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October 6, 2024 1:02 pm  #1


A Surprising 'What-Might-Have-Been' About "The Twilight Zone"

Remind Magazine, which much to my dismay you can't get or subscribe to in Canada, is owned by the same company as TV Guide (also not available here.) But they have an interesting website you can access and one of the stories dealt with this month is about how TV Guide covered the famous sci fi show "The Twilight Zone."

I'm not sure there's a single episode I haven't seen, but there is one fact I wasn't aware of. And it's a pretty big one. Apparently, CBS and test audiences weren't overly fond of Rod Serling's on camera appearances and his narration. They thought he seemed awkward and even he had to admit he wasn't terribly comfortable on camera 

So for a brief while, the network was looking to replace him with another narrator - the booming voice of Orson Welles. I can actually see how that might have worked, but the sometimes arrogant Citizen Kane writer wanted a lot more money than they were willing to pay him, so Serling continued to narrate his own series for the duration. 

Good thing, too IMHO. Serling's open and closings were sometimes the best part of the show and have become iconic over the years. Is there anyone of a certain era who doesn't know that voice and that famous read he had or tried to imitate it when something odd occurs? In my mind, nobody could read Serling like Serling.  I'm glad it never happened. 

 ‘The Twilight Zone’ Turns 65! Celebrate With a Look Back at Original TV Guide Reviews & More