Back on June 24, 1983, I found myself stepping back into that chilling realm of sights, sounds, and thoughts when the movie “Twilight Zone” hit the screens.
The movie, titled “Twilight Zone: The Movie,” was a compilation of various parts orchestrated by directors such as John Landis, Steven Spielberg, Joe Dante, and George Miller. It primarily consisted of reimagined stories from the popular TV series “The Twilight Zone,” which are often broadcast on SYFY. The film also featured narration by one of the show’s renowned guest stars, Burgess Meredith. Despite earning four times its initial $10 million investment at the box office, the movie failed to garner either critical acclaim or cultural significance. A significant portion of the poor reception was due to the unfortunate and avoidable accidents during the filming of “Time Out,” a segment directed by John Landis, which tragically claimed the lives of three individuals, two of whom were children.
As a devoted admirer, I can share that it wasn’t until Steven Spielberg, a towering figure in Hollywood by the early ’80s following the success of films like Jaws, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, E.T., and Raiders of the Lost Ark, lent his influence, that the project came to fruition initially. However, the concept of a full-length adaptation of Rod Serling’s trailblazing anthology series actually traces its roots back more than three decades earlier, with the creator himself initiating the idea.
For More on The Twilight Zone
1. Prior to portraying Leonard in Community, Richard Erdman previously halted time on The Twilight Zone.
2. In the early days of The Twilight Zone, its original pilot script was discarded due to its overly dark tone.
3. A memorable episode of The Twilight Zone, featuring William Shatner, masterfully transformed anxiety into a fearsome monster.
Rod Serling wanted to turn The Twilight Zone‘s “He’s Alive” episode into a movie
In a 1986 edition of The Twilight Zone Magazine, an article titled “All the Little Hitlers” by Hal Erickson revealed that Rod Serling had intended to adapt the Season 4 episode “He’s Alive” into a stage play. This hour-long episode, which aired on January 24, 1963, was directed by Stuart Rosenberg (known for directing Cool Hand Luke and The Amityville Horror in later years). The story centered around a young Dennis Hopper’s character, Peter Vollmer, who aspired to be an American Führer. He started receiving guidance from the spectral figure of Adolf Hitler, portrayed by Curt Conway, which ultimately led to disastrous consequences.
The deceased tyrant employed sneaky methods and inflammatory speech filled with xenophobia, racism, and bigotry, which transformed Peter from a mere laughingstock to an ominous threat; a threat that Ernst, Vollmer’s guardian figure, who survived the Holocaust at Dachau concentration camp (Ludwig Donath), clearly perceived as dangerous.
As a gamer, I can’t help but feel a pang of disappointment, much like Rod Serling did, when I learned that one of his finest scripts for The Twilight Zone, the one where Vollmer uncovers the true identity of his dictatorial benefactor only to be overwhelmed by a torrent of Nazi symbols, was edited down. This crucial scene, revealing Hitler in the shadows, was sadly removed by producer Herbert Hirschman to fit within the network’s time slot. However, just like Serling, I propose a solution: let’s release two versions – one with and one without this pivotal scene, allowing viewers to choose their own experience.
Serling suggested that a condensed version of the edit would be broadcast on CBS, while a longer version of the script would become a movie (Erickson, the creator of “TZ”, had been trying, unsuccessfully, to make a movie based on the show since 1960). Serling wrote extra scenes for this production, expanding the backgrounds of Peter’s flattering followers and introducing an FBI agent investigating an unnamed neo-Nazi group. However, Hirschman ultimately rejected the idea. For years after, Serling remained disappointed with the episode, not just because his movie plan was turned down, but also due to Hopper’s central performance in it.
In a lecture at UCLA in 1971, four years before his death, Serling openly admitted that despite the excellent script he had written, Dennis Hopper’s performance was disappointing. To put it plainly, Hopper’s acting was wild and unrestrained, requiring more skill than he possessed at the time. The role demanded a subtle, controlled performance, but Hopper started crying in the first reel. There simply wasn’t any room for emotional growth… It was an outstanding script. It was one of those scripts where usually the critic says, ‘It was a weak script, but Gary Cooper made it work.’ However, in this case, I believe the script was significantly undermined by the performance.
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2025-04-02 20:18