Twilight Zone, Season by Season

Love "The Howling man"! Thats one that usually isnt considered one of the greatest or first one mentioned when discussing the twilight zone, but its just so creepy and strange, even for the zone.!

 

The Simpsons take-off of this is terrific. In fact, there's a ton of TZone homages in the Simpsons' "Treehouse of Horror" shows.

BTW, anybody seriously interested in the original 1960s Twilight Zone should read the excellent book The Twilight Zone: Unlocking the Door to a Television Classic, by Martin Grams. This is an extraordinary 800-page definitive work with two or three pages on every episode, going into excruciating detail on the writing and production of the show. Lots of stuff on writing disputes, fights with the network, casting, production problems, lawsuits, all kinds of scuttlebutt, plus info on episodes that were written but never shot for various reasons, and interviews with pretty much everybody who's still around to tell their stories. You get a real sense as to how tirelessly Serling worked for five years on this show, and why he eventually had to step down.

And I agree with Zodiac and Kevin above: "Howling Man" is another very haunting episode, one I never saw until the early 1970s in reruns. Damned scary show -- the stuff nightmares are made of.

 

Go for it!

3 was just an random number I picked, in case people (like me!) had trouble remembering some episodes that were last watched 30 or more years ago...

 

The Hitch-Hiker
The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street
After Hours...this one scared me so much as a kid. The first time I watched it I was sleeping at my Grandma's overnight. Yeah, didn't get to sleep. I saw it again years later and wondered why I was such a wimp over it. heh Good stuff.

 

From Season one I recently watched Nightmare as a Child. It's very simple, but I think it's a good episode....

Rod Serling: "Month of November, hot chocolate, and a small cameo of a child's face, imperfect only in its solemnity. And these are the improbable ingredients to a human emotion, an emotion, say, like fear. But in a moment this woman, Helen Foley, will realize fear. She will understand what are the properties of terror. A little girl will lead her by the hand and walk with her into a nightmare."

Episode no. Season 1
Episode 29
Written by Rod Serling
Directed by Alvin Ganzer
Featured music Jerry Goldsmith
Production no. 173-3635
Original airdate April 29, 1960

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWDx8Q03Zc8

The young child actress Terry Burnham, who plays Markie, seems to have professionally vanished a few years after this was made. I guess she's be about 60 years old now, if she's still alive...

 

Season 3: (1961–1962)

