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Static (The Twilight Zone)
Encyclopedia
"Static" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone
.
is?". "Sure", says the kid, "but I've never seen one like that before!". The camera then moves to show Rod Serling standing at the top of the basement steps.
in his late fifties, living in a boarding house
, is dismayed over the mindless and worthless programs and commercials emanating from the television
set watched by the other residents. He retrieves from the basement the old radio which, in his younger and happier days, he enjoyed as a source of relaxation and entertainment. Installing it in his joyless room, he is astonished to hear the radio transmit 1930s/40s music and programs, including those of Major Bowes, Fred Allen
and Tommy Dorsey
, all of whom are no longer alive. He tries to tell the others about the miraculous broadcasts, but they only hear static. What's more, when he tries to contact the radio station ("WPDA
", in fictional "Cedarburg, New Jersey") broadcasting those programs, he discovers the station went off the air (and out of business) 13 years before.
Ed has a heartfelt confrontation with Vinnie Broun (Carmen Mathews), who has lived in the same boarding house with him for two decades. We learn that in an earlier era, they had intended to marry, but he kept letting other things interfere, and too much time passed. She tells him that the past cannot be recovered and he should let it go, and that the phenomena by which he can listen to defunct programs is nothing more than the manifestation of his failed youth. Ed is furious and he throws Vinnie out of his room. In time his obsession with his radio continues to grow.
Worried about Ed's mental state, Vinnie and the boarding house residents have the radio taken away by a junk dealer in his absence, but when they tell Ed, he rushes out and manages to buy it back for ten dollars. Ed re-installs the radio in his room, and to his relief finds it still operational. He loses himself in an old Tommy Dorsey
love song - the one he would share with Vinnie. Suddenly, the door to his room swings open, and Vinnie enters. Both Ed and Vinnie are young again — or rather, Ed has retreated 20 years into his own past to relive his life and to set things right, in the Twilight Zone.
that at about $65,000 per episode, the show was exceeding its budget. By November 1960, 16 episodes, more than half of the projected 29, were already filmed, and five of those had been broadcast. It was decided that six consecutive episodes would be videotaped at CBS Television City
in the manner of a live drama and then transferred to 16-millimeter film for future syndicated TV transmissions. Eventual savings amounted to only about $30,000 for all six entries, which was judged to be insufficient to offset the loss of depth of visual perspective that only film could offer. The shows wound up looking little better than set-bound soap operas and as a result the experiment was deemed a failure and never tried again.
Even though the six shows were taped in a row, through November and into mid-December, their broadcast dates were out of order and varied widely, with this, the second one, shown on March 10, 1961 as episode 20. The first, "The Lateness of the Hour
" was seen on December 2, 1960 as episode 8; the third, "The Whole Truth" appeared on January 20, 1961 as episode 14; the fourth was the Christmas
show "Night of the Meek
" shown as the 11th episode on December 23, 1960; the fifth, "Twenty-Two
" was seen on February 10, 1961 as episode 17; and the last one, "Long Distance Call
" was transmitted on March 31, 1961 as episode 22.
The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)
The Twilight Zone is an American anthology television series created by Rod Serling, which ran for five seasons on CBS from 1959 to 1964. The series consisted of unrelated episodes depicting paranormal, futuristic, dystopian, or simply disturbing events; each show typically featured a surprising...
.
Opening narration
As Ed Lindsay retrieves his old radio from the boarding house basement, he says to a boy watching him, "Don't you know what a radioRadio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
is?". "Sure", says the kid, "but I've never seen one like that before!". The camera then moves to show Rod Serling standing at the top of the basement steps.
Synopsis
Ed Lindsay, an embittered, irritable bachelorBachelor
A bachelor is a man above the age of majority who has never been married . Unlike his female counterpart, the spinster, a bachelor may have had children...
in his late fifties, living in a boarding house
Boarding house
A boarding house, is a house in which lodgers rent one or more rooms for one or more nights, and sometimes for extended periods of weeks, months and years. The common parts of the house are maintained, and some services, such as laundry and cleaning, may be supplied. They normally provide "bed...
