MESSAGES FROM TZONEMAN

Yes indeedy, TZA has now been viewed 600,000 times and counting - not bad for a non-profit org!

We'd like to send a big thank you out to all who have supported TZA over the last 12.5 years!

You may have noticed we've been making several additions and updates lately to the good old Twilight Zone Archives; sprucing her up a bit here and there. However, one section that's been unintentionally neglected, having collected over 10 years worth of cobwebs, is the poor old Mystic Seer over there on the left menu (clicking on the machine itself leads to the Mystic Seer page).

Yeah, yeah, yeah... trust me, I know. Ok, so what's up with that?! Well, two things. First, I need to create a 3D model of the Mystic Seer's Devil's Head, which is a task I've just been putting off for far too long - again, I know. Secondly, the way the Mystic Seer is eventually supposed to work is through a fully functional Flash animation. And guess what? Yours truly hasn't learned Flash yet. DOH!

The way I planned the Mystic Seer to work is: you move your mouse pointer over the pile of pennies, click the pennies and the mouse pointer turns into the image of a penny. Next, you move the penny over to the penny slot on the Mystic Seer, click, and the penny drops into the machine. Next, you ask your question to the Mystic Seer out loud, click on the handle - which then moves up and down - and the edge of a paper fortune appears - just sticking out of the fortune slot. Lastly, you click on the edge of the paper fortune, and suddenly it animates over to where the current placeholder resides, showing you your answer. You can repeat the process as many times as you like. And decide for yourself if the Mystic Seer is accurate enough to predict your future or not.

So, yeah, that's the way it's supposed to work... eventually. However, here it is, 10 years after having uploaded the Mystic Seer artwork - minus the Devil's Head - and the bloody thing still reads as UNDER CONSTRUCTION. Needless to say, it has somehow unintentionally turned into the Achilles-Heal of TZA (sigh). Obviously, I need to get going on creating a 3D model of the Devil's Head, and learn some Flash... or possibly find someone to contribute some assistance.

But I do promise to someday get the Mystic Seer up and running... or my name will be Mudd!

Mac Safari Browser has minor problems correctly viewing the Twilight Zone Archives website.

For Mac users who have loaded the Twilight Zone Archives website in their Safari browser, you may find some minor problems; you'd be better off using Firefox or Explorer, both of which run the site flawlessly. In a word, Safari is bleh. It does not have the ability to deal with a frame site very well; with TZA's immense amount of pages, the frames design was a bit of a necessity. The problems Safari has are minor, such as a thick white border between the top menu frame and the main frame below; there IS no border in the code. It also has too much space above bodies of text such as in the Updates page. We've done some research, and have found this is a problem that other webmasters are finding when viewing their sites in Safari. We're currently going through the code and trying to find any obvious things that Safari doesn't have the ability to deal with. In the meantime, Mac users would be better off using Firefox or Explorer. Sorry for the inconvenience.

A GIFT FOR THE NEW YEAR! We've reloaded the full original version of the PRODUCTION-PHOTOS section!!!

Here's an interesting gift for the New Year - a reload of the full original version of the very first section of TZA, the glorious Production-Photos.

Why a reload? Well, let me explain. Back in late 2005, when I had signed with the publisher, ECW Press, to publish my book, Dimensions Behind the Twilight Zone, it was my feeling that the Production-Photo section of TZA came into a bit of a continuity conflict with the book project. In that, the Production-Photos section featured several photos that were to be highlighted and printed on high-quality paper in the book.

I had thought - in the best interests of the book - to remove the Production-Photos section from TZA entirely. Well, that seemed a bit drastic. So what I did was to leave the Production-Photos section online, but trim it down to only 1 photo per available episode (65 photos), instead of the previous 6 photos each episode (301 photos); so as to not completely disappoint TZA visitors.

Now that the book has been published for 3.5 years, I think the grace period is well enough along, to warrant bringing back the original Production-Photos section, in it's entirety. Newer viewers to TZA will likely be overjoyed, as there are a number of shots now returned to TZA that aren't in the book (likewise, there are many many photos in the book that are not on the TZA site). And veteran TZA visitors may feel a bit of nostalgia, for the Production-Photos section brought about the very beginnings of TZA; close to 12 years ago.

As side notes - all of the descriptions of the Production-Photos have been updated, with info and whatnot. Also, the section More Substance Behind the Scenes (which is the secondary Prod. Photos section), has always been available, and had indeed acted as a placeholder to the main Production-Photos section for these last 3.5 years; it remains available as well. So in total, the amount of on-set behind the scenes photographs in these two sections comes to 366 photos! Wow!

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the fully reloaded Production-Photos section; as we at TZA always aim to please (that is, when we miss between the eyes... kidding ;)

Hot off the press and available at magazine newstands is the December 09 issue of Fortean Times (UK) - featuring a 6 page article celebrating Twilight Zone's 50th anniversary, called Filming the Fifth Dimension, by Stewart T Stanyard (aka tzoneman) - TZA curator and author of the critically-acclaimed book Dimensions Behind the Twilight Zone. Filming the Fifth Dimension discusses the history of the series, it's various creative contributors, and the influences Rod Serling has had on the television industry. It also features a number of rare photographs and is a fine tribute just in time for Twilight Zone's 50th anniversary.

P.S. On another note of tribute, and in case you're interested to know, Stanyard had just finished over 30 Twilight Zone radio interviews, talking about his book, TZA, and Rod Serling; several interviews of which are available online through your favorite search engine. Whoopdeedoo!

October 2, 2009 marks the 50th anniversary of Twilight Zone's premier pilot episode "Where is Everybody."

We at the The Twilight Zone Archives would like to send out our very best wishes for a happy 50th anniversary to the Twilight Zone alumni at this momentous date in time and space!

Thanks for all your hard work during those 5 seasons all those years ago - work that shines on today, and into the next 50 years!

Happy 10th Anniversary to The Twilight Zone Archives!!!

