Twilight Zones first episode aired October 2, 1959.

The Twilight Zone is an American television anthology series created by Rod Serling. Each episode (156 in the original series) is a mixture of self-contained fantasy, science fiction, suspense, or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist. A popular and critical success, it introduced many Americans to serious science fiction and abstract ideas through television and also through a wide variety of Twilight Zone literature. The program followed in the tradition of earlier radio programs such as The Weird Circle and X Minus One and the radio work of Serling’s hero, dramatist Norman Corwin.

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The success of the original series led to the creation of two revival series: a cult hit series that ran for several seasons on CBS and in syndication in the 1980s, and a short-lived UPN series that ran from 2002 to 2003. It would also lead to a feature film, a radio series, a comic book, a magazine and various other spin-offs that would span five decades.

Aside from Serling himself, who crafted nearly two-thirds of the series’ total episodes, writers for The Twilight Zone included leading genre authorities such as Charles Beaumont, Richard Matheson, Jerry Sohl, George Clayton Johnson, Earl Hamner, Jr., Reginald Rose, Harlan Ellison and Ray Bradbury. Many episodes also featured adaptations of classic stories by such writers as Ambrose Bierce, Lewis Padgett, Jerome Bixby and Damon Knight.

Twilight Zone Creator Rod Serling

The term “twilight zone” predates the television program, and originally meant simply a “gray area.” (Intelligence analysts in the early Cold War labeled a country a twilight zone if there was no definite U.S. policy on whether to intervene militarily to defend it.) Rod Serling himself chose the title of the series, and said that only after the series aired did he discover that the “twilight zone” was also a term applied by the US Air Force to the terminator, the imaginary border between “night” and “day” on a planetary body.

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CBS purchased a teleplay in 1958 that writer Rod Serling hoped to produce as the pilot of a weekly anthology series. The Twilight Zone episode “The Time Element” marked Serling’s first entry in the field of science fiction.

The story is a time travel fantasy of sorts, involving a man named Peter Jenson (William Bendix) visiting a psychoanalyst, Dr. Gillespie (Martin Balsam), with complaints of a recurring dream in which he imagines waking up in Honolulu just prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. “I wake up in a hotel room in Honolulu, and it’s 1941, but I mean I really wake up and it’s really 1941,” he explains, concluding that these are not mere dreams; he actually is travelling through time. However, Dr. Gillespie insists that time travel is impossible given the nature of temporal paradoxes. During his

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dream, taking advantage of the situation, he bets on all the winning horses, all the right teams and, eventually, tries unsuccessfully to warn others — the newspaper, the military, anyone — that the Japanese are planning a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. His warnings are seen as crazed ravings, and are either ignored or met with physical violence, as he is punched out by an engineer who works on the USS Arizona, after insisting that it will be sunk on December 7. Jenson’s dream always ends as the Japanese bombers fly overhead on the morning of December 7, prompting him to yell out “I told you! Why wouldn’t anybody listen to me?”. Jenson finally discloses to Dr. Gillespie that he was actually in Honolulu on December 7, 1941. While on the couch, Jenson falls asleep once again, only this time, Japanese planes flying overhead shoot inside the windows of his room and he is killed. When the camera cuts back to the doctor’s office, the couch Jenson was lying on is now empty, and Dr. Gillespie looks around, confused. Although Jenson had smoked earlier, the ashtray is empty. He looks in his appointment book and finds he had no appointments scheduled for this day. Gillespie goes to a bar and finds Jenson’s picture on the wall. The bartender said that Jenson tended bar there, but was killed in Pearl Harbor.

William Shatner in ''Nightmare at 20,000 Feet.''

With this script, Serling drafted the fundamental elements that would distinguish the series still to come: a science-fiction/fantasy theme, opening and closing narration, and an ending with a twist. But what would prove popular with audiences and critics in 1959 did not meet network standards in 1957. “The Time Element” was purchased only to be shelved indefinitely, and talks of making The Twilight Zone a television series ended.

