The Twilight Zone is generally considered to be the first real "adult" science-fantasy anthology series to appear on American television, introducing the late 1950s TV audience to an entertaining and at the same time thought-provoking collection of human condition stories wrapped within fantastic themes. Although the series is usually labeled a science fiction program its true sphere was fantasy, embracing elements of the supernatural, the psychological, and "the almost-but-not-quite; the unbelievable told in terms that can be believed" (Rod Serling).

    During the show's five-year, 155-episode run on CBS (1959-64) the program received three Emmy Awards (Rod Serling, twice, for Outstanding Writing Achievement in Drama, and George Clemens for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography), three World Science Fiction Convention Hugo Awards (for Dramatic Presentation: 1960, 1961, 1962), a Directors Guild Award (John Brahm), a Producers Guild Award (Buck Houghton for Best Produced Series), and the 1961 Unit Award for Outstanding Contributions to Better Race Relations, among numerous other awards and presentations.

    The brain-child of one of the most successful young playwrights of his time (with such "Golden Age" TV successes as "Patterns" and "Requiem for a Heavyweight"), Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone began life as a story called "The Time Element" which Serling had submitted to CBS, where it was produced as part of the Westinghouse-Desilu Playhouse anthology. Although it was little more than a simple time-warp tale, starring William Bendix as a man who believes he goes back in time to the attack on Pearl Harbor, the TV presentation received an extraordinary amount of complementary mail and prompted CBS to commission a Twilight Zone pilot for a possible series. With his "Time Element" script already used, Serling prepared another story which would be the pilot episode for the series. "Where Is Everybody?" opened The Twilight Zone on 2 October 1959, and featured a riveting one-man performance by Earl Holliman as a psychologically stressed Air Force man who hallucinates that he is completely alone in a deserted but spookily "lived in" town while actually undergoing an isolation experiment. It was this hallucinatory human stress situation placed in a could-be science-fantasy landscape, complete with an O. Henry-type "snapper ending", that was to become the standard structure of The Twilight Zone. "Here's what The Twilight Zone is," explained Serling to TV Guide magazine in November 1959. "It's an anthology series, half hour in length, that delves into the odd, the bizarre, the unexpected. It probes into the dimension of imagination but with a concern for taste and for an adult audience too long considered to have IQs in negative figures."

    Serling's contract with the network stipulated that he would write eighty per cent of the first season's scripts which would be produced under Serling's own Cayuga Productions banner. The prolific Serling, of course, ended up writing well over 50% of the entire show's teleplays during its five years on the air. This enormous output was for the most part supported by two other writers of distinction in the science-fantasy genre: Richard Matheson and Charles Beaumont. Matheson's literary and screenplay work before and during the series ran parallel to that of Beaumont; not suprisingly, since they were personal friends and often script-writing collaborators during their early days in television. Matheson's early writing had included the short story collection, Born of Man and Woman, and a novel, I Am Legend (both published 1954), and later the screenplays for The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957; from his own novel), House of Usher (1960), and The Pit and the Pendulum (1961). Beaumont's work included similar science fiction and horror-fantasy writings, with the short story collections Shadow Play (published 1957) and Yonder (1958) as well as screenplays for Premature Burial (1962) and The Haunted Palace (1963) alongside others in a similar vein. Their individual scripts for The Twilight Zone were perhaps the nearest in style and story flavor to Serling's own work. George Clayton Johnson was another young writer who, emerging from Beaumont's circle of writer friends, produced some outstanding scripts for the series, including the crackling life-or-death bet story "A Game of Pool", featuring excellent performances from Jack Klugman and Jonathan Winters. Earl Hamner Jr., later to be creator and narrator of the long-running The Waltons, supplied eight scripts to the series, most of which featured good-natured rural folk and duplicitous city slickers. The renowned science fiction author Ray Bradbury was asked by Serling to contribute to the series before the show had even started but due to the richness of Bradbury's written work, he contributed only one script, "I Sing the Body Electric", based on his own short story.

