Showing posts with label Twilight Zone Magazine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Twilight Zone Magazine. Show all posts

Monday, January 20, 2025

Reading Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone Magazine, Part 28

In which we take a closer look at each issue. For a history of the magazine, go here.

Volume 3, Number 6
(January/February, 1984)

Cover Art: Images from the films Christine and Return of the Jedi. Image from the television series The Outer Limits


TZ Publications, Inc. 

Chairman: S. Edward Orenstein
President: Milton J. Cuevas
Treasurer: Sidney Z. Gellman
Executive Publisher: S. Edward Orenstein
Publisher: Eric Protter
Associate Publisher/Consulting Editor: Carol Serling
Executive Editor: John Bensink
Editor in Chief: T.E.D. Klein
Managing Editor: Jane Bayer
Associate Editor: Robert Sabat
Books Editor: Thomas M. Disch
Contributing Editors: Gahan Wilson, James Verniere, Ron Goulart
Design Director: Michael Monte
Art Director: Pat E. McQueen
Art Production: Florence Neal, Lgilgan Randgic-Coleman, Susan Lindeman
Typesetting: Irma Landazuri
Production Director: Stephen J. Fallon
Vice President-Finance, Controller: Thomas Schiff
Assistant Controller: Chris Grossman
Ass’t to the Publisher: Judy Linden
Public Relations Manager: Jeffrey Nickora
Special Projects Mgr.: Brian Orenstein
Accounting Ass’t: Annmarie Pistilli
Office Ass’t: Linda Jarit
Circulation Mgr.: Carole A. Harley
Circulation Ass’t: Jill Obernier
Western Circ. Mgr.: Dominick LaGatta
Advertising Director: Rachel Britapaja
Adv. Production Manager: Marina Despotakis
Adv. Ass’t.:
Karen Martorano

Contents:

--In the Twilight Zone: “A Scary Christmas to All . . .” by T.E.D. Klein
--Other Dimensions: Books by Thomas M. Disch
--Other Dimensions: Screen by Gahan Wilson
--Other Dimensions: Nostalgia by Ron Goulart
--Other Dimensions: Screen Adaptation Quiz by William Fulwiler
--Other Dimensions: Etc.
--The Essential Writers: Isaac Bashevis Singer by Isidore Haiblum
--TZ Interview: Isaac Bashevis Singer by Isidore Haiblum
--Required Reading: “Hanka” by Isaac Bashevis Singer
--Double Vision: Two Stories by Joe Cromarty
--“Windigo Country” by Dennis Delaney
--Fantasy Films 1983
--TZ Screen Preview: Christine by James Verniere
--TZ Interview: Stephen King by Randy Lofficier
--“Harlequin” by John Carpenter
--Beyond the Zone: Cartoon by “Feggo”
--“Ghost Guessed” by Scott Bradfield
--Told After Supper by Jerome K. Jerome
--“In and Out of The Outer Limits” by David J. Schow
--Show-by-Show Guide: The Outer Limits, Part One by David J. Schow
--Two by Cheney (cartoons)
--TZ Classic Teleplay: “Mirror Image” by Rod Serling
--Looking Ahead: Next Issue

--In the Twilight Zone: “A Scary Christmas to All . . .” by T.E.D. Klein 

-This is the Christmas issue of the magazine, and Klein’s editorial explores the tradition of telling ghost stories at Christmas. Although readers of the magazine may believe that Halloween is the traditional time for telling ghost stories, Klein explores the tradition in English literature of setting supernatural tales at Christmas. To illustrate this tradition, Klein uses examples from the works of Russell Kirk, Horace Walpole, Marjorie Bowen, Charles Dickens, M.R. James, Henry James, and Jerome K. Jerome (pictured), whose 1891 parody of Christmas ghost stories, Told After Supper, is included in the issue. I previously wrote a brief history of this tradition, including a list of Twilight Zone episodes suitable for the winter fireside along with recommended reading. You can find that post here.

-Klein also provides information about the contributors to the issue, highlighted by a profile of, interview with, and story by Nobel laureate Isaac Bashevis Singer. Klein provides brief profiles of Scott Bradfield, Dennis Delaney, Joseph Cromarty, and film director John Carpenter, who provide stories in the issue. Klein also highlights a new cartoonist, Felipe Galindo Gomez (“Feggo”), and David J. Schow’s coverage of The Outer Limits. Finally, Klein provides corrections for the previous issue.

--Other Dimensions: Books by Thomas M. Disch 

-Disch heaps praise upon The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco, the international bestseller that has become a modern classic of mystery fiction. Disch writes that the novel “is that rarity, a novel so superlative as to be a genuine embarrassment of riches – embarrassing, that is, to the reviewer whose praise will sound hollow in his own ears.” Disch provides a summary of the novel, along with his impressions of the author’s narrative skills, and concludes by stating: “if there’s any justice at the Mystery Writers of America, Eco should get an Edgar Award for Best Mystery Novel of the Year. And if they give out Super-Edgars in the year 2000 for Best of the Century, Eco will surely be a top contender.” The Name of the Rose won several international awards but the Edgar Allan Poe Award from the Mystery Writers of America was not among them. The novel was nominated for Mystery Novel of the Year but lost to La Brava by Elmore Leonard.

-Disch is far less enthusiastic about Dear Mr. Capote by Gordon Lish, former fiction editor at Esquire. Lish’s novel is an epistolary story concerning a homicidal fan. This type of story, Disch points out, had previously been done more skillfully in The Fan by Bob Randall (1977; filmed 1981) and “Ottmar Balleau X 2” by George Bamber (1961). Disch takes umbrage with supportive blurbs for the book provided by James Dickey and Cynthia Ozick. Disch tells us that Lish resigned from his position as fiction editor at Esquire when the magazine refused to publish a story by Ozick that Lish favored. Disch concludes by telling Ozick: “for penance you must deliver seven week-long seminars on the subject of Gordon Lish’s horrific artistry. Now make a good act of contrition and write an essay on the morality of blurb-writing.”