37 episodes
Episode # Title Director Writer(s) Original AirDate Production Code
66 "Two" Montgomery Pittman Montgomery Pittman September 15, 1961 (1961-09-15) 4802
A man (Charles Bronson) and a woman (Elizabeth Montgomery), survivors from opposite armies of an apocalyptic world war, meet in a deserted, war-ravaged town.
67 "The Arrival" Boris Sagal Rod Serling September 22, 1961 (1961-09-22) 4814
After a plane arrives without a crew or passengers, Grant Sheckly (Harold J. Stone), an FAA inspector, tries to solve the mystery.
68 "The Shelter" Lamont Johnson Rod Serling September 29, 1961 (1961-09-29) 4803
During a nuclear attack warning neighbors try to break into their friend's (Larry Gates) fallout shelter.
69 "The Passersby" Elliot Silverstein Rod Serling October 6, 1961 (1961-10-06) 4817
A woman (Joanne Linville) waits for her husband on the porch of her war-damaged house, while a stream of soldiers pass by during the Civil War.
70 "A Game of Pool" Buzz Kulik George Clayton Johnson October 13, 1961 (1961-10-13) 4815
Pool shark Jesse Cardiff (Jack Klugman) challenges long dead pool great Fats Brown (Jonathan Winters) to a game to find out who's the best player.
71 "The Mirror" Don Medford Rod Serling October 20, 1961 (1961-10-20) 4819
A revolutionary leader (Peter Falk) sees enemies everywhere, including his mirror.
72 "The Grave" Montgomery Pittman Montgomery Pittman October 27, 1961 (1961-10-27) 3656
An old west hired gun (Lee Marvin) goes to the grave of his enemy on a dare.
73 "It's a Good Life" James Sheldon Jerome Bixby / Rod Serling November 3, 1961 (1961-11-03) 4801
The residents of a small town must pretend they are happy in order to placate a young boy (Billy Mumy) who has terrifying mental powers.
74 "Deaths-Head Revisited" Don Medford Rod Serling November 10, 1961 (1961-11-10) 4804
A sadistic former captain in the S.S. (Oscar Beregi, Jr.) returns to the ruins of Dachau concentration camp after the end of World War II and meets someone unexpected.
75 "The Midnight Sun" Anton Leader Rod Serling November 17, 1961 (1961-11-17) 4818
A woman (Lois Nettleton) tries to survive as the Earth hurtles toward the Sun.
76 "Still Valley" James Sheldon Rod Serling November 24, 1961 (1961-11-24) 4808
A Confederate officer (Gary Merrill) is offered a deal by the Devil to save his side from defeat.
77 "The Jungle" William Claxton Charles Beaumont December 1, 1961 (1961-12-01) 4806
A man (John Dehner) working on a dam project in Africa refuses to believe he has been cursed.
78 "Once Upon a Time" Norman Z. McLeod &
Les Goodwins Richard Matheson December 15, 1961 (1961-12-15) 4820
A janitor (Buster Keaton) from the 1890s uses a time helmet he finds in the lab he is cleaning to travel to the future.
79 "Five Characters in Search of an Exit" Lamont Johnson Rod Serling December 22, 1961 (1961-12-22) 4805
An Army major in dress uniform (William Windom), a clown, a hobo, a ballet dancer (Susan Harrison) and a bagpiper find themselves in a giant cylinder with no memory of who they are or how they got there.
80 "A Quality of Mercy" Buzz Kulik Sam Rolfe / Rod Serling December 29, 1961 (1961-12-29) 4809
During the final days of World War II, a new gung-ho American lieutenant (Dean Stockwell) orders his war-weary soldiers to attack a group of sick and wounded Japanese soldiers holed up in a cave.
81 "Nothing in the Dark" Lamont Johnson George Clayton Johnson January 5, 1962 (1962-01-05) 3662
A woman (Gladys Cooper) in a condemned apartment is scared to let a wounded police officer (Robert Redford) into her home for fear he is Death.
82 "One More Pallbearer" Lamont Johnson Rod Serling January 12, 1962 (1962-01-12) 4823
