|
Uncle Simon
"Uncle Simon" is an episode of the American television anthology series ''The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, su ...''. The episode explores people's willingness to wallow in misery and hate, through the example of a woman who submits herself to serving first her mean-spirited uncle, and later the robot he malevolently designed. Opening narration Plot Barbara Polk has lived with her elderly, sadistic uncle Simon Polk for 25 years — even though she hates him — as she is the only heir to his fortune. Simon constantly harangues his niece, calling her various unflattering names and insulting her in creative ways. He uses a laboratory in the basement of his house to develop inventions, and has forbidden her from going down there to see his latest project, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Twilight Zone (1959 TV Series)
''The Twilight Zone'' (marketed as ''Twilight Zone'' for its final two seasons) is an American science fiction horror anthology television series created and presented by Rod Serling, which ran for five seasons on CBS from October 2, 1959, to June 19, 1964. Each episode presents a stand-alone story in which characters find themselves dealing with often disturbing or unusual events, an experience described as entering "the Twilight Zone," often with a surprise ending and a moral. Although predominantly science-fiction, the show's paranormal and Kafkaesque events leaned the show towards fantasy and horror. The phrase "twilight zone," inspired by the series, is used to describe surreal experiences. The series featured both established stars and younger actors who would become much better known later. Serling served as executive producer and head writer; he wrote or co-wrote 92 of the show's 156 episodes. He was also the show's host and narrator, delivering monologues at the begi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rod Serling
Rodman Edward Serling (December 25, 1924 – June 28, 1975) was an American screenwriter, playwright, television producer, and narrator/on-screen host, best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his anthology television series ''The Twilight Zone''. Serling was active in politics, both on and off the screen, and helped form television industry standards. He was known as the "angry young man" of Hollywood, clashing with television executives and sponsors over a wide range of issues, including censorship, racism, and war. Early life Serling was born on December 25, 1924, in Syracuse, New York, to a Jewish family. He was the second of two sons born to Esther (née Cooper, 1893–1958), a homemaker, and Samuel Lawrence Serling (1892–1945). Serling's father had worked as a secretary and amateur inventor before his children were born but took on his father-in-law's profession as a grocer to earn a steady income. Sam Serling later became a butcher after the Great Depr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Don Siegel
Donald Siegel ( ; October 26, 1912 – April 20, 1991) was an American film and television director and producer. Siegel was described by ''The New York Times'' as "a director of tough, cynical and forthright action-adventure films whose taut plots centered on individualistic loners". He directed the Science fiction film, science fiction horror film ''Invasion of the Body Snatchers'' (1956), as well as five films with Clint Eastwood, including the police thriller ''Dirty Harry'' (1971) and the prison drama ''Escape from Alcatraz (film), Escape from Alcatraz'' (1979). He also directed John Wayne's final film, the Western ''The Shootist'' (1976). Early life Siegel was born in 1912 to a American Jews, Jewish family in Chicago; his father was a mandolin player. Siegel attended schools in New York and later graduated from Jesus College, Cambridge in England. For a short time he studied at Beaux Arts in Paris, but left at age 20 and later went to Los Angeles.Munn, p. 75 Career Siege ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cedric Hardwicke
Sir Cedric Webster Hardwicke (19 February 1893 – 6 August 1964) was an English stage and film actor whose career spanned nearly 50 years. His theatre work included notable performances in productions of the plays of Shakespeare and Shaw, and his film work included leading roles in several adapted literary classics. Early life Hardwicke was born in Lye, Worcestershire (now West Midlands) to Edwin Webster Hardwicke and his wife, Jessie (née Masterson). He attended Bridgnorth Grammar School in Shropshire. He intended to train as a doctor but failed to pass the necessary examinations."Hardwicke, Sir Cedric Webster" ''Who Was Who'', A & C Black, 1920–2008; online edition, |
Constance Ford
Constance Ford (born Cornelia M. Ford; July 1, 1923 – February 26, 1993) was an American actress and model. She is best known for her long-running role as Ada Lucas Hobson on the daytime soap opera '' Another World'', which she played from 1967 until shortly before her death in 1993. She is also well-known for appearing in nearly two dozen movies from 1956 to 1974, with her most noteworthy role being the matriarch Helen Jorgenson in '' A Summer Place'' (1959). Early years Constance Ford was born Cornelia M. Ford on July 1, 1923 in The Bronx, to parents Cornelia R. (née Smith) and Edwin J. Ford. Her siblings were Arthur, John, and Evelyn. Ford was a graduate of St. Barnabas Grammar and High School, and she attended Hunter College. She studied acting at HB Studio in New York City. Career Ford initially worked as a model for the Montgomery Ward catalog when she was 15 years old. Her face became famous in the Elizabeth Arden 1941 advertising campaign for ''Victory Red'' lipsti ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ian Wolfe
Ian Marcus Wolfe (November 4, 1896 – January 23, 1992) was an American character actor with around 400 film and television credits. Until 1934, he worked in the theatre. That year, he appeared in his first film role and later television, as a character actor. His career lasted seven decades and included many films and TV series; his last screen credit was in 1990. Early years Born in Canton, Illinois, Wolfe studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Career Wolfe's stage debut came in ''The Claw'' (1919). His Broadway credits include ''The Deputy'' (1964), ''Winesburg, Ohio'' (1958), ''Lone Valley'' (1933), ''Devil in the Mind'' (1931), ''The Barretts of Wimpole Street'' (1931), ''Lysistrata'' (1930), ''The Seagull'' (1930), ''At the Bottom'' (1930), ''Skyrocket'' (1929), ''Gods of the Lightning'' (1928), and ''The Claw'' (1921). Wolfe made his film debut in ''The Barretts of Wimpole Street'' (1934). He appeared in many films, including ''Mutiny on the Bounty'' (193 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Robby The Robot
