What They Said: Rod Serling
There was discussion yesterday about how Rod Serling died. Yes, he was a 3-4 pack a day smoker. This is what happened: He suffered a heart attack and was persuaded to have open heart-heart surgery. He had a second heart attack during surgery, but survived. He died at the hospital two days later, age 50.
I recently discovered his daughter Anne’s fascinating tribute page on FB, and have ordered her book.
Let’s not think too much about what Serling might have done if faced with the “typhoon of unreason” (Martin Amis’ phrase about Stalinism) of the Covid attack. Where they “got” many good people was in their blind spot about “viruses” and “public health.” Let’s assume Serling would have been on our side, at least, when he saw the rise of mass media induced hate and division, as this was his central theme—the unconscious monstrosity that can erupt in communities when they are provoked by fear.
Here’s my 2021 article about the missing-ness of “SARS Cov-2,” which is a version of the missing-ness of “HIV.” He could have written many TZ scripts about how the technocratic sorcery of it all destroyed people, and I like to think he would have.
One of the ways Serling, a WW2 vet, (who came home with PTSD) made money before his success:
”For extra money in his college years, Serling worked part-time testing parachutes for the United States Army Air Forces. According to his radio station coworkers, he received $50 for each successful jump and had once been paid $500 (half before and half if he survived) for a hazardous test.[2]: 58 His last test jump was a few weeks before his wedding. In one instance, he earned $1,000 for testing a jet ejection seat that had killed the previous three testers.[16][2]: 61 “
I just watched Patterns (on a rainy Sunday morning) per your recommendation Celia. What a treat with a theme that is truly timeless. Maybe some day we’ll see a remake of it - but this time it will take place at Pfizer headquarters where there’s an executive with a conscience witnessing the immoral actions of Bourla and his ilk. And his persistence leads to revelations about this criminal syndicate disguised as a pharmaceutical corporation. Wouldn’t that be interesting?
And speaking of Rod Serling, I have mentioned before about my brief encounter with him alone in an elevator when I was 16 where answering my question about the Twilight Zone, he confirmed that it’s not pure fiction. But until now I was unaware of the circumstances surrounding his death on the operating table during a coronary bypass surgery in 1975. My father (also a onetime heavy smoker who had suffered a prior heart attack at age 45) was having chest pains around the same time as Rod. He met with heart surgeons at both Emory and at Mass General both who advised him against it as they didn’t think he’d survive it. And shortly after that he had a second attack, this time fatal.
And six years ago after experiencing angina, I had a double bypass operation where everything went smoothly allowing me a chance to continue my journey in good heath with revitalization of spirit. The connections between my father, Rod Serling and myself are indeed most intriguing. So once again I’m grateful for crossing paths with you Celia here on Substack. So here’s to joy, heath and the lessons learned in the Twilight Zone.
I watched the "Twilight Zone" when I was a kid,now it feels like we are living in a episode of the "Twilight Zone "