October 2, 2009

ITHACA -- October 2, 1959 -- it's not a day that sticks in most Americans' minds, unless you happen to love science fiction.
     50 years ago today, The Twilight Zone premiered on CBS.
      Ithaca College is marking the anniversary and honoring the show's writer and narrator, Rod Serling at a conference this weekend.
     Serling, a Binghamton native, taught television at IC in the 60s and 70s -- so it was a fitting place to bring together family members, friends, and fans of the late, great writer.
     “To come to this little town in Ithaca, New York and just enjoy the camaraderie with other Serling fans, it's awesome,” said Philip Day of Virgina.
     Day is one of 125 people who will spend the weekend in lectures discussing the man and his legacy.
     “He was a brilliant writer, and his work is really timeless,” said Day.
     Unlike other Serling fans, day didn't actually watch The Twilight Zone growing up.
     “My parents didn't let me watch that kind of stuff until later.  But I got into it really from the Planet of the Apes,” he said.
     That’s right -- Serling wrote the screenplay for that 1968 epic.  And there are some other things people may not know.
     “He was probably one of the funniest people I've ever met, and I think people would be surprised by that,” said Anne Serling-Sutton, Rod’s daughter.
     She says she learns new things about her dad every time she comes to a conference, and she enjoys talking with the fans.
     “Most of what I hear is what kind person he was and how he took the time to talk to them, and that's the dad I know, so it's great to hear that enforced over and over,” said Serling-Sutton.
     There are some public events -- including a talk by another Twilight Zone writer, George Cayton Johnson – Friday at 8 p.m. at the Park Auditorium at IC.
     And Saturday night starting at 8:30 p.m., there’s a Twilight Zone marathon.