    As an anthology focusing on the "dimension of imagination" and using parable and suggestion as basic techniques, The Twilight Zone favored only a dozen or so story themes. For instance, the most recurring theme appeared to be Time, involving time warps and accidental journeys through time: a W.W.I flier lands at a modern jet air base (Matheson's "The Last Flight"), a man finds himself back in 1865 and tries to prevent the assassination of President Lincoln (Serling's "Back There"), three soldiers on National Guard maneuvers in Montana find themselves back in 1876 at the Little Big Horn (Serling's "The 7th Is Made Up of Phantoms"). Another theme explored The Confrontation with Death/The Dead: a girl keeps seeing the same hitchhiker on the road ahead, beckoning her toward a fatal accident (Serling's "The Hitchhiker", from Lucille Fletcher's radio play), an aged recluse, fearing a meeting with Death, reluctantly helps a wounded policeman on her doorstep and cares for him overnight before she realizes that he is Death, coming to claim her (Johnson's "Nothing in the Dark"). Expected science fiction motifs regarding Aliens and Alien Contact, both benevolent and hostile, provide another story arena: a timid little fellow accustomed to being used as a doormat by his fellow man is endowed with super-human strength by a visiting scientist from Mars (Serling's "Mr. Dingle, the Strong"), visiting aliens promise to show the people of earth how to end the misery of war, pestilence and famine until a code clerk finally deciphers their master manual for earth and discovers a cook book (Serling's "To Serve Man", from a Damon Knight story). Other themes common to the series were Robots, with Matheson's excellent "Steel" a standout; The Devil, Beaumont's "The Howling Man"; Nostalgia, Serling's "Walking Distance" and "A Stop at Willoughby"; Machines, Serling's "The Fever"; Angels, Serling's poetic "A Passage for Trumpet"; and "Premonitions/Dreams/Sleep," Beaumont's "Perchance to Dream". The general tone of many Twilight Zone stories was cautionary, that man can never be too sure of anything that appears real or otherwise.

    In 1983 Warner Brothers, Steven Spielberg and John Landis produced Twilight Zone the Movie, a four segment tribute to the original series presenting pieces directed by Landis (also written by Landis), Spielberg (written by George Clayton Johnson, Richard Matheson, Josh Rogan, based on the original 1962 episode "Kick the Can"), Joe Dante (written by Matheson, based on the original 1961 episode "It's a Good Life"), and George Miller (written by Matheson from his own story and original 1963 episode "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet"). From 1985 onwards CBS Entertainment produced a new series of The Twilight Zone. Honored science fiction scribe Harlan Ellison acted as creative consultant under executive producer Philip DeGuere; the series is particularly noted for the participating name directors, such as Wes Craven, William Friedkin, and Joe Dante. In more recent times, Twilight Zone: Rod Serling's Lost Classics presented a 2-hour TV movie based on two unproduced works discovered by the late writer's widow and literary executor, Carol Serling: Robert Markowitz directed both "The Theater" (scripted by Matheson from Serling's original story) and "Where the Dead Are" (from a completed Serling script).

    With its subtext of escape from reality, a nostalgia for more simple times, but generally a hunger for other-worldly adventures, it seems appropriate that the original The Twilight Zone series appeared at about the right time to take viewers away, albeit briefly, from the contemporary real-life fears of the Cold War, the Berlin Wall, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and, eventually, the tragic events of Dallas. That The Twilight Zone, directly or indirectly, inspired such later fantasy and SF anthologies as Thriller (1960-62), with its dark Val Lewtonesque atmosphere, and, following that, the superb The Outer Limits (1963-64), a delicious tribute to 1950s science fiction cinema when it was at its most imaginative, remain testimony to both Rod Serling and his Twilight Zone's spirit of poetry and principle.

