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98-552: The Twilight Zone is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling in which characters find themselves dealing with often disturbing or unusual events, an experience described as entering "the Twilight Zone". The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy , science fiction , absurdism , dystopian fiction , suspense , horror , supernatural drama , black comedy , and psychological thriller , frequently concluding with

196-576: A macabre or unexpected twist , and usually with a moral. A popular and critical success, it introduced many Americans to common science fiction and fantasy tropes . The first series , shot entirely in black-and-white , ran on CBS for five seasons from 1959 to 1964. The Twilight Zone followed in the tradition of earlier television shows such as Tales of Tomorrow (1951–53), Out There (1951–52) and Science Fiction Theatre (1955–57); radio programs such as The Weird Circle (1943–45), Dimension X (1950–51) and X Minus One (1955–58); and

294-414: A casual adventure game based on The Twilight Zone . On July 14, 2022, Fun Train and Pocket Money Games released a Virtual Reality game based on The Twilight Zone for Meta Quest 2 titled Twilight Zone VR . Serling novelized several of his original scripts, which were published in the anthologies Stories from the Twilight Zone (1960), More Stories from the Twilight Zone (1961) and New Stories from

392-651: A childhood friend, Theresa Stefanotti, on October 22, 1927. They remained married until his death 37 years later in 1964. The couple had a daughter, Lorraine, and adopted another, Stephanie. Bendix died in Los Angeles at age 58 in 1964 as the result of a chronic stomach ailment that brought on malnutrition and ultimately lobar pneumonia . He was interred at the San Fernando Mission Cemetery in Mission Hills, Los Angeles . Bendix

490-565: A few films, like Lifeboat , but he was not a name. So I took The Flotsam Family script, revised it, made it a Brooklyn Family, took out the flippancies and made it more meat-and-potatoes, and thought of a new title, The Life of Riley . Bendix's delivery and the spin he put on his lines made it work." The reworked script cast Bendix as blundering Chester A. Riley, a wing riveter at the fictional Cunningham Aircraft plant in California. His frequent exclamation of indignation – "What

588-485: A franchise can even be created, which ultimately leads to the creation of brand worlds. Since the creation of Disneyland in 1955, bringing fictional media franchises to life through the theme parks slowly became increasingly popular as the way to perfectly blend tourism and real-life involvement with media itself. Similar to transmedia, the concept of bringing fictional media into a non-fictional space where fans can immerse themselves in real-life versions of elements from

686-666: A grocer until the Great Depression . Bendix began his acting career at age 30 in the New Jersey Federal Theatre Project . He made his film debut in 1942. He played in supporting roles in dozens of Hollywood films, usually as a warm-hearted gangster, detective or serviceman. He began with appearances in films noir , including a supporting role in The Glass Key (1942), which featured Brian Donlevy , Alan Ladd and Veronica Lake in

784-586: A late-night series, "The Twilight Zone – Live" with permission of the Serling estate, since 1996. In 2009, Masquerade , A Chennai based theater group produced 'Dystopia', loosely based on the episodes " The Obsolete Man " and " Five Characters in Search of an Exit ". In 2011, the Penn State University theatre group, No Refund Theatre, produced a stage adaptation of The Twilight Zone . It included

882-567: A misnomer, as both stories were conceived long after Twilight Zone's cancellation. Written just months before Serling's death, "Where the Dead Are" starred Patrick Bergin as a 19th-century doctor who stumbles upon a mad scientist 's medical experiments with immortality. "The Theatre" starred Amy Irving and Gary Cole as a couple who visits a cineplex where they discover the feature presentation depicts their own lives. James Earl Jones provided opening and closing narrations. Critical response

980-424: A modeling agency, several television shows ( Playboy's Penthouse , in 1959), and even its own television channel . Twenty-five years later, Playboy released private clubs and restaurants, movie theaters, a radio show , direct to video films, music and book publishing (including original works in addition to its anthologies of cartoons, photographs, recipes, advice, articles or fiction that had originally appeared in

1078-416: A period piece, literate – some might say wordy. If Rod Serling's name weren't on it, it wouldn't have a chance at getting made." Eager to capitalize on Serling's celebrity status as a writer, CBS packaged "Where the Dead Are" with Matheson's adaptation of "The Theatre", debuting as a two-hour feature on the night of May 19, 1994, under the name Twilight Zone: Rod Serling's Lost Classics . The title represents

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1176-475: A proposed Groucho Marx radio series, The Flotsam Family , but the sponsor balked at what would have been essentially a straight head-of-household role for the comedian. Then creator and producer Irving Brecher saw Bendix as taxicab company owner Tim McGuerin in The McGuerins from Brooklyn . Brecher stated, "He was a Brooklyn guy and there was something about him. I thought, This guy could play it. He'd made

