I'm 75-years old, and have watched each TZ episode at least 100 times. I never, ever get tired of them, and long for the time that television held such promise. I knew that Mr. Serling suffered after the war, but didn't realize he had full blown PTSD. Perhaps, through the therapy of writing, he was at last able to exorcize some of his demons. RIP, one of the true science fiction greats.
I'm 45 years old and the wife and I watch The Twilight Zone every night to wind down from day. Also, to help fall asleep and as white noise, we listen to The Twilight Zone radio dramas.
@@glennso47 I remember watching my very first TZ episode. I had no idea what the show was about. It was called "The Lonely," about a guy marooned on a prison planet who fell in love with a female robot. It scared me silly, but from that moment on I was hooked, and happily, I still am. Btw, 60-years later, as I was standing on a busy street corner in New York City, I noticed an old man in a port pie hat, waiting at the light. It was the same actor who played that hapless man!!! I shamelessly walked up to him and told him how much I enjoyed his performance, and he seemed pretty shocked that I still recognized him. But who wouldn't?? RIP, Jack Warden.
@@tiffsaver one of the episodes I remember was where there were a whole bunch of people imprisoned in this big cylindrical box. They didn’t know why they were there and they had no way to escape. It turned out that they were all toy dolls inside a cylindrical box on a street corner waiting for someone to buy them . Also the episode of Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge. It was actually a short subject produced in Europe that Rod Serling bought the rights to for showing in the USA. About a confederate soldier who was sentenced to hang. He imagined that the rope broke and he swam away through a hail of bullets and a long journey to his home and when he finally got there and was about to hug his wife suddenly he was back on the bridge and his neck broke from the noose and he was dead.
Rod Serling actually died shortly after open heart surgery, in Intensive care unit at Strong Memorial Hospital at the University of Rochester Medical Center less than a mile from my previous apartment and a few miles from my present apartment . He died June 28th, 1975. I was in nursing school then .
No no no... Walking distance is NOT based on rods life... If u get the dvd series and listen to the commentaries there is a long one for the walking distance... Here he talks of his influence..
When a man is as tormented as Rod Serling was, and yet rises above this trauma in such a personal way, to share with us his brilliance, we are immediate fans, for we are as human as he is. Thank you, Rod Serling, for bringing us your intellect, wisdom and creative genius. We are forever grateful.
I think Rod Serling was gifted in such a unique way, in that he could transform the trauma he’d he’d experienced during the war and craft them through his words to be cathartic. In some ways, he was able to heal himself.
@@teddicruise4733 Well said, and I agree - he was such a splendid human being in all ways. Goofing with his family, always making fun. Sad to have lost him so early.
I have been binge watching Twilight Zone episodes during pandemic, civil unrest and insurrections and it is amazing how relevant episodes 60 years later.
I absolutely agree. I was having this same discussion with a good friend just a few weeks ago. I find them especially poignant by taking the "nuclear war" or "nuclear annihilation" plot device and insert the Covid pandemic. People's behavior has been remarkably similar, either in the Twilight Zone episodes or real life Wal-mart.
@@joshuajohnson7764 Well, the quote leaves a lot of room for interpretation. Just the words "nothing", "dark" and "light" come with a huge spectrum of interpretative meaning ranging from very literal to deeply metaphorical. So, if you think you found a flaw in your interpretation of the quote, you might just try to find another interpretation that you can agree on. Idk, it's a nice quote, makes you think and you can surely find some truth in it. But i wouldn't dare to say it's "definitely not true". Anyway, i'm sure you experienced some very real darkness in your hospital night-shifts and i hope you're doing well.
He exposed human nature much of which you see during the pandemic. Everyone was once civil until they fought over toilet paper and narked on their neighbors. He was very observant.
@@cheeseburgerinparadise7124 You probably also think Orwell was talking about the left in 1984. He fought with ANTIFA against fascists in the Spanish civil war. Both left and right are prone to giant lapses in critical thinking. Both are prone to stamping out speech they don't like. I tend to think progress is towards more left wing ideals because they have some vision of a post-capitalist society. It's not that capitalism is bad. It's definitely better than previous systems like feudalism, but if we want progress we'll have to get past it.
@Samuel Powell he’s right. The left is tyrannical. Always has been. They are obsolete and based on mr sterling’s writing and these episodes, he’d no doubt himself be a conservative Christian today. That’s why I love this show. I was always a republican. We are the good guys and even the Bible foresees how in the last days right will be seen as wrong.
Rod Serling is still one of the greatest writers of motion pictures today. A true visionary of humanity's past shortcomings and future potential for greatness.
@peter michalski ;God bless your father at all those young men of the greatest generation! My own father Also served in World War II in the Pacific theater he was stationed in India he was on the contingent that was assigned to decode Japanese secret messages while At the same time sending our own messages and keeping them secret from the Japanese He was a noncombatant but did important work at the same time!
@peter michalski I think my grandfather drove a tank or was a tank gunner or something to that effect. Not sure; I was just a kid when he told me all this stuff, way back in the 70's. I just remember visiting them in the summer and watching The Twilight Zone with him one night and he told me he served with Rod. My grandfather's name was Alfred Magallanez. I don't know how I would find out what division he served in and how he would have known Rod. All I know is that he served in the islands, and that he brought home a custom made shotgun he got off a dead Japanese officer as a war trophy. My mother gave it to me when he died. I used to keep it in my closet with my other guns until it was stolen.
Rod Serling’s influence lasted well beyond the show. When The Twilight Zone ended the writing staff of Rod’s show went in unison over to a little show started by Gene Roddenberry called Star Trek. There, the writers continued to explore many of the same ideas in a different setting. The most famous being the idea of prejudice where half of a society has white on one side and the other have black on the same side. Rod’s antiestablishment look at society influenced many generations to come.
"When The Twilight Zone ended the writing staff of Rod’s show went in unison over to a little show started by Gene Roddenberry called Star Trek." Just ridiculous. Here are some of main writers of Twilight Zone (with # of TZ episodes they penned) and how many episodes of Star Trek (original series) that they wrote (data from IMDb): Rod Serling(written by - 71, teleplay by - 21): 0 Charles Beaumont(22): 0 Richard Matheson (16): 1 Earl Hammer (8): 0 George Clayton Johnson(7): 1 Montgomery Pittman(3): 0 Jerome Bixby(1): 4 Ray Bradbury(1): 0 Jerry Sohl(uncredited written by - 3): 3
"There is a fifth dimension, beyond that which is known to man. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call the Twilight Zone."
Amazing. There are writers and there are writers, but there was only ONE Rod Serling. It was as though he poured his soul’s essence onto paper instead of ink. Who writes like that???! He produces goosebumps 55 years after departing this dimension. Wow.
THERE IS ONE DIMENSION, THE ONE 10,000,000,002,021 YOU ARE NOT MEASURING THERE. MY REALITY IS 40% GREATER THAN YOUR 4 DIGIT MIDGET 5 SENSE SELF- TIME TUNES THE BODY AND I HAVE AUDIBLE VARYING FOCUS AND INVISIBLE VISION, AND I HAVE MET ALIVE INCHES FROM MY FACE MILLION YEAR OLD LIFE.
Rod is right in this fact: We exist in the reality of the movie: PLANET OF THE APES. We are the mute humans, mute to the reality 10,000,000,002,021 measured by the real human race- THE WATCHERS- the Moon and the Monkey people- both have walked up to me in public, and lemme tell ya WIB was pissed!