    -Tise Vahimagi

    HOST

    Rod Serling (1959-1965)

    NARRATORS

    Charles Aidman (1985-1987)

    Robin Ward (1987-1988)

    PRODUCERS

    Rod Serling, Buck Houghton, William Froug, Herbert Hirschman

    PROGRAMMING HISTORY

    134 Half-hour Episodes; 17 One-hour Episodes

    CBS

    October 1959-September 1962   Friday 10:10:30
    January 1963-September 1963   Thursday 9:00-10:00
    September 1961-September 1964   Friday 9:30-10:00
    May 1965-September 1965   Sunday 9:00-10:00
    September 1985-April 1986   Friday 8:00-9:00
    June 1986-September 1986   Friday 8:00-9:00
    September 1986-October 1986   Saturday 10:00-11:00
    December 1986   Thursday 8:00-8:30
    July 1987   Friday 10:00-11:00
    1987-1988   First Run Syndication

    FURTHER READING

    Boddy, William. "Entering the Twilight Zone." Screen (London), July-October, 1984.

    Javna, John. The Best of Science Fiction TV: The Critics' Choice: From Captain Video to Star Trek, from The Jetsons to Robotech. New York: Harmony, 1987.

    Lentz, Harris M. Science Fiction, Horror & Fantasy Film and Television Credits: Over 10,000 Actors, Actresses, Directors. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, 1983.

    _______________. Science Fiction, Horror & Fantasy Film And Television Credits, Supplement 2, Through 1993. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland, 1994.

    Rothenberg, Randall. "Synergy of Surrealism and The Twilight Zone." The New York Times, 2 April 1991.

    Sander, Gordon F. Serling: The Rise and Twilight of Television's Last Angry Man. New York: Dutton, 1992.

    Schumer, Arlen. Visions from the Twilight Zone. San Francisco: Chronicle, 1990.

    Zicree, Marc Scott. The Twilight Zone Companion. Toronto; New York: Bantam, 1982.

    Ziegler, Robert E. "Moving Out of Sight: Fantastic Vision in The Twilight Zone." Lamar Journal of the Humanities (Beaumont, Texas), Fall 1987.

    Thumbnail of William Shatner

    William Shatner on the experience of filming the Twilight Zone episode "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" with director Richard Donner

    01:16
    Thumbnail of Richard Matheson

    Richard Matheson on Rod Serling's complete involvement in The Twilight Zone and Serling's use of the sci-fi/fantasy genre to create "statement" stories

    01:19
    Thumbnail of George Clayton Johnson

    George Clayton Johnson on the story behind The Twilight Zone episode "Execution," adapted by Rod Serling

    06:50
    Thumbnail of Richard Donner

    Richard Donner on directing various Twilight Zone episodes

    04:48
    Thumbnail of Earl Hamner, Jr.

    Earl Hamner on his script "Stopover in a Quiet Town" for The Twilight Zone

    01:38
    Thumbnail of Del Reisman

    Del Reisman on how he came to be involved as a producer with Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone

    02:13

    Howard Anderson, Jr.

    Howard Anderson Jr. on creating the opening titles for The Outer Limits and The Twilight Zone

    03:11

    William Asher

    William Asher on directing an episode of The Twilight Zone

    53:33

    Richard L. Bare

    Richard L. Bare on directing The Twilight Zone

    04:37

    Richard L. Bare on directing The Twilight Zone

    00:34

    Shelley Berman

    Shelley Berman on appearing as ALL parts in a Twilight Zone episode "The Mind and the Matter"

    26:10

    Carol Burnett

    Carol Burnett on appearing on the pilot for The Twilight Zone and how her real-life ushering experience came in handy

    04:45

    Robert Butler

    Robert Butler on directing several episodes of The Twilight Zone

    04:42

    Robert Butler on directing The Twilight Zone teleplay "Caesar and Me" starring Jackie Cooper

    03:26

    Jeanne Cooper

    Jeanne Cooper on working on The Twilight Zone

    06:04

    Richard Donner

    Richard Donner on how he came to direct for MGM and The Twilight Zone

    03:49

    Richard Donner on the short shooting schedule of The Twilight Zone's "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet"

