Rod Serling Movies
A master of suspense and the bizarre, Rod Serling is best remembered for his groundbreaking sci-fi television anthology series The Twilight Zone (1959-1965). Born in Syracuse, NY, the son of a wholesale meat dealer, Serling had a life-long interest in science fiction and the supernatural. During WWII, he served as a paratrooper in the U.S. Army 11th Airborne Division. While in the military, Serling was also a noted boxer. Following an honorable discharge in 1946, the result of a shrapnel wound, he attended Antioch College and majored in physical education and then literature. While there, he began writing, directing, and acting in locally produced radio plays. In 1949, he sold his first television script, "Grady Everett for the People." He came to Hollywood to write teleplays full-time in the mid-'50s. Early on, Serling was noted for his intelligent and offbeat scripts. His teleplay Patterns earned him his first of five Emmys. With the Twilight Zone, Serling served as the host and oversaw each of the two stories presented per episode. He wrote many of the stories himself, most of which were known for their ironic twists. Serling also wrote a few screenplays, including Planet of the Apes (1968). Later, he returned to television to launch other anthology series such as Rod Serling's Night Gallery. He also was noted as the distinctive narrator of the Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau documentaries. In addition to his television career, Serling often did cross-country college campus lectures and for a time was a professor at Antioch College. He died in 1975 during open-heart surgery. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide- 1961
As the Civil War limps to a close, Confederate widow Lavinia Godwin (Joanne Linville) sits grimly on the porch of her ruined mansion, watching a seemingly endless parade of wounded soldiers drag themselves down the road in front of her property. One of the soldiers, a Southern sergeant (James Gregory) with a wooden leg, stops to rest, engaging the embittered Lavinia in conversation. As they talk, a sudden horrific realization hits them both -- a realization confirmed by the climactic appearance of "the last casualty of the Civil War." Originally telecast October 6, 1961, "The Passersby" was scripted by Rod Serling. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Joanne Linville, James Gregory, (more)
- 1961
One of the few Twilight Zone episodes with virtually no sci-fi/fantasy trappings whatsoever, this is nonetheless a disturbing and unsettling half hour. In the midst of a surprise birthday party, the revellers are shocked to hear a Civil Defense announcement on the radio, declaring that America is under attack from UFOs. Only Dr. Stockton (Larry Gates) has had the foresight to build a bomb shelter, and before long, he and his family are besieged by desperate neighbors, demanding to be allowed to take refuge in Stockton's cellar. As tensions reach a fever pitch, all of the suppressed hostilities and prejudices of the neighbors come rushing to the surface -- a dangerous situation reminiscent of the finale of the first-season episode "The Monsters are Due on Maple Street," minus the extraterrestrial punchline. Written by Rod Serling, "The Shelter" first aired on September 29, 1961. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Larry Gates, Jack Albertson, (more)
- 1961
FAA investigator Grant Sheckly (Harold J. Stone) is called to the scene when Flight 107 from Buffalo makes an unscheduled landing. Inasmuch as the plane arrived with no luggage, passengers, or crew members, Sheckly really has his work cut out for him. Even allowing for the other-worldy nature of Twilight Zone, this Rod Serling-scripted episode has logic holes one could drive trucks through. Watch for Bing Russell, father of Kurt Russell, in a featured role. Originally filmed for the series' second season, "The Arrival" didn't make its arrival until Season Three, on September 22, 1961. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Harold J. Stone, Fredd Wayne, (more)
- 1961
The second season of Twilight Zone came to a powerful conclusion with this Rod Serling-scripted "message" drama. In a futuristic society where books and religion have been outlawed, librarian Romney Wordsworth stands on trial for his life. Adjudged "obsolete" by the imperious Chancellor (Fritz Weaver), Wordsworth is sentenced to death, whereupon he makes one last, unusual request: He wants to have his execution televised, and he wants the Chancellor to be in attendance. The episode's Kafkaesque ending might have packed even more of a punch had director Eliot Silverstein's original concept been carried out to the fullest. "The Obsolete Man" was originally telecast June 2, 1961. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Burgess Meredith, Fritz Weaver, (more)
