The Twilight Zone Companion by Marc Scott Zicree
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Book Reviews of The Twilight Zone Companion
Book Review: Still indispensible!
Summary: 5 Stars
Every time the Sci-Fi Channel runs one of their "chain reaction" marathons of TZ, this book is always on my coffee table. Not only does it contain summaries of every single TZ episode (including the ones that aired only once or not at all), it has great bios on Serling and his "core" writers: Charles Beaumont, George Clayton Johnson, and Richard Matheson. You even get a mini-history of each of the five seasons: how both the public and the sponsors responded to the show in general, and Serling in particular; how the writing often suffered when TZ went into hour-long episodes; and even the reasons behind why several of writer Ray Bradbury's screenplays were picked up but never used.
It's twenty years later, and Zicree's book is as timeless as the subject he chronicled.
Book Review: Still using this reference since 1983
Summary: 5 Stars
I have the 1st edition book club hard cover published in 1982 and purchased the 1989 2nd edition in 2005. After all of these years I find myself still checking for information and trivia. The 2nd edition has 20 additional pages with information about the 2nd TV series, the movie AND a better index -- listing the actors this time as well as the episode titles.
I recommend this book for anyone who has the slightest interest in the original Twilight Zone series. There is wonderful information about each episode plus additional mention of the episodes in other parts of the book -- things you would never know. There is so much background information regarding the actors, the writers, regarding the politics (i.e., "reds under the bed"), at the time, etc.
Book Review: How good is this book?
Summary: 5 Stars
What a wonderful book! I love watching the old horror programs on television, such as Karloff's Thriller, The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits. What I enjoy most is watching each program, and then spend a few minutes reading up on the production history and trivia about the program, thanks to books like this. I just spent the last three years reading "The Alfred Hitchcock Presents Companion" by Grams and Wikstrom and watched each and every episode of the Hitchcock TV series one by one. What a fascinating program. So logically, I purchased this book some time ago and with each viewing I turned to this book and learned trivia I did not know, and other neat facts. That's what tells me if the book is a good book or not. A must-have. Buy it now.Book Review: a must-own for any twilight zone fan
Summary: 5 Stars
If you are a fan of the Twilight Zone, or if you have even heard of the show (which I'm sure you have), then this book is a must-own. Reading it, you'd be surprised as to what the stars looked like back then, such as Jonathan Winters, Jeanne Cooper of The Young & the Restless, Dennis Hopper, and a 10-year-old Ann Jillian. The book goes into detail about each episode including cast, crew, a synopsis sandwiched between Rod Serling's opening and closing monologues, and fascinating details about the episode. You will also learn about Rod Serling and the history behind the monumental series. I absolutely love this book and guarantee you will too. Even if you just like science fiction tv, you might just want to get this book. I recommend it.Book Review: Excellent series guide
Summary: 5 Stars
I like this book for the background it gives on Rod Serling and his Twilight Zone series, but I LOVE it for the fact that it gives wonderful summaries of each episode, with both intros and afterwords, and discussions of each. Zicree's writing style is very direct and doesn't labor too long on any one point - he provides just the right amount of information, especially in showing Serling's journey from a young hopeful to a major force in television. Plenty of photos are provided as well. Serling's short story adaptations of his screenplays and the original tales by other TZ contributors (Matheson, et al.) are currently out of print, and if I can't have the stories, at least I get these synopses. Definitely a worthwhile investment.