-Disch next looks at The Dark Fantastic by Stanley Ellin, a novel rejected by the author’s publisher, Random House, because it was too “horrific and scandalous.” Ellin’s novel was published by Otto Penzler’s the Mysterious Press. The horrific and scandalous nature of the novel concerns a white slumlord who, suffering from a terminal cancer diagnosis, decides to blow up an African-American tenement building. Disch concludes: “The Dark Fantastic is an unfailingly entertaining thriller. Read it now before the movie comes out and gets it all wrong, and then, if you’re still hungry, check out Ellin’s collection, The Specialty of the House (also from the Mysterious Press, $15).”

-Finally, Disch reviews the novel Pilgermann by Russell Hoban, who “has made the mistake of thinking he could write a historical novel just by setting his sails, invoking Clio, Muse of History, and trusting to the winds of lyric invention.” Ultimately, Disch found the novel static and uninteresting, writing: “Let’s see some brightly colored pictures of Samson and the lion by this time next year – or risk having your novels be read nowhere but in college courses by students being trained to dig for symbols.”

--Other Dimensions: Screen by Gahan Wilson 

-Wilson reviews Krull, Liquid Sky, and two recent 3-D films. Wilson found the acting, directing, and plot of Krull severely lacking (“a rather overfamiliar shuffling, Star Wars-style, of Arthurian legends and intergalactic war”), but found positive things to say about the film’s art department, writing that “they ended up with a swell bunch of stills for their memory albums, a glittering, empty Art trap, but no movie. Which is a pity.”

-Wilson is more enthusiastic about the low-budget science fiction film Liquid Sky, which provides a dual gender role for actress Anne Carlisle (pictured), who, Wilson writes, “parades about in increasingly bizarre facial and body makeups and delights in wearing clothes which would stop traffic in Des Moines, as well as many parts of Brooklyn.” Wilson also profiles the film’s director, Slava Tsukerman, highlights the film’s humor, and examines the ways in which the film manipulated the audience in the theatre where Wilson viewed the film. He concludes: “Hooray for all concerned.”

-Wilson next laments the resurgence of 3-D films, finding fault with the production of the 3-D effects, examining the difficulty of wearing 3-D glasses, and decrying the low quality of recent 3-D films. Wilson briefly reviews two of these films. He describes the first, The Man Who Wasn’t There, as “the worst Invisible Man-type movie I have ever seen.” The second film, Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn, is dismissed as “awful.” 

--Other Dimensions: Nostalgia by Ron Goulart 

“Has anybody seen the Invisible Man lately?”

-Goulart turns his attention to the subject of invisibility in popular culture. What prompted this is the release of the Invisible Man film, The Man Who Wasn’t There, a film that performed so poorly at the box office that it left theaters before Goulart had a chance to see it. Goulart shares some of the bad reviews the film received before discussing films on the theme of invisibility that he remembers from childhood, including The Invisible Man Returns, The Invisible Woman, Invisible Agent, Topper, Topper Takes a Trip, and Topper Returns. Goulart details the casts of these films, and profiles actors John Hall and Sir Cedric Hardwicke.

-Goulart then reviews director James Whale’s 1933 film version of H.G. Wells’ 1897 novel The Invisible Man. Goulart found the invisibility scenes interesting but found the scenes in the inn “dull.”  Goulart details the cast and crew of the film before moving on to later films, Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man and Now You See Him, Now You Don’t, and various television offerings on the theme. Finally, Goulart explores the many invisible menaces encountered and battled by the pulp hero The Shadow (pictured).

--Other Dimensions: Screen Adaptation Quiz by William Fulwiler

-The quiz this month challenges readers to match the film title with the title of the work upon which the film was based. Twenty correct answers and you’re a fantasy film buff. Thirty correct answers and you’re an expert. I took the quiz and, alas, got twenty-nine correct. See the quiz and answers below.




--Other Dimensions: Etc. 

-The miscellany column this month contains: a cartoon by Peter Kuper (pictured), a humorous error in a review by the Science Fiction Chronicle (in which an author, rather than his work, is described as “short”), a message from the editor on the unhappy response from readers to a cartoon from a previous issue (which showed a postal worker destroying copies of the magazine), a request by a reader for information on a music cue from “Where Is Everybody?”, a cartoon by Jim Pinkoski, various uses of the term “twilight zone” in recent media reports, an excerpt from an article in Psychology Today concerning the “twilight zone” between waking and sleeping, a quote by Brendan Gill, from The New Yorker, on the purposelessness of mountain climbing, use of the term “twilight zone” in a story by Clark Ashton Smith, examples of paper dolls by artist Jill Bauman from Monster Paper Dolls, “Dreams,” a poem by Gabriel Setoun, from The Child World (1979), and a call for advertisements for the TZ Classifieds page.

--The Essential Writers: Isaac Bashevis Singer: Portrait of a Magician by Isidore Haiblum 

Illustration by Tomar Levine

“The Polish-born Nobel prizewinner is revered throughout the world for his vision and humanity. And he also writes good horror stories”

-Isidore Haiblum, who previously contributed to the magazine a series of essays concerning writing and publishing genre fiction, profiles the Polish writer and Nobel laureate Isaac Bashevis Singer (1902-1991), with commentary from Singer. Haiblum describes Singer’s writings in Yiddish and the process of translating these writings into English (Singer permanently moved to the United States in 1935). Haiblum describes Singer’s childhood in Poland, including his family life and the readings that influenced his young creative mind (Poe, Hoffmann, Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Knut Hamsun). Haiblum describes Singer’s explorations of mystical Jewish texts as a young man, and how these influenced his early writings. Singer’s older brother, the novelist Israel Joshua Singer, is profiled (it was Israel who brought Isaac to America). Singer’s literary career is explored in detail, including his position early on as a translator for a Yiddish language magazine in Poland, the publications of his first short stories, his move to America, and his work as a freelance Yiddish journalist in New York before securing a position on the Yiddish periodical the Daily Forward. Haiblum concludes his profile by providing numerous quotes from authors and critics, as well as from Singer’s works, to show the variety and the skill with which Singer writes. Haiblum writes: “As he approaches his eighties, his vigor remains undiminished, and new novels, short stories, and memoirs of the highest order keep pouring out. He is a master magician who continues to bring marvels into the world.”

