Story: The Time Element
Written By: Rod Serling
Series: Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse
Season: N/A
In the late 50s, Rod Serling was a growing star as a writer of teleplays. He had two big hits in these early days of the medium, "Patterns" and "Requiem for a Heavyweight" which both aired on the then common anthology dramas. While he had earned some success and was in becoming in demand, he was constantly fighting with the censors and sponsors, who would make him change lines that may conflict with the product, or try to tame subject matter of relevant social issues because it might tarnish a brand by associating with a hot button issue. So Serling became fed up with the fighting, and decided to create his own show, in which he could have creative control...and he decided to use the science fiction medium, because you could often hide your social messages behind some bit of fantasy.
Serling's first script written as a pilot or proof of concept was "The Time Element." He submitted the story hoping to get CBS to greenlight "The Twilight Zone," but CBS was hesitant and produced the script as an episode of the "Westinghouse Desilu Playouse." The episode was a hit, and Serling's show finally got greenlit.
The story is about a guy who goes to a psychologist about a vivid recurring dream he's been having about waking up the day before Pearl Harbor. Only he doesn't think it is a dream...he is really traveling back in time in his sleep. He explains his story in great detail, and eventually we find out he may be right all along...he disappears from the couch, and then the psychologist finds out that the man he thought he had been talking to had died at Pearl Harbor!
It is a classic Serling-esque story, the kind that would be very present during the original run of the show. It isn't the best thing to come from Serling and the Twilight Zone, at an hour in length it drags a bit. But it has a good lead performance, and those Twilight Zone touches are enough to make this a worthwhile watch. But it is weird to not see Rod Serling at the end making you ponder the theme of the episode, but instead of have Desi Arnez sum it up in a way that makes you think he doesn't quite get it...and then tries to sell you a refridgerator.
NEXT TIME: The Fifth Dimension...
Written By: Rod Serling
Series: Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse
Season: N/A
In the late 50s, Rod Serling was a growing star as a writer of teleplays. He had two big hits in these early days of the medium, "Patterns" and "Requiem for a Heavyweight" which both aired on the then common anthology dramas. While he had earned some success and was in becoming in demand, he was constantly fighting with the censors and sponsors, who would make him change lines that may conflict with the product, or try to tame subject matter of relevant social issues because it might tarnish a brand by associating with a hot button issue. So Serling became fed up with the fighting, and decided to create his own show, in which he could have creative control...and he decided to use the science fiction medium, because you could often hide your social messages behind some bit of fantasy.
The story is about a guy who goes to a psychologist about a vivid recurring dream he's been having about waking up the day before Pearl Harbor. Only he doesn't think it is a dream...he is really traveling back in time in his sleep. He explains his story in great detail, and eventually we find out he may be right all along...he disappears from the couch, and then the psychologist finds out that the man he thought he had been talking to had died at Pearl Harbor!
It is a classic Serling-esque story, the kind that would be very present during the original run of the show. It isn't the best thing to come from Serling and the Twilight Zone, at an hour in length it drags a bit. But it has a good lead performance, and those Twilight Zone touches are enough to make this a worthwhile watch. But it is weird to not see Rod Serling at the end making you ponder the theme of the episode, but instead of have Desi Arnez sum it up in a way that makes you think he doesn't quite get it...and then tries to sell you a refridgerator.
NEXT TIME: The Fifth Dimension...
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