Richard Matheson
Richard Matheson One of the most prolific writers of his (or any) generation, Richard
Matheson has written stories that have survived, time and again. But the author of STIR OF ECHOES, WHAT DREAMS MAY COME, I AM LEGEND, and HELL HOUSE is often highly regarded, even by those that have never read a single word he has penned, for the episodes of THE TWILIGHT ZONE that he created. From William Shatner fighting insanity and a gremlin on an airplane, to Lee Marvin fighting with robots in an episode that would become the 2011 blockbuster REAL STEEL, to a time- traveling Buster Keaton looking for peace (and quiet) in his time, Richard Matheson’s contributions to THE TWILIGHT ZONE run the gamut from horror to hilarity and are some of the most memorable episodes in the show’s history.
FM. How did you come to be part of THE TWILIGHT ZONE? RM. Well, they requested various writers who were in that field, as they did with a number of series at that time. When they asked me in particular, Charles Beaumont and I were both called in to look at the pilot and they let us judge for ourselves.
FM. What were your first impressions of Mr. Serling? RM. Well I always liked him. He was a very friendly, open person. All the “message” shows were written by him. Charles Beaumont and I just did fantasies and science fiction.
FM. Was there a particular “message” or goal you were trying to accomplish with the show? RM. At the time I was just trying to make a living to support four children and a wife. [Laughs]
60 FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND • JAN/FEB 2012
FM. Before you started writing for the show they actually optioned two of your short stories, “Disappearing Act” and “Third from the Sun”. RM. Yeah I did not realize they were looking for script writers at the time.
FM. Do you like what they did with “Disappearing Act”, taking it out of the setting of couple in a troubled marriage in a city and making it about three astronauts in a hospital? RM. No, I didn’t care for it. My son and I— Richard —are trying to sell a series idea, a TWILIGHT ZONE type show, in which case I would do “Disappearing Act” the way it was written in the story.
FM. You have written what has become the most recognized TWILIGHT ZONE episode of all time, “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet”. Did you have any sense of the significance and impact that it was going to have? RM. No, none whatsoever.
FM. Did you like the casting of William Shatner?
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