The Twilight Zone Archives is celebrating its 10th year anniversary!!! Yes, ten years ago today, I registered the domain of twilightzone.org and set out to give something back! And I think with The Twilight Zone Archives, and my book, Dimensions Behind the Twilight Zone, I feel I've done my best to accomplish a goal of promoting the work of Rod Serling; which to me, is a good thing, real good.

Early on, the initial point of creating The Twilight Zone Archives was to share the vast collection of rare and original on-set production photos I had obtained some years ago; behind-the-scenes images that the public had NEVER seen prior to my unlocking the door. And along with numerous additions to the website along the way, including episode guides, props, documents, an autograph gallery, a Serling pictorial biography, a virtual tour of Binghamton N.Y, the unique TZ Episode Finder, and so on, here we find that ten years later, the Twilight Zone Archives still lives on!

Sure, The Twilight Zone Archives had gone through a few server spaces and a few versions of design (to someday create an even more interactive version, TZA 3.0), and updates as of late have been far and few, but again, The Twilight Zone Archives endures.

Yes, it goes without saying that it's been an interesting road. I've made some good friends and have had some interesting times, and even though it's had its share of being the best of times, the worst of times, I wouldn't have had it any other way (really!?).

Indeed, I think there is a celebration in order, or at least some good thoughts. The Twilight Zone Archives is celebrating it's 10th anniversary, and also this year, The Twilight Zone itself is celebrating it's 50th anniversary! So please, take a moment to think about how you've enjoyed The Twilight Zone, and raise a glass to Mr. Rodman Edward Serling for having created such a timeless piece of modern art!

But remember, all of these tributes, regardless if they are websites, books, autograph-cards and the like, they are simply footnotes in the Twilight Zone universe. The real deal is in the series itself!

The Twilight Zone Archives will continue to strive to bring you unique updates and additions, and looks forward to continuing to supply the internet's #1 Twilight Zone website for many years to come (unless I get hit by a bus or something;).

Thanks for all your wonderful support over these last ten years! Suggestions, comments and support are always welcome! I hope you stay tuned for what's yet to come. Fan-dancers? Television for everyone? Hot-fudge sundaes with three scoops? Nope, just little old TZA. However, we will try our best to wish for those things.

ZONE ON!

tzoneman

Message: 02.17.08

TZA CONTEST - Screen-identify an original TZ background prop featured on TZA, and win the book 'Dimensions Behind the Twilight Zone!'

TZA has procured a group of authentic background props that were used in various episodes of the original Twilight Zone television series; these props came from a 1977 auction, and are accompanied by authentic handwritten notes by set designer Henry Grace.

Screen-identifying background props can be a monumental task. So, TZA is opening up a contest to Zoners! If you can be the first to successfully screen-identify any of these props, we will send you the planet's #2 TZ book, 'Dimensions Behind the Twilight Zone.'

Here's what you do:

1) Click on this link TZA PROPS to lead you to the index page featuring the background props. From there, you can click on each thumbnail to see each of the 8 props in question: brass CSA bugle, brass inkwell, 3-piece silver tea-set, silver teapot w/bone handle, brass vase, brass dog statues, plastic donkey toy, brass horse and rider statue (the brass CSA bugle appears to have been used in the episode 'The Passersby,' but you can try and identify it with other episodes as well).

2) Watch episodes of the original Twilight Zone until you come across something that you believe matches one of the TZA background props.

3) Contact TZA by email, inform which prop you believe you've identified, which episode it's from, where in the episode you can place it, and, if you can, attach a screen-grab of the prop in your email.

Once I get your entry, I will check it out to visually confirm if the prop was in fact used in the episode or not and then contact you. If you're the first person to have successfully screen-identified any of the 8 TZA background props as being used in an episode, you win a DBTZ book!

As props are identified, TZA will make an updated post of which props are no longer in play.

All right! Well, good luck hunting and may the best Zoners win!!!

tzoneman

(Contest Conditions - Only one winner per household, only one book per winner. If you successfully screen-identify more than one prop, along with one book, we'll throw in a TZ Poker print AND a Piano mask repo featured on the repos page. If you successfully screen-identify one of the props, and you already own DBTZ, you'll win a TZ Poker Print and Piano mask repo. Only U.S. citizens are eligible to win the contest due to shipping costs).

Message: 02.16.08

Access Denied

This is a message gauged solely for those requesting online support or use of photos:

We regret this decision, however, due to a recent unfortunate circumstance, The Twilight Zone Archives has come to feel somewhat discouraged to continue assisting entities or those with projects who, in the end, fail to, or no longer appreciate our efforts and/or materials. Therefore, we are no longer in a position of interest to offer online support or photo contributions outside of our own interests (the exception is filmmakers working on legitimate documentaries/indies).

We do apologize for this unfortunate decision. If you are an entity seeking support or resources, we wish you good luck in your endeavors.

tzoneman

Message: 01.05.08

Happy 9th Anniversary TZA!

Hey look! On January 16, 2008, The Twilight Zone Archives is celebrating it's 9th anniversary!

Ever since January 16, 1999, TZA has aimed at building the most unique Twilight Zone site on the internet. Since that time, TZA has gone through two or three different phases of development, until it arrived at the television set design that viewers have come to know and enjoy. When TZA first began back in the good old days of The Fifth Dimension website, TZA had been the internet's #2 Twilight Zone website. With the unfortunate closing of The Fifth Dimension in 2001/2002, TZA quickly became the internet's #1 Twilight Zone website, and to this day, it truly remains #1! All this is because of YOU - the TZA visitor!!!

Don't believe that TZA is #1? Well, try searching for Twilight Zone in any search engine and find out for yourself. Sure, there's the Sci-fi Channel link to their schedule and the Wikipedia link, but those are merely Twilight Zone pages, and not at all sites solely dedicated to Rod Serling's Twilight Zone. Other sites will say they are #1, but again, do the math - search for yourself.

