As Timeless As Infinity: The Complete Twilight Zone Scripts of Rod Serling, Volume One
Rod Serling, ed. by Tony Albarella
Gauntlet / $66 / 488p
ISBN: 188736871X

One of the primary reasons the now culturally iconic The Twilight Zone series worked so well and remains so memorable was the high quality of the writing. Although others wrote for the series, Rod Serling created an astounding 92 of the 156 scripts himself. As Timeless As Infinity reproduces (for the first and only time) nine TZ scripts in their original format -- actual shooting scripts reproduced from typewritten pages with an occasional handwritten note. In the case of "A Most Unusual Camera," both a first draft and a final version are included. The book incorporates production photos, a few "tributes," and some "rarities" (a press release about the new series, a review of the first show, an article, etc.) Tony Albarella's well-researched commentary offers a fascinating glimpse of the television industry of the era as well as details about TZ and Serling. This is only the first of an ambitious series, seven to ten volumes of Serling have been announced along with two volumes of Charles Beaumont scripts. Screenwriters, aspiring or otherwise, should consider this required reading and one can only hope a few producers will learn from it as well. Whether you've watched every episode a hundred times or have only seen a handful, you'll savor every one of the 488 pages. As Timeless As Infinity is treasure that both explores and preserves The Twilight Zone, an example of fine literature and dramatic art - a real rarity in the vast wasteland of television.

-- Originally appeared in Cinemafantastique Aug/Sept 2004

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