Here are a couple of good articles about Matheson and the
"Twilight Zone" series:
http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/nonfiction/tzscripts.htm
http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/nonfiction/tzscripts2.htm
The first two TZ scripts which come to my mind as
pleasureable experiences are "A World of His Own," where
Howard Duff as an executive discovers that his "real" life is
a movie being filmed, and "A World of Difference," where
Keenan Wynn as a writer is able to alter reality and
eliminate tart-yet-shrewish wife Phyllis Kirk. And, of
course, there's "The Invaders," featuring a wordless Agnes
Moorehead ...
(Half-remembered Firesign Theatre line: "Is that Steve
Reeves? No, it's Agnes Moorehead.")
Paranoia seems to have a significant part of the Matheson
world-view. Hence his flourishing as a "Twilight Zone"
writer.
And did any one of you ever see the Matheson-scripted "Legend
of Hell House"? I'd remember that one even if it *weren't*
for the tongue-kissing episode that occurred during a
drive-in double-bill of "Hell House" and "Soylent Green."
Why? Because of the singular cruelty of one line where a
ghost, speaking to Roddy McDowell, tells him "You may have
been hot stuff when you were 14, but now YOU'RE SHIT!"
As a line directed at the former star of "My Friend Flicka,"
I'd say that that's just the teensiest bit
unconscionable.
c.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- Shifting gears, I was watching Twilight Zone a couple
nights ago and I noticed that Richard Matheson (I AM LEGEND)
got a big credit at the beginning. The episode was called
"Steel" and Lee Marvin was in it. It was set in the future
(1968) when robots boxed instead of people. It wasn't very
good.
Happy new year,
miker
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