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Rod Serling and The Twilight Zone: The 50th Anniversary Tribute
2009 marks the fiftieth anniversary of The Twilight Zone, arguably one of the most popular television shows ever. Drawing on photographs and personal remembrances, Rod Serling's widow, Carol, gives commentary on some of the series' most memorable episodes. Veteran film historian Douglas Brode gives in-depth descriptions of these episodes and why they were so resonant with viewers.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published January 25, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
March 18, 2019
I am a huge fan of Rod Serling, so when I saw this book at an antique store, I grabbed it instantly. Such a great read and loaded with short stories from episodes of The Twilight Zone.
December 29, 2019
I am a huge Twilight Zone fan so I had to get this book. The book is published in 2009 so the series is actually 60 years old now and still playing. Netflix has all of the shows and it plays in holiday marathons on Sci-fi Channel. There is a more comprehensive book on the show by Marc Scott Zircee that is cited often in this book. The Zircee book is more comprehensive, listing each show in order and who acted, wrote, and produced the show and a brief synopsis of each show. This book by Doug Brode doesn't talk about each of the shows but offers a more in-depth look at the shows he thinks are more popular or maybe he just likes better. It was interesting to see, for instance, how Serling used clocks and mirrors as symbols in many shows and his use of references to Shakespeare. As a Twilight Zone fan I would read both books to get different perspectives.
February 6, 2009
My interview with Douglas Brode from The San Antonio Current, Feb. 4, 2009
On October 2, 1959, Rod Serling introduced his seminal anthology TV series The Twilight Zone to an unsuspecting viewing public. Unlike the plethora of similar shows conceived in that era (Tales of Tomorrow, One Step Beyond, and several others), Serling’s blend of quality production and social awareness cemented the series firmly in the public consciousness. Frequently shown in reruns since its 1964 demise, The Twilight Zone long ago achieved iconic status, becoming part of the pop-culture zeitgeist. Our Lady of the Lake University professor Douglas Brode, along with Serling’s widow, Carol, offers a unique retrospective of the revered show in Rod Serling and the Twilight Zone: The Official 50th Anniversary Tribute (Barricade Books., $24.95).
“Carol [Serling:] agreed to talk more openly and honestly about Rod — warts and all — the great things about him, but his personal demons as well,” said Brode of the project’s beginnings. “I would take what she told me and apply them directly to the episodes and show how everything he believed was there.”
Using Carol Serling’s words as a framing device for each chapter, Brode reviews and analyzes some 80 of the show’s 156 episodes. Since several books, most notably Marc Scott Zicree’s exhaustive The Twilight Zone Companion , have explored the entire run, Brode decided to take a different approach. “I wanted to do a book where I only focused on the great ones and put the other ones aside.”
Not merely a puff piece, Rod Serling and the Twilight Zone portrays a complex view of the famed auteur. Brode is the author of more than 30 books, and this delicate balance is central to his body of work.
“I try to show in all my books, beginning with Shakespeare — even going back to Sophocles — to Spielberg today with Disney and Rod Serling in-between, the people I consider the great artists, popular entertainers, the ones who reached the masses — they are the ones who have a very balanced view,” says Brode. “Their politics are not easy. The artists who most move the masses are the ones who have that Yin/Yang between progressivism and traditionalism. And as I show in the book, Rod Serling is exactly that way.”
Brode, a self-professed child of the ’50s, happily proclaims that “Twilight Zone, along with rock ’n’ roll, Walt Disney films, and Westerns […:] formed me.”
Serling befriended the then second-year professor after the pair met at a 1971 Syracuse, New York, community-college event.
“As he was getting ready to leave, I just walked up to him,” Brode recalls. “‘Mr. Serling, I’m Doug Brode. I’m one of the new professors here. I would love to do an interview and article with you.” At the time, Brode was a regular contributor to the now-defunct Premiere-style publication Show Magazine. “Without a moment’s hesitation, he quickly pulled out a piece of paper — didn’t have a business card — wrote down his home phone number, and said, ‘Doug, I’m gonna be busy for the next month. If you can call me one month from today at this number, I’d love to set something up.’ Just like that, and he left. A month later to the day, I dialed the number, and an unmistakable voice picks up at the other end. I started to say, ‘Mr. Serling, you probably won’t remember me.’ ‘Yeah, is this Doug?’
The duo became fast friends and Serling became a mentor to the young Brode. Four years later, Serling died.