Robby the Robot is a fictional character and science fiction icon who first appeared in the 1956 film ''Forbidden Planet''. He made a number of subsequent appearances in science fiction films and television programs, which has given him the distinction as "the hardest working robot in Hollywood". Precursors of the name The name "Robbie" (spelled with an "ie") had appeared in science fiction before ''Forbidden Planet''. In a pulp magazine adventure ''The Fantastic Island'' (1935), the name is used for a mechanical likeness of Doc Savage used to confuse foes. The name is also used in Isaac Asimov's short story "Robbie" (1940) about a first-generation robot designed to care for children. In ''Tom Swift on The Phantom Satellite'' (1956), it is also the name given to a small four-footed robot designed by Tom Swift Jr., the boy inventor in the '' Tom Swift Jr.'' science fiction novel series by Victor Appleton II. ''Forbidden Planet'' Story background Robby the Robot originated a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Old Man In The Cave
"The Old Man in the Cave" is a half-hour episode of the original version of ''The Twilight Zone''. It is set in a post-apocalyptic 1974, ten years after a nuclear holocaust in the United States. The episode is a cautionary tale about humanity's greed and the danger of questioning one's faith in forces greater than oneself. Opening narration Plot In a sparsely populated town in 1974, ten years after a nuclear war has devastated the US, the townspeople have discovered a supply of canned food. However, they are waiting for Mr. Goldsmith, the town's leader, to return with a message from the mysterious and unseen "old man in the cave" who will tell them whether the food is contaminated with radiation. Some of the townsfolk want to take their chances and eat the food, but they refrain from doing so after seeing the disastrous harvest yielded when they failed to take the old man's advice about which farming areas were contaminated. When Mr. Goldsmith returns, he informs them that the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Probe 7, Over And Out
"Probe 7, Over and Out" is an episode of the American television anthology series ''The Twilight Zone''. Its plot is a shaggy God story. Opening narration Plot Astronaut Colonel Adam Cook crash lands on a strange planet 4.3 light years away from their sun, with gravity and atmospheric conditions similar to those of his home world. Most of his equipment is destroyed in the crash and cannot be repaired due to a broken right arm and lack of resources. He contacts his home base and speaks with a subordinate officer and then with General Larrabee, but they have little encouragement for him — there is no replacement spacecraft to rescue him, and his home planet may be at war in a matter of hours. Larrabee adds that it may be possible to transmit instructions on how to repair the ship. In a subsequent communication, Larrabee reports that the enemy attacked and "our entire seacoast went" in 12 minutes after which there was retaliation "with alacrity and great effectiveness." Those a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
American Television
Television is one of the major mass media outlets in the United States. , household ownership of television sets in the country is 96.7%, with approximately 114,200,000 American households owning at least one television set as of August 2013. The majority of households have more than one set. The peak ownership percentage of households with at least one television set occurred during the 1996–97 season, with 98.4% ownership. In 1948, 1 percent of U.S. households owned at least one television while 75 percent did by 1955, and by 1992, 60 percent of all U.S. households received cable television subscriptions. As a whole, the television networks that broadcast in the United States are the largest and most distributed in the world, and programs produced specifically for US-based networks are the most widely syndicated internationally. Due to a recent surge in the number and popularity of critically acclaimed television series during the 2000s and the 2010s to date, many critics ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1963 American Television Episodes
Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cove River, Sydney, Australia. * January 2 – Vietnam War – Battle of Ap Bac: The Viet Cong win their first major victory. * January 9 – A total penumbral lunar eclipse is visible in the Americas, Europe, Africa, and Asia, and is the 56th lunar eclipse of Lunar Saros 114. Gamma has a value of −1.01282. It occurs on the night between Wednesday, January 9 and Thursday, January 10, 1963. * January 13 – 1963 Togolese coup d'état: A military coup in Togo results in the installation of coup leader Emmanuel Bodjollé as president. * January 17 – A last quarter moon occurs between the penumbral lunar eclipse and the annular solar eclipse, only 12 hours, 29 minutes after apogee. * January 19 – Soviet spy Ghe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Twilight Zone (1959 TV Series Season 5) Episodes
''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, supernatural drama, black comedy, and psychological thriller, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist, and usually with a moral. A popular and critical success, it introduced many Americans to common science fiction and fantasy tropes. The first series, shot entirely in black and white, ran on CBS for five seasons from 1959 to 1964. ''The Twilight Zone'' followed in the tradition of earlier television shows such as ''Tales of Tomorrow'' (1951–53) and '' Science Fiction Theatre'' (1955–57); radio programs such as '' The Weird Circle'' (1943–45), '' Dimension X'' (1950–51) and ''X Minus One'' (1955–58); and the radio work of one of Serling's inspirations, Norman Corwin. The success of the series led to a feature fil ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
