The 50th Anniversary of Pillow Talk

It was on October 6, 1959 that a motion picture debuted that would change movies forever. It teamed two of the biggest box office draws of the era, Doris Day and Rock Hudson, for the first time. And while it was not the first of the Sixties sex comedies , it became the quintessential Sixties sex comedy (even if it was released at the tail end of the Fifties). That film was Pillow Talk. Directed by Michael Gordon and produced by Ross Hunter and Doris Day's husband, Martin Melcher, it would arguably become Doris Day's most famous film. It would also cement the cycle towards sex comedies that had begun with Teacher's Pet (another Doris Day vehicle) and would continue until 1968 with the release of Where Were You When the Lights Went Out (another Doris Day vehicle).

Even though Doris Day had played the sexually charged role of Ruth Etting in the biopic Love Me or Leave Me and had already appeared in the sex comedies Teacher's Pet and It Happened to Jane, as of 1959 Doris Day's image was still very much that of the girl next door. It was producer Ross Hunter who realised that Doris Day had a great deal of sex appeal which had never been fully exploited. What is more, Hunter figured that Day's sex appeal could be brought out even more by teaming her with six foot four, handsome Rock Hudson?

Primarily written by Stanley Shapiro, a veteran of the TV show The Real McCoys and a writer on the sex comedy The Perfect Furlough, and Maurice Richlin, another veteran of The Real McCoys who would go onto write both Operation Petticoat and The Pink Panther, Pillow Talk had a very complex premise. Rock Hudson and Doris Day played  playboy Brad Allen and interior decorator Jan Morrow respectively, two people who live in the same apartment building but have never met, and who find themselves constantly at odds over the use of the building's party line. When Brad finally sees Jan at a nightclub, he puts on the charade of being rich Texas rancher Tex Stetson to get close to her. Pillow Talk featured all the hallmarks for which the Sixties sex comedies would become known: the battle of the sexes, ridiculous situations, a strong element of deceit  (usually a character pretending to be someone else, as in Pillow Talk), glamourous settings, and lavish costumes. Indeed, Pillow Talk may be the first sex comedy to feature an extravagant bachelor pad of the sort which often appeared in the sex comedies of the Sixties. While very much a product of the sexual revolution, in many respects it was also a throwback to sophisticated comedies of the sort made in the Thirties. The dialogue was witty and came fast and furious.

Oddly enough, Rock Hudson was initially resistant to doing the film. Rock Hudson was worried about doing a comedy, worried that he might well fall on his face. He was concerned whether he could play a "Cary Grant role." He finally accepted the part  of Brad Allen, on the condition that his friend Nick Adams receive a role as well.  It was director Michael Gordon who eventually persuaded Hudson to take the role, with some advice on playing comedy, "No matter how absurd the situations may appear to the viewer, to the people involved, it's a matter of life and death." Surprisingly, Rock Hudson thought Doris Day would be a cool blonde, a woman "...as warm as a December night on an ice floe." He was very pleasantly surprised to find Doris Day was warm and very friendly. In fact, the two got along so well that they developed nicknames for each other: Hudson called Day, "Eunice" and Doris called Hudson "Ernie." It was the beginning of a lifelong friendship.

Pillow Talk benefited from a stellar cast aside from Doris Day and Rock Hudson. Tony Randall had already starred in what could be considered a predecessor to the Sixties sex comedies, Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter, and a Sixties sex comedy of his own, The Mating Game (released only a few months prior to Pillow Talk). He appeared in the sort of role played by Gig Young in two previous Doris Day comedies, Young at Heart and Teacher's Pet--that of the rival for the girl's heart . Not only would he appear in all three movies Rock Hudson and Doris Day made together, but he would appear in yet other sex comedies as well. Veteran character actress Thelma Ritter appeared as Jan's sardonic housekeeper who always had a hangover.

While the cast and crew of Pillow Talk got along well, the movie did experience some problems during shooting. In a scene in which Rock Hudson was supposed to pull Doris Day out of bed by grabbing her by the ankles and pulling her off the bed, he forgot to let go of her ankles. The result was that Day landed onto the floor hard. Day took it all in stride, grinning at him and asking, "Would you please let go of my ankles?" The scene in which Hudson had to carry Day through the apartment lobby and into the street also entailed some problems. Hudson had problems with his back, so a harness had to be devised which allowed him to carry Day without much difficulty. In scene where Tony Randall's character was to be punched by restaurant customers, Randall was simply supposed to act as if he was hit hard and slide down the booth in which he had been sitting as if unconscious. Instead the actor really did hit him, so hard that he actually knocked Randall out! The shot turned out so well that it was used in the final cut of the film. Julia Meade, who played Brad's girlfriend Marie, did a live commercial each week on The Ed Sullivan Show in New York City. As a result, every Saturday she flew to New York, returning after the show aired on Sunday night.

