Revisiting The Twilight Zone Books

During the early 1960s, fans of The Twilight Zone were treated to short story collections adapted from Rod Serling's teleplays. Serling himself wrote the short stories, but with differences... which makes these hardcover and paperbacks worthy of seeking out.

Ray Bradbury once told me that every author will look back at their own work and see the constant necessity to improve. With age comes evolution. Every day, artists (especially fiction writers) are always looking at their own stories from a different perspective. Serling found ways to improve on his original television scripts and -- some theory -- took advantage of the printed prose to present the original conception that could not be accomplished through television production. A history of these hardcovers (later reprinted in paperback form) is provided below. 

 

The contract with Bantam Books featured a provision prohibiting Rod Serling from exploiting any other publication rights for a period of three years from the date of initial publication. However, he reserved the right to publish summaries or digests of the stories for the purpose of exploiting the television series, motion picture and legitimate stage rights. He was granted an advance against royalties of $4,000 for the task of adapting his scripts into short story form. Serling took on the task, admitting in a letter that such a book would enhance the popularity of the television series. The copyrights remained with Serling, not the publisher, but Bantam Books was responsible for undertaking the obligation to secure copyright registration. (All copyright notifications inside each book clearly stated the copyright was registered under the name of Cayuga Productions.)

 

The origin of these books began when Sam Kaplan of Ashley-Steiner was approached by Merle Goldberg, a representative from Bantam Books, in late May and early June of 1959. In late June, Kaplan discussed the contract with Serling over the phone and then negotiated the terms of the contract to Goldberg so the deal could be finalized. The books were issued in paperback form, with hardcover format initially not considered. 

 

Dick Roberts of Bantam Books, Inc. was the editor who oversaw book production and reviewed each of Serling’s stories, tweaking a few words here and there to ensure the quality of the books contents. Tim Horan, the promotion director, reviewed each of the three books and consulted with Serling personally to arrange publicity.

 

A total of three books were contracted, one due for each year of the contract. All of the stories were adaptations of Serling-scripted teleplays that had previously aired over the CBS-TV. The first of the three was Stories from the Twilight Zone, first printing April 1960. The stories included “The Mighty Casey,” “Escape Clause,” “Walking Distance,” “The Fever,” “Where is Everybody?” and “The Monsters are Due on Maple Street.” There were 151 pages and it cost 35 cents. The cover of the book featured a photo of Rod Serling, sitting behind his typewriter, with a cigarette in hand.

 

According to a royalty report dated March 31, 1963, for sales up to December 31, 1962, Stories from The Twilight Zone sold a total of 432,000 copies. Serling’s royalties were 1.4 cents for the first 150,000 copies sold in both foreign and U.S. sales, 2.1 cents for each book sold over the 150,000 (which totaled 213,100), and 1.4 cents for all sales in Canada (13,200), Foreign (11,700) and to the Teen Age Book Club (44,000). Total gross royalties for Serling by December 31, 1962, were $7,539.70.

 

Oscar Dystel, managing editor of Bantam Books, Inc., confessed to Serling in a letter dated September 20, 1960, that “this title caught all of us unawares. We had no idea it would take off as fast as it did and we promise you that we’ll do better with the next edition.” Serling expressed a concern when, having read a number of fan letters, and personally browsed book shops, he discovered that it was not being sold at Newark, Idlewild, Chicago, Columbus and Los Angeles airports. Dystel explained, “I was completely mystified and upset by your report . . . I’m passing this little tidbit on to our sales manager. I’m really astonished.”

 

The second was More Stories from The Twilight Zone, first printing April 1961. Serling was contracted to deliver all the stories to the publisher by November 1, 1960. The stories included “The Lonely,” “Mr. Dingle, The Strong,” “A Thing About Machines,” “The Big, Tall Wish,” “A Stop at Willoughby,” “The Odyssey of Flight 33” and “Dust.” Running a total of 149 pages, the paperback sold for 35 cents cover price.

 

According to a royalty report dated March 31, 1963, for sales up to December 31, 1962, More Stories from The Twilight Zone sold 367,100 copies. His royalties were 1.4 cents for the first 150,000 copies sold in both foreign and U.S. sales, 2.1 cents for each book sold over the 150,000 (which totaled 139,500), and 1.4 cents for all sales in Canada (15,700), Foreign (12,500) and to the Teen Age Book Club (49,400). Total gross royalties for Serling by December 31, 1962 were $6,115.90.

