Twilight Zone Marathon Reminder and Talkback (Spoilers)

[Eddie G.]

It's on the Sci/Fi channel, it rules. Discuss episodes, the marathon itself, the seires as a whole.

[Lord Dalek]

Ah, the 9th Annual New Years Twilight Zone marathon. Shame they're starting with season 4, a lot of that season sucked. Oh well, maybe we'll get some uncut episodes around 7:00.

[Mysteryinfoman]

I used to see this show so many times, but since I'll be out, I'm going to record only the ones I have not seen in a long time.

[GL2k2]

LOL, 9th annual?! Everybody should know by now that they've been doing this in syndication for about 15 years. That's where Sci-Fi Channel got the idea, because those stations got theirs highest ratings ever on New Year's Eve when they aired it. I know I've been watching the marathon's since I was a kid and I'm almost 27. Since Sci-Fi picked it up, they've been airing Star Trek on July Fourth and Honeymooners on New Year's but that was years ago.

Some of the more interesting episodes are the ones that were pilots or the banned-from-t.v. episodes. One of them played on Playhouse 90 as a pilot about a premonition of Pearl Harbor, and the other was a Twilight Zone episode with George Takei (Mr. Sulu) as a Japanese immigrant whose neighbor was a veteran and had a souvenir possesed samurai sword. Watching it, I can understand how it would be disturbing back then, but now times have changed.

[MajorTom]

The Twilight Zone is the best Sci-Fi TV series ever. How was that new one they made last year? I don't get UPN, so I wouldn't know.

-Major Tom

[Lord Dalek]

LOL, 9th annual?! Everybody should know by now that they've been doing this in syndication for about 15 years. That's where Sci-Fi Channel got the idea, because those stations got theirs highest ratings ever on New Year's Eve when they aired it. I know I've been watching the marathon's since I was a kid and I'm almost 27. Since Sci-Fi picked it up, they've been airing Star Trek on July Fourth and Honeymooners on New Year's but that was years ago.

Yeah, I still have tapes made about 10 years ago of San Francisco's KOFYtv 20's epic fifty-two hour Twilight Zone marathon. The fact that the first Scifi-channel marrathon started almost imediately after gave you a whopping seventy-two hours of full-on Zone-age. Those were the days...

Some of the more interesting episodes are the ones that were pilots or the banned-from-t.v. episodes. One of them played on Playhouse 90 as a pilot about a premonition of Pearl Harbor, and the other was a Twilight Zone episode with George Takei (Mr. Sulu) as a Japanese immigrant whose neighbor was a veteran and had a souvenir possesed samurai sword. Watching it, I can understand how it would be disturbing back then, but now times have changed.

The Time Element was an episode of Desilu Playhouse, not Playhouse 90, although Rod originaly made it as an episode of TZ. Another great "lost" episode would be "Occurance at Owl Creek Bridge", where the confederate spy imagines an elaborate escape shortly before dying.

[GL2k2]

The Time Element was an episode of Desilu Playhouse, not Playhouse 90, although Rod originaly made it as an episode of TZ. Another great "lost" episode would be "Occurance at Owl Creek Bridge", where the confederate spy imagines an elaborate escape shortly before dying.

Heeeeeyyyy, nice to see another hardcore TZ fan. Thanx for correcting me, you are precisely right. It was Desliu Playhouse. I don't know where I got Playhouse 90. I must of been thinking of his other non-sci-fi stuff on that show. And yes, "Occurance at Owl Creek Bridge" was very different. That banned episode was named "The Encounter".

[Lord Dalek]

Heeeeeyyyy, nice to see another hardcore TZ fan. Thanx for correcting me, you are precisely right. It was Desliu Playhouse. I don't know where I got Playhouse 90. I must of been thinking of his other non-sci-fi stuff on that show. And yes, "Occurance at Owl Creek Bridge" was very different. That banned episode was named "The Encounter".

I know, I own it. Oh, Walking Distance is on in twenty minutes. And it's nice to see some uncut hour long episodes like Death Ship.

[Bud 'n Lou]

I loved that episode with George Takai, but I've only seen it once, and that was several years ago. I always wondered why I haven't seen it since.

[Lord Dalek]

WTF?!? "Special Uncut Versions" of rubbish like What You Need and Self-Improvement of Salvador Ross? Man, Scifi you really are scrapping the bottom of the barrel.

My review:

This marathon gets a *** out of ***** for hyping lackluster episodes.

The show in general gets a ****** out of ***** because it's the greatest television show in the history of the medium.

[Alex Toon]

How was that new one they made last year? I don't get UPN, so I wouldn't know.

It was okay, I guess. It was an hour long. It should have stayed on the air,though.

[Lord Dalek]

The Twilight Zone is the best Sci-Fi TV series ever. How was that new one they made last year? I don't get UPN, so I wouldn't know.

I thought it wasn't quite as good as the Original in the first few weeks, but it got better later on (the remake of Monsters are Due on Maple Street was better than the original). Forrest Whitaker was an okay host I guess, sort of falling in between Charlie Aidman and Stacy Keach in my hosts rankings. Scifi should bring this back.

[wonderfly]

I meant to catch more episodes, but I was unusually busy these last few days...I managed to catch a wierd episode where a little girl and her doll fell into another dimension which was in a hole in the wall. And the father had to run in and rescue them...

I also saw another episode right after that one which had a wierd intro to the series which I had NEVER seen before? And I though I saw all of the various intros...but that episode was a story about 3 men who went into space, and came back down to Earth, and slowly disappeared one by one...it was creepy for it's atmosphere, but bad in that it never explained why they were disappearing and why everyone was forgetting that they existed...

