Review: “The Twilight Zone: select episodes” – Rod Serling

PODCAST:

S4E3M – Twlight Zone: select episodes (tv series)*

SHOW NOTES:

Wherein we discuss our mutual love and admiration for this iconic television anthology series and it’s notable host. I’m joined again by indie filmmaker Mike O’Reilly (YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheMoreilly318), oil painter Andres Sercovich (Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ahserco/, and book reviewer Kaelin O’Reilly (Kaelin Reads Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3r-oumDi_CsMoFH4-vTqSA) in Appleton, Wisconsin during our attendance of the annual Wildwood Film Festival (https://www.wildwoodfilmfestival.com/) where Mike was screening his short drama “Volatile” later that night.

As we got into some of the changes that marked the differences between these television episodes and their originating printed tales, Mike was quick to point out when he felt the main theme of the story was maintained. Kaelin expressed her general preference for the written word, but also felt these episodes were good representations of the short stories.

Andres liked seeing more visual details developed in the television versions, which added texture and flavor that was lacking in the descriptions of the written works. In particular, Andrés enjoyed the episode “Passage on the Lady Anne” with its all-star cast of British actors and it’s exhibition of the eponymous ship which was so integral to the story. However, Andres mentioned a few of the more “dated” looking elements in the visual medium like the older practical effects and early special effects in “Perchance to Dream” or “The Howling Man.” Mike disagreed and noted these were things he liked about the show. Ryan and others felt deliberate directorial decisions in the television adaptations (like in “In His Image”) made certain aspects of the stories clearer; and for good or bad removed their ambiguous feel.

Overall the group enjoyed the thrill of watching or re-visiting these episodes and the genuine emotions they could still evoke for a modern audience.

-Ryan

 

Ryan, Kaelin, Andres, and Mike recording between panels and screenings at Wildwood Film Festival in Appleton, Wisconsin

 

WRITTEN MOVIE REVIEWS:

“Twilight Zone” by Rod Serling (TV show)

• “Perchance to Dream” (S1E9 – November 27, 1959)
• “The Howling Man” (S2E5 – November 4, 1960)
• “The Jungle” (S3E12 – December 1, 1961)
• “In His Image” (S4E1 – January 3, 1963)
• “Passage on the Lady Anne” (S4E17 – May 9, 1963)
• “Number 12 Looks Just Like You” (S5E16 – January 24, 1964)

Ryan: 4 Stars “…are these better than the stories–I’m not sure that they are better than the stories…but I don’t know they are all successful in my book so I’ll rate it the same…”

Mike: 4  Stars “…None of them really ranked in my like top five Twilight Zone episodes, but they’re still Twilight Zone episodes so I still like them…”

Kaelin: 3 3/4 Stars “…reading the [stories] and then seeing the episodes, and I had seen the episodes before, most of them except for this season four…I thought they were pretty good like comparisons to the book–I enjoyed them again…”

Andres: 3 Stars “….If I were to unglue the cultural icon part of it versus the straight story, say if I didn’t know anything about the Twilight Zone, I think I enjoy seeing…this icon…but as far as the stories they were interesting…”

 

FUN FACTOIDS:

This episode was also recorded while in attendance at Wildwood Film Festival in Appleton, Wisconsin. This is an excellent regional film festival that’s been going on for 18 years with a great mission: “The Wildwood Film Festival’s purpose is to promote Wisconsin film talent (actors, directors, writers, composers, editors, etc.). We also strive to educate high school students and adults in film basics-script writing, story boarding, filming, lighting, sound, editing and marketing.” (from https://www.wildwoodfilmfestival.com/)

On this episode Ryan mentioned listening to an American mathcore band out of New Jersey that took its name from one of the more famous episodes we discussed: The Number Twelve Looks Like You (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Number_Twelve_Looks_Like_You)

In our research for this episode we came across a documentary on the television series host. Check it out if you want to know more about him: American Masters Rod Serling: Submitted for Your Approval: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4ALNnImsmU.

It’s also worthwhile to note that comedian and horror director, Jordan Peele, will host, narrate and produce a rebooted version of The Twilight Zone, which is set to be released in April of 2019: https://consequenceofsound.net/2019/02/the-twilight-zone-first-trailer-watch/

 

* DISCLAIMER: Please be advised that the views and opinions of the hosts and guests of NDIOS are completely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views and beliefs of the other hosts and guests or that of NDIOS.

