TVR 21500: Fiction Field Production

The Ithaca College Archives houses a number of precious, carefully curated physical and digital assets documenting the ongoing history of Ithaca College. In addition, our archives house Special Collections, including the famed Rod Serling Archives. The Archives closed completely in Fall 2021 following the retirement of the College Archivist and given the need for library staff to review and secure the collection. 

Spring 2022: Requests from the Ithaca College campus community only will be taken via this form https://library.ithaca.edu/forms/archives.php on a first-come, first-served basis, as time and ability allow.  (Intercom, January 18, 2022).

The Encyclopedia of Television provides an entry for Rod Serling.  Quote, " His emphasis on character (psychology and motivation), the expedient handling of incisive, direct and forceful and painfully penetrating dialogue, alongside his moralizing subtext, placed him in a unique position to question mankind's prejudices and intolerance as he saw it."

Here are the Table of Contents to the published scripts.  The published copy of the scripts are available in the the library: 

• Serling, Albarella, O'Bannon, Matheson, McCammon, Robertson, . . . Hautala, Rick. (2004). As timeless as infinity : The complete Twilight Zone scripts of Rod Serling (1st ed., Serling Archives ; (unnumbered)). Colorado Springs, CO: Gauntlet Publications.

Episodes can be or checked out on DVD from the library's Multimedia desk; the DVDs have supplementary materials such as interviews.

The Rod Serling Award for Advancing Social Justice Through Popular Media honors a contemporary media industry professional whose work shines the light on prejudice, inequality, and evolving social norms.

Of interest:

• Listen to late Park School Dean John Keshishoglou (Dr. Kesh) talk about how he met Rod Serling and brought him to IC.
• Consider joining the Rod Serling Foundation.
• Follow The Twilight Zone on Twitter.
• Read the Shadow & Substance blog.
• Listen to the Twilight Zone podcast.
• Watch The Twilight Zone on Hulu.
• Watch The Twilight Zone marathon on New Years Eve on SyFy.
• Watch the Twilight Zone reboot by Peele, Kinberg and Ramirez appears on CBS All Access, a personal subscription service.

Here are a few sample searches.  If you need help searching, contact me.

Library Search:  "Twilight Zone"  AND  Television

Library Search:  Novak AND "The Premise"

Library Search:   "Black Mirror" AND Netflix

Library Search:  Books by or about Rod Serling

EBSCO Research Library  "Twilight Zone" AND Television

EBSCO Research Library  "Black Mirror" AND Netflix (in TX all text  -- the words can be found anywhere in the article)

• Horatio Alger.   Classic American author.
• Russ Meyer.  IC Library currently does not own films by this "skin flick" director. Who remembers him?
• Fitzgerald, F. Scott .  A writer of potential longevity.  A favorite author of one of the students.
• Norman Mailer.  Possible author who may represent a generation.
• Z    DVD 5590  A Greek pacifist leader is murdered at a rally. Despite the official police report of accidental death, a journalist's persistent questioning leads to a full-scale investigation, revealing corruption in high places.   Academy Award winner, 1969 : best film editing ; best foreign language film.  In French with subtitles in English
• Gone with the Wind.  Not recommended by Serling.  Despite the beauty of the film and the actors, the film neglects to mention slavery.
• Birth of a Nation.  Film by D.W. Griffith.  Serling compares Gone with the Wind; the film is criticized for positive depiction of slavery.
• 2001, a Space Odyssey .  VIDEO 965   Based on the novel "The sentinel" by Arthur C. Clarke.   At the Dawn of Man, a group of hominids encounters a mysterious black monolith that is alien to their surroundings. 
• Riefenstahl, Leni.  Propaganda filmmaker for Hitler.
• Hemingway, Ernest .  A favorite author of Serling
• Occurrence of Owl Creek Bridge by Abrose Bierce.  This story was adapted to film.  Sound, facial expression, and editing convey emotion that does not need verbal description.
• The Diary of Anne Frank .  Writing that conveys human emotion.