This article contains discussions of racism and lynching.
Summary
- The Twilight Zone was created by Rod Serling, who believed in using television as a platform for social activism and commentary.
- The show was initially inspired by the murder of Emmett Till, a Black teenager who was brutally killed in Mississippi in the 1950s.
- Serling's attempts to directly adapt Till's story were met with censorship, leading him to create The Twilight Zone as a way to subtly include social commentary within the sci-fi and horror genres.
The Twilight Zone includes memorable episodes like "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" and "To Serve Man." This iconic TV show also frequently comes up as an example of a series that seamlessly integrated politics and social commentary.
Rod Serling, who created The Twilight Zone, believed that television, as a medium, must perform social activism. He told interviewer Mike Wallace, "The writer’s role is to be a menacer of the public’s conscience... He must see the arts as a vehicle of social criticism, and he must focus the issues of his time" (via Smithsonian Magazine). This belief led to the success of The Twilight Zone. However, the show would've never existed if it weren't for the horrific kidnapping and murder of a Black teenager in Mississippi in the 1950s.
The Twilight Zone's Origins Began With The Murder Of Emmett Till
In 1955, a 14-year-old Black boy named Emmett Till was kidnapped and killed due to an accusation that he whistled at a white woman. Despite having witnesses to the kidnapping, an all-white jury acquitted alleged murderers Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam of all charges, allowing them to walk free. This horrific injustice rocked the U.S., galvanizing the already-building Civil Rights Movement (via the story of Emmett Till’s murder.
Unfortunately, Serling was rebuffed by TV executives and rs at every turn. According to the book Rod Serling: His Life, Work, and Imagination, approximately 15,000 letters and telegrams came in to protest Serling's teleplay based on Till's murder after news circulated about the idea. Serling changed the location of the murder and the character's race, making him Jewish instead, yet this wasn't enough. The show's producers gutted his script, requiring him to change the character to a nondescript foreigner and the murderer to a misguided man. Because of this censorship, Serling got the idea to create a sci-fi/horror show that could subtly include social commentary. The Twilight Zone was born.
Rod Serling Still Very Loosely Adapted The Emmett Till Story Again
Rod Serling's first attempt at adapting the story of Emmett Till's murder ultimately became a 1956 episode of The United States Steel Hour called "Noon on Doomsday," but it had no bite and very little commentary due to the censorship he faced. So, The Twilight Zone creator tried again. For the 1958 Serling-scripted, John Frankenheimer-helmed Playhouse 90 episode "A Town Has Turned to Dust," Emmett Till's tragic story was loosely adapted as being about a young Mexican boy lynched in the American Southwest during the 19th century. These changes distanced the story from the real-life hate crime, but it allowed the message about prejudice and injustice to come through.
Sources: Smithsonian Magazine, Library of Congress, Rod Serling: His Life, Work, and Imagination
