Twilight Zone Episode about JFK
Michael Silverman
the new Twilight Zone series (the one from the mid-80's) where
a time traveller goes back in time and prevents JFK's assasination.
As I remember it, he prevented the killing, and then history changed,
causing a nuclear war or something. If anyone remembers more, could they
e-mail me please...
Thanks.
--
+--------------------WHAT YOU BELIEVE IS WHAT YOU ARE----------------------+
cub...@camelot.bradley.edu Mike Silverman
In their own image / their world is fashioned
No wonder they don't understand - Neil Peart, Rush
hig...@fnala.fnal.gov
> Could somebody please e-mail me a plot synopsis of the episode of
> the new Twilight Zone series (the one from the mid-80's) where
> a time traveller goes back in time and prevents JFK's assasination.
Sorry, I don't recall the plot, but I do have one vivid memory to
share. It must have been February 1986. I was watching the episode
with my brother, J. Mclaughlin Higgins (hig...@dorsai.com), the
famous journalist and raconteur.
JFK and the time traveler are having a chat in the Oval Office about
the Bay of Pigs invasion.
"April seventeenth, nineteen sixty-one," says the President, "was the
worst day of my entire life."
I am grinning. My brother is frowning. 17 April 1961 is the day John
Higgins was born...
Submarines, flying boats, robots, talking Bill Higgins
pictures, radio, television, bouncing radar Fermilab
vibrations off the moon, rocket ships, and HIG...@FNALB.BITNET
atom-splitting-- all in our time. But nobody HIG...@FNAL.FNAL.GOV
has yet been able to figure out a music SPAN: 43011::HIGGINS
holder for a marching piccolo player.
--Meredith Willson, 1948
Taed Nelson
> the new Twilight Zone series (the one from the mid-80's) where
> a time traveller goes back in time and prevents JFK's assasination.
There's a 4th season episode where a time traveller prevents (or tries to...)
the assassination of Lincoln. It was with Russell Johnson (is that right?),
the guy who played "The Professor" on _Gilligan's Island_.
And there's a new episode (You know, the second series) where a professor of
"ancient history" goes back in time, substitutes himself as JFK during the
shooting, and sends JFK to the future to talk to his people about history.
This was with a character actor who I've seen LOTS of times, but I don't
know his name.
I don't remember any other consequences of his actions in either episode.
spe...@wkuvx1.bitnet
The episode about JFK was great! A History professor at Harvard went to Dallas
to view the assasination. (He knew about it because he was actually from the
future.) He stopped the assasination because he was a descendent of JFK's and
liked him. This caused a rift in the time continuium(sp?) and caused all
sorts of things to happen that never happened, such as Premeir Kruzchev(sp?) to
be assasinated and West Germany being taken over by East Germany. The professor
tells Kennedy who he is and what must be done to change things to the way they
are supposed to be. Kennedy volunteers to go back, but the Professor switches
places with him and goes back to be assasinated. Kennedy is transported to
sometime in the 22nd century and becomes a teacher at Harvard. THis is purely
from memory so I may have made some mistakes, although I think I have the
episode on tape at home somewhere. By the way, the actor who played the
professor was Lane Smith, who was also in "V" and "Red Dawn"
Kevin Spear "Videophile"
Western Kentucky University
Grenadier
>In article <cubsfan.698263134@camelot>, cub...@camelot.bradley.edu (Michael Silverman) writes:
>> Could somebody please e-mail me a plot synopsis of the episode of
>> the new Twilight Zone series (the one from the mid-80's) where
>> a time traveller goes back in time and prevents JFK's assasination.
> "ancient history" goes back in time, substitutes himself as JFK during the
> shooting, and sends JFK to the future to talk to his people about history.
> This was with a character actor who I've seen LOTS of times, but I don't
> know his name.
I believe the segment was titled "Profiles in Silver." It was so named
for the Kennedy silver dollar the time traveller had on him, which
helped prove his story. The traveller was played by Martin Balsam.
