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The middle ground between light and shadow just became a whole lot sharper and detailed with this stellar five-disc set, which compiles the entire second season of Rod Serling's classic television series, The Twilight Zone, and gilds the whole package by including a treasure trove of supplemental material. TZ's second season (1960-61) is a stand-out in the series' history thanks to its sheer number of memorable stories; among the episodes that have achieved pop culture landmark status are the chilling "Eye of the Beholder" (a disfigured woman undergoes surgery to appear more "normal") and "The Silence" (Franchot Tone wagers that Liam Sullivan cannot silent for a year); "The Invaders" (Agnes Moorhead is pitted against tiny space travelers), "Long Distance Call" (Lost in Space's Billy Mumy converses with a deceased relative on his toy phone), and the more light-hearted "Night of the Meek," in which department store Santa Claus Art Carney gets a chance to fulfill the real St. Nick's duties. As always, the combination of sharp, intelligent scripting (mostly by Serling, but with notable contributions by Charles Beaumont, Richard Matheson, and George Clayton Johnson) and superb casting (guest stars include Cliff Robertson, Dennis Weaver, Burgess Meredith, William Shatner, John Carradine, and Don Rickles) produces television that remains as thought-provoking and entertaining today as it was over 40 years ago.
Though The Twilight Zone has received numerous home video releases over the years, the aptly titled Definitive Edition is arguably the finest presentation of this series to date. Each of the episodes have been digitally remastered from original camera negatives (even the episodes filmed on videotape look good) and magnetic soundtracks; Serling's previews for upcoming episodes and advertising "billboards" (sponsor spots) have also been included, as have commentaries by Rickles, Weaver, Robertson, Shelly Berman, and other performers. Clips of Serling on The Jack Benny Show and in conversation with Mike Wallace, audio interviews with cast and crew members by Twilight Zone Companion author Marc Scott Zicree, radio adaptations of classic episodes, and even the script for "Twenty-Two," complete with Serling's notes, round out the set, which belongs in the collection of anyone who's ever been enthralled by this landmark series. Now, if only the same treatment could be afforded to Serling's other anthology program, Night Gallery… --Paul Gaita
Special Features
Complementing this enhanced journey to the middle ground between light and shadow is an exceptional collection of new supplemental features that, when combined with the already fine material assembled for the DVD Definitive Editions, should make this season 2 offering a must-have for Twilight Zone and Rod Serling devotees. Chief among the items making their debut on the Blu-ray is "Nightmare at Ground Zero," a 1953 episode of Suspense penned by Serling about a scientist who plots to murder his wife at a nuclear test site; it's an extremely effective thriller that would have fit well into the TZ canon. Part 2 of historian Marc Scott Zicree's 1978 audio interview with cinematographer George T. Clemens--the architect of the series' distinctive look--is also included, and it's accompanied by a chat from the same year with makeup artist William Tuttle, the man responsible for some of the show's most nightmarish images. Zicree is front and center for most of the 25 new commentary tracks, on which he's joined by the likes of Matthew Weiner (Mad Men), Joseph Dougherty (thirtysomething), comic book legends Len Wein and Marv Wolfman, original TZ scripter George Clayton Johnson and historians Scott Skelton and Jim Benson, Gary Gerani, and Jon Burlingame.
Fifteen of the exceptional Twilight Zone radio adaptations are also included, which feature Jason Alexander, Jane Seymour, Michael York, and Fred Willard. And all of the extras offered on the DVD set, including commentary by original episode stars Don Rickles, Bill Mumy, Dennis Weaver, and Cliff Robertson, as well as isolated music scores, interviews, and promos, are submitted for your approval. The season 2 Blu-ray is truly the definitive final word on the stellar second season of this iconic show. --Paul Gaita
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4.7 out of 5 stars
98 reviews
152 of 161 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Twilight Zone - Season 2 - Another Great One
Mar 25 2005
By Ned
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:DVD
The Complete Second Season of Rod Serling's Twilight Zone is now on DVD. This second season contains all 29 episodes on 5 disks. It is full frame and is about 900 minutes.
I don't have a favorite season; there are great episodes from each. I am really enjoying entire seasons being released at once.
1) King Nine Will Not Return - A World War II captain wakes up in the desert, next to his crashed plane.
2) Man in the Bottle - A shop owner finds an old bottle which contains a genie which grants him 4 wishes.
3) Nervous Man in a Four Dollar Room - A smalltime hood is ordered to commit a murder and when he looks into a mirror he sees himself with courage.
4) A Thing About Machines - A writer believes the machines in his home are against him.
5) The Howling Man - A man finds refuge in a monastery during a storm and finds an unusual prisoner.
6) The Eye of the Beholder - A woman goes through treatments to make herself normal so she can fit into society.