The early feedback on Rod Serling and the Twilight Zone has been overwhelmingly positive. Writer-producer Earl Hamner Jr. called it “A timely commentary on TV’s first truly great filmed weekly dramatic series The Twilight Zone, a show that has clearly passed the test of time and speaks again to each new generation of devoted fans.”
Director Rod Lurie lavished even more praise: “Brode, the finest scholar of American popular culture working today, has here written what is easily the most definitive study of The Twilight Zone — or any television program, for that matter!”
But one commentator meant more than all the others. According to Brode, the great Richard Matheson, who penned many influential sci-fi/fantasy works ( I Am Legend , The Shrinking Man ) and was responsible for several of the most beloved and memorable Twilight Zone scripts, including “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet,” “Nick of Time,” and “It’s a Good Life,” told Carol Serling: “[Brode:] saw things in my story that I never really intended to be there but that I learned about myself from him. I may never have intended them, but they are there!”
Brode currently splits his year between Our Lady of the Lake University and Syracuse University’s prestigious S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communication, where he teaches pop culture, film history, and writing. A lifelong fan of Texas, San Antonio, and the Alamo, Brode is currently working along with illustrator Joe Orsak on the McFarland Press graphic novel Yellow Rose of Texas. Set almost entirely in 1836 San Antonio, the tale relates the story of African-American Texas Revolutionary War hero Emily Morgan. No publication date is currently set for Yellow Rose, but in October the University of Texas Press offers Shooting Stars of the Small Screen: Encyclopedia of TV Western Actors 1946-Present , showcasing more of Bode’s obsessive pop-culture knowledge.
On October 2, 1959, Rod Serling introduced his seminal anthology TV series The Twilight Zone to an unsuspecting viewing public. Unlike the plethora of similar shows conceived in that era (Tales of Tomorrow, One Step Beyond, and several others), Serling’s blend of quality production and social awareness cemented the series firmly in the public consciousness. Frequently shown in reruns since its 1964 demise, The Twilight Zone long ago achieved iconic status, becoming part of the pop-culture zeitgeist. Our Lady of the Lake University professor Douglas Brode, along with Serling’s widow, Carol, offers a unique retrospective of the revered show in Rod Serling and the Twilight Zone: The Official 50th Anniversary Tribute (Barricade Books., $24.95).
“Carol [Serling:] agreed to talk more openly and honestly about Rod — warts and all — the great things about him, but his personal demons as well,” said Brode of the project’s beginnings. “I would take what she told me and apply them directly to the episodes and show how everything he believed was there.”
Using Carol Serling’s words as a framing device for each chapter, Brode reviews and analyzes some 80 of the show’s 156 episodes. Since several books, most notably Marc Scott Zicree’s exhaustive The Twilight Zone Companion , have explored the entire run, Brode decided to take a different approach. “I wanted to do a book where I only focused on the great ones and put the other ones aside.”
Not merely a puff piece, Rod Serling and the Twilight Zone portrays a complex view of the famed auteur. Brode is the author of more than 30 books, and this delicate balance is central to his body of work.
“I try to show in all my books, beginning with Shakespeare — even going back to Sophocles — to Spielberg today with Disney and Rod Serling in-between, the people I consider the great artists, popular entertainers, the ones who reached the masses — they are the ones who have a very balanced view,” says Brode. “Their politics are not easy. The artists who most move the masses are the ones who have that Yin/Yang between progressivism and traditionalism. And as I show in the book, Rod Serling is exactly that way.”
Brode, a self-professed child of the ’50s, happily proclaims that “Twilight Zone, along with rock ’n’ roll, Walt Disney films, and Westerns […:] formed me.”
Serling befriended the then second-year professor after the pair met at a 1971 Syracuse, New York, community-college event.
“As he was getting ready to leave, I just walked up to him,” Brode recalls. “‘Mr. Serling, I’m Doug Brode. I’m one of the new professors here. I would love to do an interview and article with you.” At the time, Brode was a regular contributor to the now-defunct Premiere-style publication Show Magazine. “Without a moment’s hesitation, he quickly pulled out a piece of paper — didn’t have a business card — wrote down his home phone number, and said, ‘Doug, I’m gonna be busy for the next month. If you can call me one month from today at this number, I’d love to set something up.’ Just like that, and he left. A month later to the day, I dialed the number, and an unmistakable voice picks up at the other end. I started to say, ‘Mr. Serling, you probably won’t remember me.’ ‘Yeah, is this Doug?’