Amazingly enough,  even though Pillow Talk starred two of the biggest box office draws of the time, producer Ross Hunter had problems convincing cinema managers to book the movie. The big movie chains felt that sophisticated comedies were no longer fashionable. After all, this was the era of big budget spectacles and war movies. Finally, Hunter convinced Sol Schwartz, owner of the Palace Theatre in New York to get Pillow Talk for a two week run. The movie proved to be a huge hit there. In no time Pillow Talk was very much in demand from cinema owners.

Pillow Talk debuted on October 6, 1959 in New York City, then went nationwide the next day, on October 7. Over all the film received sterling reviews from critics. It would be the number one movie for very nearly two months. In the end it would be the seventh highest grossing film of 1959. It was nominated for no less than five Oscars and won the Academy Award for Best Writing, Story and Screenplay - Written Directly for the Screen.

Naturally, Pillow Talk would have a huge impact on the movies of the Sixties. Pillow Talk was not the first Sixties sex comedy. The cycle towards Sixties sex comedies had begun in 1958 with Teacher's Pet and there were a few other sex comedies which had preceded it. That having been said, the phenomenal success of Pillow Talk guaranteed that the cycle would continue for many years to come. From 1958 to 1968 approximately there would be around forty different sex comedies. As might be expected, Pillow Talk had a huge impact on Doris Day's career. From 1959 to 1966 Doris Day would rank in the annual exhibitors' poll of the top ten box office stars, more than any other actress besides Betty Grable since the poll had begun in 1932. For three years, from 1962 to 1965, she was the top box office star in the poll. To this day, according to the annual Quigley Publishing poll's All-Time Number One Stars list, Doris Day remains the top female star in terms of box office. Doris Day and Rock Hudson would ultimately make three more movies together (Lover Come Back and Send Me No Flowers). Doris Day herself would make several more sex comedies, to the point that it is now the genre of film for which she is best known.

I am not certain how old I was when I first saw Pillow Talk. I know that it was very much a part of my childhood. Of course, at the time many of the jokes went well over my head. It is perhaps for that reason that as an adult I developed a newfound appreciation of the movie. In fact, it is one of those films that seems to improve with each viewing, as I seem to find something new in it each time. While I enjoyed it a good deal as a child, as an adult it would become one of my favourite films of all time.

Pillow Talk did not start the cycle towards Sixties sex comedies, but its success guaranteed that the genre would continue for years to come. Its influence would extend to the sex comedies which succeeded it in the Sixties, as well as tributes to the genre such as Down With Love. For both Doris Day and Rock Hudson it perhaps remains their best known movie. It was the sophisticated comedy which found success in an age of big budget spectacles, a racy comedy in an era of conservatism. Quite simply, Pillow Talk could be one of the most influential film comedies of all time.

Pink Rocks Madison Square Garden Concert on 5 Oct, 2009

The 40th Anniversary of Monty Python's Flying Circus

(Warning: Monty Python's Flying Circus at times dealt with subject matter that some might find objectionable.If you are sensitive about such things, then proceed at your own risk. If you are a child, then please move onto a more suitable site....).

Tonight it will have been 40 years since the TV show Monty Python's Flying Circus debuted. It was a comedy show like no other before it and like no other since. Its brand of humour was so unique that the term Pythonesque had to be invented just to describe it.

While Monty Python's Flying Circus was starkly original when it debuted on Sunday night, 5 October, 1969, there had been a few forerunners to the show. Its style was influenced to some degree by the humour of Spike Milligan, veteran of The Goon Show. Milligan's series Q, which debuted in March 1969,  possessed a similar style of surreal, freeform humour, to the point that the Pythons worried that their show (which was in development at the time) might be too similar. It was also preceded by television programmes featuring members of the Python troupe itself. Do Not Adjust Your Set was an ITV children's show which featured Eric Idle, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin, and still later animation by Terry Gilliam. It aired from 1967 to 1969. At Last the 1948 Show was a satirical show which was made for ITV in 1967. It featured John Cleese and Graham Chapman. It was also preceded by the radio shows The Goon Show and Round the Home, which was the creation of comedian and writer Barry Took. It was in many ways the radio equivalent to Monty Python's Flying Circus.