Other consequences were Kruschev's assassination, which put the world
on the brink of nuclear war. The time traveller computer projected
multiple possible results of JFK's survival, but all of them led to war.
The traveller's final conclusion was to die in JFK's place, and send
JFK to the future. I believe there was also a bit about him being a
descendant in some way of the Kennedys.
--
"The needs of the many... -David Stumme
outweigh...the needs of the few." das...@ritvax.bitnet
"Or the one." das...@ultb.isc.rit.edu
-- Spock & Kirk (in STII: TWOK) Grenadier @ QuantumLink
Phred T. Platypus
>In article <1992Feb17....@berlioz.nsc.com> nel...@desktop.nsc.com (Taed Nelson) writes:
>>In article <cubsfan.698263134@camelot>, cub...@camelot.bradley.edu (Michael Silverman) writes:
>>> Could somebody please e-mail me a plot synopsis of the episode of
>>> the new Twilight Zone series (the one from the mid-80's) where
>>> a time traveller goes back in time and prevents JFK's assasination.
>>And there's a new episode (You know, the second series) where a professor of
>> "ancient history" goes back in time, substitutes himself as JFK during the
>> shooting, and sends JFK to the future to talk to his people about history.
>> This was with a character actor who I've seen LOTS of times, but I don't
>> know his name.
>
>I believe the segment was titled "Profiles in Silver." It was so named
>for the Kennedy silver dollar the time traveller had on him, which
>helped prove his story. The traveller was played by Martin Balsam.
>
>Other consequences were Kruschev's assassination, which put the world
>on the brink of nuclear war. The time traveller computer projected
>multiple possible results of JFK's survival, but all of them led to war.
>The traveller's final conclusion was to die in JFK's place, and send
>JFK to the future. I believe there was also a bit about him being a
>descendant in some way of the Kennedys.
>
I thought Lane Davies played the traveller. Otherwise, this
synopsis sounds sood.
--
Phred Platypus [ vjmu...@carina.unm.edu ]
"Technology is a way of organizing \
the universe so that man doesn't \ The Grammarian of Vengeance
have to experience it." -- Max Frisch \
Dan Mindler
The neat idea about this episode revolved around the time travelers female
partner who provided support to him throughout this episode (she was a
close friend from his time period). The twist at the end of this episode,
after the time traveler got shot in JFK's place, was when an assitant to
JFK looked at his body at the hospital and realized it wasn't JFK. The
time travler's friend indicated to JFK's assistant that she was in fact
from the time travler's future, making sure >her< history followed the
correct course.
Lesson learned: don't mess with time travel, a pardox can ruin your day!
P.S.
Another episode I loved from the new series was when a girl from the
Salem witch hunt days and a boy from present day got sick and were able
to communicate with each other through time... Pretty touching story.
Kevin J. Chen
guide (for either new *or* old series) ever made? If so, where could I
get a copy? Some of those episodes were just *way* cool...
Kevin.
kc...@andrew.cmu.edu
unknown user
In article <kdcPFom00...@andrew.cmu.edu> kc...@andrew.cmu.edu (Kevin J. Chen) writes:
>Actually, while the discussion is up -- was a Twilight Zone episode
>guide (for either new *or* old series) ever made? If so, where could I
Just go buy the cool book "The Twilight Zone Companion" by Marc
Scott Zicree. I beileve a newer release (than the one I have, that is) has
info about the new Twilight Zone as well as the old Twilight Zone.
I dunno, I think the new "Twilight Zone" was named badly, just like
"Friday the 13th -- the series". In terms of the Twilight Zone, none of
the new shows had the cool twist at the end.. and it seemed more were super-
natural. In terms of Friday the 13th, the movies are stupid, and the TV show
was really good... and completely unrelated..
