The Twilight Zone

Il Anto · January-21st-2005, 01:23 PM

I'm sorry, but I'm going to delve into Reynoldsian hyperbole by saying this was the *greatest* television show ever put on the air.

I can watch some episodes over and over again, and I will never tire of them. When the Sci-fi Channel runs those marathons, I can watch for hours straight - especially on New Year's Day when I'm recovering from a brutal hangover.

Most movies can't even sniff the brilliance of episodes like "Eye of the Beholder," "Anthony Freemont," and "The Howling Man"

Rod Serling is possibly the most fascinating man to come out of the television medium. He just simply rules.

Join me in my celebration of Mr. Serling and his fifth dimension. I want to know everyone favorite episodes and why they loved them.

Let it rain

The Monsters Are on Maple Street, baby

Gentle Giant · January-21st-2005, 01:31 PM

I own them all (thank you, CBS Video Library, and the hundreds of $ it took).

My all-time #1 favorite is Shadow Play, starring Dennis Weaver. He plays a guy who's having the same dream every night. In the dream, he's being found guilty of a capital offense (never named) and sentenced to die int he electric chair. When they pull the switch, he wakes up screaming, and it's driving him nuts. So in the episode (which is one of his dreams), he tries to convince the other characters that they only exist because he's dreaming them, and if they execute him, he'll wake up and THEY'LL DIE.

I won't reveal the ending, but this episode is truly riveting. Weaver gives a great performance.

Il Anto · January-21st-2005, 01:39 PM

GG, how did you acquire all the episodes from the CBS library?

And "Shadow Play" is a great episode, I agree.

I think my personal favorite is the hour-long "I Remember Cliffordville" where this very cunning and conniving rich man sells his soul to the devil to go back in time and climb back to his top status again. A simple tale of morality that is also very engaging.

Richardo Caerleoni · January-21st-2005, 02:28 PM

Up there with the "Teletubbies"- post hangover! Cool!

RC.

Chris D · January-21st-2005, 02:37 PM

I don't know any titles, but the one with Shatner and the gremlin freaked me out on flying for years. The one where Burgess Meredith is left the only man alive with all the books he can feast on after an atomic bomb goes off is another affecting episode.
Oh, and the one with "To Serve Man...." Truly classic.

frankenmeister7 · January-21st-2005, 02:43 PM

i like gentle giant own all too. my husband wanted to see them all whenever a holiday came.

luckily someone told him to write to the execs at CBS in the late eighties and he paid a fortune but sammy has every one of them. his package included scenes that never made it to the TV.

also the bloopers if you can imagine anyone cutting up with jack klugman as a prize figher or a jazz musician.

some footage that was never seen before.

i have it all stored in a safe so the kids can't get at them. they are priceless and the hubby would kill if anyone got near them.

my all time favorite is agnes morehead who ownes a farm and at night she hears noises on her barn roof.

little guys trying to get at her. biting at her toes and fingers.

she finally blows a microchip and wonders up to the roof to see the spaceship. she beats the crap out of it and it seems to shoot a flair gun at her and stuns her and she is left babbling to herself.

then the next scene shows that the camera is going to the top of the space ship. with the letters reading "product of the united states of america"

you hear an overhead voice that says "captain, it seems that these people are very unfriendly on this planet".

almost forgot cliff robertson who is a ventriloquist and thinks that his wooden dummy is alive.

the ending is the best.

Il Anto · January-21st-2005, 02:47 PM

Yeah, I love the one with Jack Klugman as the jazz musician. Very uplifting.

Sergio Zamora · January-21st-2005, 02:57 PM

"The Dummy" scared the living shit out of me when I was a kid. I didn't even get the alcoholism theme until much later, but the image of the dummy's shadow is burned in my memory.

Note that there is at least one other episode with a talking dummy (or at least perceived to do so by its owner) called "Caesar and Me", which is not nearly as good.

walto · January-21st-2005, 03:41 PM

I'm curious: weren't the plots of both The Dummy and the Dennis Weaver episode largely lifted from the movie "The Dead of Night"? More generally, wasn't Serling a bit of a...well...let's say, Milton Berle regarding plots?

Il Anto · January-21st-2005, 03:58 PM

I'm not sure about "The Dead of Night", but I do know that he lifted the concepts and plots from Pirandello's "Five Characters In Search of an Author" and Sarte's "No Exit" for the episode, "Five Characters in Search of an Exit"

I apologize for my ignorance, but what is meant by being a "Milton Berle"?

walto · January-21st-2005, 04:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Il Anto

I'm not sure about "The Dead of Night", but I do know that he lifted the concepts and plots from Pirandello's "Five Characters In Search of an Author" and Satre's "No Exit" for the episode, "Five Characters in Search of an Exit"

I apologize for my ignorance, but what is meant by being a "Milton Berle"?

