Serling: 2the Rise and Twilight of Television's Last Angry Man

Rod Serling (1924-1975) is considered one of the stalwarts of television's so-called Golden Age (roughly 1951-1957), along with Paddy Chayevsky, Reginald Rose and Tad Mosel. He wrote scripts for such prestigious drama programs as Studio One and Kraft Television Theatre in the days when the industry was based in New York City, and he won three Emmys. He became the chief writer, producer and then the on-screen MC for The 7Yvilight Zone, which ran for five seasons until it was canceled by a management made uncomfortable by Serling's propensity for tackling controversial subjects. (The show has become a classic in syndication.) Serling subsequently wrote scripts for two less successful series, The Loner and Night Gallery, and made commercials. A Marymount Manhattan College professor of creative writing, Sander has done a fine job of reconstructing Serling's life without the cooperation of his widow, but Sander is perhaps too generous in his assessment of Serling's contributions to literature, if not to popular culture. Photos not seen by PW (Nov.)