THE POINT OF ALL OF THIS IS if it weren't for the visitors of TZA, this site would not have received the attention that it has over the years. So, here's to the TZA visitors! Keep in touch, keep dropping by, keep asking questions, and be sure to check in for new unique updates that only TZA can bring you. And remember, this is all in tribute to Rod Serling and is meant to be fun. TZA is a total nonprofit website, and it will always be that way.

HAPPY 9th ANNIVERSARY TZA!!! Here's to the next 9 years and beyond!!!

tzoneman

Message: 01.02.08

Updates to the TZA Message Board and the Guest Book

Well, since we're into another new year here, I went ahead and made a few updates to the message board and the guest book. The message board just looks a little different, a little nicer. And as far as the guest book, since the spam profanity entries have stopped, I reverted back to entries being published as they are entered; they no longer need to be approved first.

tzoneman

Message: 08.19.07

My "tzoneman" identity has been duplicated by someone. Like, how come?

Ever since January of 1996, my online call-sign has been "tzoneman", and my nickname in the computer gaming industry has been tzoneman since that time (the 1998 game Falcon 4 credits me in the manual as Stewart Stanyard - tzoneman).

Well, interestingly enough, seems that someone else has taken on the same online name (likely without knowledge that I had it first), which in a way feels like a form of identity theft.

Since this other user is now going by the same online name as mine, and his tzoneman posts are only from August 2006 (10 years after I established myself online as tzoneman), it only seems fair that he should alter his online name, so there isn't any confusion. I kindly ask that he do so whenever he comes across this message.

Here's an example of the case in point http://cc.tvguide.liveworld.com/profile.jspa?userID=800007354

Whoa, now I know how Millicent Barnes feels...

tzoneman!

When I started The Twilight Zone Archives back in January of 1999, I never could have imagined (as corny as it may sound) the path that creating the site would have taken me. I wanted to give something back, to Rod Serling, and to all of those who worked on the original series. The site started off by featuring a portion of my collection of ORIGINAL production photo contact sheets that were auctioned off by Viacom back in 1979. The site grew into other areas, episode guides, an autograph gallery, and so on. Once I started the book, updates to TZA were very few, until it got to a point where there were no updates for a couple of years. I then created the unique TWILIGHT ZONE EPISODE FINDER (for the original series), and let people enjoy playing around in there; overall, a helpful and fun tool. Since then, I have made no real updates or additions to the site - I was just so busy with the book.

But since I haven't worked on the site for quite some time, it now feels like it needs to be updated and such. One visitor to TZA suggested that I remove the spoilers to the TZ GUIDE and the TZ EPISODE FINDER; a very good suggestion that I will at some point work on in the coming months. I also plan on a few minor adjustments to the site, but then again, for the most part, the site is what it is and I'm still happy with what IS up there.

The BIG PLAN to do a newer version of TZA, version 3.0, is still in my mind and at some point I will get down to brass taxes and create the thing. Once TZA v3.0 is up and running (likely early next year - a lot of original art needs to be created first), that may be the final version for quite a number of years. I don't want to give anything away, but let's just say that along with the ability to still load TZA v2.1, TZA v3.0 will revolve around a Flash design that will be incredibly interactive, more of a game than just a site with various sections. Whereas TZA v2.1 is based on the "television set design", TZA v3.0 will be based on a "location" that features "characters" and "rooms" right out of the fifth dimension. Ooh, scary! (nuf said)

A little on the USPS Stamp Petition, the Guestbook and Message Board - the petition has reached over 3,000 signatures and I'm in the midst of emailing the new contact for the USPS Stamp Committee with our request for the Rod Serling Stamp, along with a link to the actual official stamp petition. Thanks to everyone who has supported the stamp petition; hopefully soon, we'll all be able to buy Rod Serling stamps! Elvis Smellvish! WE WANT ROD!!!

The Guestbook has been having some trouble with vandals from a Webring that keep signing it with, shall we say, perverted comments and such. I had to check it daily and edit out any such vandal's comments, but I simply could not keep doing that. So, I've implemented a checkbox that makes it so that any entry in the guestbook must now go through me for approval first, which is working out fine.

The Message Board has been working out fine. Our main visitor there is Laurie, and she has proved to be almost a monitor for the Message Board, and I truly appreciate her help. So far, since this Message Board is more of a Bulletin Board, we have not had to deal with any of the board-wars and egomaniacs that eventually plague message boards, amen.

Donations - a few TZA visitors have mentioned, now and then, that they would like to donate money to TZA, which I do appreciate the gesture. For those who would like to make a donation, please understand that TZA is a completely nonprofit side-project - there is no need to make donations. I do not expect anyone to pay for the site; it's upkeep, monthly server charges and whatnot. I make absolutely no profit from the site and that's the way it will always be :) Thanks!

All right, so, early next year, when TZA 3.0 is up, I will likely be taking a well-deserved break from working on things Twilight Zone'ish. I thank those who visit TZA - for the support, suggestions and good thoughts. I wish you all the best and please feel free to contact me with any comments about TZA, and my book, Dimensions Behind The Twilight Zone.

For info on the book Dimensions Behind the Twilight Zone *CLICK HERE*
c
Message: 01.16.20 *Happy 21th Anniversary TZA!* Thanks everyone! I know I haven't been making many updates and/or additions to The Twilight Zone Archives lately. But I do thank all new TZA visitors , as there's still tons of stuff to uncover for yourself! ZONE ON! tzoneman
c