- 1961
Fed up with the loud and incessant talking of fellow men's club member Jamie Tennyson (Liam Sullivan), pompous Col. Archie Taylor (Franchot Tone) decides to place a most unusual wager. With $500,000 at stake, Taylor bets that Tennyson cannot remain silent for a full year. Deeply in debt, Tennyson accepts the wager, and even permits himself to be placed in a glass cage in the club's basement, so that Taylor and the other members can monitor his silence. Though the story contains no science-fiction or fantasy trappings whatsover, the ironic ending is very much in keeping with the standards set by previous Twilight Zone episodes. First telecast April 28, 1961, "The Silence" was scripted by Rod Serling -- and though Serling denied it at the time, the story would seem to have been influenced by Anton Chekhov's "The Bet." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Franchot Tone, Liam Sullivan, (more)
- 1961
First telecast May 12, 1961, this amusing Twilight Zone entry was purely and simply a showcase for versatile comic actor Shelley Berman. The star is cast as Archibald Beechcroft, a dyed-in-the-wool misanthrope who despises everyone around him. With the help of an unusual "will power" book given to him by office boy Henry (Jack Grinnage), Beechcroft is able to make everyone else in the world disappear. Before long, however, the silence drives Beechcroft crazy, so he decides to populate the world with millions of Archibald Beechcrofts -- with similarly irksome results. "The Mind and the Matter" was written by series creator Rod Serling. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shelley Berman, Jack Grinnage, (more)
- 1961
Originally titled "Nobody Here but Us Martians," this darkly comic Twilight Zone episode was a rewrite of (and vast improvement upon) an unfilmed Rod Serling script from 1958, "The Night of the Big Rain." Having spotted what they think is a UFO, two highway patrolmen converge upon a roadside diner, where an interesting cross-section of humanity has gathered. The patrolmen plant the suggestion that one of the patrons is actually a "spy" from another planet, a suggestion scoffed at by such likely suspects as taciturn Mr. Ross (John Hoyt) and scraggly vagabond Avery (Jack Elam). The check-checkmate ending is one of the series' most memorable, thanks to the skillful underplaying of Barney Phillips as the diner's sarcastic counterman. "Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?" first aired May 26, 1961. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Hoyt, Barney Phillips, (more)
- 1961
After briefly experimenting with the videotape format, The Twilight Zone wisely returned to film with this episode, which originally aired April 7, 1961. The story begins in the California desert in 1847; Chris Horn (Cliff Robertson), leader of a bedraggled wagon train, sets out to search for food, water, and medicine for himself, his ailing child, and the rest of his party. Upon climbing "over the rim," Chris finds himself in a roadside diner -- in the year 1961. The supporting cast includes future TV-series stars Ed Platt (Get Smart) and John Astin (The Addams Family), as well as actress Evans Evans, who later played Gene Wilder's wife in the 1967 film classic Bonnie and Clyde. Written by Rod Serling, "A Hundred Yards over the Rim" benefits immeasurably from a driving musical score by Fred Steiner, which would pop up in truncated form in dozens of films and TV series throughout the '60s and '70s. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cliff Robertson, John Crawford, (more)
- 1961
Having successfully robbed a train shipment of gold bullion, four thieves, headed by Mr. Farwell (Oscar Beregi), decide to lay low until the heat is off -- for 100 years, to be exact. Farwell and his three cohorts -- DeCruz (Simon Oakland), Brooks (Lew Gallo), and Erbie (John Mitchum) -- repair to a cave, where they enter four glass cases and place themselves in suspended animation. Awakening a century later, Farwell and his partners figure that they can now enjoy their $1,000,000 booty. . .but they're wrong, dead wrong! First telecast April 21, 1961, "The Rip Van Winkle Caper" is a typical lesson in human nature from the pen of Twilight Zone series creator Rod Serling. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Oscar Beregi, Simon Oakland, (more)
- 1961
