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As Timeless As Infinity: The Complete Twilight Zone Scripts of Rod Serling, Volume One

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For those interested in the particulars, the following press release (courtesy publisher Gauntlet Press - www.gauntletpress.com)lists the details of this series as a whole and volume one in particular:

Gauntlet Press is thrilled to announce we will be publishing all 92 of Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone scripts, authorized by his wife Carol Serling. This will take the form of a 10 volume signed, limited edition set entitled AS TIMELESS AS INFINITY: THE COMPLETE TWILIGHT ZONE SCRIPTS OF ROD SERLING.

Except for The Twilight Zone Magazine and a few textbooks, this is the first time that Carol Serling has authorized (and will take an active role in) the publication of these scripts. Each volume is limited to a run of 750 copies. Each copy is hand-signed by Carol Serling and hand-numbered. The books are edited by Tony Albarella, one of the Board of Directors for the Rod Serling Memorial Foundation and the co-author of THE TWILIGHT ZONE SCRIPTS OF EARL HAMNER.

AS TIMELESS AS INFINITY will offer a unique and definitive look at Rod Serling's landmark The Twilight Zone teleplays. The classic scripts will be reprinted directly from Serling's personal collection, currently housed in the Special Collections Archive at Ithaca College. As editor, Albarella worked closely with Carol Serling to bring out material that has never before been made available to the public.

The scripts will appear in their original format and will not be typeset or altered in any way. In many cases this includes Rod's handwritten changes or notations. The Ithaca material also includes some revisions and earlier script drafts that differ, to varying degrees, from the final shooting scripts. Variant details will be included where appropriate to document the creative process and track the evolution of the stories.

A commentary will accompany each rare script; in many cases this will include interview material with cast, crew and select comments from Serling himself. In addition, many of Rod's friends and colleagues will pay tribute to the man and his work. Included will be appreciations from contemporaries that worked with Serling as well as current talents that were inspired by him. Participating in volume one will be legendary author Richard Matheson and Rockne S. O'Bannon (creator of the television series Alien Nation, Sea Quest DSV, and Farscape, as well as a principal writer for the 1980s revival of The Twilight Zone).

Preparation for this ambitious collection began in early 2002. Since then, scores of exclusive interviews have been conducted and the gathering of unique material is an on-going process. A few surprises will be offered along the way, including examples of Serling's personal correspondence, vintage communications from CBS, rare production photos and much more.

Rod Serling was a true visionary - one of the pioneers of early television - and The Twilight Zone showcased some of his finest creations. AS TIMELESS AS INFINITY will present these ageless tales in a tribute worthy of Serling's legacy.

The list of scripts to appear in Volume One is as follows:

1) "The Time Element"
This hour-long was not an official Twilight Zone, but the widely accepted unofficial pilot. A Desilu Playhouse production from 1958 about time travel, it recieved surprisingly good ratings and that's what encouraged CBS to consider Serling's "sci-fi/fantasy" proposal. This show is seldom seen and has never been offered in print in any form.

2) "Where is Everybody?"
(the official pilot)

3) "Eye of the Beholder"

4) "Third from the Sun"

5) "The Purple Testament"

6) "The Big, Tall Wish"

7) "A Most Unusual Camera."
Two versions of this script are included with the book - one that is the "final shooting script" and one that is a complete, alternate version that varies from the other in several respects.

8) "The Mind and the Matter"

9) "The Dummy"

Volume One is 488 pages in length.

Ever since the release of "The Twilight Zone Companion" by Marc Scott Zicree twenty-two years ago, followers of THE TWILIGHT ZONE and Rod Serling have awaited the possible release of a second opinion, if you will. Zicree's comprehensive volume covers the series in depth, and everyone who calls themself a fan of THE TWILIGHT ZONE has a copy of this book. "The Companion" has been criticized for its brevity and lack of thorough coverage of many episodes, possibly due to publisher requests that the book serve as a casual episode guide.

