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Tom Ronca - 2006-08-19 12:58:12
Like any show that runs for five years (nearly 200 episodes!), the Twilight Zone has its' share of great stories and real clunkers. One general statement I can make regarding the shows' run is that, somewhat counter-intuitively, the best episodes were NOT written by the series creator, Rod Serling. Charles Beaumont, George Clayton Johnson, Earl Hamner, Jr. (creator of "The Waltons"!), and most prominently and consistently, Richard Matheson (writer of "The Incredible Shrinking Man" and "I Am Legend", the book upon which "The Omega Man" is based) all wrote the shows' best efforts. In addition, did you know that in its' fourth season, the show went to a one-hour format? While on the whole these epsiodes just feel like padded versions of the half-hour show, a few better efforts include "Minature" and "The Bard".
Some of the better half-hours I would say are "The Invaders", "Steel" and "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" -- all written by Richard Matheson. Serling's best episodes were either his comedy efforts, like "The Mighty Casey" and "Mr. Dingle, The Strong" or his adaptations of existing short stories, like Jerome Bixby's "It's a Good Life" (you don't want Billy Mumy wishing you into the corn field, trust me). His original screenplays are among the most parodied of TZ's run, like "People Are Alike All Over" ("Oh my God, I'm in an Alien Zoo!!!"). Hope this allows you to make better choices regarding your early 60's TV. And as long as you're mining that particular mountain, rent Patrick McGoohan's "The Prisoner" -- it still holds up, and more relevant than ever.
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Jens Carstensen - 2006-08-19 14:11:49
I saw Sonny Rollins a few summers ago at Central Park Summerstage. He was dressed in this big orange silk suit, his backing band was riddled with white dudes, and i generally felt like i was on a cruise ship. Here's hoping you have a little better experience.
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2fs - 2006-08-20 01:54:04
Okay, I'll bite: why do you want to name a band after a common misspelling of Art Garfunkel's surname?
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Paula - 2006-08-20 12:58:01
Oh, no reason other than I think it would be funny.
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Paula - 2006-08-20 12:59:52
Tom: I suspected that you'd weigh in on this topic, and I'm glad you did! Thanks for the clarification.
rent Patrick McGoohan's "The Prisoner"
I still have never seen this, thanks for the tip.
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Paula - 2006-08-20 13:01:13
and i generally felt like i was on a cruise ship
Yikes. OK, I consider myself warned.
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2fs - 2006-08-20 21:00:48
Well, along with that T-Bone Burnett track called "Having a Wonderful Time, Wish You Were Her" and the Sam Phillips track "Entertainmen," you'll be the most wrongly-proofread musical item around, that's for sure...
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jon - 2006-08-23 10:50:41
It's a good way to keep your google search results relevant, though. I am thinking (daydreaming) about starting a Mclusky cover band called Boogeyboard. Or Boogieboard. Whichever spelling isn't copyrighted.
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andrew mattina - 2006-08-26 21:26:27
I saw Sonny Rollins also and felt the same way about his band. I didn't like them. But, your 'white dude' comment JC is sickening.
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