--
/unk...@ucscb.ucsc.edu Apple IIGS Forever!\
|WANT to get INFOCOM GAMES RERELEASED | Also will pass on -UNIX GS- |
\& ULTIMA VI GS written? ---mail me | & CHEAP CD info - mail me /
The fox so cunning and free
} I believe the segment was titled "Profiles in Silver." It was so named
} for the Kennedy silver dollar the time traveller had on him, which
} helped prove his story.
"Profile in Silver" (no plural).
} The traveller was played by Martin Balsam.
No, Lane Smith.
In article <1992Feb18.2...@walter.bellcore.com>, d...@peach.bae.bellcore.com (Dan Mindler) writes...
} The neat idea about this episode revolved around the time travelers female
} partner who provided support to him throughout this episode (she was a
} close friend from his time period). The twist at the end of this episode,
} after the time traveler got shot in JFK's place, was when an assitant to
} JFK looked at his body at the hospital and realized it wasn't JFK. The
} time travler's friend indicated to JFK's assistant that she was in fact
} from the time travler's future, making sure >her< history followed the
} correct course.
Unfortunately, this part got cut out when TZ went into syndication.
} Another episode I loved from the new series was when a girl from the
} Salem witch hunt days and a boy from present day got sick and were able
} to communicate with each other through time... Pretty touching story.
Yes, that's a favorite of mine, too. It's "A Message from Charity".
--
"They say the best things in life are free."
"Free!? Hamton, this is the 90's. Take out a loan and buy a clue."
--- jayembee (Jerry Boyajian, DEC, "The Mill", Maynard, MA)
The fox so cunning and free
} Just go buy the cool book "The Twilight Zone Companion" by Marc Scott
} Zicree. I beileve a newer release (than the one I have, that is) has
} info about the new Twilight Zone as well as the old Twilight Zone.
Yes, it does, but not in the same detail. Zicree adds a chapter about
the new TWILIGHT ZONE that gives a little production history of the
show, and mentions some of the better episodes, but it doesn't have an
episode-by-episode guide to the show.
} I dunno, I think the new "Twilight Zone" was named badly, just like
} "Friday the 13th -- the series". In terms of the Twilight Zone, none
} of the new shows had the cool twist at the end..
I think you overinflate the importance of the "cool twist at the end"
to THE TWILIGHT ZONE. TZ was more than just a twist ending. In my
opinion, the new TZ did the old TZ justice. I think the new series
had very much the same *spirit* as the old one, and I think Rod Serling
would've approved of it.
} and it seemed more were supernatural.
You'd be surprised at how many of the original series were supernatural
rather than science fiction.
The fox so cunning and free
} Actually, while the discussion is up -- was a Twilight Zone episode
} guide (for either new *or* old series) ever made? If so, where could
} I get a copy? Some of those episodes were just *way* cool...
Check the archives at ftp.coe.montana.edu. TZ episode guides should
be in pub/TV/Guides/twilightzone.
Elisabeth Riba
>Another episode I loved from the new series was when a girl from the
>Salem witch hunt days and a boy from present day got sick and were able
>to communicate with each other through time... Pretty touching story.
Ohhh... I loved that one. That story was an adaptation from a short
story. The only problem I had with it was that they only gave the
title and author at the START of the epiode. I spent such a time
hunting down that story (unsuccessfully). Anyone out there know the
author & title of THAT episode??
--
l...@chaos.cs.brandeis.edu * Lis Riba * Incorrigible punster--Do not incorrige!
"You'll never see a cat display any kind of guilty behavior, despite the fact
that several cats were seen in Dallas on the grassy knoll area,
not that I wish to start rumors." --Dave Barry
Jon Rhein
>} "Friday the 13th -- the series". In terms of the Twilight Zone, none
>} of the new shows had the cool twist at the end..
In article <33...@nntpd.lkg.dec.com> boya...@ruby.enet.dec.com (The fox so cunning and free) writes:
>I think you overinflate the importance of the "cool twist at the end"
>to THE TWILIGHT ZONE. TZ was more than just a twist ending. In my
>opinion, the new TZ did the old TZ justice. I think the new series
>had very much the same *spirit* as the old one, and I think Rod Serling
>would've approved of it.