This is where things stood when Bert Granet, the new producer for Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse, discovered “The Time Element” in CBS’ vaults while searching for an original Serling script to add prestige to his show. “The Time Element” (introduced by Desi Arnaz) debuted on November 24, 1958, to an overwhelmingly delighted audience of television viewers and critics alike. “The humor and sincerity of Mr. Serling’s dialogue made ‘The Time Element’ consistently entertaining,” offered Jack Gould of The New York Times. Over six thousand letters of praise flooded Granet’s offices. Convinced that a series based on such stories could succeed, CBS again began talks with Serling about the possibilities of producing The Twilight Zone. “Where Is Everybody?” was accepted as the pilot episode and the project was officially announced to the public in early 1959. “The Time Element” is rarely aired on television and it was only available in an Italian DVD box set titled “Ai confini della realtà — I tesori perduti” until it was shown as part of an all night sneak preview of the new cable channel TVLand.

Throughout the 1950s, Rod Serling had established himself as one of the hottest names in television, equally famous for his success in writing televised drama as he was for criticizing the medium’s limitations. His most vocal complaints concerned the censorship frequently practiced by sponsors and networks. “I was not permitted to have my Senators discuss any current or pressing problem,” he said of his 1957 production The Arena, intended to be an involving look into contemporary politics. “To talk of tariff was to align oneself with the Republicans; to talk of labor was to suggest control by the Democrats. To say a single thing germane to the current political scene was absolutely prohibited.”

Twilight Zone’s writers frequently used science fiction as a vehicle for social comment; networks and sponsors who had infamously censored all potentially “inflammatory” material from the then predominant live dramas were ignorant of the methods developed by writers such as Ray Bradbury for dealing with important issues through seemingly innocuous fantasy. Frequent themes include nuclear war, mass hysteria, and McCarthyism, subjects that were strictly forbidden on more “serious” prime-time drama. Episodes such as “The Shelter” or “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street” offered specific commentary on current events. Other stories, such as “The Masks” or “The Howling Man,” operated around a central allegory, parable, or fable that reflected the characters’ moral or philosophical choices.

Despite his esteem in the writing community, Serling found The Twilight Zone difficult to sell. Few critics felt that science fiction could transcend empty escapism and enter the realm of adult drama. In a September 22, 1959, interview with Serling, Mike Wallace asked a question illustrative of the times: “…[Y]ou’re going to be, obviously, working so hard on The Twilight Zone that, in essence, for the time being and for the foreseeable future, you’ve given up on writing anything important for television, right?” While Serling’s appearances on the show became one of its most distinctive features, with his clipped delivery still widely imitated today, he was reportedly nervous about it and had to be persuaded to appear on camera. Serling often steps into the middle of the action and the characters remain seemingly oblivious to him, but on one notable occasion they are aware he’s there: In the episode “A World of His Own,” a writer with the power to alter his reality objects to Serling’s unflattering narration, and promptly erases Serling from the show.

The original series contained 156 episodes. Seasons 1, 2, 3, 5 were half hour shows. The fourth season (1962-1963) contained one-hour episodes……Source(s) Wikipedia

Orgy of the Dead is an unrated 1965 film directed by Stephen C. Apostolof under the alias A. C. Stephens and written by Ed Wood. It is a combination of horror and erotica, and is something of a transition for Wood, who began as a horror writer and later began writing pornography. Wood also wrote the novel of the same name.

Trivia:

The film based on the novel by Edward D. Wood Jr. has no werewolf character, like in the film. Wood received $600 for the novel.

Most prints of the film have someone’s fingerprint on the negative during the opening credits. It’s visible for only a frame, so, when the credits play, it is only seen long enough to register that something went by, but not what. Frame by frame slow down and then still reveals it’s, most likely, a print from a thumb.

The cape worn by Criswell as The Emperor is the same cape worn by Bela Lugosi as Count Dracula in Bud Abbott Lou Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948).

This film is listed among The 100 Most Amusingly Bad Movies Ever Made in Golden Raspberry Award founder John Wilson’s book THE OFFICIAL RAZZIE® MOVIE GUIDE.

Richard Grieco

Richard John Grieco, Jr. (born March 23, 1965) is an American actor and former fashion model. He was a model for Armani, Calvin Klein and Chanel.

Trivia:

Parents: ‘Richard Grieco Sr.’ and Carolyn Grieco.

Has two sisters Elizabeth and Laura, and one brother, David.

Worked as model for Elite.

Born in Watertown, NY.