Message: 01.14.20 *CAROL SERLING - REST IN PEACE* - February 3, 1929 - January 9, 2020 Sadly, Carol Serling passed away last thursday, January 9th. News of her passing was made public by the Serling family yesterday (obituary below). It is with deepest condolences to the Serling family that I share a few words. I was privileged to have met with Carol several times over the years, while working on my TZ book years ago (Dimensions Behind the Twilight Zone), and casual get-togethers with her and daughter Jodi. Over the last two decades, Jodi has become a close friend. She's shared many thoughts with me about her mother and father, her love for them, both, and of her efforts to have helped Carol over the years to keep the legacy true. The last time I met with Carol was back in late July of 2015. We had a very nice time at a luncheon, where I was able to bring some show-and-tell, talk of such things pertaining to television/bluray biographies I had been working on at the time, and enjoy some nice chats with her and Jodi. Ever since Rod had passed away back in 1975, Carol had taken the reins of all that was his work, protecting his legacy and everything that that encompassed. She was a great lady, reserved yet very open to allowing me to become an acquaintance of good standing. She will be sorely missed by those who knew and loved her. Bless you Carol. God speed. tzoneman
c
c
CAROLYN KRAMER SERLING OBITUARY Carolyn Kramer Serling, 90, widow of screen writer and Twilight Zone Creator Rod Serling, died January 9, 2020, at her home in Pacific Palisades, California. Carol was born February 3, 1929, in Columbus, Ohio, daughter of Warren A. and Ann Caldwell Kramer. After her mother's unexpected death when Carol was 18 months old, Carol was raised by her grandparents, Frank and Louise Orton Caldwell of Columbus, Ohio. She attended The Ohio State University Laboratory School in Columbus and was graduated from MacDuffie School in Springfield, Massachusetts. During her freshman year at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, she met Rod Serling, one of the returning World War II veterans attending the college. They were married two years later, on July 31, 1948, and completed college together in 1950 before moving to Cincinnati, where Rod worked for a local radio station. Two years later, the couple decided Rod would devote himself full-time to writing, and they moved to Westport, Connecticut, to be near the center of live television activity in New York City. In the mid-1950's, the couple and their two young daughters moved to Pacific Palisades, California. In California, Carol was a volunteer for the Fair Housing Council, the PTA, the suicide prevention center, and served in various roles for the League of Women Voters. For 30 years, she was the volunteer toy and book buyer at Santa Monica Hospital auxiliary gift shop. A life-long learner, she took classes in painting, ceramics and glazing and enrolled in political science classes at UCLA. She enjoyed sharing time with friends and regularly joined them at bridge club, book club, the movies or for a meal and conversation. She was a member of the Unitarian Universalist Community Church of Santa Monica. Carol served for 18 years on the Board of Trustees of Ithaca College, Ithaca, New York and, upon retirement for the board in 2002, she was named an honorary trustee. She also served on the Board of Trustees at Antioch College, her alma mater. She was a passionate supporter of many causes, most notably environmental and wildlife causes, women issues, liberal politics and education. Since her husband's untimely death in 1975, Carol has managed his literary assets, providing access to his work and giving younger generations an oppotunity to hear his messages of humanity, history and morality. She was involved with negotiating, producing, managing and publishing remakes of some of his works and a documentary on his life and writings. She was project consultant for the 1983 "Twilight Zone: The Movie" and was executive producer of the current CBS All Access revival of the "Twilight Zone" series, hosted by Jordon Peele. She was associate producer and consulting editor of the Twilight Zone Magazine. During their life together, Carol was Rod's trusted reader, editor, and critic, reading all of his scripts in progress, before they were submitted. Carol spent most every summer of her life at the family cottage on the shores of Cayuga Lake in upstate New York. The cottage, built by her great-grandfather George Caldwell, the first professor hired by Cornell University, was her favorite place in the whole world and after their marriage, the cottage became Rod's favorite place, too. In her later years, she co-authored a book about the Cayuga area which featured photographs taken by her great uncle, Ray Chamberlain. Carol had a curiosity and appreciation of the world and traveled with Rod, in conjunction with his work, throughout the United States, the Orient and the Philippines. They also enjoyed cruises to South America and Mexico and cherished trips abroad their 35-foot power boat through Erie Canal, the St. Lawrence Seaway and the Great Lakes. These trips, in the days before laptops and cell phones, were their opportunity to escape the daily pressure of television production. After Rod's death, she continued her travels, visiting every European country, Scandinavia, Russia, China, the Middle East, Australia, and many South American countries. Carol appreciated the complexities, diversities, and beauties of life. As her daughter, Jodi, said, she was radiant, strong, brilliant and all who knew her were enriched by her friendship and love. Carol is survived by her daughter Jodi Serling (Michael Talarski) of Ithaca, NY; daughter Anne Serling-Sutton (Doug) of Ithaca, NY; three grandchildren, Ryan Rothstein-Serling, Erica Serling Petersen (Ross) and Sam Serling-Sutton; two great-grandchildren, Alyssa and Aidan; and half-sister Deedie Kramer Bedosky, Newman, GA; a niece and two nephews. She was preceded in death by her husnad, grandparents, parent and half-brother. The family appreciates the devoted and extraordinary caregivers, Julia Zelaya and Tanya Torres, who allowed this special woman to live her later years in comfort and dignity. Carol wanted her family, friends and associates to remember their joyous adventures and happy days together. At her request, no memorial service will be held. Her ashes will be buried next to her husband in Interlaken, NY. In leau of flowers, the family suggests donations be made in her honor to an environmental or educational charity of the donor's choices.
c

