DVD Reviews

The Twilight Zone: Season 1 – Blu-ray Review - Clips Added!

By Jeff Swindoll Sep 13, 2010, 18:01 GMT

All 36 episodes of the first season of Rod Serling\'s classic, groundbreaking series, now presented in pristine high definition for the first time ever! Loaded with new and exclusive bonus features not available anywhere else including extremely rare, never-before-released unofficial pilot "The Time Element? written by Rod Serling and hosted by Desi Arnaz - the episode that started a cultural phenomenon - presented in glorious high definition! All new 1080p ...more

For you approval: picture a classic, groundbreaking television series making the leap to high definition format in transfers so pristine that it looks better than they were broadcast.  Could this technology actually exist, is it even possible, or is the supernatural involved?  It is possible… in the Twilight Zone.  

The Twilight Zone is so ingrained in our social consciousness that even if you’ve never seen the show a humming of the theme song will let the uneducated know that something strange is about to happen (that familiar “Na na na na” tune didn’t appear till season two, by the way.

The legendary Bernard Herrmann provides the first season theme).  If anyone is making a list of classic television programming, they also better include the Twilight Zone or at least mention Rod Serling who was prolific force in television though mostly remembered for hosting the Twilight Zone.  Serling would only narrate season one and appear onscreen in the “coming next week” ending. 

He would humorously appear in the season finale of season one and perhaps that inspired him to appear before the camera and began his famous onscreen introductions with season two.  The first Twilight Zone would air on CBS on October 2, 1959 (“Where is Everybody?”) with the first season airing until July 1, 1960 (“A World of His Own”). 

Perhaps the one that would get everyone talking and remembering aired on November 2, 1959 and may forever be known as the one with Burgess Meredith and the glasses, “Time Enough at Last.”  Such twist endings and reversals would become a staple of the show as well as compelling dramas highlighting both the foibles and good nature of humanity. 

The show is justly remembered as a classic and certainly has earned its place in television history.  Image Entertainment has pulled out all the stops in both transfer as well as special features, so numerous that I’ll just list each episode and detail the bonuses.  Some of them come from the Definitive DVD set and I’ll try to differentiate the old from the new and they’re in high definition unless noted.  

Disc One: Where is Everybody?: A man (Earl Holliman) finds himself alone in a deserted town but still feels like someone or something is watching him.  The old: commentary by Holliman, isolated score by Herrmann, sponsor billboard, the original pilot version (standard definition=SD) that also has alternate opening/closing by Serling, commentary by producer William Self, and a 1975 Sherwood Oaks College lecture by Serling.  The new: a Twilight Zone radio drama of the episode starring John Schneider.  

One for the Angels: A street salesman (Ed Wynn) outsmarts death, but when a little girl (Dana Dillaway) has to die in his place he has to come up with a sales pitch to keep that from happening. 

The old: 15 second sponsor billboard aka commercial.  The new: a 5 minute interview with Dillaway (SD), commentary with author/film historian Gary Gerani, isolated score, and radio drama starring Ed Begley, Jr.

Mr. Denton on Doomsday: A drunk (Dan Duryea) was once a famous gunslinger and a thug (Martin Landau) reminds him of what he once was, but a traveling salesman offers a magic potion that can bring back those glory days to the drunkard.  The old: commentary by Martin Landau and sponsor billboard.  The new: isolated music score.

The Sixteen Millimeter Shrine: A faded movie star (Ida Lupino) locks herself in her study to try and relive her glory days to the chagrin of her agent (Martin Balsam).  The old: isolated score by Franz Waxman and sponsor billboard.

Walking Distance: A frazzled executive (Gig Young) goes back into the past.  The old: Serling lecture and isolated score by Herrmann.  The new: commentary by music historians Steven C. Smith, John Morgan, and William T. Stromberg, alternate audio mix, and radio drama starring Chelcie Ross.  
Escape Clause: A hypochondriac (David Wayne) sells his soul to the devil (Thomas Gomez) for immortality.  The new: isolated music score and radio drama starring Mike Starr.  

The Lonely: A convict (Jack Warden) has been sentenced to imprisonment on an asteroid.  His only contact is a supply ship, until the captain (John Dehner) takes pity on him and brings him an android (Jean Marsh).  The old: isolated Herrmann score, sponsor billboard, radio drama starring Mike Starr.  The new: separate commentaries by Marc Scott Zicree (author of the Twilight Zone Companion amongst other things), Gerani, and the three music historians.  

