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Entering the Fifth Dimension: A Twilight Zone Podcast — TV & Film
Entering the Fifth Dimension: A Twilight Zone Podcast

You are Entering the Fifth Dimension, a fan podcast dedicated to the sci-fi classic, The Twilight Zone. It’s a dimension not only of sound but of exploration. A journey into the wondrous world of the new Jordan Peele series on CBS All-Access and the original Rod Serling episodes we all cherish. That’s the signpost up ahead—your next stop, The Fifth Dimension!

Latest Episodes:

Before They Were Famous Part 2 Nov 30, 2022

Show notes

Hollywood legends Dennis Weaver and Robert Duvall each made trips into The Twilight Zone. In the season 2 episode, "Shadow Play," Dennis Weaver portrayed Adam Grant, a man stuck in a dream where he is convicted to die over and over again in the electric chair. In season 4, Robert Duvall starred in, "Miniature," a story where Charley Parkes falls in love with a woman from a museum display. Each of these two brilliant actors showed why they would soon become Hollywood legends.

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Mind Your Business Oct 26, 2022

Show notes

The power of the human mind is perhaps often underestimated, but it's certainly capable of much more once it enters the Twilight Zone. Season 2 of Rod Serling's masterpiece gave us two excellent examples. Episode 16 features Dick York in, "A Penny for Your Thoughts" and episode 27 showcases Shelley Berman in, "The Mind and the Matter." Both of these light-hearted episodes had us cracking up and enjoying our trip to the Twilight Zone!

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For the Love of Machines Sep 28, 2022

Show notes

Are machines capable of love? Can they learn, adapt, conspire, or feel emotions? They definitely can in the Twilight Zone! In season 3, Ray Bradbury contributed the episode, "I Sing the Body Electric," inspired by Walt Whitman's poem of the same name. After losing their mother, a grieving father acquired a robot to help love, care, and raise his children. In season 5, Bernard C. Schoenfeld contributed the episode, From Agnes, With Love" in which a computer programmer is tormented by the jealous computer he works with at his office. In our Whipples segment we explore robotics, humanity, self-awareness, and other film projects that have tacked similar subjects as these episodes.

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I See Dead People Sep 02, 2022

Show notes

Whether it's on the train to Willoughby or coming home from a 'coon hunt, you never know when you might find yourself on a journey to the after life. You might discover that you're seeing dead people and don't know it, or even that you yourself have passed into the afterlife. At least, that's the case with Mr. Williams and the Old Man in "A Stop at Willoughby" and "The Hunt."

These two stories give us quite different approaches to dying and what it's like passing on to the afterlife, but both episodes hit their marks quite well and earn high scores from us and other viewers. Whether you grew up in the country like Darrell, or are a city boy like Robert, we think you'll like this month's trip to the Zone

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Elderly Exploits Jul 31, 2022

Show notes

Stories that focus on the young or the elderly tend to bring us as viewers into an introspective frame of mind. Season 3 of The Twilight Zone gives us two such examples of this. "Kick the Can" blends both the elderly and the young into the storyline, giving us a double punch to ponder the innocence and wonder of childhood in a way that makes us never to grow old in our spirit. "The Trade-Ins" helps us appreciate the ones we cherish most and the life we've build together. Written by George Clayton Johnson and Rod Serling respectively, these two stories serve as powerful reminders to make the most of the life we have, enjoy it to the fullest, and never forget what it's like to be young.

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Single Actor Episodes Jun 29, 2022

Show notes

It takes a gifted actor to be able to pull off a single-actor episode. When executed well - such as Agnes Moorehead's "The Invaders," the episode can become legendary. Since we've already covered that episode, this month we look at two other single-actor episodes. First up is Robert Cummings' season 2 premiere, "King Nine Will Not Return." Cummings portrays a US Air Force pilot who was unable to pilot what ended up being a fateful flight that took the lives of his entire crew. Next up we look at Mickey Rooney's season 5 episode, "The Last Night of a Jockey." Rooney plays Grady, a jockey who wishes he were big after being suspended for fixing races and doping.