Review: “Perchance to Dream” – Charles Beaumont

PODCAST:

S4E3B – Perchance to Dream (book)*

SHOW NOTES:

Wherein we discuss classic Twilight Zone writer Charles Beaumont and six stories of his turned into memorable episodes. I’m joined by returning guest, indie filmmaker, Mike O’Reilly (YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheMoreilly318); oil painter, Andres Sercovich (Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ahserco/); and book reviewer, Kaelin O’Reilly (Kaelin Reads YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3r-oumDi_CsMoFH4-vTqSA). We recorded this podcast in-between attending lectures and film viewings at the annual Wildwood Film Festival (https://www.wildwoodfilmfestival.com/) that takes place in Appleton, Wisconsin where Mike was screening his short film drama “Volatile” later that night.

During our recording Andres talked about his interests in artificial intelligence themes and the consciousness of mankind which come up in “In His Image,” or the touching reflections of a life-lived found in “Song for a Lady.” Kaelin felt the social commentary on society in “The Beautiful People” both intriguing and disturbing and exemplary of typical Twilight Zone themes. She also noted how these tales aged well and felt relevant even today. Mike discussed how he appreciated that these stories were generally just good yarns, whatever deeper aspects might have been present within such tales as “Perchance to Dream,” “The Jungle,” or cult favorite: “The Howling Man.”

We also observed the wide variety of elements and genres explored in these stories as well as others in this collection. Highlights of our show include Andres quoting “The Big Lebowski” and Mike’s grin-worthy impressions of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Listen in!

-Ryan

 

Ryan, Kaelin, Andres, and Mike recording before attending film screenings at Wildwood Film Festival in Appleton, Wisconsin

 

WRITTEN BOOK REVIEWS:

“Perchance to Dream: Selected Stories (1952-1960)” by Charles Beaumont a/k/a Charles Leroy Nutt (select short stories)

Ryan: 4 Stars “…I know there’s going to be a twist, and I wonder how he’s going to flip this at the end…”

Mike: 4 Stars “…don’t get me wrong, when I say escapism and yarn I mean that as complimentary toward the writer because I loved it…”

Kaelin 4 1/2 Stars “...something that you could go back to and re-read and [it] really make[s] me take something more out of it and wanna keep reading other works by him…”

Andres 3 1/2 Stars “…there was a lot of like thrill…not knowing until you know, then once you know there was not a lot more there–at least what I could see…more perhaps entertainment…”

(Click the links to read full written reviews on Goodreads.com)

 

FUN FACTOIDS:

As mentioned above, our episodes were recorded while in attendance at Wildwood Film Festival in Appleton, Wisconsin. We had an excellent time at this regional film festival whose mission is “The Wildwood Film Festival’s purpose is to promote Wisconsin film talent (actors, directors, writers, composers, editors, etc.). We also strive to educate high school students and adults in film basics-script writing, story boarding, filming, lighting, sound, editing and marketing.” (from https://www.wildwoodfilmfestival.com/)

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A post shared by Ryan Sean O'Reilly (@ryanseanoreilly)

 

In preparing for the episode and to research the author some of us watched an indie documentary about his rather short, but amazing career as well as his untimely and strange demise. That film was directed by Jason V. Brock and is called: Charles Beaumont: The Short Life of Twilight Zone’s Magic Man (the documentary can be found here: https://www.amazon.com/Charles-Beaumont-Short-Twilight-Zones/dp/B004HKIVCS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1517340570&sr=8-1&keywords=Charles+Beaumont+documentary). For more insight into this author, check out an reprinted interview with his son: https://www.rodserling.com/wsimmons/Chris_Beaumont.htm.

We mentioned briefly how one of the short stories mentioned a show from the golden age of radio known as “The Hermit’s Cave.” Mike and Ryan in particular are fans of Old Time Radio and many of those classic programs can be found archived free on the internet. Here’s a select collection from that radio horror series housed at Archive.org: https://archive.org/details/The_Hermits_Cave.