It was Barry Took who would be largely responsible forMonty Python's Flying Circus coming into being. He suggested to the BBC a new comedy series that would team writers Michael Palin and Terry Jones, alongside Graham Chapman and John Cleese. Many names were considered before Monty Python's Flying Circus was settled upon. Among those names were Owl-Stretching Time, Bun, Whackett, Buzzard, Stubble and Boot, A Toad Elevating Moment, A Toad Elevating Moment, A Horse, a Bucket and a Spoon, and It's.... It was Michael Mills, BBC's Head of Comedy, that insisted that the title must have the word circus in it, as the show's troupe was referred to as a "circus" by BBC employees. It was then that such names as Baron Von Took's Flying Circus (after another remark from Mills regarding Barry Took) and Gwen Dibley's Flying Circus were considered. Monty Python's Flying Circus was finally chosen, as "Monty Python" sounded like the name of a bad theatrical agent.

When Monty Python's Flying Circus debuted, it was not quite like any comedy show before it. Not only was the show done in a freeform style marked by equal parts sarcasm and satire, but it was often blatantly absurdist.  Examples of the show's absurdist bent were the sketches "Spam (featuring a restaurant which serves nothing but spam, resulting in complaints from customers and a Greek chorus of Vikings singing of "spam"),"  "The Ministry of Silly Walks" (in which a British government agency develops silly walks)," and "The Spanish Inquisition (in which three members of the Spanish Inquisition consistently interrupt other sketches with the words "Nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!").  Monty Python's Flying Circus was also known for its satire, often spoofing two things in the same sketch, as in "Sam Peckinpah's Salad Days (which portrays the British musical Salad Days as directed by Peckinpah)," "The Piranha Brothers (parodying both documentary news programmes and the British underworld)," and "The Lumberjack Song (parodying lumberjacks, the RCMP, and letters from outraged viewers)." In between the sketches was Terry Gilliam's often surreal animation. The humour was also often intellectual tone.

That Monty Python's Flying Circus was intellectual in bent should not be surprising, as the Monty Python troupe was all very educated. Terry Jones and Michael Palin had attended Oxford. John Cleese and Eric Idle had attended Cambridge. Terry Gilliam had attended Occidental College in Los Angeles. Contrary to popular belief, the Pythons were not all English. The troupe was composed of four Englishmen (Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, and Michael Palin), and one American (Terry Gilliam). Carol Cleveland, the woman who most frequently performed on the show, had been born in England, but was raised in Philadelphia.

In its first seasons Monty Python's Flying Circus was not subject to much in the way of censorship. The BBC simply requested that the Pythons do whatever they liked, as long as it was within the bounds of the law. Given the content of the show, however, it was inevitable that more conservative groups would start voicing their taste for the series. As a result, the BBC began to watch the Pythons more closely. They tried to cut certain words from sketches, including bugger and masturbation. A sketch called "Wee-Wee Wine Tasting (in which wine sampled was actually urine) was censored after both John Cleese  (who disliked scatological humour on the show) and BBC objected. The sketch "Travel Agent," in which Eric Idle played a man with a speech impediment where by he pronounced his "Cs" as "Bs" was also cut. At least two references to cancer were cut, one during a Terry Gilliam animation and another during the sketch "Conquistador Coffee Campaign." Other sketches were cut after they had aired. The sketch "Political Choreographer," which featured John Cleese, as a Conservative Party spokesman, is coached by Eric Idle, as a choreographer, in dancing. The sketch was long feared lost until a tape from a Buffalo, New York TV station was found containing it. An animation of "Satan" that aired "Cartoon Religion" and "How Not To Be Seen" was cut and was feared missing until a 16 mm film print of it was found.

Aside from censorship, Monty Python's Flying Circus also had to suffer through very poor scheduling for much of its run. In its first season it aired at 11:00 PM on Sunday, where it was sometimes pre-empted by local programming. For its second season it aired at 10:15 PM on Tuesday. For its third season it was scheduled at the same time, but on Thursday. It was not until its fourth season that it received a decent time slot, 9 PM on Thursday night. From the beginning the BBC had been very uncomfortable about the show, to the point that it was placed in bad time slots. Amazingly, the viewership for the show continued to grow throughout its run despite poor scheduling.

