returns to the theater and smashes what he thinks is Willy. He discovers too late that he destroyed Goofy Goggles instead. Willy is still sitting nearby, apparently alive and in control.
The ending reverses the performer-and-puppet relationship: Willy becomes the ventriloquist, while Jerry is transformed into a dummy. The same physical puppet used for Willy later appeared in the 1964 Twilight Zone episode “Caesar and Me,” although that story starred Jackie Cooper rather than Robertson.