One of my favourite shows of all time. I own the entire collection on Blu-ray! Seen them all 100 times and still watch them. Been a fan since I was a kid. 👍
You did well, and showed me a Serling I never knew. His very face is iconic , and reeks with intelligence, a deep sadness, and a hard earned understanding of the human conundrum. I was very lucky to be alive at a time when The Twilight Zone, Star Trek, The Outer Limits, and Night Gallery were being produced. Tales of irony, moral chaos, courage, greed, mortal fear, hatred, and sacrifice molded my outlook on Life ( to this day..) and made me question what it takes to be truly human, and what very little it may take to wipe away any vestige of that Humanity. The shame of it is that there is NOTHING out there with that mission in mind today. There is not much out there to make people think outside of their paper thin walls, nothing to make one question the very foundation of belief, morality, and the very necessary reminder that every action has an impact. Damn, Mr. Serling, you are gravely missed, and very much needed in a time that would no doubt make the hairs on the back of your neck rise straight up.
This was a great episode. Concentrating on Mr. Serling's past was a nice touch. So many people talk about just Rod and the Twilight Zone and not so much on the man himself. As an old man who grew up watching TZ I have a special affinity for the man and his work. On a personal note I feel that his Requiem for A Heavyweight is a literal masterpiece in script writing (and Anthony Quinn's performance was fantastic). Rod's ability to broach social subjects without reducing his script to pandering was a true talent. His script for Planet of The Apes is another item worthy of discussion . On a somber note, the man passed away in my hometown when I was a lad vandalizing graveyards. It really hit home. Thank you Kurt!
Was that Rochester? I find it fascinating that although moving and living in LA, he never really left his upstate NY life. Teaching at Ithaca, having a boat at Lake Cayuga, naming his production company after it, his home town Binghamton has the carousel he wrote about and they’ve dedicated it to him with TZ story panels all around it.
growing up in the 70s and 80s other children were learning about life and humanity from Mister Rogers... while I was learning about life and humanity from watching reruns of episodes of The Twilight Zone...
Sterling is the most underrated talent in the 20th century. As a writer of all kinds of important subjects, as a visionary, as an interpreter of our human frailties and accomplishments as individuals and as society.
@Catherine Golden good to know theres a lot of us still awake, the world is under some spell and it aint worked on us.stay awake sis dont by all the changes that are here we know better.x
I am a story teller because of this man. I had the luck to be alive when The Twilight Zone first came out and it warped my mind in such a wonderful way. Thank you Rod, you left this world far too soon.
You say ‘warped’, but I prefer to say that the Twilight Zone opened up the boundaries of your perception. It really influenced a generation and enlightened us by pulling back the veil and showing us the myriad possibilities beyond.
@@teddicruise4733 Well, in my case it actually warped my mind, the doctors are still trying to figure out the proper therapy. I keep telling them that everything is OK, that Mr. Serling has insured me that I am fine but then they put on my "jacket" and give me the injection and then things get foggy. But it is true about what the Twilight Zone did with the veil and the myriad possibilities.
Being a Vietnam Veteran and having PTSD myself, I can understand how Rod Serling felt about warfare and human behavior. I have learned to hate war because of what war does to human beings. I survived my one year tour of duty and came home. Naively, I thought I could come home and just be normal again. But in a way, I didn't realize that I had brought the war back with me. The awful things I saw that occurred, The nightmares and flashbacks. Being hypervigilant. Being very temperamental. PTSD is like having a ghost following you around, and you can't get away from the ghost, and the ghost will not allow you to have a moment's peace. You try to not recall those horrible memories, and you try to forget, but you are revisited by nightmares and flashbacks. No matter how you try, you can't run away from yourself. I finally received some help from the VA. The medication I receive helped a lot. The therapy has helped me realize that I have to learn how to deal with PTSD. I have learned how to manage the symptoms better. As I have aged, maturity has also helped. Life goes on because it has to continue. No matter what difficulties are encountered, life is always worth living. Rod Serling was a writer, and this is actually very good therapy. I enjoy writing myself, and this helps me to express my feelings and my emotions. I have probably seen every episode of the Twilight Zone, and these were great episodes. Rod Serling, wherever you are, thank you for this television series.
Thank you for your service, and I am glad you are beginning to receive some peace. Both my husband and sons are veterans although they escaped the horrors you witnessed. Please consider a therapy dog if you are able to have one. Many thanks and well wishes.
He was gifted beyond his years..his storys are fiction? Or are they true to our own deep psyche..war brings out so much pain but he turned his pain around to show us our true selves
This video was well done. Thank you for posting. I learned things I didn't know about Rod. The Twilight Zone is timeless. There will never be another show like it and there will never be another Rod Serling.
I think most people *do* understand that fighting and selfishness are bad. It’s just that our needs and fears and wants wind up colliding with those of other people.
@@daisyviluck7932 It's a good thing that people are different. There are some things that I don't want that others do and vice versa. If EVERYONE wanted ONLY the EXACT same things...would be total chaos!
The lingering wounds of WWII were shared by hundreds of thousands of US vets. My father and all my uncles were combat veterans of WWII. Miraculously all survived. They rarely, if ever, spoke of their experiences. When asked about their service they would give an honest answer, but always their answers were brief and not expansive. Like countless others they wanted it behind them. They did not want to revisit those horrors. My father too had nightmares, but NEVER spoke of them. We owe that greatest generation so much. They served honorably both in war and in peace. My dad and uncles were all committed to living honorably AND peacefully. They were good gentle men who raised their children to be peace loving. They did mot want the horrors of war occasioned upon them. That's what made that generation so great.......their courage to do what had to be done and their commitment to seek peace as civilians. I miss them badly.
7:38 Leonard Nimoy's performance in this episode was memorable, William Shatner and George Takei also appeared in some pre Star Trek Twilight Zone episodes as well.
I am reminded we read “Patterns” when in college in 1964. I watched most Twilight Zones, possibly all. It was a grim series. I went on to experience war in Vietnam 1968.
I went in in 78...but served during two wars and one Overseas Conflict.. But I just wanted to take a moment in time to say thank you for your Services Sirs..
@@MrMoparbob498 I had some friends that went to Horace Mann Elementary. I didn't meet them, though, until we all went to West Middle School. That was also a long, long time ago. If we're from the same town (as Serling was), do you recognize the name?
This man's ability to self reflect and have a vision that comes across as genius given his war experience is remarkable. What an amazing man with phenomenal insight
Thanks for giving me the backstory to his creative genius. I grew up watching his programs, but never knew the depths of despair they were borne out of. It seems like he did come up with a sort of therapy for his own wounds, and sad but true , that undergoing darkness , and wounding oof the soul is often required for us to see the light.
Sir, your quality adds to this awesome community of TZ and OLimits diehards, who have yet to find a body of work in this genre as dignified as these masterpiece depictions of beyond the regular dimensions. Excellent work sir!! Carry on!!
