Kenneth Reynolds - The Twilight Zone: Rod Serlings Wondrous Land

THE TWILIGHT ZONE

ROD SERLINGS WONDROUS LAND

Copyright 2006, 2014 Kenneth Reynolds.

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ISBN: 978-1-4917-2012-7 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4917-2013-4 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4917-2014-1 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013923797

iUniverse rev. date: 04/30/2014

CONTENTS

To the entire cast and crew of The Twilight Zone, for proving that television production can be a great and lasting work of art.

Rod Serlings classic TV exploration of the uncanny, the unknown and the unforgettable takes you beyond the deepest realms of imagination!

Image Entertainment, April 2004

From 1959 to 1964, it was the show that enticed, disturbed-and caused more than a few nightmares! Rod Serlings groundbreaking TV seriesthe all-too-helpful aliens of To Serve Man to the hauntingly tranquil village in A Stop at Willoughby. Open your mind and dare to re-enter this classic dimension of sight, sound, and nail-biting fear!

The Video Collection, January 2004, p.12

Have you entered The Twilight Zone?! Rod Serlings The Twilight Zone has to rank as the greatest sci-fi/fantasy series ever to air on television

Collectors Choice Music Catalog, January 2003, p.36

Its Time to Re-Enter The Twilight Zone! The Twilight Zone was easily one of the most-brilliant series ever to air on television

Ibid., p. 37

The demand from fans and newcomers alike have kept reruns of this show on the air decades after its original airings, still opening peoples eyes to mysterious, uncanny happenings from other dimensions!

Video Preview catalog, March 2003, p. 23

The Twilight Zone. The original classic. We still remember that eerie theme song and the creepy introductions by Rod Serling.

Columbia House Video brochure, January 2003

The Twilight Zone. From the first few notes of that eerie theme song, audiences knew they were in for a bizarre ride to another dimension.

Ibid., undated

Enter a new dimension of sight and sound Rod Serlings classic series of strange and macabre tales.

Columbia House catalog, September 2003

The Twilight Zone Rod Serlings brilliant episodestimeless talesSerlings trademark plot twists

Critics Choice catalog, October 2003

In 1959, Rod Serling led a journey into that dimension with one of the most unique series ever broadcast on network television. The show was The Twilight Zone-a drama so powerful it changed the way we looked at space, time-and at our very existence! Now you can journey to the wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination whenever you want No one was more of a master at assembling off-screen talent than Rod Serling. Youll marvel at the superb artistry of the shows directors memorable scripts dazzling make-up and special effects and the haunting TWILIGHT ZONE theme ENTER A NEW DIMENSION.

Columbia House Video Library flier

Rod Serlings brilliant episodes that laid the groundwork for all science-fiction shows that would follow.

Critics Choice catalog, April 2003, p. 42

The Twilight Zone Rod Serlings timeless series of fantasy and imagination

Movies Unlimited catalog, 25 th Anniversary Edition

Rod Serlings mind-bending series

Movies Unlimited catalog, March 2003

TVs most-far-out show

TV Guide, Summer 1963

Twilight Zone helped pave the pathway for the great sci-fi and fantasy series to come.

www.twilightzonemuseum.com

After reading the acclaim from various media sources, one comes away thinking that there must have been something very special about The Twilight Zone.

Various factors contributed to the specialness of this outstanding TV show, which debuted October 2, 1959 and finished its run on June 19, 1964. Why, fifty years after its departure, are 24-hour to 48-hour marathons, sometimes of even greater length than 48 hours, shown on cable or satellite television, usually semi-annually, and watched by millions? Why have the rerun ratings been so successful? Why do people in everyday conversation use the term The Twilight Zone to describe or define some eerie, unusual experience they went through? Why does this show hold peoples attention and thinking so much that various episodes and/or their characters are still talked about, thought about, and analyzed?

I believe the answer to all the preceding questions boils down to a superb television production, where every facet of it-the acting, the scripts, the sets, the dialogue, the direction, the music, inter alia-was flawless. In the words of director Elliot Silverstein, who directed four Twilight Zone episodes, It was a class act all the way (www. twilight zone museum.com).

That being said, it was the great storytelling that, in my opinion, undergirded this show, and the aforementioned qualities strengthened and enhanced the production. Mankind, young and old, from all walks of life and all backgrounds, loves a great story well-told, and there may well be no man in the history of television writing with a greater gift for great storytelling than Rod Serling-creator of The Twilight Zone and called televisions greatest storyteller by actor James Earl Jones.

The book company Easton Press mentions stories that carry you away to faraway places and past timesinto realms of the mind and heart. Easton also claims that A great short story becomes a part of you and your life experience. Earl Hammer Jr.-the writer of eight Twilight Zone episodes-said of the show: Theyre great stories well-told (The Twilight Zone Companion, by Marc Zicree, authors notes). As with all great art, his [Serlings] writing will be with us forever, says painter Harley Brown ( www.rodserling.com ).

Whether you are a TZ devotee like me, who has seen each episode innumerable times, or someone who has seen a few episodes a few times, or someone who has never seen an episode, The Twilight Zone: Rod Serlings Wondrous Land will hopefully appeal to all by assembling the major themes and subjects that are showcased and then elaborate on the messages and teachings that are conveyed to the viewers. Simply put, it will endeavor to answer the perennial question directed at stories requiring deep thought and introspection: What are they trying to tell us?

Each of the 156 episodes will be thoroughly critiqued, determining which of the themes are involved in the particular episodes. I spent 2 to 3 years researching and analyzing this series (2003-2006), reviewing and taking notes on each episode, connecting the related episodes to each other and assembling a list of 52 themes covered throughout the series. Whether youre a veteran or a novice of The Twilight Zone, there is almost always something missed, something that escapes, something not quite understood, even after numerous viewings. I believe that Serling and the other writers of the various episodes wanted it that way; they wanted the audience to participate, to concentrate, to get involved vicariously in the stories.