The Twilight Zone: Season 2 – Blu-ray Disc Review

November 18, 2010 – 5:37 pm - Posted by: Justin Sluss

Tags: Agnes Moorehead, Art Carney, Barbara Nichols, Bill Erwin, Bill Mumy, Brian Aherne, Buddy Ebsen, Burgess Meredith, CBS, Cliff Robertson, Dane Clark, Dean Jagger, Dennis Weaver, Dick York, Don Rickles, Donna Douglas, Franchot Tone, Fred Clark, Fritz Weaver, H.M. Wynant, Image Entertainment, Inger Stevens, Jack Carson, Jack Elam, Jean Carson, Jerry Goldsmith, Joe Mantell, Joesph Ruskin, John Anderson, John Carradine, John Hoyt, John Larch, Jonathan Harris, Luther Adler, Oscar Beregi, Patricia Breslin, Richard Haydn, Robert Cummings, Rod Serling, Russell Johnson, Shelley Berman, Simon Oakland, The Twilight Zone, Thomas Gomez, Vladimir Sokoloff, William Shatner

has an average rating of 9.6 on IMDb
4×3 1080i/p in AVC on FOUR 50gb discs
Restored Uncompressed PCM Mono
are great with HOURS of exclusives
–
– 1960 – 1961
– 750 minutes
– Image Entertainment / CBS
–

Overall Verdict – Recommended for Fans

Buy it for $71.99 @ Amazon.com

— Review written by: Justin Sluss —

Watch Full Episodes @ CBS.com

The Show Itself was created and hosted by Rod Serling and originally premiered October 2nd, 1959 on CBS. The show itself ran a total of FIVE seasons, 156 episodes and spanned from 1959 up to 1964. Each episode in the series was either a story of Science Fiction (Sci-Fi), Fantasy or Horror style. The actual realm of “The Twilight Zone” was supposed to be more like a nightmare or a limbo that you can never escape from; the actual definition was more that of a gray zone. Every week your host Rod Serling would start up the show after you had been introduced to the main character or characters. Serling would also do narration from time to time throughout the episode, mainly at the end. Then he’d also appear after the episode had ended to tell you about next week’s episode and give a bit of a taste of what to expect using props and whatnot.

Each season of “The Twilight Zone” had its own opening narration (by Rod Serling) and this season’s is listed below:

You’re traveling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. That’s the signpost up ahead – your next stop, the Twilight Zone!

All 29 episodes of the second season of the show are included. They are as follows and be sure to click on episode titles with links as they contain the IMDb listing where you can watch the full episode for most.

Episode 37 – “King Nine Will Not Return“
• Originally Aired: September 30, 1960
• Starring: Robert Cummings
Episode 38 – “The Man in the Bottle“
• Originally Aired: October 7, 1960
• Starring: Joesph Ruskin & Luther Adler
Episode 39 – “Nervous Man in a Four Dollar Room“
• Originally Aired: October 14, 1960
• Starring: Joe Mantell
Episode 40 – “A Thing About Machines“
• Originally Aired: October 28, 1960
• Starring: Richard Haydn
Episode 41 – “The Howling Man“
• Originally Aired: November 4, 1960
• Starring: H.M. Wynant & John Carradine
Episode 42 – “The Eye of the Beholder“
• Originally Aired: November 11, 1960
• Starring: Donna Douglas
Episode 43 – “Nick of Time“
• Originally Aired: November 18, 1960
• Starring: William Shatner & Patricia Breslin
Episode 44 – “The Lateness of the Hour“
• Originally Aired: December 2, 1960
• Starring: Inger Stevens
Episode 45 – “The Trouble with Templeton“
• Originally Aired: December 9, 1960
• Starring: Brian Aherne
Episode 46 – “A Most Unusual Camera“
• Originally Aired: December 16, 1960
• Starring: Fred Clark & Jean Carson
Episode 47 – “The Night of the Meek“
• Originally Aired: December 23, 1960
• Starring: Art Carney
Episode 48 – “Dust“
• Originally Aired: January 6, 1961
• Starring: John Larch, Thomas Gomez & Vladimir Sokoloff
Episode 49 – “Back There“
• Originally Aired: January 13, 1961
• Starring: Russell Johnson
Episode 50 – “The Whole Truth“
• Originally Aired: January 20, 1961
• Starring: Jack Carson
Episode 51 – “The Invaders“
• Originally Aired: January 27, 1961
• Starring: Agnes Moorehead
Episode 52 – “A Penny for Your Thoughts“
• Originally Aired: February 3, 1961
• Starring: Dick York
Episode 53 – “Twenty-Two“
• Originally Aired: February 10, 1961
• Starring: Barbara Nichols & Jonathan Harris
Episode 54 – “The Odyssey of Flight 33“
• Originally Aired: February 24, 1961
• Starring: John Anderson
Episode 55 – “Mr. Dingle, the Strong“
• Originally Aired: March 3, 1961
• Starring: Burgess Meredith & Don Rickles
Episode 56 – “Static“
• Originally Aired: March 10, 1961
• Starring: Dean Jagger
Episode 57 – “The Prime Mover“
• Originally Aired: March 24, 1961
• Starring: Buddy Ebsen & Dane Clark
Episode 58 – “Long Distance Call“
• Originally Aired: March 31, 1961
• Starring: Bill Mumy
Episode 59 – “A Hundred Yards Over the Rim“
• Originally Aired: April 7, 1961
• Starring: Cliff Robertson
Episode 60 – “The Rip Van Winkle Caper“
• Originally Aired: April 21, 1961
• Starring: Oscar Beregi & Simon Oakland
Episode 61 – “The Silence“
• Originally Aired: April 28, 1961
• Starring: Franchot Tone
Episode 62 – “Shadow Play“
• Originally Aired: May 5, 1961
• Starring: Dennis Weaver
Episode 63 – “The Mind and the Matter“
• Originally Aired: May 12, 1961
• Starring: Shelley Berman
Episode 64 – “Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?“
• Originally Aired: May 26, 1961
• Starring: John Hoyt, Jack Elam & Bill Erwin
Episode 65 – “The Obsolete Man“
• Originally Aired: June 2, 1961
• Starring: Burgess Meredith & Fritz Weaver