--TZ Interview: “These Hidden Powers Are Everywhere” 

“Isaac Bashevis Singer discusses miracles, demons, and the afterlife with interviewer Isidore Haiblum”

-Haiblum’s interview with Singer encompass a variety of subjects related to Singer’s life and works. Of particular importance seems to be Singer’s views on metaphysical matters. The authors discuss Singer’s views on religious miracles and human extrasensory abilities. Singer discusses his rejection of the natural philosophy of Spinoza for a more open-minded acceptance of things beyond our understanding of natural laws. Singer also discusses the agents of good and evil in the world and his views on the afterlife before moving away from these subjects. Singer then discusses the differences between living and writing in Warsaw and New York, as well as his feelings on how winning the Nobel Prize in Literature has, or has not, changed his outlook on life and on his craft. Singer describes his daily writing habits and provides details for some of his upcoming works, including a story, “Why Heisherik Was Born,” for Playboy, a story first published in the Daily Forward. This prompts Singer to discuss the ways in which he revises his stories when translating them from Yiddish to English, essentially creating two distinct versions of the same story. Finally, Haiblum asks Singer what brings him joy, to which Singer responds: “My work, and taking walks – I take big walks, I walk every day, between five and six miles, sometimes a bit more – and, well, that and other things. Although I’m not a young man anymore, I also know what love is and is not. I would say – this is again the same thing – reading a good book also brings joy.”

--Required Reading: “Hanka” by Isaac Bashevis Singer 

Illustration by Bruce Waldman

“. . . In which the author embarks on a Latin American lecture tour – and finds himself journeying through the land of the dead”

-In this work of autobiographical fiction, Singer undertakes a journey from New York to Buenos Aires for a lecture tour. The strangeness of his experiences begins on the long sea journey, where Singer is unable to make any sort of personal connection to the other passengers. As a result, he secludes himself in his cabin until the ship arrives at its destination. Arrived in Buenos Aries, Singer meets his contact, Chazkel Poliva, who provides him with a schedule for his four-week stay in Argentina. Singer is also met by a mysterious woman named Hanka, who claims to be his relative. Hanka unnerves Poliva, who abruptly leaves Singer in the woman’s care. Hanka and Singer return to his hotel room, where Hanka tells Singer about his other relative living in Buenos Aires. Hanka also tells him strange stories of terror and sadness from her time in Europe as well as her time in South America. Hanka indicates more than once that she is dead.  

-Singer begins to experience strange events that interrupt his lecture tour. Telephones and other machines cease to work properly, the postal service abruptly stops, and the countryside is inundated with windstorms and flooding rains. Behind this, Singer suspects, is the mysterious Hanka. One evening, she takes him to see his cousin Jechiel, now known as Julio, who lives in a desolate part of town. Julio and his wife seem unable to remain awake and are hardly communicative when Hanka and Singer visit. When they leave, Hanka embraces Singer in the alley outside Julio’s home. The lights are extinguished in the house, rain begins to fall, and a darkness surrounds everything.

-The following day, the sun is shining and the weather has cleared. Chazel Poliva returns to Singer and tells him that he has freed himself from the evil influence of Hanka. But Singer longs to see the mysterious woman again. She does not return. Later, Singer gives a lecture to the “rich Jews” of the city. At the behest of Poliva, Singer does not mention anything metaphysical. After his lecture, however, he is eagerly questioned on metaphysical matters by the audience. He looks up and sees Hanka in the audience. She smiles and winks at him before vanishing. Hallucination or not, Singer knows that he will brood on it for the rest of his life.

-This disturbing, atmospheric story is a strong contender for the best I’ve read in the magazine to this point. It was first published in Yiddish in no. 83 (1974) of the journal Di goldene keyt, and in English in the February 4, 1974 issue of The New Yorker. The story was collected in Passions and Other Stories (1975). Peter Straub included the story in American Fantastic Tales: Terror and the Uncanny from the 1940s to Now (Library of America, 2009).

--“The Neighborhood Assassin” by Joseph Cromarty 

Illustration by Peter de Seve

“There was nothing wrong with murder . . . as long as it made sense”

-A man tells of his fantasy about murdering someone. He begins thinking about possible victims, beginning with the president, then moving on to a congressman, his boss, and his neighbor, finding a flaw with each of these potential victims. Finally, he decides to murder his wife, who he has been talking to. “Even if you are my wife,” he tells her, “a guy’s entitled to fulfill one of his fantasies, ain’t he?”

--“Words, Words, Words” by Joseph Cromarty 

Illustration by Peter de Seve

“They made no sense to anyone . . . or almost anyone”

-Thomas, a young boy, begins misspelling words on his papers at school, to the consternation of his teacher. The problem rapidly worsens until, in an attempt to punish the boy, the teacher makes him read his paper aloud to the class. As the boy reads the strange language created by his misspellings, the atmosphere in the classroom deteriorates and a demon appears. “You called?”

--“Windigo Country” by Dennis Delany 

Illustration by Harry Pincus

“Maybe it was hell, this land where madness crept into the bones – or maybe it was just . . .”

-Kate and her husband Danny run a small motel in a desolate town. Kate notices that many of the locals behave strangely, aggressively. She desperately wants to leave town but Danny is determined to stay. Danny’s behavior begins to change, as well. He becomes more aggressive, short-tempered, obsessed with shooting the dogs that dig through the motel’s trash. Mr. Newal, a stranger, comes to town one day and checks in at the motel. An older travelling salesman, Mr. Newal befriends Kate and explains to her over a cup of coffee his theory of the Windigo, a spirit believed by Native Americans to turn one’s heart to ice. Kate begins to believe that Danny is possessed by the Windigo. When Danny begins acting erratically, Kate runs to Mr. Newal’s room for help. She finds that Mr. Newal has lured a local boy to his room and murdered him. Panicked, she rushes back to Danny. The police arrive and take Mr. Newal away. Kate reflects that Mr. Newal knew the whole time that he was possessed by the Windigo.

-“Windigo Country” was reprinted in TZ Special #1: Night Cry (1984), and in the June, 2001 issue of Night Terrors, edited by D.E. Davidson.