Monty Python's Flying Circus would run four seasons, ending primarily because it was running out of steam. John Cleese left at the end of the third season. His departure was due in part to his weariness in dealing with partner Graham Chapman's alcoholism and in part to his thought that the show's scripts had declined in quality. Without John Cleese, the Pythons went onto do a fourth season (the only one which featured Terry Gilliam on screen), although it would only be six episodes long. The last original episode of Monty Python's Flying Circus aired on 5 December, 1974.

Of course, Monty Python's Flying Circus would eventually make it to North America. In 1970 sketches from the series aired in Canada on the CBC. It was in 1974 that Dallas PBS station KERA first aired the show. It later appeared on New York PBS station WNET that same year. By 1975 around 131 different American stations were airing Monty Python's Flying Circus. It was that same year that the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) aired episodes of the show in an edited form on their umbrella series Wide World of Entertainment. The Pythons themselves objected, but ABC refused to stop airing the episodes in edited form. As a result the Pythons sued ABC. First the court admitted that their creative rights had been violated, but refused to prohibit ABC from continuing to air edited versions of the episodes. On appeal the Pythons gained control over all broadcasts of the series in the United States from that time forward.

Monty Python would eventually move into other media. In 1970 the troupe released the album Monty Python's Flying Circus, which included such sketches as "Nudge, Nudge" and "The Lumberjack Song." It would be followed by several more albums. Of course, Monty Python's biggest impact would be on film. In 1971 the movie And Now For Something Complete Different was released, compiling several sketches from the show. It would be followed by the movies Monty Python and the Holy Grail in 1975, Monty Python's Life of Brian in 1979, Monty Python Live at the Hollywood Bowl in 1982, and Monty Python's Meaning of Life in 1983. Between 1974 and 1980 Monty Python appeared on stage in shows that used many of the sketches form the TV series. There have also been books and even games.

After the series had ended, the Pythons would go onto their own successful solo careers. Graham Chapman guest starred on several American television shows, and wrote and appeared in the movie Yellowbeard. John Cleese created and starred in the classic sitcom Fawlty Towers, guest starred on several shows on both sides of the Pond, and wrote in starred in such films as A Fish Called Wanda. After co-directing the Monty Python film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Terry Gilliam went onto direct such films as Brazil, The Fisher King, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and others. Eric Idle created another sketch show, Rutland Weekend Television, the mockumentary All You Need is Cash (featuring The Rutles, a parody of The Beatles, which had originated on Rutland Weekend Television), and has appeared in several different films and TV shows. After co-directing Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Terry Jones went onto direct the films Monty Python's Life of Brian, Monty Python's Meaning of Life, Erik the Viking, and The Wind in the Willows. He has also written books on medieval history and appeared in various shows and movies. Michael Palin went onto work on the series Ripping Yarns, and has appeared in the films The Missionary (which he also wrote), Time Bandits, Brazil, A Fish Called Wanda, and All You Need is Cash.

Aside from the movies, records, and stage shows which would be spun off from the series, Monty Python's Flying Circus would have an enormous impact on pop culture. Indeed, the term Pythonesque was coined to describe humour similar to that of Monty Python. In the world of computing, Guido van Rossum's Python programming language is named for the comedy troupe. The use of the word "spam" for junk email is drawn from the sketch "Spam," in reference to the Vikings in the restaurant drowning everything out with their song about Spam. A previously unknown species of giant snake dating to the Miocene Era was given the taxonomic name  Montypythonoides riversleighensis by the palaeontologist who had discovered it. Both the comic strip Monty and its lead character, created by Jim Meddick, are named for Monty Python. Sketches from Monty Python's Flying Circus are referenced to this day. Monty Python's legacy to pop culture is even greater when one includes the films that the troupe made. Monty Python and the Holy Grail may be one of the most quoted films of all time. 

In 2000 the British Film Institute included Monty Python's Flying Circus in the "100 Greatest British Television Programmes," where it ranked fifth. Time included it in its "100 Best TV Shows of All Time" in 2007. If not the most famous British series in the world, it would definitely rank in the top five. After forty years it continues to have an impact on pop culture. In the end, it may be the most famous sketch comedy show of all time.

