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Wich Twilight Zone Episodes

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14 January 2010, 02:19 PM
robnz
Wich Twilight Zone Episodes
there was a bradbury story in the 80's series

I didnt really like it though

"The Elevator"
Episode no. Season 1
Episode 16a
Written by Ray Bradbury
Original airdate January 31, 1986
14 January 2010, 10:37 PM
dandelion
According to information found at the Center for Ray Bradbury Studies, from an unnamed but very reliable source, the four specific Twilight Zone episodes in question are:

Walking Distance
The Lonely
Where is Everybody? (the TZ pilot, but not mentioned until after these two)
Nothing in the Dark (not written by Serling)

There have been long discussions regarding "Walking Distance."

As for "The Lonely," a person would just have to look at all of Bradbury's isolated individual on Mars, and human-like robot stories, and make up their own mind. There is one, I think, in "The Martian Chronicles," where a man's family all dies, he replaces them with robots, then forgets they are robots and not his original family. (By the way, Lester Del Ray wrote a story, "Helen O'Loy," which is more similar to the Bradbury story than is "The Lonely," so Bradbury was by no means the only one to write such a story, which, of course, goes back to ancient Greece with Pygmalion.) There is also at least one in "The Illustrated Man" about an isolated section of Mars being used as a penal colony. Someone may have seen or inferred some resemblance between these and "The Lonely."

"Where is Everybody?" Bradbury considered to be like his story in "The Martian Chronicles," "The Silent Towns." (NOT "Here There Be Tygers.") Read the story and watch the episode; they are quite different with surface similarities and entirely different outcomes and points.

As for "Nothing in the Dark," the story "Death and the Maiden" can be found in Bradbury's collection "The Machineries of Joy." Many of his works are available for preview on Amazon.com, but alas, it seems, not this one, so I can't find a copy to which to direct you online. What's more, I'd have to reserve full judgment until I'd actually seen the episode! Yes, four years later--almost to the day--I have STILL not seen "Nothing in the Dark," but I noticed a remarkable resemblance to two Bradbury stories, "There Was an Old Woman," and, particularly "Death and the Maiden," just from the clips on the PBS "American Masters" program on Serling. If I didn't mention it before, and I don't seem to have, the phrase "There's nothing in the dark that wasn't there when the light was on" is used in one of my alltime favorite movies, "The Boy with Green Hair" from 1948.
15 January 2010, 12:54 AM
philnic
quote:
Originally posted by robnz:
there was a bradbury story in the 80's series...


There were two, actually. I have detail on the other one (Burning Man) on my website, here.


- Phil

Deputy Moderator | Visit my Bradbury website: www.bradburymedia.co.uk | Visit the Center for RB Studies: www.tinyurl.com/RBCenter
15 January 2010, 02:48 AM
Doug Spaulding
quote:
Originally posted by dandelion:
If I didn't mention it before, and I don't seem to have, the phrase "There's nothing in the dark that wasn't there when the light was on" is used in one of my alltime favorite movies, "The Boy with Green Hair" from 1948.

That's the actual title of the original (very) short story GCJ wrote which was adapted into Nothing in the Dark. The adaptation was vastly different from the short story.


"Live Forever!"
15 January 2010, 02:51 AM
Doug Spaulding
quote:
Originally posted by philnic:
There were two, actually. I have detail on the other one (Burning Man) on my website, here.

I've said before, and I'll say again, that The Burning Man is the finest adaptation of any Bradbury story for television.

You know how some folks complain that coffee doesn't taste like it smells? Well, here is one episode that actually tastes like the original story. This is Bradbury done right. They truly ripped the pages out of the book and stuffed them into the camera!


"Live Forever!"
15 January 2010, 07:27 AM
Linnl
dandelion,

"Nothing in the Dark" is available to watch for free here:

http://video.aol.com/video-det...-the-dark/1991172027
15 January 2010, 12:36 PM
philnic
quote:
Originally posted by Doug Spaulding:
I've said before, and I'll say again, that The Burning Man is the finest adaptation of any Bradbury story for television...


I've said it, too, and still stand by it. I want to know why J.D.Feigelson doesn't have more credits to his name - he's a terrific director and pretty good writer.

