SyFy New Years Marathon, 2015

Hold onto your hats, kids, as I reel off a post that has nothing whatsoever to do with my long-suffering attempts to launch my Twilight Zone podcast. Don't believe me? Read on...

I told myself I wasn't going to post about SyFy marathons anymore. It was getting redundant, and all I was really doing was bitching about the syndication edits, commercial breaks, and substandard (read sub-HD) image quality. I've had the Blu-ray sets for years, and before those, the wonderful Definitive DVD sets. Marathons on TV held no appeal for me.

And then this happened:

First of all, it's nice to see TZ represented on SyFy's main splash screen. Second of all--- EVERY. EPISODE. EVER. Wait, what?  Okay, I've gotta admit, that's pretty awesome. There's been some murmurs online that all 156 episodes will be presented in high definition for the first time. I can neither confirm nor deny this, as it hasn't started yet. It seems to me that anything airing on SyFy would be HD, since it's been an HD channel for several years now, but I dunno. Anyway---- here's the schedule:

Wednesday, December 30th

7:00 PM: Where is Everybody?
7:30 PM: One For The Angels
8:00 PM: Mr. Denton on Doomsday
8:30 PM: The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine
9:00 PM: Walking Distance
9:30 PM: Escape Clause
10:00 PM: The Lonely
10:30 PM: Time Enough at Last
11:00 PM: Perchance to Dream
11:30 PM: Judgment Night

Thursday, December 31st

12:00 AM: And When the Sky Was Opened
12:30 AM: What You Need
1:00 AM: The Four of Us are Dying
1:30 AM: Third From The Sun
2:00 AM: I Shot an Arrow Into the Air
2:30 AM: The Hitch-Hiker
3:00 AM: The Fever
3:30 AM: The Last Flight
4:00 AM: The Purple Testament
4:30 AM: Elegy
5:00 AM: Mirror Image
5:30 AM: The Monsters are Due on Maple Street
6:00 AM: A World of Difference
6:30 AM: Long Live Walter Jameson
7:00 AM People Are Alike All Over
7:30: AM: Execution
8:00 AM: The Big Tall Wish
8:30 AM: A Nice Place to Visit
9:00 AM: Nightmare as a Child
9:30 AM: A Stop at Willoughby
10:00 AM: The Chaser
10:30 AM: A Passage for Trumpet
11:00 AM: Mr. Bevis
11:30 AM: The After Hours
12:00 PM: The Mighty Casey
12:30 PM: A World Of His Own
1:00 PM: King Nine Will Not Return
1:30 PM: The Man in the Bottle
2:00 PM: Nervous Man in a Four Dollar Room
2:30 PM: A Thing About Machines
3:00 PM: The Howling Man
3:30 PM: Eye of the Beholder
4:00 PM: Nick of Time
4:30 PM: The Lateness of the Hour
5:00 PM: The Trouble with Templeton
5:30 PM: A Most Unusual Camera
6:00 PM: The Night of the Meek
6:30 PM: Dust
7:00 PM: Back There
7:30 PM: The Whole Truth

8:00pm - 10:00PM WWE Smackdown
               (I knew televised wrestling was fiction, but science fiction?)

10:00 PM: The Invaders
10:30 PM: A Penny for Your Thoughts
11:00 PM: Twenty Two
11:30 PM: The Odyssey of Flight 33

Friday, January 1st

12:00 AM: Mr Dingle, the Strong
12:30 AM: Static
1:00 AM: The Prime Mover
1:30 AM: Long Distance Call
2:00 AM: A Hundred Yards Over The Rim
2:30 AM: The Rip Van Winkle Caper
3:00 AM: The Silence
3:30 AM: Shadow Play
4:00 AM: The Mind and the Matter
4:30 AM: Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?
5:00 AM: The Obsolete Man
5:30 AM: Two
6:00 AM: The Arrival
6:30 AM: The Shelter
7:00 AM: The Passersby
7:30 AM: A Game of Pool
8:00 AM: The Mirror
8:30 AM: The Grave
9:00 AM: It’s a Good Life
9:30 AM: Death’s Head Revisited
10:00 AM: The Midnight Sun
10:30 AM: Still Valley
11:00 AM: The Jungle
11:30 AM: Once Upon a Time
12:00 PM: Five Characters In Search of an Exit
12:30 PM: A Quality of Mercy
1:00 PM: Nothing In The Dark
1:30 PM: One More Pallbearer
2:00 PM: Dead Man’s Shoes
2:30 PM: The Hunt
3:00 PM: Showdown With Rance McGrew
3:30 PM: Kick the Can
4:00 PM: A Piano In The House
4:30 PM: The Last Rites of Jeff Myrtlebank
5:00 PM: To Serve Man
5:30 PM: The Fugitive
6:00 PM: Little Girl Lost
6:30 PM: Person or Persons Unknown
7:00 PM: The Little People
7:30 PM: Four O'Clock
8:00 PM: Hocus-Pocus and Frisby
8:30 PM: The Trade-Ins
9:00 PM: The Gift
9:30 PM: The Dummy
10:00 PM: Young Man’s Fancy
10:30 PM: I Sing the Body Electric
11:00 PM: Cavender Is Coming
11:30 PM: The Changing of the Guard