Dita Von Teese In Spain

Dita Von Teese in Madrid, Spain for a promote appearance. Dita�s Twitter page, She tweeted, �Week 8 of press tour. Don�t need a makeup artist, hairstylist,clothing stylist. But so over doing my own nails. Need good Paris manicurist!�

Some Music For Geeks

I've been under the weather this weekend with a cold, so I don't feel up to a full fledged blog post. I thought then I would leave you with some videos, this time with special appeal to geeks. There was a time when the only bands around that made an effort to appeal to geekdom were Blue Oyster Cult and Hawkwind. Later there would be Monster Magnet and The Consortium of Genius. Another band can be added to this list now, The She Creatures. The She Creatures are a power pop/garage rock/psychedelic band whose inspiration seems to come equally from the music of the Sixties and bad science fiction movies. They apparently come from Venus, by way of Bristol. Anyway, here is their song "Sexy Robot." Special thanks to Jeff Diel for posting this to Facebook!



By the way, if you liked this, you might want to check out their official website. Among other songs, they have a great remake of Paul Revere and the Raiders' "Hungry."

Of course, many geeks and even non-geeks play MMOs (that's short for "massively multiplayer online game"--Everquest is an example). The phenomenon has become so prevalent that it has even inspired an online sitcom, The Guild, which follows a group of MMO players. Created by actress and writer Felicia Day, it may well be one of the best sitcoms in the past few years. Shortly before the debut of its third season, the cast created a parody music video entitled "Do You Wanna Date My Avatar." Felicia Day took her inspiration for the song from Eighties dance songs. For the video, Jed Whedon (brother to Joss Whedon) also drew upon the dance videos of the era (it sort of reminds of Stacey Q.'s "Two of Hearts). Special thanks to Marina for posting this to Row Three quite some time back.



Finally, for those of you who are old timers like me, here is "Master of the Universe" by Hawkwind, complete with trippy visuals...



Good night and good luck, everyone!

The Twilight Zone Turns Fifty

It was fifty years ago tonight, on October 2, 1959, that a show debuted which was like nothing which had ever aired on television before. It was an anthology show which featured tales of a fantastic nature (science fiction, fantasy, horror--sometimes all three at once in a single episode). These tales all had one thing in common--they all took place in  a "...  fifth dimension -- as vast as space and as timeless as infinity...the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition ...," The Twilight Zone.

The Twilight Zone was the creation Rod Serling, at the time one of the most highly regarded writers in television. As of 1959 he had already won four Emmy awards for his writing. Unfortunately, with Serling's success often came frustration. His scripts were often subject to censorship, either by the network or by sponsors. His 1958 teleplay for Playhouse 90, "A Town Has Turned to Dust," had been based on the real life murder of Emmett Till and was set in the modern day South. Because of concerns of offending Southern viewers, it was moved to the American West of the 1870's. Reportedly, in one of Serling's teleplays the Ford Motor Company, which sponsored the show, requested that the Chrysler Building be removed from the New York Skyline. Such battles with the networks and sponsors convinced Serling that he would be better off creating and producing his own show. What is more, Serling found a way around such censorship battles in the genre of fantasy. At the time fantasy was largely ignored by networks and sponsors alike, who could not conceive a serious message being delivered through the genre. Serling had already worked in the fantastic genres, both in radio and on television. An episode he wrote for Suspense, that was later adapted for Playhouse 90, "Nightmare at Ground Zero," bordered on science fiction, dealing as it did with an artist who creates mannequins for nuclear test sites. His first script for Playhouse 90 was an adaptation of Pat Frank's Forbidden Area.

A large influence on The Twilight Zone was one of Rod Serling's favourite radio shows from his youth, Lights Out. Lights Out was a horror anthology created by Wyllis Cooper in 1933. Lights Out was originally hosted by Cooper, and later Arch Oboler when he took over the show. It also had its own stylised introduction and closing. Like Serling would later, Oboler often dealt with political or social issues through the format of a fantasy series. Lights Out was very much like The Twilight Zone, save that it was exclusively a horror anthology series, while The Twilight Zone delved into fantasy and science fiction more often than horror.

