The Twilight Zone Scripts of Charles Beaumont

Rating:
Summary: At long last . . . .
Review: The TWILIGHT ZONE Scripts of Charles Beaumont, Volume One.
Gauntlet Press, 2004
440 pages ; $66.00
ISBN: 1-887369-73-6

Gauntlet Press continues to put out books that deserve wider attention than they recieve. Over the last several years they have released beautiful and scholarly volumess that make available watershed works, usually long out-of-print, from seminal horror and sci-fi writers. Their most recent book is the first in a series that will eventually collect the complete TWILIGHT ZONE scripts of Charles Beaumont.

While Rod Serling's name remains synonymous with THE TWILIGHT ZONE, Beaumont's work on the series should not be underestimated. Several episodes that have entered our social consiousness, like "The Howling Man" and "The Prime Mover," were either scripted by Beaumont, based upon his short stories, or both. As such, it was a true pleasure to find the original, uncut shooting scripts to these classic works finally being made available to the public.

The scripts themselves are smart, lean, and engaging. In a perfect world, they would be required reading for anyone considering a career in screenwriting. Beaumont knew how to create compelling characters and hold a viewer's interest, but more importantly he knew how to plot a story in a way that both intrigued and satisfied. Even in the unproduced script that the volume provides, "Gentlemen, Be Seated," there is evidence of his mastery of the craft. It is testament to his powers as a writer that even now, 30 years after they were written, the stories Beaumont told caused the hair on my arms to arch, and my neck to tighten with suspense.

This thick volume leaves no doubt that Beaumont was as talented a scriptwriter as he was a short story writer, and provides several glimpses into his creative process. By interviewing both TWILIGHT ZONE production staff, actors, and Beaumont's family, editor Roger Aniker makes sure each episode is placed in its proper historical, social, and literary context. Even more importantly, he places each script squarely into Beaumont's biography, revealing what was going on in his life at the time and interspersing his friend's recollections and observations of Beaumont's tragically short life.

Gauntlet Press continues to impress me with each volume they release, and this is no exception. An indespensible volume for both TWILIGHT ZONE fans and lovers of fantastic literature, the nine scripts in this book serve as not only a portal to other worlds, but a fitting memorial for one of the most brilliant, creative, and unsung writers of our time.

For more information, go to the Gauntlet Press webpage:
http://www.gauntletpress.com