Dated actress Yasmine Bleeth. [2001]

Has a personal collection of over 3000 DVD films.

Has a black panther tattoo on his shoulder and a clover tattoo on his calf.

Signed a record deal with Edel Record Company to release a CD single in Germany.

Was a model for Armani, Calvin Klein and Chanel.

“One Life to Live” (1968) was his first acting audition.

Attended Central Connecticut college and majored in Political Science. He played for their football team as a middle linebacker and fullback.

Boyfriend of Stephanie Niznik.

He graduated from General Brown Junior/Senior High School in Dexter, New York.

Freddie Prinze Jr.

Freddie James Prinze, Jr. (born March 8, 1976) is an American actor. He rose to fame during the late 1990s and early 2000s, after starring in several Hollywood films aimed at teenage audiences, I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997) and its sequel, I Still Know What You Did Last Summer (1998), as well as She’s All That (1999), Summer Catch (2001) and Scooby-Doo (2002). Prinze has also made appearances in television sitcoms, including Friends. He is a former member of World Wrestling Entertainment’s creative team as the SmackDown brand writer.

Trivia:

Named one of “People” magazine’s 50 Most Beautiful People [2000]

Graduated from La Cueva High School, Albuquerque, NM in 1994

Son of Freddie Prinze and Katherine Elaine Cochrane-Prinze (Kathy Prinze)

Enjoys martial arts.

Enjoys swimming, and recently took up tap dancing

Bought a $3 million, 5-bedroom, 4000 square foot house in the San Fernando Valley. [September 2000]

On People’s (USA) ‘Best-Dressed’ list. [September 2000]

Auditioned for the role of Stu in Scream (1996/I).

Collects comic books.

Publicly announced that he and Sarah Michelle Gellar are engaged. [April 17, 2001]

Put his Toluca Lake house (bought September 2000) on the market, as he has moved into a new house with fiancee Sarah Michelle Gellar. [February 2002]

As of 2004, has worked (co-starred) with actor Matthew Lillard 5 times: Wing Commander (1999), Summer Catch (2001), She’s All That (1999), Scooby-Doo (2002), and Scooby Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004).

Said the hardest part about filming Scooby-Doo (2002) (aside from being homesick) was that he had to constantly re-dye his jet black hair blonde to match his character, Fred.

Was “Mr. Golden Globe” for 1996.

His father committed suicide when Freddie was 10 months old. He was raised by his mother and grandmother.

He grew up in New Mexico but spent the summers in Puerto Rico with his paternal grandmother.

As a fan of pop culture, he initially turned down Raja Gosnell’s offer to star with real life love Sarah Michelle Gellar in Scooby-Doo (2002) because he felt it would not be respecting the original series, but Sarah talked him into it.

Shares a birthday with James Van Der Beek and Camryn Manheim.

His godfather is martial arts legend Robert Wall.

First met Sarah Michelle Gellar on the movie set of I Know What You Did Last Summer (1997).

Is an only child.

Lindsay Sloane was maid of honor at his wedding to Sarah Michelle Gellar

Was suppose to be in I’ll Always Know What You Did Last Summer (2006) (V) with Brandy and Jennifer again, but then they changed the script and left them out.

Had to shave his head after filming Scooby-Doo (2002) because the bleach ruined his hair.

Has the same manager as Jared Padalecki.

In March 2006, he ran his first marathon (The Los Angeles Marathon XXI) with a 05:50:49 finishing time using the name “Freddie James”.

On April 9, 2009, Freddie announced that he and Sarah are expecting their first child, due in the fall.

He and wife Sarah Michelle welcomed daughter Charlotte Grace Prinze on Saturday, 19th Sept 2009.

Freddie and Sarah became the parents of a girl, Charlotte Grace Prinze, on September 19, 2009 in Los Angeles.

Freddie is descendant from Puerto Rican and Hungarian from his father’s side and Italian from his mother’s side.

Jon Bon Jovi

Jon Bon Jovi (born John Francis Bongiovi, Jr. March 2, 1962) is an American musician, songwriter and actor, best known as the lead singer and founder of band Bon Jovi. He was also the owner of the Philadelphia Soul of the now suspended Arena Football League. Throughout his career, he has released two solo albums and eleven studio albums with his band which have sold over 120 million albums worldwide.