Other attempts have been made in recent years to expand upon what "The Companion" did. Most recently and notoriously, the horridly-written and overpriced volume by Presnell and McGee (1998) and several other books on the series that have included episode guides with commentary. 2001 and 2002 marked the release of Richard Matheson's TWILIGHT ZONE SCRIPTS, and in 2003 Earl Hamner's eight scripts were released. The scripts of Charles Beaumont are also scheduled for publication (edited by Roger Anker, to be published by Gauntlet Press), the three TWILIGHT ZONE scripts written by Jerry Sohl (edited by Chris Conlon, to be published by Bear Manor Media), as is a collection of eight scripts written by non-mainstream writers compiled by Andrew Szym (to be published by Bear Manor Media). The eight ZONE scripts and stories written by George Clayton Johnson were released a number of years ago, in 1976.

Tony Albarella undertook the project of introducing all ninety-two scripts written by Rod Serling. Having gotten a warm-up on the art of commentary writing as editor of Hamner's TWILIGHT ZONE SCRIPTS (Cumberland House, 2003), Albarella's commentaries here are excellent. Although not cast as an episode guide, this looks to be the finest analysis of TWILIGHT ZONE episodes to date. After audiences have taken Zicree's words as 'the last words on TWILIGHT ZONE' for many years, Tony Albarella gives a particularly insightful look at each episode. He has taken the time to interview many actors who appeared in/starred in each segment. His analysis of the episode "The Big Tall Wish" (the only TWILIGHT ZONE episode to star black actors) is particularly impressive; this episode is largely downgraded in fan circles for its problematic and flawed plotline, but here receives a thorough explanation for why it succeeds.

Included in each volume are the original, unedited, typewritten copies of Serling's scripts, sometimes with handwritten annotation. Bonus items include a photo gallery with production and publicity stills, and short but touching tributes to Serling and the series by actors. Also included are nice essay appreciations by well-known TV and sci-fi writers.

After years of being bottled up and not readily available, this series of script books surely looks to be one of the finest of TV script collections available.

Rod Serling rode the leading edge of culture in his era. His work still resonates today, forty-five years after the debut of his masterwork. That masterwork has been on the air continuously ever since.

Serling's passionate commitment to equality and justice--and especially his willingness to fight The Powers of the Day for these beliefs--anticipated the social turmoil and progress of the Sixties. His use of fantasy to illustrate relevant points about the real world, transformed drama.

That's one hell of a legacy to document, but "As Timeless as Infinity: The Twilight Zone Scripts of Rod Serling" is up to the task. Its finest touch may be presenting the master's work in its original hand-typed and pencil-edited form. The script pages are as blurry and old-fashioned looking as the black-and-white episodes of Twilight Zone. And Serling's brilliance shines through this time-frozen fog as clearly on the page as it does on the screen.

The scripts are the core of this book, but they have elegant support: touching tributes, heart-felt appreciations, and sublime treats such as original clippings of ads and reviews and telegrams and contracts. And of course production photos. There is something for everyone in this volume, the first of a projected ten. These additional pages lend an unusual authenticity to the book; they frame the time that surrounded yet could not restrain The Twilight Zone.

Perhaps the finest aspect of this book that is external to Serling's work is the editor's commentary which follows each script. Tony Albarella is a lifelong fan and affianado of The Twilight Zone. He offers the same thoughtful analysis that he gave to Earl Hamner's Twilight Zone scripts in an earlier book, and so much more. You are treated to production notes, snippets from interviews, historical background, philosophical comment.

I found myself entranced by the tale of how the projectionst for "Where is Everybody?" got so wrapped up in the story that he left CBS President William Paley sitting in the dark between reel 2 and reel 3 of the audition screening. And my mouth dropped open at the real-life twist regarding Cliff Robertson's brush with death before production of "The Dummy."

You want the details? Buy the book. There's a treasure on every page.

Reprinting scripts to a television program we enjoy watching isn't very exciting. Even less interesting for people trying to study film making, which is the point of reviewing scripts. Very few exceptions make scripts worth any value -- one being a page or two of dialogue that never made it to the finished production or handwritten notes from the author. While this is a valid and negative point, I would like to note that the commentary and insight behind the production of each episode is a plus. In fact, the best part of the book.