He wrote this show directly from his heart and his soul. An amazing man, with an amazing show. I hope he inspires people to write like this in 2021 and beyond. But today , it seems impossible.🥺
Yes that is Ron Howard; his younger brother Clint(?) appeared in a few episodes as well as Veronica Cartwright, Bill Mumy, Lois Nettleton, Donna Douglas, Jack Klugman, Inger Stevens etc. Excellent actors being graced with excellent material. On the Strength 💪🗽✊🇺🇸
Over the last couple of weeks I've been watching these - Rod Serling was a Genius. Some very Big Stars feature in them and the Dialogue is Expertly written. Thank you for posting this
I’d like to share my own personal Twilight Zone episode. As a tweenager, my family moved us from Boston to Pacific Palisades, CA. My new school in Brentwood was to be Paul Revere Jr. High. My first thought after hearing the name was, ‘maybe I’m entering the Twilight Zone?’ Growing up in Boston and even having visited the historical figure’s home, it still took moving to the West Coast to find a school called Paul Revere. Very odd. First day of school, feeling very out of place, and making things worse, the teacher introduced me to the class encouraging them to “... make Teddi feel welcome by introducing yourselves.” Good try, Teach. But, then at break time a girl came over, told me she’d lived in different places and knew how i must feel. Then she invited me to come talk to her anytime I had a problem. Her name was Anne Serling. Apparently, I actually had entered the Twilight Zone. Footnote: One of my 5 top favorite episodes of the T.Z. starred Lois Nettleton. The premise was that the earth’s orbit was bringing us closer to the Sun. Oh, that one was just amazing! In keeping with my life as a series of T.Z. references, and many years later, my children and I appeared on a telethon. We were introduced by none other than Lois Nettleton. I was relieved to see she hadn’t melted! Either that, or she uses really great sun block.
This is by far my favorite series on TH-cam! It’s fascinating, entertaining and very well put together. I get so excited when I see a new episode in my subscriptions! Rod Sterling is one of my heroes and this was my favorite True Fiction so far. Keep em coming!!
Serling was really just the host, but I was around 7 or 8 when NG was on, and I can STILL remember nightmares I had after watching that show and trying to sleep! Crazy.
I think he only wrote one or two. It wasn’t something he was as attached too, more of a paycheck. But I knew his wife and one of the Night Galleries were written inspired by having dinner at a friends house who had mounted taxidermy around his house which unsettled him. He wrote it into an episode where the animals hunted man.
I used to watch every episode of The Twilight Zone that came on when I was a kid. We'd make it a tradition to watch the marathon every year. Now my girl and I watch it fairly frequently, even though I've seen every episode probably dozens of times they still keep me captivated. Rod Serling was a genius, this show goes down as the best in history, in my opinion. Awesome video!
Mr. Mac, Agreed! Shirley Jackson was a genius. And I will say it: her writing was/is never given proper credit, simply because of her gender. Darn shame too, as her stories belong in every American Literature class!
Rod Sterlings also did “Night Gallery” another one of his talent as a writer. Plus Sterling did the narration of Jacques Cousteau’s TV shows for a while.
I have always, as many, loved the Twilight Zone. But I’d never have guessed that Rod Serling went through what he did. I’m sure beyond a doubt that his writings served as the best form of therapy of his time. Also providing such amazing stories that would become entertainment for decades, and still go on. A writing genius, and a good man from all I hear. And the world is all the lesser for his loss. I hate to know that he harbored such pain, and I pray that he has found peace.
I didnt know this about Rod Serling. It explains a lot about the twilight zone. It's amazing that his personal suffering created such thought provoking entertainment & personal success. WWII defined so many things we take for granted now. I hope he found peace.
I grew up watching every show usually with girlfriends hiding under blankets scared but laughing. So many memories of this. The one show I always remember is a creature coming through the wall from another demention. I was scared to go to bed because I was sure some creature would crawl out through a hole in the wall that would open up. Then that creature would be hiding under my bed. It really scared me for a long time. Was very spooky show back then. I was born in 1952 and my dad also went to war at age 18 straight from working milking the cows by hand at the family farm 7 days a week. He had never even left town so first trip was world war 2 in new guinea islands for 3 yrs at war. He came back home, married his sweetheart, married 65 yrs and had 7 kids in 9 yrs. Best parents in the world, best life, he was very successful running his own big trucking company and bought lots of land too. My mom and dad died 3 mo apart, 5 yrs ago and how I miss them. Times were wonderful then, nothing like today.
It's often entertaining to see your favorite actors show up in these old TV shows. For example, Leonard Nimoy in "A Quality of Mercy," or George Takei in "The Encounter."
You should get a chance to be The Twilight Zone narrator you really fit the part and fit right in. You remind me a bit of him and you appreciate the episodes for what they truly represent.
I loved the Twilight Zone when I was a kid (and the film), didn't realize Rod Sterling was a war hero, explains a lot.. he was right about prejudice, really enjoyed this...thanks
Didn't know this about Rod. My dad was in the Navy during WWII. He fought in the Pacific. He was was called back for Korea. He had nightmares, but never talked about his service. He committed suicide shortly before his 53rd birthday. I was 17 then and still miss him.
I have enjoyed watching _Twilight Zone_ in my youth (before they decide to include color on TV). It has had a profound effect of story-telling ever since. I have a profound respect for Rod Serling's work; not just the scripts he personally wrote, but all the scripts that he helped to inspire with so many. I appreciate the work put into this video. I learned things about Mr. Serling that have deepened my respect for him. Thank you.
My Dad passed away 2 years ago at age 92 and was in army infantry in Philippines from late '44 to mid '46 mostly in Leyte and I remember watching the Purple Testament in the late 1970's with my dad and he was finding it hard to watch as it brought in accurate memories of his own experiences going on patrols and frequently losing some guys and than not wanting to even get to know the replacements that came in afterwards- Shortly before My Dad passed away He vividly remembered One replacement that came in on Tuesday and got killed on Weds- Dad often said to Me in his last few years of life "I should have been killed over there...I don't know why I made it" I would joke to him- "I'm glad You did or I wouldn't be here" Ain't war great?
Rod Serling was such a genius with vision. My favorite Twilight episodes all had to do with WW-2, WW-1 and the Cold war. Of course I loved the Night Gallery.
i was such a huge fan of the series -- it did impact my life. i heard at the time when he was teaching that Serling was a great teacher. i seriously (in my fantasies) considered moving and enrolling into his course. lol
Thank you so much for this. I grew up in, and still live near, the city he was born in. It’s a disappointment that the area doesn’t cultivate that to draw more people to the area nor teaches us about his life. There is a marker, plaque, at the high school he attended but that’s pretty much it. His life should be more celebrated here.