1274-551: A revoltin' development this is!" – became one of the catchphrases of the 1940s. It was later reused by Benjamin J. Grimm of the Fantastic Four . Bendix was not able to play the role on television because of a contracted film commitment. The part instead went to Jackie Gleason and aired a single season beginning in October 1949. Despite winning an Emmy award, the show was cancelled, in part because Gleason

1372-536: A scene. But on the stage you can work with a part, build it from performance to performance.” As a professional, he was pragmatic and unsentimental about his career. His credo, he remarked, was, “Save a buck or two and keep on acting – that's me.” In an interview in 1960 he summed up his life: “I've had a long, – varied, pleasant, eventful career. I don't hate anybody and I don't have any bitter thoughts. I started out without any advantages, but I've been lucky and successful and I've had fun.” Bendix married

1470-601: A second appearance on October 1, 1959, the fourth-season premiere of the series, in which he and Tennessee Ernie Ford performed a comedy skit about a safari. In NBC's Wagon Train ("Around the Horn", 1958), Bendix played the captain of a sailing cargo ship who shanghaied Major Adams ( Ward Bond ), Bill Hawks ( Terry Wilson ) and Charlie Wooster ( Frank McGrath ), forcing them to work on his ship. On November 16, 1959, Bendix appeared on NBC's color broadcast of The Steve Allen Plymouth Show with Jack Kerouac . A color videotape of

1568-408: A second chance to a show whose audition failed when the sponsor spurned Groucho Marx for the lead. With Bendix stumbling, bumbling, and skating almost perpetually on thin ice, stretching the patience of his otherwise loving wife and children, The Life of Riley was a radio hit from 1944 through 1951, and Bendix brought an adaptation of the film version to Lux Radio Theatre . The show began as

1666-416: A series based on such stories could succeed, CBS again began talks with Serling about the possibilities of producing The Twilight Zone . " Where Is Everybody? " was accepted as the pilot episode and the project was officially announced to the public in early 1959. Other than reruns at the time, "The Time Element" was not aired on television again until it was shown as part of a 1996 all-night sneak preview of

1764-572: A single issue of a new series using the title logo from the 1985 revival, featuring an adaptation of Harlan Ellison 's story " Crazy as a Soup Sandwich ". The issue was reprinted as Twilight Zones Premiere in 1991, followed by an eleven-issue second volume (1991–1992) and a four-issue third volume (1993), as well as an annual and a 3-D special in 1993. In 2008, students at the Savannah College of Art and Design partnered with Walker & Co. to create graphic novels based on eight episodes of

1862-565: A time when they were considered taboo. Throughout the 1950s , Serling established himself as one of the most popular names in television. He was as famous for writing televised drama as he was for criticizing the medium's limitations. His most vocal complaints concerned censorship, which was frequently practiced by sponsors and networks. "I was not permitted to have my senators discuss any current or pressing problem", he said of his 1957 Studio One production "The Arena", intended to be an involving look into contemporary politics. "To talk of tariff

1960-413: A vehicle for social comment, as networks and sponsors who censored controversial material from live dramas were less concerned with seemingly innocuous fantasy and sci-fi stories. Frequent themes on The Twilight Zone included nuclear war , McCarthyism , and mass hysteria , subjects that were avoided on less serious primetime television. Episodes such as " The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street " and " I Am

2058-422: Is a dystopian TV show called The Scary Door , the title sequence, dystopian themes and comedic premise of which are heavily influenced by The Twilight Zone . One episode of The Scary Door, "The Last Man On Earth," parodies The Twilight Zone's original season 1 episode " Time Enough At Last ." Many Treehouse Of Horror episodes of The Simpsons also reference the show. These include " Treehouse of Horror " (where

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2156-566: Is also remembered for playing Chester A. Riley, the earnest and clumsy aircraft plant worker, in both the radio and television versions of The Life of Riley . Additionally, he portrayed baseball legend Babe Ruth in The Babe Ruth Story . Bendix frequently co-starred with Alan Ladd , appearing in ten films together; both actors died in 1964. Bendix was born in Manhattan, the only child of Oscar and Hilda (Carnell) Bendix, and

2254-455: Is impossible given the nature of temporal paradoxes . While on the couch, Jenson falls asleep once again but this time dreams that the Japanese planes shoot and kill him. In Dr. Gillespie's office, the couch Jenson was lying on is now empty. Dr. Gillespie goes to a bar where he finds Jenson's picture on the wall. The bartender tells him that Jenson had tended bar there, but he was killed during

2352-480: Is named after one of the original series' writers. In Mad Men , Paul Kinsey quotes Rod Serling's "submitted for your approval" opening and foreshadows the original show's cancellation (Season 1, Episode 2), saying "Mitch in Media says CBS might pull the plug -- I'll kill myself." The Late Show with Stephen Colbert aired a skit The Twilight Zone: Just The Twists on February 1, 2016 and on January 22, 2024, where