Saturday, January 2nd

12:00 AM: In His Image
1:00 AM: The Thirty-Fathom Grave
2:00 AM: Valley of the Shadow
3:00 AM: He’s Alive
4:00 AM: Mute
5:00 AM: Death Ship
6:00 AM: Jess-Belle
7:00 AM: Miniature
8:00 AM: Printer’s Devil
9:00 AM: No Time Like the Past
10:00 AM: The Parallel
11:00 AM: I Dream of Genie
12:00 PM: The New Exhibit
1:00 PM: Of Late I Think of Cliffordville
2:00 PM: The Incredible World of Horace Ford
3:00 PM: On Thursday We Leave for Home
4:00 PM: Passage on the Lady Anne
5:00 PM: The Bard
6:00 PM: In Praise of Pip
6:30 PM: Steel
7:00 PM: Nightmare at 20,000 Feet
7:30 PM: A Kind of Stopwatch
8:00 PM: The Last Night of a Jockey
8:30 PM: Living Doll
9:00 PM: The Old Man in the Cave
9:30 PM: Uncle Simon
10:00 PM: Probe 7, Over and Out
10:30 PM: The 7th is Made Up of Phantoms
11:00 PM: A Short Drink from a Certain Fountain
11:30 PM: Ninety Years Without Slumbering

Sunday, January 3rd

12:00 AM: Ring-a-Ding Girl
12:30 AM: You Drive
1:00 AM: The Long Morrow
1:30 AM: The Self-Improvement of Salvadore Ross
2:00 AM: Number 12 Looks Just Like You
2:30 AM: Black Leather Jackets
3:00 AM: Night Call
3:30 AM: From Agnes With Love
4:00 AM: Spur of the Moment
4:30 AM: An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge
5:00 AM: Queen of the Nile
5:30 AM: What’s in the Box
6:00 AM: The Masks
6:30 AM: I Am the Night, Color Me Black
7:00 AM: Sounds and Silences
7:30 AM: Caesar and Me
8:00 AM: The Jeopardy Room
8:30 AM: Stopover in a Quiet Town
9:00 AM: The Encounter
9:30 AM: Mr. Garrity and the Graves
10:00 AM: The Brain Center at Whipple’s
10:30 AM: Come Wander With Me
11:00 AM: The Fear
11:30 PM: The Bewitchin’ Pool

I could've linked each episode to its corresponding blog entry, but Jesus, that's a lot of work... especially when the entire series is being aired. So... well, I didn't. Look over at the right edge and you'll find every single episode in (more or less) alphabetical order if you wanna dig deeper.

So this is pretty goddamned historic. Has the entire series' run (even the rare "lost" episodes) ever been aired in one big sequential chunk like this? All my misgivings about TZ on TV remain, but I can't deny the coolness on display here. Well played, SyFy, well played.  Now if only this were happening on a premium (i.e. commercial-free) channel... but hey, for $7.99 a month you can subscribe to Netflix, which currently streams all but the fourth season in commercial-free HD. Okay, maybe I'm being a bit snarky. The Facebook fans have been counting down the days until the marathon kicks off, so clearly there's an audience for this, even among owners of the DVD and Blu-ray sets. I must admit, I've set my DVR to record a few episodes to see how good they look and how complete they are.

The marathon is immediately followed by an airing of Star Trek: Generations, which I've always enjoyed despite the haters out there. You know who you are. Twilight Zone: The Movie might've made more sense, but alas. 

SyFy's 4th of July Twilight Zone marathon 2014

It's that time yet again. What better way to celebrate the anniversary of our independence than with several hours of commercial-ridden, beat-all-to-hell syndication prints? Here's the schedule:

08:00 AM Five Characters In Search of an Exit

08:30 AM Nick of Time

09:00 AM The Night Of The Meek

09:30 AM Kick the Can

10:00 AM Where Is Everybody?