    00:54

    Richard Donner on the technical challenges of The Twilight Zone's "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet"

    01:21

    Richard Donner on the practical joke played on him on the set of The Twilight Zone's "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" by star William Shatner and Edd Byrnes (actor and husband to "Nightmare" co-star Asa Maynor) 

    01:25

    Richard Donner on working with actor William Shatner on The Twilight Zone's "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet"

    00:37

    Richard Donner on the potential he saw in the script of The Twilight Zone's "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet," and his own style of creating a reality for his work

    00:53

    Richard Donner on working with actor Wally Cox on The Twilight Zone's "From Agnes — with Love"

    01:35

    Richard Donner on directing various Twilight Zone episodes

    04:48

    Richard Donner on the legacy of The Twilight Zone

    03:34

    Richard Donner on directing various episodes of The Twilight Zone

    03:57

    Harlan Ellison

    Harlan Ellison the story unit on The Twilight Zone

    10:51

    Harlan Ellison on walking off his first directing job

    01:46

    George Faber

    George Faber on the difficulty of selling The Twilight Zone overseas

    04:16

    June Foray

    June Foray on providing the voice for "Talky Tina" on The Twilight Zone: "Living Doll" and the enduring popularity of the episode

    02:04

    William Froug

    William Froug on getting involved with The Twilight Zone

    01:54

    William Froug on working with Rod Serling on The Twilight Zone

    01:30

    William Froug on producing The Twilight Zone

    08:04

    William Froug on production on The Twilight Zone episode "The Nightmare at 20,000 Feet"

    01:34

    William Froug on The Twilight Zone episode "Caesar and Me"

    01:38

    William Froug on The Twilight Zone episode "Living Doll"

    00:37

    William Froug on The Twilight Zone episode "The Encounter"

    01:28

    William Froug on The Twilight Zone episode "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge"

    02:14

    William Froug on Liza Minnelli auditioning for The Twilight Zone episode "Come Wander with Me"

    00:33

    Vince Gilligan

    Vince Gilligan on being influenced by The Twilight Zone and Rod Serling

    17:59

    Jerry Goldsmith

    Jerry Goldsmith on composing for The Twilight Zone and working with Rod Serling on various shows

    02:49

    Walter E. Grauman

    Director Walter Grauman relates the plot [SPOILERS] to The Twilight Zone episode "Miniature"

    03:09

    Director Walter Grauman on why The Twilight Zone episode "Miniature" wasn't shown on television for many years

    00:52

    Director Walter Grauman on shooting The Twilight Zone episode "Miniature"

    01:02

    Director Walter Grauman on showing Twilight Zone: "Miniature" to his future wife, who collected dollhouses

    00:44

    Earl Hamner, Jr.

    Earl Hamner on writing teleplays for The Twilight Zone

    12:22

    Earl Hamner on his work on teleplays for The Twilight Zone

    17:36

    Earl Hamner on his script "A Piano in the House" for The Twilight Zone

    01:03

    Earl Hamner on his script "Jess-Belle" for The Twilight Zone

    03:34

    Earl Hamner on his script "Ring-a-Ding Girl" for The Twilight Zone

    02:15

    Earl Hamner on his script "You Drive" for The Twilight Zone

    02:26

    Earl Hamner on his script "Black Leather Jackets" for The Twilight Zone

    01:18

    Earl Hamner on his script "Stopover in a Quiet Town" for The Twilight Zone

    01:38

    Earl Hamner on his script "The Bewitching Pool" for The Twilight Zone

    02:42

    Ron Howard

    Ron Howard on appearing as a child actor on The Twilight Zone episode "Walking Distance"

    00:35

    George Clayton Johnson

    George Clayton Johnson on his opinion of The Twilight Zone movie

    01:47

    George Clayton Johnson on writing for The Twilight Zone and meeting Rod Serling

    03:47

    George Clayton Johnson on how he wrote The Twilight Zone episode "The Four of Us Are Dying"

    07:28

    George Clayton Johnson on The Twilight Zone episode "The Four of Us Are Dying" 