The duo became fast friends and Serling became a mentor to the young Brode. Four years later, Serling died.
The early feedback on Rod Serling and the Twilight Zone has been overwhelmingly positive. Writer-producer Earl Hamner Jr. called it “A timely commentary on TV’s first truly great filmed weekly dramatic series The Twilight Zone, a show that has clearly passed the test of time and speaks again to each new generation of devoted fans.”
Director Rod Lurie lavished even more praise: “Brode, the finest scholar of American popular culture working today, has here written what is easily the most definitive study of The Twilight Zone — or any television program, for that matter!”
But one commentator meant more than all the others. According to Brode, the great Richard Matheson, who penned many influential sci-fi/fantasy works ( I Am Legend , The Shrinking Man ) and was responsible for several of the most beloved and memorable Twilight Zone scripts, including “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet,” “Nick of Time,” and “It’s a Good Life,” told Carol Serling: “[Brode:] saw things in my story that I never really intended to be there but that I learned about myself from him. I may never have intended them, but they are there!”
Brode currently splits his year between Our Lady of the Lake University and Syracuse University’s prestigious S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communication, where he teaches pop culture, film history, and writing. A lifelong fan of Texas, San Antonio, and the Alamo, Brode is currently working along with illustrator Joe Orsak on the McFarland Press graphic novel Yellow Rose of Texas. Set almost entirely in 1836 San Antonio, the tale relates the story of African-American Texas Revolutionary War hero Emily Morgan. No publication date is currently set for Yellow Rose, but in October the University of Texas Press offers Shooting Stars of the Small Screen: Encyclopedia of TV Western Actors 1946-Present , showcasing more of Bode’s obsessive pop-culture knowledge.
July 20, 2017
An egghead exegesis on the greatest TV show ever. If you're a Zone fan it's a must read.
February 1, 2020
I usually love all things Twilight Zone so was excited when my husband found this book. The introduction was fantastic because it was written by Serling's wife.
The rest of it was a somewhat over analytical dissection of all the episodes. Actually it was only the episodes that fit neatly into the selected categories the author wanted to highlight. I appreciate this approach, similar to how you could categorize a Hitchcock film for example. This process worked pretty well, although left obvious holes. The other problem is the author made some rather presumptive statements throughout. I sometimes wonder how we reached these conclusions because I never would have connected some examples to episodes the way he did. The author also made the mistake of referencing the same thing over and over so originality went out the window after a while. He also referenced way too many modern movies or books that the reader might not necessarily know so the meaning would be lost on them.
The other disappointing thing about this book is that because not all episodes fit neatly into his categories a large chunk of them were never even brought up in this book. If you are truly trying to celebrate a major milestone anniversary it would be nice to have more inclusion. In other words, a nice try but it didn't quite get there.
The rest of it was a somewhat over analytical dissection of all the episodes. Actually it was only the episodes that fit neatly into the selected categories the author wanted to highlight. I appreciate this approach, similar to how you could categorize a Hitchcock film for example. This process worked pretty well, although left obvious holes. The other problem is the author made some rather presumptive statements throughout. I sometimes wonder how we reached these conclusions because I never would have connected some examples to episodes the way he did. The author also made the mistake of referencing the same thing over and over so originality went out the window after a while. He also referenced way too many modern movies or books that the reader might not necessarily know so the meaning would be lost on them.
The other disappointing thing about this book is that because not all episodes fit neatly into his categories a large chunk of them were never even brought up in this book. If you are truly trying to celebrate a major milestone anniversary it would be nice to have more inclusion. In other words, a nice try but it didn't quite get there.
December 20, 2009
I got this book due to my longtime enjoyment of The Twilight Zone TV series, but I was also drawn in by the co-author credit by Carol Serling (widow of Rod Serling). I was disappointed to find that her sole contribution was a brief forward. This book was scattered at times, and I developed an overall impression of an author speaking about a much loved classic television show in a far too academic tone. The author refers to Marc Scott Zicree's classic guide "The Twilight Zone Companion" nearly a dozen times- I'd direct readers to Zicree's outstanding and much more satisfying book over this newer title.
