Rod Serling Movies

Several years after a nuclear war, a handful of survivors are compelled to follow the instructions of the mysterious "old man in the cave." Enter a band of mercenaries headed by Major French (James Coburn), who laughs at the notion of a group of people living under the thumb of an unseen entity. Despite the dire warnings of community leader Goldsmith (John Anderson), French is determined to expose the "old man" as a fraud -- but even he is not prepared for what he finds when he storms the cave. Scripted by Twilight Zone creator Rod Serling from a short story by Henry Slesar, "The Old Man in the Cave" was originally telecast November 8, 1963. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Written by mystery master Rod Serling, The Yellow Canary stars Pat Boone as insufferable singing idol Andy Paxton. Barbara Eden plays his wife Lissa, who is fed up with her husband's egotistical attitude and is ready to leave him. When their baby son is kidnapped, Andy Paxton refuses to enlist the help of the police. He still does not cooperate even after three people are murdered in crimes apparently related to the kidnapping. Finally, acting on his own, he agrees to pay $200,000 in ransom, but the kidnapper never shows up at an arranged meeting. In desperation, the singer finally gets more involved in tracking down the kidnapper. ~ Michael Betzold, All Movie Guide

Bearing traces of such earlier film offerings as The Great Gabbo and Dead of Night, the eerie Twilight Zone episode "The Dummy" was scripted by Rod Serling from a story by Lee Polk. Cliff Robertson stars as Jerry Etherson, a nightclub ventriloquist with a predilection for liquor and emotional problems. Weighing heavily upon Jerry is the fact that he feels threatened by his dummy Willy -- as well he should, since Willy seems to be doing all his talking on his own. Hoping to rid himself of his little nemesis, Jerry adopts a new wooden companion, Goofy Goggles, but Willy isn't about to be dismissed so easily. The supporting cast features future Gomer Pyle USMC regular Frank Sutton and perennial starlet Edy Williams. Stylishly directed by former actor Abner Biberman, "The Dummy" first aired May 4, 1962. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Written by Rod Serling, this nostalgic Twilight Zone episode was clearly inspired by Serling's student years at Ohio's Antioch College. Made up to look twice his age, Donald Pleasence stars as Prof. Ellis Fowler, the oldest teacher at an exclusive boy's school. Ordered by his headmaster (Liam Sullivan) to retire, Fowler is convinced that his life has been meaningless -- until he is paid a nocturnal visit by several ethereal-looking "alumni." Telecast June 1, 1962, "The Changing of the Guard" was scheduled as the final Twilight Zone of the 1961-62 season -- and at the time, it looked as if it would be the last Twilight Zone, period. Though the series would ultimately be renewed in January of 1963, it would never completely rescale the creative heights of its first three seasons. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

One of the most memorable sports dramas because of its strong character development, Requiem for a Heavyweight is carried by Anthony Quinn as the washed-up boxer Mountain Rivera, and Jackie Gleason as his sleazy manager, Maish Rennick. In the opening scenes, Cassius Clay -- before he became Muhammad Ali -- knocks out Rivera in a stunning fight sequence. Rivera's career is over, and although his trainer Army (Mickey Rooney) and a social worker (Julie Harris) encourage him with vain hopes for an alternate career, the boxer's courage is stronger than his addled senses, a serious barrier to getting any job. Then Rivera's manager Rennick breaks down and tells him he has lost a gambling bet against the fighter and needs him to bail him out -- by becoming a wrestler. The question is, will Rivera take this humiliating path just to save his unethical manager, or will he stick to his scruples and reject the idea? ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