Doug Spaulding, you probably like it because you're in it, with your Aunt Neva Big Grin . (I've probably said that before, too.)


- Phil

Deputy Moderator | Visit my Bradbury website: www.bradburymedia.co.uk | Visit the Center for RB Studies: www.tinyurl.com/RBCenter
15 January 2010, 12:37 PM
philnic
quote:
Originally posted by Doug Spaulding:
...the original (very) short story GCJ wrote which was adapted into Nothing in the Dark...


Doug, is that (very) short story published anywhere? I'd like to read it.


- Phil

Deputy Moderator | Visit my Bradbury website: www.bradburymedia.co.uk | Visit the Center for RB Studies: www.tinyurl.com/RBCenter
15 January 2010, 01:05 PM
dandelion
quote:
Originally posted by philnic:
quote:
Originally posted by Doug Spaulding:
...the original (very) short story GCJ wrote which was adapted into Nothing in the Dark...


Doug, is that (very) short story published anywhere? I'd like to read it.


I'd never heard of it and am surprised it is not included in this collection: http://www.hycyber.com/SF/old_TZ.html
16 January 2010, 10:42 AM
Doug Spaulding
quote:
Originally posted by philnic:
Doug, is that (very) short story published anywhere? I'd like to read it.

Here. Or here.

At one of 4E's birthday parties, George pulled a copy from a plastic bag he always carries about his wrist, and produced one which he gave to me.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Doug Spaulding,


"Live Forever!"
16 January 2010, 01:52 PM
philnic
Thanks, Doug. I've added it to my Amazon wishlist!

dandelion, I have that "original stories" book, and had assumed that it contained ALL the original stories, but obviously not. Maybe it only contains PREVIOUSLY PUBLISHED stories...but that doesn't work either, because "I Sing the Body Electric" was published as a story 7 years after it was filmed as a TZ script.

I guess it contains all the stories the editors knew about!


- Phil

Deputy Moderator | Visit my Bradbury website: www.bradburymedia.co.uk | Visit the Center for RB Studies: www.tinyurl.com/RBCenter
16 January 2010, 03:09 PM
darkdiscoveries
quote:
Originally posted by philnic:
quote:
Originally posted by Doug Spaulding:
...the original (very) short story GCJ wrote which was adapted into Nothing in the Dark...


Doug, is that (very) short story published anywhere? I'd like to read it.


Malcom at Mystery & Imagination bookstore (where we are holding our booksiging next month)
has copies signed by George for just $21.99.

George has publicly acknownledged that he realized after he wrote it and they ran it as a TZ how much he had been influenced by Ray's "Death and the Maiden". He apologized to Ray who was fine with it and said they were different (which they are for sure). George alos idolized Bradbury as did some of the other members of "The Group" which he seemed more tolerant of than Serling. Maybe a bit of jealosy on Ray's part due to Serling's success with a series that Ray had wanted to do for years.

- James
www.darkdiscoveries.com
16 January 2010, 09:08 PM
Doug Spaulding
quote:
Originally posted by darkdiscoveries:
Malcolm at Mystery & Imagination bookstore (where we are holding our booksigning next month)
has copies signed by George for just $21.99.

That's one of the ones offered for sale on the Amazon link . If you notice, they call it "Bookfellows" on there, but it's the same shoppe.

Shoppe is a good word.


"Live Forever!"
02 February 2019, 11:23 PM
Doug Spaulding
Tonight I saw this fine adaptation of two episodes of The Twilight Zone live on stage. The Bradbury connection? "Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?" featured that famous line spoken by character Avery when they think that a Martian might be in their midst, "It's a regular Ray Bradbury!" And the actor playing Avery? None other than Ray's own Phil Sokoloff! And the director of "Mr Garrity and the Graves"? Mr Charlie Mount himself, the same fellow who produced Falling Upward!. Isn't is a small world?

Fine show.


"Live Forever!"
10 February 2019, 10:08 PM
groon
Not strictly Twilight Zone, but Ray's short story "And So Died Riabouchinska" was masterfully done as an episode of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents," featuring the phenomenal Claude Rains. Watch it here:
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x52vp9j