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Serling: the Rise and Twilight of Television's Last Angry Man
A biography of the creator of The Twilight Zone draws on interviews with more than two hundred of Serling's family and friends to trace his rise from scriptwriter at a college radio station to TV's "golden boy." National ad/promo.
284 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 1992
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
May 29, 2024
Rod Serling cast a long shadow over my teen years. Even though the Twilight Zone had been off the air for some time, it lived on in nightly reruns, and many of the folks I knew stayed up late to watch them. With its uniquely eccentric and disquieting elements, such as Marius Constant's theme music and Serling's inimitable presence and introductions, it left a lasting impression on most of us. Probably it is still doing so to new generations of fans.
Naturally I was interested in who Serling was, and how he got to be the writer and actor he became. This book does a good job of addressing those kinds of questions. I understood certain things about him from TZ (and Night Gallery) - he idealized small town Americana, he saw life as a moral struggle, he believed that the bizarre and incomprehensible were always lurking nearby, ready to erupt into ordinary reality in some unexpected way. He was a dramatic and articulate presence, well-dressed and speaking in a rich baritone, but heralding a journey into weirdness.
Serling, the son of a Jewish grocery store owner, was born and raised in Binghamton, New York, and he did indeed have a happy childhood there which left him with a lifelong attachment to the area and its way of life. He fought in World War II in the Pacific, seeing a lot of action, an experience which may have left him slightly traumatized - e.g. he came home with a heavy smoking habit, which he continued for the rest of his life up until his premature death from heart disease. The war certainly provided him with a lot of material that he drew on in his writing. He studied at Antioch College, and found work writing radio scripts. His heroes were some of the great, and more serious, voices of the golden age of radio, forgotten names like Norman Corwin and Arch Oboler. He was a risk taker (after the war he made some money in the perilous occupation of testing parachutes for the army). Despite his small stature, he was a dramatic and amusing fellow who made a strong impression on people, and he had the ability to work very hard and fast as a writer, churning out challenging scripts in heavy bursts of activity. But he also had a way of alienating people in the entertainment business by speaking out in the press on what he saw as shortcomings in the industry. In his heart, he clearly saw himself as an artist.
The biography is a little thin in places. One would like to see more about his family life (his wife and children contributed very little to this project) and his extramarital affairs (there were several). One gets the feeling that despite his wide circle of friends, he was a solo operator at the end of the day, and perhaps somewhat unfulfilled, the kind of man who needed to be dissatisfied because it drove him on to do great things. One could make the case that he was overrated and that he borrowed from other writers (Ray Bradbury especially), charges which he always denied, but there is no denying the power of his best writing and of his screen presence. Overall, this was a well researched and very readable portrait of one of the most influential writers and screen presenters of the 20th century.
Naturally I was interested in who Serling was, and how he got to be the writer and actor he became. This book does a good job of addressing those kinds of questions. I understood certain things about him from TZ (and Night Gallery) - he idealized small town Americana, he saw life as a moral struggle, he believed that the bizarre and incomprehensible were always lurking nearby, ready to erupt into ordinary reality in some unexpected way. He was a dramatic and articulate presence, well-dressed and speaking in a rich baritone, but heralding a journey into weirdness.
Serling, the son of a Jewish grocery store owner, was born and raised in Binghamton, New York, and he did indeed have a happy childhood there which left him with a lifelong attachment to the area and its way of life. He fought in World War II in the Pacific, seeing a lot of action, an experience which may have left him slightly traumatized - e.g. he came home with a heavy smoking habit, which he continued for the rest of his life up until his premature death from heart disease. The war certainly provided him with a lot of material that he drew on in his writing. He studied at Antioch College, and found work writing radio scripts. His heroes were some of the great, and more serious, voices of the golden age of radio, forgotten names like Norman Corwin and Arch Oboler. He was a risk taker (after the war he made some money in the perilous occupation of testing parachutes for the army). Despite his small stature, he was a dramatic and amusing fellow who made a strong impression on people, and he had the ability to work very hard and fast as a writer, churning out challenging scripts in heavy bursts of activity. But he also had a way of alienating people in the entertainment business by speaking out in the press on what he saw as shortcomings in the industry. In his heart, he clearly saw himself as an artist.