2450-477: Is planning to make a new film with Warner Bros ., citing The Twilight Zone as his favorite TV series. Unlike the first film, which was an anthology feature, it will be a big-budget, SFX-laden continuous story possibly based on classic episodes of the series such as " Eye of the Beholder ", " To Serve Man ", or any of the 92 scripts written by Rod Serling, to which Warner Bros. owns the rights. One plot leaked from

2548-428: Is the Japanese term for a transmedia franchise. The term media mix gained its circulation in late 1980s and is first used to describe adaptations of Sakyo Komatsu 's Japan Sinks , but the origins of the strategy can be traced back to the 1960s with the proliferation of anime , with its interconnection of media and commodity goods. Some of the earlier popular Japanese franchises such as Vampire Hunter D in

2646-600: The Oriental Land Company , owner and operator of the Tokyo parks. The ride also served as the inspiration for the 1997 TV film Tower of Terror , which bears no connection to the attraction or The Twilight Zone . The Twilight Zone first series is currently in syndication on MeTV Network and Syfy , and the 2002 revival is syndicated on the El Rey Network . In Matt Groening 's Futurama , there

2744-479: The PC . In March 1992, Midway Games released a wide-body pinball game, Twilight Zone , based on the original TV series, as a Bally title. Conceived by Pat Lawlor , it uses Golden Earring 's hit song " Twilight Zone " (1982) as its theme song. The game sold 15,235 units. It is often regarded as one of the greatest pinball machines of all time. On September 17, 2014, Legacy Interactive and Spark Plug Games released

2842-482: The Twilight Zone universe. In June 2017, Christine Lavaf was hired to write the script. In 1964, Ideal released a board game, The Twilight Zone Game , at the height of the show's popularity. The game consisted of a cardboard playing surface, four colored playing pieces, a colored spinning wheel, and 12 "door" playing cards. In 1988, Gigabit Systems, Inc. published a text adventure video game for Amiga and

2940-491: The fantasy and science fiction genres. Similarly, fantasy, science fiction films and television shows are frequently adapted into animated television series , video games, or both. A media franchise does not have to include the same characters or theme, as the brand identity can be the franchise, like Square Enix 's Final Fantasy or the National Lampoon series , and can suffer from critical failures even if

3038-423: The 1980s and Pokémon in the late 1990s, acted as benchmarks in the country's transmedia dominance. The latter in particular began as a video game available on Nintendo 's Game Boy , and crossed through the media of television, film, news, and other non-media related realms, such trading cards, merchandise, and more. A number of Japanese media franchises have gained considerable global popularity, and are among

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3136-565: The 2001 album Invincible . The Marketts ' biggest hit, " Out of Limits ", originally entitled "Outer Limits", was named after the 1963 TV series The Outer Limits . Rod Serling sued the Marketts for quoting the four-note motif from The Twilight Zone , without his approval, which resulted in the change of the title to "Out of Limits". It reached number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1964. It sold over one million copies, and

3234-586: The Beholder." In December 2017 the Almeida Theatre in London are staging the World Premiere production of 'The Twilight Zone'. Adapted by Anne Washburn and directed by Laurence Olivier Award winner Richard Jones , and will be based on stories from the first series by Rod Serling, Charles Beaumont and Richard Matheson. The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is a theme park attraction based on

3332-413: The Dead Are") authored by her late husband, while rummaging through their garage. She showed the forgotten script to producers Michael O'Hara and Laurence Horowitz, who were significantly impressed by it. "I had a pile of scripts, which I usually procrastinate about reading. But I read this one right away and, after 30 pages, called my partner and said, "I love it," recalled O'Hara. "This is pure imagination,

3430-485: The Disco and John Williams . Beginning in 2002, episodes of the original The Twilight Zone were adapted for radio, with Stacy Keach taking Serling's role as narrator and produced by Carl Amari of Falcon Picture Group. Each episode features a current Hollywood celebrity, including Jason Alexander, Blair Underwood, Lou Gossett, Jr., Michael York, Jim Caviezel, Jane Seymour, Don Johnson, Sean Astin, Luke Perry and others in

3528-462: The Kanamits, who first appeared in the first series' season 3 episode " To Serve Man ". On February 24, 2021, CBS All Access canceled the series after two seasons. Twilight Zone: The Movie is a 1983 feature film produced by Steven Spielberg and John Landis . It starred Dan Aykroyd , Albert Brooks , John Lithgow , Vic Morrow and Scatman Crothers . The film remade three classic episodes of

3626-450: The Meek ", and " Long Distance Call "). The first series contains 156 episodes. The episodes in seasons one through three are 30 minutes long with commercials (24 or 25 minutes without commercials). Season four (1962–63) consists of one-hour episodes with commercials (51 minutes without commercials). Season five returned to the half-hour format. It was Serling's decision to sell his share of

3724-527: The Night—Color Me Black " offered specific commentary on current events and social issues. Other stories, such as " The Masks ", " I Dream of Genie ", or " Mr. Denton on Doomsday " were allegories , parables , or fables that reflected the moral and philosophical choices of the characters. Despite his esteem in the writing community, Serling found the series difficult to sell. Few critics felt that science fiction could transcend empty escapism and enter

