Paddy Chayefsky

Altered States may no longer be widely known, but it makes a strong impression on its fans. The creators of the highly regarded TV series Fringe (now filming its fifth and likely final season) were so impressed that they borrowed major elements from the film: the use of sensory deprivation tanks combined with hallucinogens to unleash dormant mental powers; the belief that thought alone could open doors to other realities; and the actress Blair Brown portraying a brilliant woman hopelessly devoted to a possibly mad scientist who can never fully requite her love. ..

The hugely popular live American television plays of the 1950s have become the stuff of legend. Combining elements of theater, radio, and filmmaking, they were produced at a moment when TV technology was growing more mobile and art was being made accessible to a newly suburban postwar demographic. These astonishingly choreographed, brilliantly acted, and socially progressive “teleplays” constituted an artistic high for the medium, bringing Broadway-quality drama to all of America. The award-winning programs included in this box set – originally curated for PBS in the early 1980s as the series The Golden Age of Television, featuring recollections from key cast and crew members – were conceived by such up-and-comers as Rod Serling and John Frankenheimer and star the likes of Paul Newman, Mickey Rooney, Rod Steiger, Julie Harris, and Piper Laurie.