Rod Serling was an interesting guy. He is best known for THE TWILIGHT ZONE, but also wrote screenplays like REQUIEM FOR A HEAVYWEIGHT. He was a SIX pack a day smoker and usually had a lit cigarette in his hand onscreen. During WWII he served in the Pacific; one day he and a friend were posing for a photo on the deck and at that exact moment an Air Force plane flew over and dropped a load of extra ammunition squarely onto his friend, who was so flattened he couldn't even be seen under the box. Experiences like this, dictated by fate, where things can change in a splt second, heavily influenced his thinking and writing. He was also obsessed with nuclear war and the possibility of humanity's annihilation.

I grew up watching THE TWILIGHT ZONE; it was on Friday evenings and was the highlight of my week. I was also reading Ray Bradbury stories at the time, like THE ILLUSTRATED MAN, and stories with a "twist" really appealed to me and my friends. But I LOVED TZ; Serling had a real knack for touching on man's humanity (or at times inhumanity) to his fellow man.

My favorite episodes are too many to list, but the top ones include:

--the one where nuclear war is coming, and this wealthy guy has built a bomb shelter miles below the earth; he brings three people from his past down to it (on an elevator!): his former grammar school teacher, boy scout leader, and Army sergeant. He reminds each one of how they have wronged him in the past, and then tells them that he will save their lives if they will only apologize to him. All three refuse and get back on the elevator to go back up and face the bomb rather than apologize to (this very Trump like!) guy.

--the one that takes place in a posh gentleman's club, where an old guy is bothered by the constant talking of a younger guy. He makes a bet for like $10K that the guy can't keep totally silent for a year. They build a special glass enclosed room inside the club (with no toilet!) to monitor the guy. The months start to go by and the guy is keeping silent; the old guy tries to tempt him, telling his wife is cheating on him, etc etc, to no avail. Finally the year is up and the guy is let out of the room to collect his money. The old guy humbly confesses that he doesn't have the money and can't pay, at which point the younger guy rips off his ascot to reveal that he has cut his vocal cords so he couldn't talk!!

--and the great one hour episode with James Whitmore, who is the leader of a colony of people from Earth who have settled on a dusty barren planet. He is the leader of the society, tells everybody what to do, and often reminisces to the group about Earth and how beautiful it was. One day a rescue ship lands from Earth to take everybody back. The colonist all flock to the commander of this ship, asking questions about Earth, and Whitmore becomes jealous of his leadership over his people. They only have a small window of time to take off, and the entire population boards the ship except Whitmore - despite the commander's pleas to get onboard, he goes and hides in a cave and sulks. The ship takes off without him, and as it ascends into the sky, Whitmore suddenly realizes what a mistake he's made, and starts yelling, "Wait! Come back!"

--and of course, the all time classic, EYE OF THE BEHOLDER. We used to watch TZ on a screened sunporch at my parents' house. I had friends over that Friday evening, and the windows were open. Neighbors could hear us SCREAMING three houses down when those pig faces were revealed!!

Serling died an only 50; I think he had a lot more in him and might have become a greater writer. But those cigs were his personal nuclear bomb.