A rich, bitter man (Joseph Wiseman) tries to get three people he feels wronged him to apologize.
83 "Dead Man's Shoes" Montgomery Pittman Charles Beaumont &
OCee Ritch January 19, 1962 (1962-01-19) 4824
A homeless man (Warren Stevens) takes a dead man's shoes and is taken over by the personality of the shoes' previous owner.
84 "The Hunt" Harold Schuster Earl Hamner, Jr. January 26, 1962 (1962-01-26) 4810
A man (Arthur Hunnicutt) hunting with his dog finds out he has died.
85 "Showdown with Rance McGrew" Christian Nyby Rod Serling February 2, 1962 (1962-02-02) 4812
A television western hero (Larry Blyden) is taken to task by a ghost from the old west.
86 "Kick the Can" Lamont Johnson George Clayton Johnson February 9, 1962 (1962-02-09) 4821
A retirement home resident (Ernest Truex) finds a way to regain his youth.
87 "A Piano in the House" David Greene Earl Hamner, Jr. February 16, 1962 (1962-02-16) 4825
A mean-spirited drama critic (Barry Morse) finds out that an old player piano he has purchased causes people to reveal their true feelings.
88 "The Last Rites of Jeff Myrtlebank" Montgomery Pittman Montgomery Pittman February 23, 1962 (1962-02-23) 4811
A man (James Best) returns from the dead during his funeral.
89 "To Serve Man" Richard L. Bare Damon Knight / Rod Serling March 2, 1962 (1962-03-02) 4807
A technologically superior alien race arrives on Earth with a promise to serve mankind.
90 "The Fugitive" Richard L. Bare Charles Beaumont March 9, 1962 (1962-03-09) 4816
An alien fugitive (J. Pat O'Malley) hiding on Earth befriends a group of children.
91 "Little Girl Lost" Paul Stewart Richard Matheson March 16, 1962 (1962-03-16) 4828
A little girl crawls through an interdimensional doorway that has appeared in her room.
92 "Person or Persons Unknown" John Brahm Charles Beaumont March 23, 1962 (1962-03-23) 4829
A man (Richard Long) wakes up in bed to find that his life has been erased.
93 "The Little People" William Claxton Rod Serling March 30, 1962 (1962-03-30) 4822
When a spaceship lands on a planet for repairs, one of the crewmen (Joe Maross) finds a tiny society.
94 "Four O'Clock" Lamont Johnson Price Day / Rod Serling April 6, 1962 (1962-04-06) 4832
A malicious crank (Theodore Bikel) harasses people he deems to be evil.
95 "Hocus-Pocus and Frisby" Lamont Johnson Frederic Louis Fox / Rod Serling April 13, 1962 (1962-04-13) 4833
A teller of tall tales (Andy Devine) meets a group of aliens.
96 "The Trade-Ins" Elliot Silverstein Rod Serling April 20, 1962 (1962-04-20) 4831
In the future, an older couple (Joseph Schildkraut, Alma Platt) can only afford to make one of them young again.
97 "The Gift" Allen H. Miner Rod Serling April 27, 1962 (1962-04-27) 4830
A misunderstood alien (Geoffrey Horne) has brought a gift for mankind.
98 "The Dummy" Abner Biberman Lee Polk / Rod Serling May 4, 1962 (1962-05-04) 4834
A ventriloquist (Cliff Robertson) is controlled by his dummy.
99 "Young Man's Fancy" Buck Houghton Richard Matheson May 11, 1962 (1962-05-11) 4813
A newlywed (Alex Nicol) refuses to let go of the memory of his deceased mother and his childhood home.
100 "I Sing the Body Electric" James Sheldon &
William Claxton Ray Bradbury May 18, 1962 (1962-05-18) 4826
A robotic grandmother (Josephine Hutchinson) helps a widower raise his children.
101 "Cavender Is Coming" Christian Nyby Rod Serling May 25, 1962 (1962-05-25) 4827
A guardian angel (Jesse White) tries to help a woman (Carol Burnett) improve her life.
102 "The Changing of the Guard" Robert Ellis Miller Rod Serling June 1, 1962 (1962-06-01) 4835
A professor (Donald Pleasence) being forced to retire is visited by the ghosts of the students he inspired.

