Twilight Zone Club

It is great to be back after a long absence. Unfortunately, the podcast has been off the air due to life's litlte unforeseeable events. I've done an overhaul of my sound system, so we now have a better audio quality.
In our last episodes, we discussed "Where is Everybody?" and "One for the Angels." Instead of doing just one episode per podcast. I want to tackle two in one show. Another change is that I will review the episode rather than go through a series of study questions. It covers the types of questions I've asked in the past but compacts it a bit more.

We now have 115 subscribers!!! I'd like to thank you for hanging in with me and for yoru e-mails asking if the show would continue. :)

We've gotten some mixed reviews on ITunes. Some really enjoy the show and others don't. That's okay because nobody can please everyone. This is a new avenue for me, so it's an experiment and an experience in growth and learning. I'm always looking for new ways to make the show innovative and fun. Any suggestions and feedback is certainly welcome.


Review for "Mr. Denton on Doomsday"Written by Sharon Hawkinson This was not one of my favorite episodes. When I first saw it, I had a hard time concentrating on it. Perhaps a part of it was because I’m not a western fan nor a fan of western settings. I had to watch the episode a number of times before I caught the meaning and theme of it (call me a ditzy blond).

Al Denton was someone to pity. Yes, he was the town drunk, but there was obviously a reason as to why he got into that shape. He was a well known gunslinger, a perfect shot who could drop his opponent just like that. It’s a heck of a thing to be famous for. I would say it would drive many a person to drink, knowing that your existence is based on the kill-or-be-killed statement.
This episode certainly proves that, even though a person can hit rock bottom, there are ways to climb out of the pit. Thanks to Henry J. Fate, Al Denton is given a second chance. Once again, he falls into his old gun slinging fame, but in the end, he doesn’t win, nor does he lose. Both he and his opponent are shot in their good hands, thus ending their careers as famous shooters.

Now, does Denton stay reformed? Yes, I believe so. I feel he has learned a lot from his days as a drunk and knows he doesn’t want to go back to that. He would not want to once again lose the respect of the town, and last but certainly not least, there is a woman who is sweet on him. She believed in him and stuck up for him even when Denton couldn’t do that for himself. If an epilogue was in the works, it would probably point out that he and Liz Smith (the said woman) probably got married and now had a family. Remember, in the episode, it was said that it was a story to tell his grandchildren and now, he’d live to have them.

My rating for this episode – three out of five stars. Review For "The 16 mm Shrine."Written by Sharon Hawkinson Barbara Jean Trenton is an aging, washed-up actress who yearns for her former glory days. She spends her days and nights in her private screen room where over and over, she watches her own films, reveling in the romantic lead parts she played. She wishes with all her heart that things could be as they once were.

Ida Lupino was a terrific actress who played this role wonderfully. She captured the emotions of Barbara Jean exquisitely and truly brought her to life. Although Lupino did a marvelous job, I don’t particularly care for Barbara Jean as someone I might like. To me, she was arrogant, spoiled, demanding, and somewhat snobbish. Of course, these qualities still exist in her older self.

I do pity her in some ways, however. It’s hard for some people to grow old. Not only do they age physically, but times also change. Barbara Jean can’t accept that she is no longer romantic leading lady material. She is given a chance for a role playing a mother, but she is devastated by that prospect. She is further driven over the edge when the present day Jerry Hearnden pays her a visit, and she is shocked at his aged appearance.

On the other hand, Barbara Jean is not the only one this happens to. Had she been able to accept her fate, she might have still enjoyed a fine acting career. Yes, it would have been different than it was during her prime, but a career still could have been salvaged.

The ending of the episode is quite fitting for Barbara Jean. She wishes to go back to a place where she was carefree, admired, and loved…and that is exactly what she gets. She winds up inside a movie clip of times gone by. The last time we see Barbara Jean is when she invites her guests into her home for a get-together. She then draws closer to the “audience” (this audience being her agent), blows him a kiss, throws a scarf, and then, the film ends. She is never seen again.

My rating for this episode – four out of five stars. Someone asked if I actually put the shows in the podcast. No, I don't due ot copyright laws. However, you can watch episodes online. Here are some links:CBS.comFancast.com There's a nice website where I find episode synopses:The Original Twilight Zone My goal for this podcast is to make it interactive. I wil be glad to share messages and comments in future episodes. There are a variety of ways ot contact me and to be mentioned on teh show.You can e-mail me.You can leave a message on the blog.You can use our voice mial number: 206-426-7408. As stated before, feedback is certainly welcome. Please tell me waht you think of the show and the episodes we discuss. You ae certainly welcome ot send or call in reviews of the episodes and I will share them in future shows. When reviewing an episode, here are some things to think about.

• Did you like the episode? Why or why not?
• What was the theme and meaning of the episode?
• Did you like the character(s), story, plot, setting, etc.
• What stuck out for you in the particular episode?
• You can also include anything else that comes to mind.

