Movies - TV
This Classic Twilight Zone Episode Was Somehow Written In Just Seven Days
By ANTHONY CRISLIP
Season 4 of "The Twilight Zone" marked a shift in the show's production. The episodes became twice as long, and Rod Serling was relatively absent throughout the season.
While Season 4 wasn't the show's best work, the episode "Jess-Belle" is one of this period's few highlights despite its writer having only seven days to produce a script.
Following Season 3, CBS didn’t order new episodes for its fall season in 1962. When they eventually did, they wanted the show to use an hour-episode format.
Most of the staff, including Serling, were unprepared to resume writing. New producer Herbert Hirschman called on writer Earl Hamner, Jr to come up with a new episode.
Due to his interest in rural characters and backwoods situations, Hirschman believed Hamner was who he needed. He gave Hamner the freedom to write the new script.
However, the script needed to be finished in seven days. Hamner managed the timeline and, in doing so, crafted one of the show’s most underrated episodes.