July 26, 2021
"Rod Serling and the Twilight Zone: the 50th anniversary Tribute" is an in depth look at the Twilight Zone TV series. The Twilight Zone has always been my favorite series, I grew up watching the show have have enjoyed it ever since on repeats, VHS and DVD. This book is not a listing of episodes and a run down on the story and cast, as Mr. Brode states other books (Zicree's "Twilight Zone Companion" is mentioned but there are others) do that. This book is more about the themes of the episodes and how they reflect on Rod Serling's attitudes and personality. As he goes over each episode, he groups them by theme. Some examples are the lure of nostalgia, nightmares, angels, identity crisis, the future. Mr. Brode does a very good job examining each story, going beyond the surface to see how it reflects Rod Serling's world view. He does that for episodes Rod didn't write as well, for Rod produced the series and approved all that reached the TV screens. He also gives a good look at Rod's life before the Twilight Zone, so we get to know the man as well as his works. While Mr. Brode makes a few mistakes in his recaps of the episodes, all in all he is spot on. While he seems to me to go a little overboard in relating everything to Serling's philosophies, I am sure many episodes were written to entertain the viewers, it is interesting to read his opinions. I highly recommend this book to Twilight Zone fans. Just the fact that a book was written examining the episodes of a TV series produced 50 years earlier reflects on the the great job Rod Serling and his team (something Mr, Brode really never addresses in his book) did producing "The Twilight Zone".
February 8, 2020
It's been a few years since I read this. I often forget to add reviews to Goodreads (hell, I forget to do everything), but this was a good one. I only remembered to add this because I was reviewing two more recent Twilight Zone-themed books.
I really, really liked this one. I love The Twilight Zone and I'm a huge fan of Douglas Brode's work. His book, The Films of Robert De Niro, was a big inspiration to me before I got published. It gave me the idea to write my own The Films of Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro. Also neat, my first books were published by Citadel, the same publisher who'd done that book. But enough about my love for Brode.
This was a really neat, informative book. Since it was an anniversary tribute, I expected this to be a light, puffy book just focusing on how great the series was. The series was great and this book does show enormous reverence to it , but it's more than that. There is a lot of insight into the episodes and the overall series itself. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who loves The Twilight Zone.
I really, really liked this one. I love The Twilight Zone and I'm a huge fan of Douglas Brode's work. His book, The Films of Robert De Niro, was a big inspiration to me before I got published. It gave me the idea to write my own The Films of Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro. Also neat, my first books were published by Citadel, the same publisher who'd done that book. But enough about my love for Brode.
This was a really neat, informative book. Since it was an anniversary tribute, I expected this to be a light, puffy book just focusing on how great the series was. The series was great and this book does show enormous reverence to it , but it's more than that. There is a lot of insight into the episodes and the overall series itself. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who loves The Twilight Zone.
October 28, 2019
An analytical look at the TV series "The Twilight Zone", examining a number of the episodes in some detail. The main author (Douglas Brode) sees all kinds of messages and meaning in the various stories; it's hard to work out what his co-author, Carol Serling (widow of Rod) contributed. A readable book, though perhaps a trifle *too* respectful. Did Serling mean everything in his shows that Brode attributes to him? Take his reviews with a pinch of salt, but they are entertaining.
November 13, 2022
Nice companion to the series.
Having watched most of the episodes 2-5xs there are not a lot of insights to be had.
More of a summary of the episodes + a bit on the reoccurring themes of dreams, death, humanism, The Lonely, etc...
Still. A nice volume to have on the shelf to remind you to watch the series every so often.
Might be for students in media studies or popular pre-woke American culture studies, or people thinking about buying the series on DVD?
Having watched most of the episodes 2-5xs there are not a lot of insights to be had.
More of a summary of the episodes + a bit on the reoccurring themes of dreams, death, humanism, The Lonely, etc...
Still. A nice volume to have on the shelf to remind you to watch the series every so often.
Might be for students in media studies or popular pre-woke American culture studies, or people thinking about buying the series on DVD?
January 29, 2022
Great In-depth Analysis
While it doesn’t cover every episode, the insight and commentary on the many selected ones made me realize the arcs and common themes Serling gave us. Ones that still stand the test of time versus current issues. The series, though black and white, highlighted that none of the themes, as no one’s life, is.
While it doesn’t cover every episode, the insight and commentary on the many selected ones made me realize the arcs and common themes Serling gave us. Ones that still stand the test of time versus current issues. The series, though black and white, highlighted that none of the themes, as no one’s life, is.