 

too fast...

 

One of my favorite episodes is The Midnight Sun. The ending is quite intense, when the paintings melt...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lhe72STTn7k

I think the two actresses who did this one are quite good. I really like both of them.

Lois Nettleton: Norma
Betty Garde: Mrs. Bronson

 

Somehow both work as dream/nightmares. Which is the real one?

Here's a kinda cool graphic I found for this episode...

 

Sure. We'll slow down. I agree. Let's leave it at the first three seasons for a few weeks...Anyone feel free to add any favorites from any of them. Youtube clips and pix are nice too, imho.

 

Yes, watching something for the first time has a special magic. But even again and again they are pretty good.

Like for Midnight Sun...When I first saw it 30+ years ago I was gripped waiting for the "answer" and twist ending I knew was coming. But since then I've been entranced by the performances and the themes. In its own way, it's an somewhat optimistic episode when it comes to human nature. The two women aren't related, and yet they become--in both realities--each other's "family" as my wife said to me. And even the bad guy isn't really that bad. And the actresses really pull out all the stops. I know it's over the top, but those are pretty "naked" performances for tv, imho.

I think there are still a few I haven't seen, esp. the videotaped episodes from season 2 (were they not part of the syndication package?) and some of the hour long ones from season 4.

 

1. "To Serve Man"
2. "Person or Persons Unknown"
3. "Little Girl Lost"

 

Nice list. I like all of those. Another of my favorites is...

"A Game of Pool" Buzz Kulik George Clayton Johnson October 13, 1961 (1961-10-13) 4815
Pool shark Jesse Cardiff (Jack Klugman) challenges long dead pool great Fats Brown (Jonathan Winters) to a game to find out who's the best player.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p_177hDXVbM

 

I like this one too:

98 "The Dummy" Abner Biberman Lee Polk / Rod Serling May 4, 1962 (1962-05-04) 4834
A ventriloquist (Cliff Robertson) is controlled by his dummy.

It's like a prequel to the imho good 1978 movie Magic with Anthony Hopkins.

 

Good review for the Twilight Zone S1 blu ray

The screen shots look impressive. Let's hear it for 35mm as the original HD!

http://highdefnews.blogspot.com/2010/09/twilight-zone-season-1-blu-ray-review.html

The Video
The Twilight Zone: Season 1 comes to Blu-ray from Image Entertainment, featuring 1080p AVC/MPEG-4 video encodes for each episode included. All 36 episodes span across five BD-50 Blu-ray discs.

The release has been one that I have been anxiously waiting to see the video presentation for since I really had no idea what to expect. The Blu-ray release has been advertised as being ‘remastered’ which kept me optimistic.

Anyone worried about the transfers needs not worry as the Blu-ray release is absolutely gorgeous. The episodes began airing in the late 50’s so the material has definitely aged, but wow is it impressive.

The show is in black-and-white, but the detail levels are amazing. Many shots look even better than new releases today, it is amazing the quality that the show was captured in and cleaned up. The opening titles are probably the most dated looking thing about the release to be honest.

It isn’t even just close-up shots that look great, everything really is given new life and dimension on this Blu-ray release and you quickly begin to notice all the little details you never did before. The high level of detail was something I didn’t expect at all, but I found myself completely surprised.

The video presentations are cleaned up quite well, although still not perfect. There are specks which pop up throughout, while they are clearly noticeable, they are still easy to forgive considering how good the show looks regardless. Obviously there was a great level of attention paid to each episode and it really shows.

The Twilight Zone has never looked so good and any fan of the show or high-def releases in general will find themselves extremely impressed by the quality. One of my more anticipated releases has quickly become on my favorite high-def releases, Image Entertainment really did a fantastic job here. The Twilight Zone looks amazing on Blu-ray. 10/10.

 

Or a prequel to 1964's "Devil Doll" which scared me witless as a kid...

 

Devil's Doll does look creepy! Never heard of it, but sounds interesting. What happens in it?

 

Worth seeking out, trust me, if you are into the "dolls/puppets that come alive" genre:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058007/

http://www.amazon.com/Devil-Doll-Br...ef=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1283783975&sr=8-1

 

The SyFy channel is running a Twilight Zone marathon, FYI.

 

I just watched the best one ever and the worst one ive ever seen


The best: "An occurence at owl creek bridge"

The bad. : "The Jeopardy room"

(( bad not so much acting wise, but so many things made no sense. ))

 

I watched an episode last night I had not seen in many years and it was as good as I remember it from way back, "Little Girl Lost", starring Charles Aidman, where the little girl had fallen into a portal to another dimension via her bedroom wall. Like all the best TZ's, this was quality TV years ahead of it's time and rarely, if ever, equaled (much less bettered). This particular episode is quite similar to Poltergeist, made 20-something years later.

 

I watched And When The Sky Was Opened last night - my favourite episode.

You can keep your horror films - this one scares the living crap out of me every time I watch it.