![]() Bold, brave, and ahead of its time, "The Twilight Zone" is often imitated and parodied, but has never been bettered. ![]() By the time the show premiered on October 2, 1955, Hitchcock had been directing films for over three decades. The series featured dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. What is, of course, worthy of note is that it's "The Twilight Zone" that introduced many of these twists and tropes to television's lexicon in the first place. Alfred Hitchcock Presents is an American television anthology series hosted by Alfred Hitchcock. ![]() It's telling that, to modern viewers, the series can feel derivative because of its visual storytelling tropes and twists that we're all too familiar with. Setting his stories in space or peppering them with robots gave him the freedom to talk about difficult subjects like race, human rights, immigration, and even the touchy subject of McCarthyism without the show ever feeling preachy. Having worked in the entertainment industry for many years, he was only too aware that he'd never get the opportunity to write about social issues in a prime-time television slot, but had the cunning idea of introducing storylines about controversial topics through a palatable fantasy setting. The theme tune alone - a repeating sinister calliope fairground-esque melody - is enough to cause a Pavlovian reaction in adults of a certain age, instantly setting the hairs on the back of their necks on end as they recall the tension of the opening credits.Ĭreator Rod Serling was a strong advocate of human rights. The stories featured a pantheon of British acting talent, with notable episodes being " Royal Jelly," in which a father feeds his newborn royal jelly, a substance used to feed bee larvae, with predictably nightmarish results, and " The Landlady," in which a traveler stumbles across the most sinister of hotels, which houses the quietest of fellow guests. back in the 1960s when I was a kid in grade school, then again in the 80s on KOFY Channel 20 in San Francisco, and more recently Hulu has the first four seasons available for viewing pleasure, if you dont mind sitting through their commericals. While earlier seasons featured tales written solely by Dahl, later ones started to include other writers as the short stories from Roald grew scarcer. I have always enjoyed the show Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Appearing at the start of each show beside his roaring fireplace with all the bearing and demeanor of a friendly uncle, Dahl would introduce each episode, his warm and comforting tones ill-preparing you for the macabre and twisted tale that would invariably follow.
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