10:30 AM It's a Good Life

11:00 AM Dead Man's Shoes

11:30 AM The Hitch-hiker

12:00 PM The Dummy

12:30 PM Third From the Sun

01:00 PM The Invaders

01:30 PM The Bewitchin' Pool

02:00 PM The Masks

02:30 PM The Howling Man

03:00 PM The Odyssey of Flight 33

03:30 PM Living Doll

04:00 PM The Obsolete Man

04:30 PM Eye of The Beholder

05:00 PM Time Enough At Last

05:30 PM A Stop at Willoughby

06:00 PM The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street

06:30 PM To Serve Man

07:00 PM Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?

07:30 PM Nightmare at 20,000 Feet

08:00 PM 4-hour block of other stuff (gee, thanks, SyFy)

12:10 AM The Midnight Sun

12:40 AM Night Call

01:10 AM I Sing the Body Electric

01:40 AM A Penny for Your Thoughts

02:10 AM Number Twelve Looks Just Like You

02:40 AM Stopover in A Quiet Town

03:10 AM A Most Unusual Camera

03:40 AM Long Distance Call

That's a great lineup, with only two glaring missteps: "The Bewitchin' Pool" and "A Most Unusual Camera" (which is particularly egregious since two of the series' best offerings--- "Perchance to Dream" and "Shadow Play"--- are nowhere to be found).

Some fans look forward to these marathons, even if they already own the series on DVD or Blu-ray. I never watch them, but I do understand the communal aspect of the ritual. I just can't stomach the sub-standard picture and the lobotomy-grade hack-job done to make room for more commercials. 

SyFy New Year’s Marathon 2013

Tomorrow is New Year's Eve, kids, and you know what that means.... yet another TZ marathon on the SyFy Channel. Here's the lineup:

Dec 31, 2013

8:00 AM  One For The Angels
8:30 AM  The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine
9:00 AM  Escape Clause
9:30 AM  Perchance To Dream
10:00 AM  And When The Sky Was Opened
10:30 AM  What You Need
11:00 AM  I Shot An Arrow Into The Air
11:30 AM  The Fever
12:00 PM  Long Live Walter Jameson
12:30 PM  A World Of His Own
1:00 PM  Mr. Denton On Doomsday
1:30 PM  Third From The Sun
2:00 PM  People Are Alike All Over
2:30 PM  A Nice Place To Visit
3:00 PM  King Nine Will Not Return
3:30 PM  Nick Of Time
4:00 PM  A Most Unusual Camera
4:30 PM  The Night Of The Meek
5:00 PM  A Penny For Your Thoughts
5:30 PM  The Odyssey Of Flight 33
6:00 PM  A Hundred Yards Over The Rim
6:30 PM  The Shelter
7:00 PM  Where Is Everybody?
7:30 PM  Time Enough At Last
8:00 PM  The Hitch-hiker
8:30 PM  The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street
9:00 PM  A Stop At Willoughby
9:30 PM  The Howling Man
10:00 PM  Eye Of The Beholder
10:30 PM  The Invaders
11:00 PM  Will The Real Martian Please Stand Up?
11:30 PM  The Obsolete Man

Jan 1, 2014

12:00 AM  The Midnight Sun
12:30 AM  Walking Distance
1:00 AM  The Lonely
1:30 AM  Judgment Night
2:00 AM  The Four Of Us Are Dying
2:30 AM  The Last Flight
3:00 AM  The Purple Testament
3:30 AM  Nightmare As A Child
4:00 AM  Mr. Bevis
4:30 AM  The After Hours

(paid programming)

8:00 AM  A Thing About Machines
8:30 AM  The Prime Mover
9:00 AM  The Silence
9:30 AM  The Arrival
10:00 AM  Deaths-Head Revisited
10:30 AM  A Piano In The House
11:00 AM  The Last Rights Of Jeff Myrtlebank
11:30 AM  Hocus-Pocus And Frisby
12:00 PM  In Praise Of Pip
12:30 PM  Uncle Simon
1:00 PM  It's A Good Life
1:30 PM  Five Characters In Search Of An Exit
2:00 PM  The Hunt
2:30 PM  Little Girl Lost
3:00 PM  The Little People
3:30 PM  A Kind Of a Stopwatch
4:00 PM  Probe 7 Over And Out
4:30 PM  The 7th Is Made Up Of Phantoms
5:00 PM  Number Twelve Looks Just Like You
5:30 PM  Black Leather Jackets
6:00 PM  What's In The Box
6:30 PM  Caesar And Me
7:00 PM  A Game Of Pool
7:30 PM  Dead Man's Shoes
8:00 PM  Kick The Can
8:30 PM  To Serve Man
9:00 PM  The Dummy
9:30 PM  I Sing The Body Electric
10:00 PM  Nightmare At 20,000 Feet
10:30 PM  Living Doll
11:00 PM  The Masks
11:30 PM  The Bewitchin' Pool
12:00 PM  I Am The Night - Color Me Black
12:30 AM  Mr. Dingle, The Strong
1:00 AM  Long Distance Call
1:30 AM  The Rip Van Winkle Caper
2:00 AM  Two
2:30 AM  The Grave
3:00 AM  The Old Man In The Cave
3:30 AM  Night Call
4:00 AM  Ring-a-ding Girl
4:30 AM  Stopover In A Quiet Town
8:00 AM  A Quality Of Mercy
8:30 AM  Nothing In The Dark