, is dismayed over the mindless and worthless programs and commercials emanating from the television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
set watched by the other residents. He retrieves from the basement the old radio which, in his younger and happier days, he enjoyed as a source of relaxation and entertainment. Installing it in his joyless room, he is astonished to hear the radio transmit 1930s/40s music and programs, including those of Major Bowes, Fred Allen
Fred Allen
Fred Allen was an American comedian whose absurdist, topically pointed radio show made him one of the most popular and forward-looking humorists in the so-called classic era of American radio.His best-remembered gag was his long-running mock feud with friend and fellow comedian Jack Benny, but it...
and Tommy Dorsey
Tommy Dorsey
Thomas Francis "Tommy" Dorsey, Jr. was an American jazz trombonist, trumpeter, composer, and bandleader of the Big Band era. He was known as "The Sentimental Gentleman of Swing", due to his smooth-toned trombone playing. He was the younger brother of bandleader Jimmy Dorsey...
, all of whom are no longer alive. He tries to tell the others about the miraculous broadcasts, but they only hear static. What's more, when he tries to contact the radio station ("WPDA
WPDA
WPDA is a radio station broadcasting an Album Oriented Rock format, simulcasting WPDH 101.5 FM Poughkeepsie, New York. Licensed to Jeffersonville, New York, USA. The station is currently owned by Cumulus Media and features programing from AP Radio....
", in fictional "Cedarburg, New Jersey") broadcasting those programs, he discovers the station went off the air (and out of business) 13 years before.
Ed has a heartfelt confrontation with Vinnie Broun (Carmen Mathews), who has lived in the same boarding house with him for two decades. We learn that in an earlier era, they had intended to marry, but he kept letting other things interfere, and too much time passed. She tells him that the past cannot be recovered and he should let it go, and that the phenomena by which he can listen to defunct programs is nothing more than the manifestation of his failed youth. Ed is furious and he throws Vinnie out of his room. In time his obsession with his radio continues to grow.
Worried about Ed's mental state, Vinnie and the boarding house residents have the radio taken away by a junk dealer in his absence, but when they tell Ed, he rushes out and manages to buy it back for ten dollars. Ed re-installs the radio in his room, and to his relief finds it still operational. He loses himself in an old Tommy Dorsey
Tommy Dorsey
Thomas Francis "Tommy" Dorsey, Jr. was an American jazz trombonist, trumpeter, composer, and bandleader of the Big Band era. He was known as "The Sentimental Gentleman of Swing", due to his smooth-toned trombone playing. He was the younger brother of bandleader Jimmy Dorsey...
love song - the one he would share with Vinnie. Suddenly, the door to his room swings open, and Vinnie enters. Both Ed and Vinnie are young again — or rather, Ed has retreated 20 years into his own past to relive his life and to set things right, in the Twilight Zone.
Episode notes
As The Twilight Zones second season began, the production was informed by CBSCBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
that at about $65,000 per episode, the show was exceeding its budget. By November 1960, 16 episodes, more than half of the projected 29, were already filmed, and five of those had been broadcast. It was decided that six consecutive episodes would be videotaped at CBS Television City
CBS Television City
CBS Television City is a television studio complex located in the Fairfax District of Los Angeles at 7800 Beverly Boulevard, at the corner of North Fairfax Avenue...
in the manner of a live drama and then transferred to 16-millimeter film for future syndicated TV transmissions. Eventual savings amounted to only about $30,000 for all six entries, which was judged to be insufficient to offset the loss of depth of visual perspective that only film could offer. The shows wound up looking little better than set-bound soap operas and as a result the experiment was deemed a failure and never tried again.
Even though the six shows were taped in a row, through November and into mid-December, their broadcast dates were out of order and varied widely, with this, the second one, shown on March 10, 1961 as episode 20. The first, "The Lateness of the Hour
The Lateness of the Hour
"The Lateness of the Hour" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone that was originally broadcast in the United States on December 2, 1960.-Synopsis:...
" was seen on December 2, 1960 as episode 8; the third, "The Whole Truth" appeared on January 20, 1961 as episode 14; the fourth was the Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
show "Night of the Meek
Night of the Meek
"The Night of the Meek" is the December 23, 1960 episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.-Introductory scene:...
" shown as the 11th episode on December 23, 1960; the fifth, "Twenty-Two
Twenty-Two
"Twenty Two" is an episode of the American television series The Twilight Zone. The story was adapted by Rod Serling from a short anecdote in the 1944 Bennett Cerf Random House anthology, Famous Ghost Stories,which itself was an adaptation of "The Bus-Conductor," a short story by E. F...
" was seen on February 10, 1961 as episode 17; and the last one, "Long Distance Call
Long Distance Call
"Long Distance Call" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone.-Synopsis:A boy communicates with his father's European-immigrant mother, who had recently died, using a toy telephone that she gave him on his birthday before her passing. The boy, Billy, runs out in...
" was transmitted on March 31, 1961 as episode 22.