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The Twilight Zone: Season 02
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The Twilight Zone [TV Series] [1959-1964]
"You're traveling to another dimension...a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind...a journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. Your next stop: The Twilight Zone." Originally telecast on CBS from October 2, 1959, to September 18, 1964 (not counting a brief spate of network reruns in the summer of 1965), The Twilight Zone was one of the foremost filmed dramatic anthologies on TV and one of a precious few that specialized in fantasy and science fiction. Created by Rod Serling, whose previous TV writing credits included such classic live dramas as Patterns and Requiem for a Heavyweight, the series specialized in concise, economical playlets dealing with the offbeat andsupernatural, many of them with surprising and ironic climactic twists. Many of the individual episodes have stood the test of time as indisputable classics, among them "Eye of the Beholder," "The Monsters are Due on Maple Street," "The Invaders," "It's a Good Life," "To Serve Man," "The Invaders," and "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet." Rod Serling served as the series' host and narrator, and also wrote most of the dramas. Other noteworthy contributors included Richard Matheson, Charles Beaumont, and, on one memorable occasion (the episode "I Sing the Body Electric"), Ray Bradbury. A veritable constellation of guest stars brought the stories to life; among those making multiple appearances were Burgess Meredith, Jack Klugman, William Shatner, Martin Landau, Anne Francis, Bill Mumy, Ed Wynn, and Lee Marvin, while many more showed up for memorable single performances including Charles Bronson, Elizabeth Montgomery, Robert Redford, Robert Duvall, James Coburn, Mickey Rooney, and Dennis Hopper. The series' famous theme music (heard from the second season onward) was composed by Marius Constant with unforgettable incidental music provided by the likes of Bernard Herrmann and Jerry Goldsmith. Although the series' title has become a household word and many of its episodes are acknowledged masterpieces, Twilight Zone was never a huge ratings attraction during its network run. Indeed, after only three seasons, CBS decided to yank the show. It was saved at the last minute and brought back as a mid-season replacement, expanded from 30 to 60 minutes per week in the process. For its fifth and final season, Twilight Zone returned to its familiar half-hour format, still playing to appreciative but comparatively small audiences. It was not until the series went into off-network reruns that Twilight Zone truly built its fan following, which has increased many times over in the ensuing years. Twilight Zone was revived twice with new, full-color episodes, first as a CBS (and later syndicated) weekly in 1985, then on UPN in 2002. Rod Serling was not involved with these revivals, having passed away in 1975; the 1985 version had no host, though its narrators included Charles Aidman and Robin Ward, but the 2002 version was hosted by Forest Whitaker. In addition, a theatrical feature, Twilight Zone: The Movie, was released in 1983. ~ All Movie Guide

Includes Seasons:
The Twilight Zone: Season 02
Although The Twilight Zone suffered from anemic ratings and a certain degree of sponsor dissatisfaction during its first season on CBS, the network could not ignore the prestige value of a series created and largely written by Rod Serling -- nor could it ignore the millions of loyal fans who demanded that the series return for a second season...which, of course, it did. Due to budget cutbacks, only 29 episodes were produced for season two; six of these were economically shot on videotape, an experiment that proved esthetically unsatisfying and was not repeated. Even so, the six taped installments yielded at least one imperishable classic: The Christmas Fantasy "Night of the Meek" starring Art Carney as a drunken department-store Santa who experiences quite an epiphany on Christmas Eve. Twilight Zone's second season saw the introduction of the series' now-immortal "dee-dee-dee-doo, dee-dee-dee-doo" theme music composed by Marius Constant. Also, host Rod Serling began making on-camera appearances as he introduced the various playlets. A number of guest stars from season one make return appearances for season two, among them Burgess Meredith (seen twice this season), Inger Stevens, Dick York, Russell Johnson, and Fritz Weaver. Others make their first (but definitely not last!) Zone appearances during this season, including William Shatner, Bill Mumy, Jonathan Harris, and Cliff Robertson. And finally, a handful of celebrated performers show up for their only Twilight Zone gigs, notably Shelley Berman, Richard Haydn, Jack Carson, and Bob Cummings. Of the season's 29 episodes, at least three can be designated as imperishable classics: "The Howling Man," a grim gothic tale of demonic deception; "The Eye of the Beholder," in which a young woman designated as "hideously ugly" by a totalitarian government undergoes a grueling session of plastic surgery; and "The Invaders," starring Agnes Moorehead as a terrified farm woman who single-handedly fends off an army of tiny extraterrestrials. ~ All Movie Guide