September 7, 2024
I'm a huge fan of the Twilight Zone and Rod Serling respectively. However, I didn't find this book that interesting or useful. Brode takes a handful of episodes, summarizes the plot, and provides interpretations/takeaways, that most of us already observed ourselves.
I recommend Zicree's Twilight Zone Companion.
I recommend Zicree's Twilight Zone Companion.
April 23, 2014
I wasn't planning to review this book as "Here's what I think are the best episode" efforts tend to leave me cold. (Yes, some of mine never make the grade, while a number of those that are rated favorably have me shaking my head.)
Then, of course, there is the exhaustive exploration of everything TZ in THE TWILIGHT ZONE COMPANION. What more is there to be said, other than to play the game of one-upmanship with Mr. Zicree? Finally, there is the Blu-ray collection that tends to fill in the remaining gaps, including some of Mr. Serling's lectures at Antioch College.
Well, it turns out that there is another reason for reading this book, and it is the side notes about Rod Serling's life as a writer. As his wife, Carol Serling (from my hometown), is listed as a co-writer, there is a suggestion that Mr. Brode had access to information that may not have been revealed before.
Despite his achievements, the reader learns about Rod Serling's insecurities as a writer. We find out how certain events shaped his way of thinking, and how those thoughts wound up on our television screens. We feel the internal battle raging between wanting to maintain integrity and feeling that he may have sold out to the powers that be...a situation that threatened his marriage.
We are also introduced to recurring themes and devices that are used throughout the series, such as the ghost light signifying a major change...and often death. There is the Time Element, The Lonely, and why you can't really go home again...and why you may not want to do so. Most of all, we learn how personal battles (be it with television executives or internal demons) found expression in the series...and why the last season was so dark.
In short, there is enough here about Rod Serling to merit a reading. If you are more curious about the television series stories, this will be a retelling with a different point of view.
How could it have been better? I do wish Mr. Brode would have continued the Rod Serling analysis into NIGHT GALLERY. That ground hasn't been explored nearly enough.
A final thought: Rod Serling is a writer I still greatly admire for his creativity and style. I do wish I would have had the good fortune to meet him and to thank him for the many hours of solid entertainment that he brought into my life.
Then, of course, there is the exhaustive exploration of everything TZ in THE TWILIGHT ZONE COMPANION. What more is there to be said, other than to play the game of one-upmanship with Mr. Zicree? Finally, there is the Blu-ray collection that tends to fill in the remaining gaps, including some of Mr. Serling's lectures at Antioch College.
Well, it turns out that there is another reason for reading this book, and it is the side notes about Rod Serling's life as a writer. As his wife, Carol Serling (from my hometown), is listed as a co-writer, there is a suggestion that Mr. Brode had access to information that may not have been revealed before.
Despite his achievements, the reader learns about Rod Serling's insecurities as a writer. We find out how certain events shaped his way of thinking, and how those thoughts wound up on our television screens. We feel the internal battle raging between wanting to maintain integrity and feeling that he may have sold out to the powers that be...a situation that threatened his marriage.
We are also introduced to recurring themes and devices that are used throughout the series, such as the ghost light signifying a major change...and often death. There is the Time Element, The Lonely, and why you can't really go home again...and why you may not want to do so. Most of all, we learn how personal battles (be it with television executives or internal demons) found expression in the series...and why the last season was so dark.
In short, there is enough here about Rod Serling to merit a reading. If you are more curious about the television series stories, this will be a retelling with a different point of view.
How could it have been better? I do wish Mr. Brode would have continued the Rod Serling analysis into NIGHT GALLERY. That ground hasn't been explored nearly enough.
A final thought: Rod Serling is a writer I still greatly admire for his creativity and style. I do wish I would have had the good fortune to meet him and to thank him for the many hours of solid entertainment that he brought into my life.
September 30, 2015
The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street
By: Rob Serling
The people on Maple Street saw a very strange and odd object fly overhead and pondered what it was. A meteor? A plane? All of a sudden car engines started turning on, lights flashed on and off and people started jumping to conclusions.This story took place on Maple street during a warm summer day in the afternoon.
When I think of Tommy in the monsters are Due on Maple Street, he seems like a real life person that could exist. When I picture him in my mind I picture a 15 year old boy who is wearing work pants and a shirt with a tie and reads comic books a lot.