This videotaped Twilight Zone episode is a variation on a most familiar theme. While in the hospital recovering from a nervous breakdown, dancer Liz Powell (Barbara Nichols) is tortured by a recurring nightmare. In this nocturnal vision, Liz is escorted by a mysterious nurse (Arline Sax) to "Room 22" -- the hospital morgue. The dream always ends as the nurse says insinuatingly, "Room for one more, honey." If all this sounds familiar, it may be because the basic story was used in the 1945 British horror film Dead of Night, which in turn drew its inspiration from an anecdote in Bennett Cerf's Famous Ghost Stories. Future Lost in Space regular Jonathan Harris also appears in "Twenty-Two," which was adapted for television by Rod Serling and was originally telecast February 10, 1961. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Barbara Nichols, Jonathan Harris, (more)
- 1961
Thrown off course by a freak tailwind, a passenger jet finds itself flying over a prehistoric landscape, festooned with dinosaurs. Deducing that they've somehow passed through a time warp, the crew of Flight 33, headed by Captain Farver (John Anderson), desperately seek out a way of returning to their own time. Managing to retrieve the tailwind, the crew succeeds in its goal -- almost. Written by Rod Serling, with technical advice from his novelist brother Robert J. Serling (then an aviation writer for American Airlines), this Twilight Zone episode is highlighted by some disturbingly convincing "monster" animation, courtesy of film producer Jack H. Harris (of Dinosaurus! fame) and the special-effects wizards at Project Unlimited. "The Odyssey of Flight 33" first aired February 24, 1961. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Anderson, Paul Comi, (more)
- 1961
After speculating on the possibility that a person can travel back in time and change history, Peter Corrigan (Russell Johnson) bids farewell to his friends and prepares to head home from his club. As he walks through the doors, he is unexpectedly transported from 1961 to 1865. Once he gets his bearings, Corrigan finds himself in a position to prevent the assassination of Abraham Lincoln -- but this "wrinkle in time" turns out to have entirely different results. Scripted by Rod Serling, "Back There" is one of the lesser offerings of Twilight Zone's 1960-61 season, though it does boast an excellent musical score by Jerry Goldsmith, which would remain in the standard TV stock-music repertoire throughout the 1960s and 1970s. The episode first aired January 13, 1961. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Russell Johnson, Bartlett Robinson, (more)
- 1961
Jack Carson stars as Harvey Hunnicutt, a fast-talking used car salesman to whom The Truth is a total stranger. Hunnicutt's prevaricating nature undergoes a terrifying about-face when a spooky old man (George Chandler sells Harvey a dilapidated Model A Ford -- one which compels its owner to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. The punchline of this episode will be amusing only to those who lived through the darkest days of the Cold War (though a passing reference to "Jack Kennedy" has been excised from most existing prints). Future Laugh-In regular Arte Johnson appears as Hunnicutt's long-suffering assistant. One of six Twilight Zone episodes shot on videotape, "The Whole Truth" was written by Rod Serling and was initially telecast on January 20, 1961. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Carson, Loring Smith, (more)
- 1961
Wandering into the small Mexican town where Luis Gallegos (John Alonso) is about to be hanged, mercenary peddler Sykes (Thomas Gomez) sells the rope to the hangman, then turns around and sells a handful of "magic dust" to the condemned man's father (Vladimir Sokoloff). Lying through his teeth, Sykes insists that the dust will spread goodwill throughout the community -- and, it is hoped, will spare Gallegos' life. One doesn't have to be a diehard Twilight Zone fan to guess what will happen next. Douglas Heyes, Jr., son of the episode's director, plays a small role. Written by Rod Serling, "Dust" was first telecast January 6, 1961. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Thomas Gomez, John Larch, (more)