--Fantasy Films 1983: The Year of Living Languorously

“It’s been a dismal year for genre films (though you’d never know it at the box office). TZ charts the occasional high points and the all-too-common lows”

-This is a series of short reviews of the fantasy films of 1983. Each film is examined in two columns based on what worked and what didn’t work in the film. The films reviewed are:

Brainstorm, Cujo, The Dark Crystal, The Entity, The Dead Zone, The Evil Dead, Fanny and Alexander, The Hunger, Jaw 3-D, Krull, Liquid Sky, The Man Who Wasn't There, Octopussy, Psycho II, Return of the Jedi, Something Wicked This Way Comes, Still of the Night, Strange Invaders, Superman III, Twilight Zone: The Movie, Videodrome, WarGames, Xtro, Zelig

--TZ Screen Preview: Christine by James Verniere 

“Horror’s two heavy hitters, John Carpenter and Stephen King, team up in a story about ‘teenagers, rock music, and America’s love affair with the automobile.’ James Verniere reports”

-The screen preview this issue is for the third Stephen King film released in a six-month period, with a seventh (Firestarter) on the horizon. This is Christine, the killer car film adapted by director John Carpenter from King’s 1983 novel. The wheels to adapt King’s novel began to turn before the novel was published, as King sent producer Richard Kobritz the novel in pre-publication state. Kobritz won the film rights to the novel and screenwriter Bill Phillips began adapting the novel for the screen before it hit bookstores. The article profiles director John Carpenter and describes the financial failure of Carpenter’s film The Thing as something that nearly derailed his career. Carpenter’s relationship with producer Kobritz is detailed, as is Kobritz’s relationship with Stephen King. Kobritz previously produced the television film of King’s ‘Salem’s Lot. The story of Christine is summarized and the article explores the small subgenre of killer car films, including Rod Serling’s “A Thing About Machines.” The cast members of the film are profiled and a significant portion of the article describes the technical challenges faced by the production, including finding several (as many as fourteen) 1958 Plymouth Fury automobiles, and creating the special effects that make the car seem to be alive.

--TZ Interview: Stephen King Talks About Christine by Randy Lofficier 

“It’s a pretty lively car”

-This interview with King focuses on his novel rather than the film, since King had not yet seen the film at the time of the interview. King discusses setting his novel outside his usual settings (Maine or Colorado), why he chose the Plymouth Fury for the car, whether Christine is evil or if the evil came from her first owner (a villain named Roland LeBay), his memories of growing up in the 1950s, his aversion to hidden symbols in works of fiction, and the difficulties of writing the book in two narrative styles.

--“Harlequin” by John Carpenter 

Illustration by Jim Harter

“An early excursion into the surreal world of masks and transformations, from the man who brought you Halloween and The Thing”

-A man drives down to the ocean after midnight. He gets out of his car and walks close to the shore. After ten years, he says aloud, he is going back. He removes his human face and skin to reveal a fish body beneath. A clown has been watching him from a distance. The clown tells him that he is not a fish but rather a clown. The fish removes its scales to reveal a clown’s face with a painted smile.

-In his introduction to the issue, T.E.D. Klein tells us that Carpenter’s story originally appeared in 1969 in the Bowling Green, Kentucky college magazine, The Continent. The story was later reprinted in the July, 1981 issue (#15) of The Science Fiction Collector, where Klein read it. The story was later reprinted in Ghost Movies: Famous Supernatural Films, edited by Peter Haining (1995), and in the first issue of Allen K’s Inhuman Magazine, edited by Allen Koszowski (2004).

--Beyond the Zone: The Way-Out World of Feggo

 


--“Ghost Guessed” by Scott Bradfield 

Illustration by Carrol O’Connell

“For a man who lived by himself, he had an awful lot of trouble with his roommate”

-Kenneth Millar is a shy, virginal, middle-aged man who lives quietly in the house his mother left him after her death. Another Kenneth Millar also lives in the house. This Kenneth is a sort of ghost. He is profane, sloppy, and sexually active, and he constantly berates the other Kenneth for the cowardly life he lives. Slowly, inexorably, Kenneth the ghost takes over the life of the other Kenneth, who suddenly finds himself a ghost in his own home.

-“Ghost Guessed,” the title is taken from a line in the poem “Spring and Fall” by Gerard Manly Hopkins, was reprinted in the author’s collections The Secret Life of Houses (1988), Dream of the Wolf (1990), and Greetings from Earth: New and Collected Stories (1993). Kenneth Millar is the name of the detective story novelist who wrote as Ross MacDonald. Scott Bradfield currently hosts an entertaining and bookish YouTube channel that can be found here.

--Told After Supper by Jerome K. Jerome 

Illustrations by Charles Dougherty

“Pull up a chair by the fireside, pour yourself a glass or two of punch, light up your long clay pipe, and return with us to a happier age for this little-known masterpiece of Victorian humor”

-In the prologue to his book of humorous Christmas ghost stories, Jerome describes the English tradition of telling ghost stories, and provides a number of the most common types of ghost stories told by English speaking people when gathered around the fire on Christmas Eve.

HOW THE STORIES CAME TO BE TOLD 

-It is Christmas Eve, and, after supper, Jerome’s Uncle John prepares whiskey punch. The two men are joined by the local curate, Dr. Scrubbles, Mr. Coombes, a member of the City Council, and Teddy Biffles. Uncle John tells a funny story. Jerome attempts to tell a funny story but forgets to tell it aloud. Then the curate attempts to fool the other men with the three-card trick and fails miserably. “And then,” Jerome writes, “somehow or other, we must have got on to ghosts: because the next recollection I have is that we were telling ghost stories to each other.” The punch flows copiously and the men begin their version of the old tradition.

TEDDY BIFFLE’S STORY 

-This story is about a man who fell in love with a woman and went off to Australia to make his fortune in order to marry her. The making of this fortune took many years. By the time the man returned to the home of the woman he loved, she was gone, he knew not where. He moves into the house and dies there, creating a mournful, wailing ghost that troubles Teddy and his family, who move in years later. They have the idea that if they can show the ghost the grave of the woman he loved, he would cease haunting the house. Try as they might, they cannot discover the woman’s final resting place. Then the idea occurs to them that they could fake her grave. This done, they lure the ghost out of the house to discover the grave. The ghost then attaches itself to this spot, where it cries every night, leaving the house in peace. Teddy concludes his story: “I’ll take you fellows down and show you it next time you come to our place – 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. are its general hours, 10 to 2 on Saturdays.”