In my mind I think that Steve is the main character in this story. In my mind, he looks like a person who wears glasses and maybe work pants with a plaid shirt.
When Steve says wait a minute wait a minute, let’s not be a mob! He said that because Les Goodman’s car wouldn’t start and then it started by itself outside the car and everyone turned into a mob and started towards his house like a crazy mod jumping to conclusions. this quote is important because Steve is trying to make sure that the situation does not get out of hand.
In the story, Charlie takes a shotgun out of Steve’s hand and pulls the trigger and kills who they thought was an alien. But Charlie and other people jumped to a conclusion that it was an alien and he ended up killing Pete Van Horn an innocent man in the story just trying to help. This made me think that Charlie and other people don’t think before they act.
I thought this book was very interesting and didn’t totally like the book but it was ok. I liked the book because of how the author explained the theme or moral of the story without even saying it in the story.
7)The theme of a piece of literature is the dominant or unifying idea or moral of a piece of literature. The theme of the Monsters are Due on Maple Street is to not jump to conclusions.I came to this conclusion because in this story people jumped to conclusions about someone and they were shot and killed and it was an innocent man who dies.
By: Rob Serling
The people on Maple Street saw a very strange and odd object fly overhead and pondered what it was. A meteor? A plane? All of a sudden car engines started turning on, lights flashed on and off and people started jumping to conclusions.This story took place on Maple street during a warm summer day in the afternoon.
When I think of Tommy in the monsters are Due on Maple Street, he seems like a real life person that could exist. When I picture him in my mind I picture a 15 year old boy who is wearing work pants and a shirt with a tie and reads comic books a lot.
In my mind I think that Steve is the main character in this story. In my mind, he looks like a person who wears glasses and maybe work pants with a plaid shirt.
When Steve says wait a minute wait a minute, let’s not be a mob! He said that because Les Goodman’s car wouldn’t start and then it started by itself outside the car and everyone turned into a mob and started towards his house like a crazy mod jumping to conclusions. this quote is important because Steve is trying to make sure that the situation does not get out of hand.
In the story, Charlie takes a shotgun out of Steve’s hand and pulls the trigger and kills who they thought was an alien. But Charlie and other people jumped to a conclusion that it was an alien and he ended up killing Pete Van Horn an innocent man in the story just trying to help. This made me think that Charlie and other people don’t think before they act.
I thought this book was very interesting and didn’t totally like the book but it was ok. I liked the book because of how the author explained the theme or moral of the story without even saying it in the story.
7)The theme of a piece of literature is the dominant or unifying idea or moral of a piece of literature. The theme of the Monsters are Due on Maple Street is to not jump to conclusions.I came to this conclusion because in this story people jumped to conclusions about someone and they were shot and killed and it was an innocent man who dies.
July 30, 2011
I loved this book, which I believe is a fine tribute to the genius of Rod Serling.
This is not a filmography; that already exists in Marc Scott Zicree's excellent Twilight Zone book.
Brode's work instead is a series of essays examining the philosophy of, and impact on, various Twilight Zone episodes on American culture and television.
Each essay examines a different type of human condition - longing for an innocent past, or retribution for evil - are all deconstructed here.
There's a lot to chew on for serious fans of television writing and sci-fi.
Highly recommended!
This is not a filmography; that already exists in Marc Scott Zicree's excellent Twilight Zone book.
Brode's work instead is a series of essays examining the philosophy of, and impact on, various Twilight Zone episodes on American culture and television.
Each essay examines a different type of human condition - longing for an innocent past, or retribution for evil - are all deconstructed here.
There's a lot to chew on for serious fans of television writing and sci-fi.
Highly recommended!
April 15, 2010
Rod's wife, Carol, provides a brief forward. Douglas Brode, the veteran film historian, expounds on what he considers the best Zones. This didactic work will please hardcore fans of The Twilight Zone and will draw in new viewers.
January 11, 2010
Very dense. Had an in-depth overview of each episode, but tended to be a bit verbiose. Would only recommend for hard core fans.
January 18, 2011
More of a thematic analysis than a program guide...but it works beautifully as a counterpoint to Marc Scott Zicree's TWZ Companion.
September 5, 2013
I never get tired of reading about one of my favourite TV shows of all time. The book provided new insight into topics and episodes that I found very intriguing.
March 22, 2010
Deconstructing the Twilight Zone. Another guilty pleasure!
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews