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The Twilight Zone (radio series)

2002–2012 radio drama series From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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The Twilight Zone is a nationally syndicated radio drama series featuring radio play adaptations of the classic 1959–1964 television series The Twilight Zone. The series was produced for the British digital radio station BBC Radio 4 Extra airing for 176 episodes between October 2002[1] and 2012. In the United States, it aired on nearly 200 radio stations including WCCO, KSL, KOA, WIND, XM Satellite Radio channel 163 and Sirius XM Book Radio. Most of the stations aired two episodes each week, usually on the weekends and many times back to back.

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Many of the stories are based on Rod Serling's scripts from the original Twilight Zone series, and are slightly expanded and updated to reflect contemporary technology and trends and the lack of a visual component. In addition to adapting all of the original episodes aired on the TV series, the radio series also adapted some Twilight Zone TV scripts that were never produced, scripts from other Serling TV productions, and new stories written especially for the radio series. Taking Serling's role as narrator is Stacy Keach.[2]

Different Hollywood actors, such as Blair Underwood and Jim Caviezel, take the lead role in each radio drama. In addition, several stars who appeared on the original TV series, such as H.M. Wynant, Orson Bean and Morgan Brittany, appear, although purposely not in the roles they originated on television. The series features a full cast, music and sound effects and is produced in the flavor of classic radio dramas but using today's technology. In addition to being an homage to the original Twilight Zone TV series, the radio dramas pay tribute to the era of classic radio drama, including allusions to radio dramas such as Gunsmoke, the presence of radio legend Stan Freberg in many episodes, and the sons (Stacy Keach, Ed Begley Jr.) of radio drama personalities Stacy Keach Sr. and Ed Begley as stars in the series.

Licensed by CBS Enterprises and The Rod Serling Estate, The Twilight Zone radio series is produced by Carl Amari, CEO of Falcon Picture Group who hosts his own weekly nationally syndicated radio series, featuring classic radio, called Hollywood 360.[3] The scripts from the original Twilight Zone were adapted by Dennis Etchison and others, including one episode by Chas Holloway and several by British writer M. J. Elliott. New stories by Etchison and others that are not based on the original TV series are also featured.

The sound mix was produced at Falcon Picture Group studios and later at the Cerny Sound-to-Picture studio at Cerny American Creative in Chicago. The sound engineers that worked on the series include Roger Wolski, Bob Benson, Craig Lee, Tim Cerny and Jason Rizzo. The episodes were produced and directed by Carl Amari.

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Episodes

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The following episodes include stories that were adapted for radio from the original Twilight Zone television scripts, as well as original stories produced exclusively for this radio series.

Volume 1 (2002)

  1. Based on a story by Michael D. Rosenthal
  2. Based on the short story "Blind Alley" by Malcolm Jameson

Volume 2 (2003)

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  1. Based on a story by Lou Holz
  2. Based on a story by Mike Korologos
  3. Based on a story by Price Day

Volume 3 (2003)

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  1. Based on an anecdote from Bennett Cerf's "Famous Ghost Stories"

Volume 4 (2004)

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  1. Based on a story by Lee Polk
  2. Based on a story by Manley Wade Wellman
  3. Based on a story by Frederic Louis Fox

Volume 5 (2004)

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  1. Credited to Charles Beaumont

Volume 6 (2005)

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  1. Based on a short story by Lynn Venable
  2. Based on a story by Madeline Champion
  3. Based on the radio play by Lucille Fletcher

Volume 7 (2005)

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  1. Based on a story by Marvin Petal
  2. Credited to Charles Beaumont
  3. Based on a story by Jerome Bixby
  4. Based on an idea by Frederic Louis Fox
  5. Based on the short story "The Old Man" by Henry Slesar
  6. Based on a story by George Clayton Johnson; radio version incorrectly credits Rod Serling as teleplay writer

Volume 8 (2006)

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  1. Based on a short story by Henry Slesar
  2. Originally aired as part of Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse
  3. Based on a short story by Paul W. Fairman
  4. Based on a short story by Lewis Padgett
  5. Credited solely to Charles Beaumont

Volume 9

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  1. Based on a short story by Damon Knight

Volume 10

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  1. Based on an idea by Sam Rolfe

Volume 11

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  1. Written for The Twilight Zone but never produced

Volume 12

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  1. Based on a short story by John Collier
  2. Based on a story by Ocee Ritch

Volume 13

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  1. Written for The Twilight Zone but never produced
  2. Based on a short story by Richard Matheson
  3. Radio version incorrectly credits Montgomery Pittman as writer for television version
  4. Credited solely to Charles Beaumont

Volume 14

This collection was only released as an online digital download, rather than on CD.

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  1. Written for The Twilight Zone but never produced
  2. Based on a short story by Richard Matheson

Volume 15

This collection was only released as an online digital download, rather than on CD.

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  1. Based on a story by George Clayton Johnson
  2. Radio version incorrectly credits Rod Serling as teleplay writer
  3. Written for The Twilight Zone but never produced

Volume 16

This collection was only released as an online digital download, rather than on CD.

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  1. Based on a story by George Clayton Johnson
  2. Originally produced in France
  3. Adapted from a story by Ambrose Bierce
  4. Based on a story by Carl Amari

Volume 17

This collection was only released as an online digital download, rather than on CD.

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  1. Based on a story by Robert Patterson

Volume 18

This collection was only released as an online digital download, rather than on CD.

More information Title, Starring ...
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Releases

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CD and digital

The Twilight Zone Radio Dramas were initially produced in 2002 and made available for sale on-line with the launch of the Twilight Zone Radio website.[4] They were originally available in audio cassette tape and CD "collections" of 4 episodes apiece. Eight episodes were produced in 2002, and eight more in 2003. By late 2004, after the first 24 episodes were released between 6 numbered collections, the series would no longer be made available on cassette and new CD "volumes" comprising 10 episodes each were introduced with the release of six additional episodes, ending the year with 14 episodes for 30 in total, which were reorganized and shuffled between these first 3 volumes.

In 2006, volumes 4 through 9 were released (60 episodes), then volumes 10 through 12 appeared in 2007 (30 episodes), and volume 13 in 2008 (10 episodes) would be the last volume made available on CD. Beginning in 2007, the shows were made available for individual MP3 download at $1.95 each, with most of volumes 14 through 17 released in 2009 and 2010 (38 episodes), and the last 8 episodes were produced between 2011 and 2012; leaving volume 18 incomplete with only 6 episodes. The final episode is titled "Another Place in Time" with no plans for further production.

By mid 2015, the website moved to hollywood360radio.net[5] and in 2016 the website went completely offline, and with the domain redirecting to www.classicradiostore.com.[6]

CDs and digital downloads of the shows can be purchased on Amazon and Audible from a variety of sources, with no real consistency in show or volume or collection composition and several differing from the CD version. These two excerpts from "A Hundred Yards Over the Rim" (volume 3 episode 3) are an example.

"A Hundred Yards Over the Rim" CD version
"A Hundred Yards Over the Rim" download version

DVD and Blu-ray

Some episodes of the radio drama were included on the DVD and Blu-ray releases of the TV series as special features alongside the original episodes. Although 155 out of 156 episodes of the TV series were remade as radio dramas (the exception being "Come Wander with Me"), only 30 are included on the DVD releases[7][8][9][10][11] and 81 on the Blu-rays.[12][13][14][15][16]

The radio episodes included on the Blu-rays are listed below in TV series order.

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

Season 4

Season 5

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References

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