I once bumped into Serling- literally. I was huge and he tiny, and when I stuck my head out to look down the hall, I clotheslined him flat on his can. I helped him get up, apologizing profusely. He was very kind and claimed mutual responsibility. He even invited me to a lecture he was giving later that week. I'll never forget his words, "Try to imagine writing compelling television drama which is interrupted every
Serling said that it was his experience of war that made him a writer. And I’ve always admired the way he never donned the cowl of modesty, nor did he boast; he was simply assertive and real, whilst using fantasy as a way to get complex issues across, for the viewer to appreciate, process and better understand the darkest parts of our nature. We remain our own greatest enemy, and no one made us address that grim reality more entertainingly than Rod Serling. Ernest Hemingway played at being, and wanted to be, a man like Serling, who’s humanity and genius, having been forged in the crucible flames of war, shone brighter than most of the greats. Like Raymond Chandler (if, for different reasons) he is criminally underrated, being one of the finest writers who ever lived; I truly believe that. Despite the praise people usually have for him, most don’t see what an enormous cultural impact he has had, or appreciate just how deeply he is etched into our consciousness. His stories are so often retold, even across the dinner table, as well as being remade, time and again, because he had a hold of the human condition, and could show us the ugliness of it, yet make it palatable; whilst holding out the hope of it, yet never allowing us excuses for our complacency. Like all great artists, he challenged us to think, and to interrogate our beliefs and assumptions, whilst educating and entertaining us. He was the real deal, that the Hemingway’s of our culture could only aspire to be. He was the unacknowledged conscience of America, and the most influential thinker of the 20th Century. A true genius and a modest hero. The embodiment of the Quiet American. RIP, Rod. You were taken too soon ✌️👍
Thumbs up, excellent host (good cadence and tone) excellent information and backstory. Thank you for sharing. A mini-documentary that could only be made by a sincere Twilight Zone fan; best success on your next projects and endeavors !
First there's New York it looks abandoned now they're going to put mannequins in Restaurants for social distance guidelines ? Rod wake up you have to see this
If anything, the way you're describing it makes it sound more like the Will Smith version of I Am Legend (fitting as Richard Matheson, author of I Am Legend, had many of his stories adapted into Twilight Zone episodes).
with my 16 year old son watching "To Serve Man" though i knew the ending he didnt . When he heard " It's a cook book! " He just about fell out of his chair .
I had no idea that he served in WWII. This was one of my favorite shows when I was a child in the 60's and 70's. Much respect for your work here. It further informs my perspective of the show and the man. Rod was a genius and his gifts are relevant and continue to inform us today...Thank you!
Thanks for this. One nitpick-it jumps from the aftermath of WW2 to TZ, skipping the important period where Serling gained wealth, fame, and rep by writing acclaimed naturalistic dramas for live TV. Despite his clout, sponsors shied away from certain topics and scripts were neutered by their meddling. He turned to the fantasy of TZ as a gambit to cloak his social messages in what was perceived as an innocuous genre.
I'm 75-years old, and have watched each TZ episode at least 100 times. I never, ever get tired of them, and long for the time that television held such promise. I knew that Mr. Serling suffered after the war, but didn't realize he had full blown PTSD. Perhaps, through the therapy of writing, he was at last able to exorcize some of his demons. RIP, one of the true science fiction greats.
I watched with my grandma and cuddled up against her when a scene was especially frightening.
I'm 45 years old and the wife and I watch The Twilight Zone every night to wind down from day. Also, to help fall asleep and as white noise, we listen to The Twilight Zone radio dramas.
@@glennso47
I remember watching my very first TZ episode. I had no idea what the show was about. It was called "The Lonely," about a guy marooned on a prison planet who fell in love with a female robot. It scared me silly, but from that moment on I was hooked, and happily, I still am.
Btw, 60-years later, as I was standing on a busy street corner in New York City, I noticed an old man in a port pie hat, waiting at the light. It was the same actor who played that hapless man!!! I shamelessly walked up to him and told him how much I enjoyed his performance, and he seemed pretty shocked that I still recognized him. But who wouldn't?? RIP, Jack Warden.
@@tiffsaver cool story! Thanks for sharing.
@@tiffsaver one of the episodes I remember was where there were a whole bunch of people imprisoned in this big cylindrical box. They didn’t know why they were there and they had no way to escape. It turned out that they were all toy dolls inside a cylindrical box on a street corner waiting for someone to buy them . Also the episode of Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge. It was actually a short subject produced in Europe that Rod Serling bought the rights to for showing in the USA. About a confederate soldier who was sentenced to hang. He imagined that the rope broke and he swam away through a hail of bullets and a long journey to his home and when he finally got there and was about to hug his wife suddenly he was back on the bridge and his neck broke from the noose and he was dead.
Rod Serling was a genius with words.
A walking thesaurus!
All episodes had a deep meaning.
I don't watch the empty shows of today.
@@DANTHETUBEMAN what do you mean you don’t watch the green monster man twerk on tv
@@dissmo706 I watch that & it taught me of the teachings of Kierkergaard
serlingsaurus
@@dissmo706it’s empowering
After all these years, this is the first I've known of Rod's personal life and struggles. Very nicely done.
Twilight song was his successful therapy!
Rod Serling actually died shortly after open heart surgery, in Intensive care unit at Strong Memorial Hospital at the University of Rochester Medical Center less than a mile from my previous apartment and a few miles from my present apartment . He died June 28th, 1975. I was in nursing school then .
There is a twilight zone that's coming true
" obsolete State " .
No no no... Walking distance is NOT based on rods life... If u get the dvd series and listen to the commentaries there is a long one for the walking distance... Here he talks of his influence..
@@mjgarrett9885ify obsolete man (not state)
When a man is as tormented as Rod Serling was, and yet rises above this trauma in such a personal way, to share with us his brilliance, we are immediate fans, for we are as human as he is. Thank you, Rod Serling, for bringing us your intellect, wisdom and creative genius. We are forever grateful.
That was well put ! I wholeheartedly agree !
I think Rod Serling was gifted in such a unique way, in that he could transform the trauma he’d he’d experienced during the war and craft them through his words to be cathartic. In some ways, he was able to heal himself.
@@teddicruise4733 Well said, and I agree - he was such a splendid human being in all ways. Goofing with his family, always making fun. Sad to have lost him so early.
Amen and God bless Rod Serling!
Ditto 😉👍
I have been binge watching Twilight Zone episodes during pandemic, civil unrest and insurrections and it is amazing how relevant episodes 60 years later.
Ain't it 😏 !?
Yep! Morals and ethics are timeless.
I absolutely agree. I was having this same discussion with a good friend just a few weeks ago. I find them especially poignant by taking the "nuclear war" or "nuclear annihilation" plot device and insert the Covid pandemic. People's behavior has been remarkably similar, either in the Twilight Zone episodes or real life Wal-mart.
I just watched the recent season of Fargo, and kept saying to myself that this is how it still is today.
You own the Twilight Zone episodes, or are they airing on a particular service? If so, which one?
_"There is nothing in the dark that isn't there when the lights are on..."_
*~ Rod Serling*
Whoever has worked the night shift at a hospital or nursing home knows this is definitely not true, especially for the patients.
You are from a different timeline arnt you? In this time line there is no T in his name.
@@joshuajohnson7764 Well, the quote leaves a lot of room for interpretation. Just the words "nothing", "dark" and "light" come with a huge spectrum of interpretative meaning ranging from very literal to deeply metaphorical.
So, if you think you found a flaw in your interpretation of the quote, you might just try to find another interpretation that you can agree on.
Idk, it's a nice quote, makes you think and you can surely find some truth in it. But i wouldn't dare to say it's "definitely not true".
Anyway, i'm sure you experienced some very real darkness in your hospital night-shifts and i hope you're doing well.
"There is nothing in the dark that isn't there when the lights are on..."
yes, but sometimes when the lights get turned on, you cannot see it anymore.
@@joshuajohnson7764 True that i too have seen shadow people in the dark as they shun the light Not that they're all evil at all
One of the most thought provoking shows of the last 50 years. Many of the topics presented in this show are timeless.
He exposed human nature much of which you see during the pandemic. Everyone was once civil until they fought over toilet paper and narked on their neighbors. He was very observant.