Each of these episodes was written for their respective leads by Rod Serling himself. While they haven't risen to the top of the Zone echelon like Moorehead's "Invaders," they both showcase top-level performances and offer up lessons on issues that are still very relevant today: mental health. Certainly the lessons Rod penned sixty years ago are ones we need to be reminded of and learn today.

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Jack Klugman Part 2 May 31, 2022

Show notes

Jack Klugman, along with Bergiss Meredith, has the esteemed honor of being one of only two actors to be featured in the lead role of four Twilight Zone episodes. We previously covered, "In Praise of Pip" and "A Passage For Trumpet," and this month we're taking a look at "A Game of Pool" and "Death Ship." In "A Game of Pool," Klugman stars alongside Jonathan Winters in what was Winters' first dramatic role. Both men provided stellar performances that make "Pool" a fan favorite to this day. "Death Ship" tells the story of a space flight crew caught in an unfortunate and eerie Flying Dutchman scenario.

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Transportation Tragedies May 02, 2022

Show notes

Whether driving or flying across the country, tragedy can strike at any moment, especially in the Twilight Zone. This month we take a look at two episodes that capitalize on this true, yet unsettling reality. Season 1 of the Zone gave us "The Hitch-Hiker," a story of Nan Adams who is driving her way from New York to Los Angeles. Unfortunately for Nan, much like Malcolm Crowe in "The Sixth Sense," she doesn't realize that her fate for quite some time. As a result, we're treated with a story with lots of drama and a great twist ending.

In season 5, tragedy struck again with "Ring-a-Ding Girl" starring Maggie McNamara. Maggie plays Bunny Blake who simultaneously seems to be on a cross-country flight, and visiting her family and friends living in her small childhood hometown. Drawn by visions she sees in a piece of jewelry, she somehow comes to the aid of her townsfolk, saving them from being victims of the wreckage that took her own life. It's another twist ending, and one that leaves the viewer scratching their head as something that only makes sense within the bounds of the Twilight Zone.

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I am the Night - Color Me Black Mar 29, 2022

Show notes

Throughout the 1950's and 60's Rod Serling wrote several stories aimed at shedding light on racial issues with blacks in America. His stories were often watered down or changed to other racial groups by network executives or sponsors, leaving Rod in a state of frustration. When JFK was gunned down in Dallas on the afternoon of November 22, 1963, Rod was inspired to write "I am the Night - Color Me Black," an episode which not only addresses racism and bigotry head on, but it also addressed hate all over the world.

"I am the Night" released in March of 1964, and it can be challenging for today's audience to appreciate its impact or tone. To help us better understand life in the 1960's for black Americans, and give us a perspective on how things are today, we're joined this month by Rodney Barnes. Rodney is a thirty year veteran of Hollywood, working on projects like "Everybody Hates Chris," "Major Payne," "The Green Mile, and "Wu-Tang: An American Saga." Most recently, Rodney is the executive producer and co-writer of the HBO Max Docu—Dramedy called "Winning Time." He is also a critically acclaimed Graphic Novelist with his killidelphia Series.

We had a very enlightening and enjoyable conversation with Rodney, and it's our honor to bring you this discussion for this month's episode of Entering the Fifth Dimension.

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Before the Bat Feb 28, 2022

Show notes

Beloved as Catwoman from the 1960's Batman series, Julie Newmar first appeared as Miss Devlin on the season 4 Twilight Zone episode, "Of Late I think of Cliffordville." Pat Hingle, who played the role of Commissioner Gordon in the 1980's and 90's Batman films, made his Twilight Zone appearance in the season 4 episode, "The Incredible World of Horace Ford."

Besides featuring actors who would later appear in the Batman universe, these two episodes features plots involving men who can't let go of their past. While "Cliffordville" tells the tale of a business tycoon who finds his life empty after reaching the top of the mountain, "Horace Ford" features a story of a man who evidently hasn't matured into adulthood. One of these episodes, while far from perfect, still does a fairly good job of landing its intended message. However, the other episode fails to land coherently for either Darrell or Robert and even caused them to wonder if it might be the worst Twilight Zone episode of them all.

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