Message: 01.10.20 *NEIL PEART - REST IN PEACE* September 12, 1952 - January 7, 2020 Sadly, Neil Peart, the drummer and lyricist of the legendary progressive rock group Rush, has passed away three days ago. The news of his death was kept private until today when the news was suddenly made public. I'd like to share just a few words, expressing my respect and appreciation for Neil and his art, and why I compare some of his influence to Rod Serling. I have always considered that Neil had something way in common with Rod Serling, they both brought literature to mediums that weren't normally literature minded, dealing so deeply in the human condition. At the time of The Twilight Zone, there were something like 30 westerns on television, and in the music industry of rock, most bands usually wrote about chicks and cars, or getting chicks in the backs of cars... it's possible that even the band The Cars wrote about this... but I digress. Back when I was working on my TZ book, and had been contacting Hollywood celebrities to ask for appreciation essays on Rod Serling and the TZ series, I felt Neil Peart would be a perfect writer to contribute his thoughts on the man and his thought-provoking series. Neil Peart himself was a Rod Serling fan. After Rod's passing in 1975, Rush dedicated their upcoming album at the time, Caress of Steel, to Rod Serling. On the following album, Neil penned a song entitled Twilight Zone, referencing two specific episodes from the fifth dimension, Stopover in a Quiet Town (written by Earl Hamner Jr.), and, Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up, by Serling. During Rush's 2012 Clockwork Angels tour, during the intermission, images of Rod Serling graced those large circular cathode ray-like screens on stage, and during their final R40 tour, during the last few songs, the backdrop on the screen depicting a High School auditorium, the banners for the school were labeled as Rod Serling High School. So yeah, Peart was a Serling fan. So, back in 2005, while working on my TZ book, during which time several Hollywood celebrities replied to my requests for appreciation essays, one day there was an email titled "From Neil Peart." It's no surprise that I myself am a huge Rush fan since 1977, and I can tell you, his email had me so excited. Over the next few days, there were a few emails, until he sent his essay and asked if it was alright, and if it would need any editing. Whoa. Suffice it to say, Neil's essay, "Magic Realism Comes to the Suburbs," is superb and I was thrilled that he took the time to contribute his thoughts on Rod Serling and the series. To show how much of a gentleman Neil was, five years after publication, I received a thank you card from Neil (totally blew me away!), proving how much of a kind soul he was. It goes without saying that millions of fans are devastatingly saddened by this sudden loss, including myself. My deepest condolences to his family and friends, and of course to his pals and bandmates, Alex and Geddy. Sadly, the professor has left the building. tzoneman
c

Message: 01.16.19 Happy 20th Anniversary to The Twilight Zone Archives!!! Wow! Times flies! Thanks to all of the TZA visitors for supporting this true non-profit site all of these years! Here's to the next 20 years! ZONE ON! tzoneman


Message: 02.06.16 *Upcoming additions to TZA...* Since the Decemeber 25, 2015 passing of Twilight Zone core writer, George Clayton Johnson, I've decided to put together a tribute page based on my casual friendship with George, and in honor of his memory. Look for this addition sometime in the near future. TZA visitors can also look forward to an upcoming exclusive TZA interview with Rod's Serling's daughter, Jodi Serling. This interview will prove to be very heartfelt and enlightening. ZONE ON! tzoneman

Message: 01.16.14 Happy 15th Anniversary to The Twilight Zone Archives!!! The Twilight Zone Archives is celebrating its 15th year anniversary!!! Wow! TZA exists as a completely non-profit organization, and one that does not accept donations... and 15 years later, we're still here, going strong and standing as the #1 site dedicated solely to Rod Serling and his fascinating, timeless creation, The Twilight Zone. The reason for TZA lasting as long as it has, and with so much attention is because of YOU! Yes, YOU! Sitting there right now reading this. Without you and the other 666,000+ visitors that have persused the good old TZA over these last 15 years, this anniversary would never have happened. I 'd like to say, on behalf of all of us at The Twilight Zone Archives, a very special thanks to all of the TZA visitors over these past 15 years. So, please raise a glass (insert TZ reference here: "Try tequila... with a cube of sugar"), and toast a round to the NEXT 15 years and beyond... I'm sure there will be plenty of unique behind the scenes surprises that only The Twilight Zone Archives brings! ZONE ON! tzoneman


Message: 09.23.12 *The new TZ PUBLIC RELATIONS section is fully uploaded!* Just a quick note to let all TZA vistors know that the new Twilight Zone Public Relations section has been fully uploaded. In this new exclusive section to TZA, you'll have the opportunity to read an illuminating interview with Y&R Public Relations Publicist, Owen Comora, where he talks about his working alongside with Rod Serling in the very beginning of promoting the series! Also featured in the new section is over 75 previously unpublished public relations documents! The TZ Public Relations section is truly a feast of historical information newly uncovered and ready for your perusal! ZONE ON! tzoneman

Message: 09.23.12 *Where has the TZA GUESTBOOK vanished to?* Unfortunatley, the online company that provided TZA with a free Guestbook during the last 13.5 years, have cancelled that service. We at TZA do hope to find another free online guestbook service soon. Until then, the TZA Guestbook is temporarily lost... in the Twilight Zone. Thanks for your patience. tzoneman


Message: 06.22.12 *Dimensions Behind the Twilight Zone - 2nd Printing NOW AVAILABLE!!!* Exciting news - the 2nd printing of my book, Dimensions Behind the Twilight Zone, is now available in bookstores and online! To read about the book or order it online *CLICK HERE*. Special thanks to the insights of my publisher, ECW Press. ZONE ON! tzoneman


Message: 03.01.12 *Dimensions Behind the Twilight Zone ramping up for it's second printing!* ECW Press has just announced the first printing of my book, Dimensions Behind the Twilight Zone, has sold out, and that they're ramping up to do a second printing! Hooray! This is great news, for most TZ books only make it to a first printing. As far as what's going on now - I'm currently working on a few updates, corrections AND addtions, that of which will be submitted soon. At that point, once it goes through design updates, etc., it'll go directly to press. One nice thing is we'll now be able to use Jack Klugman's comment on the back cover - he didn't make it in time for the first printing. As of today, Amazon now has DBTZ listed as "Usually ships in 1 to 3 months" - this is due to the fact that they don't have a current date on when the second printing will be ready. Normally, with the book in stock, it ships instantly. So, soon, when the second printing is ready, DBTZ will again ship out quickly. The book is also available on Kindle. I'll make an update on the second printing when info becomes available. Thanks for all your support! tzoneman