3822-1019: The Pearl Harbor attack. With the "Time Element" script, Serling drafted the fundamental elements that defined the subsequent series: a science-fiction/fantasy theme, opening and closing narration, and an ending with a twist. "The Time Element" was purchased immediately but shelved indefinitely. This is where things stood when Bert Granet , the new producer for Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse , discovered "The Time Element" in CBS' vaults while searching for an original Serling script to add prestige to his show. "The Time Element" (introduced by Desi Arnaz ) debuted on November 24, 1958, to an overwhelmingly delighted audience of television viewers and critics alike. "The humor and sincerity of Mr. Serling's dialogue made 'The Time Element' consistently entertaining," offered Jack Gould of The New York Times . More than 6,000 letters of praise flooded Granet's offices. Convinced that

3920-431: The Twilight Zone (1962); these have all been reprinted several times, including in an omnibus, The Twilight Zone: Complete Stories (1980). In 1995, DAW Books published the anthology books Journeys to the Twilight Zone (16 stories edited by Carol Serling including Rod Serling's "Suggestion"), Return to the Twilight Zone (18 stories edited by Carol Serling including Rod Serling's "The Sole Survivor"), and Adventures in

4018-560: The Twilight Zone (24 stories edited by Carol Serling including Rod Serling's "Lindemann's Catch"). In September 2009, Tor Books published Twilight Zone: 19 Original Stories on the 50th Anniversary , to mark the 50th anniversary of the series. It contains stories by 20 authors such as R. L. Stine and Timothy Zahn , and an introduction by Carol Serling. Western Publishing published a Twilight Zone comic book, first providing content under contract to publisher Dell Comics for four issues, one in 1961 and three further issues in 1962, with

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4116-435: The band's 2003 compilation album of the same name. Mathcore duo Serling is named after the shows creator, Rod Serling. All songs, lyrics, and albums of theirs discuss particular Twilight Zone episodes and themes. Science fiction on television Media franchise A media franchise often consists of cross-marketing across more than one medium. For the owners, the goal of increasing profit through diversity can extend

4214-458: The broadcast survives. Bendix starred in all 17 episodes of the NBC Western series Overland Trail (1960) in the role of Frederick Thomas "Fred" Kelly. He guest-starred in an episode of Mister Ed ("Pine Lake Lodge", 1961) which served as a backdoor pilot for a proposed sitcom that was not picked up. In the fall of 1964, an American situation comedy starring Bendix and Martha Raye

4312-419: The commercial profitability of the franchise and create strong feelings of identity and ownership in its consumers. Those large groups of dedicated consumers create the franchise's fandom , which is the community of fans that indulge in many of its media and are committed to interacting with and keeping up with other consumers. Large franchise-based fandoms have grown to be even more popular in recent years with

4410-695: The day-in-the-life episodes of the many different Real Housewives series. Documentaries and docuseries are other highlights of the non-fiction branch of media franchises, such as the popular Planet Earth series, which serves as both a film and television transmedia franchise. William Bendix William Bendix (January 14, 1906 – December 14, 1964) was an American film, radio, and television actor, known for his portrayals of rough, blue-collar characters. He gained significant recognition for his role in Wake Island , which earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. Bendix

4508-477: The end of World War II, a man named Peter Jenson ( William Bendix ) visits a psychoanalyst , Dr. Gillespie ( Martin Balsam ). Jenson tells him about a recurring dream in which he tries to warn people about the "sneak attack" on Pearl Harbor before it happens, but the warnings are disregarded. Jenson believes the events of the dream are real, and each night he travels back to 1941. Dr. Gillespie insists that time travel

4606-554: The episodes "The Eye of the Beholder", "The Midnight Sun", and "Nothing in the Dark". It was directed by Anthony Arbaiza . In 2017, Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School produced a live adaptation directed by Adam Graham with permission from CBS , with two shows containing four episodes each. These episodes included "Will The Real Martian Please Stand Up?" and "The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street." as well as more technically challenging episodes such as "Penny For Your Thoughts" and "The Eye of

4704-513: The family are abducted by aliens, "Hungry Are The Damned"), " Treehouse of Horror III " (which features an evil Krusty The Clown doll, "Clown Without Pity") and " Treehouse of Horror IV " (where Bart sees a gremlin on the side of the school bus, "Terror at 5 1/2 Feet"). Homer also references the show in the "Homer" segment of " Treehouse of Horror VI ," when, upon entering the 3rd dimension, he says "It's like something out of that twilighty show about that zone". The X-Files character Robert Matheson

