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U.S. President Jordan Lyman (Fredric March) hopes to bring an end to the Cold War by signing a nuclear disarmament treaty with the Soviets, much to the displeasure of the hawkish General James Scott (Burt Lancaster), Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. When Scott's aide, Martin "Jiggs" Casey (Kirk Douglas) stumbles on shattering evidence that the General is plotting a coup to overthrow Lyman in seven days, "Jiggs" alerts the President, setting off a dangerous race to thwart the takeover.

In 1959 Rod Serling's TV series, "The Twilight Zone," made its debut on CBS. Though not a major success at the time, the show that served up horror and science fiction stories as winking tales of contemporary society has taken on legendary status, influencing films and TV ever since. David Pogue looks at how Serling crafted a TV classic with New York Times television critic James Poniewozik, and talks with the writer's daughter, Jodi Serling, about the influence that his hometown, Binghamton, N.Y., had on Serling's allegorical tales. Pogue also talks with Jordan Peele, the writer-comedian behind the Oscar-winning "Get...

You’ve surely gotten the memo by now. As a fan of The Twilight Zone, you’re supposed to be head over heels for Black Mirror. I wish I could join the chorus. I don’t mean the show is without merit. It’s well-produced, acted and directed. It has some intriguing storylines. But it’s no Twilight Zone for the 21st century. Sure, it’s an anthology with fantasy/sci-fi touches. But it’s also incredibly pessimistic...Yes, TZ had its share of downbeat endings (hello, Henry Bemis). And it’s true that Serling didn’t shrink from showing us the dark side of human nature (“The Shelter” and “The...

Amazing! Serling is alive. He must have listened to Trump today. Click the link for the YouTube.

Rod Serling served as a U.S. Armyparatrooper and demolition specialist with the 511th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 11th Airborne Division in the Pacific Theater in World War II from January 1943 to January 1945 (Discharged stateside in 1946). He was seriously wounded in the wrist and knee during combat and was awarded the Purple Heart and Bronze Star. Serling's military service deeply affected the rest of his life and influenced much of his writing. Due to his wartime experiences, Serling suffered from nightmares and flashbacks. During his service in World War II, he watched as his best friend was crushed to...

I have often wondered if there are any conservatives who are fans of "The Twilight Zone," the classic series created by the notorious liberal Rod Serling. Then earlier today I saw a PBS show about J.R.R. Tolkien and was reminded that this conservative icon not only was a hero to radical flower children in the Sixties (with which his work seems to have no connection whatsoever) but also spawned the entire "fantasy" genre, which many conservatives condemn as being evil and satanic, even while giving Tolkien a free pass. What was there about Tolkien and his decidedly pre-modern vision that...