Message: 08.08.11 *Authentic Talky Tina 18" Doll Replica is pretty stunning!* I've got to admit that I am seriously impressed with the Talky Tina 18" Doll Replica released this week by Entertainment Earth/Bif-Bang-Pow. I pre-ordered mine a week ago and just got it in today's mail. The detail of Talky Tina is amazingly accurate and yeah, very creepy. The sculpture of her head/face/legs is perfect and her hair and clothing is just as perfect! When you rest her down her eyes close and open again when she's upright. Talky Tina even comes with the wind up mechanism on her back, just like in the episode - although, since she's battery operated, the wind up mechanism is just for show. To make her work, you squeeze her stomach and she says one of the five lines of dialog each time you sqeeze her. And most important, Talky Tina has been beautifully reproduced in authentic Twilight Zone-ish black and white! It's quite a piece! It's as though the doll prop used in the Living Doll episode is now residing in my Living Room! CREEPY! The display box is also of excellent high quality - it's made of a very thick and sturdy board material and not at all a cheapie cardboard box, which makes it durable for displaying Talky Tina in her box. If you're a hardcore Zoner such as myself, this is indeed a must for your collection! Click here to ORDER yours today! ZONE ON! tzoneman


Message: 07.04.11 *The Twilight Zone Archives visitor counter has reached 600,000 hits!* Yes indeedy, TZA has now been viewed 600,000 times and counting - not bad for a non-profit org! We'd like to send a big thank you out to all who have supported TZA over the last 12.5 years! ZONE ON! tzoneman Message: 02.06.11 *What's up with the Mystic Seer STILL being Under Construction?!* You may have noticed we've been making several additions and updates lately to the good old Twilight Zone Archives; sprucing her up a bit here and there. However, one section that's been unintentionally neglected, having collected over 10 years worth of cobwebs, is the poor old Mystic Seer over there on the left menu (clicking on the machine itself leads to the Mystic Seer page). Yeah, yeah, yeah... trust me, I know. Ok, so what's up with that?! Well, two things. First, I need to create a 3D model of the Mystic Seer's Devil's Head, which is a task I've just been putting off for far too long - again, I know. Secondly, the way the Mystic Seer is eventually supposed to work is through a fully functional Flash animation. And guess what? Yours truly hasn't learned Flash yet. DOH! The way I planned the Mystic Seer to work is: you move your mouse pointer over the pile of pennies, click the pennies and the mouse pointer turns into the image of a penny. Next, you move the penny over to the penny slot on the Mystic Seer, click, and the penny drops into the machine. Next, you ask your question to the Mystic Seer out loud, click on the handle - which then moves up and down - and the edge of a paper fortune appears - just sticking out of the fortune slot. Lastly, you click on the edge of the paper fortune, and suddenly it animates over to where the current placeholder resides, showing you your answer. You can repeat the process as many times as you like. And decide for yourself if the Mystic Seer is accurate enough to predict your future or not. So, yeah, that's the way it's supposed to work... eventually. However, here it is, 10 years after having uploaded the Mystic Seer artwork - minus the Devil's Head - and the bloody thing still reads as UNDER CONSTRUCTION. Needless to say, it has somehow unintentionally turned into the Achilles-Heal of TZA (sigh). Obviously, I need to get going on creating a 3D model of the Devil's Head, and learn some Flash... or possibly find someone to contribute some assistance. But I do promise to someday get the Mystic Seer up and running... or my name will be Mudd! tzoneman Message: 01.10.11 *Mac Safari Browser has minor problems correctly viewing the Twilight Zone Archives website.* For Mac users who have loaded the Twilight Zone Archives website in their Safari browser, you may find some minor problems; you'd be better off using Firefox or Explorer, both of which run the site flawlessly. In a word, Safari is bleh. It does not have the ability to deal with a frame site very well; with TZA's immense amount of pages, the frames design was a bit of a necessity. The problems Safari has are minor, such as a thick white border between the top menu frame and the main frame below; there IS no border in the code. It also has too much space above bodies of text such as in the Updates page. We've done some research, and have found this is a problem that other webmasters are finding when viewing their sites in Safari. We're currently going through the code and trying to find any obvious things that Safari doesn't have the ability to deal with. In the meantime, Mac users would be better off using Firefox or Explorer. Sorry for the inconvenience. tzoneman Message: 12.27.10 *A GIFT FOR THE NEW YEAR! We've reloaded the full original version of the PRODUCTION-PHOTOS section!!!* Here's an interesting gift for the New Year - a reload of the full original version of the very first section of TZA, the glorious Production-Photos. Why a reload? Well, let me explain. Back in late 2005, when I had signed with the publisher, ECW Press, to publish my book, Dimensions Behind the Twilight Zone, it was my feeling that the Production-Photo section of TZA came into a bit of a continuity conflict with the book project. In that, the Production-Photos section featured several photos that were to be highlighted and printed on high-quality paper in the book. I had thought - in the best interests of the book - to remove the Production-Photos section from TZA entirely. Well, that seemed a bit drastic. So what I did was to leave the Production-Photos section online, but trim it down to only 1 photo per available episode (65 photos), instead of the previous 6 photos each episode (301 photos); so as to not completely disappoint TZA visitors. Now that the book has been published for 3.5 years, I think the grace period is well enough along, to warrant bringing back the original Production-Photos section, in it's entirety. Newer viewers to TZA will likely be overjoyed, as there are a number of shots now returned to TZA that aren't in the book (likewise, there are many many photos in the book that are not on the TZA site). And veteran TZA visitors may feel a bit of nostalgia, for the Production-Photos section brought about the very beginnings of TZA; close to 12 years ago. As side notes - all of the descriptions of the Production-Photos have been updated, with info and whatnot. Also, the section More Substance Behind the Scenes (which is the secondary Prod. Photos section), has always been available, and had indeed acted as a placeholder to the main Production-Photos section for these last 3.5 years; it remains available as well. So in total, the amount of on-set behind the scenes photographs in these two sections comes to 366 photos! Wow! Anyway, I hope you enjoy the fully reloaded Production-Photos section; as we at TZA always aim to please (that is, when we miss between the eyes... kidding ;) ENJOY, tzoneman Message: 11.12.09 *Filming the Fifth Dimension* Hot off the press and available at