I think he would have hated it. With the exception of a very few episodes,
the so-called "New Twilight Zone" has about as much collective talent
behind it as the New Jersey Nets! In general, it completely lacks the
*darkness* of the old show. It was called the *Twilight* Zone, remember?
Where we once had darkness, a certain amount of terror, a certain kind
of bleak atmosphere, in the "New TZ" we have lots of cute small Spielberg-
like children, and "good solid American values," ala the vomitorious
Falwellian '80's. (Not to mention simply poorly written scripts.)
Unfortunately, bad SF scripts are the rule in American SF--witness (yawn)
the exciting adventures of Captain ("we surrender!") Picard and his crew
of Amazingly Boring Automatons. Conflict. That is what is at the root
of a good story.
Jon Rhein
nicholas.j.sauer
>
>I think he [Rod Serling] would have hated it [New Twilight Zone]. With the
>as much collective talent behind it as the New Jersey Nets! In general, it
>completely lacks the *darkness* of the old show. It was called the
>*Twilight* Zone, remember?
Well, we must have watched TZ (old and new) in different universes. I have
just seen a number of the old TZ (by subscribing to the CBS video library
collection) and taped the new TZ when it first aired. I would argue that
there was a higher proportion of humor oriented episodes in the old TZ
than in the new TZ. I would have to do an actual episode tally to verify
this but, the above is my subjective impression.
As for the "darkness" of new TZ episodes, I am having trouble remembering
new TZ episodes that I would NOT consider dark. Even the humorous episodes
like "A Small Talent for War" and "The Curious Case of Edgar Witherspoon"
had a very black edge to the humor. I really think you saw a very different
new TZ series than I did. Almost all of the episodes I can think of in the
new TZ are extremely "dark" episodes (e.g. Nightcrawlers, Shatterday, the
remake of A Game of Pool, The Toys of Caliban, etc). I am sure there were
some "lighter" episodes of the new TZ but, I really can't remember any right
now (I'll have to check my list when I get home).
>Where we once had darkness, a certain amount of terror, a certain kind
>of bleak atmosphere, in the "New TZ" we have lots of cute small Spielberg-
>like children, and "good solid American values," ala the vomitorious
>Falwellian '80's. (Not to mention simply poorly written scripts.)
Again, did we watch the same series? See my comments above. I don't think
Dead Run presented "good solid America values". Again, I can not recall ANY
new TZ episode that did. Are you sure you are not confusing some of the
Amazing Stories with new TZ stories?
I ask again, did we see the same new TZ series? The one I have on tape
doesn't match your description at all.
Nick Sauer
The fox so cunning and free
} Ohhh... I loved that one. That story was an adaptation from a short story.
} The only problem I had with it was that they only gave the title and
} author at the START of the epiode. I spent such a time hunting down that
} story (unsuccessfully). Anyone out there know the author & title of THAT
} episode??
"A Message from Charity" by William M. Lee.
