MUSEUM OF TELEVISION & RADIO SCREENING SERIES, THE:
ROD SERLING: THE TWILIGHT ZONE AND BEYOND: PACKAGE
2: PLAYHOUSE 90: THE VELVET ALLEY & THE MIKE
WALLACE INTERVIEW: ROD SERLING
Summary
Rod Serling's "The Twilight Zone," which debuted in
1959, took viewers through a delirious dimension of
imagination and brought them back to earth again with a
humbling sense of themselves in a strange, alienating
universe. In creating the provocative parables that
elevated this fantastical series above mere escapist
fiction, Serling drew upon a decade of experience
writing for such live anthology programs as "Kraft
Television Theatre," "Playhouse 90," and "Climax!"
Beginning in 1955 he was awarded three consecutive
Emmy Awards for best teleplay writing ("Patterns," "The
Comedian," and "Requiem for a Heavyweight") and was the
first playwright recognized with a Peabody Award.
After "The Twilight Zone" ended in 1964, Serling
returned to the airwaves with "The Loner," "Night
Gallery," and the controversial television movie "The
Doomsday Flight." Astonishingly prolific and
indisputably influential, he was always on guard against
the threats of censorship and mediocrity. He is
remembered as both a vital force and a familiar face in
the affirmation of television as a showcase for artful,
relevant drama.
Playhouse 90: "The Velvet Alley"
(1959; 90 minutes)
The Mike Wallace Interview: Rod Serling
(1959; 25 minutes)
In the introduction to the published script of
"Patterns," which had brought Serling fame overnight, he
wrote: "All of a sudden, with no preparation and no
expectations, I had a velvet mantle draped over my
shoulders. I treaded my way through a brand-new world
of dollar-sign mobiles hanging from the sky, shaking
hands with my right hand, depositing checks with my left
. . . listening to myself being complimented
unreservedly and extravagantly." The travails of fame
and ambition would preoccupy the writer throughout his
career, particularly after his move out to the "Land of
Mink Swimming Pools," as he called Los Angeles, in early
1958. In the autobiographical "The Velvet Alley," a
hotshot scribe (Art Carney) struggles to preserve his
integrity among the jackals of Hollywood. In an
interview with Mike Wallace -- shortly before "The
Twilight Zone" would make him an even bigger name --
Serling vigorously defends himself against charges of
having abandoned the idea of "writing anything important
for television."
Details
- NETWORK: N/A
- DATE: November 30, 2001
- RUNNING TIME: 1:52:50
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:69088
- GENRE: Drama; Talk/Interviews
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama; Television producers and directors
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- For "Playhouse 90: The Velvet Curtain":
- Herbert Brodkin … Producer
- Franklin Schaffner … Director
- Rod Serling … Writer
- Barry Sullivan … Host, Introduction by
- Dick Joyce … Narrator
- Art Carney … Cast, Ernie Pandish
- Leslie Nielsen … Cast, Eddie Kirkley
- Katharine Bard … Cast, Pat Pandish
- Jack Klugman … Cast, Max Salter
- Bonita Granville … Cast, Mrs. Kirkley
- George Voskovec … Cast, Steve Pandish
- Alexander Scourby … Cast, Harvey Diedrich
- David White … Cast, Freddie Henderson
- Braddock, Mickey (See also: Dolenz, Micky) … Cast, Melvin
- Eddie Ryder … Cast, Julius
- Martha Wentworth … Cast, Mrs. Cowznoski
- John Conwell … Cast, Kirkley's associate
- Diane Cannon … Cast, Gloria
- Burt Reynolds … Cast, the Actor
- Julia Meade … Talent, Gas company PSA
- Barry Sullivan … Talent, "Playhouse 90" promo
- Franchot Tone … Talent, "Playhouse 90" promo
- E. G. Marshall … Talent, "Playhouse 90" promo
- William Bendix … Talent, "Playhouse 90" promo
- For the Mike Wallace Interview:
- Al Ramrus … Producer
- Max Miller … Director
- Mike Wallace … Host
- Rod Serling … Guest