The Twilight Zone Companion
by Marc Scott Zicree
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Book Summary Information
Author: Marc Scott ZicreeEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1992-12
ISBN: 1879505096
Number of pages: 465
Publisher: Silman-James Pr
Book Reviews of The Twilight Zone Companion
Book Review: As close to perfection . . .
Summary: 5 Stars
Really, this book is a four and a half stars. I give it a half-"Brown Dwarf"-star because Zicree is overly critical of many of the TZ episodes. As a writer (he wrote the Roswell episode of "Deep Space Nine"), he needs to know when an episode goes good and why it goes bad. However, form the point of view of a casual fan, this annoys. Yes, not every TZ is a Shakespeare-but the Bard had a few of his own bombs (Titus Andronicus?). Furthermore, a mediocre episode of TZ is still better than most of the rot on television-then or now.
Aside form the overly-critically reviews of SOME of the episodes, this books is as close to perfection as you could hope for. In fact, I believe it should be used as a templette for future TV series companions. Even if you are nominal fan-that is, you have seen four episodes in a row during a marathon-then get this book.
So here is the book's format:
The books has an intro with a bio on Serling, and a view with what he did prior to TZ, the road to TZ, and his original pitch and the deal.
The center of the book is divided up into the shows five season. Each season is divided up into the episodes. The entry for the episode has the title, air date, cast and crew listing, a paragraph-long episode summery, plus Serling's opening and closing narration. Depending on the episode, Zicree either gives a personal reaction (which generally is critical), trivia, and behind the scenes factoids.
Zicree went whole-hog with the research. He interviewed actors Billy Mumy, Burgess Meredith, and several of the writers. Of particular interests was about Ray Bradbury's non-role in the series (p. 271ff). He also puts his finger on why TZ resonates with us-it is about the human condition, the possible human condition, and about the universal "fear of the unknown working on you." (p. 62). How many of TZ contemporaries can oyu name, or have been revived twice, and turned into a radio series? There is something special about what Serling did.
Zicree rounds out the book with a section on the cancellation of TZ, and the unused pitch called "Rod Serling's Wax Museums," which later morphed into "Night Gallery."
In the Second Edition, he included an Addendum that covered the TZ movie, and the revival series (1985-1989). Zicree is critical of both. I think this criticism is well placed for the film. Spielberg, who directed one segment for the "Night Gallery" pilot, did change the tenor of the stories from the gritty, dreadful, and sometimes nihilistic edge that TZ had, to a more kid-friendly, schmaltzy, and Spielberg-ized film that had a happy ending to the bizarre settings. It was like the film "AI"-neither Spielberg fish nor Kubrick fowl, and was carried over to his rival series "Amazing Stories."
If Zicree ever does a third revision, I would like to see what he thought about the UPN TZ revival, and the TZ radio programs. I have not see any of UPN's third revival (we can all guess what Zicree would probably think), but have heard some of the TZ radio programs. They are well done, but the only problem is that they are remakes-radio rehashes-of the original series scripts. Are they going to radiotize the original five seasons? And are we doomed to the 156 original episodes? I hope not.
I cannot laud this book enough. Except for Zicree's editorializing, this book as no flaws. As you relive your favorite episodes and learn the behind-the-secrets, you will fall in love with the TZ all over again.
PS-"Crazy As A Soup Sandwich," page 461.
Summary of The Twilight Zone Companion
The Twilight Zone Companion(second edition) is the complete, five season (1959-64) show-by-show guide to one of television's greatest series. Zicree's well-written account is fascinating reading for even the casual fan. Coverage of each episode includes plot synopsis, Rod Serling's opening narration, behind-the-scenes stories from the original artists who created the series, and a complete list of cast and credits.''In all my years of television viewing, no series resonated as deeply as The Twilight Zone. Even today, fragments of the forgotten episodes rise into my memory with surprising poignancy. The Twilight Zone was masterful storytelling, and this companion book, this compendium of old tales, is a remarkable gift to those who loved the series and to those who have yet to discover its magic.''--Bruce Joel Rubin, screenwriter, Ghost, Jacob's Ladder
The Twilight Zone Companion is one of the finest examinations of a television series. Author Marc Scott Zicree spent five years researching and writing what is without a doubt the definitive look at this classic horror-fantasy-science fiction show. (The series originally ran from 1959 to 1965, but is still seen in syndication around the world.) Not only is the book an exhaustive episode-by-episode guide, but the author apparently interviewed every living soul who was ever associated with the show. It's quite likely that creator Rod Serling, who died before the book saw publication in 1982, would have been suitably impressed by the respect and dedication that clearly went into this labor of love. Zicree later revised and expanded The Twilight Zone Companion for a second edition in 1989, and discusses both the briefly revived series and the feature film based on the show. --Stanley Wiater
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