It can be found in an anthology of (almost) all of the short stories that
were adapted for TZ episodes:
NEW STORIES FROM THE TWILIGHT ZONE, ed. by Martin H. Greenberg, Avon Books
(trade paperback), 1991, 0-380-75926-8, $10.00
"Shatterday" Harlan Ellison
"Healer" Alan Brennert
"Nightcrawlers" Robert R. McCammon
"Examination Day" Henry Slesar
"A Message from Charity" William M. Lee
"Paladin of the Lost Hour" Harlan Ellison
"The Burning Man" Ray Bradbury
"Wong's Lost and Found Emporium" William F. Wu
"One Life, Furnished in Early Poverty" Harlan Ellison
"I of Newton" Joe Haldeman
"The Star" Arthur C. Clarke
"The Misfortune Cookie" Charles E. Fritch
"Yesterday Was Monday" Theodore Sturgeon
[episode title: "A Matter of Minutes"]
"To See the Invisible Man" Robert Silverberg
"Dead Run" Greg Bear
"Button, Button" Richard Matheson
"The Everlasting Club" Arthur Gray
[episode title: "Devil's Alphabet"]
"The Last Defender of Camelot" Roger Zelazny
"A Saucer of Loneliness" Theodore Sturgeon
"Lost and Found" Phyllis Eisenstein
"Influencing the Hell Out of Time and Parke Godwin
Teresa Golowitz"
[episode title: "Time and Teresa Golowitz"]
There were only two other stories adapted by TZ, but were not available
for the anthology:
"Gramma" Stephen King
"Need to Know" Sidney Sheldon
Note: Alan Brennert's "Healer" was actually an original teleplay that
he after-the-fact turned into a short story (he did the same with two
others of his TZ teleplays: "Her Pilgrim Soul" and "Voices in the Earth",
both of which can be found in his collection HER PILGRIM SOUL AND OTHER
STORIES).
Even aside from the TZ connection, this anthology is a collection of
*great* stories, and is worth buying just for that reason.
And actually, this anthology is a "sequel" to a previous anthology that
did the same for the original TZ series:
THE TWILIGHT ZONE: THE ORIGINAL STORIES, ed. by Martin Harry Greenberg,
Richard Matheson, and Charles G. Waugh, Avon Books (trade paperback),
1985, 0-380-89601-X, $8.95
"One for the Angels" Anne Serling-Sutton *
"Perchance to Dream" Charles Beaumont
"Disappearing Act" Richard Matheson
[episode title: "And When the Sky Was Opened"]
"Time Enough at Last" Lynn Venable
"What You Need" Lewis Padgett
"Third from the Sun" Richard Matheson
"Elegy" Charles Beaumont
"Brothers Beyond the Void" Paul Fairman
[episode title: "People Are Alike All Over"]
"The Howling Man" Charles Beaumont
"It's a *Good* Life" Jerome Bixby
"The Valley Was Still" Manly Wade Wellman
[episode title: "Still Valley"]
"The Jungle" Charles Beaumont
"To Serve Man" Damon Knight
"Little Girl Lost" Richard Matheson
"Four O'Clock" Price Day
"I Sing the Body Electric!" Ray Bradbury
"The Changing of the Guard" Anne Serling-Sutton *
"In His Image" Charles Beaumont
"Mute" Richard Matheson
"Death Ship" Richard Matheson
"The Devil, You Say?" Charles Beaumont
[episode title: "Printer's Devil"]
"Blind Alley" Malcolm Jameson
[episode title: "Of Late I Think of Cliffordsville"]
"Song for a Lady" Charles Beaumont
[episode title: "Passage on the LADY ANNE"]
"Steel" Richard Matheson
"Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" Richard Matheson
"The Old Man" Henry Slesar
[episode title: "The Old Man in the Cave"]
"The Self-Improvement of Salvadore Ross" Henry Slesar
"The Beautiful People" Charles Beaumont
[episode title: "Number Twelve Looks Just Like You"]
"Long Distance Call" Richard Matheson
[episode title: "Night Call"]
"An Occurence at Owl Creek Bridge" Ambrose Bierce
* The two stories by Anne Serling-Sutton (Rod's daughter) are actually
prose adaptations of original teleplays by Rod Serling. Serling never
adapted any previously written short stories of his into TZ episodes,
and it was felt (justifiably) that the anthology wouldn't be complete
without something by him (even if only by proxy).
The editors claim that only one adapted story was unavailable for the
book, which was:
"The Chaser" John Collier
except that THE TWILIGHT ZONE COMPANION says that the episode "Five
Characters in Search of an Exit" was based on a story by Marvin Petal,
"The Depository".