As a solo artist, he has numerous awards for his work, including a Golden Globe and an Academy Award nomination for his solo hit: Blaze of Glory. He was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Humanities from Monmouth University in 2001.

Trade Mark:

Songs are usually about someone having a hard time but rising above it (ie Livin’ On A Prayer, It’s My Life, Bounce)

His dancing onstage

Jon’s unique voice

Sunglasses

Trivia:

Musician/rock star turned actor

Chosen by People (USA) magazine as one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world [1996]

Auditioned for the role of Ashe in The Crow: City of Angels (1996), but lost out to French actor Vincent Perez.

Appeared on the Star Wars Christmas album, “Christmas in the Stars”. (as John Bongiovi)

The acoustical performance of “Livin’ On A Prayer” and “Wanted Dead or Alive” that Jon and Richie Sambora performed at the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards is widely acknowledged as being the genesis/greenlight for MTV’s “Unplugged” series.

Given title “Sexiest Rock Star” by People Magazine. [November 2000]

Children, with Dorothea Hurley, Stephanie Rose (b. May 31st 1993), Jesse James Louis (b. February 19th 1995), Jacob Hurley (b. May 7th 2002) and Romeo Jon (b. March 29th 2004).

The song “August 7″, from his solo album Destination Anywhere, is a tribute to his friend/manager Paul Korzilius’ daughter Katherine. She died at the age of six under mysterious circumstances on August 7, 1996.

Likes watching movies, driving cars, sleeping, eating junk food, working out at the gym, football, spending time with his family and playing with his dog Copper.

He’s owned a few cars as well, a white Datsun 280Z in 1988, a ’58 Corvette 1988-1992, a Ferrari 328 GTSI 1988-1992; in 1995 Jon owned a Ferrari, Camaro, 2 Corvettes, some Jeeps, Mustang Shelby and a 1957 Lincoln Premier, some motorcycles, among them a Harley Davidson and a snowmobile. In 1996 he owned a Harley Davidson, black Mercedes and a red 91/92 Corvette. He loves sports cars, especially Porsches.

Likes wearing casual clothes, jeans and shirts

He has sensitive eyes against sunlight and cigarette smoke, that’s why he always wears sunglasses. During spring he has allergies and hay fever.

He started smoking in 1994 during the making of _Moonlight and Valentino (1995)_ but quit again. Picked it back up during the making of The Leading Man (1996) and after the 1996 tour because he “just likes it”.

Italian-American

Dated award winning actress Diane Lane in the mid-eighties.

Mother is Carol Sharkey, one of the first Playboy bunnies. His father is John Frank Bongiovi.

Brother of Anthony M. Bongiovi and ‘Matthew Bongiovi’.

Has worked on behalf of the Special Olympics, the American Red Cross, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation and other groups.

Son, Romeo Jon, born on March 29, 2004, and weighed 9 lbs. 7 oz.

Shares a birthday with Coldplay singer Chris Martin.

He was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Humanities from Monmouth University in 2001

Majority owner of the Philadelphia Soul (Arena Football League), which began play in 2004.

He was born in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, but he grew up in Sayreville, New Jersey.

Campaigned for Al Gore in the 2000 Presidential election, and John Kerry in the 2004 Presidential election.

His band “Bon Jovi” were discovered when they won a local New York City(WAPP “The Apple” 103.5 “now defunct”) radio station contest in the early 80′s. The winning song was the now classic hit “Runaway”.

Have a Nice Day, Jon’s Bands new Album, reached #1 in Australia, Holland, Austria, Germany and Canada after just one week after release.

Is co-owner of the Arena Football League team the Philidelphia Soul.

In 2006 his band, Bon Jovi became the first rock band to have a number one hit on the country charts.

He graduated from Sayreville War Memorial High School with other alumni such as Marilyn Ghigliotti and Greg Evigan.

Bon Jovi were inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame for their outstanding contribution to British music and integral part of British music culture. [14 November 2006]

His favorite songs are “Ruby” by The Kaiser Chiefs, “Overnight Sensation” by The Raspberries, “Clocks” by Coldplay, “You’re Beautiful” by James Blunt, “Chasing Cars” by Snow Patrol, “Tiny Dancer” by Elton John, “Start Me Up” by The Rolling Stones, “Cannonball” by Damien Rice, “When You Were Young” by The Killers and “One” by U2. (Source: BBC Radio 2 “Tracks of My Years”).