Disc Two: Time Enough at Last: A myopic, meek bank teller (Burgess Meredith) only wants to read and a nuclear catastrophe gives him all the time in the world.  The old: 1978 audio interview with Meredith.  The new: commentary by Zicree and radio drama starring Tim Kazurinsky.  

Perchance to Dream: A man (Richard Conte) with a heart condition believes if he falls asleep he will die, but if he stays away too long the strain on his heart will kill him.  The old: isolated score by Nathan Van Cleave.  The new: 10 minute interview with Suzanne Lloyd (the temptress in Conte’s dreams) (SD) and radio drama starring Fred Willard.  

Judgment Night: A man (Nehemiah Persoff) finds himself on a British ship during WWII in waters patrolled by German submarines, but he doesn’t know how he got there and has a feeling that something terrible is going to happen.  

And When the Sky was Opened: An astronaut (Rod Taylor) confronts his injured co-pilot (Jim Hutton) because their compatriot (Charles Aidman) has vanished and no one but the astronaut remembers the man.  The old: commentary by Taylor, 1978 interview with director Douglas Heyes, Serling lecture, and isolated score by Leonard Rosemann.  

What you Need: A peddler (Ernest Truex) magically knows what people need and a gangster (Steve Cochran) decides to take advantage of the power.  The old: isolated score by Van Cleave.  The new: the 29 minute “Tales of Tomorrow” (1952, SD) episode based on the same short story.

The Four of Us are Dying: A man (Harry Townes) can magically change his face (into Ross Martin, Phillip Pine, and Dan Gordon) to his advantage, but it can also lead to disaster.  The old: isolated score.  The new: 7 minute interview with Beverly Garland (SD) and commentary with Gerani.  

Third from the Sun: A group of scientists (led by Fritz Weaver) want to steal an experimental spaceship to escape planetary catastrophe, but a government agent (Edward Andrews) thwarts them.  The old: 1978 interview with director Richard L. Bare and isolated score.  The new: commentary with fan/producer (Lois & Clark, Dark Angel) and Zicree.

I Shot an Arrow in the Air: Four astronauts (Dewey Martin, Edward Binns, Ted Otis, and Harry Bartell) crash-land on an asteroid and survival turns deadly.  The old: radio drama starring Chelcie Ross.  The new: isolated score.

Disc Three: The Hitch-Hiker: A woman (Inger Stevens) survives a blowout but everywhere she looks she sees a mysterious hitch-hiker (Leonard Strong).  The old: isolated score.  The new: commentary by Zicree and radio drama starring Kate Jackson.

The Fever: A man (Everett Sloane) hates gambling but his wife wins a trip to Las Vegas where a slot machine becomes his obsession.  The new: isolated score and radio drama starring Stacy Keach and Kathy Garver.  

The Last Flight: A WWI pilot (Kenneth Haigh) flies though a mysterious cloud and lands in a much different time – 1960.  The new: isolated score and radio drama starring Charles Shaughnessy.  

The Purple Testament: A WWII soldier (William Reynolds) finds he has an unnerving ability to know who is going to die.  The old: isolated score by Lucien Moraweck.  The new: commentary by Reynolds and 4 minute interview with actor Ron Masak (SD).  

Elegy: A trio of astronauts (Jeff Morrow, Kevin Hagen, and Don Dubbins) land on an asteroid and find that it mimics Earth, except everyone but a caretaker (Cecil Kellaway) is a statue.  The old: isolated score by Van Cleave.

Mirror Image: A woman (Vera Miles) awaiting her bus finds that she has an evil double, a fellow passenger (Martin Milner) thinks she is crazy.  The old: commentary by Milner and isolated score. The new: radio drama starring Morgan Brittany and Frank John Hughes.

The Monsters are due on Maple Street: The residents of Maple Street (Claude Akins, Barry Atwater, Jack Weston, etc.) are typically sedate but strange events cause them to turn on one another.  The old: isolated score by Rene Garriguenc and radio drama starring Frank John Hughes.  The new: commentary by Zicree.  

Disc Four: A World of Difference: A businessman (Howard Duff) discovers that he’s really just an actor playing the role… or is he?  The old: isolated score by Van Cleave.  The new: commentary by director Ted Post.

Long Live Walter Jameson: A history professor (Kevin McCarthy) knows his subject so well that it seems that he actually lived in those past times.  The old: commentary by McCarthy.  The new: commentary by Gerani, isolated score, and radio drama starring Lou Diamond Phillips.  