“The Twilight Zone” in its second season was still a groundbreaking series that went on to inspire many rip-offs, resurrections of the show in 1985 and 2002 as well as even a major motion picture in 1983. The show itself, not just in the first season, was extremely influential in the worlds of science fiction, fantasy and horror and 50 years later it still is today. Some of my personal favorite episodes from this (the second) season include:

• “King Nine Will Not Return”
• “The Eye of the Beholder”
• “Nick of Time”
• “The Night of the Meek”
• “A Most Unusual Camera”
• “Mr. Dingle, the Strong”
• “The Prime Mover”
• “Long Distance Call”

It’s great to finally see a show this old (50 years in age) get released in glorious Hi-Def on Blu-ray Disc and very, very promising to know that the third season is soon on its way in february of next year.

Video Quality on this varies in its source material and as a result varies in its presentation. For starters, this release is in 1080p @24fps/24Hz (on a total of TWENTY-THREE episodes) and 1080i @30fps/60Hz (on a total of SIX episodes) using the AVC MPEG-4 codec. The release spans across FOUR BD-50 (50 gigabyte dual-layered Blu-ray Discs) and is presented in the (4×3) 1.33:1 aspect ratio. If that shocks you, you have to remember that this show was shot back in 1960 so it was framed to fit the size (4×3) screen that television sets were then. So you’ll get the black pillar bars on the sides on each of the episodes when watching this on a widescreen display. That’s to be expected to know I’d think by now from even the average Blu-ray consumer — or at least I’d hope.

DISC USAGE:

Disc 1 uses 43.4GB total. Disc 2 uses 44.5GB total. Disc 3 uses 43.6GB total. Disc 4 uses 43.6GB total.

DVD vs. Blu-ray Screenshot Comparisons

The 1080p @ 24fps (24Hz) Material:

There’s occasions you’ll see vertical lines in the film print, specks of white (mostly) and black, tiny scratches or hairs and such. There’s also the occasional problem with say a vertical line through the actor’s face. This problem is acceptable to a degree and also holds a reminder, just like the subtle (yet always present) film grain at the age of this 50-year-old material. That should be enough for you to respect the quality and purity of this Hi-Def transfer.

There’s so much more detail here, especially in close-ups, that was never visible before in even the recent DVD release(s). This should leave those old enough to have seen the original TV broadcasts simply amazed at the flashback but also shocked at what all they never noticed in terms of detail(s).

It does have some flaws however, where the source material is just horrible as in out of focus (soft) or it was stock video footage and varied in quality. This type of problem I just described with the quality of the source material only lasts a few seconds each time and is pretty rare, just worth mentioning.

