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The Twilight Zone Companion
 
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The Twilight Zone Companion [Paperback]

Marc Scott Zicree (Author)
4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (81 customer reviews) |
List Price: $15.95
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Book Description

Publication Date: December 1992
The Twilight Zone Companion(second edition) is the complete, five season (1959-64) show-by-show guide to one of television's greatest series. Zicree's well-written account is fascinating reading for even the casual fan. Coverage of each episode includes plot synopsis, Rod Serling's opening narration, behind-the-scenes stories from the original artists who created the series, and a complete list of cast and credits.

''In all my years of television viewing, no series resonated as deeply as The Twilight Zone. Even today, fragments of the forgotten episodes rise into my memory with surprising poignancy. The Twilight Zone was masterful storytelling, and this companion book, this compendium of old tales, is a remarkable gift to those who loved the series and to those who have yet to discover its magic.''--Bruce Joel Rubin, screenwriter, Ghost, Jacob's Ladder
--This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

Frequently Bought Together

Customers buy this book with The Twilight Zone: The Complete Definitive Collection ~ Burgess Meredith DVD $115.00

The Twilight Zone Companion + The Twilight Zone: The Complete Definitive Collection
Price For Both: $125.33

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  • This item: The Twilight Zone Companion by Marc Scott Zicree Paperback

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The Twilight Zone Companion is one of the finest examinations of a television series. Author Marc Scott Zicree spent five years researching and writing what is without a doubt the definitive look at this classic horror-fantasy-science fiction show. (The series originally ran from 1959 to 1965, but is still seen in syndication around the world.) Not only is the book an exhaustive episode-by-episode guide, but the author apparently interviewed every living soul who was ever associated with the show. It's quite likely that creator Rod Serling, who died before the book saw publication in 1982, would have been suitably impressed by the respect and dedication that clearly went into this labor of love. Zicree later revised and expanded The Twilight Zone Companion for a second edition in 1989, and discusses both the briefly revived series and the feature film based on the show. --Stanley Wiater

From Library Journal

From its signature theme song, to its many memorable images, to its very name, Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone is ingrained in our collective conscious like no other TV show. In this 40th-anniversary, updated edition of his 1982 American Book Award-nominated volume, Zicree takes readers through every episode of the show's five seasons (1959-64). In addition to credits and plot synopses, the author provides background on each episode, along with numerous pictures. Essential for all Zone fansAand who isn't one?
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 465 pages
  • Publisher: Silman-James Pr; 2 edition (December 1992)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1879505096
  • ISBN-13: 978-1879505094
  • Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (81 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #40,334 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Marc Scott Zicree
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
251 of 258 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Although this is the best episode guide on TZ, the author fails to accurately analyze many of the shows. At times he seems to randomly nitpick and bash episodes that fans have loved for years. In addition, some of the shows receive only a few lines of analysis, while other shows receive very lengthy and detailed coverage. However, if you are a very big TZ fan, like me, you need this book. Some of the comments by Zicree are insightful, and his coverage of the series is the most extensive thus far.
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284 of 293 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This companion book is very necessary for any fan of The Twilight Zone. It offers, interviews, insight, cast lists, dates, EVERYTHING; even an extensive look into the lives and/or backgrounds of Rod Serling and the other writers - which I enjoyed.

Where it annoyed me is the fact that Zicree ends up criticizing and suggesting for us what to think of many episodes. Throughout the whole book, he bashes scripts (eg. "If such and such were changed or taken out, it would have been better." "This script is cliche-ed"), actors and actresses (eg. "...with and uninspired performance by..."), directors (eg. "...in the hands of any other director, this could have been great...").