And as long as I'm at it, there's another, similar anthology of interest
that does much the same as the above two books, only for ROD SERLING'S
NIGHT GALLERY. Unlike the other two, however, it's far from complete --
it covers only about one-third of the short stories that were adapted
into NG episodes. Still, this is a representative collection, and full
of good stories.
ROD SERLING'S NIGHT GALLERY READER, ed. by Carol Serling, Charles
G. Waugh, & Martin H. Greenberg, Nightsbridge (paperback), 1990,
1-877961-45-0, $4.95 [previously published in hardcover in 1987]
"The Escape Route" Rod Serling
"The Dead Man" Fritz Leiber
"The Little Black Bag" C.M. Kornbluth
"The House" Andre Maurois
"The Boy Who Predicted Earthquakes" Margaret St. Clair
"The Academy" David Ely
"The Devil Is Not Mocked" Manly Wade Wellman
"Brenda" Margaret St. Clair
"Big Surprise" Richard Matheson
"House--with Ghost" August Derleth
"The Dark Boy" August Derleth
"Pickman's Model" H.P. Lovecraft
"Cool Air" H.P. Lovecraft
"Sorworth Place" Russell Kirk
[episode title: "The Ghost of "Sorworth Place"]
"The Return of the Sorcerer" Clark Ashton Smith
"The Girl with the Hungry Eyes" Fritz Leiber
"The Horsehair Trunk" Davis Grubb
[episode title: "Fright Night"]
"The Ring with the Velvet Ropes" Edward D. Hoch
[episode title: "The Ring with the Red Velvet Ropes"]
Barry Wise
(Jon Rhein) writes:
>I think he [Rod Serling]would have hated it [New Twilight Zone]. With the
>exception of a very few episodes, the so-called "New Twilight Zone" has
>about as much collective talent behind it as the New Jersey Nets!
Which only shows that taste is a personal matter. The "talent" you speak
of won awards for some of those episodes when they were first done as
short stories. They may not have been done in the manner that you liked
and may not have been appropriately chosen for the media, but they were
not "trash". No, they weren't Rod Sterling stories but whose is?
--
Barry Wise
(bw...@hemlock.mitre.org)
J. E. Shum
> I think he would have hated it. With the exception of a very few episodes,
> the so-called "New Twilight Zone" has about as much collective talent
> behind it as the New Jersey Nets!
I think Mr. Rhein may be confusing perception of talent with taste. Just
because one doesn't like something doesn't mean that it is bad.
> In general, it completely lacks the
> *darkness* of the old show. It was called the *Twilight* Zone, remember?
I agree that there is a different tone to the new series. It could be
described as "lighter" than the original I suppose. I believe however
that the key difference is that each of the episodes in the original
series was clearly a morality play. If I'm not mistaken, that was one
of Serling's goals with the series. The episodes I've seen of the new
series doesn't seem to stick to that particular criterion as firmly.
This may account for the "lighter" feel. I suspect that the "darker"
feel of the original series may have come, in part, from the moral
challenge presented the viewer.
> Where we once had darkness, a certain amount of terror, a certain kind
> of bleak atmosphere, in the "New TZ" we have lots of cute small Spielberg-
> like children, and "good solid American values," ala the vomitorious
> Falwellian '80's.
I didn't see that "Falwellian" stuff myself, but I have not seen every
episode of the new series, just most of them.
>(Not to mention simply poorly written scripts.)
I disagree. I found the scripts to be most satisfactory. A couple of
my favorites include _Shatterday_ and _The Palidin of the Last Hour_.
> Unfortunately, bad SF scripts are the rule in American SF--witness (yawn)
> the exciting adventures of Captain ("we surrender!") Picard and his crew
> of Amazingly Boring Automatons. Conflict. That is what is at the root
> of a good story.
True enough; Sturgeon's Law reigns supreme in all television, American
or otherwise. But I don't think that this is necessarily the case with
_The New Twilight Zone_.