The Twilight Zone: Season 03
Surviving several defecting sponsors and vacillating ratings, Twilight Zone manages to survive for a third season on CBS -- a season that many aficionados regard as the anthology series' best. With Rod Serling as narrator and frequent scriptwriter, season three offers 37 half-hour playlets, many of them regarded today as classics of the sci-fi fantasy genre. The best of the batch includes "It's a Good Life," starring Bill Mumy as a deceptively angelic-looking youngster who holds the power to destroy the world; "The Midnight Sun," a nightmarish scenario of solar energy run amok; "Once Upon a Time," a delightful time-travel comedy (largely shot in silent-movie fashion) starring Buster Keaton; "Kick the Can," with Ernest Truex as a senior-home resident who gets a new lease on life by reverting to the games of his childhood; "Little Girl Lost," a dizzying foray into The Fourth Dimension, brilliantly underlined by Bernard Herrmann's musical score; and the unforgettable "To Serve Man," the title of which also serves as the episode's grimly ironic punchline. Among the guest stars from previous seasons making return appearances are Jack Klugman, Larry Blyden, Cliff Robertson, and John Dehner. Prominent newcomers to the series include Jonathan Winters, Donald Pleasence, Elizabeth Montgomery, Charles Bronson, Joseph Schildkraut, Andy Devine, and Carol Burnett, the latter appearing in "One for the Angels," which was intended as the pilot for a spin-off comedy series (complete with laughtrack!) Twilight Zone's ever-growing legion fans were disheartened by CBS' decision to cancel the series at the end of season three; however, the property made a dramatic comeback the following season in a brand-new hour-long format. ~ All Movie Guide

Includes Episodes:
The Twilight Zone: Nick of Time
Future Star Trek captain William Shatner stars as Don Carter, who is on his honeymoon with his perky young wife Pat (Patricia Breslin). Stranded in a small town while their car is being repaired, Don and Pat wander into a diner, where their attention is diverted by a curious fortune-telling machine. Out of amusement, they begin feeding coins into the machine -- and before long, Don has become "hooked" on the sinister device. Stafford Repp, who later played Chief O'Hara on TV's Batman, appears as a mechanic. Written by Richard Matheson, "Nick of Time" made its Twilight Zone debut on November 18, 1960. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The Twilight Zone: The Prime Mover
Upon discovering that his business partner Jimbo Cobb (Buddy Ebsen) possesses psychokinetic powers enabling him to move things with his brain power alone, caf� owner and compulsive gambler Ace Larsen (Dane Clark) hightails it to Las Vegas with Jimbo in tow. It is Ace's contention that Jimbo's unsual gift will enable him to "fix" dice games and roulette wheels without detection, and for a while this proves to be the case. But what Ace hasn't counted on is the fact that Jimbo has a conscience -- and that Jimbo is disgusted by Ace's cavalier treatment of his erstwhile girlfriend Kitty Cavanaugh (Christine White). Scripted by Charles Beaumont from a story by George Clayton Johnson, "The Prime Mover" made its Twilight Zone debut on March 24, 1961. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The Twilight Zone: It's a Good Life
Adapted by Rod Serling from a story by Jerome Bixby, "It's a Good Life" stands the test of time as one of the best-ever Twilight Zone episodes -- not to mention one of the series' most frightening efforts. The terrified citizens of Peaksville, Ohio, are held in thrall by a "monster" in the form of angelic-looking youngster Anthony Fremont (Billy Mumy). Possessed with the ability to read minds, coupled with mysterious destructive powers, Anthony bristles whenever he senses that someone is thinking bad thoughts -- and whenever he bristles, something really bad happens (yes, this is the one with the cornfield and the jack-in-the-box). Understandably, this episode has always been a favorite of youngsters, who would give anything to wield Anthony Fremont's awesome powers over their own parents. First telecast November 3, 1961, "It's a Good Life" was later reworked in the 1983 theatrical film Twilight Zone: The Movie -- and a few years after that, it was delightfully lampooned on one of The Simpsons' "Treehouse of Horror" episodes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
The Twilight Zone: The Mind and the Matter
First telecast May 12, 1961, this amusing Twilight Zone entry was purely and simply a showcase for versatile comic actor Shelley Berman. The star is cast as Archibald Beechcroft, a dyed-in-the-wool misanthrope who despises everyone around him. With the help of an unusual "will power" book given to him by office boy Henry (Jack Grinnage), Beechcroft is able to make everyone else in the world disappear. Before long, however, the silence drives Beechcroft crazy, so he decides to populate the world with millions of Archibald Beechcrofts -- with similarly irksome results. "The Mind and the Matter" was written by series creator Rod Serling. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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TWILIGHT ZONE V09 (DVD) B/M(NICK OF TIME/PRIME MOVER/ITS GOOD LIFE/MIND DVD

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