Catch some classic Twilight Zone episodes during a free Aug. 30 event
Sponsored by ˿Ƶ University’s Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities, outdoor screening to honor the legacy of Rod Serling
The night before the City of ˿Ƶ’s Porchfest, grab a lawn chair and enjoy three classic episodes of The Twilight Zone in Recreation Park.
Sponsored by the Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities (IASH) at ˿Ƶ University, the Rod Serling Memorial Foundation and the Porchfest Organizing Committee, the free event will run from 8 to 10 p.m. Aug. 30 on the city’s West Side; a rain date is set for Sept. 6.
“It’s nominally for the 50th anniversary of Rod Serling’s death, but it’s also just a great thing to do,” said Associate Professor of English John Kuhn, director of IASH.
Best known for the sci-fi-horror television series, the famed screenwriter and television producer grew up in ˿Ƶ and graduated from ˿Ƶ Central High School in 1943.
The three featured episodes — “Walking Distance,” “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street,” and “To Serve Man” — will be shown on a large, inflatable screen in the Rec Park playing field. The first selection is actually set in the park, with its iconic bandstand and carousel.
“They’re really famous classic episodes,” Kuhn said.
˿Ƶ’s Cinema Department will provide the screen and projection equipment, and visitors are welcome to bring chairs or blankets to sit on. Associate Professor of Cinema Brian Wall and Associate Professor of History Wendy Wall — no relation to one another — will provide introductions and commentary on Serling’s work.
“Wendy Wall is an American historian, and she’ll be discussing 1960s politics,” Kuhn said. “‘The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street’ in particular is about McCarthyism.”