The 1080i @ 30fps (60Hz) Material:

The reason that there are a total of SIX episodes of this show in 1080i @ 30fps (60Hz) is because they were actually shot on videotape due to budget choices from the studio (CBS). Videotape was a rather new technology and had different means (totally unfitting) for doing a show like this — namely the framerate which seems really “out of place” almost like it itself is in “The Twilight Zone”. Sadly though, a total of SIX (out of twenty-nine total) can be found this way on this season. The episodes are as follows:

“The Lateness of the Hour” , “Night of the Meek” , “The Whole Truth” , “Twenty-Two” , “Static” , and “Long Distance Call“.

These episodes all seem very fuzzy (soft) and have lots of halo and ghost effects throughout. Their presentation is from a videotape source so it really couldn’t ever look much better than this. Still, I’d rate the 1080i (videotape source material) like “2.5 Stars” itself for the six episodes. It’s a shame that these episodes aren’t the best quality and do not look anywhere as good as the other film @ 24 fps (24Hz) because that inviability hurts the overall presentation as you’ll hear me discuss a bit further below discussing the whole release in terms of video quality. First though I figured I’d offer some comparisons of this source material. Below you’ll find “Close-Ups” and “Normal Shots” from 1080p @ 24fps (24Hz) and 1080i @ 30fps (60Hz) sources. Click on the images for a slightly larger (1920 width) side-by-side comparison. If you seek full-size comparisons find the images below in our screenshots section. Now have a closer look.

Overall Video Quality:

This is undeniably the best that “The Twilight Zone” has ever looked. It’s a huge improvement over the previous DVD release(s) as shown above in the screenshot comparisons, and obviously over the original broadcasts, but it’s not flawless. Restorations of material this old (50 years) requires a lot, I repeat, a lot of financial funding and even major studios like Warner, Universal and MGM struggle with it from time-to-time. No offense here, but a company like Image Entertainment doesn’t hold that same amount of financial status and such to totally compete with the majors, but they did one amazing effort at it and undoubtedly CBS also had some involvement. This (the second season) earns a solid “4 Star Rating” for overall video quality but it would have been higher if the episodes from a videotaped source weren’t factored in. They are ultimately why I reduced my rating by a half star. They just are nowhere near the same quality and honestly never will be because of the videotape source.

Audio Quality on this release is presented in both restored and original Uncompressed PCM Mono (which plays back as 2.0 using both front channel speakers, instead of the center channel speaker). Dialogue is the most important aspect of this show, as in most television shows, and I’m happy to report that dialogue is pretty much perfect here, requiring no volume adjustments at all. On a less brighter note, there is some hiss, cracks and such in even the restored sound mix on some episodes. This can be ignored as it is only on a very few episodes. Thankfully this is not a problem so much on the more popular (fan favorite) titles; as they seemed to get a bit more attention in the sound department in their restoration mixes. I noticed that cranked up rather louder than my usual volume for listening, this holds no sign of any distortion. All of the original music scores sound great here in the restored audio mixes, making you appreciate the isolated musical scores on select episodes that are included as bonus materials. In comparison with the sound on the previous DVD release(s), this is a pretty drastic improvement, not just because of the fact it’s a sound restoration but also the fact it’s in lossless PCM Mono (2.0).

Now one thing I will mention, the six episodes that are presented in 1080i which were from a videotape source. These episodes have some flaws not only visually but also in the audio — even the restored mixes. They aren’t anywhere as impressive as the restored mixes of the film source material episodes. There’s a lot of hiss, pops and such in some of these episodes. I felt it to be worth noting and it will explain why I reduced the rating here versus the first season of this show.

All and all, this earns a pretty decent “3.5 Star Rating” for overall audio quality and is sure to leave fans pleased with the audio mix, but don’t expect to be blown away as it is after all Mono and only will be presented through your front left and right channel speakers. I’m honestly glad they keep it true to the original material here and didn’t try to upmix it to 5.1 or something as that would have honestly felt too much like “overkill” vs. a show like “Star Trek: The Original Series” that actually benefits from that style of treatment.

Bonus Materials are presented in both High Definition (HD 1080i or 1080p) and Standard Definition video quality with Uncompressed Linear PCM 2.0 Mono sound.

