Rod Serling at 100: The Creator of ‘The Twilight Zone Radio Dramas’ Remembers Serling’s Amazing Life
By Carl Amari
Rod Serling, born on Dec. 25, 1924, was a prolific contributor of fine dramas for almost every major prestigious live TV anthology series during the mid ’50s. He took his love of science fiction and fantasy to a new level when he created The Twilight Zone. The series ultimately changed the way science fiction was interpreted on the tube. Today, producers and directors like J.J. Abrams and Steven Spielberg acknowledge Serling’s influence on their own productions.
A former boxer and paratrooper, Serling worked first in radio and then moved on to television. “It was experience,” he later recalled, “but incidental experience. I learned ‘time,’ writing for a medium that is measured in seconds. Radio and its offspring, television, are unique in the stringency of the time factor. Radio and TV stations gave me a look-see at the factory that would produce my product. I got to understand the basic workings of cameras, lights and microphones. I got a sense of the space that could be utilized and the number of people who might be accommodated in that space. This was all to the good.”
Fearing dismal ratings with a science-fiction anthology, CBS reluctantly agreed to give Serling a late-night time slot for Friday evening … a time slot that is to this day considered a ratings killer in the broadcasting circles. Thus The Twilight Zone was born, and it remains today the standard against which all other science-fiction programs are judged. Looking back today, polls across media outlets cement The Twilight Zone’s status as one of the best programs ever broadcast on network television.
Everett Collection
The Twilight Zone served as a showcase for up-and-coming stars who had yet to make their mark in Hollywood. Before her role as Catwoman on Batman, Julie Newmar played the role of a female devil who connives a greedy businessman who enjoys the pleasures of conquering other companies for his empire. Before her role as Samantha Stephens on Bewitched, Elizabeth Montgomery played the role of the last female survivor of chemical warfare who has to find romance with the sole surviving enemy if the human race is to continue. Robert Redford played the role of Mr. Death, William Shatner witnessed a gremlin tearing an engine apart mid-flight, and Peter Falk played the role of a Latin-American liberator.
In the fall of 1969, Serling returned to his roots with an off-the-wall supernatural anthology titled Night Gallery, telecast over NBC for three seasons. The weekly collection of supernatural vignettes included phantoms, witches, vampires, walking corpses and spooky mysteries.
In June 1975, Serling underwent heart bypass surgery, during which he suffered a heart attack. He died at just 50 years old.
But The Twilight Zone lives on. I had a part in transitioning it to radio by licensing the rights from CBS and The Rod Serling Estate. The Twilight Zone Radio Dramas are syndicated to hundreds of radio stations with Stacy Keach as host and Hollywood celebrities in the lead roles (to learn more and to download three free episodes, visit www.twilightzoneradio.com).
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