SyFy's Thanksgiving Marathon 2013

It's Thanksgiving, that glorious time of year when we bask in the warm glow of friends and family... the smell of turkey and dressing in the air... 

And then there's the warm glow of the television, displaying another Twilight Zone marathon courtesy of the SyFy Channel. Here's the schedule (PST; add 3 hours if you're on the east coast):

9:00 am A Stop at Willoughby
9:30 am Ring-a-ding Girl
10:00 am The Howling Man
10:30 am A Hundred Yards Over the Rim
11:00 am The Masks
11:30 am A World of His Own
12:00 pm Five Characters in Search of an Exit
12:30 pm The Midnight Sun
1:00 pm Third From the Sun
1:30 pm Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?
2:00 pm Number Twelve Looks Just Like You
2:30 pm It's a Good Life
3:00 pm Living Doll
3:30 pm The After Hours
4:00 pm The Hitchhiker
4:30 pm To Serve Man
5:00 pm Nightmare at 20,000 Feet
5:30 pm Eye of the Beholder

I have to admit, that's a really solid list of episodes. Well, except "Ring-a-Ding Girl," which is mediocre at best. Still, that's ONE mediocre episode and seventeen good-to-excellent ones. Not a bad way to spend nine hours...

Happy Thanksgiving y'all!

SyFy's 4th of July Twilight Zone marathon 2013

Well, the 4^th of July is upon us once again, and SyFy is presenting yet another Twilight Zone marathon.  Here’s the schedule (all times in Eastern):

08:00 AM  Walking Distance

08:30 AM  The Shelter

09:00 AM  The Old Man In The Cave

09:30 AM  People Are Alike All Over

10:00 AM  Probe 7 Over And Out

10:30 AM  A Kind Of a Stopwatch

11:00 AM  A Hundred Yards Over The Rim

11:30 AM  A Game Of Pool

12:00 PM  A Most Unusual Camera

12:30 PM  Stopover In A Quiet Town

01:00 PM  Number Twelve Looks Just Like You

01:30 PM  I Sing The Body Electric

02:00 PM  Five Characters In Search Of An Exit

02:30 PM  Nick Of Time

03:00 PM  Kick The Can

03:30 PM  Where Is Everybody?

04:00 PM  It’s A Good Life

04:30 PM  The Hitch-hiker

05:00 PM  Third From The Sun

05:30 PM  The Invaders

06:00 PM  The Masks

06:30 PM  Living Doll

07:00 PM  The Obsolete Man

07:30 PM  Time Enough At Last

08:00 PM  A Stop At Willoughby

08:30 PM  Eye Of The Beholder

09:00 PM  To Serve Man

09:30 PM  Nightmare At 20,000 Feet

10:00 PM  Will The Real Martian Please Stand Up?

10:30 PM  The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street

11:00 PM  The Howling Man

11:30 PM  The Odyssey Of Flight 33

12:00 AM The Midnight Sun

12:30 AM  The Bewitchin' Pool

01:00 AM  The Dummy

01:30 AM  Dead Man's Shoes

02:00 AM  Night Of The Meek

02:30 AM  Night Call

03:00 AM  A Penny For Your Thoughts

03:30 AM  Long Distance Call

04:00 AM  Little Girl Lost

04:30 AM  The After Hours

05:00 AM  The Little People

05:30 AM  Caesar And Me

Season 1 = blue (9 episodes)

Season 2 = red (12 episodes)

Season 3 = green (12 episodes)

Season 4 = N/A

Season 5 = orange (11 episodes)

Length of marathon:  22 hours

Total episodes: 44

The marathon lasts 22 hours, and is comprised of 44 half-hour episodes. Season 4 is nowhere to be found (which doesn’t particularly bother me, since I very recently completed the arduous task of reviewing the entire season with supersized blog entries to match the double-length format).  The other four seasons could’ve been equally represented with 11 episodes from each, which is NOT the case (the first season, which is by far the best, is only granted 9 episodes).  But you know what?  I don’t give a damn either way, since I won’t be watching it.  I can’t abide the syndication cuts, the crappy image quality, and the intrusive commercials.  Your mileage may vary, of course.

