December 25th, 2019: Happy 95th birthday to Rod Serling.
Unlock this door with
the key of your imagination.
Somewhere between
light and shadow,
between science
and superstition,
we invited you
to submit a story
of things and ideas
that could become…
As Timeless As Infinity!
The Contest: “Imagine a new Twilight Zone episode, and write Rod Serling’s opening and closing narrations. Give it a title. Send us your entry.” …and you did!
We tried a twist this year: write your episode about about someone else’s character. The results were quite varied and much fun. Some of the leads in these tales are beloved by almost everyone, and others you may need to look up. Enjoy these stories–many of the contestants told us of the fun they had writing them.
Foundation member and actor Stephen Dexter is back to voice the winning entries as Rod Serling. Stephen is proud to be a rabid Rod Serling/Twilight Zone fan and at work on a project that Rod Serling would support without hesitation: American Morning. He’s also the voice of Rod Serling in the Binghamton Twilight Zone Escape Room. You can feel his passion in his performances. And this year he appeared in the film Living with Myself, with Paul Rudd. Thank you, Stephen!
WSKG-TV in Binghamton, New York, kindly donated their facilities in 2017 when we filmed Stephen at their studios in Binghamton. I integrated clips of Stephen as Rod into this year’s narration. In a Zoney twist, Stephen’s 2017 videos are lip-synching his 2019 narration. Perfect! Thank you, WSKG. We are in awe of your studios, your people, and your hospitality!
We have a repeat winner: Rich Rees, who has also presented at The Rod Serling Conference at Ithaca College. What a writer!
Congratulations to the 2019 Winners!
Pay the Piper by Rich Reese
A Beautiful Day in Fall by Larry Shea
Inside Santa’s Sweatshop by Elaine Clayton (3rd place tie)
Pressure and Time by Joanna Brumley (3rd place tie)
Read All the Entries
So many of the entries were clever and entertaining! Here is the second half of our Christmas present to you: dozens of new stories for you to imagine and watch on that little black-and-white screen in your head…
A Beautiful Day in Fall
Betwixt
Bothered and Bewildered
Can You Hear Me Now?
Check-Mate
Day of the Dead
The Estimated Worth of a Soul
Good Grief
In The Air Tonight
Inside Santa’s Sweatshop
It May Look Like a Danny Thomas
Land of the Lost
Last Chance for Love in Salzburg
The Last Detective
A Little Game of Chance
A Nanny to Remember
The Parting Gift
Past Time
Pay the Piper
Pressure and Time
Read the Fine Print!
Seven Characters in Search of a Raft
A Song to Remember
This Job Fits Me to a T
Time Enough At Last, Part 2
To Boldly Give the Best Gift of All
To the Moon
Twists and Turns
Unintended Consequences
Watching the Wheels
What She Found There
The Winter Warrior
A Written Resignation
Yesterday and Today
ATTRIBUTIONS
Clips from YouTube videos: “Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer” (1948 animation and 1964 stop-action), “Angry Elf throws shoe at Santa’s head!” (2008), “The Shawshank Redemption” trailer (1994), stills from “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” video, and a Spanish cartoon panel.
Stills collected over the internet from Creative Commons, and from various sites that did not specify copyright. All art is used in brief under the Fair Use Doctrine. No profit was acrued, nor any infringement intended, from use.