Customer Reviews

Forgotten Gems From The Twilight Zone: A Collection Of Television Scripts Volume 1

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Any true Twilight Zone Fan can tell you Rod Serling was a great writer , but although he was the main contributing writer to one of the greatest series in television history , he didn't do it alone, There were many that were responsible for bulk of great scripts that Mr Serling did not create.Richard Matheson,George Clayton Johnson , Jerry Sohl and Earl Hamner were all great writers that contributed more than a few scripts to the series,and all have had there works published in one form or another for fans to read and enjoy.But What about those other few "Forgotten Gems" that have fallen thru the cracks? I was more than excited to purchase this book , full of information about each script , the production process and actor/directer info, Andrew Ramage pays tribute to those writers of the series,that are some times over looked for thier great contributions to "The Twilight Zone" legacy .Episodes include " The Chaser", "Long Distance Call", "The Trouble With Templeton","Dead Man's Shoe's"and"I Dream Of Genie" . An unproduced concept script called "Pattern For Doomsday"(which was a great addition for me)is also included.Overall the collection is a great display of classic ideas from the begining of the television era,presented with great respect from Ramage, these scripts can now be enjoyed by sci fi fan's ," Twilight Zone Fan's or anyone that enjoy's a great story.

BearManor Media presents "FORGOTTEN GEMS FROM THE TWILIGHT ZONE VOL.2" (Paperback), by Martin M. Goldsmith (Author), William F. Nolan (Author) & Andrew Ramage (Editor) --- Fans and collectors of "The Twilight Zone" can tell you Rod Serling was a great writer and his series will live on forever --- But he received a lot of help from some of the best writers in the business, like Jerry Sohl, Charles Beaumont, Richard Matheson, Earl Hamner and George Clayton Johnson --- But check out the others that gave us some of the best scripts in this second volume of forgotten gems from "The Twilight Zone" --- Highly recommend for good reading of the dramas from our favorite series of yesteryear.

INCLUDED IN THIS BOOK:

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Acknowledgments ----------------------------------------- i

Foreword -------------------------------------------------- 1

"The Incredible World of Horace Ford" --------------------- 3

by Reginald Rose

Revised Act IV ("Twilight Zone" ending) ------------------- 75

"What's In the Box" -------------------------------------- 87

by Martin M.Goldsmith

"The Encounter" --------------------------------------- 127

by Martin M. Goldsmith

"Number Twelve Looks Just Like You" (original draft) - ---- 161

by John Tomerlin

Revised shooting script --------------------------------- 199

"Come Wander With Me" -------------------------------- 239

by Anthony Wilson

"Dreamflight" ------------------------------------------- 283

by William F. Nolan & George Clayton Johnson

Afterword ---------------------------------------------- 327

BIOS:

1. Martin M. Goldsmith [author]

Date of Birth: 6 November 1913 - New York City, New York

Date of Death: 24 May 1994 - Sherman Oaks, California

Reginald Rose [author/teleplay/screenwriter]

Wrote the teleplay & story of "12 Angry Men (1957".

Date of Birth: 10 December 1920 - New York City, New York

Date of Death: 19 April 2002 - Norwalk, Connecticut

John Tomerlin [author/teleplay/screenwriter]

I think "Number 12 Looks Just Like You" might be one of

The Twilight Zone's very best episodes.

Date of Birth: Not Available

Date of Death: Not Available

Anthony Wilson [author/producer/consultant]

1976 Nominated Emmy Outstanding Writing in a Special Program -

Drama or Comedy - Original Teleplay for: The Night That Panicked America (1975) (TV)

Shared with:

Nicholas Meyer

Date of Birth: Not Available

Date of Death: Not Available

Rod Serling [creator of "The Twilight Zone]

Date of Birth: 25 December 1924 - Syracuse, New York

Date of Death: 28 June 1975 - Rochester, New York

Totally agree with Christopher Conlon (author & editor) ~ "The Twilight Zone was made by writers. The writer creates the characters, the settings, the conflicts, the dramatic arc, the climax and the resolution. The producer brings the project together; the actors contribute their unique personalities, the directors adds their own tone and gloss. But the writer creates it. Always. No one else. It's difficult to realize today just how renowned Rod Serling was in his heyday, but there is no greater evidence of it than the very existence of "The Twilight Zone" an outlandish program so far from being conventionally "commercial" that only someone of enormous industry clout could possibly have gotten it on the air. Rod Serling had that power" --- And we are all grateful for that moment in television history, thanks to the person who culd foresee the future ~ Mr. Serling!

Total Page: 352 Pages ~ BearManor Media #ISBN-10: 1593930305 ~ (01/30/2006)

I, like many other children of the 50's, loved The Twilight Zone, Rod Serling's popular TV show. The brilliant Mr. Serling loved good "pulp" fiction, and his script writers were often some of the best from this genre.

In Volume Two, Charles Beaumont's "Number 12 Is Just Like You" is published with the original script and the revised shooting script (so there are things in the script that I never saw on screen, cool!) Beaumont is one of my favorite writers of the short sci-fi story (The Invisible American is still one of my favorite stories.)

Sadly, Beaumont's health was poor. He died of a terrible brain disease at 38 that accelerated his aging as well (and a son died of a similar disease, making for a true-life horror--how much unconsciously or consciously did Beaumont feel about the unseen forces of death?) However, his output was impressive It is a joy to have his original work in this volume and because of Beaumont's influence on science fiction and horror, I have to say that the book is worth having for this script and its revision, alone.

But that's not all that is here; there are five other scripts and the invaluable production notes, which are fascinating reading. If you are a fan, you will enjoy this tremendously.

This is an in-depth, beautifully written book. Ramage's appreciation for these scripts is evident, and he brings them to life for the casual Twilight zone fan as well as the aficionado. As in Vol.I, the background information is interesting and unique. Both volumes belong in every TZ fan's library!

Andrew Ramage has done it again - as in Vol. 1, all the dust is blown away from these gems - one gets an appreciation for how the written word gets translated, transfigured - molded into action. The glorious Trouble With Templeton is worth the price of admission alone - and Ramage's reviews of each entry are spot on

This is a great read and certainly a great addition to the TZ line of books

Kudos to Andrew Ramage for assembling this collection (the first of two parts), which turns the spotlight on a few of Twilight Zone's neglected writers and scripts.

In fine fashion, this book rounds out the line-up of Twilight Zone script books currently available. Releases from the distant and recent past have provided collections of the TZ work of Rod Serling, Charles Beaumont, Richard Matheson, Earl Hamner, George Clayton Johnson and Jerry Sohl. FORGOTTEN GEMS FROM THE TWILIGHT ZONE fills in the gaps by providing a look at the work of several non-core writers who contributed to the show.

These scripts may not be the most memorable of the TZ series, but they all hold a certain charm for fans of the show and classic television, and certainly stand on their own as entertaining entries. "Long Distance Call" and "The Trouble with Templeton" are particularly interesting scripts, and it's nice to have them in published form for easy reference. This book also presents a welcome treat by printing Charles Beaumont's story concept for the unproduced story "Pattern for Doomsday."

Revisit the lost art of television writing and enjoy FORGOTTEN GEMS FROM THE TWILIGHT ZONE.