In the first half of the show Marc Zicree, the author of The Twilight Zone Companion, returned to discuss episodes from the classic TV series. Rod Serling, the show's creator, dictated many of the episodes into a tape recorder while sitting under the California sun, Zicree said, adding that he found a number of unused scripts in Serling's attic, when he visited there, while researching his book.
The original pilot for the series from 1957 was call "The Time Element," and while it wasn't accepted at CBS, it ended up airing as a special Desilu Playhouse production, Zicree noted. While Serling and other Twilight Zone writers delved into sci-fi and fantasy, the stories always had a message or social agenda, he commented. Zicree said his favorite episode was the poignant Walking Distance, about an executive who tries to return to his childhood.
Creature Hotline
During the second half of the show, George opened up a Creature Hotline, and several callers reported witnessing the mythic Thunderbird, a huge grey or brown winged creature with a 14 to 20 ft. wingspan. Another caller recounted a vivid close encounter with small childlike 'grey' aliens as he stood outside smoking a cigarette in the early morning hours. Later we heard from a man in San Diego who said he was working on a promising hybrid electric car project called the L3 Enigma.