Plus, his commentary on how society does or may value life in the future is straight up terrifying. "The Obsolete Man" is a famous example of this.
@@thunderbird1921 He was really was ahead of his time.
@@thunderbird1921 And the obsolete man is coming true. The left despises critical thinking. Its sad as hell
@@cheeseburgerinparadise7124 You probably also think Orwell was talking about the left in 1984. He fought with ANTIFA against fascists in the Spanish civil war. Both left and right are prone to giant lapses in critical thinking. Both are prone to stamping out speech they don't like. I tend to think progress is towards more left wing ideals because they have some vision of a post-capitalist society. It's not that capitalism is bad. It's definitely better than previous systems like feudalism, but if we want progress we'll have to get past it.
@Samuel Powell he’s right. The left is tyrannical. Always has been. They are obsolete and based on mr sterling’s writing and these episodes, he’d no doubt himself be a conservative Christian today. That’s why I love this show. I was always a republican. We are the good guys and even the Bible foresees how in the last days right will be seen as wrong.
Rod Serling is still one of the greatest writers of motion pictures today. A true visionary of humanity's past shortcomings and future potential for greatness.
My grandfather served with him, was awarded his own purple heart.
We should all be grateful to those young men for their service!
@peter michalski ;God bless your father at all those young men of the greatest generation!
My own father Also served in World War II in the Pacific theater he was stationed in India he was on the contingent that was assigned to decode Japanese secret messages while At the same time sending our own messages and keeping them secret from the Japanese
He was a noncombatant but did important work at the same time!
Neal Sausen Much respect.
@peter michalski I think my grandfather drove a tank or was a tank gunner or something to that effect. Not sure; I was just a kid when he told me all this stuff, way back in the 70's. I just remember visiting them in the summer and watching The Twilight Zone with him one night and he told me he served with Rod.
My grandfather's name was Alfred Magallanez. I don't know how I would find out what division he served in and how he would have known Rod. All I know is that he served in the islands, and that he brought home a custom made shotgun he got off a dead Japanese officer as a war trophy. My mother gave it to me when he died. I used to keep it in my closet with my other guns until it was stolen.
@@TheThekaydixon No, he died back in 1985.
Rod Serling’s influence lasted well beyond the show. When The Twilight Zone ended the writing staff of Rod’s show went in unison over to a little show started by Gene Roddenberry called Star Trek. There, the writers continued to explore many of the same ideas in a different setting. The most famous being the idea of prejudice where half of a society has white on one side and the other have black on the same side. Rod’s antiestablishment look at society influenced many generations to come.
Loved Twilight Zone
and nobody did it better than Captain James T. Kirk.
aetl100 there’s something on the wing!
@@YearsinSeason - Oh yeah ... I remember that one :)
@@YearsinSeason - and I remember who was on that flight ;)
"When The Twilight Zone ended the writing staff of Rod’s show went in unison over to a little show started by Gene Roddenberry called Star Trek."
Just ridiculous. Here are some of main writers of Twilight Zone (with # of TZ episodes they penned) and how many episodes of Star Trek (original series) that they wrote (data from IMDb):
Rod Serling(written by - 71, teleplay by - 21): 0
Charles Beaumont(22): 0
Richard Matheson (16): 1
Earl Hammer (8): 0
George Clayton Johnson(7): 1
Montgomery Pittman(3): 0
Jerome Bixby(1): 4
Ray Bradbury(1): 0
Jerry Sohl(uncredited written by - 3): 3
He created something wonderful from his trauma. Speaking universal truths.
As I've always said, we only grow through adversity and coast through happy times.
Most great art is.
"There is a fifth dimension, beyond that which is known to man. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call the Twilight Zone."
This is actually a true statement.
Amazing. There are writers and there are writers, but there was only ONE Rod Serling. It was as though he poured his soul’s essence onto paper instead of ink. Who writes like that???! He produces goosebumps 55 years after departing this dimension. Wow.
THERE IS ONE DIMENSION, THE ONE 10,000,000,002,021 YOU ARE NOT MEASURING THERE. MY REALITY IS 40% GREATER THAN YOUR 4 DIGIT MIDGET 5 SENSE SELF- TIME TUNES THE BODY AND I HAVE AUDIBLE VARYING FOCUS AND INVISIBLE VISION, AND I HAVE MET ALIVE INCHES FROM MY FACE MILLION YEAR OLD LIFE.
Rod is right in this fact: We exist in the reality of the movie: PLANET OF THE APES. We are the mute humans, mute to the reality 10,000,000,002,021 measured by the real human race- THE WATCHERS- the Moon and the Monkey people- both have walked up to me in public, and lemme tell ya WIB was pissed!
YOU DON'T GET PAST THE ILLUSION UNTIL YOU MEASURE YOURSELF PAST IT. YOU WILL NEVER KNOW WHAT 2021 DOES, UNTIL 2021 DOES NOT DO ANYTHING.
One of my favourite shows of all time. I own the entire collection on Blu-ray! Seen them all 100 times and still watch them. Been a fan since I was a kid. 👍
I own the old and new episodes too. Watch them again and again :)
I am the reason the TWILIGHT ZONE is. My time travel from Montauk beginning January 1958 is the basis for THE TWILIGHT ZONE.
I binge watch the original Twilight Zone episodes. I'd rather watch them instead of the current shows.
Favorite episode?
I've always wanted the collection. Season 4 isn't on Netflix
I can't think of a modern writer who hasn't been influenced by Serling's storytelling. Thanks, this was (as usual) great!
It seems uncanny how many of the mostly unknown actors in the Twilight Zone went on to become huge stars in television and movies.
It is not uncanny. The writing on the episodes required skillful acting and thr casting team picked well which actors to carry those stories.
"Perry Mason" did the same thing...Robert Redford, Lenard Nimoy, DEf
Oops pushed wrong button...DeForrest Kelly, George Takai, Barbra Bain, Billy Mumi, among others...Early TV watching is fun🎵🎵🎵🎵
And now one of them went to space! (William Shatner)
@@woomeebly thats pretty incredible eh?
You did well, and showed me a Serling I never knew.
His very face is iconic , and reeks with intelligence, a deep sadness, and a hard earned understanding of the human conundrum.
I was very lucky to be alive at a time when The Twilight Zone, Star Trek, The Outer Limits, and Night Gallery were being produced.
Tales of irony, moral chaos, courage, greed, mortal fear, hatred, and sacrifice molded my outlook on Life ( to this day..) and made me question what it takes to be truly human, and what very little it may take to wipe away any vestige of that Humanity.
The shame of it is that there is NOTHING out there with that mission in mind today. There is not much out there to make people think outside of their paper thin walls, nothing to make one question the very foundation of belief, morality, and the very necessary reminder that every action has an impact.
Damn, Mr. Serling, you are gravely missed, and very much needed in a time that would no doubt make the hairs on the back of your neck rise straight up.
This was a great episode. Concentrating on Mr. Serling's past was a nice touch. So many people talk about just Rod and the Twilight Zone and not so much on the man himself. As an old man who grew up watching TZ I have a special affinity for the man and his work. On a personal note I feel that his Requiem for A Heavyweight is a literal masterpiece in script writing (and Anthony Quinn's performance was fantastic). Rod's ability to broach social subjects without reducing his script to pandering was a true talent. His script for Planet of The Apes is another item worthy of discussion . On a somber note, the man passed away in my hometown when I was a lad vandalizing graveyards. It really hit home. Thank you Kurt!