The biography is a little thin in places. One would like to see more about his family life (his wife and children contributed very little to this project) and his extramarital affairs (there were several). One gets the feeling that despite his wide circle of friends, he was a solo operator at the end of the day, and perhaps somewhat unfulfilled, the kind of man who needed to be dissatisfied because it drove him on to do great things. One could make the case that he was overrated and that he borrowed from other writers (Ray Bradbury especially), charges which he always denied, but there is no denying the power of his best writing and of his screen presence. Overall, this was a well researched and very readable portrait of one of the most influential writers and screen presenters of the 20th century.
March 17, 2015
First off, I love The Twilight Zone. Even as a kid, I loved the quirky little man that guided me through 'another dimension' in syndicated reruns. Unfortunately, Serling's vision of where television should go, and what it should aspire to be, never had a chance. Corporate profits and beancounters saw to that.
Sander does a good job of portraying the early pre-California days of television's infancy, New York playhouse theater, live acting, interesting plots, thought-provoking, heady times. If you haven't seen Serling's 'Patterns,' (it's available on YouTube) you should do so immediately. His portrayal of the jungles of Corporate America....the 'Company Man,' plays well today.
Rod Serling, the person, is a fascinating product of the the Greatest Generation, an ex-paratrooper obviously marked by his war experience. The guy likely had PTSD, a nervous, coffee-slurping, five pack a day smoker, workaholic, vehement anti-war advocate way before it was 'cool.' Sadly, corporate sponsor meddling and the powers-that-be pushed Serling to the sidelines and, in the end, he was relegated to being a TV pitchman in his latter years.
What could have been. That's what I kept telling myself as I read this book. Serling and others wanted to create real art for the common folk, not 'Hogan's Heroes' and 'Gilligan's Island'. I would argue that he would fit right in with the ongoing TV renaissance of high-quality shows like 'Breaking Bad' and 'House of Cards.'
Why did I give the book 3 stars? The writing is sometimes chunky and screams film school critic. I wished he could have brought the main characters to life a bit more. The strength of the book is the New York TV scene of the 1950s.
Sander does a good job of portraying the early pre-California days of television's infancy, New York playhouse theater, live acting, interesting plots, thought-provoking, heady times. If you haven't seen Serling's 'Patterns,' (it's available on YouTube) you should do so immediately. His portrayal of the jungles of Corporate America....the 'Company Man,' plays well today.
Rod Serling, the person, is a fascinating product of the the Greatest Generation, an ex-paratrooper obviously marked by his war experience. The guy likely had PTSD, a nervous, coffee-slurping, five pack a day smoker, workaholic, vehement anti-war advocate way before it was 'cool.' Sadly, corporate sponsor meddling and the powers-that-be pushed Serling to the sidelines and, in the end, he was relegated to being a TV pitchman in his latter years.
What could have been. That's what I kept telling myself as I read this book. Serling and others wanted to create real art for the common folk, not 'Hogan's Heroes' and 'Gilligan's Island'. I would argue that he would fit right in with the ongoing TV renaissance of high-quality shows like 'Breaking Bad' and 'House of Cards.'
Why did I give the book 3 stars? The writing is sometimes chunky and screams film school critic. I wished he could have brought the main characters to life a bit more. The strength of the book is the New York TV scene of the 1950s.
January 12, 2020
3.5 out of 5.
I’ve always been a big admirer of Rod Serling’s gritty stories and parables – he was an opiniated writer who was able to make his points without sacrificing good story telling. He was mostly known as one of the pioneers of the live American TV broadcast play, and the creator of The Twilight Zone of course. But he was so much more. I'd read many articles over the years about his war years, his battles with TV stations and sponsors, the acclaimed reception of his plays, and his work on The Twilight Zone, Night Gallery, and a few films. I’ve recently started reading his short stories, which have only added to my appreciation. If you want to know more about the man, there are quite a few books out there to choose from. Did I choose the right one?