    02:44

    George Clayton Johnson on The Twilight Zone episode "Penny for Your Thoughts"

    12:09

    George Clayton Johnson on the reality of The Twilight Zone and Rod Serling's influences

    05:48

    George Clayton Johnson on working with The Twilight Zone producer Buck Houghton

    07:37

    George Clayton Johnson on Buck Houghton suggesting ideas for The Twilight Zone

    01:58

    George Clayton Johnson on the story behind The Twilight Zone episode "Execution," adapted by Rod Serling

    06:50

    George Clayton Johnson on The Twilight Zone episodes "Kick The Can" and "Penny For Your Thoughts"

    09:02

    George Clayton Johnson on The Twilight Zone episode "Nothing in the Dark"

    10:18

    George Clayton Johnson on the The Twilight Zone episode "Ninety Years Without Slumber"

    04:47

    George Clayton Johnson on the The Twilight Zone episode "The Prime Mover"

    10:31

    George Clayton Johnson on an episode of The Twilight Zone he wrote ("Kick the Can") that was used in the film version directed by Steven Spielberg and caused some trouble with the Writers Guild

    09:32

    George Clayton Johnson on the remake of The Twilight Zone series

    03:04

    Lamont Johnson

    Lamont Johnson on directing The Twilight Zone episode "Five Characters in Search of an Exit," and on directing an episode of Felicity in the style of that episode at the request of J.J. Abrams

    07:57

    Lamont Johnson on being brought in to direct The Twilight Zone, and on directing the episode "Kick the Can"

    03:49

    Lamont Johnson on working with Rod Serling on The Twilight Zone, and on his vision for the show

    02:39

    Lamont Johnson on working with producer Buck Houghton and cinematographer George T. Clemens on The Twilight Zone

    03:42

    Lamont Johnson on working with the makeup artists on The Twilight Zone, and the actors Andy Devine, Ed Wynn, and Boris Karloff

    05:19

    Lamont Johnson on directing various The Twilight Zone episodes, including "Nothing in the Dark" with Robert Redford

    05:59

    Lamont Johnson on directing various Twilight Zone episodes

    02:27

    Russell Johnson

    Russell Johnson on appearing on The Twilight Zone in the teleplay "The Execution"

    01:17

    Russell Johnson on appearing on The Twilight Zone in the teleplay "Back There"

    02:46

    Jack Klugman

    Jack Klugman on appearing on four episodes of The Twilight Zone

    03:01

    Perry Lafferty

    Perry Lafferty on directing The Twilight Zone and working with producer Rod Serling

    03:25

    Chuck Lorre

    Chuck Lorre on writing spec scripts of the resurgence of The Twilight Zone in the 1980s

    00:14

    Nancy Malone

    Nancy Malone on the Twilight Zone episode "Stopover in a Quiet Town"

    03:00

    Nancy Malone on the Twilight Zone  episode "Stopover in a Quiet Town" and working with Rod Serling

    57:49

    Richard Matheson

    Richard Matheson on colleague and fellow The Twilight Zone writer Charles Beaumont

    01:23

    Richard Matheson on why he and writing partner Charles Beaumont wrote separately for The Twilight Zone

    00:37

    Richard Matheson on starting to write for The Twilight Zone

    00:59

    Richard Matheson on Rod Serling

    00:12

    Richard Matheson on Phyllis Kirk as the only actor who ever changed the lines he wrote for The Twilight Zone

    00:39

    Richard Matheson on writing Rod Serling's introductions for The Twilight Zone

    00:15

    Richard Matheson on The Twilight Zone episode "A World of His Own," based on a previously rejected pitch

    01:11

    Richard Matheson on The Twilight Zone 's continual struggle for renewal and his opinion that the switch to hour-long episodes was a mistake

    00:48

    On being censored from using the word "God" in his scripts on The Twilight Zone, despite the fact that Rod Serling did in his scripts