4802-725: The fictional worlds they love, adds to the overall narrative the franchise creates through its other media. Marvel's Avenger's Campus park is one of the many franchise-based theme parks created in recent times, following the creation of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studio's Islands of Adventure and Star Wars' Galaxy's Edge at Disneyland and Disney World . Media franchises tend to cross over from their original media to other forms. Literary franchises are often transported to film, such as Nancy Drew , Miss Marple , and other popular detectives , as well as popular comic book superheroes . Television and film franchises are often expanded upon in novels , particularly those in

4900-470: The film The Matrix Reloaded and the video game Enter the Matrix were produced at the same time, using the same actors on the same sets, and released on the same day. Transmedia franchises occasionally release content through certain media that is not canon to the main or greater story that the franchise is built around, meaning that the elements of said content do not truly exist in the main timeline of

4998-512: The final issue being published in 1982. Several of the stories were reprinted in their Mystery Comics Digest , which mentioned the title on the covers. A wide range of artists worked on the title, including Jack Sparling , Reed Crandall , Lee Elias , George Evans , Russ Jones , Joe Orlando , Jerry Robinson , Mike Sekowsky , Dan Spiegle , Frank Thorne , and Alex Toth . The first published comic book work of artist Frank Miller appeared in issue 84 (June 1978). In 1990, NOW Comics published

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5096-467: The financial logic of cost-recovery for expensive productions by identifying that a single medium launch is a lost opportunity, the timeliness of the production and release is more important than its integrity, the releases should raise brand awareness and the cross-ability of the work is critical for its success. American Idol was a transmedia franchise from its beginnings, with the first season winner Kelly Clarkson signing with RCA Records and having

5194-478: The first series and included one original story. Landis directed the prologue and the first segment "(Time Out"), Spielberg directed the second (Kick the Can), Joe Dante the third (It's a Good Life", and George Miller directed the fourth (Nightmare at 20,000 Feet). Landis's segment became notorious for a helicopter accident during filming that caused the deaths of Morrow and two child actors. Actor Leonardo DiCaprio

5292-466: The first two published as part of their long-running Four Color anthology series as issue numbers 1173 and 1288, and then two further one-shots numbered separately in Dell's unique fashion as 01-860-207 and 12-860-210 (numbered as 01-860-210 on the inside) respectively. Western then restarted the series under its own Gold Key imprint with a formal issue No. 1, which ran 92 issues from 1962 to 1979, with

5390-607: The focus on the content of the commodity to "overlapping the commodity image with the character image". The book Anime's Media Mix: Franchising Toys and Characters in Japan, by Marc Steinberg, details the evolution of the media mix in Japan. Long-running franchises were common in the early studio era, when Hollywood studios had actors and directors under long-term contract. In such cases, even lead actors are often replaced as they age, lose interest, or their characters are killed. Spin-offs and adaptations of popular pieces of media within

5488-433: The franchise's characters and settings. As one author explains, "For the studios, a home-run is a film from which a multimedia 'franchise' can be generated; the colossally expensive creation of cross-media conglomerates predicated on synergistic rewards provides an obvious imperative to develop such products." The trend later developed wherein franchises would be launched in multiple forms of media simultaneously; for instance,

5586-415: The franchise. Canon content often times breaks continuity, leading fans to speculate or seek to confirm which media are canon and which are not, which can get confusing if the franchise does not provide an answer themselves since entire media can be non-canon to the greater story, with a popular example occurring. On the other hand, specific episodes, volumes or parts of a series can be canon while others in

5684-463: The host claims to get access to unreleased alternative versions of episodes. The video game Alan Wake contains an in-universe series called Night Springs , episodes of which the player can find on televisions scattered through the game. The episodes mirror The Twilight Zone' s intro, theme song, and storytelling style, complete with an announcer impersonating Rod Serling's voice and narration. Many bands and artists have released songs dedicated to

5782-601: The leads. He soon gained attention after appearing in Alfred Hitchcock 's Lifeboat (1944) as Gus, a wounded and dying American sailor. He was the top-billed lead in The Hairy Ape (1944) based upon the Eugene O'Neill play, also starring Susan Hayward and Dorothy Comingore . Bendix's other film roles include his portrayal of Babe Ruth in The Babe Ruth Story (1948) – a film roundly considered one of

5880-473: The magazine), footwear, clothing of every kind, jewelry, housewares (lamps, clocks, bedding, glassware), guitars and gambling, playing cards, pinball machines and pet accessories, billiard balls, bedroom appurtenances, enhancements, plus countless other items of merchandise. Non-fiction media franchises also exist in the television and film media, with reality TV being one of the most well-known examples; ranging from competition shows like The Amazing Race to

5978-400: The media fictional material is unrelated. Non-fiction literary franchises include the ...For Dummies and The Complete Idiot's Guide to... reference books . An enduring and comprehensive example of a media franchise is Playboy Enterprises , which began expanding well beyond its successful magazine, Playboy , within a few years after its first publication, into such enterprises as

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6076-421: The narration is all strictly voice-over and the narrator never appears on-screen. In the early 1990s, Richard Matheson and Carol Serling produced an outline for a two-hour made-for-TV movie which would feature Matheson adaptations of three yet-unfilmed Rod Serling short stories. Outlines for such a production were rejected by CBS until early 1994, when Serling's widow discovered a complete shooting script ("Where

6174-465: The network decided – against Serling's wishes – to cut costs by shooting some episodes on videotape rather than film. The requisite multicamera setup of the videotape format precluded location shooting, severely limiting the potential scope of the storylines, and the experiment was abandoned after just six episodes (" Twenty Two ", " Static ", " The Whole Truth ", " The Lateness of the Hour ", " The Night of

6272-457: The new Twilight Zone a greenlight in 1984 under the supervision of Carla Singer, then Vice President of Drama Development. While the show did not come close to matching the enduring popularity of the original, some episodes – particularly Alan Brennert 's love story " Her Pilgrim Soul " and J. Neil Schulman 's " Profile in Silver " – were critically acclaimed. In a tribute to the first series,

6370-476: The new cable channel TVLand . It is available in an Italian DVD boxed set titled Ai confini della realtà – I tesori perduti . The Twilight Zone Season 1 Blu-ray boxed set released on September 14, 2010, offers a remastered high-definition version of the original Desilu Playhouse production as a special feature. The program's supporting cast features Darryl Hickman , Jesse White , Bartlett Robinson and future Three Stooges member Joe DeRita . The series

6468-401: The opening credits include a brief image of Rod Serling. Four episodes are remakes of those from the first series: " Night of the Meek ", " Shadow Play ", " The After Hours " and " A Game of Pool ", while " Dead Woman's Shoes " is an adaptation of " Dead Man's Shoes ". Unlike the first, third and fourth series, this version does not include the opening monologue during the title sequence. As well,

6566-664: The original Twilight Zone series. Designed by Walt Disney Imagineering , the attraction is present at Disney's Hollywood Studios in Orlando, Walt Disney Studios Park in Paris and Tokyo DisneySea in Japan. A fourth attraction at Disney California Adventure operated from 2004 to 2017 before being re-themed to Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: Breakout! . The attraction in Japan is the only one not themed to The Twilight Zone , due to cultural differences and constraints in licensing for

6664-433: The overarching story and narrative of the franchise itself. A connection between the characters, settings, and other elements of the media franchise do still exist within the different media, regardless of the fact that they are being presented in sometimes completely different ways, such as the shared, interweaving storylines and elements of Spider-Man films, television shows, comics and video games. Espen Aarseth describes

6762-407: The pilot and have A-list actors appear on the revival. The following month, he told IGN that a writer with whom he had previously worked was in negotiations to join the revival and that he felt "passionate" towards the first series and the planned revival. In February 2016, it was reported that Ken Levine would write and direct the pilot episode of the revival series. It was also reported that

6860-484: The popular Twilight book series that was adapted into the five films of The Twilight Saga . Other neologisms exist to describe various franchise types including metaseries , which can be used to describe works such as Isaac Asimov 's Foundation series . Multimedia franchises usually develop through a character or fictional world becoming popular in one medium, and then expanding to others through licensing agreements , with respect to intellectual property in

6958-504: The radio work of one of Serling's inspirations, Norman Corwin . The success of the series led to a feature film (1983), a TV film (1994), a radio series (2002–12), various literature , theme park attractions and various other spin-offs that spanned five decades, including three revival television series. The second series (1985–89) ran on CBS and in syndication in the 1980s, while the third series ran on UPN (2002–03). The fourth Twilight Zone series , helmed by Jordan Peele ,

7056-491: The realm of adult drama. In a September 22, 1959, interview with Serling, Mike Wallace asked a question illustrative of the times: "...[Y]ou're going to be, obviously, working so hard on The Twilight Zone that, in essence, for the time being and for the foreseeable future, you've given up on writing anything important for television, right?" While Serling's appearances on the show became one of its most distinctive features, with his clipped delivery still widely imitated today, he

7154-415: The release of A Moment Like This becoming a #1 hit on Billboard Hot 100. The success resulted in a nationwide concert tour, an American Idol book that made the bestseller list and the film From Justin to Kelly . A transmedia franchise however is often referred to by the simpler term "media franchise". The term media franchise is often used to describe the popular adaptation of a work into films, like

7252-409: The rise of social media platforms, as many fans seek to interact with one another for discussion, debate and even to create their own fan-made pieces of media revolving around the franchise, on websites like tumblr , Reddit and Fandom . In the case of successful transmedia franchises, each different medium should expand the target demographic and fandom, build the interest of the consumers and add to

7350-525: The same medium are not, such as the fact that only some of the Battlestar Galactica comics are canon, with a large amount of them breaking the continuity of the main story. In Japanese culture and entertainment, media mix ( wasei-eigo : メディアミックス , mediamikkusu ) is a strategy to disperse content across multiple representations: different broadcast media , gaming technologies, cell phones, toys, amusement parks , and other methods. It