Ranked #76 on VH1′s 100 Greatest Hard Rock Artists along with Bon Jovi.

Ranked #13 on VH1′s 100 Sexiest Artists.

His song “Livin’ On A Prayer” is ranked #1 on VH1′s list of “The 100 Greatest Songs Of The Eighties”.

His grandfather was a mortician, he owned Bongiovi funeral home in Raritan, New Jersey.

He was elected into the 2008 New Jersey Hall of Fame for his services to Arts, Entertainment, and Philanthropy.

His favorite movie is The Godfather.

Billy Zane

William George “Billy” Zane, Jr. (born February 24, 1966) is an American actor and director. He is best recognized for his role as Caledon Hockley in the 1997 blockbuster film Titanic, as the deranged psychopath Hughie Warriner in Dead Calm, John Justice Wheeler in Twin Peaks, as The Phantom in the 1996 film of the same name based upon the comic book superhero, and as Ansem, Xehanort’s Heartless, the main antagonist of the Kingdom Hearts series. As of 2009, Zane has appeared in over 50 films and numerous TV-series.

Trivia:

Billy attended Parker School in Chicago and Harand Camp of the Theater Arts in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin with Jeremy Piven.

Was engaged to Leonor Varela.

He attended The American School in Switzerland for his sophmore year of high school.

Brother of actress Lisa Zane.

Was originally cast as Johnny Castle in Dirty Dancing (1987). During auditions, choreographer Emile Ardolino realized that Zane could not dance, so the part went to Patrick Swayze.

Is an avid swimmer and started shaving his head in 1997 for aerodynamics.

Is the voice of Broderick ‘Brodi’ Ford in the EA Sports Big game SSX Tricky (2001) (VG) (for Playstation2, Nintendo Gamecube, Xbox).

Is of Greek descent. Original family name is Tzanetakos.

Added more muscle to his already buff physique in order to effectively play Marc Antony in the 1999 movie Cleopatra (1999) (TV).

He has played complete opposite sides of the typical “marooned love triangle.” In Dead Calm (1989), he played the handsome and mysterious stranger who gets marooned with Sam Neill (the husband) and Nicole Kidman (wife). In Three (2005/I), he plays the jealous husband, in opposition to Kelly Brook (wife) and Juan Pablo Di Pace (handsome outsider).

Engaged to English actress Kelly Brook.

He pumped iron for over a year to play his title role in The Phantom (1996).

He has filmed movies in over 19 countries, including Australia 5 times.

His voice was used as a sample on Marilyn Manson’s Mechanical Animals Tour as the intro for the song Rock Is Dead. He can be heard on the live album The Last Tour on Earth saying, “Ladies and gentlemen, from the dread capital of the world, Hollwood, California, Omega and the Mechanical Animals”.

Is perhaps best known to younger audiences as the voice of “Ansem” (Xehanort) in Kingdom Hearts (2002) (VG).

Split from his fiancée Kelly Brook in 2008.

Member of the jury at the Beverly Hills film festival along with James Russo, Martin Vartanov, Corbin Bernsen, Robert Davi, Elisa Donovan. [2009]

Levar Burton

Levardis Robert Martyn Burton, Jr. (born February 16, 1957 in Landstuhl, West Germany), professionally known as LeVar Burton, is an American actor, director and author who first came to prominence portraying Kunta Kinte in the 1977 award-winning ABC television miniseries Roots, based on the novel by Alex Haley. He is also well known for his portrayal of Geordi La Forge on the syndicated science fiction series Star Trek: The Next Generation and as the host of the PBS children’s program Reading Rainbow.

Trivia:

Daughter, Michaela Jean born. [1995]

Graduated University of Southern California School of Theatre

1 son named Ian, 1980, decided by the courts after paternity suit. He won joint custody.

LeVar Burton’s father, Levardis Robert Burton Senior, was a career Army NCO from 1954 to 1976. Levardis Burton retired in the rank of Sergeant First Class, just as his son’s acting career was beginning to gain notoriety.

As of November 2003 holds the record for the most number of Star Trek episodes directed by a Star Trek actor. He has directed more than two-dozen episodes for every one of the four “modern era” Trek series.