Well, this is a tad workmanlike; Gordon F.Sander’s 1992 biography is possibly at its best in Serling’s early years - through his para-trooping war years, and his beginnings in radio and TV. But once the broadcasts of his big TV plays start (probably beginning with The Strike in 1954 and Patterns the following year) a systemised formula takes over. We get the plot, relevance, and reaction to each work, followed by a biographical thread to the next big broadcast, which itself is then covered in precisely the same manner. The facts and quotes provide fascinating detail, but for me there is something missing. The essence of the man. The intimate. And given the rather formulaic system Sander has chosen for himself, it ultimately collapses when we reach the last ten years of Serling’s life – where there are so few works for the biographical thread to lead to. Hence, ten years of a life is quickly whittled off in just twenty pages.
The biographer states in the beginning that he met Serling’s wife Carol, three times in the 80s, “On each occasion she was at once supportive and skittish. By the third meeting, it had become clear that Mrs Serling would never allow a biography over which she did not exercise creative control, a caveat I found unacceptable; and I decided to forge ahead on my own, with the aids of the leads I had already established. Fortunately, Mrs Serling’s approval was not essential, and the absence of it actually proved a blessing in disguise by catalysing the bloodhound in me.” Fine words, and I agree. I don’t want any airbrushing and over-glorifying in a biography, no matter how much I admire the person and their work. But it nevertheless leaves a biographer stymied when the artist in question has those inevitable quiet times in their career – and Rod had some pretty lengthy ones in the last ten years. It’s only those close family and friends who are likely able to fill in the details of these often revelatory periods of the artist.
There are other books about Rod Serling; I have a couple (by Joel Engel and Nicholas Parisi), which I will be reading over the next year or so, plus one other which I am curious to read by Serling’s daughter Anne [thanks to Jim Dooley for bringing this to my attention] – it’ll be very interesting to see what she has to say with regards to some of the things Gordon F.Sander has to say here – that Rod was subservient to his wife, that the marriage became distant, and that he dallied with the ladies etc etc.
As well as his work on Planet of the Apes (which takes up only a page here), I hope some of the other biographies cover Rod’s barely mentioned books. For years I put off reading his short stories, thinking they were merely quickly churned out versions of the TV scripts. But that’s not the case. I’ve read his three Twilight Zone collections and the prose is as snappy as his suits and Twilight Zone intros.
Overall, I found this a fine, fact filled biography, with a very useful appendix listing his TV and film work. It was just a little formulaically written, and perhaps through no fault of his own, a little short on the close and intimate moments that would have added more heart and depth to the facts, figures and quotes. A general capturing of the atmosphere of the period, as well as more on the artistic and frenetic activity on the studio floor could have added colour, tension and involvement to the story.
I’m not normally one to read more than one biography of a person, but I was so aware of the mechanics of this one that I’m curious to study how other writers approach the subject – not just of Rod Serling, but how they approach the art of the biography. Given that Serling was a gifted writer and opinionated character in a fascinating time of change, it won’t be a difficult task.
I’ve always been a big admirer of Rod Serling’s gritty stories and parables – he was an opiniated writer who was able to make his points without sacrificing good story telling. He was mostly known as one of the pioneers of the live American TV broadcast play, and the creator of The Twilight Zone of course. But he was so much more. I'd read many articles over the years about his war years, his battles with TV stations and sponsors, the acclaimed reception of his plays, and his work on The Twilight Zone, Night Gallery, and a few films. I’ve recently started reading his short stories, which have only added to my appreciation. If you want to know more about the man, there are quite a few books out there to choose from. Did I choose the right one?
Well, this is a tad workmanlike; Gordon F.Sander’s 1992 biography is possibly at its best in Serling’s early years - through his para-trooping war years, and his beginnings in radio and TV. But once the broadcasts of his big TV plays start (probably beginning with The Strike in 1954 and Patterns the following year) a systemised formula takes over. We get the plot, relevance, and reaction to each work, followed by a biographical thread to the next big broadcast, which itself is then covered in precisely the same manner. The facts and quotes provide fascinating detail, but for me there is something missing. The essence of the man. The intimate. And given the rather formulaic system Sander has chosen for himself, it ultimately collapses when we reach the last ten years of Serling’s life – where there are so few works for the biographical thread to lead to. Hence, ten years of a life is quickly whittled off in just twenty pages.
The biographer states in the beginning that he met Serling’s wife Carol, three times in the 80s, “On each occasion she was at once supportive and skittish. By the third meeting, it had become clear that Mrs Serling would never allow a biography over which she did not exercise creative control, a caveat I found unacceptable; and I decided to forge ahead on my own, with the aids of the leads I had already established. Fortunately, Mrs Serling’s approval was not essential, and the absence of it actually proved a blessing in disguise by catalysing the bloodhound in me.” Fine words, and I agree. I don’t want any airbrushing and over-glorifying in a biography, no matter how much I admire the person and their work. But it nevertheless leaves a biographer stymied when the artist in question has those inevitable quiet times in their career – and Rod had some pretty lengthy ones in the last ten years. It’s only those close family and friends who are likely able to fill in the details of these often revelatory periods of the artist.
There are other books about Rod Serling; I have a couple (by Joel Engel and Nicholas Parisi), which I will be reading over the next year or so, plus one other which I am curious to read by Serling’s daughter Anne [thanks to Jim Dooley for bringing this to my attention] – it’ll be very interesting to see what she has to say with regards to some of the things Gordon F.Sander has to say here – that Rod was subservient to his wife, that the marriage became distant, and that he dallied with the ladies etc etc.
As well as his work on Planet of the Apes (which takes up only a page here), I hope some of the other biographies cover Rod’s barely mentioned books. For years I put off reading his short stories, thinking they were merely quickly churned out versions of the TV scripts. But that’s not the case. I’ve read his three Twilight Zone collections and the prose is as snappy as his suits and Twilight Zone intros.
Overall, I found this a fine, fact filled biography, with a very useful appendix listing his TV and film work. It was just a little formulaically written, and perhaps through no fault of his own, a little short on the close and intimate moments that would have added more heart and depth to the facts, figures and quotes. A general capturing of the atmosphere of the period, as well as more on the artistic and frenetic activity on the studio floor could have added colour, tension and involvement to the story.
I’m not normally one to read more than one biography of a person, but I was so aware of the mechanics of this one that I’m curious to study how other writers approach the subject – not just of Rod Serling, but how they approach the art of the biography. Given that Serling was a gifted writer and opinionated character in a fascinating time of change, it won’t be a difficult task.
October 3, 2017
Rod Serling achieved his lasting fame in the early 1960s when he wrote, produced, and hosted the iconic science fiction and fantasy series The Twilight Zone. The series was wildly popular (and is still in syndication and streaming today) thanks to the intelligent scripts, the visual creativity, the twist endings, and the compelling nature of Serling's introductions and conclusions. The series spawned many imitators and the phrase "twilight zone" has become idiomatic.
Even before The Twilight Zone, Serling was a television celebrity, writing many dramas in the golden age of television, including Requiem for a Heavyweight (later made into a film) and Patterns (his breakout work that earned him his first of six Emmy awards in less than ten years). He wrote about both political and personal challenges of his day. He drew from his life experience as well.
Serling grew up in rural New York. During World War II, he joined the 511th Airborne as a paratrooper, even though he was too short to qualify. He had the personal ambition and strength of will to be a paratrooper. Ironically, he saw very little action for the first few years but then was part of the very intense fighting in the Pacific theater. He returned at the end of the war, as many GIs did, to college. He worked at the campus radio station where he first felt the need to entertain. He worked in radio as a script writer and made the transition to television as it became more popular. The intimacy and the immediacy of television fascinated him and, with a lot of work under his belt, he became a fine writer.
The book starts with his personal life but his writing career becomes the central focus. Serling's wife Carol fades into the background as Serling's television career takes off. Sander mentions that Serling had affairs after the family moved to Hollywood but does not delve into them. Serling was also distant from his two daughters, who are only mentioned occasionally. The real focus of this book is on Serling as an icon of television's golden age and how the collapse of that age played out in his life. Like film auteur Orson Welles, Serling started to cash in on his celebrity, doing parodies of himself and working on commercials. In the last years of his life, Serling's greatest joy was teaching college, where the students were often in awe of him, something Hollywood lost when The Twilight Zone finished. His personal life is at best a secondary theme of the book.
The book identifies Serling as "television's last angry man" in part because of his career ambitions. He wanted to write great dramas about contemporary topics. He especially wanted to write against prejudice, which he abhorred. At first, television was looking for prestige projects to validate the medium as a form of art as well as entertainment. Sponsors and executives eventually became more concerned to avoid controversy, making it a fight for Serling to produce what he wanted. Ironically, starting The Twilight Zone looked like a sell-out for Serling--he'd be making a popular entertainment show. But it really gave him a platform from which to comment on social issues and morality, albeit indirectly through placing the issues in other times or places. The production schedule on the show was too much, leading to burn out and a drop in quality in the later years. Those factors, combined with increasing challenges with the network and the sponsors, drove Serling away from Hollywood in frustration over what he could no longer do.
I found the book fascinating throughout. I didn't mind the focus on his career (gossipy biographies are of little interest to me). His early life and military service are interesting, especially when they are connected to his writing career.
Recommended, especially for Twilight Zone fans.
Even before The Twilight Zone, Serling was a television celebrity, writing many dramas in the golden age of television, including Requiem for a Heavyweight (later made into a film) and Patterns (his breakout work that earned him his first of six Emmy awards in less than ten years). He wrote about both political and personal challenges of his day. He drew from his life experience as well.
Serling grew up in rural New York. During World War II, he joined the 511th Airborne as a paratrooper, even though he was too short to qualify. He had the personal ambition and strength of will to be a paratrooper. Ironically, he saw very little action for the first few years but then was part of the very intense fighting in the Pacific theater. He returned at the end of the war, as many GIs did, to college. He worked at the campus radio station where he first felt the need to entertain. He worked in radio as a script writer and made the transition to television as it became more popular. The intimacy and the immediacy of television fascinated him and, with a lot of work under his belt, he became a fine writer.
The book starts with his personal life but his writing career becomes the central focus. Serling's wife Carol fades into the background as Serling's television career takes off. Sander mentions that Serling had affairs after the family moved to Hollywood but does not delve into them. Serling was also distant from his two daughters, who are only mentioned occasionally. The real focus of this book is on Serling as an icon of television's golden age and how the collapse of that age played out in his life. Like film auteur Orson Welles, Serling started to cash in on his celebrity, doing parodies of himself and working on commercials. In the last years of his life, Serling's greatest joy was teaching college, where the students were often in awe of him, something Hollywood lost when The Twilight Zone finished. His personal life is at best a secondary theme of the book.
The book identifies Serling as "television's last angry man" in part because of his career ambitions. He wanted to write great dramas about contemporary topics. He especially wanted to write against prejudice, which he abhorred. At first, television was looking for prestige projects to validate the medium as a form of art as well as entertainment. Sponsors and executives eventually became more concerned to avoid controversy, making it a fight for Serling to produce what he wanted. Ironically, starting The Twilight Zone looked like a sell-out for Serling--he'd be making a popular entertainment show. But it really gave him a platform from which to comment on social issues and morality, albeit indirectly through placing the issues in other times or places. The production schedule on the show was too much, leading to burn out and a drop in quality in the later years. Those factors, combined with increasing challenges with the network and the sponsors, drove Serling away from Hollywood in frustration over what he could no longer do.
I found the book fascinating throughout. I didn't mind the focus on his career (gossipy biographies are of little interest to me). His early life and military service are interesting, especially when they are connected to his writing career.
Recommended, especially for Twilight Zone fans.
July 22, 2012
Serling's work has had a huge impression on how I think about fiction, particularly that speculative philosophies can be delivered within genre stories to uncanny effect. He's also an intriguing figure in that he's a blend of artist and sell-out, a predicament I've always related to whenever the rent came due.
The writing in this book isn't anything special, but since it's the only Serling biography out there, it's worth reading. There are some insights into how Serling developed his worldview and was able to prevail in the cutthroat world of Hollywood, along with an interesting evocation of television's so-called golden years. But nothing, not even Serling's documented workaholism, really explains the existence of gems like Eye of the Beholder and It's a Good Life.
The writing in this book isn't anything special, but since it's the only Serling biography out there, it's worth reading. There are some insights into how Serling developed his worldview and was able to prevail in the cutthroat world of Hollywood, along with an interesting evocation of television's so-called golden years. But nothing, not even Serling's documented workaholism, really explains the existence of gems like Eye of the Beholder and It's a Good Life.