7) Nick of Time - A newlywed becomes obsessed by a fortune-telling machine when they are stranded with car trouble.
8) The Lateness of the Hour - A scientist creates robot servants and his daughter feels a little unusual.
9) The Trouble with Templeton - Templeton is an aging actor who longs for the old days when his wife was alive.
10) A Most Unusual Camera - A couple have stolen a camera that takes pictures of events just a few minutes into the future.
11) Night of the Meek - A drunkard Santa Claus discovers a bottomless sack of toys.
12) Dust - A peddler tries to sell a condemned man's father a bag of "magic dust".
13) Back There - A man goes back in time and realizes, he can't change the future by changing the past.
14) The Whole Truth - A "Model A" automobile compels its owner to tell only the truth.
15) The Invaders - An old woman in an old farmhouse encounters tiny aliens in her attic.
16) A Penny for Your Thoughts - A bank employee flips a coin and when it stands on its end, he is given the ability to read minds.
17) Twenty-Two - Miss Powell has a recurring nightmare ("room for one more") about room 22.
18) The Odyssey of Flight 33 - A commercial aircraft and its passengers travel back to prehistoric times.
19) Mr. Dingle, the Strong - Martians give Luther Dingle the strength of 300 men.
20) Static - Ed Lindsay hates television, so he gets his old radio out of the basement and it can receive programs from the past.
21) The Prime Mover - A man has the ability to control objects with his mind.
22) Long Distance Call - A boy finds he can communicate with his dead grandmother through his toy phone.
23) A Hundred Yards over the Rim - A man in the year 1847 moving west sets out to find medicine for his dying son and winds up in the future.
24) The Rip Van Winkle Caper - Three thieves put themselves into suspended animation for 100 years after stealing a million dollars worth of gold bars.
25) The Silence - A man is offered half a million dollars to remain silent for one year. The bet is taken and won but with a twist at the end.
26) Shadow Play - A man is trapped in a recurring nightmare where he tries to persuade those who are sentencing him to death that this is not reality.
27) The Mind and the Matter - After reading a book on the "power of thought" a man is able create the world exactly as he wants it.
28) Will the Real Martian lease Stand Up? - State Troopers follow the tracks from a frozen pond to a diner where they find a bus driver and his seven passengers but there were only six on the bus.
29) The Obsolete Man - In a state where religion and books are ban, a librarian is judged obsolete and sentenced to death.
I don't have a favorite season; there are great episodes from each. I am really enjoying entire seasons being released at once.
1) King Nine Will Not Return - A World War II captain wakes up in the desert, next to his crashed plane.
2) Man in the Bottle - A shop owner finds an old bottle which contains a genie which grants him 4 wishes.
3) Nervous Man in a Four Dollar Room - A smalltime hood is ordered to commit a murder and when he looks into a mirror he sees himself with courage.
4) A Thing About Machines - A writer believes the machines in his home are against him.
5) The Howling Man - A man finds refuge in a monastery during a storm and finds an unusual prisoner.
6) The Eye of the Beholder - A woman goes through treatments to make herself normal so she can fit into society.
7) Nick of Time - A newlywed becomes obsessed by a fortune-telling machine when they are stranded with car trouble.
8) The Lateness of the Hour - A scientist creates robot servants and his daughter feels a little unusual.
9) The Trouble with Templeton - Templeton is an aging actor who longs for the old days when his wife was alive.
10) A Most Unusual Camera - A couple have stolen a camera that takes pictures of events just a few minutes into the future.
11) Night of the Meek - A drunkard Santa Claus discovers a bottomless sack of toys.
12) Dust - A peddler tries to sell a condemned man's father a bag of "magic dust".
13) Back There - A man goes back in time and realizes, he can't change the future by changing the past.
14) The Whole Truth - A "Model A" automobile compels its owner to tell only the truth.
15) The Invaders - An old woman in an old farmhouse encounters tiny aliens in her attic.
16) A Penny for Your Thoughts - A bank employee flips a coin and when it stands on its end, he is given the ability to read minds.
17) Twenty-Two - Miss Powell has a recurring nightmare ("room for one more") about room 22.
18) The Odyssey of Flight 33 - A commercial aircraft and its passengers travel back to prehistoric times.
19) Mr. Dingle, the Strong - Martians give Luther Dingle the strength of 300 men.
20) Static - Ed Lindsay hates television, so he gets his old radio out of the basement and it can receive programs from the past.
21) The Prime Mover - A man has the ability to control objects with his mind.
22) Long Distance Call - A boy finds he can communicate with his dead grandmother through his toy phone.
23) A Hundred Yards over the Rim - A man in the year 1847 moving west sets out to find medicine for his dying son and winds up in the future.
24) The Rip Van Winkle Caper - Three thieves put themselves into suspended animation for 100 years after stealing a million dollars worth of gold bars.