SyFy New Year’s Marathon 2012

It’s that time again. This time around SyFy is airing a whopping 45 hours’ worth of classic Twilight Zone (half an hour more than last year!). Here’s the schedule, color-coded for your convenience (all times are Eastern).

Season 1 = blue (28)

Season 2 = red (18)

Season 3 = green (21)

Season 4 = N/A

Season 5 = purple (23)

Dec. 31, 2012

08:00 am: “The Fever”
08:30 am: “Perchance to Dream”
09:00 am: “One for the Angels”
09:30 am: “The Prime Mover”
10:00 am: “Death’s-Head Revisited”
10:30 am: “What You Need”
11:00 am: “The Jeopardy Room”
11:30 am: “The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine”
12:00 pm: “Long Live Walter Jameson”
12:30 pm: “A Piano in the House”
01:00 pm: “What’s in the Box”
01:30 pm: “Black Leather Jackets”
02:00 pm: “A Nice Place to Visit”
02:30 pm: “The 7th is Made up of Phantoms”
03:00 pm: “King Nine Will Not Return”
03:30 pm: “Mr. Denton on Doomsday”
04:00 pm: “The Shelter”
04:30 pm: “Night of the Meek”
05:00 pm: “It’s a Good Life”
05:30 pm: “Probe 7, Over and Out”
06:00 pm: “A Kind of Stopwatch”
06:30 pm: “Little Girl Lost”
07:00 pm: “Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?”
07:30 pm: “Eye of the Beholder”
08:00 pm: “The Invaders”
08:30 pm: “Where is Everybody?”
09:00 pm: “The Hitch-Hiker”
09:30 pm: “To Serve Man”
10:00 pm: “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet”
10:30 pm: “Living Doll”
11:00pm: “The Masks”
11:30 pm: “I Sing the Body Electric”

Jan. 1, 2013

12:00 am: “The Midnight Sun”
12:30 am: “Stopover in a Quiet Town”
01:00 am: “Long Distance Call”
01:30 am: “The Old Man in the Cave”
02:00 am: “The After Hours”
02:30 am: “Mr. Bevis”
03:00 am: “Twenty Two”
03:30 am: “The Grave”
04:00 am: “Night Call”
04:30 am: “Judgment Night”
05:00 am: “Nightmare as a Child”
05:30 am: “The Four of Us Are Dying”
06:00 am: “The Silence”
06:30 am: “I Shot an Arrow into the Air”
07:00 am: “In Praise of Pip”
07:30 am: “Uncle Simon”
08:00 am: “Queen of the Nile”
08:30 am: “A World of His Own”
09:00 am: “Mr. Garrity and the Graves”
09:30 am: “A Thing About Machines”
10:00 am: “The Last Rites of Jeff Myrtlebank”
10:30 am: “Hocus-Pocus and Frisby”
11:00 am: “A Short Drink from a Certain Fountain”
11:30 am: “The Arrival”
12:00 pm: “Escape Clause”
12:30 pm: “And When the Sky Was Opened”
01:00 pm: “The Hunt”
01:30 pm: “People Are Alike All Over”
02:00 pm: “Caesar and Me”
02:30 pm: “The Odyssey of Flight 33″
03:00 pm: “A Penny for Your Thoughts”
03:30 pm: “Third from the Sun”
04:00 pm: “The Little People”
04:30 pm: “Nick of Time”
05:00 pm: “Number 12 Looks Just Like You”
05:30 pm: “A Hundred Yards Over the Rim”
06:00 pm: “A Most Unusual Camera”
06:30 pm: “Five Characters in Search of an Exit”
07:00 pm: “A Stop at Willoughby”
07:30 pm: “The Monsters are Due on Maple Street”
08:00 pm: “The Howling Man”
08:30 pm: “Time Enough at Last”
09:00 pm: “The Bewitchin’ Pool”
09:30 pm: “Kick the Can”
10:00 pm: “The Obsolete Man”
10:30 pm: “The Dummy”
11:00 pm: “Dead Man’s Shoes”
11:30 pm: “A Game of Pool”

Jan. 2, 2013

12:00 am: “The Rip Van Winkle Caper”
12:30 am: “I Am the Night — Color Me Black”
01:00 am: “Walking Distance”
01:30 am: “Ring-a-Ding Girl”
02:00 am: “Mr. Dingle, the Strong”
02:30 am: “The Lonely”
03:00 am: “Two”
03:30 am: “The Brain Center at Whipple’s”
04:00 am: “The Last Flight”
04:30 am: “The Purple Testament”

Thoughts:

Oh look, they’re showing “The Midnight Sun” at midnight again… cute.

