In 1927, a wooden box with a black and white screen gave birth to the television. The first picture and sound amazed audiences and advanced us into a new age. Television is a unique creative art form and a delivering device for consumerism. Prior to the radio and before other advancements in technology, TV was one of the main influences on the American public. Americans tuned in daily to television to receive important updates and information from news broadcasts. The news topics could vary from local to national headlines and change by the day. In the 1970’s, television was at a turning point. Hit shows such as M*A*S*H, Happy Days, Charlie’s Angels,The Jeffersons and many more shows alike would captured massive audiences. These shows would relate and reflect important political stances or social issues in the 70’s. The shows inspired people and also informed certain individuals on perspectives they were unaware too.

Throughout this week, we also discussed and observed the career of Rod Serling. Rod was born on December 25,1924 in Syracuse New York. As a young man, Serling served in the United States Army and fought in World War II. After his service, Rod was attracted to the elements of writing live television scripts. Rod was a screenwriter, television producer, and narrator. He loved the idea of creating characters and giving them certain attributes depending on the story line. I believe two of his greatest accomplishments were Playhouse 90 and The Twilight Zone. Playhouse 90 was a television drama series that aired on CBS from 1956 to 1961. One of the most popular episodes that every aired was Requiem for a Heavyweight. The TV drama encapsulate the fall of a professional boxer and his journey after fighting. The boxer played by Anthony Quinn, struggles to adjust to life after boxing and feels lost and betrayed by the real world. The only man that sticks by his side through thick and thin is his trainer Mickey Rooney. Mickey guides the boxer threw his new life and helps him adjust accordingly. Serling’s other successful television series was The Twilight Zone. The Twilight Zone aired from 1959 to 1964 and shocked the world for 5 seasons. The episodes had a strange mixture of horror, science-fiction, drama, realism, and superstition. The first episode aired was called “Where Is Everybody?”. The episode started Earl Holliman, who was stranded and isolated in a town all by himself. There is evidence that shows people were recently there but he can’t find anyone. He starts to panic and lose his mind in a way. In the end, the audience finds out it is a governmental space program testing the effects of isolation on the mind in space. This ending shocked viewers and opened a whole new era of entertainment to Serling. Rod Serling was a fantastic writer of his time but was extremely self-conscious. Towards the end of his life, he found that his actually work did not amount to much and was too hard on himself. In my opinion, Serling was an extremely gifted writer and had an amazing natural talent in this field. He died of a heart attack on June 28, 1975. Serling left this world too young, but his incredible work within television will never be forgotten.