Episodes
The end.   Get Dr. Reba Wissner’s essential A Dimension of Sound: Music in The Twilight Zone here: https://amzn.to/3xm19aE Glenn Tolle’s blog post on Horace Mann: https://glenntolle.com/2017/12/11/horace-mann-vindicated/ Get Night Gallery Season 1 on Blu-ray here: https://amzn.to/30YhtlR Theme: “Neither Here nor There” performed by Twin Loops “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” performed by Thurl Ravenscroft (from the album How the Grinch Stole Christmas: The Original TV Soundtrack,...
Published 12/24/21
One down, one to go. In the penultimate installment of the show, host Craig does one final round of housekeeping and (not surprisingly) pimps his work on the Night Gallery Season 1 Blu-ray set. Worth your time? Only you can make that determination. It’s free, for God’s sake, so just download the damn thing.  Get Night Gallery season 1 on Blu-ray here: https://amzn.to/30YhtlR  Theme: “Neither Here nor There” performed by Twin Loops  “Strange Girl” performed by Hubert Laws (from the...
Published 11/28/21
Bug-eyed monster lovers rejoice! This week Craig dives deep into the pool of primordial goo that is the Outer Limits episode “Tourist Attraction.” TOL historian David J. Schow joins in to regale us with his bottomless sea of knowledge, plus Dr. Reba Wissner gives us the lowdown on the episode’s original music score. The whole affair is slimy... yet strangely satisfying.  Get your David J. Schow literary fix right here: https://www.cimarronstreetbooks.com/  Get your own Ichthyosaurus...
Published 11/14/21
This week, host Craig checks out “Reap What You Sow,” a fan-made Twilight Zone episode in the spirit of the original series, then gazes backward at his own (sadly unrealized) dream of creating... well, something along the same lines. Friend of the show Carson Cohen returns for some much-needed fact checking, then we wrap up with some reportage on an exciting Rod Serling-related crowdfunding campaign. Oh, it’s also Hallowe’en, which we’re apparently not observing at all this...
Published 11/01/21
Nathan Van Cleave, The Twilight Zone’s most prolific composer, finally gets a well-deserved spotlighting in this special installment of the podcast, made complete by an appearance by musician and friend of the program Carson Cohen. Enjoy!    Stream William Castle’s Project X (1968) here: https://amzn.to/2SuPUg4    Watch 1959’s Destination: Space here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ED6Z_o1vupA    Read Dirk Wickenden’s interview with Fred Steiner about Nathan Van...
Published 10/17/21
Have you ever wondered what the show might sound like with NO editing whatsoever? Like, NONE. And no script, either. No, really. We’re talking a solid hour of off-the-cuff yammering from host Craig with ZERO pre-planning (and zero production value). Listen... if you dare.    Stephanie Griffin’s Siren Song Stitchery, where awesome stuff comes to three-dimensional-hand-sewn life: https://www.etsy.com/shop/SirensSongStitchery    Kilian Melloy’s magnificent short story “The...
Published 10/03/21
Submitted for your approval, part two of our epic study of Rod Serling’s World War II PTSD-demon-exorcizing Twilight Zone episodes. This time we’re neck-deep in the Pacific Theater side of things, which happens to be where Serling served---- so the episodes we’re covering (“The Purple Testament” and “A Quality of Mercy,” plus “The Encounter” for good measure) have an added bit of emotional and existential weight to ‘em. Listen with horror as host Craig tries to keep things light in the face...
Published 11/22/20
We’re back (after an unintentional 4-month absence) to dissect the classic Twilight Zone episodes “Judgment Night” and “Death’s-Head Revisited." Listen with horror as Craig tries valiantly to bring a sense of levity to the proceedings (spoiler alert: it doesn’t work). Achtung! Wanna hire the mega-talented Rick Sellers for some voiceover work? Hit him up here: http://www.richardsellers.com Check out the awesome Shadows and Substance: Exploring the Works of Rod Serling blog: ...