 

The following are the release months and years for each printing of the second paperback. By December 31, 1962, the book had recently gone into its eighth printing. First printing was April 1961; second printing, May 1961; third printing, June 1961; fourth printing, July 1961; fifth printing, October 1961; sixth printing, January 1962; seventh printing, April 1962; eighth printing, December 1962; ninth printing, July 1964; tenth printing, September 1964; eleventh printing, September 1965; and twelfth printing, September 1966. Inside the front cover of the September 1966 edition, Bantam printed the unaccredited praise, “Rod Serling can take his place with Ray Bradbury as tops in the field.”

 

The third book, New Stories from The Twilight Zone, went into the first printing in May of 1962. The stories included adaptations of “The Whole Truth,” “The Shelter,” “Showdown with Rance McGrew,” “The Night of the Meek,” “The Midnight Sun” and “The Rip Van Winkle Caper,” making a total of 122 pages.

 

During the second half of 1962, shortly after the third paperback was released to bookshelves, all of the stories from the three publications were reprinted together for a green hardcover book from Nelson Doubleday, Inc., in Garden City, New York. Totaling 314 pages, the reprint — titled From the Twilight Zone — offered fans another chance to read the story adaptations. In April of 1966, Serling received a check for $288.23 representing his share of proceeds from the hardcover book still being published by Doubleday & Co., as part of the Book Club Division.

 

All of the above were also reprinted in October of 1986 by Bantam, with an introduction by T.E.D. Klein. This reprint was 418 pages, and retailed for $9.95. In September of 1962, a representative of Grosset & Dunlap contacted Murray Benson, director of licensing at CBS Films, Inc., expressing an interest in a hardcover book based on The Twilight Zone. Since Serling had been working with a paperback publisher, this option was considered. “It would be our thought to take eight or ten of your scripts, not previously published, and turn them over to a top-flight writer who would adapt them into short story form,” wrote Benson to Serling on September 12. “The financial arrangements would, of course, be subject to your approval and we could work on the same basis in terms of payment as in the comic book income.”

 

On September 26, Serling, then residing in Yellow Springs, Ohio, informed Benson that he had already been in correspondence with Robert Bernstein at Random House, the same man responsible for sending Serling a couple of Hitchcock anthologies. “They were tremendously well done things and if we’re to go into some kind of hardcover, I wish you’d check it out with Random House first,” Serling explained.

 

The deal with Random House fell through, and Serling agreed to the terms of Grosset & Dunlap. This fourth book gave Serling more freedom than the previous three paperbacks. Handing over a number of television scripts to Murray Benson, Serling did not have to adapt any of his stories. That job was handed to Walter B. Gibson, creator and author of The Shadow pulp magazines. This 207 page hardcover book, titled The Twilight Zone (also listed in reference guides as Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone), featured mostly ghost stories. “Back There” and “Judgment Night” were the only adaptations of Serling’s teleplays. The remaining eleven stories were originals by Gibson. The illustrations were by Earl E. Mayan, who featured a photo image of Gibson on the inside of the front cover.

 

On October 29, 1963, Murray Benson forwarded to Gerald Saltsman of Ashley-Steiner-Famous Artists, Inc. a check for $2,500. This was Cayuga’s 50 percent share of the advance received from Grosset & Dunlap in connection with the hardcover book. This was a standard practice with networks and television production companies – since Cayuga controlled 50 percent interest in the series, 50 percent of the profits were handed over to Cayuga for any approved products bearing the name of The Twilight Zone.

 

“You will be pleased to know the book is doing extremely well with every indication that at least 50,000 copies will be sold this year,” Benson told Saltsman. “Incidentally, we are definitely proceeding with the Literary Guild of America for a hardcover book club reprinting of the first three paperbacks published by Bantam Books. The retail price will definitely be above the $1.75 category, probably $1.98.” This same hardcover would be reprinted in 1965 by Tempo in New York, retitled Chilling Stories from Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone and featuring only 10 of the 13 short stories. The two adaptations from Serling’s teleplays were included. The year after, 1964, a sequel was written titled Twilight Zone Revisited, a 208-page hardcover containing 13 new stories, again written by Walter B. Gibson. “Beyond the Rim” was an adaptation of “A Hundred Yards Over the Rim” and “Mirror Image,” “The Purple Testament” and “The Man in the Bottle” were also adapted into short stories. The remaining nine were originals by Gibson. Earl E. Mayan again illustrated.

Years later, a paperback book titled Rod Serling’s Twilight Zone: Stories from the Supernatural, Selected Stories, was published. Running 159 pages, the book again credited Gibson and Mayan for their efforts and reprinted ten of the short stories, only featuring one adaptation from Serling’s teleplays, “Back There.” 