While co-starring in “Star Trek: The Next Generation” (1987), was also continuing his role as host of “Reading Rainbow” (1983).

His character Geordi La Forge on “Star Trek: The Next Generation” (1987) was named after George La Forge, a Star Trek fan who died from muscular dystrophy.

Is a strong supporter of literacy in children.

On “Star Trek: The Next Generation” (1987), his character’s parents were played by two of his “Roots” (1977) co-stars: Ben Vereen played his father on “Star Trek TNG” and his grandson in “Roots” (1977) and Madge Sinclair played his character’s wife in “Roots” (1977) and his mother on “Star Trek TNG”.

At age 13, entered a Catholic seminary to study for the priesthood.

In the original Next Generation script, Burton’s character, Geordi LaForge, was going to be gay.

Author of a science fiction novel, Aftermath.

Met his wife, Stephanie Cozart Burton, in 1988 during the filming of Roots: The Gift (1988) (TV) and married in October 1992.

Cesar Romero

Cesar Julio Romero, Jr. (February 15, 1907 – January 1, 1994) was a Cuban American film and television actor, who played The Joker in the 1960s television series Batman. In 1966, the show was transferred to movie theaters, and Romero became the first actor to portray the Joker in a motion picture.

Cesar Romero as the Joker

Trade Mark:

His moustache.

Trivia:

TV writer Mark Evanier remarked that Romero was usually easily available to cast for TV show guest appearances. Apparently, Evanier knew at least one crew member on a TV show who prepared roles with Romero in mind as a default choice in the likely event that a preferred guest star would pull out of a guest appearance.

Refused to shave off his mustache when he played the role of The Joker in “Batman” (1966). Close observation shows how the white clown make- up was applied right over his much loved mustache.

Believed in “liberation theology,” a political system of Marxism-Christianity, which purports that, despite the fact that ‘Karl Marx’ called religion “the opiate of the masses,” religion and communism are still compatible. Romero was very Christian yet still believed in a utopian society (believing that Christ’s kingdom would be very similar to Marx’s vision of communism) and clung to this belief until his death.

Towards the end of his life, he was interviewed by author Boze Hadleigh, and gave a revealing, often comic account of what life was like in the Golden Age of Hollywood for a openly closeted gay man (i.e., out to everyone but “the public”). The interview is included in Hadleigh’s book, “Hollywood Gays”.

His maternal grandparents were the exiled Cubans Carmen and her invalid husband, Manuel Mantilla. Their daughter María Mantilla, César Romero’s mother, is generally believed to have been the daughter of Cuban poet and Revolutionary leader José Martí, who also wrote “Guantánamera” (“Yo soy un hombre sincero . . . “).

Has never worked directly with George Clooney, but Clooney has starred in two remakes of movies Romero was in. Romero played the Joker in “Batman” (1966), and Clooney played Batman in Batman & Robin (1997). Romero also appeared in the original Ocean’s Eleven (1960), the remake of which starred Clooney.

He believed that to live well you must dress well. And never in the same outfit. His closets held 30 tuxedos, 200 sports jackets, and 500 suits.

Is one of two Batman villains to share roles with actors who played Batman. He, Adam West and Val Kilmer have all played John ‘Doc’ Holliday, in Frontier Marshal (1939), “Colt .45″ (1957), “Lawman” (1958) and Tombstone (1993), respectively. Christian Bale and Heath Ledger both played Bob Dylan in I’m Not There. (2007).

Was the first actor to play the Joker in a live action adaptation of the Batman character.

At 6′ 2″, he was the tallest actor to have played the Joker in a (non fan-made) live action Batman production. Heath Ledger was 6′ 1″ and Jack Nicholson was nearly 5′ 10″.

Bill Mumy

Charles William “Bill” Mumy, Jr. (born February 1, 1954), is an American actor, musician, pitchman, instrumentalist, voice-over artist and a figure in the science-fiction community. He is known primarily for his roles in movies and television, character-type roles, and his work in television production.

The red-headed Mumy came to prominence in the 1960s as a child actor, most notably as Will Robinson, the youngest of the three children of Prof. John and Dr. Maureen Robinson (played by Guy Williams and June Lockhart respectively) and friend of the nefarious and pompous Dr. Zachary Smith (played by Jonathan Harris), in the cult 1960s CBS sci-fi television series Lost in Space.