DISC 1 bonus materials include:

- Episode 37:
• Audio Commentary by Martin Grams, Jr.
• Marc Scott Zicree Interview with Kuzz Kulik (25:55 – HD 1080p) plays with the episode.
• Isolated Music Score by Fred Steiner
• Sponsor Billboards (0:32 – HD 1080p)
- Episode 38:
• Interview with Joesph Ruskin (13:42 – SD) who worked on two episodes of the show, namely this one.
• Isolated Music Score
• Sponsor Billboard (0:32 – HD 1080p)
• “The Twilight Zone” Radio Drama starring Ed Begley, Jr. (39:43 – HD 1080p) displays HD images from the episode as it plays.
- Episode 39:
• Audio Commentary by Gary Gerani
• Audio Commentary by Scott Skelton and Jim Benson
• Marc Scott Zicree Interview with Douglas Heyes [1978] (25:55 – HD 1080p) plays with the episode.
• Isolated Music Score by Jerry Goldsmith
• Sponsor Billboards (0:32 – HD 1080p)
- Episode 40:
• Audio Commentary by Len Wein and Marc Scott Zicree
• Isolated Music Score
• Sponsor Billboards (0:31 – HD 1080p)
- Episode 41:
• Interview with H.M. Wynant (12:59 – SD)
• Audio Commentary by Gary Genari
• Marc Scott Zicree Interview with Douglas Heyes [1978] (25:57 – HD 1080p) plays with the episode.
• Sponsor Billboards (0:32 – HD)
• “The Twilight Zone” Radio Drama starring Fred Willard (40:36 – HD 1080p) displays HD images from the episode as it plays.
- Episode 42:
• Audio Commentary by Donna Douglas
• Audio Commentary by Joesph Dougherty and Marc Scott Zicree
• Audio Commentary by Steven C. Smith and Jon Burlingame
• Audio Commentary by Gary Genari
• Marc Scott Zicree Interview with Maxine Stuart and Douglas Heyes [1978] (25:58 – HD 1080p) plays with the episode.
• Isolated Music Score by Bernard Hermann
• Alternate End Title (0:41 – HD 1080p)
• Rare Color Photos (0:15 – SD)
• Sponsor Billboards (0:31 – HD 1080p)
- Episode 43:
• Audio Commentary by Matthew Weiner and Marc Scot Zicree
• Sponsor Billboards (0:33 – HD 1080p)
• “The Twilight Zone” Radio Drama starring Marshall Allman and Jamie Brown Allman (41:21 – HD 1080p) displays HD images from the episode as it plays.

DISC 2 bonus materials include:

- Episode 44:
• Original Production Slate (0:09 – HD 1080i)
• Sponsor Billboards (0:16 – HD 1080i)
• “The Twilight Zone” Radio Drama starring Jane Seymour and James Keach (42:10 – HD 1080p)
- Episode 45:
• Marc Scott Zicree Interview with Buzz Kulik [1978] (25:55 – HD 1080p) plays with the episode.
• Isolated Music Score by Jeff Alexander
• Sponsor Billboards (0:32 – HD 1080p)
• “The Twilight Zone” Radio Drama starring Michael York (43:07 – HD 1080p) displays HD images from the episode as it plays.
- Episode 46:
• Isolated Music Score
• Sponsor Billboards (0:32 – HD 1080p)
- Episode 47:
• Audio Commentary by Len Wein and Marc Scott Zicree
• Audio Commentary by Gary Gerani
• Original Production Slate (0:09 – HD 1080i)
• “The Twilight Zone” Radio Drama starring Chris McDonald (37:35 – HD 1080p) displays HD images from the episode as it plays.
- Episode 48:
• Marc Scott Zicree Interview with Douglas Heyes [1978] (25:56 – HD 1080p) plays with the episode.
• Isolated Music Score by Jerry Goldsmith
• Sponsor Billboards (0:32 – HD 1080p)
- Episode 49:
• Isolated Music Score by Jerry Goldsmith
• Sponsor Billboards (0:33 – HD 1080p)
• “The Twilight Zone” Radio Drama starring Jim Caviezel (35:28 – HD 1080p) displays HD images from the episode as it plays.
- Episode 50:
• Original Production Slate (0:16 – HD 1080i)
• “The Twilight Zone” Radio Drama starring Henry Rollins (38:54 – HD 1080p) displays HD images from the episode as it plays.

