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Sunday, October 04, 2009

THE TWILIGHT ZONE is 50 years old this weekend!

On October 2nd, 1959, CBS premiered a new television series. Its creator, Rod Serling, had already established himself as a force to be reckoned with in the new medium.

But for his new show Serling had something very different in mind. Eschewing traditional drama, Serling chose an anthology format that would not only entertain, but enthrall and tantalize and, at times, utterly haunt the viewer.

So it was that on that evening, millions of viewers crossed over into The Twilight Zone for the first time.

Could this possibly be the greatest television series ever? I mean, it's hard to think of any other show that has been more influential, or had as tremendous an impact on our modern culture.

Awright, so anyone who notes the anniversary of The Twilight Zone is doubtless going to tick off his/her favorite episodes, right? Well, in no particular order some of mine are "A Most Unusual Camera" (the first episode of The Twilight Zone that I ever saw), "The Obsolete Man" (maybe the best episode that Burgess Meredith did for the series), "A Game of Pool" (one of the most solid and powerful single episodes of television ever, in my opinion), "It's a Good Life" (wigs me out every time I watch it), "Once Upon a Time" (a comic entry for the series, starring Buster Keaton), "I Sing the Body Electric" (was there a moral, or did it even really need one?) and "Nick of Time" (a story that, it goes without saying, not only could conceivably happen but has happened in one form or another throughout human history).

So... do y'all have any favorite stories from The Twilight Zone? Comment away!

2 comments:

Lee Shelton said...

Best. Series. Ever.

jessicaash@aol.com said...

I still get a tear in my eye when I watch Art Carney in "Night of the Meek". Other favorites are "The Monsters are Due on Maple Street", "It's a Good Life", "The Lonely", "Eye of the Beholder",
"The Invaders" with Agnes Moorehead's incredible mute performance, "Still Valley" based on the short story by North Carolina's own Manly Wade Wellman, and many, many more. Some of the best television ever created! And as I type this, I sit under the watchful eyes of my Twilight Zone teddy bear, sitting top of my computer. (Squeeze his tummy and he plays a certain infamous theme...)

Oh, and have you checked out the Twilight Zone radio show? www.twilightzoneradio.com