He later appeared as a lonely teenager, Sterling North, in the 1969 Disney movie, Rascal, and as Teft in the 1971 film Bless the Beasts and Children. In the 1990s, he had the role of Lennier in the syndicated sci-fi TV series Babylon 5, and he also served as narrator of A&E Network’s Emmy Award-winning series, Biography. He is also notable for his musical career, as a solo artist and as half of the duo Barnes & Barnes.

Trivia:

Wife is a childbirth instructor.

Father of Seth Mumy and Liliana Mumy

Last name is pronounced “Moomy” not “Mummy”

Performed with Robert Haimer as “Barnes & Barnes”, recording the hit novelty song “Fish Heads” in 1978. It is currently the most requested song in the history of the Dr. Demento Show.

Had a recurring role as “Lennier” on “Babylon 5″ (1994). Mumy had also repeatedly tried to land a guest role on “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” (1993), but the producers always wanted him to play an alien. He held out until they allowed him to play a human, which he did in the DS9 episode “The Siege of AR-558″ (he was the Starfleet engineer who worked on trying to decode a Dominion communications array).

Acted in a recent episode of the newly-revived “The Twilight Zone” (2002) TV series with his actress-daughter Liliana. As a child, Mumy appeared in three of Rod Serling’s classic TZ episodes (“Long-Distance Call,” “It’s a Good Life,” and “In Praise Of Pip”) during the 1960s.

Wrote a screenplay back in the late 1970s in which the “Lost in Space” (1965) family would have found their way back to Earth. 20th Century Fox was committed to the project, but series creator Irwin Allen wasn’t interested in reviving the series. The plan dissolved completely after the death of space patriarch Guy Williams in 1989.

Was the original choice to play “Eddie Munster,” in the cult 1960s TV series “The Munsters” (1964). However, his parents did not approve of the makeup young Bill would have to wear for the role; they turned it down. Butch Patrick ended up playing the part. Today, Patrick and Mumy are very good friends and sometimes collaborate on music.

On the “Babylon 5″ (1994) episode “Eyes,” he used his album title “Zabagabee” as an alien word.

Was a lifelong friend of James Stewart, with whom he co-starred in the film Dear Brigitte (1965). The Stewart and Mumy families knew each other well off-screen, Stewart’s wife Gloria having been Mumy’s Sunday school teacher. He can still do a perfect imitation of Stewart’s voice, one that frequently cracked Stewart up during his lifetime.

Is an only child.

Credits his “Lost in Space” (1965) co-star Guy Williams with inspiring him to become an actor. Mumy grew up watching Williams on Disney’s “Zorro” (1957) TV series; young Bill broke his leg attempting to recreate one of the show’s stunts in his bedroom.

‘”Weird Al’ Yankovic’ was a big fan of “Lost in Space” (1965) growing up, and he and Mumy later became good friends. Mumy reportedly introduced Al to his wife Suzanne.

Best known by the public for his role as Will Robinson on “Lost in Space” (1965).

Along with Cloris Leachman, he is one of only two actors to appear in both “The Twilight Zone” (1959) and its second television revival, “The Twilight Zone” (2002).

The Wolf Man is a 1941 monster horror film written by Curt Siodmak and produced and directed by George Waggner, starring Lon Chaney, Jr., Claude Rains, Evelyn Ankers, Ralph Bellamy, Patric Knowles, Béla Lugosi, and Maria Ouspenskaya. The title character has had a great deal of influence on Hollywood’s depictions of the legend of the werewolf. The film is the second Universal Pictures werewolf movie, preceded six years earlier by the less commercially successful Werewolf of London.

Trivia:

• Larry Talbot’s brother’s name was John.
• In the first version of the script, Larry was not the prodigal son of Sir John Talbot, nor related to him in any way. He was an American engineer who comes to fix Sir John’s telescope, and ends up getting trapped in the werewolf curse.
• Lon Chaney Jr.’s make-up took six hours to apply, and three hours to get off.
• Larry had been away 18 years working on Mt. Wilson Observatory in California.
• The first transformation takes place with Talbot in an undershirt (although he is fully dressed in a dark shirt
  

  Lon Chaney, Jr and Evelyn Ankers

  once on the prowl). Only the feet transform on screen in six lapse dissolves. In the second transformation there are eleven shots – again of feet only. The third transformation features 17 face shots in a continuous dissolve.