--
Druid - worships trees. <j...@mitre.org>
Zen Driud - worships trees that don't exist.
Reformed Druid - worships trees and shrubs.
Reformed Zen Druid - worships trees and shrubs that don't exist.
The fox so cunning and free
} In article <33...@nntpd.lkg.dec.com> boya...@ruby.enet.dec.com (The fox so cunning and free) writes:
}} In my opinion, the new TZ did the old TZ justice. I think the new series
}} had very much the same *spirit* as the old one, and I think Rod Serling
}} would've approved of it.
} I think he would have hated it. With the exception of a very few episodes,
} the so-called "New Twilight Zone" has about as much collective talent
} behind it as the New Jersey Nets! In general, it completely lacks the
} *darkness* of the old show. It was called the *Twilight* Zone, remember?
} Where we once had darkness, a certain amount of terror, a certain kind
} of bleak atmosphere, in the "New TZ" we have lots of cute small Spielberg-
} like children, and "good solid American values," ala the vomitorious
} Falwellian '80's. (Not to mention simply poorly written scripts.)
Are you sure you're not confusing THE (new) TWILIGHT ZONE with AMAZING
STORIES?
If not, you must be from another universe, because what you describe as
the new TZ is not the series that *I* saw with that title.
Lack of *darkness*??? "The Toys of Caliban" -- one of the finest moments
of thoroughly disturbing horror ever done on television -- wasn't dark???
"Nightcrawlers" wasn't dark??? "Gramma" wasn't dark??? What do you
want, pitch friggin' *black*?
Or how about "Dead Run", in which control of Hell is taken over by the
very Falwellian forces that you so abjure, and who want to populate Hell
with people that they feel are morally corrupt. They recruit Steve
Railsback to transport such souls to Hell, but he ends up subversively
letting them go and points them toward Heaven. This is about as *anti*-
Falwellian as you can get.
Or how about "Examination Day", in which a young boy is sentenced to death
for doing too well on a test. This is bright and cheerful?
Or how about "Shatterday" and "To See the Invisible Man", in which the
protagonists find out the price to be paid for selfishness and lack of
compassion.
Or, for an example from the Canadian-produced first-run syndication run
of the show, "The Cold Equations", in which the life of a young girl must
be sacrificed because the laws of physics require it. Gee, *that* one
sure made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside!
As for the alleged lack of talent...right. Sure. Total untalented hacks
like Harlan Ellison, who despite his vow never to work in television again
signed on as Story Consultant because of the professional respect he had
for the people producing the show, and who only quit because of the bull-
headedness of the network censors. And who also provided scripts for a
couple of episodes, one of which -- "Paladin of the Lost Hour" is one of
the finest pieces of drama I've ever seen on television.
Untalented hacks like Alan Brennert, whose original script "Her Pilgrim
Soul" was nominated for the Writers Guild of America award for Best
Dramatic Teleplay (it didn't win, no, but then it was up against the
aforementioned "Paladin of the Lost Hour", which did).
Untalented hacks like George R.R. Martin adapting short stories by untalented
hacks like Roger Zelazny -- or contributing original teleplays.
And scripts adapting stories by other untalented hacks like Ray Bradbury
or Stephen King or Robert Silverberg or Theodore Sturgeon.
And untalented directors such as William Friedkin, Wes Craven, Martha
Coolidge, or John Milius.
Yup, ol' Rod must be spinning in his grave.
Not.
Jon Rhein
Okay, in response to the many postings regarding my comments on the
New TZ, I guess I should both clarify and asks some questions.
Back when this show was on CBS, I do, upon somecalling up of old
memories, recall some good episodes, among them the JFK episode and
some Ellsion story. In fact, probably much of the Ellison script-edited
first season (right?) was quite impressive. Then I remember the flap
about him wanting to do a Christmas episode staring Ed Asner as a bigoted
Santa Clause who only comes for white kids, and his quitting in a rage.
I seem to remember it going downhill after that, and did not see them all.