October 19, 2013
I've been wanting to read a biography of Rod Serling for a long time, and this seems to be the main one available. As a biography, it does its job in a workmanlike fashion, getting all the relevant surface details, with quotes from Serling's friends and colleagues. It's about as good as a long magazine article. But it falls far short of helping us know Serling or his work. Still, I'll take what I can get--he's a fascinating subject and his work is monumental. I wish he had a biographer who was equal to the task.
May 12, 2015
As a more than avid Twilight Zone fan, I read this book with noted interest. Following Rod's journey from childhood to military (and the effect of WWII on so many stories) to writing ascent and descent was a pure thrill. Many reviewers are correct; We'll never see the likes of him again, writers who saw the power of thought-provoking tv for the greater good as opposed to profit margins.
One of the few books I've kept, and re-read, after initial reading. Likely one of the best reads I've ever done.
One of the few books I've kept, and re-read, after initial reading. Likely one of the best reads I've ever done.
June 27, 2016
The content on the early history of TV and the quarrels between writers and the networks is interesting. Later sources have panned the work because some of the claims and interviews are suspect. I found the coverage of Serling's formative years in upstate NY (born in Binghamton) of particular interest, but that is a personal bias because I am from the area.
If this account is to be believed, Serling was an immensely talented though torn and often frustrated person who would dwell more on his failures than savor his successes.
If this account is to be believed, Serling was an immensely talented though torn and often frustrated person who would dwell more on his failures than savor his successes.
February 26, 2017
A fascinating, honest portrait of a TV pioneer whose work was as autobiographical as it was innovative.
July 8, 2018
3.25 stars. It was amazing to learn about Rod but the author toward the middle of the book, became incredibly descriptive regarding the inner workings of TV and didn’t focus much on Rod.
April 13, 2025
Adequate biography of the Twilight Zone creator and producer. Full of interesting factoids, like Serling was only 5-4, or that Orson Welles was originally slated to do the TW Zone narration, but he backed out, and Rod decided to do it.
Sander shows how TV more or less burnt Serling out. Churning out all those teleplays and scripts was a burden and its only Rod's love of the high life, aka money, that kept him going. By the mid 70s all that pressure and cigarettes had taken its toll and he was dead of a heart-attack at 51.
Having to produce and write/approve all those episodes (TW lasted only 5 years but had over 150 episodes) had another bad side effect: Plagarism. Seems that quite a few TW screenplays were "borrowed" without permission and CBS ended up paying compensation to irate authors.
Except for his service in WW II, as a paratrooper, Serling lived a rather dull life. Like most writers/producers.
Sander shows how TV more or less burnt Serling out. Churning out all those teleplays and scripts was a burden and its only Rod's love of the high life, aka money, that kept him going. By the mid 70s all that pressure and cigarettes had taken its toll and he was dead of a heart-attack at 51.
Having to produce and write/approve all those episodes (TW lasted only 5 years but had over 150 episodes) had another bad side effect: Plagarism. Seems that quite a few TW screenplays were "borrowed" without permission and CBS ended up paying compensation to irate authors.
Except for his service in WW II, as a paratrooper, Serling lived a rather dull life. Like most writers/producers.
February 28, 2018
Enjoyed reading this in spurts because of the memories of early tv... the “golden age” before quiz shows and reality shows and simple minded sitcoms took over. There was a definite feeling that the author didn’t like his subject, and the writing was clunky and repetitive. The appendices were my favorite parts.
May 12, 2025
A through and speedy look at the life of the late-great TV dramatist, the book offers a broader window into "the golden age of TV" of the early 1950s. Serling's work, especially"The Twilight Zone," continues to be an influence on a range of shows and films almost 60 years since it left the air. Interesting and enjoyable.
March 29, 2021
Though very objective, a sad insight into a talented man’s fight for attention and ability to shine as a screenwriter. I never knew Serling outside of Twilight Zone, but I’m glad to hear it was writing from the prime of his life.
