About the show:
Originally airing from 1959-1964 (yes, forty years ago!), this anthology series set the standard
not only for great fantasy/sci-fi television, but quality drama in any genre. Combining brilliant writing,
atmospheric direction, and a star-studded guest cast, The Twilight Zone brought the best
of the pulp horror, sci-fi and fantasy story stylings to life onscreen. All episodes had one
thing in common: an unexpected, completely unpredictable twist that surprised both the characters and
the audience.
Personal:
The WriterGroupie has seen each episode of timeless television series The Twilight Zone so many
times that she can identify the episode usually by the opening frame and always by the first line
of dialogue. While she can't say that EVERY episode is a classic, even the weakest episodes of the
series trumps the best of what most other series can offer even now, forty years later.
So many moments and scenes from this show have fallen into pop culture. Who can forget that To
Serve Man is a cookbook? Or the sight of William Shatner desperate to convince an airplane's crew
that there is a gremlin on the wing of the plane? Or the piglike faces of the 'normal people' in
"Eye of the Beholder"? Or a little boy holding an entire town in terror by threatening to wish
people away into the cornfield? Or Roddy McDowall's wretched discovery that people are alike all
over? Who doesn't sympathize with the image of Burgess Meredith looking down at
his broken glasses surrounded by books he'll never read in "Time Enough At Last"? The sound of
Talky Tina can still send shivers down the spines of multiple generations of people. But no doubt
the most memorable image of the series is of an intense, sharply-tailored host with his stern yet
amused delivery telling the tale of each story... in the Twilight Zone.
The WriterGroupie HIGHLY recommends watching the series with its incredibly researched companion
book close at hand. The WriterGroupie discovered Marc Scott Zicree's
"The Twilight Zone Companion" literally the day it came out. She saw it on the bookstore
shelf and immediately HAD to have it. Since that day, the book, well worn and well loved has
been a staple of her Twilight Zone marathon viewing experiences. She can't sit down and
watch an episode without the book beside her though by this time she knows the contents by heart.
The success of the original series has spurred more than one attempt to revive it including
the latest incarnation that ran on UPN
in 2002/2003.
The Writer Groupie had the great pleasure of meeting Twilight Zone writer Earl
Hamner at the Book Expo America 2003 where she had
the chance to thank him for his contributions to what the Writer Groupie thinks is still one of the
greatest television series ever and she got a signed copy of his book,
The Twilight Zone Scripts of Earl Hamner.
Update: The newly released 'Definitive Season DVD Sets' may have some of the greatest extras
ever including multiple commentaries including audio recordings of Rod Serling discussing the
episodes himself!
Related Links:
There does not seem to be an authorized site for either the original series or its creator, the late Rod
Serling.