magazine newstands is the December 09 issue of Fortean Times (UK) - featuring a 6 page article celebrating Twilight Zone's 50th anniversary, called Filming the Fifth Dimension, by Stewart T Stanyard (aka tzoneman) - TZA curator and author of the critically-acclaimed book Dimensions Behind the Twilight Zone. Filming the Fifth Dimension discusses the history of the series, it's various creative contributors, and the influences Rod Serling has had on the television industry. It also features a number of rare photographs and is a fine tribute just in time for Twilight Zone's 50th anniversary. P.S. On another note of tribute, and in case you're interested to know, Stanyard had just finished over 30 Twilight Zone radio interviews, talking about his book, TZA, and Rod Serling; several interviews of which are available online through your favorite search engine. Whoopdeedoo! tzoneman Message: 10.02.09 Happy 50th Anniversary to The Twilight Zone!!! October 2, 2009 marks the 50th anniversary of Twilight Zone's premier pilot episode "Where is Everybody." We at the The Twilight Zone Archives would like to send out our very best wishes for a happy 50th anniversary to the Twilight Zone alumni at this momentous date in time and space! Thanks for all your hard work during those 5 seasons all those years ago - work that shines on today, and into the next 50 years! tzoneman Message: 01.16.09 Happy 10th Anniversary to The Twilight Zone Archives!!! The Twilight Zone Archives is celebrating its 10th year anniversary!!! Yes, ten years ago today, I registered the domain of twilightzone.org and set out to give something back! And I think with The Twilight Zone Archives, and my book, Dimensions Behind the Twilight Zone, I feel I've done my best to accomplish a goal of promoting the work of Rod Serling; which to me, is a good thing, real good. Early on, the initial point of creating The Twilight Zone Archives was to share the vast collection of rare and original on-set production photos I had obtained some years ago; behind-the-scenes images that the public had NEVER seen prior to my unlocking the door. And along with numerous additions to the website along the way, including episode guides, props, documents, an autograph gallery, a Serling pictorial biography, a virtual tour of Binghamton N.Y, the unique TZ Episode Finder, and so on, here we find that ten years later, the Twilight Zone Archives still lives on! Sure, The Twilight Zone Archives had gone through a few server spaces and a few versions of design (to someday create an even more interactive version, TZA 3.0), and updates as of late have been far and few, but again, The Twilight Zone Archives endures. Yes, it goes without saying that it's been an interesting road. I've made some good friends and have had some interesting times, and even though it's had its share of being the best of times, the worst of times, I wouldn't have had it any other way (really!?). Indeed, I think there is a celebration in order, or at least some good thoughts. The Twilight Zone Archives is celebrating it's 10th anniversary, and also this year, The Twilight Zone itself is celebrating it's 50th anniversary! So please, take a moment to think about how you've enjoyed The Twilight Zone, and raise a glass to Mr. Rodman Edward Serling for having created such a timeless piece of modern art! But remember, all of these tributes, regardless if they are websites, books, autograph-cards and the like, they are simply footnotes in the Twilight Zone universe. The real deal is in the series itself! The Twilight Zone Archives will continue to strive to bring you unique updates and additions, and looks forward to continuing to supply the internet's #1 Twilight Zone website for many years to come (unless I get hit by a bus or something;). Thanks for all your wonderful support over these last ten years! Suggestions, comments and support are always welcome! I hope you stay tuned for what's yet to come. Fan-dancers? Television for everyone? Hot-fudge sundaes with three scoops? Nope, just little old TZA. However, we will try our best to wish for those things. ZONE ON! tzoneman Message: 02.17.08 TZA CONTEST - *Screen-identify an original TZ background prop featured on TZA, and win the book 'Dimensions Behind the Twilight Zone!'* TZA has procured a group of authentic background props that were used in various episodes of the original Twilight Zone television series; these props came from a 1977 auction, and are accompanied by authentic handwritten notes by set designer Henry Grace. Screen-identifying background props can be a monumental task. So, TZA is opening up a contest to Zoners! If you can be the first to successfully screen-identify any of these props, we will send you the planet's #2 TZ book, 'Dimensions Behind the Twilight Zone.' Here's what you do: 1) Click on this link TZA PROPS to lead you to the index page featuring the background props. From there, you can click on each thumbnail to see each of the 8 props in question: brass CSA bugle, brass inkwell, 3-piece silver tea-set, silver teapot w/bone handle, brass vase, brass dog statues, plastic donkey toy, brass horse and rider statue (the brass CSA bugle appears to have been used in the episode 'The Passersby,' but you can try and identify it with other episodes as well). 2) Watch episodes of the original Twilight Zone until you come across something that you believe matches one of the TZA background props. 3) Contact TZA by email, inform which prop you believe you've identified, which episode it's from, where in the episode you can place it, and, if you can, attach a screen-grab of the prop in your email. Once I get your entry, I will check it out to visually confirm if the prop was in fact used in the episode or not and then contact you. If you're the first person to have successfully screen-identified any of the 8 TZA background props as being used in an episode, you win a DBTZ book! As props are identified, TZA will make an updated post of which props are no longer in play. All right! Well, good luck hunting and may the best Zoners win!!! tzoneman (Contest Conditions - Only one winner per household, only one book per winner. If you successfully screen-identify more than one prop, along with one book, we'll throw in a TZ Poker print AND a Piano mask repo featured on the repos page. If you successfully screen-identify one of the props, and you already own DBTZ, you'll win a TZ Poker Print and Piano mask repo. Only U.S. citizens are eligible to win the contest due to shipping costs). Message: 02.16.08 *Access Denied* This is a message gauged solely for those requesting online support or use of photos: We regret this decision, however, due to a recent unfortunate circumstance, The Twilight Zone Archives has come to feel somewhat discouraged to continue assisting entities or those with projects who, in the end, fail to, or no longer appreciate our efforts and/or materials. Therefore, we are no longer in a position of interest to offer online support or photo contributions outside of our own interests (the exception is filmmakers working on legitimate documentaries/indies). We do apologize for this unfortunate decision. If you are an entity seeking support or resources, we wish you good luck in your endeavors. tzoneman Message: 01.05.08 *Happy 9th Anniversary TZA!