Right up there with downing your beverage of choice as you watch the ball drop, the Sci-Fi Channel's annual marathon of The Twilight Zone has become one of the best ways to bring in the New Year. Starting Wednesday at 8 am EST, you can catch two days worth of episodes of Rod Serling's classic anthology series. If you aren't familiar with The Twilight Zone beyond the eerie theme music, this is an excellent way to get acquainted. Even for people like me who know the twist ending of damn near every episode, the show holds up over repeated viewings. Some of the standout episodes that will be featured in the marathon include:"A World of His Own": Keenan Wynn as a playwright with a very unique dictaphone. This episode marks the first on-screen appearance in the series by Rod Serling.
"Hocus-Pocus and Frisby": A liar's tall tales get him into a whole mess of trouble.
"One For the Angels": A sidewalk salesman takes on death personified.
"Eye of the Beholder": A woman undergoes surgery on her face in order to look like everybody else.
"Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up": A group of bus travelers find that there is an extra person when they stop at a diner.
"The Invaders": An episode containing almost no dialogue, it stars Agnes Moorehead as a woman living in isolation who is terrorized by space aliens.
"Five Characters In Search of an Exit": An Army major in dress uniform, a clown, a hobo, a ballet dancer and a bagpiper find themselves in a giant cylinder with no memory of who they are or how they got there.
"The Rip Van Winkle Caper": A gang of gold thieves use suspended animation to escape to the future.
"Mirror Image": A woman waiting in a bus station begins to see strange things.
"A Game of Pool": A pool shark (Jack Klugman) challenges a long dead pool great (Jonathan Winters) to a game of pool to find out who's the best.
"The Dummy": A ventriloquist (Cliff Robertson) is controlled by his dummy.
"The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street": At the sound of the roar and the flash of light, neighbors whose contact with the outside world is mysteriously cut off begin to suspect each other of being aliens.
"The Four of Us Are Dying": A con man has the ability to change his face to make it look like anyone he chooses.
For a complete schedule of all the episodes airing during The Twilight Zone marathon, click here.
Below is a clip from the aforementioned episode, "Five Characters In Search of an Exit":
12 comments:
I used to be addicted to this series, you turn almost every one into a full length movie.
very interesting blog you have here, sir.
Thanks for the reminder. They must do this every year now. I love the series and can't get enough of it (smile).
Oooohhhh this is very tempting. I'll have to set the dvr so the Hubs can also watch these...he works tomorrow.
I feel like it would be so fun to veg out and watch these. These really are good examples of good writing back int he day. It's not like a lot of tv then had really major plot or storytelling and these really did!
Malcolm, if I don't make it here to your blog tomorrow I hope you have an awsome New Years and all your dreams and wishes come true next year. I also hope we can meet in real life this coming year.
Cheers,
Candy
I watched a couple of episodes this morning. You know some my favorites. I am especially fond of "Talking Tina" with Telly Savalas, and the one with the camera that takes pictures of the immediate future. I will watch some more when I get home this evening. Anyhow have a very happy new year uncle!
I watched a couple too! I love the series! :)
I love watching Twilight Zone, but it gives me nightmares. I'm still trying to figure out which episode it was where this guy had a freaky growth on the middle of his forehead....somehow that was critical to the plot, but I can't remember many details about it. That one stuck with me for years.
Clnmike: It's funny you should mention that TZ episodes could be adapted into feature length films. Last year, Leonardo DiCaprio had expressed an interest in doing just that. He didn't specify which episode he planned on adapting though.
Muze: Thanks. I hope you stop by again soon.
Lori: Yes... the Sci-Fi Channel does the marathon not only during New Year's Eve/New Year's Day, but the Fourth of July as well.
Candy: TZ is one of the best shows to watch as you chill out on the couch all day. Happy New Year and I too hope that we can meet in person some day.
Pjazzy: Talky Tina had Telly Savalas all messed up... after all his tricks to get rid of her didn't work, he should have left that house and never looked back.
"A Most Unusual Camera" is one of my favorite episodes too. I love the interplay between Fred Clark (one of my favorite actors) and Jean Carson.
Happy New Year to you too!
Jessica: Cool! I would love to get the definitive collection some day.
Mama PJ: Was the freaky growth on the man's forehead an eye? If so, the episode you are talking about is "Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up". Here is a link to the last part of that episode:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5ycetW8FCQ
If this isn't the one, let me know if you ever figure it out.
ok, that really freaked me out...but it's not it. I think I remember that the thing on his forehead made other people treat him like he didn't exist... thanks for trying to figure out which one it was.
I found it! Here's the link to the Wikipedia page about it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/To_See_the_Invisible_Man_(The_Twilight_Zone)
that was me, but Cameron hit the enter key before I could put my name.
Mama PJ: Thanks for the link. When you said that "Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up" wasn't it, I was thinking that the episode you were trying to remember was either one of the hour long black & whites or one of the segments from one of the revivals. I'm not as familiar with those as I am with the half hour black & white episodes. I read the synopsis of "To See the Invisible Man"... I liked it.
Back to "Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up". That is in my top 5 of all-time favorite TZ episodes. One of the best and freakiest endings ever! I'm already anticipating the next TZ marathon on the Sci-Fi Channel (I believe it will be this 4th of July).
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