The Twilight Zone Turns 50!

EPCOTPluto

EPCOTPluto

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I am surprised that this was surpassed & no one noticed...

On October 2, 1959, the first episode aired of what would turn out to be a seminal work of science-fiction television. For the first time the famous four-note musical motif played, and for the first time Rod Serling told viewers that they were “entering a dimension not only of sight and sound, but of mind.” Yes, it may be hard to believe, but today marks the fiftieth anniversary of the premiere of The Twilight Zone.

The first episode, titled “Where Is Everybody?” and starring Earl Holliman, was written by Serling and very much set the tone for the series: Holliman plays a man, dressed in an Air Force jumpsuit, who wanders about a town that seems to have no other people in it, though has evidence of very recent habitation (food on the stove, burning cigarettes in ashtrays, etc.). It turns out (SPOILER ALERT) that he is imagining the whole thing, and that he’s actually been put in isolation to see if he can stay sane for a trip to the moon.

So what is the nature of this longevity? Why does Twilight Zone still linger in our lives like a spirit hovering in the night? Today, you can still watch the show on the Science Fiction Channel. You can stand on endless lines at Disney theme parks to experience the "Tower of Terror" attraction, complete with a magnificently holographic Rod Serling delivering the bone-chilling introduction before you plummet in a falling elevator. Of course, film icon Steven Spielberg was responsible for bringing the program to the big screen in 1983. And now, Leonardo DiCaprio's production company, Appian Way, has joined forces with Warner Brothers in an attempt to do it again, seeking to purchase the rights to Twilight Zone episodes for feature film fodder.

There are many reasons Twilight Zone lives on, but it inevitably circles back to one factor...its creator, Rod Serling. He developed the program after having established himself as a distinguished writer. Then, over the course of five seasons, Serling wrote 92 of the show's 157 episodes, a compelling and admirable fact considering it was an anthology series, and he was creating scripts anew every time he positioned himself at the typewriter... each one representing a distinct 30-minute film. He took on all issues within the context of this science fiction format, and when watching an episode today that Mr. Serling set in the future, it is remarkable how prescient he was about life as it evolved 50 years or so beyond his writing.

It’s safe to say that every science-fiction TV series since owes something to The Twilight Zone: in the fall of 1959, even “Doctor Who” and “The Outer Limits” were four years away from their premieres. Serling proved that science-fiction had a place on television. Many of the episodes may be obvious, even trite; but there are many excellent ones. Some have become classics, such as “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet,” “To Serve Man,” and “Time Enough at Last.” And who will ever forget that most-deadpan-voice-ever style of Serling’s?
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dandaman

dandaman

Well-Known Member
I was actually having a PM conversation with another member on the 2nd and I happened to bring this up. (Hi Dot.) :lol:

Favourite episodes would likely be "To Serve Man" and "Escape Clause". :D
 
EPCOTPluto

EPCOTPluto

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
dandaman said:
I was actually having a PM conversation with another member on the 2nd and I happened to bring this up. (Hi Dot.) :lol:

Favourite episodes would likely be "To Serve Man" and "Escape Clause". :D
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:lol:

My favorites would be "Five Strangers Trying To Escape", "Will The Real Martian Stand Up?" & "A Most Unusual Camera".

Among some other episodes. :D
 
EpcotServo

EpcotServo

Well-Known Member
My all time favorite is "The Monsters are due on Maple Street".

:sohappy:

Other personal favorites are "The Obsolete Man", "A stop at Willoughby", "The Shelter", "People Are Alike All Over", and of course "Little Girl Lost".

:D
 
EPCOT Explorer

EPCOT Explorer

New Member
EpcotServo said:
My all time favorite is "The Monsters are due on Maple Street".
:sohappy:

Other personal favorites are "The Obsolete Man", "A stop at Willoughby", "The Shelter", "People Are Alike All Over", and of course "Little Girl Lost".

:D
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YES!!!!:sohappy:

"And then they went...from one to the other....from one to the other...."

Chills! Everytime.

That and the Pig Lady one is good. Can't think of the name...

And of COURSE, any epi they had on space, or aliens...:D
 
EPCOTPluto

EPCOTPluto

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
EPCOT Explorer said:
That and the Pig Lady one is good. Can't think of the name...

And of COURSE, any epi they had on space, or aliens...
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Eye of the Beholder. :D

And I recall even a Radio Drama series... http://www.twilightzoneradio.com/

:)

Mr.EPCOT said:
Call me a nerd, but my favorite is this little-known lost episode entitled 'Tower of Terror'...
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Sounds awfully familiar... I feel a bit claustrophobic just hearing this now, though. I blame maintenance. :lookaroun
 

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