I second this recommendation. I first bought this book when I was in college in the '80s, and I still dig it out occasionally for a read. It’s good stuff.
You’re right. I believe “Walking Distance” was the first episode they shot (5th to air) after the pilot, “Where is Everybody?” (first to air) got the show picked up.
A while back there was a Twilight Zone magazine, which ran scripts from TOS.
Thanks randwill! I did not know that. I guess I’d better get that book, it sounds interesting and I do fancy myself a fan.
Another favorite of mine from TOS, “The Man in the Bottle”.
A World of His Own "The Twilight Zone" A World of His Own (TV Episode 1960) - IMDb The kicker at the end is hilarious!
“Twenty-two”. Better known as “Room for one more”.
We’re pretty fond of The Hunt because it’s about a man and his dog. It was written by Earl Hamner, Jr., of “Waltons” fame.
Bolding mine.
I’m sentimental, “One for the Angels” is my favorite episode, although I like a lot of them.
As for “In Praise of Pip” I’ve heard it said that the episode is arguably the first in entertainment television to mention a conflict in Vietnam. As Jack Klugman’s character put it “A place you’ve probably never heard of…”
“The Lateness of the Hour” with Inger Stevens and “The After Hours” with Anne Francis are rather creepy.
“The Obsolete Man” is a classic.
“I Sing the Body Electric” is an adaptation of the story of the same name by Ray Bradbury (the only story of his the original series did).
My favorite has always been “The Eye of the Beholder.” My ex had never seen it, so I sat him down and watched it with him. When it got to the climax, he totally freaked out, and was literally shaking.
I’m old enough to have seen all of them when they first aired. We had no idea that we’d ever see them again, so it was mandatory to be home when it was broadcast.
I remember one (not sure if it was from the original or revival. I want to say original because I recall black and white, but not sure). There was a portal that appears in a couple’s house and… that’s all I really remember. I think they hear their daughter crying “where am I?” and such and they have to retrieve her?
I also liked Living Doll, one of the first I ever saw. Talky Tina is a bitch.
ETA: There was also one from the revival where someone gets hit on the head and gains the ability to see these people meant to make sure everyone’s lives go “as planned”, and decides to effectively rebel so he gets free will.
“Nervous Man in a Four Dollar Room” is probably my overall favorite, at least right now. “Steel” is a close second, and behind that is “He’s Alive”, an exemplar of how wonderful acting can save a pretty dismal script.
“Nightmare as a Child” is my favorite example of the kind of thing people think of when you mention The Twilight Zone, with “The Night of the Meek” and “Deaths-Head Revisited” tied for a very close second.
What was the episode where a guy starts his work day, and everybody he knows is a stranger? I forgot how it ended…it was the poor guy wondering if he was insane, or if everybody else was.
It may be (it originally aired September 27, 1963). “There isn’t even supposed to be a war going on there” he says.
“Little Girl Lost”, written by the great Richard Matheson. The couple’s daughter has accidentally fallen through a temporary portal into another dimension; they can hear her and spend the episode trying to locate the portal and rescue her with the help of their neighbor who happens to be a physicist.
Sounds like “Person or Persons Unknown”, written by Charles Beaumont, who was, along with Matheson, the other major contributor of TZ scripts aside from Serling himself (who wrote most of them). In the story, nobody knows our hero, and he spends the episode trying to convince everyone he’s not insane. He wakes up at the end to the familiar “it was all a dream” relief, only to realize he does not recognize his wife!
You can also approach the “which episodes to watch” question from the known actors involved. Jack Klugman appeared in four episodes, and was always very good:[ul][li]A Passage for Trumpet (written by Rod Serling) 5/20/60[]A Game of Pool (George Clayton Johnson) 10/13/61[]Death Ship (Richard Matheson) 2/7/63[]In Praise of Pip (Rod Serling) 9/27/63[/ul]Burgess Meredith was the only other with that many appearances:[ul]Time Enough at Last (Rod Serling) 11/20/59[]Mr Dingle, the Strong (Rod Serling) 3/3/61[]The Obsolete Man (Rod Serling) 6/2/61[]Printer’s Devil (Charles Beaumont) 2/28/63[/ul]William Shatner actually acts in his:[ul][]Nick of Time (Richard Matheson) 11/18/60[]Nightmare at 20,000 Feet (Richard Matheson) 10/11/63[/ul]Robert Duvall is in “Miniature”, written by Charles Beaumont and originally aired 2/21/63.[/li]
Dennis Hopper is in “He’s Alive”, written by Rod Serling and originally aired 1/24/63.
Child actor Billy Mumy was in three:[ul][]Long distance Call (William Idelson and Charles Beaumont) 3/3/61[]It’s a Good Life (Rod Serling, based on “It’s a Good Life” by Jerome Bixby) 11/3/61In Praise of Pip (Rod Serling) 9/27/63[/ul]For Trekkers, you can see Leonard Nimoy in a bit part in " A Quality of Mercy", written by Rod Serling and originally aired 12/29/61 and George Takei in “The Encounter”, written by Martin M. Goldsmith and originally aired 5/1/64.
Why is it that the ones I dislike the most were starring Jack Klugman . . . except for “Death Ship”?
Per IMDb, this appears to be “Nothing In the Dark,” and I agree, it started as creepy but quickly changed in tone.
The 1985-87 revival, which is available on DVD, was as good or better in the sense of having more consistent stories, and was at least equal to the original series in featuring up and coming A-list actors (including Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, Joan Allen and Morgan Freeman) but the set design is done on the cheap, the special effects are terrible, and the cinematography is often atrocious. (To be fair, these are problems common to nearly all 'Eighties television shows where production costs were still limited to ~$200k per television hour, and exacerbated by the poor transfer to DVD.)
The classic show benefits from less reliance upon special effects, good to excellent cinematography, the often outstanding casting, and of course the barely veiled allegories that were relevant in the 'Sixties and seem quaint today. However (and I say this as a fan who has recently viewed all five seasons in their entirety) about a third of the episodes are great, another third are interesting but the twist is patently obvious to modern viewers, and the last third are just terrible. So you do have to be somewhat picky about which to watch.
Many of my personal favorites have already been listed, but I have a particular fondness for “The Long Morrow” which is a very well done twist story in the vein of “The Gift of the Magi”.
Stranger
As long as folks are mentioning the '80’s series, I’ll cast a vote for “Nightcrawlers” and “Palladin of the Lost Hour”.
Then for fans of “Eye of the Beholder”, there’s this:
Coincidentally, Amazon has the complete series on sale this week ('til 7/6/2013) in both DVD ($113.99) and Blu-ray ($143.99) – and SyFy’s marathon starts 8:00 AM Thursday (7/4).