7448-512: The script tells about a pilot who time-travels 96 years into the future. Cloverfield director Matt Reeves was signed in 2011 to direct the movie, but left in 2012 to direct Dawn of the Planet of the Apes . On August 16, 2013, Joseph Kosinski was announced to direct. The studio hired Aron Eli Coleite to pen the screenplay for the film and will not be an anthology but use various elements from

7546-445: The scripts contain handwritten edits by Serling himself and differ in significant ways from the aired versions; most volumes contain an alternate version of a selected script. The script for " The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street " has been published into 7th grade reading books in the form of a play. Live theatre productions of the original episodes can be seen in Los Angeles and Seattle, where Theater Schmeater has continuously produced

7644-568: The series and collaborate on the premiere episode. Win Rosenfeld and Audrey Chon will also serve as executive producers. Peele was revealed to be the new host and narrator in September 2018, and the new opening sequence was released. The series premiered on April 1, 2019. The season 1 episode "Nightmare at 30,000 Feet" is based on the first series' season 5 episode " Nightmare at 20,000 Feet ". The season 2 episode "You Might Also Like" features

7742-455: The series back to the network that eventually allowed for a Twilight Zone revival. As an in-house production, CBS stood to earn more money producing The Twilight Zone than it could by purchasing a new series produced by an outside company. Even so, the network was slow to consider a revival, turning down offers from the original production team of Rod Serling and Buck Houghton and later from American filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola . CBS gave

7840-743: The series through 2009. The first four, " Walking Distance ", " The After Hours ", " The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street ", and " The Odyssey of Flight 33 ", were released in December 2011. The other four were " The Midnight Sun ", " Deaths-Head Revisited ", " The Big Tall Wish " and " Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up? " Comics publisher Dynamite Entertainment ran a multiple-issue series, written by J. Michael Straczynski and with art by Guiu Vilanova, beginning in December 2013. Michael Jackson used samples from The Twilight Zone in his songs "The Lost Children" and "Threatened" from

7938-534: The series would be interactive. In November 2017, it was reported that Jordan Peele was developing a reboot of the series for streaming service CBS All Access with Marco Ramirez serving as potential showrunner. In December 2017, CBS All Access ordered the fourth The Twilight Zone series to series. It was announced that the series would be produced by CBS Television Studios in association with Monkeypaw Productions and Genre Films . Jordan Peele, Marco Ramirez, and Simon Kinberg will serve as executive producers for

8036-433: The show, with some titled "The Twilight Zone"/"Twilight Zone", as listed above . John Grant briefly mentions the show's title in the song "Sigourney Weaver", from his 2010 album, Queen of Denmark . British post-punk band The Fall released a song called "Time Enough At Last" appearing on their Code: Selfish album. The song recounts the events of the original Twilight Zone episode of the same name and also appears on

8134-574: The title roles. The series is broadcast on hundreds of radio stations from coast to coast and over Sirius/XM. The station list and episodes for download, including 3 Free episodes are available at the official website at www.twilightzoneradio.com Beginning in 2001, Gauntlet Press began publishing collections of original scripts from The Twilight Zone by Charles Beaumont, Richard Matheson, and Rod Serling. A ten-volume signed, limited edition series of all 92 of Rod Serling's scripts, authorized by his wife, Carol Serling, began yearly publication in 2004. Many of

8232-477: The world's highest-grossing media franchises . For example, Pokémon 's penetration into the American market of the franchise along with others of Japanese origin, such as Yu-Gi-Oh! , gave rise to the recognition of what is variously called transmedia storytelling , crossmedia, transmediation , media synergy, etc. Researchers argue that the 1963 Tetsuwan Atomu marked a shift in Japanese marketing from

8330-522: The worst sports biopics in film history – and Sir Sagramore opposite Bing Crosby in A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1949), in which he took part in the trio, "Busy Doing Nothing". He played Nick the bartender in the film version of William Saroyan 's The Time of Your Life (1948) starring James Cagney . Bendix had appeared in the stage version, but in the role of Officer Krupp (a role played on film by Broderick Crawford ). He

8428-657: Was awarded a gold disc . Many other musicians have written and performed music based on The Twilight Zone , including: 2 Unlimited (" Twilight Zone "), Anthrax (" Intro to Reality "), Average White Band , John Cale , Dr. John , David Dubowski (" To Serve Man "), Golden Earring (" Twilight Zone "), Michael Hurley , Tech N9ne , Iron Maiden (" Twilight Zone "), Mekong Delta (" Twilight Zone "), Van Morrison (" Twilight Zone "), Rush (" The Twilight Zone "), Raymond Scott , Sly & Robbie , Magneto Dayo, The Manhattan Transfer (" Twilight Zone/Twilight Tone "), The Residents , The Ventures (" Twilight Zone "), Panic! at