25) The Silence - A man is offered half a million dollars to remain silent for one year. The bet is taken and won but with a twist at the end.
26) Shadow Play - A man is trapped in a recurring nightmare where he tries to persuade those who are sentencing him to death that this is not reality.
27) The Mind and the Matter - After reading a book on the "power of thought" a man is able create the world exactly as he wants it.
28) Will the Real Martian lease Stand Up? - State Troopers follow the tracks from a frozen pond to a diner where they find a bus driver and his seven passengers but there were only six on the bus.
29) The Obsolete Man - In a state where religion and books are ban, a librarian is judged obsolete and sentenced to death.
79 of 82 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Re-enter the Zone!
Mar 22 2005
By Dane M. Marvin
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:DVD
If you hopped on board for season 1's definition edition, you probably don't need much convincing to pick this one up either. It's a great deal cheaper than season 1 (though there are less episodes in this season) but packs a lot of punch considering the high benchmark set for the show's debut season. There are a great number of gems with very few clunkers sprinkled in.
Among the episodes collected here are two of the series' most poignant social commentaries in "The Obsolete Man" (with Burgess Meredith) and "Eye of the Beholder" (probably the most infamous episode in all of TZ lore). To make things more varied, the second season also brought us some lighter fare like "Mr. Dingle the Strong" and "A Penny for Your Thoughts". We also get the TZ debut of Shatner in "Nick of Time" and its companion piece "The Silence", both notable episodes for containing no real supernatural elements yet keeping very much in the spirit of the Twilight Zone. And some of the best-loved episodes of all, the flawless "One Hundred Yards Over the Rim" (featuring audio commentary with star Cliff Robertson, Oscar winner for "Charly" and 'Uncle Ben' in "Spiderman"); "Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?" (a brilliant ensemble piece driven by atmosphere); and "Shadow Play" (one of the most overlooked episodes in the series).
Season two also brought about budget restraints, which lowered the total number of episodes and caused several to be shot on videotape. Few other shows could have gotten away with this approach, and the videotaped episodes include a heartwarming Christmas-themed "Night of the Meek" that sees Art Carney becoming Santa Claus and "Twenty-Two", which suffers through probably the worst special effect in the history of television. If you haven't seen it; I dare not spoil it for you.
Boasting remastered hi-def film transfers from original camera negatives and magnetic soundtracks as well as continuing the tradition of restoring the "Next Week" teasers from Serling as they belong in the broadcasts (even those that ended up with Serling holding a pack of Oasis Cigarettes and puffing away -- priceless!), season 2 is yet another excursion into the Twilight Zone that will offer something that even diehards will not have seen or heard yet.
Commentaries include:
* Billy Mumy & William Idelson on "The Long Distance Call" (Videotaped episode. Mumy's other TZ credit is as the legendary Anthony Fremont in "It's a Good Life", which he has recorded an additional commentary for to look forward to in season 3's set. Idelson had acted in a season 1 episode but actually wrote this episode himself, though Charles Beaumont is credited with co-writing it -- Idelson goes into a bit of detail in regards to this. Meanwhile, Mumy shares stories about his mother's hesitance to let him star in such a morbid episode and informs us that he went to high school with 'TZ Companion' author Marc Scott Zicree himself!)
* Cliff Robertson on "One Hundred Yards Over the Rim" (Understated time travel episode -- Oscar Winner Robertson's performance is incredibly real here. His commentary is less than animated than the one mentioned above, but still enjoyable as he talks about the 9-page report on the character that he had written himself before shooting began, the "controversy" over the tophat he wore, and even lets us know he's writing the script for "Charly 2"!)
* Dennis Weaver on "Shadow Play"
* Shelley Berman on "The Mind and the Matter" (Truly a ridiculous episode and, in true TZ fashion, becomes enjoyable for exactly that reason.)
* Donna Douglas on "The Eye of the Beholder" (Not the voice -- except for some dialogue at the end that didn't require her to be overdubbed -- but the infamous face in this episode -- and later Ellie Mae of "The Beverly Hillbillies" notoriety.)
* Don Rickles on "Mr. Dingle the Strong" (great to see the "Merchant of Venom" contributing an audio commentary)
Also included are original production slates for the 6 videotaped episodes. These are small videotaped clips of the guy with the production slate in hand, calling out the show name, production number, take and then "Action!" Might seem like a minor inclusion, but really helps lend credibility to a set that calls itself "definitive". Really, it's the little things that can make a huge difference. We get all of this content, plus the Mike Wallace Interview with Rod Serling (a marvelous piece originally available on one of the "Treasures..." discs), Serling appearances on "Tell it to Groucho" and "The Jack Benny Show", another wave of TZ radio dramas & isolated original scores, plus a DVD-ROM script of "Twenty-Two" with Serling's notes and a lot more audio interviews contributed by "TZ Companion" author Marc Scott Zicree all add up to make this the second installment of "Must-Buy TV". Your wallet compels you!