Then they showed an hour long uncut episode about a group of psychics, but it didn't look promising, so I switched channels, and then they showed another hour long episode that was supposedly uncut, but I'd seen it before...it involved another group of 3 spacemen, who were dead, yet their Captain wouldn't let them realize it, and wouldn't let them go off to Heaven...I'd seen that one before, so I switched channels...haven't had time to watch any other episodes. I do enjoy these marathons though.

Which do you guys like more, the old Alfred Hitchcock series or the Twilight Zone? Is there any fans of "Tales from the Dark Side" around here?

[Lord Dalek]

I also saw another episode right after that one which had a wierd intro to the series which I had NEVER seen before? And I though I saw all of the various intros...but that episode was a story about 3 men who went into space, and came back down to Earth, and slowly disappeared one by one...it was creepy for it's atmosphere, but bad in that it never explained why they were disappearing and why everyone was forgetting that they existed...

Are you refering to the season 1 opening, the one with the rocks and the cave? Because, if I recall correctly, that was the opening they used on the episode you're talking about (it's called And When the Sky was Opened...).

[Terri]

It was a good marathon. I got to see some episodes I have never seen and a few I haven't seen in years.
I would like to see 'Shadow Play' but it is always shown very late at night. I haven't seen that episode in years. It is one of the best.

[GL2k2]

Forrest Whitaker was an okay host I guess, sort of falling in between Charlie Aidman and Stacy Keach in my hosts rankings.

What did Charlie Aidman and Stacy Keach host? Are you refering to Twilight Zone or some other shows. Cause the only ones that kinda hosted TZ was a voiceover host from the '80's show (I loved this series better than the new one) and James Earl Jones' voice for a telemovie.

This has got me thinking about making a favorite anthology series poll. But I have to do some research, because I remember some shows over the years that lasted maybe a week that were excellent. Those as well as popular ones like Night Gallery, Amazing Stories, and Tales From the Darkside. But I promise to explain every series, who the host is, and if I can find a website link, I will include those too. Gimme some time, and I'll find them. I'm curious which ones would rank high, of course only the ones that will be remembered. But if I can make people aware of some of the lesser known ones, I've done my job.

[wonderfly]

Are you refering to the season 1 opening, the one with the rocks and the cave? Because, if I recall correctly, that was the opening they used on the episode you're talking about (it's called And When the Sky was Opened...).

Yes, that was the opening. I'd never seen that one before! It was the first season? Strange...I much prefer the classic openings with the stuff floating around in space, like the breaking window and the eyeball and the clock...those are the classic ones in my opinion.

[RD!]

YOU ARE A MEDIUM, TO COMMUNICATE WITH THE DEAD.

Ah, that was great, caught very little but damn, it was great.

[Lord Dalek]

What did Charlie Aidman and Stacy Keach host? Are you refering to Twilight Zone or some other shows. Cause the only ones that kinda hosted TZ was a voiceover host from the '80's show (I loved this series better than the new one) and James Earl Jones' voice for a telemovie.

Charles Aidman was the first voicover guy for the 80's version, and Stacy Keach hosts the radio play series. Just in case anyone wants to know here's a list of who hosted Twilight Zone and when:

Westbrook Van Vorhis: 1959 (pilot version of Where is Everybody? only)
Rod Serling: 1959-1964 (Where is Everybody through The Mighty Casey are v/o only, he does make an appearance at the end of A World of his Own, makes appearances at episode's beginnings starting with King 9 will not Return)
Burgess Meridith: 1982 (the movie)
Charles Aidman: 1985-1987
Robin Curtis: 1988-1989 (he overdubed all of Aidman's intros however)
James Earl Jones: 1993 (Rod Serling's Lost Classics)
Stacy Keach (2001+, Twilight Zone Radio Plays)
Forest Whitaker: 2002-2003

[GL2k2]

Charles Aidman was the first voicover guy for the 80's version, and Stacy Keach hosts the radio play series. Just in case anyone wants to know here's a list of who hosted Twilight Zone and when:

Westbrook Van Vorhis: 1959 (pilot version of Where is Everybody? only)
Rod Serling: 1959-1964 (Where is Everybody through The Mighty Casey are v/o only, he does make an appearance at the end of A World of his Own, makes appearances at episode's beginnings starting with King 9 will not Return)
Burgess Meridith: 1982 (the movie)
Charles Aidman: 1985-1987
Robin Curtis: 1988-1989 (he overdubed all of Aidman's intros however)
James Earl Jones: 1993 (Rod Serling's Lost Classics)
Stacy Keach (2001+, Twilight Zone Radio Plays)
Forest Whitaker: 2002-2003

Wow, I didn't know there were so many hosts. The movie was great, I saw it in theaters when I was a kid. And opening a film with CCR's "Midnight Special" is just genius. I do think for nostalgic reasons, they should have opened the film in Black-and-White, but that's just me. I also felt they should have had different stories that touched upon Serling favorites, the Space story, the Western, one contemporary, and a remake, but again, that's just me.

The New Twilight Zone episodes from the '80's have kinda become classics now. I've caught some on TNT a couple of times, but the only one I was inclined to tape was a Stephen King episode called "Gramma", probably one of the scariest of the series. Wish SCi-Fi would pick it up and do a marathon on July 4th.

I caught a couple of Forest Whitaker's version, but it just kinda sucked in my opinion. I think it was the hour long thing and some of the writing was a little too predictable. I mean, VH1's "Strange Frequency" had better writing. A shame.