Twilight Zone Hits Fifty
Rod Serling’s Television Anthology Celebrates Fifty Year Anniversary
Oct 1, 2009
On Friday, October 2, 1959, Rod Serling introduced The Twilight Zone with the following words:
“There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call the Twilight Zone.”
With those words, Rod Serling began a new television series that would fascinate generations of television viewers. Serling served in World War II as a demolition specialist and paratrooper. He received several medals including a Purple Heart and Bronze Star while in the service. While he had already gained attention as a writer of note with Requiem for a Heavyweight, it is his association with The Twilight Zone that brings him the most recognition.
The Twilight Zone stories were more than just science fiction space opera or big boo supernatural scary stories. They covered the gamut of human emotions and foibles. They displayed racism, greed, selfishness, love and hate. Endings were seldom predictable. There was no guarantee of a happy ending. That was one of the things that brought viewers back episode after episode.
Writers of Twilight Zone
While Rod Serling wrote the bulk of the stories himself, many famous writers in various fields helped maintain the highest quality in scripts for the show. Here is a partial list of writers, and an episode they wrote or created for the series.
- Ambrose Bierce, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge (1964)
- Ray Bradbury, I Sing the Body Electric (1962)
- Bennett Cerf, Twenty Two (1961)
- Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore, What You Need (1959)
- Damon Knight, To Serve Man (1962)
- Richard Matheson, And When the Sky Was Opened (1959)
The Actors of The Twilight Zone
Another strong feature of the show was the acting. It was top notch. Many well established actors, and newcomers too, gave strong performances. Some were so new and had such small parts they weren’t even listed in the original credits. Many of those young, unknown actors are household names today.
- Robert Duvall, Miniature (1963)
- Peter Falk, The Mirror (1961)
- Dennis Hopper, He’s Alive (1963)
- Ron Howard, Walking Distance (1959)
- Arte Johnson, The Whole Truth (1961)
- Jack Klugman, A Passage for Trumpet (1960)
- Martin Landau, Mr. Denton on Doomsday (1959)
- Cloris Leachman, It’s a Good Life (1961)
- Leonard Nimoy, A Quality of Mercy (1961)
- Burt Reynolds, The Bard (1963)
- Don Rickles, Mr. Dingle, the Strong (1961)
- William Shatner, Nightmare at 20,000 Feet (1963)
Awards of The Twilight Zone
During its five season run, the original Twilight Zone was nominated for numerous awards. It won many of them.
- Emmy Award, 1960, Rod Serling, Outstanding Writing Achievement in Television
- Emmy Award, 1961, Rod Serling, Outstanding Writing Achievement in Television
- Emmy Award, 1961, George T. Clemens (Cinematographer), Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography for Television
- Golden Globe Award, 1963, Rod Serling, Best TV Producer/Director
- Hugo Award, 1960, Best Dramatic Presentation
- Hugo Award, 1961, Best Dramatic Presentation
- Hugo Award, 1962, Best Dramatic Presentation
The Twilight Zone Continues
The spirit of The Twilight Zone refuses to go away. It has been made into a movie in 1983 consisting of four episodes from the original series recast and redirected. Australia created their own The New Twilight Zone in 1984, running for three seasons and winning even more awards. It returned to the United States in 2002 for one more season. Currently, reruns of The Twilight Zone are running on the SyFy channel and numerous local networks. A quick search on Hulu shows dozens of original episodes available for viewing online. There is also an untitled Twilight Zone project scheduled for 2011. The details are a bit sketchy on this one.
The Twilight Zone has impacted the lives of numerous writers, directors, actors and viewers for five decades. Hopefully it will continue to influence a whole new generation of viewers along with sparking the creative juices of the best writers, directors and actors of the future.
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Forty Years of Monty Python's Flying Circus
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