People are Alike All Over: A cynical astronaut (Roddy McDowell) crashes on Mars and fears the residents - unless they’re just like us that is.  The new: isolated score and radio drama starring Blair Underwood.  

Execution: A murderer (Albert Salmi) is to be hung in 1880 but he’s thrown into the future by a scientist’s experiment.  The new: isolated music score.

The Big Tall Wish: A has-been prize fighter (Ivan Dixon) gets a second chance from a boy (Steven Perry) who believes in magic.  The old: isolated score by Jerry Goldsmith and radio drama starring Blair Underwood.

A Nice Place to Visit: A robber (Larry Blyden) meets an odd man (Sebastian Cabot) who gives him everything he ever wished for.   The old: isolated score.

Nightmare as a Child: A schoolteacher (Janice Rule) encounters a girl (Terry Burnham) who attempts to get her to remember something she’d rather forget.  The old: isolated score by Jerry Goldsmith.

A Stop at Willoughby: A harried ad exec (James Daly) falls asleep on his train ride home and dreams about a peaceful hamlet called Willoughby.  The old: 1978 interview with producer Buck Houghton and isolated score by Nathan Scott.  The new: commentary by Zicree and a 30 second 1977 syndication promo.  

Disc Five: The Chaser: A man (George Grizzard) is desperately in love with a woman (Patricia Barry) who doesn’t return the feeling.  So desperate that he seeks a potion from a wily professor (John McIntire).  The old: 1978 interview with Heyes and isolated score.

A Passage for Trumpet: A drunkard and failed trumpet player (Jack Klugman) commits suicide, but is given a second chance.  The old: isolated score by Lyn Murray.  The new: commentary by screenwriter (Iron Man, Children of Men, etc.) and fan Mark Fergus and Zicree and another from Gerani.  

Mr. Bevis: an eccentric (Orson Bean) is down on his luck, but his guardian angel (Henry Jones) gives him a second chance if he can get rid of his eccentricities.  The new: isolated score.  

The After Hours: A customer (Anne Francis) discovers that the floor she bought a gold thimble on doesn’t exist.  The old: 1978 interview with Francis and Heyes and radio drama starring Kim Fields.  The new: isolated score, a 30 second 1977 syndication promo, and commentary by Zicree.

The Mighty Casey: The coach (Jack Warden) of a losing team is given a chance at greatness when a robot (Robert Sorrells) starts pitching for him.  The old: 1975 Serling lecture.  The new: isolated score and radio drama starring Paul Dooley.

A World of his Own: A playwright’s (Keenan Wynn) descriptions spring to life.  The old: 1978 interview with episode writer Richard Matheson.  The new: isolated score.  

Disc five also contains the old: 3 minutes of clips of Emmy Awards (SD), but newly adds: Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse: The Time Element: a bartender (William Bendix) is haunted by a dream that he consults a psychiatrist (Martin Balsam) about – that he awakens in 1941 on the eve of the Pearl Harbor attack. 

This is Serling’s first whack at the Twilight Zone and is hosted by producer Desi Arnaz (!).  Special features are a commentary with Zicree and alternative syndication opening and closing.  There is also the first part (37 minutes) of a 1978 audio interview with Twilight Zone cinematographer George T. Clemens.  

Whew!  My fingers hurt from typing.  However, some things are missing from the DVD set (A Drew Carey parody on Time Enough at Last, stills from Mighty Casey that show original star Paul Douglas who died not soon after filming the episode, a Netherlands sales pitch, episode of Liar’s Club hosted by Serling, a blooper, a photo gallery, and a comic reproduction). 

The missing items aren’t exactly deal-breakers since there are enough better extras to balance them out, but you may want to hang on to your DVD (not that other Blu-rays might not have the missing stuff pop up).  

The Twilight Zone is presented in a 1080p high definition transfer (1.33:1).  They’ve been restored beautifully and look pristine.  Talk about gorgeous black and white.  This would’ve been worth it for the set alone, but the copious special features detailed above make it even more so.        

The Twilight Zone is rightly hailed as a classic and masterful television series.  Intelligent, thought-provoking, enlightening, and frightening are just a few words to describe this groundbreaking show. 

Its equal has never been seen, though many have tried.  I only have five stars to give, but in the Twilight Zone this set gets “it’s full of stars.”  Extremely highly recommended and worth every penny.  

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