The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street

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The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street

• Screenplay
• by
• Rod Serling

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Screenplay/ Teleplay

• Play written for television. Written to be
  filmed by a camera and not acted on stage (like
  IRT).
• Screenplays deliver ideas through dialogue and
  stage directions.
• Audience hears dialogue (actors speaking to each
  other).

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Stage Directions

• Written for actors, directors, and crew members
• Describe characters, setting, costumes, mood
  atmosphere
• Express thoughts that help cast crew understand
  what they need to know
• Tells actors, camera crew and other crew members
  what to do

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Stage Direction Terms

• Pan- turn the camera to follow a person or object
• Cut- switch camera from one scene to another
• Close-up camera moves in for a zoomed in shot
• Long shot- camera films from long distance

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Rod Serling (1924- 1975)

• Became serious about writing in college
• Loved radio drama and won 2nd place in a national
  script contest.
• Began his career writing for radio drama.
• Wrote more than 200 television scripts during his
  career.
• Won 6 Emmy Awards (Highest honor in the
  television industry.)

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Twilight Zone

• Serling was creator of the Twilight Zone
  television series.
• Science fiction
• Twilight Zone ran from 1959 1964.
• One of the most popular shows in television
  history.
• His writing became know for surprising twist
  endings and thought provoking social commentary

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Social Commentary

• Serling wanted to write teleplays about important
  social issues.
• Television executives thought his topics were too
  controversial.
• In the 1950s 1960s television censors banned
  scripts that questioned American Society.

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Twilight Zone Settings

• Serling used the science fiction fantasy genres
  to deal with social issues such as prejudice and
  intolerance.
• He had more freedom because his teleplays were
  not realistic.
• The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street aired March
  4th, 1960.

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Background

• Monsters was written during the Cold War (1946
  1989), a period when the U.S. Soviet Union were
  engaged in a nuclear arms race.
• Fear led to suspicion and people were often
  accused of being Communist spies.
• A lot of anti-communist sentiment in the U.S.

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HUAC

• House Un-American Activities Committee (special
  committee of Congress)
• Held hearings in which prominent Hollywood actors
  directors (and other Americans) were
  interrogated about involvement with the Communist
  party.
• Actors directors were blacklisted for
  alleged involvement with the Communist Party

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Mob Mentality

• People in a crowd often act differently than they
  do when they are alone.
• People in a group may laugh louder, feel braver,
  or get angrier.
• Sometimes a crowd can even become dangerous.
• Examples- reactions of sports fans after a
  championship (after Detroit Pistons NBA Title)

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Meteors

• Streaks of light that can be seen when debris
  from a comet or asteroid enters the Earths
  atmosphere
• High speed and friction with molecules in the
  Earths atmosphere usually cause it to burn up
  producing the light trail.
• If large enough a piece known as a meteoroid
  survives to lower altitudes and can cause a sonic
  boom

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Setting 1960s

• No cordless phones
• No cell phones
• Regular phones do not use electricity.
• Phone calls often still went through an operator.
• No Ipods or cd players.
• Portable radios were battery operated.
• No remote starters for cars.