Rod Serling And The Twilight Zone : The Twilight Zone

Australian TV shows have changed rapidly over the years. The decades that will be discussed in this presentation include the 1960’s, 1970’s, 1980’s, 1990’s and the 2000’s. Australian TV has influenced many changes in our society; some of these included fashion trends, hobbies, job courses, the food we eat, our opinions on things and, the way that we view ourselves and others. Some social issues have arisen over the years include the negative effects on our youth due to television watching.

Today, Film and Television are among the most internationally supported commodities. Financially, their contributions are enormous: both industries are responsible for the circulation of billions of dollars each year. Since their respective explosions into the new media markets during the mid-twentieth century, film and television have produced consistently growing numbers of viewers and critics alike. Sparking debate over the nature of their viewing, film and television are now being questioned in social, political, and moral arenas for their potential impact on an audience. Critics claim that watching films or television is a passive activity in which the viewer becomes subconsciously

The television gave much of the country something to do. It reflected the homogenization of the United States. People began to envision a futuristic nuclear world after the start of the Space Race between the United States and Russia to land on the moon. The United States launched Alan Shepard into space after the Soviets launched “Sputnik” in 1957 as we launched our first man in 1961. Meanwhile, computers were developed into large room size machines to do simple computations and made things portable. One of the characteristics of the mass media during the 1950’s, as the T.V., was that the sitcoms was directed to make viewers think about the idea of the perfect family living the American dream. The only problem with those T.V sitcoms was that not every American family fitted into that mold. For example, Jews, Hispanics, African-Americans, Asians, and other minorities were not portrayed as part of that image that most people wanted to imitate because these T.V. families were white-collar, middle class, and Caucasian.

Through the Cold War, America was transitioning in various ways such as the way messages were shared, consumerism, and the constant race against the Soviet Union. During the years 1959-1964, Rod Serling, a New York writer and playwright began using one of the newest inventions, the television, as a way to share his opinion about controversial topics. The rise of the television allowed Serling to access to a larger audience whom he could share his opinion in the form of science fictional episodes in the show The Twilight Zone. Although the show seems ominous and a horror related TV show, it allows us to understand the effects and feeling towards topics such as a possible nuclear war, consumerism, space exploration.

The Twilight Zone and Full House are both two family sitcom television series expressing one group as a family to meet or reflect society. Full House, produced by Jeff Franklin, is a family who faces many struggles and obstacles that reflect many American’s in today’s society. The Twilight Zone, produced by Rod Serling, is a five season television series taken place in the 1950’s. This shows provides multiple genres in each episode followed by an unexpected plot twist leaving audiences thinking more in depth about the present time. Both television shows demonstrates family values and social norms to meet modern societies expectations through rationality.

Star Trek is a franchise that has been around for a very long time; it has been turned into books, movies and a television series. Television is one of the world 's most influential pieces of propaganda. Whether it is being used to promote the next president, sponsor the newest upcoming athlete, or tell you about your favorite show, television is used to influence the world and how we perceive it. The popular television show aired for the first time in 1966 and throughout the years has seen many important events in its lifetime. Societal issues that were present in Star Trek, such as racism, sexuality, war, and scientific theories, continue to appear in today’s mainstream culture, even decades after the show came to an end.

In conclusion, television wouldn't quite be the television we know today if it had a limited, narrowed genre of only realistic programs. Television is there to attract the viewers with what they want to see. They may want to watch the news, a reality show, a game show, or most recently many have tuned in to watch the Democratic Presidential Debate. Barbara's idea of television is that without reality or things people can do in real life, boredom is ensured to happen. Despite her claim, television continues to play a big part in not only American culture, but multiple cultures around the

Rod Serling faced many challenges from advisors and censors because they didn’t want people to find Serling’s writing to real. From text it stated that, “Serling faced trying to get his shows on TV without ruining the central message.” Serling tried to get his writing on TV without the censors ruining the message within the writing. He was a man of many talents which led to him thinking differently which caught his attention to make the “Twilight Zone.” One of Serling’s biggest challenges was heart cancer which he passed away from on June, 25. Serling faced a lot of challenges but not one challenge did he quit. He kept going with his writing and his shows.

     What role does television play in society? For decades we have seen many parts of our world rapidly going through changes in technology. Today’s society has been transformed by means of communication and the available information through mass media. Most Americans rely on television for news, sports, and entertainment. Television is just one of the many examples of how technology has changed our lives. Since the invention of the television in the early 1900’s, it has played a very important role in our lives. Having a television set in the home has become very essential in today’s society. We depend on it to entertain us with its sitcoms and to inform us about current world issues. The

The Twilight Zone was notoriously known for reflecting social and political issues in an entertaining and imaginative allegories. Debuting in 1959 and airing until 1964, this anthological series often left viewers contemplating their own thoughts through the stories creator Rod Serling painted out for them. One episode in particular, directed by Douglas Heyes, was notorious for the impact it left on viewers. Airing on November 11th, 1960 and running at 25 minutes and 14 seconds, Eye of the Beholder made a dramatic impact on viewers due to its intensely eerie nature and topsy turvy world.

Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone, reflected the time it was created and the years that followed. Showcasing the not so black and white version of humanity and all that it entailed. Touching on the effects of the Cold War and the insecurities it brought to American society. Through this outlet in television, he was allowed to express his thoughts on the outlook that people were too afraid to speak about, lest being called out as a traitor or a communist. Almost, blatantly disagreeing with the McCarthyism if not exposing the idea of how ridiculous it was to question if your neighbor was patriotic or not. Rod brought up the anguish and blatantly obvious scenarios that would precede mutually assured destruction.

Therefore, Rod Serling wrote another story, which would be the pilot

Sterling faced challenges with censors and advertisers, such as moments of controversy and engrossing moments. Located in paragraphs 2 and 3 of an article called “Happy Birthday Rod Serling, Creator of “The Twilight Zone”” by Christopher Coats, states that he wanted to be his own man and complete the show by himself and with the help of some other people. This means that he was tired of all the censors making his work different.

This is a summary of the episode, Nightmare at 20,000 feet from the thrilling TV show The Twilight Zone by Rod Serling. Bob Wilson and his wife Julia board the plane among many passengers for the first time after being discharged from the sanitarium for his nervous breakdown six months prior, because of an airplane ride. Anxious and bored, he decides to look out the plane window to calm his mind and he thought he saw a supposed gremlin on the wing of the plane, approaching the cabin. Bob quickly closed and opened the curtains only to find the gremlin’s face pushed right against the window, staring at him. When he notified the air hostess, the gremlin disappeared. He then looked shortly afterward and was horrified when he saw the gremlin starting

Television has a huge influence on society that help shape the world and shape the people. Many Television Shows do a great job of portraying society, while others do not. An example of a T.V. show that does a great job of portraying society is The Big Bang Theory . The Big Bang Theory is a popular American Television Broadcast.