Published 10/24/20
This week Craig referees an epic bout between the classic Twilight Zone episodes “The Big Tall Wish” and “Steel.” One of ‘em will take home the championship belt, and the other will limp home with dashed hopes and shattered dreams. In between rounds, fan-favorite Dr. Reba Wissner pops in to give us the lowdown on the musical underscore. You can’t get this on Pay-Per-View, folks. A goldmine of fake product labels: http://www.theearlhayspress.com/index.html Get Dr. Reba Wissner’s essential A...
Published 06/28/20
This week Craig mines a solid two more hours of priceless conversation with celebrated screenwriter David J. Schow from their legendary 5-hour epic recording session from late April. Expect lots of twists and tangents and, as always, a lot of tongue-tripping from yours truly.   The Twilight Zone is a trademark of CBS, Inc. Between Light and Shadow: A Twilight Zone Podcast is a nonprofit podcast. Music clips and dialogue excerpts used herein are the property of their respective copyright...
Published 05/17/20
This week Craig welcomes the charming and erudite David J. Schow for an in-depth discussion of that venerable periodical Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone Magazine. I could go on, but really, I’d just be gushing. Just listen and be enthralled… if you dare. The Twilight Zone Vortex is on a mission to review every issue of Twilight Zone Magazine: http://twilightzonevortex.blogspot.com/2012/01/rod-serlings-twilight-zone-magazine.html?m=0 Here’s a great place to view the entire series of...
Published 05/03/20
Howdy pardners! This week we saddle up and transcend the shackles of time to corral the classic Twilight Zone episodes “Execution” and “Back There.” Along the way host Craig does his usual drooling over Forbidden Planet props and related gadget porn, and somehow The Smiths make an unlikely appearance. Giddyup! Mohawk Midgetape 300 gadget porn: http://vintage-technics.ru/Eng-Mohawk_Midgetape_300.htm http://www.pimall.com/nais/pivintage/midgetrecorder.html “Oscillate Wildly” performed by...
Published 04/19/20
This week Craig takes a break from social distancing and continuous hand-washing and goes spelunking into the depths of the cavernous CBS Music Library in search of sonic treasures from the greatest film and television composer of all time: Bernard Herrmann. It’s our longest episode to date, but only because it’s stuffed to the proverbial gills with music… thankfully our loquacious host lets the music do (most of) the talking.  Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards ballot:...
Published 03/29/20
This week Craig drinks the alchemist’s longevity potion and spends an eternity analyzing the classic Twilight Zone episodes “Long Live Walter Jameson” and “Queen of the Nile.” It’s a heady blend of Ken Burns-esque Civil War side trips, Nazi Germany flyovers, and ruminations on mortality. We Sphinx you’ll really like it.   Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards ballot: https://rondoaward.com/rondoaward.com/blog/?p=890    “Ashokan Farewell” performed by Russ Bareberg (from the album The Civil...
Published 03/15/20
We’re back! Love is in the air as Craig gazes seductively into the eyes of the first two Twilight Zone episodes he ever saw (“The Chaser” and “Jess-Belle”). Along the way he completely undermines his own efforts to be more “woke” when it comes to lusting after the opposite sex… just in time for Valentine’s Day (which was two weeks ago, so our perfect record of always being late remains intact). It’s a heady brew of Paley Center complaints, surprising Psycho tangents, and more cast connections...
Published 03/01/20
Sheesh, astral projection phantom kids can be SO annoying, am I right?  Join Craig as he sips some hot chocolate and digs into the classic Twilight Zone episode “Nightmare as a Child,” then jumps forward 25 years into the future to give the 80’s TZ effort “Little Boy Lost” the KID gloves treatment (ha! See what we did there?). Look (well, listen) for a guest appearance by Andrew Ramage of twilightzonemuseum.com fame, then revel in the triumphant return of Dr. Reba Wissner, our very own TZ...
