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A crowd gathers as a hologram of Rod Serling is shown at the opening of Hollywood Tower of Terror at Disney's California Adventure in 2004.

This showcase presents a journey through time and space for a retrospective exploring the other dimensions of Rod Serling, best known for being the host and creative force responsible for the television classics "The Twilight Zone" and "Night Gallery." Serling also contributed to a remarkably wide array of additional motion picture and TV projects. Constantly clashing with powerful television executives and network censors, Serling wrote about controversial issues including blacklist, civil rights, racism, and war. The iconic screenwriter amassed over 200 film and TV credits during his tragically brief career.

Serling got his big break with the show "Patterns," a drama on NBC that detailed the lives of professionals within the cutthroat world of business. The show was the first show to be broadcast a second time due to its incredible popularity. From there, he went on to write hit dramas such as "Requiem for a Heavyweight" and "A Town Has Turned to Dust." After attempting to address controversial issues on the conservative networks, he turned to science fiction. The genre allowed him to write about current events and debates through the guise of fantasy. The show that allowed him to address these issues was "The Twilight Zone." The first episode aired on October 2, 1959. The show lasted for five seasons and won Serling three Emmy Awards. After its success, he turned to the big screen. During the 1960s and 1970s he wrote such movies as The Yellow Canary (1963) and Assault on a Queen (1966). His most famous, however, is unmistakably Planet of the Apes (1968). In the early 1970s, he found a teaching job in Ithaca, New York. He died in 1975 from a heart attack at the age of 50.

This UCLA-sponsored program celebrates Serling's legacy and will show a variety of his movies and shows, such as Seven Days in May (1964) and "The Twilight Zone: Mr. Denton on Doomsday" (1959). Beginning Friday, July 27 and continuing until Wednesday, September 19, the showcase takes place at the Billy Wilder Theater.

Schedule permitting, director Carl Reiner will appear in-person at the event on August 26. Reiner directed the rarely-seen "We Two" pilot in 1972 that Serling wrote and created and will be shown on that date.

Date:
July 27 - September 19

Time:
Varies by date, but usually ranges from 7:00pm to 7:30pm

Venue:
Courtyard Level, Hammer Museum
10899 Wilshire Boulevard (intersection of Wilshire and Westwood Boulevards)
Los Angeles, CA 90024
(310) 206.8013

Price:
General admission (at window) - $9
General admission (online) - $10
Non-UCLA student, seniors, UCLA Alumni Association members (ID required) - $8
UCLA student (current ID required) - FREE

For more information, please visit the UCLA Film and Television Archive website.