Another Look at the Vintage Series – Twilight Zone

I adore this series, and have mentioned it before.   Why I encourage watching it is that it was, ‘the most innovative series on television’, a quote of what was said at the time.

Now when you watch, appreciate that it began in 1959.   Everything you might have seen since built on it; it brought up many of the idea that are common today in Sci-Fi and Horror and even in serious crime movies and television programmes.

Twilight Zone was first in many categories.

There is the ‘twist’ ending.   Many of the episodes walk you down one path and then, suddenly, turn around.

This is often due to the fact we have been watching the delusion of a character, or a mistake made by a character in the nature of something.

Aliens appear and are often not what they seem.

Many famous actors and actresses appeared on Twilight Zone.  Among them is William Shatner, who appeared in two different episodes before becoming James T. Kirk.   Interestingly, George Takei who was Sulu was in another episode, as with Lenard Nimoy who would be Spock, but only had a brief appearance.  Robert Redford was in one episode,  Cloris Leachman,  appeared in one of the best known episodes.   There was also Burgess Meredith, Jack Klugman,  Roddy McDowell,  Lee Marvin and others.

There was always a new cast, new idea.

Some of the episodes, (don’t want to give too many spoilers) had those moments which are always remembered; such as in “It’s a Good Life,”  “Eye of the Beholder”, “To Serve Man”,   etc.

It was a ‘half-hour’ episode so would run about 25 minutes.

In some, I admit, due to our modern quick pace, the show seems to drag a little.  But at the time, it was moving as fast as the viewers could manage.

Many episodes were written by Rod Serling, who introduces the series.   There were other writers, Alfred Hitchcock, Bradley Thompson,  George R.R. Martin,  Harlan Ellison,  Ray Bradbury,  etc.

At the time, television was kind of new, kind of questionable, in that ‘real actors’ were in movies, and ‘real writers’ wrote for movies.   Twilight Zone broke that mold.

If you haven’t seen this show, try it.