In our next episode, we will discuss "Walking Distance" and "Escape Clause." I look forward to hearing from you and sharing waht you have to say in our next episode.

Wishing you a happy week,

Sharon

Twilight Zone Club - "One for the Angels"
Episode 2 - 3/1/07

On today's show, we discussed the episode "One for the Angels," whcih originally aired on October 9th, 1959.

We now have 16 subscribers! That is wonderful indeed. I'm hoping as time goes on and that the word about this podcast gets out, it will become a big source of enjoyment for Twilight Zone fans.

Next up will be "Mr. Denton on Doomsday." Below are the discussion questions:

• Did you like this episode? Why or why not?
• Did you feel sorry for Al Denton? Please explain.
• If you were a character in this episode, would you be picking on Al Denton or would you have wanted to break it up like Liz Smith did?
• Did you expect the episode to end the way it did? Were you happy with the ending?
• Do you think Al Denton would have remained sober and lived happily ever after with Liz Smith or do you think he would eventually go back to the bottle?

You can send answers to these questions via e-mail. Comments about the show, podcast, any of the episodes, insights, or other feedback can also be sent to me via e-mail.

We now have a voice mail number which you may call if you would like to give feedback using that method. That number is 206-350-2613. When you call in, I will play your message on the show. I would love to hear from you no matter which method you use. A more interactive podcast is a more interesting one.

MP3 Link

I look forward to our next episode.

Sharon

"Where is Everybody?"

Hello everyone,

We are moving right along! We now have 12 subscribers, which is really awsome.

In this episode, I shared some books I have as part of my Twilight Zone collection. They are:

• "The Twilight Zone, the Original Stories" Edited by Martin Harry Greenburg, Richard Matheson, and Charlies G. Waugh
• "Twilight Zone Scripts & Stories" by George Clayton Johnson
• "The Twilight Zone Companion" by Marc Scott Zicree
• "Rod Serking's The Twilight Zone" Adapted by Walter B. Gibson
• "More Twilight Zone" by Rod Serling
• "The New Twilight Zone" Edited by Martin H. Greenburg

You can purchase these books at http://www.amazon.com or other bookstores.

There are other podcasts that I mentioned on the show. You can find links to those on the website under Sharon's Favorite Links."

Discussion questions for our next episode where we will be talking about "One for the Angels." are:

• Did you like this episode? Why or why not?
• What is your first impression of Mr. Bookman when you first see him?
• When Loou Bookman seemed to outsmart Death after they made their bargain, Death said that he would have to select another alternative since Bookman wouldn't go with him willingly. Why do you think Death chose Maggie? Do you think it was a random selection, or did Death have a reason for choosing her?
• Do you think Death meant to get caught up in Bookman's big pitch or do you think he had every intention to take Maggie at midnight?

I would love to hear from you! Participation and feedback from listeners is very much appreciated. Please send answers to the questions, comments about the show or the Twilight Zone, and any other insights can be e-mailed to me here. Please include the word "Podcast" in your subject line so that your message may be filtered to my special folder for the podcast. It will help insure that I won't accidentally miss your e-mail.

MP3 Link to this episode

Stay warm and have a wonderful and safe week,

Sharon

Twilight Zone Club
Introduction, 2/15/07

Hello everyone,

This is an introduction to my Twilight Zone Discussion Podcast. I am brand new at this whole thing, but I have enjoyed creating this introduction. I'm hoping this will take off quickly.

I felt the need for this podcast because I don't believe there is a podcast geared toward discussing "The Twilight Zone" episodes. However, there are many, many fans of this series and who probably enjoy discussing the show with other fans. This is the perfect place. Study questions and food for thought will be posted regularly to this blog. I welcome your answers and comments. My goal is for this podcast to be interactive where you, the listeners, will contribute so you won't always be subjectec to my opinions and answers all the time.:) Answers to the questions and comments can be e-mailed to me here.

If you wold like to be mentioned on the show, you can do the following:

• Subscribing to the podast and sending me a hello
• Answering the study questions
• Providing some insights and comments of your own about the episode we're discussing or about this podcast.

Some questions to consider that you may answer:

• How long have you been a Twilight Zone fan?
• What or who peaked your interest in the series? Please explain how you became a fan.
• What is your favorite Twilight Zone episode and why?
• What is your least favorite Twilight Zone episode and why?
• Which Twilight Zone episode creeped you out the most? Please explain.

In our next episode, we'll discuss the premiere epsisode entitled "Where is Everybody?" We'll begin with the first season and work out way in order to the end. There will be a lot to discuss, as there are five seasons in this series. Once we're done with that, we might feel inclined to discuss the remakes of this series, although there's nothing that compares with these classic episodes.

I will try to get the podcast out each week.

MP3 link to Introductory Episode

Please come join is in...The Twilight Zone.

Sharon

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