MR. COOMBES’ STORY 

“The Haunted Mill or The Ruined House”

-Mr. Coombes’ brother-in-law, Mr. Parkins, moves into a house that once belonged to an infamous old miser. It is believed that when the old man died he left a stash of money hidden in the house. Soon, the ghost of the old miser appears to Mr. Parkins. Silently, night after night, the ghost leads Mr. Parkins to various parts of the house, indicating a floor here, a ceiling there, a cupboard here, a wall there. Believing the ghost is trying to reveal the hiding place of his money, Mr. Parkins tears up the floor, tears down the ceiling, removes the cupboard and the walls. He does not find any money. Eventually, Mr. Parkins tears down the entire house but still finds no money.

MY UNCLE’S STORY 

“The Ghost of the Blue Chamber”

-Jerome’s Uncle tells the story of a vicious man who previously lived in the very house they were sitting in, and who murdered a Christmas caroler, poisoned a German band, and attempted to harm anyone who made excessive noise. The man died and now haunts the Blue Chamber upstairs every Christmas Eve where he battles the ghosts of those he murdered.

MY OWN STORY 

-Jerome takes up the challenge to sleep in the Blue Chamber that Christmas Eve. He meets the murderous ghost, who is not frightening but who claims a lost list of crimes committed against music and noise makers. He tells Jerome that he has vanquished for good and all the ghosts he typically battles on Christmas Eve. As such, he has no reason to continue to visit the Blue Chamber unless Jerome would like his company. A rooster crows outside and the ghost becomes irritated. Jerome accompanies the ghost outside into the freezing cold but is intercepted by a servant. The ghost has disappeared and Jerome is led back to the safety of the house.

--In and Out of The Outer Limits: The First Season by David J. Schow 

“TV’s most memorable monster show opened to stormy reviews, censorship problems, and a verdict on one of its aliens: ‘Disturbing to young minds’.”

-Schow’s history of the series begins with a detailed examination of the production of episodes before the series began its broadcast. He profiles director Gerd Oswald and examines the episodes he directed, profiles the early work of writer Joseph Stefano on the series, offers a sampling of early reviews of the series, and examines the trepidation felt by ABC over the costs and contents of the series.

--Show-by-Show Guide: The Outer Limits, Part One by David J. Schow 

“Beginning David J. Schow’s seven-part survey of the series, complete with the words of the celebrated control voice”

-Schow provides detailed information about the episodes in broadcast order, including broadcast date, cast and crew listings, the narrations of the Control Voice, and narrative summaries. The episodes covered in this issue are: “The Galaxy Being,” “The Hundred Days of the Dragon,” “The Architects of Fear,” “The Man with the Power,” “The Sixth Finger,” “The Man Who Was Never Born,” and “O.B.I.T.”

--Two by “Cheney”

 




--TZ Classic Teleplay: “Mirror Image” by Rod Serling 

“The original television script first aired on CBS-TV February 26, 1960”

-The teleplay this issue is for Rod Serling’s creepy first season episode, “Mirror Image,” starring Vera Miles as a woman in a bus station confronted with her doppelganger, and Martin Milner as a fellow traveler who attempts to help her. The episode was moodily directed by the great John Brahm. You can revisit my review of the episode here.

--1984 TZ Calendar 

-Here's a bonus for those who have read this far. This pull-out 1984 calendar, with illustrations from the magazine, was included in this issue. 















Acknowledgements: The Internet Archive (archive.org) provided the scan of the magazine. Images of the calendar are from Ebay. The Internet Speculative Fiction Database (isfdb.org) provided bibliographic details. 

Next in the Vortex: A return to our episode guide with a review of “Ninety Years Without Slumbering.” Thanks for reading!

JP

Monday, July 15, 2024

Reading Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone Magazine, Part 27

In which we take a closer look at each issue. For a history of the magazine, go here.


Volume 3, Number 5 
(November/December, 1983)

Cover Art: Film image from Iceman (1984)

TZ Publications, Inc.

Chairman: S. Edward Orenstein
President: Milton J. Cuevas
Treasurer: Sidney Z. Gellman
Executive Vice President: Leon Garry
Executive Publisher: S. Edward Orenstein
Publisher: Eric Protter
Assoc. Publisher & Consulting Editor: Carol Serling
Executive Editor: John Bensink
Editor-in-Chief: T.E.D. Klein
Managing Editor: Jane Bayer
Associate Editor: Robert Sabat
Books Editor: Thomas M. Disch
Contributing Editors: Gahan Wilson, James Verniere, Ron Goulart
Design Director: Michael Monte
Art Director: Pat E. McQueen
Art Production: Sophia Laskaris, Florence Neal
Typesetting: Irma Landazuri
Production Director: Stephen J. Fallon
Vice President-Finance, Controller: Thomas Schiff
Assistant Controller: Chris Grossman
Ass’t to the Publisher: Judy Linden
Public Relations Manager: Jeff Nickora
Accounting Ass’t: Annmarie Pistilli
Office Ass’t: Teresa Rivera
Circulation Mgr.: Carole A. Harley
Circulation Ass’t: Jill Obernier
Eastern Circ. Mgr.: Hank Rosen
Advertising Director: Rachel Britapaja
Adv. Sales Rep.: Katherine Lys
Adv. Production Manager: Marina Despotakis
Adv. Ass’t.: Karen Martorano

Contents:

--In the Twilight Zone: “Calling All Hallows” by T.E.D. Klein
--Other Dimensions: Books by Karl Edward Wagner
--Other Dimensions: Screen by Gahan Wilson
--Other Dimensions: Nostalgia by Ron Goulart
--Other Dimensions: The Children’s Hour Quiz by A.R. Morlan
--Other Dimensions: Etc.
--“Imagine” by Fredric Brown
--“Ursa Minor” by John Sladek
--“Centaur” by Francois Camoin
--“Lares & Penates” by Chet Williamson
--TZ Screen Preview: Iceman by James Verniere
--TZ Screen Preview: Dead Zone
--On the Set of Dead Zone by James Verniere
--TZ Interview: A Talk with David Cronenberg by James Verniere
--“Prairie Path” by Michael Beres
--“Confessions of a Freelance Fantasist” by Isidore Haiblum
--“Just Waiting” by Ramsey Campbell
--“Music Box” by Thomas M. Disch
--“She Sells Sea Shells” by Paul Darcy Boles
--In and Out of The Outer Limits by David J. Schow
--TZ Classic Teleplay: “It’s a Good Life” by Rod Serling
--Looking Ahead: In Our Next Issue . . . 

