Rod Serling’s “The Twilight Zone” was a labor of affection made doable because of the constant contribution of competent writers. Whereas Serling wrote a piece of the episodes himself, authors like Charles Beaumont, Richard Matheson, and Ray Bradbury would typically pen tales that challenged what was thought of “acceptable” for community tv. Some have been variations of basic tales with a quintessential “Twilight Zone” twist, whereas others drew from chilling real-life incidents by reinterpreting them for a tv viewers. Irrespective of the place the supply of inspiration lay, “The Twilight Zone” rooted scathing social commentary at its forefront, critiquing every part from mass ethical hysteria to rampant consumerism in a hyper-capitalist society.
Among the many present’s contributing writers was sci-fi creator George Clayton Johnson (“Logan’s Run”), who wrote a number of notable episodes, together with the Robert Redford-starrer “Nothing within the Darkish,” “A Penny for Your Ideas,” and “A Recreation of Pool.” When he was an up-and-coming author, Johnson joined the Southern California Faculty of Writers, the place he exchanged concepts with friends like Beaumont and Bradbury. By way of them, Johnson met Rod Serling, who would go on to jot down a script primarily based on Johnson’s brief story “All of Us Are Dying.” This was only the start of a gradual collaboration, paving the trail for the sci-fi author’s profession in scriptwriting. Johnson can also be identified for penning the primary telecast episode of “Star Trek” and the story/screenplay for 1960’s “Ocean’s 11.”
Nonetheless, not every part Johnson wrote for “The Twilight Zone” culminated in a broadcasted episode. In Steven Jay Rubin’s “The Twilight Zone Encyclopedia,” Johnson spoke at size about “Sea Change,” a narrative he wrote that was rejected by one of many present’s sponsors for its darkish subject material. What precisely was this episode purported to be about? Let’s dive proper into it.
Sea Change was meant to be part of The Twilight Zone’s second season
In accordance with Johnson’s 1994 interview in “The Twilight Zone Encyclopedia,” Serling purchased “Sea Change” from him instantly, as he “beloved issues that have been tense and grim” or something that evoked “a harmful, or a mysterious, or a poetic temper.” This was consistent with the form of tales Johnson had offered to Serling, equivalent to season 1’s “Execution” (revolving round a grisly public hanging) or “The 4 of Us Are Dying” (that includes the deaths of many, together with a face-changing con man). “Sea Change” was no completely different, however one of many present’s sponsors for the second season had different concepts:
“After which I did one known as ‘Sea Change,’ which is the story of an individual who will get his hand reduce off, and he regrows the hand. However what he does not notice is that the hand is [also] rising a person. And there is solely room for one in all them. And it is a terrifying story. Rod [Serling] purchased it instantly, then he gave it again to me as a result of his sponsor would not settle for it.”
Particulars about this scrapped story may also be present in “Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone Journal,” which printed horror fiction together with intensive articles about “The Twilight Zone” (and its revival) between 1981 and 1989. The journal’s October 1981 problem consists of an excerpt on “Sea Change,” detailing the nuances of Johnson’s story and the explanations behind its rejection. Lengthy story brief, the present’s meals sponsor believed that “Sea Change’s” ugly physique horror side would spoil viewers’ appetites (therefore hampering the impression of the advertisements by the corporate), prompting sequence producer Buck Houghton to grudgingly reject it. Johnson agreed to purchase the story again on the situation that he can be given an opportunity to jot down an authentic teleplay for “The Twilight Zone.” Houghton agreed, and the remainder is historical past.
It’s a disgrace that “Sea Change” by no means acquired an opportunity to bloom as a “Twilight Zone” episode. Johnson’s story does not shrink back from being unsettling or unusual and options robust, eclectic characters caught in a hellish situation. You possibly can learn “Sea Change” by digging up the digital variations of magazines that are actually out of print, and it’s a story that’s actually well worth the effort. In any case, it gained the (now-defunct) Balrog Award for superior achievement in brief fiction and is perceived as one in all Johnson’s most respected works within the style.