Martin Grams is the author of The Twilight Zone: Unlocking the Door to a Television Classic, an 800-page book which documents the history of the original TV series. 

Bulldog Jack (1935) a.k.a. Alias Bulldog Drummond

Fans of detective movies are no doubt familiar with the character of Bulldog Drummond, played by a variety of actors over the years (including Ray Milland and Ronald Colman) in more than a dozen films. Actor Sir Ralph Richardson, who played the title role in The Return of Bulldog Drummond (1934), returned to the series a second time in Bulldog Jack (1935), playing the master villain, whose henchmen put the real Bulldog Drummond out of the way, only to be thwarted in their efforts to steal British Museum jewels by an inept impersonator. 

 

Yes, you read that correctly. The great detective Bulldog Drummond is injured and confined to a hospital near the beginning of Bulldog Jack (1935) and asks another man to take his place at a meeting with a mysterious woman and report back to him, and authorizes him to impersonate him and pretend to be Drummond himself!

 

This bizarre idea was cooked up by actor Jack Hulbert, who wrote the story, as a vehicle for himself. Hulbert was a popular comedian and tap dancer in British films of the 1930s and as unlikely a man to be in a Bulldog Drummond film as can be imagined. Hulbert was a strange-looking man with a hatchet face and an enormous-pointed chin. Despite these unfortunate looks, he dressed, behaved and acted like an irresistible Romeo in many films, including this one. Hulbert cast his younger brother, Claude Hulbert, as Drummond's sidekick Algy Longworth, and that was very successful, as Claude Hulbert had no difficulty at all in acting like a twit. 

 

Along the way, Hollywood actress Fay Wray made the move to England and played the female lead in a number of movies that year, including this one. She plays the role of Ann Manders, who asks Drummond to help find her jeweler grandfather who has been kidnapped by a gang of crooks who want him to copy a valuable necklace they want to steal. Naturally she mistakes Hulbert as Drummond and goes on an adventure of zany proportions. Their plan backfires in the British Museum and the film climaxes in an exciting chase on a runaway train in the London Underground. And what a wild ending this movie is!

 

Many do not consider this movie part of the Bulldog Drummond cannon, but others confess that the film is so entertaining that it should be. Technically, since the character of Bulldog Drummond is featured in the film, it should be part of the series. Released in the United States as Alias Bulldog Drummond, this movie is available through a number of channels and such “escapist” antidote to today’s generally depressive “gloom and doom” productions makes this movie a must-see. 

 

Bulldog Jack (a.k.a. Alias Bulldog Drummond) would never appear on the top 100 must-see movies list, but for cinephiles who feel they have seen it all and looking for something fresh and fun, this is worth watching.

Classic Television Book Reviews: The Jeffersons, Banacek, Five Fingers

Not a month goes by that I do not received a package at my front doorstep containing a book that the author or the publisher asked me to review. Somehow I feel obligated because they went to all the time and expense to ship it to me, and write the customized letter requesting the favor. The most recent box came from Bear Manor Media and contained four biographies about actors and actresses that are long overdue. 

FIVE FINGERS: ELEGANCE IN ESPIONAGE

By Diane Kachmar

Actor David Hedison may be best-known for playing James Bond's CIA buddy, Felix Leiter, in Live and Let Die(1973) and License to Kill (1989), as well as Captain Crane on the television series, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1964-1968). But long before those roles, Hedison appeared as a CIA agent of a different sort in the 1959-1960 20th Century Fox Television series, Five Fingers. His role was as Victor Sebastian, a double agent within the then active Communist Party. Through his adventures every week on television, he was able to thwart their many nefarious plots, all while romancing his lover and muse, chanteuse Simon Genet (played by Luciana Paluzzi), in addition to keeping his cover intact as a bon vivant talent agent at Wembley and Sebastian of London, Paris, and New York. Quite a balancing act, yet Victor Sebastian was always able to pull it off. 

 

Five Fingers was one of three shows in 1959 that led 20th Century Fox Studios' entry into series television. The other two shows were the successful Adventures in Paradise (1959) and The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis (1959-1963). Some viewers believe that had Five Fingers not been programmed on Saturday nights against the popular western, Gunsmoke, Five Fingers might have lasted a lot longer than sixteen episodes. 

 

The sixteen episodes chronicled in this book were syndicated around the world through 1965 and in the United States until the late 1970s. Behind-the-scenes stories, trivia, scans of production files, photographs, and a history of the TV series is included. My only regret is that the series has yet to be released on TV or DVD so we can enjoy them today. Thankfully we have this book to serve as a basis of filling in the gap, in the meantime.