(As someone pointed out, "A Small Talent For War" was also an extremely
good episode.)
However, when the syndicated version came out, I thought it was quite bad.
Because of that, after the first six or seven, I rarely watched it. Here's
three episodes I thought bit the big one, though I only know one title:
A Message From Charity. Boring.
The Arthurian Episode with Merlin: Blech.
he one about some Cute Little Urchin who finds a daddy in the woods or
something: No thanks.
One other that I didn't like was the one where the astronaut or military
guy goes into some other dimension where things are really idyllic. He
is sent there to find out what happened to the men who went before him,
and ends up returning to destroy the machine to protect the place from
exploitation. Sure, nice message, but not well executed, I thought.
There was also one I vaguely remember about some woman who sees faces in
the walls, one of which ends up replacing her. Didn't like that either.
That said, I am open to being convinced that I am mistaken, and that there
are some more truly great episodes. "The Toys of Caliban" is oft mentioned.
If anyone out there would be willing to make me a tape of a bunch of great
episodes, I would be glad to reciprocate in kind: I have a large collection
of SF tapes and laser discs which could be--ahem--borrowed.
Jon Rhein
Thomas S. Marlowe
>Could somebody please e-mail me a plot synopsis of the episode of
>the new Twilight Zone series (the one from the mid-80's) where
>a time traveller goes back in time and prevents JFK's assasination.
>As I remember it, he prevented the killing, and then history changed,
>causing a nuclear war or something. If anyone remembers more, could they
>e-mail me please...
>Thanks.
>
Hmm. I remember seeing one where a supposed descendant of his came from the
future and visited him and JFK knew he would die because he saw the fella's
lucky 50cent piece (surmising that the only people on American coins are
dead people). I forgot how it ended. I think that JFK figured that he
shouldn't mess up history and did the "noble" thing and let himself get killed.
I thought it was pretty stupid.
Thomas S. Marlowe
--
"He eats the droppings from his own table;
thus he manages to stuff himself fuller than the others for a little while,
but meanwhile he forgets how to eat from the table;
thus in time even the droppings cease to fall." - Franz Kafka
Mark Shaw
>cub...@camelot.bradley.edu (Michael Silverman) writes:
>>Could somebody please e-mail me a plot synopsis of the episode of
>>the new Twilight Zone series (the one from the mid-80's) where
>>a time traveller goes back in time and prevents JFK's assasination.
>>As I remember it, he prevented the killing, and then history changed,
>>causing a nuclear war or something. If anyone remembers more, could they
>>e-mail me please...
>>Thanks.
>>
>Hmm. I remember seeing one where a supposed descendant of his came from the
>future and visited him and JFK knew he would die because he saw the fella's
>lucky 50cent piece (surmising that the only people on American coins are
>dead people). I forgot how it ended. I think that JFK figured that he
>shouldn't mess up history and did the "noble" thing and let himself get killed.
>I thought it was pretty stupid.
I remember an episode (although I am not sure if it was Twilight Zone) where
somebody (presumably in the present) recieved a radio signal from a German
U-boat and figured out that it was coming from an actual U-boat, only from
somewhere back in time (during WW II). So, just for kicks they answered it
(thinking that it had bounced off a distant star or something weird) and
ended up changing history because the Nazi's had won the war and now
controlled the world. Cool episode - whatever series it was from.
Mark
+---------------------------------------+-----------------------------------+
| Mark Shaw at U of ILLINOIS | |^^^^^^| |
| ms...@uiuc.edu | | | |
| Obligitory Quote: The Truth is often | | (o)(o) ____________________ |
| bitter - left unsaid - NP | @ _) /Don't turn your back||
| Disclaimer: All opinions are | | ,___| < and slam the door ||
| not really opinions | | / \ on me, man! ||
| Constructed by: Ben Ragunton | /___\ \___________________||
| | / \ |
+---------------------------------------+-----------------------------------+