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"Now we just have to be able to explain why
Rod Serling's approach to life led to an early
death (ie. smoking) if he was so smart.
What's your explanation for the critics? "
many smart people have died young.
Serling smoked for an extended period of time before AMA came out strong about smoking and before the doctors and many others quit smoking.
he actually died of complications during bypass surgery. this day and age he would have probably fared much better from such surgery. his father also died of coronary problems at age 52. i don't know if his father smoked, my guess is he probably did.
Serling who was once a military paratrooper also worked for a while as an experimental parachute test jumper. Serling must have known there was an element of danger in that occupation, i would suspect he had come to some kind of terms with the prospect of that chute not opening.
"here is a snippet of an interview of Sterling.
Interviewer: Do you make notes and outlines and characterizations and plot outlines and things like that or do you just take off and write?
Serling: I take off and write out of a sense of desperate compulsion. I always write as if I had just gotten my X-ray from the doctor on Monday {Laughter} and he best check with the insurance man and see whether or not the house is free and clear. I always write with a sense of desperate urgency. Now I don't think this is necessarily a preoccupation with my own demise, Doris. I think I'm good for another 18 months at least, {Laughter}"
hmm humor it is said always has an element of truth in it.
having shared a few moments of time with Serling (and he was smoking) i'd have to say he was very unassumming even though he was a famous person, kind, a good humored gentleman that was genuinely interested in others. he actually looked quite dashing with his cigarette, but those were the days when smoking was viewed in a different way. remmember all of those tv commercials?
i can't find fault in the guy because of his early demise, it's not like he was shooting for an early bail out. he probably was the sort though that would believe he could beat the odds.
thats one of the things i like about him, though.
regards tim
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