Like last year, the eighteen hour-long episodes from season 4 aren’t represented at all, which is a goddamned shame, given that January 3^rd marks the 50^th anniversary of season 4’s premiere!  Way to go, idiots.

SyFy has actually assembled (or, more likely, thrown together blindfolded) a fairly equal sampling from the four seasons (all half-hour episodes); however, their choices are somewhat baffling.  They’ve included offensive crap like “Mr. Bevis” and “Mr. Dingle, the Strong” while leaving out classics like “Shadow Play” and “Mirror Image.”  Dumb, dumb, dumb. 

I’m sure my tone belies my true feelings: these marathons are largely bullshit.  I continue to report on them because… well… why exactly do I bother?  I never watch them, since I have the entire series on blu-ray, uncut and complete, in pristine high-definition (I also have high-def rips of all 156 episodes on my laptop; how else do you think I get my screen captures?).  I guess I feel obligated to pass on the information, and I guess it’s nice that SyFy does these marathons at all.  I guess if one person stumbles across this blog, sees the schedule and tunes in, and subsequently becomes a TZ fan for life, then it was worth it.*

*If you’re reading this and you've never seen The Twilight Zone, and your interest is sufficiently piqued to tune in and sample a few episodes, drop me a line in the comments section and let me know.  I’m still waiting for that rare opportunity to change somebody’s life….

SyFy's 4th of July Twilight Zone marathon 2012

If you like your Twilight Zone blurry, scratched up, missing scenes and interrupted by frequent commercial breaks, then SyFy's 4th of July marathon is for you!  Here's the schedule (all times are eastern):

7/04/2012

08:00 AM Probe 7 Over And Out
08:30 AM Caesar And Me
09:00 AM The Old Man In The Cave
09:30 AM Mr. Dingle, The Strong
10:00 AM A Kind Of Stopwatch
10:30 AM A Hundred Yards Over The Rim
11:00 AM Little Girl Lost
11:30 AM A Game Of Pool
12:00 PM Long Distance Call
12:30 PM A Most Unusual Camera
01:00 PM Stopover In A Quiet Town
01:30 PM Number Twelve Looks Just Like You
02:00 PM I Sing The Body Electric
02:30 PM Five Characters In Search Of An Exit
03:00 PM Night Of The Meek
03:30 PM Kick The Can
04:00 PM Where Is Everybody
04:30 PM Dead Man's Shoes
05:00 PM The Hitch-hiker
05:30 PM The Dummy
06:00 PM The Invaders
06:30 PM The Bewitchin' Pool
07:00 PM Living Doll
07:30 PM The Howling Man
08:00 PM Will The Real Martian Please Stand Up
08:30 PM The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street
09:00 PM Nightmare At 20,000 Feet
09:30 PM Time Enough At Last
10:00 PM To Serve Man
10:30 PM A Stop At Willoughby
11:00 PM Eye Of The Beholder
11:30 PM The Obsolete Man

7/05/2012

12:00 AM The Midnight Sun
12:30 AM The Odyssey Of Flight 33
01:00 AM The Masks
01:30 AM Third From The Sun
02:00 AM It's A Good Life
02:30 AM Nick Of Time
03:00 AM Night Call
03:30 AM A Penny For Your Thoughts
04:00 AM The After Hours
04:30 AM The Little People

Now, if you prefer your Zone complete and uncut, in pristine high definition and supplemented with extensive bonus features, treat yourself to Image Entertainment's wonderful blu-ray treatment of the series (no, I'm not gonna stop harping on this until every one of you takes the plunge).  The complete series is available as I type this for $230.95 from Amazon, which is a helluva deal.

I've emailed Image Entertainment to see if early purchasers of the individual season sets (like yours truly) can possible get that gorgeous outer box, perhaps for a nominal fee.  I'll report back after they've (hopefully) answered.

Happy 4th, folks!

SyFy New Year's Eve Marathon 2011

Here we are, on the cusp of a brand new year. To ring it in, SyFy is airing a whopping 44.5 hours of The Twilight Zone! Here’s the schedule….

