The Twilight Zone (Original Series)

Box Sets (1-5)

Shock

R4 DVD

"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!"

Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone was one of the first science fiction and strange tales series created for television and is still considered by many to be one of the best. There may be lots of Star Wars and Star Trek Fans, but the fans of The Twilight Zone are a more reflective bunch and their numbers would surprise many young Sci Fi addicts.

The Twilight Zone hit the screen on October 2rd 1959 and ran until 1965. It received almost immediate international acclaim which continued throughout the five series. It received numerous award nominations winning two Emmys for outstanding writing (1960 and 1961); the Golden Globe in 1962 for Best TV director/producer and 3 Hugo Awards (Science Fiction Achievement Awards).

The Twilight Zone series took great risks by experimenting with daring stories and exploring themes not previously seen in a TV series. Rod Serling, a well respected screen writer, served as executive producer and head writer. Indeed he wrote some 92 of the show's 156 episodes. "If you can't believe the unbelievability," says Rod Serling to a master class of college writing students, "then there's something wrong in the writing" and this is the formula that made The Twilight Zone successful. While the plots may have been extravagant and unusual, there was an authenticity in the storytelling which made it compelling viewing. In addition, by using science fiction as a background, controversial social issues could be explored in a way that general television of the time found difficult. This approach was continued in later television programs such as Star Trek which were able to explore such diverse issues as race, gender and related social concerns under the guise of science fiction television.

At the same time The Twilight Zone was never a soap opera in space (a complaint later made against Star Trek) and avoided being simple morality tales by always placing a very strong emphasis on plot and quality character acting.

The Twilight Zone was an anthology rather than a series with reoccurring characters, accordingly many well known actors starred on the show including such notables as Lee Marvin, Telly Savalas, and William Shatner. Many episodes also gave roles to older stars who made their swansong on The Twilight Zone including Mickey Rooney, Andy Devine, Agnes Moorehead, Cedric Hardwicke, Buster Keaton and Ida Lupino.

Serling also used The Twilight Zone to give new actors a chance to get started and many of these went on to become significant in their own right, just some examples include Leonard Nimoy, George Takei, Robert Duvall, Robert Redford, Dennis Hopper and Charles Bronson

Each episode was 30 minutes in length (except for season 4 where the episodes were expanded, some say unsuccessfully, to 60 minutes). Each featured a monologue at the beginning and end of each episode by Rod Serling himself.

It would be impossible to list all of the memorable episodes as the series sustained a remarkably high level of quality throughout its production schedule. The first season is generally the most celebrated by fans and offered some truly memorable episodes such as "Time Enough at Last", "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street", "Walking Distance" and "The After Hours".

The second season including such notables as The Eye of the Beholder" and "The Invaders"

The third season was unusual in that while Serling complained of exhaustion, he still produced some truly outstanding TV including "It's a Good Life", "To Serve Man", and "Five Characters in Search of an Exit". There was also the now classic "I Sing the Body Electric” by Ray Bradbury.

Many people regard the fourth season as a little difficult; the hour long format brought about the “padding” of many episodes and many seemed to lose their punch over the longer time frame. However there were still some episodes which stand out. "Death Ship," "On Thursday We Leave for Home" and “The Bard” are most remembered. Even with the problems due to editing and plot, "On Thursday We Leave for Home" is celebrated as one of the highlights of the whole series.

Season five was the final and returned to the successful 30 minute format. There were quite a few highly successful episodes in this series including Nightmare at 20,000 Feet", "A Kind of a Stopwatch" , An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" and "Living Doll".

Full episode guides to the whole series are available online at http://tzone.the-croc.com/twilight1.html

One of the things less considered about The Twilight Zone was the high quality music that was used to score it, just some of the composers who contributed music included Bernard Herrmann, Jerry Goldsmith, Nathan Van Cleave, Leonard Rosenman, Fred Steiner, and Franz Waxman.

Shock Entertainment has released the full, remastered and complete "Twilight Zone: Original Series” for the first time in Australia on DVD. This new release has been taken from the original camera negatives and the original magnetic soundtracks with all episodes complete with audio commentaries, interviews and Rod Serling audio lectures.

The series is available in individual season pack from Shock or in a special box set The special box set features the entire original series of The Twilight Zone spread across five digipacks, 29 discs, and 77 hours.

This review will appear in Volume 2 No.3 (2009) of the digital and print edition of Synergy Magazine.

If you came to this page directly (and missed our menu), click here to go to the Synergy Magazine front page. (http://www.synergy-magazine.com)