In his second Twilight Zone apperance of the 1961-62 season, Joseph Schildkraut stars as elderly John Holt, who, together with his equally aged wife Marie (Alma Platt), yearns to be young and vital again. Visiting the New Life Corporation, John and Marie are invited by unctuous salesman Vance (Noah Keen) to trade in their old bodies for newer models. Alas, the operation costs $5,000 per person -- and the Platts have only enough money for one "trade-in." Written by Rod Serling, "The Trade-Ins" was the final third-season Twilight Zone episode to be filmed, but not the last one to be telecast; rather, it was seen on April 20, 1962, with six more episodes still to go. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Rod Serling adapted the teleplay for this Twilight Zone episode from a short story by Price Day, which first appeared in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine. Decked out in coke-bottle glasses and greased-down hair, Theodore Bikel is malevolence personified as Oliver Crangle, a self-appointed "social conscience" who spends all his waking hours persecuting innocent people whom he has designated as evil. After casually ruining several lives, this Crangle declares that he has in his possession the means to shrink all evil people in the world to a height of two feet -- and that this metamorphosis will occur exactly at Four O'Clock. Appearing as Crangle's landlady is Moyna McGill, the actress mother of Angela Lansbury. "Four O'Clock" was first telecast on April 6, 1962. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Larry Blyden stars in this hilarious Twilight Zone entry as egocentric TV western star Rance McGrew, who, while filming a fight scene, is knocked cold by a prop bottle. Upon awakening, Rance finds himself in the real west, circa 1880 -- and at the mercy of none other than Jesse James (Arch Johnson). It seems that old Jesse isn't too thrilled as to how he and his fellow outlaws have been depicted on Rance's series, and he intends to teach the vainglorious actor a lesson. Best line: "And you won an Emmy? Shoot, you can't act any better than you can draw!" This episode reunited two alumni of the classic 1951 sci-fi thriller The Thing: actor Robert Cornthwaite, and director Christian Nyby. Scripted by Rod Serling from an idea by Frederic Louis Fox (which in its original form wasn't a comedy at all), "Showdown with Rance McGrew" first aired February 2, 1962. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Surviving several defecting sponsors and vacillating ratings, Twilight Zone manages to survive for a third season on CBS -- a season that many aficionados regard as the anthology series' best. With Rod Serling as narrator and frequent scriptwriter, season three offers 37 half-hour playlets, many of them regarded today as classics of the sci-fi fantasy genre. The best of the batch includes "It's a Good Life," starring Bill Mumy as a deceptively angelic-looking youngster who holds the power to destroy the world; "The Midnight Sun," a nightmarish scenario of solar energy run amok; "Once Upon a Time," a delightful time-travel comedy (largely shot in silent-movie fashion) starring Buster Keaton; "Kick the Can," with Ernest Truex as a senior-home resident who gets a new lease on life by reverting to the games of his childhood; "Little Girl Lost," a dizzying foray into The Fourth Dimension, brilliantly underlined by Bernard Herrmann's musical score; and the unforgettable "To Serve Man," the title of which also serves as the episode's grimly ironic punchline. Among the guest stars from previous seasons making return appearances are Jack Klugman, Larry Blyden, Cliff Robertson, and John Dehner. Prominent newcomers to the series include Jonathan Winters, Donald Pleasence, Elizabeth Montgomery, Charles Bronson, Joseph Schildkraut, Andy Devine, and Carol Burnett, the latter appearing in "One for the Angels," which was intended as the pilot for a spin-off comedy series (complete with laughtrack!) Twilight Zone's ever-growing legion fans were disheartened by CBS' decision to cancel the series at the end of season three; however, the property made a dramatic comeback the following season in a brand-new hour-long format. ~ All Movie Guide

This episode was adapted by Rod Serling from Marvin Petal's short story "The Depository," but it could easily have been inspired by Jean-Paul Sartre's No Exit. Five people from various and assorted walks of life -- an Army major (William Windom), a clown (Murray Matheson), a ballerina (Susan Harrison), a tramp (Kelton Garwood), and a bagpipe player (Clark Allen) -- find themselves trapped in a huge, cylindrical prison. They don't know where they are or how they got there, but it soon becomes painfully clear that they'd better escape, lest they be driven crazy by the deafening peal of bell which periodically interrupts their conversation. Mona Houghton, daughter of Twilight Zone producer Buck Houghton, appears in the final scene. "Five Characters in Search of an Exit" first aired December 22, 1961. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

For reasons beyond comprehension, the Earth has changed its orbit and is moving inexorably toward the sun, sending temperatures soaring into the triple digits. Though most of New York City has been deserted, art student Norma (Lois Nettelton) and her landlady Mrs. Bronson (Betty Garde) elect to stay behind, braving the intense, blistering heat until the bitter end. And don't be misled by that "is it all a bad dream?" finale. Written by Rod Serling, "The Midnight Sun" made its Twilight Zone debut on November 17, 1961 (imagine the audience reaction had the episode been telecast in August). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Adapted by Rod Serling from a story by Jerome Bixby, "It's a Good Life" stands the test of time as one of the best-ever Twilight Zone episodes -- not to mention one of the series' most frightening efforts. The terrified citizens of Peaksville, Ohio, are held in thrall by a "monster" in the form of angelic-looking youngster Anthony Fremont (Billy Mumy). Possessed with the ability to read minds, coupled with mysterious destructive powers, Anthony bristles whenever he senses that someone is thinking bad thoughts -- and whenever he bristles, something really bad happens (yes, this is the one with the cornfield and the jack-in-the-box). Understandably, this episode has always been a favorite of youngsters, who would give anything to wield Anthony Fremont's awesome powers over their own parents. First telecast November 3, 1961, "It's a Good Life" was later reworked in the 1983 theatrical film Twilight Zone: The Movie -- and a few years after that, it was delightfully lampooned on one of The Simpsons' "Treehouse of Horror" episodes. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide