![]() man on a different planet or vice versa, and communication with the dead, among a few other standards in the field. While “Twilight Zone” appears to be limitless in science-fiction stories, in truth the number of plots is limited, and boils down to time transference. “I think we and the public are better off with our present limit.” “I was very anxious when I first heard it,” said Houghton. There was a rumor “The Twilight Zone” would stretch out to an hour next season, but this has been dispelled. An oil man once said to producer Houghton, “What I like about the series is that I find myself thinking about what goes on after the story is over.” The incident may be closed, but the people still live on in the oil man’s mind. It’s more fun for the writer and the audience. My suspicion is that doing a story in this vein takes the wraps off a writer’s imagination.”Īpparently “Twilight Zone” works two ways. ![]() We say, ‘Here’s a man who can change his face at will,’ and then we move into the story. Now, I’m not a writer,” Buck continued, “but I have a feeling the writing is easier on this series because we have fewer restrictions. “If we had to explain and explain, we couldn’t hold the audience. “The fact a man is on Mars is enough for a 30-minute show,” says Buck. The rule of holding the explanations down is probably the main reason for the show’s success. If Houghton isn’t sure a point is clear enough, he seeks Serling’s advice, and Serling’s answers are good enough for him. I do admit that a viewer has to pay attention, and he can miss something by going to the refrigerator for a beer.” “We generally make our point by telling it twice. As Rod told Buck, “If we’ve got to explain things we’re in deep trouble, and have been for a long time.”īuck does get letters complaining that an important segment hadn’t been sufficiently clear. In 30 minutes, a story could be told, but explanations were out. Rod and Buck began “The Twilight Zone” with the format: one miracle to a customer. He’ll have a new idea for a story, and shortly we’ll have a completed script. Said lean, white-haired producer Buck Houghton, “Rod says he wants to quit and enjoy himself, but he can’t. The series has been renewed for next season, sponsors are happy, and writer Serling will continue to write more scripts. Sponsors hesitated to renew, and then did at the last minute, and creator Serling would, from time to time, say he was tired and would be happy to quit. Though the series won critical approval, and Rod Serling walked off with an Emmy last year, the series just shuffled along with the pack in the ratings race. ![]() Maybe, simply because “Twilight Zone” is a good show, parents let their kids stay up for it. This seems strange, because the imaginative series comes on at 10 PM Friday nights, on the CBS TV network, and it would appear to be too late for most youngsters. In a recent poll of Los Angeles schoolchildren, the favorite show of all age groups turned out to be “The Twilight Zone.” – AJW “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” Twilight Zone episode with William Shatner (1963) The Twilight Zone: A world of unreality (1961)īy Charles Witbeck, in The Record (Hackensack, New Jersey) May 13, 1961 Shows like The Outer Limits, The X-Files and Black Mirror owe much to Serling’s early spin on the speculative and the supernatural. In addition, the show would go on to influence and inspire television and movie makers for years to come. The show was notable for featuring many established stars of the day, like Buster Keaton and Burgess Meredith, as well as up-and-coming actors whose names you might recognize - William Shatner, Robert Duvall, Dennis Hopper and Robert Redford, to name but a few. Serling saw the science fiction and supernatural setting of his show as the perfect way to tell controversial stories and touch on hot topics under the veil of fiction… and so without the interference of networks and sponsors. “‘The Twilight Zone’ is about people - human beings involved in extraordinary circumstances, in strange problems of their own or fate’s making,” said series creator Rod Sterling in 1960. Widely regarded as one of the best and most innovative television shows of all time, The Twilight Zone premiered on October 2, 1959, and would go on to dazzle, delight - and sometimes frighten - audiences for the next five seasons.
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