Twilight Zone

 

It was almost sunset and I was on time for a meeting that I was told would be held in a building behind the church. This was the only direction I had been given, and there were lots of buildings. I went to each one, and they were dark, yet there were cars – just no sign of people. Everything was quiet as I stood there in the darkening parking lot. What went through my mind was the opening music of The Twilight Zone. Was I an unwitting actor in an episode?

I’m guessing that this has gone through the mind of most baby boomers at one time or another when they found themselves in confusing or weird situations. The Twilight Zone (1959-1964) played a role for most of us as we were coming of age. It was a must-see for my family, as it was one of the few shows that everybody liked and looked forward to.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the show lately as I watched a TZ marathon on the SYFY channel last week as I was recovering from a miserable virus. I was astonished by the young actors who were then mostly unknowns who later became household names.

Right now you’re probably thinking about your favorite episode aren’t you? And I’ll bet it’s the one where the guy sees the strange being on the wing of the aircraft and can’t convince anyone that he’s out there. Did you know that the young thin actor was William Shatner?

Then there’s the episode where Burgess Meredith is given a stopwatch that stops everything, and his hard nosed boss is the actor who played Sgt. Carter on Gomer Pyle USMC.

Other favorites:  Donna Douglas as the girl who wants the pig face; Billy Mumy as the evil kid who has magic powers and Barry Sullivan, a hobo who finds magic shoes that turn him into a powerful gangster.

I polled some of my readers about the Twilight Zone phenomenon, and Phyllis remembered that she loved it, but it scared her to death. Her husband Wayne said he and his brothers felt real grown up watching it with their parents, but were then afraid to go upstairs to their bedrooms.

Reader Debbie has fond memories of spending the night at her best friend’s house every week so they could watch it together while they washed down their popcorn with Kool-Aid. Debbie says she still gets chills every time she thinks about the opening music.

I’ve never seen a picture of Rod Serling in color. For most of us, he lived forever in black and white in that suit with head slightly tilted, cigarette smoke trailing from his hand. Gosh,he was handsome.

CBS aired 156 episodes of The Twilight Zone, an astonishing 92 of which were written by Serling. In researching this column I learned that he was a prolific writer who won many award for scripts and stories he produced apart from The Twilight Zone. How fortunate we were to have a talent like his shape our young lives. Remember, there was always a moral of some kind in each episode.

Rod Serling died on June 28, 1975, in Rochester, N.Y., of complications arising from a coronary bypass operation. He was just 50.

By the way:

•I did find the meeting eventually with the help of another lost person that night.

•Although the phrase "Submitted for your approval" from Rod Serling's opening narration has come to be closely identified with the show (and is often used by Serling impressionists), it is actually heard in only three episodes.

•Rod Serling thought he had come up with the term "Twilight Zone" on his own (he liked the sound of it), but after the show aired he found out that it is an actual term used by Air Force pilots when crossing the day / night sides above the world.

• The oft-parodied high-pitched guitar melody riff in the theme music was played by Howard A. Roberts.

•While I was writing this column, I had Wheel of Fortune on in the background, and one of the puzzles was The Twilight Zone. Do do do do, do do do do, do do do do

Art Appreciation

“I want to live on an island where no one cares what day the mail boat arrives.” That was the caption of a piece of art that I regifted to a friend who held that philosophy. It was a very cool print of a skiff pulled up onto a tropical shore. When I saw it, I knew exactly to whom it should belong.

I’ve long felt that art serves its best purpose when it evokes something within us that speaks to our dreams, our life experience or perhaps our soul. I once owned an art gallery and have spent lots of time in them through the years, as I was married to an artist. I bring this up because I hope that at least one person reading this column will let go of their fear and actually step inside a gallery after reading this.

Folks who are highly educated in other fields, for some reason often feel intimidated looking at art, especially if a salesperson offers to help them. What’s the standard line? “I don’t know much about art, I just know what I like..” Well, I’m here to tell you that that’s good enough. Each piece of art in your surroundings really should be there because you like it. Something the artist put into that piece resonates with you. That makes an artist happy.

I have known many artists, and most of them create what their heart calls them to make. Don’t be afraid to ask them about the work. If they can, they will tell you what their inspiration was. Also, chances are, that helpful salesperson in the gallery knows interesting facts about the piece or the artist that will give it more meaning to you and perhaps open your eyes even wider to its beauty. Trust me on this, you don’t have to be wealthy, or knowledgeable or even a real buyer to browse in an art gallery. The owners don’t mind if you don’t buy anything. They know that if they make you feel comfortable, when you are in a buying mode, they will likely get your business.

When I think of memorable moments I have had with art, they are with the famous and not as famous. Standing in the Museum of Modern Art in New York and looking at VanGogh’s Starry Night moved me to tears. I had seen it so many times in print, that to actually walk right up to something that had touched his hand seemed almost surreal.

I have a small collection of what is known as intuitive art. That is, work that is done by artists with no formal training. I love the concept of people who create art simply for the joy of it, and often because something inside them drives them to do it – they can’t keep it inside. I happened on just such a piece at a restaurant in Lakeland which displayed art for sale. I couldn’t take my eyes off it. Turns out, it was done by a seriously mentally handicapped person who was in an art program in his facility.

Each piece of art has a back story, and once you own it, it now has another story which is uniquely yours. So, the next time you want to peek inside a store or gallery, don’t let intimidation stop you. Walk in and let your eyes be opened in new and interesting ways.

By the way: Somewhere in a class I took, I was told what the five most famous American paintings are. Before I list them, what comes to mind for you? Anyway, they are:

•American Gothic by Grant Wood
•Nighthawks by Edward Hopper
•Christina’s World by Andrew Wyeth
• Arrangement in Grey and Black (Whistler’s Mother) by James Whistler
• Portrait of George Washington – I’m not sure by whom