    00:42

    Richard Matheson on the structure of a Twilight Zone episode

    00:44

    Richard Matheson on The Twilight Zone episode "Steel": watching Lee Marvin in rehearsal and a rundown of the plotline

    02:29

    Richard Matheson on The Twilight Zone episodes "Nick of Time" and "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet," both of which starred William Shatner

    02:02

    Richard Matheson on the Twilight Zone episode "Little Girl Lost" and how real life inspired the story

    01:06

    Richard Matheson on The Twilight Zone episodes "A World of Difference," "Once Upon A Time," "Young Man's Fancy," and "Mute"

    05:32

    Richard Matheson on Rod Serling's complete involvement in The Twilight Zone and Serling's use of the sci-fi/fantasy genre to create "statement" stories

    01:19

    Richard Matheson The Twilight Zone episodes he wrote, "Death Ship," "Night Call" (and his impressions of Jacques Tourneur), "Spur of the Moment," "Third From the Sun"

    03:45

    Richard Matheson on his surprise that The Twilight Zone episode "The Invaders" has become a classic

    00:56

    Richard Matheson on producer William Froug rejecting a Twilight Zone script (that later was an episode of Amazing Stories)

    01:22

    Richard Matheson on the legacy of The Twilight Zone

    00:45

    Richard Matheson on the Joe Dante-directed segment of the feature Twilight Zone:The Movie based on the original series episode "It's a Good Life"

    00:16

    Richard Matheson on the shock moment in the classic Twilight Zone episode "Nightmare on 20,000 Feet"

    01:47

    Burt Metcalfe

    Burt Metcalfe on getting cast on The Twilight Zone episode "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street"

    02:35

    Burt Metcalfe on the shooting and the plot of the Twilight Zone episode "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street"

    01:28

    Burt Metcalfe on the legacy of the Twilight Zone episode "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street"

    00:17

    Bill Mumy

    Bill Mumy on appearing in the classic Twilight Zone episode "Long Distance Call"

    04:40

    Bill Mumy on appearing in the classic Twilight Zone episode "It's a Good Life"

    14:03

    Bill Mumy on appearing in the Twilight Zone episode "In Praise of Pip"

    03:30

    Del Reisman

    Del Reisman on working with Rod Serling on Playhouse 90, and how censorship there led to his creation of The Twilight Zone

    03:07

    Del Reisman on how he came to be involved as a producer with Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone

    02:13

    Del Reisman on working with Rod Sterling on The Twilight Zone

    02:08

    Del Reisman on what makes a good Twilight Zone episode, and where they found stories for the show

    03:34

    Del Reisman on working with Rod Serling on the episodes of The Twilight Zone that Serling wrote

    02:43

    Del Reisman on The Twilight Zone writer Charles Beaumont

    01:48

    Del Reisman on The Twilight Zone writer Richard Matheson

    00:48

    Del Reisman on The Twilight Zone writer Earl Hamner, Jr.

    00:24

    Del Reisman on The Twilight Zone writer George Clayton Johnson

    01:00

    Del Reisman on Rod Serling's on-camera introductions for The Twilight Zone

    01:29

    Del Reisman on shooting The Twilight Zone on the MGM backlot, and on the episode "Time Enough at Last," starring Burgess Meredith

    01:41

    Del Reisman on The Twilight Zone cinematographer George T. Clemens

    01:58

    Del Reisman on being on set for the filming of The Twilight Zone episodes "The Invaders" and "Eye of the Beholder"

    03:11

    Del Reisman on various specific episodes of The Twilight Zone

    04:16

    Del Reisman on the recurring themes in Rod Serling's writing on The Twilight Zone and other shows

    01:36

    Del Reisman on the impact World War II had on Rod Serling's writing, and on Serling's celebrity

    02:09

    Del Reisman on The Twilight Zone episode "The Odyssey of Flight 33"

    01:40

    Del Reisman on the title "The Twilight Zone," and on the use of mirrors on the show

    01:37

    Del Reisman on popular and critical reaction to the original Twilight Zone series, and on its Emmy Awards

    03:22

    Del Reisman on the sponsors of The Twilight Zone

    00:48

    John Rich

    John Rich on directing two episodes of The Twilight Zone

    03:15

    Cliff Robertson

    Cliff Robertson on appearing on The Twilight Zone

    02:14

    Cliff Robertson on appearing on The Twilight Zone episode "The Dummy"

    05:19

    Cliff Robertson on the classic Twilight Zone episode "The Dummy" (SPOILERS!)