Published 11/24/19
Boo! It’s a word designed to scare… or to heckle a comedian. Somehow both definitions apply this week as Craig tackles his ultimate fear by watching two notoriously awful Twilight Zone comedies (“Mr. Bevis” and “Cavender is Coming”), and honestly, what’s more terrifying than that? It’s a Hallowe’en episode with a smile. Oh wait, that’s not a smile…. that’s a frozen mask of abject terror. Boo! Twitter: @ZoneCraB facebook.com/zonepod/   Theme: “Neither Here Nor There (Very Hairy Variant)”...
Published 11/03/19
Contest time! We’ve partnered with Fathom Events and CBS Home Entertainment to give away five pairs of tickets to The Twilight Zone: A 60th Anniversary Celebration, which will screen in more than 600 movie theaters across the U.S., on November 14th, 2019. Along with a new short documentary about Rod Serling, they’ll be showing 6 quintessential episodes (“Walking Distance,” “Time Enough at Last,” “The Invaders,” “The Monsters are Due on Maple Street,” “Eye of the Beholder,” and “To Serve...
Published 10/23/19
This week, Craig spins the cosmic roulette wheel in honor of the Twilight Zone classics “The Fever” and “The Prime Mover” while self-medicating an ongoing sinus malfunction with a single-malt Scotch. Take my advice and roll the dice, baby. “Neither Here Nor There (Viva Las Version)” by Twin Loops “The Hong Kong Triad” performed by Thievery Corporation (from the album The Mirror Conspiracy, copyright 2000 by ESL Records) “Hanukkah in Vegas” performed by Richard Cheese and Lounge Against the...
Published 10/20/19
Check your bags and try to avoid a TSA cavity search as you board tonight’s double-feature flight into the unknown. Craig takes the yoke and performs aerial maneuvers over, under and through the classic Twilight Zone episodes “The Last Flight” and “The Odyssey of Flight 33.” In the final analysis, only one will emerge unscathed. Along the way Craig struggles with French pronunciations, extols the glory of stop-motion dinosaurs and powers through some kind of sinus malfunction. Mon dieu!   ...
Published 10/06/19
Koren Shadmi’s graphic novel The Twilight Man: Rod Serling and the Birth of Television drops on October 8th, and he was kind enough to drop by (in a virtual sense) and talk about it. As usual, Craig trips all over his tongue, breathes too hard and says “um” way too many times.   Theme: “Neither Here Nor There (9/22/2019 Revision)” by Twin Loops “Venus” performed by Sine (from the compilation album Chill Out! The Techno Evolution Continues, copyright 1993 by Instinct Records)   ...
Published 10/01/19
Submitted for your approval---- Professional voice actor Mark Silverman, planet Earth’s only official Rod Serling vocal impressionist (sanctioned by Serling’s estate and everything!), who kindly spent half an hour chatting TZ with us and regaling us with his talent. Get it while it’s hot! This one’s gonna be worth money someday, gang. And download it twice, in case you misplace the first one. “Neither Here nor There (3.6)” by Twin Loops “Doors of Perception” performed by Deep Space Network...
Published 08/07/19
Is this a podcast about a television series, or a podcast ABOUT a podcast about a television series? Craig takes a deep dive into “Blurryman,” the extremely meta season finale of the 2019 Twilight Zone reboot, then takes a shocking left turn partway through that threatens to change podcasting as we know it forever. Okay, that may be a slight exaggeration. Let’s just say this episode is not to be missed.   “Neither Here Nor There (‘Really? Another Revision?’ Revision)” by Twin Loops ...
Published 08/03/19
This week Craig stares down the barrel of “The Blue Scorpion” as he nears the end of the new Twilight Zone’s first season. Along the way he goes off half-cocked on a 20-gauge trip down memory lane, which may have been triggered (ha!) by second-hand TV smoke (hey, weirder things have happened up in here). He also tells the triumphant tale of one man’s endless quest for a Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Award… which, as fate would have it, isn’t so endless at all.  Listen first, ask questions...
Published 07/07/19