• The Wolfman battled a bear in one scene but unfortunately the bear ran away during filming. What few scenes were filmed were put into the theatrical trailer.
• “Even a man who is pure at heart, and says his prayers by night, may become a wolf when the wolfbane blooms and the autumn moon is bright.” This quote has been listed in some sources as an authentic Gypsy or Eastern European folk saying. Writer Curt Siodmak admits that he simply made it up. Nonetheless, the rhyme would be recited in every future Universal film appearance of the Wolf Man, and would also be quoted in Van Helsing (2004). (Albeit, slightly modified, “The moon is shining bright.” rather than “The autumn moon is bright.”)
• Larry’s silver wolf-headed cane, the only known surviving prop from the movie, currently resides in the personal collection of genre film archivist Bob Burns. Burns, who was a schoolboy at the time, was given the cane head by the man who made it for the film, prop-maker Ellis Burman.
• Maria Ouspenskaya, who played the old Gypsy woman, was only six years older than Bela Lugosi, who played her son.
• According to the documentary on the Recent Wolf Man DVD collection, the script for The Wolf Man was influenced by writer Curt Siodmak’s experiences in Nazi Germany. Siodmak had been living a normal life in Germany only to have it thrown into chaos and himself on the run when the Nazis took control, just as Larry Talbot finds his normal life thrown into chaos and himself on the run once he is turned into a werewolf. Also, the wolfman himself can be seen as a metaphor for the Nazis: an otherwise good man who is transformed into a vicious killing animal who knows who his next victim will be when he sees the symbol of a pentagram (i.e., a star) on them.
• Curt Siodmak’s first draft lacked all werewolf scenes and the hallucinatory sequence.
• Dick Foran was originally cast in the role of Larry Talbot. He was replaced just one week before filming began.
• It was originally given the working title, “Destiny,” which had been the preliminary title of a number of Universal films that decade (including Son of Dracula (1943)).
• Universal, lacking a theater chain, had planned to market the film as part of a double bill (with The Mad Doctor of Market Street (1942)) but feared that the public would avoid an all-horror bill after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
• Evelyn Ankers had a rough time on the set. Lon Chaney Jr. delighted in sneaking up on her in full makeup and scaring her senseless. In other deleted scene, a bear was to wrestle with the werewolf but broke loose, chasing the actress up into the soundstage’s rafters.
• Despite Universal’s apprehensions over the public’s appetite for horror movies following the attack on Pearl Harbor, the film became one of the studio’s top grossers in 1942.
• The silver top of Larry’s wolf-head cane was made of vulcanized rubber so none of the actors or stunt doubles would get injured if they were accidentally hit by it.
• Universal had another unproduced werewolf script originally planned as a vehicle for Boris Karloff on file but writer Curt Siodmak did not utilize any of it for his script.
• Silent film actor Gibson Gowland appears in this film as a villager present at the death of Larry Talbot. He also had been present during the Phantom’s death scene in the 1925 version of The Phantom of the Opera (1925), becoming the only actor to appear in death scenes performed by both Lon Chaney and Lon Chaney Jr.
• In this movie, we’re told that a werewolf is “a human being who becomes a wolf at certain times of the year … ‘when the wolf-bane blooms and the autumn moon is bright,’” and the moon is never depicted in the film. This is the only one of the Universal series of Wolf Man films in which the full moon is never shown. In the sequel, the folklore is changed to “when the moon is full and bright.”
• Larry Talbot and his father Sir John attend church on Sunday in the village, but the doorway and steps of the village church looks more like that of a cathedral. In fact, it was a cathedral – part of the original set built for the legendary silent version of The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1923/I), which had starred Lon Chaney Jr.’s famous father, Lon Chaney and which stood on the Universal back lot for over 20 years.
• The “wolf” that Larry Talbot fights with was Lon Chaney Jr.’s own German Shepherd.
• The first Universal picture since The Black Cat (1934) to introduce the major characters during the opening credits – and the actors playing them – with brief clips from the movie.