Although The Twilight Zone suffered from anemic ratings and a certain degree of sponsor dissatisfaction during its first season on CBS, the network could not ignore the prestige value of a series created and largely written by Rod Serling -- nor could it ignore the millions of loyal fans who demanded that the series return for a second season...which, of course, it did. Due to budget cutbacks, only 29 episodes were produced for season two; six of these were economically shot on videotape, an experiment that proved esthetically unsatisfying and was not repeated. Even so, the six taped installments yielded at least one imperishable classic: The Christmas Fantasy "Night of the Meek" starring Art Carney as a drunken department-store Santa who experiences quite an epiphany on Christmas Eve. Twilight Zone's second season saw the introduction of the series' now-immortal "dee-dee-dee-doo, dee-dee-dee-doo" theme music composed by Marius Constant. Also, host Rod Serling began making on-camera appearances as he introduced the various playlets. A number of guest stars from season one make return appearances for season two, among them Burgess Meredith (seen twice this season), Inger Stevens, Dick York, Russell Johnson, and Fritz Weaver. Others make their first (but definitely not last!) Zone appearances during this season, including William Shatner, Bill Mumy, Jonathan Harris, and Cliff Robertson. And finally, a handful of celebrated performers show up for their only Twilight Zone gigs, notably Shelley Berman, Richard Haydn, Jack Carson, and Bob Cummings. Of the season's 29 episodes, at least three can be designated as imperishable classics: "The Howling Man," a grim gothic tale of demonic deception; "The Eye of the Beholder," in which a young woman designated as "hideously ugly" by a totalitarian government undergoes a grueling session of plastic surgery; and "The Invaders," starring Agnes Moorehead as a terrified farm woman who single-handedly fends off an army of tiny extraterrestrials. ~ All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rod Serling
- 1960
A predominantly black cast appears in this episode of Twilight Zone, which was originally broadcast on April 8, 1960. Ivan Dixon stars as Bolie Jackson, an aging prizefighter. Hoping for a comeback. Bolie manages to win an important bout, only to discover that he scored his K.O. thanks to a "big tall wish" made by neighborhood kid Henry (Kim Hamilton). Unfortunately, Bolie does not believe in wishes -- and he suffers mightily because of his lack of faith. Also starring Kim Hamilton and Walter Burke, "The Big Tall Wish" was written by series creator Rod Serling. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ivan Dixon, Steven Perry, (more)
- 1960
Having scoffed at his colleague Warren Marcusson's (Paul Comi) assertion that "People are alike all over the universe," Astronaut Sam Conrad (Roddy McDowall) is given the opportunity to find out if Marcusson was telling the truth when his spaceship crash-lands on Mars. Though Marcusson is killed, Sam survives and is given the "red carpet" treatment by the humanlike Martians. Falling in love with the beautiful Teenya (Susan Oliver) and provided with a fully furnished luxury apartment, Sam is willing to concede that people everywhere are the same -- but just as the episode comes to an end, he realizes that this "sameness" is not an altogether good thing. Vic Perrin, who later provided the "control voice" on The Outer Limits, plays one of the Martian elders. Scripted by Rod Serling from Paul Fairman's short story "Brothers Beyond the Void," "People Are Alike All Over" made it Twilight Zone debut on March 25, 1960. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roddy McDowall, Paul Comi, (more)
- 1960
After a brief production hiatus, the Twilight Zone staff resumed the series' first season with this episode, scripted by Rod Serling from a story by George Clayton Johnson. The story begins in 1880, as western outlaw Joe Caswell (Albert Caswell) is about to be hanged. Before the startled eyes of his executioners, Joe suddnely disappears from view. He rematerializes in 1960, in the laboratory of experimental scientist George Manion (Russell Johnson). Joe's sudden "invasion" of the 20th century has disastrous results on several people, including a modern-day murderer named Johnson (Than Wyenn). "Execution" first aired April 1, 1960. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Albert Salmi, Russell Johnson, (more)
- 1960
Written by Rod Serling, this episode represented the joint Twilight Zone debut of actor Jack Klugman (who went on to star in three additional episodes) and director Don Medford. Klugman stars as trumpet player Joey Crown, who, regarding his life as empty and futile, tries to kill himself. Instead, he is briefly hurtled into Limbo, where he learns a number of valuable lessons from a mysterious musician named Gabe (played by Twilight Zone "regular" John Anderson). Originally telecast May 20, 1960, "A Passage for Trumpet" was the first of four Twilight Zone episodes introduced by the "big-eye" opening logo. Also: watch for a brief "inside joke" when Joey Crown passes by a construction company named for series producer Buck Houghton. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jack Klugman, John Anderson, (more)
- 1960