Was that Rochester? I find it fascinating that although moving and living in LA, he never really left his upstate NY life. Teaching at Ithaca, having a boat at Lake Cayuga, naming his production company after it, his home town Binghamton has the carousel he wrote about and they’ve dedicated it to him with TZ story panels all around it.
growing up in the 70s and 80s other children were learning about life and humanity from Mister Rogers... while I was learning about life and humanity from watching reruns of episodes of The Twilight Zone...
Indeed
Programs like Twilight Zone were lightning rods for people growing up in the 1960z . . .
ABSOLUTELY !!!! Still very , very relevant ! This show was the pinnacle that television EVER had to offer !
Both have useful messages.
@@daisyviluck7932
Yeah . . . You reap what you sow ! ! !
Sterling is the most underrated talent in the 20th century. As a writer of all kinds of important subjects, as a visionary, as an interpreter of our human frailties and accomplishments as individuals and as society.
Underated !? 🤔
I beg to differ !! 😏
@Catherine Golden it’s Serling!!
@Catherine Golden good to know theres a lot of us still awake, the world is under some spell and it aint worked on us.stay awake sis dont by all the changes that are here we know better.x
Imagine all he endured and to rise to produce this series that has stood the test of time.
I would walk out of school elementary just to go home for lunch to watch noon episodes. I was 8 old..back in the 80's
Possibly the coolest thing any eight year old could do.
"People Are Alike All Over" check it out one of my favorites..
Walking home for lunch from school it's the old day's seemed like not that long ago 80s time flys
I got Twilight Zone reruns from the library and watched them as a kid in the early 2000s.
I love the Twilight Zone too, but I never new much about Rod Stirling, fantastic episode....
You're great, Karen
@@KurtIndovina Thank you! you're too kind...
I am a story teller because of this man. I had the luck to be alive when The Twilight Zone first came out and it warped my mind in such a wonderful way. Thank you Rod, you left this world far too soon.
That's cool.
I wonder if it could be true that people only die once their purpose has been accomplished? 🤔
@@brendaleverick3655 It's hard to say. Some Twilight Zone episodes would agree and others would not.
You say ‘warped’, but I prefer to say that the Twilight Zone opened up the boundaries of your perception. It really influenced a generation and enlightened us by pulling back the veil and showing us the myriad possibilities beyond.
@@teddicruise4733 Well, in my case it actually warped my mind, the doctors are still trying to figure out the proper therapy. I keep telling them that everything is OK, that Mr. Serling has insured me that I am fine but then they put on my "jacket" and give me the injection and then things get foggy. But it is true about what the Twilight Zone did with the veil and the myriad possibilities.
Being a Vietnam Veteran and having PTSD myself, I can understand how Rod Serling felt about warfare and human behavior. I have learned to hate war because of what war does to human beings. I survived my one year tour of duty and came home. Naively, I thought I could come home and just be normal again. But in a way, I didn't realize that I had brought the war back with me. The awful things I saw that occurred, The nightmares and flashbacks. Being hypervigilant. Being very temperamental. PTSD is like having a ghost following you around, and you can't get away from the ghost, and the ghost will not allow you to have a moment's peace. You try to not recall those horrible memories, and you try to forget, but you are revisited by nightmares and flashbacks. No matter how you try, you can't run away from yourself. I finally received some help from the VA. The medication I receive helped a lot. The therapy has helped me realize that I have to learn how to deal with PTSD. I have learned how to manage the symptoms better. As I have aged, maturity has also helped. Life goes on because it has to continue. No matter what difficulties are encountered, life is always worth living.
Rod Serling was a writer, and this is actually very good therapy. I enjoy writing myself, and this helps me to express my feelings and my emotions. I have probably seen every episode of the Twilight Zone, and these were great episodes. Rod Serling, wherever you are, thank you for this television series.
Thank you for your service, and I am glad you are beginning to receive some peace. Both my husband and sons are veterans although they escaped the horrors you witnessed. Please consider a therapy dog if you are able to have one. Many thanks and well wishes.
@@donnadrane4977 You are welcome. I have a cat and she is good company for me.
I've served...but I want to take this moment in time to say..
Thank You for your Service..
He was gifted beyond his years..his storys are fiction? Or are they true to our own deep psyche..war brings out so much pain but he turned his pain around to show us our true selves
You must expand this into a full length documentary! Absolutely great episode
This video was well done. Thank you for posting. I learned things I didn't know about Rod. The Twilight Zone is timeless. There will never be another show like it and there will never be another Rod Serling.
If only everyone could be as enlightened as serling. Even today, most of us are not
Unfortunately we're happy in our ignorance.
Sad but unfortunately very true !
I think most people *do* understand that fighting and selfishness are bad. It’s just that our needs and fears and wants wind up colliding with those of other people.
If everyone was enlightened, no one would be.
@@daisyviluck7932 It's a good thing that people are different. There are some things that I don't want that others do and vice versa. If EVERYONE wanted ONLY the EXACT same things...would be total chaos!
Submitted for your approval:
Rod Serling was the greatest writer of the twentieth century.
I thought it was Doctor Suess. :-)
@@glennso47
File under "W" for "why not both?"
Little did he know that the trauma he experienced and his interest in writing would find himself creating... the Twilight Zone.
The lingering wounds of WWII were shared by hundreds of thousands of US vets. My father and all my uncles were combat veterans of WWII. Miraculously all survived. They rarely, if ever, spoke of their experiences. When asked about their service they would give an honest answer, but always their answers were brief and not expansive. Like countless others they wanted it behind them. They did not want to revisit those horrors.
My father too had nightmares, but NEVER spoke of them.
We owe that greatest generation so much. They served honorably both in war and in peace. My dad and uncles were all committed to living honorably AND peacefully.
They were good gentle men who raised their children to be peace loving. They did mot want the horrors of war occasioned upon them. That's what made that generation so great.......their courage to do what had to be done and their commitment to seek peace as civilians.
I miss them badly.
7:38 Leonard Nimoy's performance in this episode was memorable, William Shatner and George Takei also appeared in some pre Star Trek Twilight Zone episodes as well.
Oh wow, I didn't see that!
I have watched each and every episode of the twilight zone again and again. There is something eerily comforting in entering each one.
this was a great and heartfelt episode. It explained so much about the series that I felt but never knew. A real tribute to Rod.
We certainly tried our best, and Rod is certainly an important figure to me.
I am reminded we read “Patterns” when in college in 1964. I watched most Twilight Zones, possibly all. It was a grim series. I went on to experience war in Vietnam 1968.
Thank you for your service.
Me too. I was at Long Binh 67-68.
I went in in 78...but served during two wars and one Overseas Conflict.. But I just wanted to take a moment in time to say thank you for your Services Sirs..
"Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity" - Professor Horace Mann (Rod Sterling's words)
That , was a "keeper"
😏👍
I HAD . . to write That down ! 😉👌
Richard Vasquez
I attended Horace Mann elementary School way, way, way many years ago. Very cool info 👍 thanks. Stay safe 🙏
That was great episode with many equally great quotes.