--In the Twilight Zone: “Calling All Hallows” by T.E.D. Klein 

-Klein’s editorial calls attention to the amount of fiction in the issue (after the previous issue’s reduced fiction offerings due to coverage of Twilight Zone: The Movie) and briefly profiles the issue’s contributors, including return contributors Ramsey Campbell, John Sladek, Thomas M. Disch, and Chet Williamson, who provide stories in the issue, and Karl Edward Wagner, Ron Goulart, Gahan Wilson, Isidore Haiblum, and David J. Schow, who provide articles in the issue. Klein also profiles the new contributors in the issue, Paul Darcy Boles, Francois Camoin, and Michael Beres, who have stories in the issue, and A.R. Morlan, who created the themed quiz for the issue. Finally, Klein highlights the work of two artists, Jill Karla Schwarz, who created an impressive illustration for a reprint of Fredric Brown’s “Imagine,” and D.W. Miller, whose sketchbook provided an illustration for Francois Camoin’s “Centaur.” 

--Other Dimensions: Books by Karl Edward Wagner 

-Wagner steps in for regular books reviewer Thomas M. Disch, who is represented instead with a story and illustration later in the issue. Wagner previously contributed to the magazine’s “Fantasy Five-Foot Bookshelf” recommended reading feature which ran in the May/June and July/August issues.

 -Wagner begins with a look at The Gruesome Book, edited by Ramsey Campbell with illustrations by Ivan Lapper (an example of which is pictured). Wagner commends the book for being a genuinely scary book for younger readers and provides examples of the disappointingly mild “horror” offerings for younger readers currently on the market, with particular focus on the tepid Dark Forces series from Bantam Books.

 -Wagner next offers praise for the novel Phantom by Thomas Tessier, providing brief summaries of Tessier’s novels to that point as well as a summary and long critique of Phantom, “Tessier’s most ambitious effort to date.” Wagner also laments the fact that the novelization of Halloween III, pseudonymously written by Dennis Etchison from a script by Nigel Kneale, was not resultant of a better film. Wagner concludes with a look at The Kill by Alan Ryan, stating that “Ryan has already established his name in the front ranks of today’s horror writers through his short fiction, and he brings the same caring craftsmanship to The Kill.”

--Other Dimensions: Screen by Gahan Wilson 

-Wilson looks at a trio of movie sequels as well as Twilight Zone: The Movie and WarGames.  

 -Wilson begins with a long critique of Return of the Jedi (pictured), which Wilson found disappointing in nearly every aspect. Wilson lays the blame for the movie’s shortcomings on the script and, especially, the director, Richard Marquand, stating that Marquand “seems to have a knack which almost amounts to genius for stepping on Big Moments and squishing them.” Although Wilson felt that Superman III was the best film in the series, he also states: “I loathe the underlying tone of this series because – and it is a jolly piece of irony – the producers of Superman clearly detest their own hero.”

 -Wilson found Twilight Zone: The Movie to be a mixed bag, disliking the segments directed by John Landis and (especially) Steven Spielberg, but encouraging viewers to make it through to the segments directed by Joe Dante and George Miller, which Wilson found creative and satisfying. Wilson, in a long critique, labels WarGames “another perfect Disney movie made by others.” Wilson reserved the most praise for Psycho II, however, in which Anthony Perkins reprised the role of Norman Bates in a sequel to Alfred Hitchcock’s film. Noting that the filmmakers knew better than to try and top Hitchcock, Wilson writes that “Psycho II has the brains and sense of humor to understand and fully exploit its inferior position.”

--Other Dimensions: Nostalgia by Ron Goulart 

-This month, Goulart looks back fondly on the movie serials of the thirties and forties, featuring such characters as Flash Gordon, Captain Marvel, The Lone Ranger, Dick Tracy, Captain America, Batman, The Shadow, and dozens more.

 -Goulart begins with a brief profile of actor Buster Crabbe, who famously played Flash Gordon in a serial but also played Buck Rogers and Tarzan. Goulart proceeds to list a number of science fiction and fantasy serials while focusing on one of his favorites, The Adventures of Captain Marvel. Goulart also describes The Mysterious Doctor Satan (pictured) as well as Spy Smasher and the unsuccessful attempts to bring Captain America and Batman to the screen. Goulart closes with a look at a non-sf serial, Daredevils of the Red Circle, and directs readers to his novel, Skyrocket Steele, which deals with the making of a 1941 movie serial. Running out of space in his column, Goulart writes: “Perhaps, if I can get free of these ropes before the time bomb planted in my typewriter goes off, I can cover these topics in a later chapter.”

--Other Dimensions: The Children’s Hour Quiz by A.R. Morlan

-The quiz this issue was created by writer A.R. Morlan, and challenges readers to match quotes from works of science fiction and fantasy concerning children with the titles of the works, awarding a bonus point for also knowing the author. “A score of ten is respectable, twenty is good, and thirty is excellent.” I’ve included the quiz and the answers below.


--Other Dimensions: Etc. 

-The miscellany column this month begins with the world premiere of Twilight Zone: The Movie held in Rod Serling’s hometown of Binghamton, New York on June 11, 1983. Included is a photograph of actor Kevin McCarthy attending the event, as well as images of the bandstand and merry-go-round (pictured) in Binghamton’s Recreation Park, both of which featured in Serling’s memorable Twilight Zone episode “Walking Distance.” The merry-go-round (carousel) was recently restored and adorned with panels painted by Cortlandt Hull depicting memorable scenes from The Twilight Zone. Sticking with Twilight Zone: The Movie, the column also features a photograph of the magazine’s staff handing out free copies of the July/August issue at the Sutton theater in New York, with information on other theaters that handed out free copies of the magazine to coincide with the release of the film.

 -Also included is a reader’s response to Robert M. Price’s previous column concerning characters in stories who continuing writing the narrative despite a looming threat of death. The reader wrote in to include Robert Bloch’s story “The Eyes of the Mummy.” Cartoons by Tom Mason and Peter Kuper are included (shared at the end of this post), as is a call for readers to send in their picks for the top five Twilight Zone episodes. Rounding out the column is a look at the origins of The Twilight Zone television marathons, a selection from the publication The Reader, based in San Diego, in which a young woman recalls Twilight Zone episodes that never were, and a preview of David Lynch’s film version of Dune.  