While visiting the apartment house where she grew up, schoolteacher Helen Foley (Janice Rule) makes the acquaintance of a strange little girl named Markie (Terry Burnham). It gradually develops that Markie holds a clue as to the identity of the person who murdered Helen's mother many years earlier. Without saying any more, we can note that the supporting cast includes Sheppard Strudwick and Michael Fox; also appearing is a cute child actress named Suzanne Cupito, who enjoyed a substantial adult career under the name Morgan Brittany. Scripted by Rod Serling and graced with a subtly sinister musical score by Jerry Goldsmith, "Nightmare as a Child" was the April 29, 1960, installment of Twilight Zone. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Janice Rule, Shepperd Strudwick, (more)
- 1960
First telecast May 6, 1960, A Stop at Willoughby was scripter Rod Serling's favorite of the first-season Twilight Zone episodes. Plagued by a pushy boss (Howard I. Smith) and a vitriolic wife (Patricia Donahue), ulcerated businessman Gart Williams (James Daly) briefly dozes off while taking the commuter train home. When he awakens, the train has changed to a 19th century model -- as has the conductor, who invites Williams to get off at the peaceful, picture-postcard town of Willoughby. Watch for future Archie Bunker's Place regular Jason Wingreen in a small role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- James Daly, Patricia Donahue, (more)
- 1960
William Reynolds stars as Fitzgerald, a WWII army lieutenant with an unusual and most unwelcome gift. Much to his dismay, Lt. Fitzgerald can stare into the faces of his fellow soldiers and determine who among them will die in combat. Begging to be transferred, Fitzgerald finally gets his wish, but that's not the end of the story. The stellar supporting cast includes Dick York as Captain Riker, Barney Phillips as Capt. Gunther, Warren Oates as a jeep driver, and future director Paul Mazursky (in the first of his three Twilight Zone appearances). Written by Rod Serling, with a musical score by old CBS radio hand Lucien Moraweck, "The Purple Testament" originally aired February 12, 1960. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- William Reynolds, Dick York, (more)
- 1960
Everett Sloane, who previously starred in Rod Serling's award-winning TV play Patterns, was reunited with Serling for this January 29, 1960, Twilight Zone installment. Having won an all-expense-paid trip to Las Vegas, parsimonious Franklin Gibbs (Everett Sloane) refuses to enter into the spirit of things by gambling. Alas, Franklin is not strong enough to resist the lure of a strange-looking slot machine -- and thus begins Franklin's slow but inevitable descent into poverty and madness, as his wife Flora (Vivia Janiss) looks on in helpless horror. This may well have been the first TV program in which a slot machine ever "spoke." ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Everett Sloane, Vivi Janiss, (more)
- 1960
While waiting in a lonely bus station, Millicent Barnes (Vera Miles) is startled to discover that everyone in the station seems to know her. She is further amazed when, peering into the window of a passing bus, she spots a young woman who looks exactly like her. Figuring that Millicent is a mental case, Paul Grinstead (Martin Milner) humors her until the men in the white coats show up -- only to find out that the girl was telling the truth all along. A neat "matte shot" caps this eerie Rod Serling-scripted entry, based, believe it or not, on one of Serling's real-life experiences. First telecast February 26, 1960, "Mirror Image" was the 26th Twilight Zone episode to be filmed, but the 21st to be shown. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vera Miles, Martin Milner, (more)
- 1960
A neighborhood full of friendly people degenerates into a mob when Maple Street is suddenly plagued by strange and seemingly pre-planned power outages. Steve Brand (Claude Akins) tries to act as the voice of reason, but he is shouted down by his hotheaded neighbor Charlie (Jack Weston). Meanwhile, suspicion is cast upon young Tommy (Jan Handzlik), a science-fiction fanatic who apparently knows more than he should about the recurring power failures. Even after the passage of four decades, this Rod Serling-scripted Twilight Zone episode has lost none of its impact, and it is justifiably one of the series' best-remembered installments. Keep an eye out for future M*A*S*H producer-director Burt Metcalfe in a featured role. "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street" originally aired March 4, 1960. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Claude Akins, Jack Weston, (more)