It was in 1958 that Rod Serling met with CBS executive William Dozier (best known as the producer of the Sixties Batman series) and pitched the idea for a fantasy anthology series. Dozier was interested enough in the idea to order a pilot script. That script was "The Time Element," the story of a man from 1948, who awakes in Pearl Harbour on December 6, 1941 with the knowledge of the impending attack from the Japanese. While Dozier liked the script, he also realised that hour long anthology series were on their way out. He asked Serling if he could make his series only half an hour. Serling produced another script, which would run a half hour, "The Happy Place." CBS did not particularly care for "The Happy Place" and as a result plans for the series were shelved.

It was about the same time that Bert Granet, producer of Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse, stumbled upon the script for "The Time Element." He bought the script and it aired as an episode of Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse  on November 4, 1958. It garnered the series its highest ratings ever. It was because of the success of "The Time Element" that CBS finally gave The Twilight Zone the green light, with one caveat--the show needed a host or narrator. Although he conducted a talent search, Rod Serling eventually found himself in the position of narrator--originally  providing narration off screen and later appearing on screen.

Here it must be pointed out that Rod Serling did not coin the term "twilight zone." In fact, it was used as early as the 19th Century, by William Jennings Bryan nonetheless. Rod Serling himself admitted that he later learned that it was a United States Air Force term referring to that time when a plane is approaching the ground and its pilot cannot see the horizon.

It was on October 2, 1959 that The Twilight Zone debuted. It's first episode was "Where is Everybody," in which Earl Holliman finds himself alone in a deserted town that seems to have been lived in all the same. "Where is Everybody" set the tone for the rest of the series, complete with a twist ending. "Where is Everybody" was written by Rod Serling. In fact, his contract with CBS stipulated that he would write eighty percent of the show's first season. What is more, The Twilight Zone was produced by Serling's own Cayuga Productions. Of course, Rod Serling was hardly the only writer on the show, even if he ultimately wrote fifty percent of the show's scripts in its five seasons.

In fact, some of the shows most famous episodes were written by Richard Matheson and Charles Beaumont. Richard Matheson was already an established writer of horror, fantasy, and science fiction, having already written the classic novel I Am Legend. He already had a screenplay to his credit (The Incredible Shrinking Man) and had written teleplays for such shows as Studio 57 and Wanted Dead or Alive  Among the episodes which Matheson wrote for The Twilight Zone was "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet," in which William Shatner sees a gremlin while aboard a plane. Charles Beaumont was also an established writer of horror, science fiction, and fantasy. With Jerry Sohl he co-wrote one of the most famous episodes of The Twilight Zone, in which a doll named Talky Tina takes a serious dislike to her owner's stepfather. Among others who wrote episodes for the series were George Clayton Johnson (co-writer of Logan's Run), Earl Hamner (creator of The Waltons), sci-fi and fanstasy writer Jerry Sohl, fantasist Ray Bradbury, and Reginald Rose.

The ratings for that first episode of The Twilight Zone were fairly low. It aired opposite another new show on ABC, The Detectives Starring Robert Taylor, and Gillette Cavalcade of Sports on NBC. Fortunately, word of mouth would soon spread about the strange new anthology series on CBS. As the weeks past, ratings for The Twilight Zone grew. The show would never have exceedingly high ratings, for most of its run hovering in a 19 to 20 Nielsen, but that was enough to keep it on the air.

Unfortunately, the nature of The Twilight Zone and its middling ratings also meant that it was hard for the series to keep sponsors. Kimberly-Clark sponsored its first season, then dropped out. From then on The Twilight Zone changed sponsors frequently. Colgate-Palmolive sponsored the show for a time, as did General Foods and Liggett-Myers. There were points in the show's run where it was literally without a sponsor.

 Indeed, The Twilight Zone would be late in finding a sponsor in its fourth season. As a result its place in the prime time schedule was taken by an hour long sitcom, Fair Exchange. The show's staff was so certain that this was the end that producer Buck Houghton took a position with Four Star Productions while Rod Serling took a teaching position at Antioch College in Yellow Springs, Ohio. As it turned out, however, Fair Exchange performed very poorly in the ratings. It was in November 1963 that CBS made a deal for an hour long version of The Twilight Zone, which would replace Fair Exchange at mid-season. The show's crew was nervous about this expansion to an hour, particularly Rod Serling. There was serious concern whether the show could retain its flavour. Buck Houghton, who had been the show's line producer from the beginning, was replaced by Herbert Hirschman (who had previously worked on both Perry Mason and Dr. Kildare). Hirschman would take an offer from NBC to produce the series Espionage. He was then replaced by Bert Granet, the producer who had bought "The Time Element" for Westinghouse-Desilu Playhouse.