--“Imagine” by Fredric Brown 

Illustrated by Jill Karla Schwarz

-This poetic vignette on the nature of imagination and the human ability to imagine was first published in the May, 1955 issue of The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, included in the fifth annual best of volume from that magazine, and collected in Honeymoon in Hell (1958).

--“Ursa Minor” by John Sladek 

Illustrated by Stephen W. Andrus

“Forget Goldilocks, Faulkner, and Winnie-the-Pooh – and get set for the ultimate bear story!”

 -A father neglects to buy a present for his son’s birthday until it is too late. Waking up the next morning, he is surprised to learn that a stuffed bear appeared in the house, assumed by his wife to be a present from him to their son. The young boy takes to the bear immediately and strange things begin to happen around the bear, subtly at first and then more insistently. The boy becomes very attached to the bear, to the point that the father attempts to show the boy what a real bear is like using an old bearskin rug. Consulting a university professor, the father learns of the long and convoluted history of the bear as a symbol of magic and power. He also learns that the stuffed bear in his possession may be the aged relic of a cult of the bear, and a portent of the coming of a more terrible beast. Taking the stuffed bear home again, the father is determined to destroy it once and for all. Tearing it open, he finds it filled with golden hair and then hears something scratching at the door.

 -“Ursa Minor” was memorably adapted in 1985 for the second season of Tales from the Darkside, a series that mined much material from the pages of the magazine.

--“Centaur” by Francois Camoin 

Illustrated by D.W. Miller

“In which we learn that identity crises – and crises of the heart – are by no means limited to humans.”

 -Set in a society in which humans and centaurs live separately but together within a settlement, this moving story tells of the struggles of a female centaur, Meara, who is pulled between her preference for living alongside the humans who hate her kind, and joining the exodus of other centaurs, to whom she does not relate. Meara shares a close relationship with a human, Roth, but when he is senselessly murdered by a group of villagers, Meara realizes that she must leave the settlement with the other centaurs and voyage into an unknown future.

--“Lares & Penates” by Chet Williamson 

Illustrated by Steve Byram

“They were old, poor, and frightened. But maybe they had God – or the Gods – on their side.”

 -An elderly couple struggling to make ends meet receives some unexpected offerings of money on the doorstep of their home. The old man, a retired teacher, believes it to be the work of lares and penates, deities from the ancient Roman religion who serve as protectors of the household. The couple is visited by a detective, who reveals that the increasingly large amounts of money appearing on their doorstep can be traced to money stolen in local robberies. The thieves who stole the money are all found murdered in an unusual manner. The old couple is afraid they will have to return the money and descend again into poverty when a film producer arrives and pays them a large amount of money to make a movie based on their experience.

--TZ Screen Preview: Iceman by James Verniere 

“Timothy Hutton confronts a lonely caveman in an upcoming movie from the frozen north.”

 -Verniere reports on the filming of Universal Studio’s Iceman, describing location shooting in Canada ranging from Churchill, Manitoba to ice fields near Summit Lake, Bitter Creek, and on the Salmon, Chickanin, and Bear glaciers. Verniere describes the origins of the idea for the film in reports of an 1898 finding of a frozen Mastodon in Siberia. Verniere profiles the film’s screenwriters, John Drimmer and Chip Proser, as well as its director, the Australian Fred Schepisi, giving brief descriptions of the director’s previous works. Verniere relates the film to the “savage child” theme, as well as to the caveman theme seen in such then-recent films as Quest for Fire, and describes the ways in which the filmmakers believe Iceman to transcend the limits of the traditional science fiction film.

 -Verniere describes the process of the makeup effects required for the film in order to create the caveman character. He also profiles the film’s principal actors, John Lone and Timothy Hutton (pictured), who respectively portray the frozen caveman revived by a drilling team and the anthropologist who attempts to understand him. Verniere concludes: “Iceman should be more than an action film with a science fiction premise. It promises to be an exploration of the nature of being human and a portrait in contrasts: the contrasts between modern and primitive, between science and mysticism, between the civilized and the savage.” Black-and-white and color photographs accompany the article.

--TZ Screen Preview: Zeroing in on the Dead Zone 

“A reluctant psychic turns amateur assassin in David Cronenberg’s film of the Stephen King thriller.”

 -The color feature this issue is a photographic album of images, including behind-the-scenes images, from director David Cronenberg’s adaptation of Stephen King’s 1979 novel The Dead Zone, starring Christopher Walken (pictured) as a man who awakens from a coma with a psychic ability that leads him to save a young girl from a house fire, capture a serial killer, and attempt to assassinate a presidential candidate who will start a nuclear war.

--On the Set of Dead Zone by James Verniere

“TZ’s James Verniere takes in some night shooting in (appropriately) King’s County, Ontario, and talks with Dead Zone’s controversial director.”

 -Another film report from Canada, this time on the set of Canadian director David Cronenberg’s film adaptation of Stephen King’s The Dead Zone. Verniere profiles Cronenberg through the lens of the director’s previous films, and contrasts the director’s style with that of Stephen King. Verniere provides a plot summary of Dead Zone and provides a personal profile of David Cronenberg, with snippets of the director’s education and career to that point. Verniere also describes the production of a rain storm effect for the film.

--TZ Interview: A Talk with David Cronenberg by James Verniere 

-Topics discussed in this interview with Cronenberg include: Cronenberg’s familiarity with the works of Stephen King, the difficulty in successfully adapting King’s works for the screen, how Cronenberg acquired the job as director of Dead Zone, the commercial failure of Cronenberg’s previous film Videodrome, Cronenberg’s challenges in plotting a film script, Cronenberg’s relationship with Dead Zone’s producer Dino DeLaurentiis, Cronenberg’s views on whether films create violent behavior in viewers, Cronenberg’s knack for memorable visual effects, such as the exploding head in Scanners, the role of pathology in Cronenberg’s films, and Cronenberg’s thoughts on director Tod Browning’s controversial pre-code film Freaks.

--“Prairie Path” by Michael Beres 

Illustrated by Steven Stankiewicz

“The path might lead anywhere – back to your home, or into the hands of the snatchers.”