December 16, 2021
It was very interesting reading about Serling but I didn't enjoy the way this book was written. Overly technical and focused mostly on facts. While this is respectable, it doesn't make for a riveting read. Still, Serling is so interesting that I think this is worth checking out.
June 18, 2025
If you’re a fan of twilight zone then you’ve seen Selina’s writing come to life and noticed him on screen introducing the stories as well. This book highlights the man behind the twilight zone and his vast career in tv. If you are a fan of twilight zone then you should check this book out!
February 16, 2019
Poor guy was never able to find the satisfaction he craved. What a story-teller though.
November 11, 2023
I am an avid fan of "The Twilight Zone" and this book about Rod Serling was one that I hadn't yet read. It covers Serling's life in a rather perfunctory manner, and as its title implies, sheds a negative light on this author, bringing up items such as longtime mistresses, being estranged from his wife and two daughters (interesting, since his younger daughter Anne has recently written a memoir about her good relationship with her father), and although he excelled in writing scripts about war, due to his own experiences in combat in World War 2, the book's author states that Serling had a real inability to write good roles for women. Hmm. That's going to make me get out my Blu-Ray collection and browse through the episodes to see if I agree on that or not.
If you're a diehard fan of the Twilight Zone and the writing of Rod Serling, I think the book is still a must-read, but it certainly has its disappointments.
**#8 of 100 books I have pledged to read and review during 2015**
#121 of 125 books pledged to read during 2023
If you're a diehard fan of the Twilight Zone and the writing of Rod Serling, I think the book is still a must-read, but it certainly has its disappointments.
**#8 of 100 books I have pledged to read and review during 2015**
#121 of 125 books pledged to read during 2023
April 29, 2011
Well researched biography of Rod Serling, creator of "The Twilight Zone" and influential writer for the Golden Age of television. Although it is just under 300 pages, there is a lot of information here. Just as an example, Serling saw combat as a paratrooper in the Pacific during World War, was haunted by the experience, and used it in his writing. He even wrote the script for one of my favorite movies, "Seven Days in May"!
March 22, 2014
This bio tours and detours us through Serling’s youth, military career, his rise as a writer during TV’s “Golden Age”, to the Zone and beyond to his unfortunate latter year product spokesman gigs. Though this “Video Aesop” should have known better than any of us how money and fame corrupt good men, Serling proved deaf to his own lesson. And we all know no one should smoke that much. This message, submitted for your approval, by The Twilight Zone.
March 28, 2008
I have to separate the man, Rod Serling, from the book and its writing. On one hand I have to give the book 5 stars for the in-depth treatment of the life and problems of the creator of one of my favorite tv shows. On the other side, this isn't one of those books where you are amazed at the art of its biography. This is journalism, at best.
November 25, 2009
The actual information in this book is really interesting, but the writing is absurd and full of conjecture. It became more than a little frustrating to keep reading what the author thought Serling might be thinking during important events in his life, rather than just read about the events that happened. Great subject, but not a very good book....
August 3, 2014
I'm as a big a fan of Serling's as you're likely to find but I found this biography somewhat lacking and unsatisfying. Much attention is paid to him growing up but once The Twilight Zone era happens the author seemed to be quickening the pace and running out of room. I guess I just wanted more.
April 3, 2014
An in depth look at a television icon, masterfully woven into a quick read of a biography. I've recently started watching all 5 season of Twilight Zone (half way down with season 4), and it was great to read about the brilliant man behind this groundbreaking, and still relevant tv show.
November 3, 2014
Decent, brief volume about America's Hitchcock, one of the seminal influences of TV drama and suspense. Flies by like a 25-minute episode of The Twilight Zone, though without the ironic twist at the end.
January 14, 2016
Too much authorial voice and judgment mars this book. There are other biographies available, including by one of his daughters, that are probably better. The complete videography and awards list are useful, however.
May 7, 2011
This would be one of the best bios I've ever read if a good editor had reined in Sander's pretentious wordplay and tendency to overwrite. Still, the story is superb.
September 12, 2011
ENGROSSIN,AND SAD.
August 7, 2013
A very good starter bio on Rod Serling, but it leaves you wanting much more. It does delve fairly deep into his military experience and touches on his early work with Playhouse 90.
April 4, 2016
Could have used more details about "The Twilight Zone."
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