By Lee Pfeiffer
On December 10, Food for Thought Productions staged another of their memorable events at The Players, the legendary arts club at Gramercy Park in New York City. A talented group of actors gathered to pay tribute to the late, great Rod Serling. The event offered a reading by Serling's daughter Anne in which she poignantly and touchingly recalls what life was like growing up with a father who was regarded as one of the entertainment industry's great talents. Anne Serling told a story similar to that of other children of celebrities: to her, he was just "dad" - a funny, gentle man who would amuse his family with humorous antics - and who had such sentiment for his roots that he made an annual pilgrimage to visit the modest home he grew up in at Binghamton, New York. During a Q&A with the audience, Anne shed some light on Serling's work and personality. In response to my question about how he felt about Night Gallery, his 1970s horror anthology series, Anne indicated that her father quickly became disgruntled with the series because NBC offered him only limited influence over the stories and productions. She said that, with the exception of a few episodes, the experience left him frustrated.Â