@@MrMoparbob498 I had some friends that went to Horace Mann Elementary. I didn't meet them, though, until we all went to West Middle School. That was also a long, long time ago. If we're from the same town (as Serling was), do you recognize the name?
This man's ability to self reflect and have a vision that comes across as genius given his war experience is remarkable. What an amazing man with phenomenal insight
Thanks for giving me the backstory to his creative genius. I grew up watching his programs, but never knew the depths of despair they were borne out of. It seems like he did come up with a sort of therapy for his own wounds, and sad but true , that undergoing darkness , and wounding oof the soul is often required for us to see the light.
Sir, your quality adds to this awesome community of TZ and OLimits diehards, who have yet to find a body of work in this genre as dignified as these masterpiece depictions of beyond the regular dimensions. Excellent work sir!! Carry on!!
He wrote this show directly from his heart and his soul. An amazing man, with an amazing show. I hope he inspires people to write like this in 2021 and beyond. But today , it seems impossible.🥺
The episode "to serve man" keeps ringing in my ears this year.
Yeah, that was a pretty good Treehouse of Horror episode. 😂
2:24 isn't that Ron Howard? i've seen him on the Andy Griffith show
Yes that is Ron Howard; his younger brother Clint(?) appeared in a few episodes as well as Veronica Cartwright, Bill Mumy, Lois Nettleton, Donna Douglas, Jack Klugman, Inger Stevens etc.
Excellent actors being graced with excellent material.
On the Strength 💪🗽✊🇺🇸
One of my all-time favorite shows! Thank you for sharing this information!
Happy to have had shared the story! Thank you for watching.
Over the last couple of weeks I've been watching these - Rod Serling was a Genius. Some very Big Stars feature in them and the Dialogue is Expertly written. Thank you for posting this
I’d like to share my own personal Twilight Zone episode. As a tweenager, my family moved us from Boston to Pacific Palisades, CA. My new school in Brentwood was to be Paul Revere Jr. High. My first thought after hearing the name was, ‘maybe I’m entering the Twilight Zone?’ Growing up in Boston and even having visited the historical figure’s home, it still took moving to the West Coast to find a school called Paul Revere. Very odd.
First day of school, feeling very out of place, and making things worse, the teacher introduced me to the class encouraging them to “... make Teddi feel welcome by introducing yourselves.” Good try, Teach.
But, then at break time a girl came over, told me she’d lived in different places and knew how i must feel. Then she invited me to come talk to her anytime I had a problem. Her name was Anne Serling. Apparently, I actually had entered the Twilight Zone.
Footnote: One of my 5 top favorite episodes of the T.Z. starred Lois Nettleton. The premise was that the earth’s orbit was bringing us closer to the Sun. Oh, that one was just amazing! In keeping with my life as a series of T.Z. references, and many years later, my children and I appeared on a telethon. We were introduced by none other than Lois Nettleton. I was relieved to see she hadn’t melted! Either that, or she uses really great sun block.
I'm a HUGE Twilight Zone fan, too. The man was waaaay ahead of his time!!!
This is by far my favorite series on TH-cam! It’s fascinating, entertaining and very well put together. I get so excited when I see a new episode in my subscriptions! Rod Sterling is one of my heroes and this was my favorite True Fiction so far. Keep em coming!!
A legend to me, not just as a story teller, but as a human. Thank you for this great video! :)
Got to love Mr.S!!! I also LOVE The Gothically inclined show that he hosted- Night Gallery
Night Gallery doesn't get enough love.
Serling was really just the host, but I was around 7 or 8 when NG was on, and I can STILL remember nightmares I had after watching that show and trying to sleep! Crazy.
I think he only wrote one or two. It wasn’t something he was as attached too, more of a paycheck. But I knew his wife and one of the Night Galleries were written inspired by having dinner at a friends house who had mounted taxidermy around his house which unsettled him. He wrote it into an episode where the animals hunted man.
I used to watch every episode of The Twilight Zone that came on when I was a kid. We'd make it a tradition to watch the marathon every year. Now my girl and I watch it fairly frequently, even though I've seen every episode probably dozens of times they still keep me captivated. Rod Serling was a genius, this show goes down as the best in history, in my opinion. Awesome video!
Thank you for this video. I always thought his writings were a brilliant way to bring certain issues to light.
I think Rod Serling could have also been influenced by writer Shirley Jackson. Her short story "The Lottery" is Twilight Zone-esque.
Mr. Mac,
Agreed! Shirley Jackson was a genius. And I will say it: her writing was/is never given proper credit, simply because of her gender. Darn shame too, as her stories belong in every American Literature class!
@@lisastone2324 glad you agree. 👍
We did The Lottery"" in my high school drama club...My big part? I carried the lottery box onto the stage..🎵
@@janeiwasduncan8463 Tony award worthy, I'm sure. 🙂
Great job. What a great insightful and entertaining series that show is and Because of that MrSerling is a man we will never forget.
Now I know why those episodes affected me do much. Thank you sir.
Rod Sterlings also did “Night Gallery” another one of his talent as a writer. Plus Sterling did the narration of Jacques Cousteau’s TV shows for a while.
Night Gallery was great show! I remember it was on top of my list.
Serlling.
I have always, as many, loved the Twilight Zone. But I’d never have guessed that Rod Serling went through what he did. I’m sure beyond a doubt that his writings served as the best form of therapy of his time. Also providing such amazing stories that would become entertainment for decades, and still go on. A writing genius, and a good man from all I hear. And the world is all the lesser for his loss. I hate to know that he harbored such pain, and I pray that he has found peace.
I didnt know this about Rod Serling. It explains a lot about the twilight zone. It's amazing that his personal suffering created such thought provoking entertainment & personal success. WWII defined so many things we take for granted now. I hope he found peace.
Wow wow wow. I never thought of the impact of Rods experiences as being the catalyst of the show. Too cool and sad. Thanks.
Well done in a compassionate presentation of a true genius.
Picture a man walking down a dark and lonely road. Suddenly up ahead a signpost. You have just crossed into the Twilight Zone.
Great video! Twilight Zone was way before my time, but I love it! Rod Sterling was an amazing writer
Thankfully, Twilight Zone will forever seem timeless. It's amazing to go back and watch these, and yet they still feel so relevant today.
I didn't know any of this!
I've always loved Rod Serling.
But now that I know all this, my respect for him is profoundly deeper.
The episodes really reflect the Cold War era, too
I grew up watching every show usually with girlfriends hiding under blankets scared but laughing. So many memories of this. The one show I always remember is a creature coming through the wall from another demention. I was scared to go to bed because I was sure some creature would crawl out through a hole in the wall that would open up. Then that creature would be hiding under my bed. It really scared me for a long time. Was very spooky show back then. I was born in 1952 and my dad also went to war at age 18 straight from working milking the cows by hand at the family farm 7 days a week. He had never even left town so first trip was world war 2 in new guinea islands for 3 yrs at war. He came back home, married his sweetheart, married 65 yrs and had 7 kids in 9 yrs. Best parents in the world, best life, he was very successful running his own big trucking company and bought lots of land too. My mom and dad died 3 mo apart, 5 yrs ago and how I miss them. Times were wonderful then, nothing like today.
I am also a huge twilight zone fan, rest in peace Mr serling,and thank you immensely for leaving us with such episodes!!!🤔🤔🤔
Exceptionally fine work in terms of content, profundity, and pro level presentation. Kudos, young man. You've gained a fan and subscriber.
