Showing posts with label Twilight Zone. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Twilight Zone. Show all posts

Monday, June 8, 2020

Episode 52: Submitted for Your Approval - The Twilight Zone

You unlock this door with the key of imagination. Beyond it is another dimension—a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind. You're moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas. You've just crossed over into the Twilight Zone.



Witness three podcasters, all awestruck by the same television show from over 50 years ago. A show that has become legendary, and has inspired generations of creative minds. Yes, in this episode of Planet 8, we will be talking about  - Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone.



Larry, Bob, and Karen each came up with a short list of episodes that really spoke to them, so they sat down and discussed what made them so special. Twilight Zone had some wonderful stories, and the twist endings have become well-known. But they were also capable of subtlety and beauty. And the actors! Watching the show is a real treat, as so many now-famous performers appear in the early days of their careers. Robert Redford, Carol Burnett, Telly Savalas, and of course, William Shatner, all appeared on the show before they became household names. 



Why do we still love Twilight Zone? What is the secret of its longevity? The stories have a timeless appeal -we relate to them because they speak to the most basic qualities of the human condition, things that do not seem to change -for better or worse.




Wrapping up the episode is our Sensor Sweep, Larry shares a plethora of Twilight Zone items. Foremost is the Twilight Zone Companion, by Marc Scott Zicree. It's loaded with tons of behind the scenes information on the episodes. Another great treasure is the 4 CD set of the 40th Anniversary edition of the Twilight Zone soundtrack. From the 60s,we have From the Twilight Zone, a book by Rod Serling collecting adaptations of Twilight Zone episodes. Finally, Larry shares Nightmare at 20,000 Feet, a collection of Richard Matheson short stories, some of which were made into TZ episodes, including the title one which became the famous William Shatner episode with the gremlin on the airplane.

All right friends, give the episode a listen and tell us what you think. We covered 12, count 'em, 12 Twilight Zone episodes, but there were so many more we would have enjoyed talking about! Maybe we will do a follow up show. Let us know what you thought of the episodes we discussed, and tell us about your favorite episodes. You can leave comments here, or at our other receiving stations:


Thanks for listening!


Sunday, March 22, 2020

Episode 47: People of Earth, Attention! Alien Invasions!

Look out! The aliens are among us! They're after our water, our brains, our lifestyle -you name it! Sometimes they just plain don't like us. They come here in spaceships, or sometimes grow in pods. Sometimes they attack us openly, but other times they quietly infiltrate our society. Those aliens are a tricky bunch. This time on Planet 8, the crew turns our planetary defense system to maximum as we discuss ALIEN INVASIONS!!

The  alien invasion genre has its roots in both the Cold War and the flying saucer phenomenon, both rising out of the ashes of World War II. But even in more recent times, people continue to be fascinated with the idea of malevolent aliens coming to take over our world. Your Planet 8 crew talks about some of our favorite films in the genre, everything from Teenagers from Outer Space to The Brain from Planet Arous to Attack the Block! to They Live, and a whole lot more. Like, almost anything and everything we can remember!


On the small screen side, we take a look at The Invaders, Twilight Zone, V, and UFO. I told you we were talking about everything!



This time, Commander Larry has the Sensor Sweep, and he shares a Christmas gift he received , the Star Trek USS Enterprise Illustrated Handbook. This book covers the details of the Enterprise from the original series through the movies, and includes the Enterprise as shown on  Star Trek Discovery. Larry says it has a feel similar to the old technical manuals, so it must be pretty good! You can find it at major booksellers or get it from Amazon here.


This is the last time we will bring up the Rondo Hatton Classic Horror Awards. It was such a surprise to be nominated for  "Best Multimedia Site"  for the Rondo Awards. Thanks to all of you who got us on the ballot!  Chief Engineer Bob's other website, SciFi Japan, is also nominated for "Best Website." There's just a week before the March 29th deadline. If you're so inclined, we'd appreciate your vote. You can find the ballot here. All you have to do is send an email to Taraco@aol.com.  Thanks again for all your support in our first two years of existence!


That's all for us this time. Now we want to hear from you! What's your favorite alien invasion movie or TV show?  Leave us a comment here, or at our other listening posts:
Thanks for listening!

Wednesday, May 23, 2018

Episode 2: Desert Planet Picks




Stranded on a desert planetoid, you are able to salvage only two ancient TV series and five films to keep you entertained until the space patrol arrives to rescue you...whenever that might be. What are your selections?

Tune into this episode to hear what the Planet 8 crew of Larry, Karen, and Bob would grab from the wreckage of their spacecraft to keep them company. You might be surprised! Then please share your picks with us here, or on Twitter or Facebook.
  • Twitter: https://twitter.com/Planet8Cast
  • Facebook: www.Facebook.com/Planet8Podcast

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