 

 

THE HISTORY OF HIRAM HOLIDAY

By Ian Dickerson

Based on a best-selling book by Paul Gallico, The Adventures of Hiram Holliday aired on NBC in the mid-1950s. Hiram was a mild-mannered newspaper proof-reader who, in his downtime, acquired skills such as combat shooting, fencing, rock climbing and scuba diving and put them to good use in various adventures. Great things were expected of the show; it's star, Wally Cox, was just coming off a long run as the remarkably popular Mister Peepers whilst it's show runner, Phil Rapp had a couple of hit radio shows to his name and had written and directed for the popular show Topper.

 

I have seen a few of these episodes and they are cute. You do have to be a Wally Cox fan to enjoy the series. He is the least likely type of hero, and his character gets a tad annoying at times. More frustration than anything for the viewer, who cannot fathom the series as an action series instead of a comedy. And therein lies the problem I always had. It took me a few episodes to figure out the series was meant to be a light-hearted comedy. By then, I had exhausted the episodes I viewed on DVD and forgot all about the series… until now.

 

Within six months of the series premiere, The Adventures of Hiram Holliday disappeared from television screens, with the show's sponsor opting to take a sizeable financial hit rather than continue to televise the program. So keen were they to exit, that NBC did not even air all the episodes that were produced. What went wrong?  With exclusive access to production paperwork, and a full history of Hiram's adventurous career, come now, discover The History of Hiram Holliday and meet one of fiction's more unusual heroes.

 

Having written books on Simon Templar, Sherlock Holmes and The Falcon it is fair to say the author, Ian Dickerson, likes his heroes to have a bit of style and wit. He's published articles on subjects as diverse as satellite links, mashed potatoes and Lord Grade of Elstree, and has written, directed and co-produced a number of documentaries on the making of The Saint and other classic TV shows. Alongside that he was a co-producer on the 2017 TV movie of The Saint. He lives in Hampshire, England with a lot of books, many of them by Leslie Charteris. All of which made his more than qualified to research and write this book. Thank you, Ian.

 

 

BUCK ROGERS IN THE 25TH CENTURY: A TV COMPANION

By Patrick Jankiewicz

Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979-1981) premiered on American television in September 1979, one of a handful of programs meant to cash in on the popularity of Star Wars (1977). The story followed a twentieth century astronaut revived after 500 years of suspended animation to become Earth’s greatest hero. Created by Glen A. Larson and Leslie Stevens, the new series starred Gil Gerard, Erin Gray, and Felix Silla. Gerard looked to the past to prepare for his future production. As Executive Producer of another science fiction series, Battlestar Galactica (1978-1979), the early cancellation of the failed series left him with a quasar of props, costumes, sets, special effects film footage, and even a rejected model spacecraft designed by Ralph McQuarrie. He hit on the idea of recycling the artifacts into a less showy series that premiered to the delight of audiences. Viewers thrilled to a seemingly endless parade of notable guest stars, such as Henry Silva, Joseph Wiseman, Jack Palance, Roddy McDowall, John P. Ryan, Richard Lynch, Cesar Romero, Frank Gorshin, Julie Newmar, Jamie Lee Curtis, Vera Miles, Sam Jaffe, William Smith, Sid Haig, Jerry Orbach, Richard Moll, Ray Walston, Gary Coleman, Amanda Wyss, and Mary Woronov.

 

Join Buck and the galaxy’s most beautiful women in a richly researched work that soars at light speed beyond other Buck Rogers books with a Foreword by actress Erin Gray, a complete episode guide, interviews with the full regular cast and crew, and the actors that portrayed characters such as The Space Vampire, The War Witch, and The Satyr telling all about working on the series. 

 

Discover a never before explored nebula of back stories: How a nervous film student with no credits wound up directing an episode, which future U.S. President was a friend of Gil Gerard and hosted the premiere, which Buck Rogers guest star was murdered and immediately played in a TV movie by another BUCK ROGERS guest? Why Buck Rogers went to war with his own show's writers, which guest star became a director and discovered Julia Roberts, why Dr. Theopolis and nuclear hellhole Anarchia were cut from the show, how Sid Haig appeared in four episodes, even though he died in the first two, and more.

 

 

BANACEK: A BEHIND-THE-SCENES HISTORY AND EPISODE GUIDE

By Jonathan Etter

"When a wolf is chasing your sleigh, throw him a raisin cookie, but don't stop to bake a cake." This and other famous "Polish proverbs" were often spoken by George Peppard as Thomas Banacek, a detective solving seemingly impossible thefts, in the NBC Mystery Movie series, Banacek (1972-1974). Co-stars Murray Matheson and Christine Belford helped propel the series into brief but blazing popularity. 