Good job. Thanks v much getting us to know more about this wonderfully humanitarian and spiritually aware creative genius.
Thank you for your research and video. I didn't know these things about Mr. Serling.
It's often entertaining to see your favorite actors show up in these old TV shows. For example, Leonard Nimoy in "A Quality of Mercy," or George Takei in "The Encounter."
You should get a chance to be The Twilight Zone narrator you really fit the part and fit right in. You remind me a bit of him and you appreciate the episodes for what they truly represent.
I loved the Twilight Zone when I was a kid (and the film), didn't realize Rod Sterling was a war hero, explains a lot.. he was right about prejudice, really enjoyed this...thanks
Rod Serling was a genius. I absolutely loved his shows! Good job and thanks so much.
Thank you very much for this video. I love Rod Serling and the twilight zone. Makes me want I to revisit his works and also his biography.
KC I’ve been reading a lot of his teleplay scripts, like Patterns and Playhouse 90. It’s all just so SO good
Didn't know this about Rod. My dad was in the Navy during WWII. He fought in the Pacific. He was was called back for Korea. He had nightmares, but never talked about his service. He committed suicide shortly before his 53rd birthday. I was 17 then and still miss him.
As a writer I can say that Rod Serling was the best writer that Television has ever had. He was from another dimension.
I have enjoyed watching _Twilight Zone_ in my youth (before they decide to include color on TV). It has had a profound effect of story-telling ever since. I have a profound respect for Rod Serling's work; not just the scripts he personally wrote, but all the scripts that he helped to inspire with so many.
I appreciate the work put into this video. I learned things about Mr. Serling that have deepened my respect for him. Thank you.
My Dad passed away 2 years ago at age 92 and was in army infantry in Philippines from late '44 to mid '46 mostly in Leyte and I remember watching the Purple Testament in the late 1970's with my dad and he was finding it hard to watch as it brought in accurate memories of his own experiences going on patrols and frequently losing some guys and than not wanting to even get to know the replacements that came in afterwards- Shortly before My Dad passed away He vividly remembered One replacement that came in on Tuesday and got killed on Weds- Dad often said to Me in his last few years of life "I should have been killed over there...I don't know why I made it" I would joke to him- "I'm glad You did or I wouldn't be here" Ain't war great?
My late father served in Leyte also in the Philippines in 1944. He was with the 77th Infantry Division.
@@DoowopLover My Dad was in the 19th Infantry Combat Team Attached to the 6th Ranger Battalion under the 24th Infantry Division
Wow, an intelligent review of Rod and the Twilight Zone. Excellent work. I saw it when it first came out. Thanks.
Rod Serling was such a genius with vision. My favorite Twilight episodes all had to do with WW-2, WW-1 and the Cold war. Of course I loved the Night Gallery.
i was such a huge fan of the series -- it did impact my life. i heard at the time when he was teaching that Serling was a great teacher. i seriously (in my fantasies) considered moving and enrolling into his course. lol
Never thought of it before, but even in the episodes with actual monsters and entities, man is in fact the real monster.
I've seen a lot of Rods twilight zone, I loved them, thank you, took my mind into a reality I've never been
Man I would love to see Serling's reaction to Black Mirror.
Great job!!
Rod was a unique individual.
You could tell by the look in his eye that his mind burned like fire.
Thank you so much for this. I grew up in, and still live near, the city he was born in. It’s a disappointment that the area doesn’t cultivate that to draw more people to the area nor teaches us about his life. There is a marker, plaque, at the high school he attended but that’s pretty much it. His life should be more celebrated here.
Great video Kurt, loved it and could easily see the amount of love put into it, keep em coming!
Thank you very much for this.
I once bumped into Serling- literally. I was huge and he tiny, and when I stuck my head out to look down the hall, I clotheslined him flat on his can. I helped him get up, apologizing profusely. He was very kind and claimed mutual responsibility. He even invited me to a lecture he was giving later that week. I'll never forget his words, "Try to imagine writing compelling television drama which is interrupted every
every what??
Priscila Ortiz: Every ten minutes for six minutes of commercials, would be my guess.
What an clever and informative show. Excited to see the next installment.
Ian Adams thank you, Ian! Means a lot of you to come by and give it a watch
Serling said that it was his experience of war that made him a writer. And I’ve always admired the way he never donned the cowl of modesty, nor did he boast; he was simply assertive and real, whilst using fantasy as a way to get complex issues across, for the viewer to appreciate, process and better understand the darkest parts of our nature. We remain our own greatest enemy, and no one made us address that grim reality more entertainingly than Rod Serling.
Ernest Hemingway played at being, and wanted to be, a man like Serling, who’s humanity and genius, having been forged in the crucible flames of war, shone brighter than most of the greats. Like Raymond Chandler (if, for different reasons) he is criminally underrated, being one of the finest writers who ever lived; I truly believe that. Despite the praise people usually have for him, most don’t see what an enormous cultural impact he has had, or appreciate just how deeply he is etched into our consciousness. His stories are so often retold, even across the dinner table, as well as being remade, time and again, because he had a hold of the human condition, and could show us the ugliness of it, yet make it palatable; whilst holding out the hope of it, yet never allowing us excuses for our complacency.
Like all great artists, he challenged us to think, and to interrogate our beliefs and assumptions, whilst educating and entertaining us. He was the real deal, that the Hemingway’s of our culture could only aspire to be. He was the unacknowledged conscience of America, and the most influential thinker of the 20th Century. A true genius and a modest hero. The embodiment of the Quiet American. RIP, Rod. You were taken too soon ✌️👍
"A Martian can say what a Republican or Democrat can't." I love that.
Nowadays, what's the difference?
Can't or WON'T ?
Thumbs up, excellent host (good cadence and tone) excellent information and backstory. Thank you for sharing. A mini-documentary that could only be made by a sincere Twilight Zone fan; best success on your next projects and endeavors !
First there's New York it looks abandoned now they're going to put mannequins in Restaurants for social distance guidelines ? Rod wake up you have to see this
Great and appropriate comment to this video.
A Twilight Zone episode in reality. No one in the past would believe it
If anything, the way you're describing it makes it sound more like the Will Smith version of I Am Legend (fitting as Richard Matheson, author of I Am Legend, had many of his stories adapted into Twilight Zone episodes).
@@nl3064 I am always pleased by the episodes written by Rod Serling or Richard Matheson.
I just started watching last night, and this is just Gold.
with my 16 year old son watching "To Serve Man" though i knew the ending he didnt . When he heard " It's a cook book! " He just about fell out of his chair .
I had no idea that he served in WWII. This was one of my favorite shows when I was a child in the 60's and 70's. Much respect for your work here. It further informs my perspective of the show and the man. Rod was a genius and his gifts are relevant and continue to inform us today...Thank you!
He was a genius that was a head of his time. Thanks for letting us know the inner works of his mind.
Well done. Love twilight zone growing up
Thanks for this. One nitpick-it jumps from the aftermath of WW2 to TZ, skipping the important period where Serling gained wealth, fame, and rep by writing acclaimed naturalistic dramas for live TV. Despite his clout, sponsors shied away from certain topics and scripts were neutered by their meddling. He turned to the fantasy of TZ as a gambit to cloak his social messages in what was perceived as an innocuous genre.
Wonderful. Thank you.