Zicree even "nit picks" on facts: there's an episode in which he points out that Rod Serling had gotten the distance from Earth to the planet Venus wrong. LOL WHO CARES?!! Serling was an overworked writer (which Zicree makes very clear, but still decides to nit pick), not a NASA engineer! There's also another passage in which he proclaims an episode a disappointment just because the plot is slightly possible. "Any episode that is this grounded in reality, should be considered a disappoinment." Ok, thanks for letting us know Marc. *sigh* Pleeease... Further in the book, he starts off an episode's commentary with, "Despite the basically absurd premise..." WHAT?! It's science fiction! It's the TWILIGHT ZONE! Aren't all the stories based on absurd premises?! Not to mention, that aforementioned quote about being "too grounded in reality" - now the TZ is too absurd for him?!? What an annoying little man this Zicree dude is...

I was hoping for more behind the scenes info such as commentary from people who actually worked on the episodes, or how certain effects were accomplished in such an era. While there is a lot of those two things too; I was hoping for a lot more it. And A LOT less of the writer's feelings and bashings of the episodes he felt like picking on.

Still this book is a required read for any fan.
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355 of 368 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Where this book is great is in the background work behind the scenes of getting the Twilight Zone off the ground, the history of the man himself, Serling, and the "facts" that range from the obscure, to the truly bizarre. Where this book suffers is in the authors extreme lack of vision when trying to discuss the episodes. Truly, an interpretation is a matter of opinion, however, when ideas are kicked around about classic material, I for one, have to draw the line. Example: The Old Man in the Cave. The author brings up the awkward idea of how the "old man" (the computer) is powered through all the years since the aftermath. Even going so far as sounding negative that the old man could run at all. Uh, that's the kind of stuff an eight year old would roll around their mind. Totally uncalled for, not to mention unnecessary. I wish their were a book written by people who seem to understand the Zone, or even like it. Marc, thanks for the book, it is an interesting read as far as fact, but leave the fiction to the master.

*EDIT*
Also, there is far too much time devoted in explaining what each episode is about. I for one watch an episode, then refer to the "book" and find out the tidbits. Frustrating, when there is 4 paragraphs of "what the episode" is about (what I already knew) and barely 1 paragraph of tidbit. Looking at the book, it is bulky and one would assume it is chock full of useful stuff, not really, it's chock full of stuff you already knew. I don't know anyone who would buy a book like this and never watch the show.

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Most Recent Customer Reviews
A Good Companion
There is no doubt after having read Marc Scott Zicree's book "The Twilight Zone Companion" that anyone who is a fan of the original TV show, which ran on CBS from 1959 to 1964,... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Janet Chandler
submitted for your approve
Its a great book, I bought it at the same time as The Twilight Zone dvds, I really like this book , It tells you all about each episode, Including behind the scence stories... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Luigi fan
4 1/2 Stars??? Really?
It's great to have a companion book devoted entirely to the Twilight Zone, but too bad that this is it! Read more
Published 4 months ago by Keith
Buyer Beware!
Buyer beware! I just received my copy of The Twilight Zone Companion from Amazon and discovered that page 41, the opening page for the episode "Walking Distance" was missing. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Steven Kantor
Indispensable-- but it's not a puff piece
I'll admit upfront I've just received this book and only skimmed it so far, but I felt the need to balance out some of the indignant reviews here, which nearly convinced me not to... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Karl T. Straub
Nice buy for the fan of the show, even with book's lack of depth
The Twilight Zone Companion is just that, a companion to the popular series. A guide that takes us through the five seasons of the The Twilight Zone, the book breaks down each... Read more
Published 16 months ago by fra7299
Definitely worth the price, middle of the road reading.
Here's a Twilight Zone story for the fans. There is a woman living in Washington State, an honest hard working lawyer. They do exist. Read more
Published 17 months ago by Methusala
Let's go deeper into the zone...
This book is a must-have for the Twilight Zone fan who just can't get enough of all things Twilight Zone! Read more
Published 18 months ago by StephanieM75
Out of this world
Always have loved the show. Listen to Mark when he was on Coast to Coast talking about the show. Wish I had copy of radio program with George.
Published on March 25, 2010 by Edward B. Vandeberg
Buy It You'll Be Glad
I have had this book since it came out in 1992 and it is a great guide for all the shows. A must-have for all Twilight Zone fans. Read more
Published on March 14, 2010 by Hollywood Howie
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