12/31/2011

09:00 AM Escape Clause
09:30 AM In Praise Of Pip
10:00 AM Ring-A-Ding Girl
10:30 AM And When The Sky Was Opened
11:00 AM The Silence
11:30 AM The Hunt
12:00 PM I Am The Night - Color Me Black
12:30 PM The Rip Van Winkle Caper
01:00 PM Queen Of The Nile
01:30 PM Caesar And Me
02:00 PM Probe 7, Over And Out
02:30 PM Mr. Dingle, The Strong
03:00 PM A Kind of a Stopwatch
03:30 PM The Little People
04:00 PM A Hundred Yards Over The Rim
04:30 PM The After Hours
05:00 PM Little Girl Lost
05:30 PM A Game Of Pool
06:00 PM Long Distance Call
06:30 PM A Most Unusual Camera
07:00 PM Stopover In A Quiet Town
07:30 PM Number Twelve Looks Just Like You
08:00 PM A Penny For Your Thoughts
08:30 PM I Sing The Body Electric
09:00 PM Night Call
09:30 PM Five Characters In Search Of An Exit
10:00 PM Nick Of Time
10:30 PM Night Of The Meek
11:00 PM Kick The Can
11:30 PM Where Is Everybody?

1/01/2012

12:00 AM The Midnight Sun
12:30 AM People Are Alike All Over
01:00 AM Walking Distance
01:30 AM I Shot An Arrow Into The Air
02:00 AM Two
02:30 AM Uncle Simon
03:00 AM A World Of His Own
03:30 AM Hocus-Pocus And Frisby
04:00 AM The Lonely
04:30 AM A Short Drink From A Certain Fountain
05:00 AM A Thing About Machines
05:30 AM The Arrival
06:00 AM The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine
06:30 AM The Brain Center At Whipple's
07:00 AM Judgment Night
07:30 AM The Last Rights Of Jeff Myrtlebank
08:00 AM The Four Of Us Are Dying
08:30 AM The Jeopardy Room
09:00 AM Black Leather Jackets
09:30 AM A Piano In The House
10:00 AM A Nice Place To Visit
10:30 AM Twenty-two
11:00 AM King Nine Will Not Return
11:30 AM The 7th Is Made Up Of Phantoms
12:00 PM The Grave
12:30 PM Death's Head Revisited
01:00 PM One For The Angels
01:30 PM The Old Man In The Cave
02:00 PM It's A Good Life
02:30 PM Dead Man's Shoes
03:00 PM The Hitch-Hiker
03:30 PM The Dummy
04:00 PM Third From The Sun
04:30 PM The Invaders
05:00 PM The Bewitchin' Pool
05:30 PM The Midnight Sun (2nd airing)
06:00 PM The Masks
06:30 PM The Howling Man
07:00 PM The Odyssey Of Flight 33
07:30 PM Living Doll
08:00 PM The Obsolete Man
08:30 PM Eye Of The Beholder
09:00 PM Time Enough At Last
09:30 PM A Stop At Willoughby
10:00 PM The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street
10:30 PM To Serve Man
11:00 PM Will The Real Martian Please Stand Up?
11:30 PM Nightmare At 20,000 Feet

1/02/2012

12:00 AM The Shelter
12:30 AM Mr. Bevis
01:00 AM Mr. Denton On Doomsday
01:30 AM The Fever
02:00 AM Nightmare As A Child
02:30 AM What's In The Box
03:00 AM The Prime Mover
03:30 AM Mr. Garrity And The Graves
04:00 AM Perchance To Dream
04:30 AM Long Live Walter Jameson
05:00 AM What You Need


Thoughts:

“The Midnight Sun” is airing at…. midnight. Nice touch. But then they’re showing it again 17 ½ hours later… not sure why.

Since no hour-long episodes are included in the marathon, a total of 88 half-hour episodes are being shown (it would’ve been 89; thanks, “The Midnight Sun”). There are 138 half-hour episodes in the series’ run, which means 50 half-hour episodes have been left out. Here are 11 of the most egregious exclusions:

The Purple Testament
Mirror Image
A World of Difference
A Passage for Trumpet
Nervous Man in a Four Dollar Room
Shadow Play
Nothing in the Dark
The Fugitive
The Changing of the Guard
Steel
An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge

Meanwhile, SyFy is including such clunkers as “Mr. Dingle, the Strong,” “Caesar and Me,” and… yep, the reviled, putrescent stinkfest that is “Mr. Bevis.” The mind reels. And why are the hour-long episodes being ignored, exactly?

As with any other TZ marathon… I won’t be watching. I have the entire series on blu-ray, so I don’t need to sit through hacked-up syndication prints interrupted by commercials. Still, I wish more thought went into the selections. The thought of such an extensive marathon excluding beloved episodes like “Mirror Image” and “Shadow Play” just makes me sad.