Among the episodes collected here are two of the series' most poignant social commentaries in "The Obsolete Man" (with Burgess Meredith) and "Eye of the Beholder" (probably the most infamous episode in all of TZ lore). To make things more varied, the second season also brought us some lighter fare like "Mr. Dingle the Strong" and "A Penny for Your Thoughts". We also get the TZ debut of Shatner in "Nick of Time" and its companion piece "The Silence", both notable episodes for containing no real supernatural elements yet keeping very much in the spirit of the Twilight Zone. And some of the best-loved episodes of all, the flawless "One Hundred Yards Over the Rim" (featuring audio commentary with star Cliff Robertson, Oscar winner for "Charly" and 'Uncle Ben' in "Spiderman"); "Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?" (a brilliant ensemble piece driven by atmosphere); and "Shadow Play" (one of the most overlooked episodes in the series).
Season two also brought about budget restraints, which lowered the total number of episodes and caused several to be shot on videotape. Few other shows could have gotten away with this approach, and the videotaped episodes include a heartwarming Christmas-themed "Night of the Meek" that sees Art Carney becoming Santa Claus and "Twenty-Two", which suffers through probably the worst special effect in the history of television. If you haven't seen it; I dare not spoil it for you.
Boasting remastered hi-def film transfers from original camera negatives and magnetic soundtracks as well as continuing the tradition of restoring the "Next Week" teasers from Serling as they belong in the broadcasts (even those that ended up with Serling holding a pack of Oasis Cigarettes and puffing away -- priceless!), season 2 is yet another excursion into the Twilight Zone that will offer something that even diehards will not have seen or heard yet.
Commentaries include:
* Billy Mumy & William Idelson on "The Long Distance Call" (Videotaped episode. Mumy's other TZ credit is as the legendary Anthony Fremont in "It's a Good Life", which he has recorded an additional commentary for to look forward to in season 3's set. Idelson had acted in a season 1 episode but actually wrote this episode himself, though Charles Beaumont is credited with co-writing it -- Idelson goes into a bit of detail in regards to this. Meanwhile, Mumy shares stories about his mother's hesitance to let him star in such a morbid episode and informs us that he went to high school with 'TZ Companion' author Marc Scott Zicree himself!)
* Cliff Robertson on "One Hundred Yards Over the Rim" (Understated time travel episode -- Oscar Winner Robertson's performance is incredibly real here. His commentary is less than animated than the one mentioned above, but still enjoyable as he talks about the 9-page report on the character that he had written himself before shooting began, the "controversy" over the tophat he wore, and even lets us know he's writing the script for "Charly 2"!)
* Dennis Weaver on "Shadow Play"
* Shelley Berman on "The Mind and the Matter" (Truly a ridiculous episode and, in true TZ fashion, becomes enjoyable for exactly that reason.)
* Donna Douglas on "The Eye of the Beholder" (Not the voice -- except for some dialogue at the end that didn't require her to be overdubbed -- but the infamous face in this episode -- and later Ellie Mae of "The Beverly Hillbillies" notoriety.)
* Don Rickles on "Mr. Dingle the Strong" (great to see the "Merchant of Venom" contributing an audio commentary)
Also included are original production slates for the 6 videotaped episodes. These are small videotaped clips of the guy with the production slate in hand, calling out the show name, production number, take and then "Action!" Might seem like a minor inclusion, but really helps lend credibility to a set that calls itself "definitive". Really, it's the little things that can make a huge difference. We get all of this content, plus the Mike Wallace Interview with Rod Serling (a marvelous piece originally available on one of the "Treasures..." discs), Serling appearances on "Tell it to Groucho" and "The Jack Benny Show", another wave of TZ radio dramas & isolated original scores, plus a DVD-ROM script of "Twenty-Two" with Serling's notes and a lot more audio interviews contributed by "TZ Companion" author Marc Scott Zicree all add up to make this the second installment of "Must-Buy TV". Your wallet compels you!
33 of 35 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Finally the one to buy
April 13 2005
By M. Hanley
- Published on Amazon.com
Format:DVD
This set lives up to its billing. The Definitive Edition, seasons one and two (with the rest come shortly), finally delivers the quality this series deserves. The video reproduction is stunning and the extras fill out a perfect package. I've seen some reviews suggesting that this edition will quickly be replaced by yet another improved edition. Don't believe it. With this set, the old reels and their caretakers have put up about all they can deliver--outstanding video, reproduction in original broadcast order, a detailed book-length episode guide and commentary with the season 1 package, and, finally, Rod Serling introducing "next week's" show. Until DVD's are replaced as a delivery vehicle, this edition will be as good as it gets.
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4.7 out of 5 stars
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