For its fifth season, The Twilight Zone returned to its familiar, half hour format. Bert Granet left the show to be replaced by William Froug. In hindsight, Froug may not have been the best choice for a producer. He effectively drove George Clayton Johnson away from the show when he hired another writer to rewrite one of Johnson's scripts. He also shelved a number of scripts which had been bought when Granet was producer. As it was, the fifth season would be the last for The Twilight Zone. CBS determined that The Twilight Zone was not receiving high enough ratings to warrant its budget and cancelled the show.

ABC expressed some interest in picking up the show, although it would have to be under a new name, Witches, Warlocks and Werewolves. One  reason for the new name was that CBS co-owned The Twilight Zone and hence co-owned the rights to its name. Another reason was that ABC wanted to turn The Twilight Zone into a horror anthology. Rod Serling had little interest in ABC's proposal, although he would eventually create his own supernatural anthology, Night Gallery, in the late Sixties.

After five years and 156 episodes, The Twilight Zone had left its mark on television. The anthology series was critically acclaimed in its first season. It won two Emmy Awards and was nominated for three more. And there was little reason it should not be so well regarded. The Twilight Zone featured some of the best writing of any series of the time, often dealing with such issues as racism, McCarthyism, the Cold War, and so on, all under the heading of "fantasy." The show left viewers with some of the most memorable episodes of any series: aliens arrive on Earth under the guise of "serving" man ("To Serve Man"); a young woman undergoes plastic surgery so she can look like everyone else ("Eye of the Beholder"); a street in a small town is convinced that an alien invasion is imminent ("The Monsters are Due on Maple Street"); and many others.

The Twilight Zone would prove to be one of the most successful shows in syndication. As a result, the show would live on in different formats and would even be revived. In 1981 The Twilight Zone magazine was founded. It ran until 1989. In 1983 a feature film based on the series was released, adapting the episodes "Kick the Can," "It's a Good Life," and "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet." In 1985 CBS revived the series. This incarnation of The Twilight Zone lasted two seasons before the network fired its original production team. Under a new production team it lasted one more season. In 1994, CBS aired a television movie of two Richard Matheson adaptations of Rod Serling short stories under the name Twilight Zone: Rod Serling's Lost Classics (even though both stories were written after the show had been cancelled). In 2002 The Twilight Zone was revived once more, this time on UPN. It only lasted one season. That same year, a radio show based on the series began production.  It  has adapted several episodes of the original show to a radio format.

There can be little doubt that The Twilight Zone is the most famous anthology series of all time. It has also had more impact on Anglo-American pop culture than any other anthology series. Even people who have never seen the show not only know of it, but are even familiar with some of its episodes. It is one of those shows, alongside I Love Lucy and Star Trek and only a few others, which has infiltrated pop culture to such a degree that its theme music, its host (Rod Serling), and elements of its episodes are immediately recognisable. It is doubtful it will ever be forgotten.

Dedicated Followers of Fashion

 Like most bloggers, I have those blogs I read regularly and those I read now and again. In the latter category falls a cat of an impossible colour.  I enjoy reading it because A Cat of an Impossible Colour sometimes posts about her writing (she has a novel coming out in 2011) and her cat Mink (as anyone who has read this blog knows, I love cats). The reason I only read a cat of an impossible colour now and again is because it is first and foremost a blog about vintage fashion. Being a somewhat stereotypical male, my interest in fashion, even vintage fashion, is somewhat limited. I am interested in the fashions of the Victorian Era, the Twenties, and especially Swinging London, but I cannot say I am a dedicated follower of fashion by any means. That having been said, I do respect those who are. After all, while I haven't written much about fashion in this blog, it is very much a part of pop culture. As a pop culture buff and a history buff, I can understand those who are interested in vintage fashion.

It was over a week ago that A Cat of Impossible Colour posted an entry defending an interest in fashion. The gist of this post was that one should not have to give up an interest in fashion or a sense of style to be taken seriously. Quite simply, an interest in fashion does not mean that one is shallow or vain, or lack intelligence. While my interest in fashion is somewhat limited, I happen to agree with her whole heartedly. I know plenty of people who are interested in fashion, and none of them can I say is shallow, vain, or unintelligent.