And… that’s a wrap for 2011. On to 2012, where many surprises await… including Kanamit Week, coming up in March….

SyFy's 4th of July Twilight Zone marathon....

... is on right now! It started about 2 1/2 hours ago. Guess I came back from my sabbatical just in time, eh?


Actually, I don't watch TZ on TV. Commercials, syndication cuts, scratched-up prints, etc. No thanks. I'll stick with my blu-rays, which are complete and gorgeous to behold. However, I totally dig the marathon concept and, if my fellow TZ devotees lived closer to me, I'd totally be down with watching one in a group setting. Alas, I remain isolated in my obsession. Sigh. No, wait. Double sigh.

Ahem. For those of you who perhaps don't own the series on home video, or just wanna watch the marathon for the hell of it, here's the schedule (times are eastern):

Jul 3
09:00 AM The Rip Van Winkle Caper
09:30 AM Mirror Image
10:00 AM The Lonely
10:30 AM Hocus-pocus And Frisby
11:00 AM The Last Rights Of Jeff Myrtlebank
11:30 AM Mr. Bevis
12:00 PM A Thing About Machines
12:30 PM Number Twelve Looks Just Like You
01:00 PM The Shelter
01:30 PM A Short Drink From A Certain Fountain
02:00 PM I Shot An Arrow Into The Air
02:30 PM A Kind Of Stopwatch
03:00 PM Little Girl Lost
03:30 PM The 7th Is Made Up Of Phantoms
04:00 PM Mr. Dingle, The Strong
04:30 PM People Are Alike All Over
05:00 PM A Game Of Pool
05:30 PM The Bewitchin' Pool
06:00 PM Death's Head Revisited
06:30 PM Long Distance Call
07:00 PM Living Doll
07:30 PM Nightmare At 20,000 Feet
08:00 PM Time Enough At Last
08:30 PM The Howling Man
09:00 PM The Monsters Are Due On Maple Street
09:30 PM The Masks
10:00 PM To Serve Man
10:30 PM Where Is Everybody
11:00 PM It's A Good Life
11:30 PM A Most Unusual Camera

Jul 4th
12:00 AM The Midnight Sun
12:30 AM A Hundred Yards Over The Rim
01:00 AM Nightmare As A Child
01:30 AM I Am The Night - Color Me Black
02:00 AM Nothing In The Dark
02:30 AM The After Hours
03:00 AM The Fear
03:30 AM A Nice Place To Visit
04:00 AM In Praise Of Pip
04:30 AM What's In The Box
05:00 AM Perchance To Dream

08:00 AM Two
08:30 AM The Changing Of The Guard
09:00 AM Dead Man's Shoes
09:30 AM Ninety Years Without Slumbering
10:00 AM The Hunt
10:30 AM The Old Man In The Cave
11:00 AM The Last Flight
11:30 AM The Fever
12:00 PM A Penny For Your Thoughts
12:30 PM Stopover In A Quiet Town
01:00 PM A World Of His Own
01:30 PM Mr. Denton On Doomsday
02:00 PM The Little People
02:30 PM Nick Of Time
03:00 PM The Dummy
03:30 PM And When The Sky Was Opened
04:00 PM Escape Clause
04:30 PM Mr. Garrity And The Graves
05:00 PM Probe 7 Over And Out
05:30 PM One For The Angels
06:00 PM The Obsolete Man
06:30 PM Third From The Sun
07:00 PM The Hitch-hiker
07:30 PM Eye Of The Beholder
08:00 PM Will The Real Martian Please Stand Up
08:30 PM Kick The Can
09:00 PM The Odyssey Of Flight 33
09:30 PM A Stop At Willoughby
10:00 PM Five Characters In Search Of An Exit
10:30 PM The Invaders
11:00 PM I Sing The Body Electric
11:30 PM Walking Distance

July 5th
12:00 AM Night Of The Meek
12:30 AM Night Call
01:00 AM The Grave
01:30 AM Queen Of The Nile
02:00 AM Ring-a-ding Girl
02:30 AM The Four Of Us Are Dying
03:00 AM A Piano In The House
03:30 AM Twenty-two

So it's around 8:30 here. I flipped on SyFy for a quick glance, and what did I see? My all-time MOST HATED EPISODE, the wretched "Mr. Bevis." The print looks blurry, scratchy, and just plain ugly. SyFy has good prints at their disposal (they aired a pristine print of "The Lonely" five or six years ago), so why aren't they airing them? Triple sigh.