The Twilight Zone Scripts Of Charles Beaumont Volume One edited by Roger Anker
pub: Gauntlet Press. 436 page softcover. Price: $66.00 (US). ISBN: 1-887369-73-6

check out website: www.gauntletpress.com

You are in a place where worlds tumble and change and things aren't quite what they seem. In such a place, you will find deceased writes discussing...the Twilight Zone.

Do you need me to cue the music?
Although Rod Serling was under contract to produce 80% of the scripts, the remaining 20% was spread between several writer friends, principle amongst these were Richard Matheson and Charles Beaumont.

This book goes some way to show why Beaumont was revered by his friends both socially and for his ability to turn out scripts practically over night and was extremely prolific. This book contains 8 original scripts from the original 60s 'Twilight Zone' (two of which are from the 50 minute season 3) plus one unproduced one.

There is also a lot of background information of what was going on at the time and behind the scenes of the series. It also chronicles the end of Chuck Beaumont's life brought on rather early from Alzheimer's Disease at the age of 35 and a tragic loss to the writing world.

The episodes covered are: 'Perchance To Dream', 'A Nice Place To Visit', The Howling Man', The Prime Mover', 'The Jungle', 'Person Or Persons Unknown', 'In His Own Image' 'Passage Of The Lady Anne' and the unfilmed 'Gentlemen, Be Seated'. The Twilight Zone fans amongst you will know something of the above. Although my memories are quite so clear, I do recall 'The Jungle'.

This book can be looked at from many different angles. For Twilight Zone fans, it's an opportunity to see the original scripts from the series. For those who want to learnt the mechanics of scriptwriting and preparing visual scripts, you can learn much here as I doubt if the screen direction has changed much over the years. Any significant step you can learn how much of a story can be told in the dialogue.

Although I didn't get much opportunity to see 'The Twilight Zone' on TV when young - my early memories tend to dwell with 'The Outer Limits', this is a series that really needs to be seen more and needs encouragement for a DVD version to be available in the UK. Although this book is a tad on the expensive side, it is a small print run and if you're a fan of the series, you'll want this book to salute the words of Charles Beaumont.

GF Willmetts

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