8526-571: Was cast in The Blue Dahlia (1946), appearing for the second time alongside Ladd and Lake. He also starred in a film adaptation of his radio program The Life of Riley (1949). Bendix's appearance in the Hal Roach -produced film The McGuerins from Brooklyn (1942), playing a rugged blue-collar man, led to his best-remembered role. Producer and creator Irving Brecher saw Bendix as the perfect personification of Chester A. Riley, giving

8624-626: Was claimed to be a descendant of the 19th-century composer Felix Mendelssohn . Bendix played the lead in Rod Serling 's " The Time Element " (1958), a time-travel adventure episode about a man who travels back to 1941 and unsuccessfully tries to warn everyone in Honolulu about the impending attack on Pearl Harbor; the program's success opened the doors for Serling's later series The Twilight Zone . Bendix also appeared on The Ford Show, Starring Tennessee Ernie Ford (also 1958). He returned for

8722-477: Was developed by UPN in 2002; it was hosted by Forest Whitaker . It was broadcast in a one-hour format composed of two half-hour stories, it was canceled after one season. " It's Still a Good Life " is a sequel to " It's a Good Life ", " The Monsters Are on Maple Street " is an adaptation of " The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street " and " Eye of the Beholder " is a remake of an episode from the first series , with Serling still credited as writer. In December 2012, it

8820-401: Was less acceptable as Riley, since Bendix had been so identified with the part on radio. In 1953, Bendix became available for a new television version, and this time the show was a hit. The second television version of The Life of Riley ran from 1953 to 1958, long enough for Riley to become a grandfather. On the 1952 television program This Is Your Life , hosted by Ralph Edwards , Bendix

8918-428: Was mixed. Gannett News Service described it as "taut and stylish, a reminder of what can happen when fine actors are given great words." USA Today was less impressed, even suggesting that Carol Serling "should have left these two unproduced mediocrities in the garage where she found them." Ultimately, ratings proved insufficient to justify a proposed sequel featuring three scripts adapted by Matheson. A third series

9016-554: Was named William after his German paternal grandfather. His uncle was composer, conductor, and violinist Max Bendix . In the early 1920s, Bendix was a batboy for the New York Yankees and said he saw Babe Ruth hit more than 100 home runs at Yankee Stadium. However, he was fired after fulfilling Ruth's request for a large order of hot dogs and soda before a game, which resulted in Ruth being unable to play that day. He worked as

9114-869: Was produced by Cayuga Productions, Inc., a production company owned and named by Serling. It reflects his background in Central New York State and is named after Cayuga Lake, on which he owned a home, and where Cornell University and Ithaca College are located. Aside from Serling, who wrote or adapted nearly two-thirds of the series' total episodes, writers for The Twilight Zone included leading authors such as Charles Beaumont , Ray Bradbury , Earl Hamner, Jr. , George Clayton Johnson , Richard Matheson , Reginald Rose , and Jerry Sohl . Many episodes also featured new adaptations of classic stories by such writers as Ambrose Bierce , Jerome Bixby , Damon Knight , John Collier , and Lewis Padgett . Twilight Zone 's writers frequently used science fiction as

9212-471: Was released on CBS All Access from 2019 to 2020. TV Guide ranked the original TV series #5 in their 2013 list of the 60 greatest shows of all time and #4 in their list of the 60 greatest dramas. As a boy, Rod Serling was a fan of pulp fiction stories. As an adult, he sought books with themes such as racism , government , war , society , and human nature in general. Serling decided to combine these interests to broach these subjects on television at

9310-411: Was reported that Bryan Singer was developing and executive producing a fourth television series for CBS Television Studios . A writer for the series was not chosen and the program was not pitched to any networks. CBS, which broadcast the first series and second series, was reportedly interested. In February 2013, Singer told TG Daily that the project was still in development and that he hoped to direct

9408-421: Was reportedly nervous about it and had to be persuaded to appear on camera. Serling often appeared in medias res with the characters remaining oblivious to him, with one notable exception: In " A World of His Own ", a writer ( Keenan Wynn ) with the ability to make characters appear and disappear objects to Serling's narration and promptly erases Serling from the show. In season two, due to budgetary constraints,

9506-614: Was scheduled to air on CBS, but due to Bendix's shaky health, the network decided not to air the program. This action resulted in a lawsuit from Bendix for $ 2.658 million in May, with the actor stating that the decision hurt his career and that he was in excellent health and could perform all of the requirements of the agreement. The case was settled out of court. Bendix died on December 14, 1964, of complications from pneumonia. Bendix saw advantages to both film and stage work. "“Films take tremendous pressure off – you can always reshoot

9604-535: Was to align oneself with the Republicans ; to talk of labor was to suggest control by the Democrats . To say a single thing germane to the current political scene was absolutely prohibited." CBS purchased a teleplay in 1958 that writer Rod Serling hoped to produce as the pilot of a weekly anthology series. "The Time Element" marked Serling's first entry in the field of science fiction. Thirteen years after

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