MUSEUM OF TELEVISION & RADIO, THE: WILLIAM S. PALEY TELEVISION FESTIVAL 1999: THE TWILIGHT ZONE {LONG VERSION}
Summary
One in a series of evenings and special screenings presented as part of The Museum of Television & Radio's William S. Paley Television Festival in Los Angeles. Held this year at the Directors Guild of America Theatre Complex, the festival celebrates the excellence and diversity of American television, and is dedicated to television's creative community. This evening honors "The Twilight Zone," the science fiction/fantasy anthology series created and hosted by Rod Serling.
Los Angeles Museum vice president and director Steven A. Bell begins with an introductory remarks about the Museum and its festival in honor of founder William S. Paley. Next, William C. Paley and Bell comment on the history of "The Twilight Zone," and Bell introduces the following members of the show's cast and creative team: Bert Granet, Earl Hamner, Earl Holliman, Buck Houghton, George Clayton Johnson, Martin Landau, Richard Matheson, Bill Mumy, Del Reisman, Cliff Robertson, Carol Serling, Ethel Winant, and Marc Scott Zicree.
Rod Serling's widow, Carol Serling, then speaks briefly about her late husband's work and introduces the Museum's clip reel of "The Twilight Zone" which includes excerpts of the following: a Sponsor Sales Film, 1959; "Where Is Everybody" (Pilot, 1959); "Walking Distance" (1959); "In Praise of Pip" (1963); "Nothing in the Dark" (1962); "Nervous Man in a Foud Dollar Room" (1960); "Five Characters in Search of an Exit" (1961); "Miniature" (1963); "The Masks" (1964); "Jess-Belle," 1963; "Mr. Denton on Doomsday," 1959; "Kick the Can" (1962); "Stopover in a Quiet Town" (1964); "To Serve Man" (1962); "Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up" (1962); "The Invaders" (1961); "The Lonely" (1959); "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" (1963); "The Howling Man" (1960); "Little Girl Lost" (1962); "Perchance to Dream" (1959); "The Dummy" (1962); "The Eye of the Beholder" (1960); "Deaths-head Revisited" (1961); "Two" (1961); "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street" (1960); and "Time Enough at Last" (1959). The clips include guest appearances by Robert Duvall, Robert Redford, and William Shatner, among others. Continues with T:56799.
After the clip reel screening, the panelists discuss the following topics, among others: the reasons why Rod Serling chose to go out on a limb, working in a genre that was not respected at that time; the way that "The Twilight Zone" finally made it on the air, after CBS had rejected the original pilot script; the casting of the show; Rod Serling's prolific script writing and his work habits; Serling's natural affinity for language and his background in radio, both of which contributed to the quality of writing on "The Twilight Zone"; Earl Holliman, Cliff Robertson and Martin Landau's recollections of first becoming involved with the series and of working with Serling; the mood of the show at the beginning as opposed to the end of its run; Charles Beaumont's career and premature death; the differences between older television anthology series such as "The Twilight Zone" and modern anthologies; the literature that influenced Serling; the simplicity of the show's production; the dark look that director of photography George Clemens created for the series; the contribution that MGM's collection of props and sets made to the look of "The Twilight Zone"; and opinions of the new versions of "The Twilight Zone."
Details
- NETWORK: Paley
- DATE: March 4, 1999 7:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 2:13:08
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:93754
- GENRE: Seminars
- SUBJECT HEADING: N/A
- SERIES RUN: N/A
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Steven A. Bell … Moderator
- Earl Hamner … Panelist
- Bert Granet … Panelist
- Earl Holliman … Panelist
- Buck Houghton … Panelist
- George Clayton Johnson … Panelist
- Lamont Johnson … Panelist
- Martin Landau … Panelist
- Richard Matheson … Panelist
- Mumy, Bill (See also: Mumy, Billy) … Panelist
- Del Reisman … Panelist
- Cliff Robertson … Panelist
- Carol Serling … Panelist
- Ethel Winant … Panelist
- Marc Scott Zicree … Panelist
- William C. Paley … Guest
- Robert Duvall
- Robert Redford
- William Shatner
- Rod Serling