 -A young man on a solitary walk along a railway line in a secluded area near his home encounters another solitary traveler, an older man with a limp who seems oddly familiar. The older man indicates that he lives in the same house as the younger man, and warns the younger man to beware the “snatchers” who roam the area after dark. When the older man has gone away, the younger man grows suddenly afraid and takes off running, injuring his ankle in a leap over a puddle. The man limps home to discover he has, in some uncanny way, become the older man encountered on his walk.

--“Confessions of a Freelance Fantasist” by Isidore Haiblum 

Illustrated by Peter Kuper

“Part three: a few final words about the critics, foreign agents, and other strange species.”

 -Haiblum returns to the pages of the magazine with the third and final installment in his memoir of the writing life.

 -In this installment, Haiblum details the writing of his novel The Wilk Are Among Us, offering two reviews of the novel in opposing tones to illustrate his directive to “take both good and bad reviews with a grain of salt.” Haiblum also details the writing of his next book, Interworld, as well as the disastrous treatment of the sequel, Outerworld, at the hands of an editor. Haiblum details his successful efforts at self-promotion in foreign markets, and describes his efforts at writing a mainstream novel. Finally, Haiblum muses on the joys of being a writer, of being able to daydream and write anything you wish, in any style you desire. Haiblum concludes: “A writer is tied to his desk five days a week. He may stray far afield in his off-hours, but while on duty, the only place he can rummage is in his own mind. He had better like it there, and dote on the mere act of writing, because that is how he is going to spend the lion’s share of his time. If he does, then his time will be well spent. And writing will, in fact, become its own reward.”

--“Just Waiting” by Ramsey Campbell 

Illustrated by Lisa Mansolillo

“What terrible thing had he wished for, that day in the forest? And what terrible thing had granted it?”

 -A man returns to a wishing well deep in the forest with his pockets laden with gold. He offers the gold to the well and whatever dwells there, in order to understand a traumatic event from his childhood. It was in this forest, long ago, that he may have made a terrible wish he can no longer recall. In his memory of the surreal final moments spent with his bickering parents, the man recalls their meal in a picnic area deep in the forest where strange waiters emerged from the trees to wait upon them. The man remembers passing through the foliage away from the picnic area to emerge in a different place, among different people, never to see his parents again.

--“Music Box” by Thomas M. Disch 

Illustrated by the author

 -This story, designed like a Matryoshka doll, concerns a man and his wife sitting in their living room. The man examines a music box held in his hands. The music box is shaped like a house, in which the roof may be opened and the interior examined. Within the music box, a man sits with his wife in their living room. The man closes the music box and realizes that he cannot move from his chair. His wife helps him to remember the reason why. A man closes a music box into which he has been peering. The box does not work properly, so the man takes it to a repair shop. In the shop, the man finds himself nervously looking up at the ceiling. The repairman laughs and says: “Yeah, you wonder who’s watching. Sometimes it even gets to me, and I’m in the business.”

--“She Sells Sea Shells” by Paul Darcy Boles 

Illustration by Lowell Herrero

“No man is an island, though Malifee came close – until he met the woman who swam with the whales.”

 -A solitary man named Malifee, who lives in a small Maine coastal community, encounters a strange and beautiful woman who claims to swim with the whales at impossible depths. She lives in a coastal cave and collects beautiful sea shells from the ocean floor. She sends these shells to Boston for money which she then sends to conservation groups. The man falls in love with the strange woman and she moves in to his small house with him. An aggressive group of whale hunters in the town drives the woman away with their efforts. She returns to the sea, never to be seen again by Malifee. Later, however, the woman leaves their three-month old child on the doorstep of Malifee’s home along with some beautiful sea shells.

--In and Out of The Outer Limits: Part One by David J. Schow 

“Like The Twilight Zone, it had a moral vision. But it also had plenty of aliens and monsters!”

 -With the completion of Marc Scott Zicree’s episode guide to The Twilight Zone in the previous issue arrives this essential history and guide to The Outer Limits by the leading authority on the series.

 -This first installment of Schow’s retrospective on The Outer Limits begins with some common errors and misconceptions about the series printed in genre guides of the time. Schow also highlights some of the notably positive responses to the series, including Stephen King’s laudatory remarks in Danse Macabre. Schow then compares and contrasts The Outer Limits with The Twilight Zone, and explores in detail the genesis of the series through the careers of series creator Leslie Stevens, series writer Joseph Stefano, actor Vic Perrin (the Control Voice for the series), and series director Byron Haskin. Schow concludes this first installment with details of the creation of a number of early episodes of the series.

 -Schow is the leading authority on The Outer Limits, and his research into the series is shared in several books, articles, podcasts, and commentary tracks. His books on the series, such as The Outer Limits: The Official Companion (with Jeffrey Scott Frentzen), The Outer Limits Companion, and The Outer Limits at 50, are unfortunately out of print and commanding high prices on the secondhand market. The Outer Limits at 60, Schow’s latest book on the series, however, is still in print.

--TZ Classic Teleplay: “It’s a Good Life” by Rod Serling 

-The teleplay this issue is Rod Serling’s masterful adaptation of Jerome Bixby’s science fiction horror story “It’s a Good Life.” The episode originally appeared during the third season of the series on November 3, 1961. The episode starred Bill Mumy as Anthony Fremont, a child with terrifying God-like powers of control over the people around him. John Larch and Cloris Leachman portrayed Anthony’s parents. You can read our review of this classic episode here.

--A Gathering of Cartoons

 

Tom Mason

Peter Kuper

Jeff Stenberg

Whittington

--Looking Ahead: “In Our Next Issue . . .” 

-Next issue includes an interview with and story by Nobel laureate Isaac Bashevis Singer, an unabridged reprint of Jerome K. Jerome’s spooky and humorous Christmas classic, Told After Supper, plus coverage of the film of Stephen King’s Christine, complete with an interview with King and a story by the film’s director John Carpenter, the 1984 Twilight Zone Calendar, the second installment of David J. Schow’s retrospective on The Outer Limits, Rod Serling’s teleplay for “Mirror Image,” and the usual columns from Thomas M. Disch, Gahan Wilson, Ron Goulart, and James Verniere. Look for coverage of this issue in October.

 Next in the Vortex: A return to our episode guide with a look at Rod Serling’s “Uncle Simon,” featuring Cedric Hardwicke, Constance Ford, and Robby the Robot. Thanks for reading!

 -JP