I think Uncle Milty was famous for stealing jokes.

Il Anto · January-21st-2005, 04:12 PM

So was Shakespeare - stealing plots, that is.

Pete C · January-21st-2005, 04:42 PM

Talky Tina, baby!

http://www.tzworld.com/livingdoll2.wav

jesus marion joseph · January-21st-2005, 05:01 PM

Wasn't there an episode where a womn is raped, and she's riding down the street with her husband when she says "That's the man who raped me" and her husband follows the guy into an alley and kills him, then when he goes back to the car and starts driving she keeps pointing at men and saying "That's the man who raped me"? Or was that a Hitchcock episode?

Pete C · January-21st-2005, 05:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Il Anto

I apologize for my ignorance, but what is meant by being a "Milton Berle"?

It means you have a humungous schlong.

stonemonkts · January-21st-2005, 05:52 PM

My favorite episode is the one with Gig Young.

Here is a synopsis of the episode:

One the finest of all Twilight Zone episodes, "Walking Distance" benefits not only from a superb Rod Serling script and a magnificent starring performance by Gig Young, but also from an evocative musical score by Bernard Herrmann (which would be cannibalized many times on subsequent episodes). Young is cast as 35-year-old businessman Martin Sloan, who, while waiting for his car to be repaired, takes a sentimental journey to his home town of Homewood. Gradually, Martin begins to realize that the town has not changed one bit in 25 years: In fact, his parents are still alive, and there's a young boy running around who is the living image of 10-year-old Martin Sloan. Watch for Ron Howard in a three-line bit role. "Walking Distance" was first telecast October 30, 1959. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

stonemonkts · January-21st-2005, 06:09 PM

Just for the hell of it I searched for the DVD containing "Walking Distance". I found it at amazon for $4.99!

DVD

Il Anto · January-21st-2005, 06:15 PM

Yeah "Walking Distance" was a great episode among an archetype Serling used for a few episodes where protagonists are confronted by their younger selves. The concept was approached differently each time and spawned a fresh story in every episode he used it for.

I always wondered what it would be like to confront the child-version of myself. Creepy, but extremely intriguing

walto · January-21st-2005, 06:47 PM

FWIW, I think my favorite was "The Medium" which I think was written by Richard Matheson, whom I've always liked.

BTW, when I was a kid, my first girl friend was a cousin of Serling's.

Deke · January-21st-2005, 07:42 PM

Oddly enough, although the originals were generally my favourites, both my all time favourites come from the Grateful Dead sponsored retry. Bruce Willis in 'Shatterday', and Peter Coyote in 'The Trial'.

I always figured Twighlight Zone and One Step Beyond as being equals, now here's one for the people who are old enough to remember those days properly. Wasn't there another series that ran alongside those two? I'd swear that there were 3 of them sending me to bed with my skin crawling...

Pete C · January-21st-2005, 07:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Deke

Wasn't there another series that ran alongside those two? I'd swear that there were 3 of them sending me to bed with my skin crawling...

Well, Outer Limits was more Sci-Fi, Boris Karloff's Thriller was horror & suspense, and Alfred Hitchcock Presents was maccabre suspense. Are you thinking of one of those?

I recently bought a One Step Beyond dvd, but I haven't watched it yet.

bluenoter · January-21st-2005, 08:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Il Anto

I'm not sure about "The Dead of Night", but I do know that he lifted the concepts and plots from Pirandello's "Five Characters In Search of an Author" and Sarte's "No Exit" for the episode, "Five Characters in Search of an Exit"

Pirandello's play was "Six Characters. . . . "

Pete C · January-21st-2005, 08:41 PM

There was a nice "Odd Couple" episode based on "No Exit".

Brian Olewnick · January-21st-2005, 09:31 PM

re: Outer Limits--The two-part episode, "The Inheritors", featuring Robert Duvall, is one of the stronger pieces ever made for TV, imho.

Noj · January-21st-2005, 09:47 PM

A few favorites, besides those already mentioned...

"Old lead bottom" WW1 pilot in combat flies through a cloud which transports him many years into the future, where he learns he must return to combat to die saving others.

"Send them to the cornfield" Creepy omnipotent kid runs the show in a farmhouse.

Monte Smith · January-21st-2005, 10:03 PM

Anybody interested in three 80s-vintage Bantam Books paperbacks by Rod Serling called Stories from the Twilight Zone, More Stories from the Twilight Zone, and New Stories from the Twilight Zone? They are short stories adapted by the author from the screenplays. I've had these out on display at several sales and they have never sold. I can't understand why, they're in good condition. Just looking for the right fanboy, I think.