    01:07

    Joseph Sargent

    Joseph Sargent on acting on The Twilight Zone

    00:52

    William Self

    William Self on executive producing the pilot for The Twilight Zone, and working with show creator Rod Serling

    06:05

    William Self on the reaction of the network and sponsors to The Twilight Zone pilot, and on parting ways with Rod Serling

    02:59

    Ralph Senensky

    Ralph Senensky on directing Burgess Meredith in "The Printer's Devil" episode of The Twilight Zone

    00:24

    Ralph Senensky on directing Burgess Meredith in the "Printer's Devil" episode of The Twilight Zone

    08:23

    William Shatner

    William Shatner on appearing in the Twilight Zone episodes "Nick of Time" and "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet", both written by Richard Matheson

    06:03

    William Shatner on the experience of filming the Twilight Zone episode "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" with director Richard Donner

    01:16

    James Sheldon

    James Sheldon on working with writer George Clayton Johnson on The Twilight Zone: "A Penny for Your Thoughts"

    02:54

    James Sheldon on the two Twilight Zone episodes he did with child actor Billy Mumy: "Long Distance Call" and "It's a Good Life"

    03:22

    James Sheldon on directing child actor Billy Mumy on The Twilight Zone

    01:56

    James Sheldon on directing The Twilight Zone

    10:22

    James Sheldon on directing The Twilight Zone

    01:51

    Doris Singleton

    Doris Singleton on working on The Twilight Zone episode, "A Kind of Stopwatch"

    01:22

    Yeardley Smith

    Yeardley Smith on appearing on episode of the 1980s version of The Twilight Zone

    00:54

    Lynn Stalmaster

    Lynn Stalmaster on doing casting for The Twilight Zone

    01:58

    Fred Steiner

    Fred Steiner on composing for The Twilight Zone

    04:34

    Fred Steiner on composing for The Twilight Zone and on working for Rod Serling and producer Buck Houghton

    03:26

    Fred Steiner on composing for specific episode of The Twilight Zone

    07:17

    Fred Steiner on working on the updated Twilight Zone and Amazing Stories

    01:13

    J. Michael Straczynski

    J. Michael Straczynski on becoming story editor for The Twilight Zone

    05:20

    J. Michael Straczynski on the differences between the original Twilight Zone and the revival, and meeting Rod Serling

    03:47

    J. Michael Straczynski on his favorite episodes of The Twilight Zone that he wrote

    03:04

    Maxine Stuart

    Maxine Stuart on [SPOILER ALERT!] The Twilight Zone: "Eye of the Beholder" and the irony in the show's casting, considering the show's message about conformity

    03:19

    Maxine Stuart on performing under the bandages in The Twilight Zone: "Eye of the Beholder"

    01:33

    Maxine Stuart on working with director Douglas Heyes on The Twilight Zone: "Eye of the Beholder"

    00:42

    Maxine Stuart on the impact of The Twilight Zone: "Eye of the Beholder"

    00:19

    Maxine Stuart on not getting recognized from appearing in The Twilight Zone: "Eye of the Beholder"; on getting asked to go to Twilight Zone conventions

    01:18

    George Takei

    George Takei on co-starring in the controversial Twilight Zone episode "The Encounter" (airdate: May 1, 1964)

    08:46

    William Tankersley

    William Tankersley on CBS Standards & Practices' workings with Rod Serling on The Twilight Zone

    00:21

    Jonathan Winters

    Jonathan Winters on appearing on Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone; on why he wanted to take a dramatic role

    03:39

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