Rod Serling was born on December 25, 1924 in Syracuse New York. My father was born on December 25, 1926 and always felt cheated that his birthday fell on Christmas day. We always kidded with him about it.
Serling's Twilight Zone was my first influence in wanting to become a writer. His sense of irony, twist endings and social consciousness were incredible.
Twilight Zone has since become a cultural icon. Not only for its great storytelling, but for the music and Rod's opening intro.
Serling won an Emmy for his heartbreaking saga Requiem for a Heavyweight.
I didn't realize he helped put together the movie The Planet of The Apes.
You can see his influence by the shock ending of the movie with Charlton Heston screaming, "You finally really did it. You maniacs! You blew it up! Damn you, God damned you."
Though not as great, I also loved Night Gallery.