All of the Beaumont stories we officially covered in this episode were originally published in magazines before being adapted as Twilight Zone episodes. Check out the original covers for these magazines below:

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* DISCLAIMER: Please be advised that the views and opinions of the hosts and guests of NDIOS are completely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views and beliefs of the other hosts and guests or that of NDIOS.

Preview Episode (Perchance to Dream)

PODCAST:

S4E3P – Preview Episode (Perchance to Dream)*

SUBJECT MATTER:

“Perchance to Dream: Selected Stories (1952-1960)” by Charles Beaumont a/k/a Charles Leroy Nutt (select short stories)

“The profoundly original and wildly entertaining short stories of a legendary Twilight Zone writer, with a foreword by Ray Bradbury and an afterword by William Shatner

It is only natural that Charles Beaumont would make a name for himself crafting scripts for The Twilight Zone—for his was an imagination so limitless it must have emerged from some other dimension. Perchance to Dream contains a selection of Beaumont’s finest stories, including seven that he later adapted for Twilight Zone episodes.

Beaumont dreamed up fantasies so vast and varied they burst through the walls of whatever box might contain them. Supernatural, horror, noir, science fiction, fantasy, pulp, and more: all were equally at home in his wondrous mind. These are stories where lions stalk the plains, classic cars rove the streets, and spacecraft hover just overhead. Here roam musicians, magicians, vampires, monsters, toreros, extraterrestrials, androids, and perhaps even the Devil himself. With dizzying feats of master storytelling and joyously eccentric humor, Beaumont transformed his nightmares and reveries into impeccably crafted stories that leave themselves indelibly stamped upon the walls of the mind. In Beaumont’s hands, nothing is impossible: it all seems plausible, even likely.“ (from Amazon.com)

*** * ***

“Twilight Zone” by Rod Serling (TV show)

“Rod Serling’s seminal anthology series focused on ordinary folks who suddenly found themselves in extraordinary, usually supernatural, situations.” (from Amazon.com)

 

• “Perchance to Dream” (The Twilight Zone – S1E9 – November 27, 1959) – “A man is terrified of falling asleep for fear he might die.” (from Amazon.com)
• “The Howling Man” (The Twilight Zone – S2E5 – November 4, 1960) – “A man on a walking trip of post-World War I Europe gets caught in a storm. He comes across a remote monastery with a mysterious prisoner.” (from Amazon.com)
• “The Jungle” (alt title “The Man Who Made Himself”) (The Twilight Zone – S3E12 – December 1, 1961) – “lan Richards plans to build a dam in Africa on a tribe’s ancestral land. The tribe’s witch doctor puts a curse on him.” (from Amazon.com)
• “In His Image” (The Twilight Zone – S4E1 – January 3, 1963) – “A scientist creates an android that has the qualities which he feels he’s lacking.” (from Amazon.com)
• “Passage on the Lady Anne” (alt title “Song for a Lady”) (The Twilight Zone – S4E17 – May 9, 1963) – “A husband and wife take a cruise they will never forget.” (from Amazon.com)
• “Number 12 Looks Just Like You” (alt title “The Beautiful People”) (The Twilight Zone – S5E16 – January 24, 1964) – “In a future society everyone must undergo an operation at age 19 to become beautiful and conform to society. One young woman desperately wants to hold onto her own identity.” (from Amazon.com)

 

 

SHOW NOTES:

Mike and Ryan mentioned how these upcoming episodes were recorded during our attendance at the 17th annual Wildwood Film Festival in Appleton, Wisconsin which is held every year in March. Mike’s film “Volatile” was screened there and won the very generous “Judge’s Choice” award. Although not in a genre which we cover on the podcast, that short film drama is now available to be viewed on Mike’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheMoreilly318.  We had an excellent time at the event and highly recommend checking it out–it’s very well run! Mike is screening a new comedic short at the film festival on March 23, 2019 called “Shut-Eye.” I have a role in this one and look forward to the screening.  You can find out more about this fantastic film festival at: https://www.wildwoodfilmfestival.com/.

-Ryan

 

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* DISCLAIMER: Please be advised that the views and opinions of the hosts and guests of NDIOS are completely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views and beliefs of the other hosts and guests or that of NDIOS.