Contents:
Stories from the Twilight Zone 151pp
The Might Casey
Escape Clause
Walking Distance
The Fever
Where Is Everybody?
The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street

More Stories from the Twilight Zone 149pp
The Lonely
Mr. Dingle, The Strong
A Thing About Machines
The Big, Tall Wish
A Stop At Willoughby
The Odyssey of Flight 33
Dust

New Stories from the Twilight Zone 122pp
The Whole Truth
The Shelter
Showdown with Rance McGrew
The Night of the Meek
The Midnight Sun
The Rip Van Winkle Caper

Il Anto · January-22nd-2005, 08:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bluenoter

Pirandello's play was "Six Characters. . . . "

yikes, sorry about that

Deke · January-22nd-2005, 12:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pete C

Well, Outer Limits was more Sci-Fi.

Pete, you're a hero!

I've always said so.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Monte Smith

Anybody interested in three 80s-vintage Bantam Books paperbacks by Rod Serling called Stories from the Twilight Zone, More Stories from the Twilight Zone, and New Stories from the Twilight Zone? They are short stories adapted by the author from the screenplays. I've had these out on display at several sales and they have never sold. I can't understand why, they're in good condition. Just looking for the right fanboy, I think.

I am just so interested that it's painful. Unfortunately unless you have Cr. card facilities or a Paypal account I couldn't get the money to you even if you had stated how much you wanted...

Gentle Giant · January-22nd-2005, 09:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Monte Smith

Anybody interested in three 80s-vintage Bantam Books paperbacks by Rod Serling called Stories from the Twilight Zone, More Stories from the Twilight Zone, and New Stories from the Twilight Zone? They are short stories adapted by the author from the screenplays. I've had these out on display at several sales and they have never sold. I can't understand why, they're in good condition. Just looking for the right fanboy, I think.

Contents:
Stories from the Twilight Zone 151pp
The Might Casey
Escape Clause
Walking Distance
The Fever
Where Is Everybody?
The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street

More Stories from the Twilight Zone 149pp
The Lonely
Mr. Dingle, The Strong
A Thing About Machines
The Big, Tall Wish
A Stop At Willoughby
The Odyssey of Flight 33
Dust

New Stories from the Twilight Zone 122pp
The Whole Truth
The Shelter
Showdown with Rance McGrew
The Night of the Meek
The Midnight Sun
The Rip Van Winkle Caper

A Stop at Willoughby is another favorite of mine, as is Midnight Sun. I kind of prefer the old B&W teleplay as opposed to reading them, though.

Richardo Caerleoni · January-23rd-2005, 02:53 PM

Sorry to go (slightly) off thread...but do any of you remember "JOHNNY STACCATO "...Not Sci Fi...but, the same sort of era....with John Cassavetes? ...I think he used the money to finance his early films. Don't know where else to place this...So, feel welcome to ignore! RC.

------------------------------------------------------------

A smooth man on the ivories, hot on the trigger and cool in a jam -- he's the toughest private eye to hit America in a decade.
-- from the paperback blurb

JOHNNY STACCATO was a pianist who sometimes played at Waldo's, a Greenwich Village jazz hangout in "Staccato", a stylish, moody, TV show from 1959, that still remains a cult favorite. Johnny supplemented his income as a musician by taking on detective work, and otherwise sticking his nose in other people's business.

But jazz played a big part in the show's charm. There were numerous performances by the Pete Candoli combo, which featured musicians Ray Brown, Barney Kessel,Shelly Manne, and Red Norvo at the time.

Gone, but not forgotten, particularly by the Europeans, who found something in the show's jazz-tinged moodiness that Americans seem to have missed. It only lasted one season on NBC, despite ABC picking it up for repeats, and all the glowing reviews in Europe counted for squat - I remember that he used to leave the piano , race out and solve the "crime"..and be back by the last set...RC!.

Me? It's certainly an interesting show, that's for sure, and the attempt to push the boundaries of what could be done on television was certainly impressive and admirable. After finally catching several episodes, I thought Cassavetes was often very good, burning with a barely controlled intensity. But far too often he just descended into scenery-chewing. And too much of the self-consciously arty direction (often by Cassavetes himself) went completely beyond style, and right on into intrusive, and much of the writing and acting was so overwrought and hokey that it became laughable. A show where he tries to talk down a suicidal jumper was particularly enjoyable, although probably not exactly what the producers had in mind -- the Girl Detective and I both concluded that Johnny's twitchy, eyeball-popping, motor-mouthing harangue would in fact be far more likely to send the guy over the edge -- anything to get away from that jabbering buffoon in the nice suit..