DISC 3 bonus materials include:

- Episode 51:
• Audio Commentary by Michael Nankin and Marc Scott Zicree
• Audio Commentary by Gary Gerani
• Audio Commentary by Jon Burlington and Gary Gerani
• Marc Scott Zicree Interview with Douglas Heyes [1978] (25:55 – HD 1080p) plays with the episode.
• Isolated Music Score by Jerry Goldsmith
• Sponsor Billboards (0:33 – HD 1080p)
- Episode 52:
• Audio Commentary by George Clayton Johnson and Marc Scott Zicree
• Marc Scott Zicree Interview with George Clayton Johnson [1978] (25:54 – HD 1080p) plays with the episode.
• Isolated Music Score
• Sponsor Billboards (0:32 – HD 1080p)
- Episode 53:
• Isolated Music Score
• Original Production Slate (0:14 – HD 1080i)
• Sponsor Billboard (0:16 – HD 1080i)
- Episode 54:
• Audio Commentary by Gary Gerani
• Marc Scott Zicree Interview with Robert Serling [1978] (25:53 – HD 1080p) plays with the episode.
• Isolated Music Score
• Sponsor Billboards (0:33 – HD 1080p)
• “The Twilight Zone” Radio Drama starring Daniel J. Travanti (37:08 – HD 1080p)
- Episode 55:
• Audio Commentary by Don Rickles
• Audio Commentary by Martin Grams, Jr.
• Isolated Music Score
- Episode 56:
• Marc Scott Zicree Interview with Buzz Kulik [1978] (25:32 – HD 1080i) plays with the episode.
• Isolated Music Score
• Original Production Slate (0:13 – HD 1080i)
• “The Twilight Zone” Radio Drama starring Stan Freberg (45:16 – HD 1080p)
- Episode 57:
• Audio Commentary by George Clayton Johnson and Marc Scott Zicree
• Audio Commentary by Martin Grams, Jr.
• Isolated Music Score
• Sponsor Billboard (0:16 – HD 1080p)
- Episode 58:
• Audio Commentary by Bill Mumy and William Idelson
• Original Production Slate (0:15 – HD 1080i)

DISC 4 bonus materials include:

- Episode 59:
• Audio Commentary by Cliff Robertson
• Audio Commentary by Scott Skelton and Jim Benson
• Marc Scott Zicree Interview with Buzz Kulik [1978] (26:14 – HD 1080p) plays with the episode.
• Isolated Music Score by Fred Steiner
• Sponsor Billboards (0:16 – HD 1080p)
• “The Twilight Zone” Radio Drama starring Jim Caviezel (37:34 – HD 1080p)
- Episode 60:
• Audio Commentary by Scott Skelton and Jim Benson
• Isolated Music Score
• Sponsor Billboards (0:16 – HD 1080p)
- Episode 61:
• Audio Commentary by Marv Wolfman and Marc Scott Zicree
• Sponsor Billboard (0:17 – HD 1080p)
• “The Twilight Zone” Radio Drama starring Christ McDonald (35:45 – HD 1080p)
- Episode 62:
• Audio Commentary by Dennis Weaver
• Isolated Music Score
• Sponsor Billboards (0:32 – HD 1080p)
- Episode 63:
• Audio Commentary by Shelley Berman
• Isolated Music Score
• Sponsor Billboards (0:33 – HD 1080p)
- Episode 64:
• Audio Commentary by Marc Scott Zicree
• Audio Commentary by Gary Gerani
• Isolated Music Score
• Sponsor Billboards (0:35 – HD 1080p)
• “The Twilight Zone” Radio Drama starring Richard Kind (37:15 – HD 1080p)
- Episode 65:
• Audio Commentary by Matthew Weiner and Marc Scott Zicree
• Isolated Music Score
• Sponsor Billboards (0:32 – HD 1080p)
• “The Twilight Zone” Radio Drama starring Jason Alexander (40:15 – HD 1080p)
  
  Additional Material:

• “Suspense: Nightmare at Ground Zero” (29:27 – SD) is a show that Rod Serling wrote the story for this particular episode.
• Marc Scott Zicree Interview George T. Clemens [Part 2] (25:48 – HD 1080p) who served as cinematographer on the show. This has the cinematographer discussing the entire second season, as well as briefly discussing the choice to shoot six episodes on videotape, which he blames CBS for cutting the budget and forcing them to do.
• Marc Scott Zicree Interview with William Tuttle [1978] (59:52 – HD 1080p) who was the make-up artist on the show. He discusses his work on this season, the show itself and his other projects.

Overall, the bonus materials are extremely impressive but do not contain as many radio dramas or stuff involving series creator Rod Serling.

Blu-ray Disc packaging:

Screenshots:

NOTE: The full-sized 1920×1080 files are in a .PNG file format and uncompressed. Apologies for the slow loading times, keep in mind these files are at least 1MB (1 megabyte) in size each.

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