I share the same opinion with another reviewer: Marc Scott Zicree's book is NOT the "final word on Twilight Zone." The author who put this series of Rod Serling teleplay scripts did a good job with the commentary which makes Zicree's book even more obsolete.

Sadly, more than half of the book is reprints of scripts. And if this series concludes with the intended ten volumes (I have no doubt it will succeed) it will only cover two-thirds of the Twilight Zone scripts since it will only focus on the Serling teleplays. And at a price tag of $55 - $299 per volume depending on where you buy your copy, this is an expensive proposition.

Amazon.com does offer a solution cheaper than the cost of even one volume of this script series. THE TWILIGHT ZONE: UNLOCKING THE DOOR TO A TELEVISION CLASSIC by Martin Grams Jnr. covers the entire series with 800 plus pages of behind-the-scenes trivia, exclusive interviews with cast and crew and a detail level will exceed anyone's expectation. if you are looking for a book that covers "everything" about the TV series, the Grams book is the one to invest. If you are looking for scripts to read, then this is your best source.

As for this Serling script book, don't buy this unless you want to spend hours reading the same dialogue you can watch on TV tonight.

Over the years, "The Twilight Zone" has grabbed us by the imaginations and refused to let go. It has given us things to think about, it has given us a good chuckle or two, and it's also given us nightmares.
But what made "The Twilight Zone" what it is today? Two things: Rod Serling and his stories. Rod Serling weaved incredible tales of value disguised with Martians, robots, and other fantastic things. Many believe him to be one of the best writers of the twentieth century, and this book is proof.
"As Timeless as Infinity: The Complete Twilight Zone Scripts of Rod Serling, Vol. One" is a magnificent book that contains exactly what the title says. Rod Serling's "Twilight Zone" scripts. "Yeah, that's really cool," you may think. But consider this. It's not re-typed or anything like "Richard Matheson's The Twilight Zone Scripts" or "The Twilight Zone Scripts of Earl Hamner" (also edited by Tony Albarella). Instead, this gigantic book contains Rod's actual type-written scripts, some even including hand-written notations from the creator of "The Twilight Zone" himself. Each script has been preserved quite nicely over the years (they're each a little over 40-years-old) and each has a wonderfully-written commentary by Tony Albarella, who dives into the technical aspects of the episode and even interviews some of the cast and crew. The book is even signed by Carol Serling, who has provided magazines and text books with Rod's scripts over the years. It also has some nice words from Richard Matheson and Rockne S. O'Bannon.
Scripts included in this volume are:
"The Time Element" - The hour-long unofficial pilot for the series.
"Where Is Everybody?" - The official pilot.
"Third From the Sun" - Based on a short story by Richard Matheson.
"The Purple Testament"
"The Big, Tall Wish"
"Eye of the Beholder"
"A Most Unusual Camera"
"A Most Unusual Camera" - Alternate version with different ending.
"The Mind and the Matter"
"The Dummy" - Based on an unpublished story by Leon Polk.
I thought it was the perfect "Twilight Zone" book, and even that is an understatement. We can all thank Mr. Albarella for doing the marvelous task of bringing Mr. Serling's unnaturally amazing scripts to the public. We can also thank Carol Serling for entrusting Mr. Albarella with such an unimaginable responsibility.
I found myself glued to this book. Rod's scripts are all incredible and each one is written so well. Rod truly was a master story-teller, there's no doubt about that. A truly fantastic book.
I give it 90 out of 10 stars.

MM

Rod Serling was so great as host of The Twilight Zone that it's easy to forget that he was also a writer of immense talent. His stories strike a reader with almost as much force as they do those who view them in televised form. Usually lacking the hamstringing luxury of excessive time in which to unfold a tale, Serling made use of economy and compacted irony and intelligence into his writing as virtually no other individual throughout literary history ever has before. This anthology is a fine presentation of some of this master's most extraordinary works.