* Hey look! On January 16, 2008, The Twilight Zone Archives is celebrating it's 9th anniversary! Ever since January 16, 1999, TZA has aimed at building the most unique Twilight Zone site on the internet. Since that time, TZA has gone through two or three different phases of development, until it arrived at the television set design that viewers have come to know and enjoy. When TZA first began back in the good old days of The Fifth Dimension website, TZA had been the internet's #2 Twilight Zone website. With the unfortunate closing of The Fifth Dimension in 2001/2002, TZA quickly became the internet's #1 Twilight Zone website, and to this day, it truly remains #1! All this is because of YOU - the TZA visitor!!! Don't believe that TZA is #1? Well, try searching for Twilight Zone in any search engine and find out for yourself. Sure, there's the Sci-fi Channel link to their schedule and the Wikipedia link, but those are merely Twilight Zone pages, and not at all sites solely dedicated to Rod Serling's Twilight Zone. Other sites will say they are #1, but again, do the math - search for yourself. THE POINT OF ALL OF THIS IS if it weren't for the visitors of TZA, this site would not have received the attention that it has over the years. So, here's to the TZA visitors! Keep in touch, keep dropping by, keep asking questions, and be sure to check in for new unique updates that only TZA can bring you. And remember, this is all in tribute to Rod Serling and is meant to be fun. TZA is a total nonprofit website, and it will always be that way. HAPPY 9th ANNIVERSARY TZA!!! Here's to the next 9 years and beyond!!! tzoneman Message: 01.02.08 *Updates to the TZA Message Board and the Guest Book* Well, since we're into another new year here, I went ahead and made a few updates to the message board and the guest book. The message board just looks a little different, a little nicer. And as far as the guest book, since the spam profanity entries have stopped, I reverted back to entries being published as they are entered; they no longer need to be approved first. tzoneman Message: 08.19.07 *My "tzoneman" identity has been duplicated by someone. Like, how come?* Ever since January of 1996, my online call-sign has been "tzoneman", and my nickname in the computer gaming industry has been tzoneman since that time (the 1998 game Falcon 4 credits me in the manual as Stewart Stanyard - tzoneman). Well, interestingly enough, seems that someone else has taken on the same online name (likely without knowledge that I had it first), which in a way feels like a form of identity theft. Since this other user is now going by the same online name as mine, and his tzoneman posts are only from August 2006 (10 years after I established myself online as tzoneman), it only seems fair that he should alter his online name, so there isn't any confusion. I kindly ask that he do so whenever he comes across this message. Here's an example of the case in point http://cc.tvguide.liveworld.com/profile.jspa?userID=800007354 Whoa, now I know how Millicent Barnes feels... tzoneman! When I started The Twilight Zone Archives back in January of 1999, I never could have imagined (as corny as it may sound) the path that creating the site would have taken me. I wanted to give something back, to Rod Serling, and to all of those who worked on the original series. The site started off by featuring a portion of my collection of ORIGINAL production photo contact sheets that were auctioned off by Viacom back in 1979. The site grew into other areas, episode guides, an autograph gallery, and so on. Once I started the book, updates to TZA were very few, until it got to a point where there were no updates for a couple of years. I then created the unique TWILIGHT ZONE EPISODE FINDER (for the original series), and let people enjoy playing around in there; overall, a helpful and fun tool. Since then, I have made no real updates or additions to the site - I was just so busy with the book. But since I haven't worked on the site for quite some time, it now feels like it needs to be updated and such. One visitor to TZA suggested that I remove the spoilers to the TZ GUIDE and the TZ EPISODE FINDER; a very good suggestion that I will at some point work on in the coming months. I also plan on a few minor adjustments to the site, but then again, for the most part, the site is what it is and I'm still happy with what IS up there. The BIG PLAN to do a newer version of TZA, version 3.0, is still in my mind and at some point I will get down to brass taxes and create the thing. Once TZA v3.0 is up and running (likely early next year - a lot of original art needs to be created first), that may be the final version for quite a number of years. I don't want to give anything away, but let's just say that along with the ability to still load TZA v2.1, TZA v3.0 will revolve around a Flash design that will be incredibly interactive, more of a game than just a site with various sections. Whereas TZA v2.1 is based on the "television set design", TZA v3.0 will be based on a "location" that features "characters" and "rooms" right out of the fifth dimension. Ooh, scary! (nuf said) A little on the USPS Stamp Petition, the Guestbook and Message Board - the petition has reached over 3,000 signatures and I'm in the midst of emailing the new contact for the USPS Stamp Committee with our request for the Rod Serling Stamp, along with a link to the actual official stamp petition. Thanks to everyone who has supported the stamp petition; hopefully soon, we'll all be able to buy Rod Serling stamps! Elvis Smellvish! WE WANT ROD!!! The Guestbook has been having some trouble with vandals from a Webring that keep signing it with, shall we say, perverted comments and such. I had to check it daily and edit out any such vandal's comments, but I simply could not keep doing that. So, I've implemented a checkbox that makes it so that any entry in the guestbook must now go through me for approval first, which is working out fine. The Message Board has been working out fine. Our main visitor there is Laurie, and she has proved to be almost a monitor for the Message Board, and I truly appreciate her help. So far, since this Message Board is more of a Bulletin Board, we have not had to deal with any of the board-wars and egomaniacs that eventually plague message boards, amen. Donations - a few TZA visitors have mentioned, now and then, that they would like to donate money to TZA, which I do appreciate the gesture. For those who would like to make a donation, please understand that TZA is a completely nonprofit side-project - there is no need to make donations. I do not expect anyone to pay for the site; it's upkeep, monthly server charges and whatnot. I make absolutely no profit from the site and that's the way it will always be :) Thanks! All right, so, early next year, when TZA 3.0 is up, I will likely be taking a well-deserved break from working on things Twilight Zone'ish. I thank those who visit TZA - for the support, suggestions and good thoughts. I wish you all the best and please feel free to contact me with any comments about TZA, and my book, Dimensions Behind The Twilight Zone. ZONE ON! tzoneman

	..- updated messages from *Tzoneman*
	..- comments on the present/future of TZ Archives