 

A Who's Who of 1970s stars rounded out the stories with colorful characters, such as Broderick Crawford, Margot Kidder, Stefanie Powers, Brenda Vaccaro, Penny Fuller, Stella Stevens, Anne Francis, Sterling Hayden, Nancy Olson, Anne Baxter, Victoria Principal, Cesar Romero, Bert Convy, Sue Ane Langdon, and Victor Jory. 

 

In this book, television historian Jonathan Etter profiles series star George Peppard, and he also brushes back the sands of time to reveal the history of the locked-room, impossible mystery genre. A guide to all 17 thrilling episodes plus commentary from Executive Producer George Eckstein uncovers where and how he and his associates found an inspired twist to time-honored mystery formula. You discover the importance the series placed on numbers and the matching of numbers in the chapter entitled "Decoding Banacek." Series devotees will have considerable opportunity to test their powers of observation and concentration with the 112 Banacek “challenges” (more like trivia questions) presented in the episode guide.

 

 

THE JEFFERSONS

By Elva Diane Green

The Jeffersons, created by award winning television writer, producer Norman Lear, was one of the longest-running sitcoms in TV history. Starring Isabel Sanford, Sherman Hemsley, Mike Evans, Marla Gibbs, Zara Cully, they portrayed a family who were able to move on up to a hi-rise apartment in Manhattan, New York. The neighbors were played by Roxie Roker, Franklin Cover, Berlinda Tolbert and Paul Benedict. Prominent cast members included Ned Wertimer, Danny Wells and Ernest Harden, Jr.

Many guests, such as Sammy Davis, Jr., Billy Dee Williams and Gladys Knight appeared. Laughter was the name of the game, though serious issues such as racism, alcoholism, and juvenile delinquency were tackled. The show remains a favorite through reruns, and the number of fans who tuned in to the Norman Lear 2019 Jeffersons TV remake attest to its popularity.

Elva Diane Green, the author of the award-winning biography, Eddie Green: The Rise of an Early 1900s Black American Entertainment Pioneer, and the daughter of Eddie Green, has crafted another fine achievement by sharing her take on The Jeffersons from a fan's point of view. She has written a fun, entertaining and informative background history. This book is enhanced with a Foreword from Marla Gibbs and includes an Endword from John H. McWhorter, linguist, author and associate professor at Columbia University.

Lost Episodes of Sergeant Preston of the Yukon

Despite the fact that Challenge of the Yukon (later to be re-titled Sergeant Preston of the Yukon) premiered in 1939, it was not until 1943 that George W. Trendle agreed to fund the transcriptions of the radio program for syndication. Beginning with episode #285, broadcast May 29, 1943, every episode of the radio program was recorded.

Regrettably, a number of recordings still remain "lost" and while theories are thrown about in collector circles, the most plausible explanation is that the discs were damaged.

Up until this discovery, only 74 episodes were on the official "lost" list. Now, regrettably, we have to add four to the list. The following are plot summaries for those four and I am hoping someone can listen to the recordings in their collection to verify that they do exist. The purpose of the "lost" list was to cut the number down -- not add to it. (click the photos to enlarge)

For a direct link to the "lost" list of Sergeant Preston of the Yukon, click here:

http://martingrams.blogspot.com/2022/09/lost-episodes-of-sergeant-preston-of.html

Columbus Moving Picture Show 2025

The Columbus Moving Picture Show, formerly known as the Cinevent Film Festival for 50 years, is moving to a new location. Over the last few years the event was held in downtown Columbus, Ohio, where hundreds of cinephiles spent the weekend watching rare old movies on a large screen, from 16mm. This is the type of environment where Laurel and Hardy momentarily evolves from funny to hilarious, and there is a heightened excitement for watching specific movies on the weekend schedule. From 1930s Paramount musicals to 1950s film noir, rare film shorts and a block of animated cartoons are often the highlight of the weekend. Many of the films screened are not available commercially through streaming channels or DVD, giving film buffs a chance to truly see rare films.

The event is moving to a new hotel, now located at the Crowne Plaza North, where parking is now free, and the breakfast buffet is $10 per person. The sleeping rooms are lower in price, too! 

If you have not yet made your plans to attend this event, I recommend you do so today. Call the hotel, book your room, and mark your calendar. Sincerely, having attended this show for more than two decades, this one has provided so many good memories and I know with the new venue there will be more memories to be made.    

https://www.columbusmovingpictureshow.com/