I’ve been a fan of the Twilight Zone since I was a young kid. Every Thanksgiving, channel 5 used to host a “Twilight Zone Marathon” that I would curl up and watch along with a few pumpkin pies and some whipped cream.
I have some favorite episodes: 1) The gremlin on the wing with William Shatner , 2) “No Change,” 3) The librarian one where Burgess Meredith breaks his glasses . . . so many good ones. It’s absolutely mind boggling that the massive collection of shows were all written and directed by ONE MAN: Rod Serling.
He worked through his short life at his vision and gave millions joy. If there is one take-away creative people can get from his life it’s this:
Be patient as you work because you never know which idea will be your “biggie.” Case in point:
Stemming from a (Serling-scripted) Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse entry called “The Time Element” in November 1958, Serling created, executive produced, hosted and (for the most part) wrote the half-hour science-fantasy anthology The Twilight Zone, networked by CBS from 1959 to 1964. The series not only created a whole new programming genre for television, it also offered Serling an opportunity to say things he could never get away with in more conventional dramatizations. The weekly tales remain memorable for allowing the viewer to enter “the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition…” which lay “between the pit of man’s fears and the summit of his knowledge”. (source)
Be true to your vision.
8 Comments
I could not get into his series a lot, they scared me way back then, but it was quite a memorable show. The one or two I watched were haunting.
I think I am in the Twilight Zone of B2Evolution, so I am keeping your “take away” in mind, although this feels less like creativity and more like physics written in a foreign language.
Cool. I know nothing about it, but I can’t wait to see your new site(s)!
Thought you would like to know about the 2007 Twilight Zone Convention to be held August 4-5, 2007 at the Hilton Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey.
www.tzconvention.com
Thanks Herman. I won’t be able to make it, but that sounds like an amazing event.
I enjoy The Twilight Zone a lot, though I haven’t seen many episodes. Not sure if you know or not, but you might like to hear that the SciFi channel plays a lot of Twilight Zone episodes at night! I’m not sure of its exact timeslot, or if it even has one, but you might wanna check it out!
Thank you. I think I am due for another post on Rod Serling, I have so much admiration for the man. I have seen nearly all the old episodes but thanks for that 411.
Here via Malcolm. Your post title caught my eye.
I am a total Twilight Zone geek, but what is “No Change?” Unless it’s one of the ’80s revival episodes, I think you might be talking about “Eye of the Beholder,” because when the doctor does the final surgery he says, “No change…no change at all.”
I don’t want to be one of those jerks who promotes her own blog in someone else’s comments, but it looks like I will be. Ha ha. Actually, I just thought you might be interested in this post from 2006. It was right before the 4th of July TZ marathon, and chock-full of suggestions for must-watch episodes. Just thought you might be interested, especially if you haven’t seen them all.
@BeckEye: No problem at all, I look forward to reading it myself. Thanks.