Indeed, it seems odd to me that someone would even think to class those interested in fashion as shallow, vain, or unintelligent. People do not make these same judgements about an interest in movies, TV shows, books, or music. And like movies, TV shows, books, or music,  fashion is very much a part of pop culture. Just think about it. Certain fashions will bring to mind certain eras of history just as certain songs or movies or TV shows will. Even when they are long out of style, we tend to remember certain fashions to the point that they have become part of our collective unconscious.

In fact, much like other pop culture artefacts such as movies or TV shows or books, fashion can also be an indicator of an era's standards and mores. By way of example, the Twenties were a time of breaking with tradition, an emphasis on modernity, and changes in society ranging from urbanisation to sexual liberation. This was reflected in the fashions of the era. Dresses not only had hemlines that were scandalously high by the standards of earlier eras, but even bared women's shoulders and arms. Suits with long, tight waisted jackets and drainpipe trousers came into fashion for men. These fashions were a reflection of the modernity, the changes in society, and the liberality of the era. By contrast, the Fifties were a much more conservative era. The hemlines of dresses during the Fifties were actually lower than what they had been in the Forties. Dresses tended to be tight to the waist before falling into a full skirt. As for men's fashions, this was the era of the grey flannel suit. Those suits tended to be simpler than the ones of the Forties and not only had shorter jackets, but shorter trousers as well. The fashions of the Fifties then reflected the conservatism of the era. It is for that reason that many who are interested in history or nostalgia are also often interested in vintage fashion as well. Nothing exists in a vacuum. The fashions of a given era will reflect the standards and mores of that time.

Of course, there is another reason not to look down on those with an interest in fashion. It is not often one hears fashion classified as an art, but I see no reason it should not. After all, the work of industrial designers such as Charles and Ray Eames and Viktor Schreckengost have long begin regarded as art. If industrial design can be regarded as an art, then why not fashion? After all, much like painting or sculpture or writing, fashion design is essentially an act of creativity. Like any other artist, the fashion designer must take an idea and turn it into a reality that will be appealing to the human eye. It as much about aesthetics as it is creating something that people can wear. In fact, I must point out that there was a time when fashion was regarded as much of an art as painting. Late 19th century fashion designer Paul Poiret was friends with the painter Francis Picabia and he employed artists such as Paul Iribe to illustrate his fashions. He even collected paintings. It was not unusual for fashion to be displayed in international expeditions, such as the 1851 Crystal Palace Exhibition in London, alongside other works of art. Although today we don't tend to think of fashion as art, there is little reason not to. Indeed, it can be argued that the classic fashion designers, from Coco Chanel to Hollywood's legendary Edith Head were artists. If fashion is to be regarded as an art, then there is no reason to belittle an interest in it, any more than interest in any other art form.

Of course, I just mentioned Coco Chanel and Edith Head, which brings me to another point. Both Coco Chanel and Edith Head were strong willed, independent, and intelligent women who made their own careers. Not only were both women obviously interested in couture, they made a living from it--Coco Chanel designing distinctly modern clothing in the Twenties and Thirties, Edith Head designing costumes for Hollywood. Neither of them could be said to be shallow and certainly neither of them could be said to be unintelligent. Coco Chanel made millions from her fashions and even designed the most famous perfume of all time (Chanel No. 5). Edith Head won eight Academy Awards, more than any woman in the history of film, and was so well regarded that in the late Seventies the government asked her to design the women's uniform for the United States Coast Guard. These were two women who were nobody's fools, and yet they made a living from fashion. They would seem to be proof that an interest in fashion is not indicative of a lack of intelligence!

Even if an interest in fashion were to be considered entirely frivolous, it seems to me that would still be no reflection on the intelligence or depth of an individual. The fact is that human beings are complex animals who often need to escape from the stress and pressures of existence. For some this might be through watching television. For others it may be through sports. For yet others this may be through fashion. The desire for entertainment of some sort, something we can enjoy, is universal to all humanity, whether the individual is intelligent or, well, not intelligent. Even if it was judged frivolous (and I see no reason it should be), an interest in fashion should be used to judge someone no more than interest in comic books, music, sports, or what have you.

While I cannot say I am overly interested in fashion, then, I can fully identify with those who are. Fashion is a part of pop culture and it has contributed something to modern, Anglo-American society. While it may not seem overly important to some, I do not think cannot be faulted for having an interest in it.