A show ahead of its time, Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone has gone on to inspire countless works of science fiction, fantasy, and horror across every medium. Here are 10 things you may not know about the anthology series, which first debuted over sixty years ago.
1Ida Lupino Broke the Glass Ceiling
One of the most memorable episodes of the series, “The Masks,” is about a wealthy man (Jason Foster, played by Robert Keith) who is on the brink of death in his New Orleans mansion. His unpleasant, bratty family visit to say their good-byes, and celebrate the fortune they will receive. However, the man has one last wish they must fulfill, which comes with a hidden catch: wear a warped, grotesque mask until midnight.
The episode has the distinction of being the only in the series directed by a woman, Ida Lupino. Not only did she get that honor, but she was also the only person to ever act in an episode and also direct another in the show’s history. Lupino starred in episode #4, “The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine,” about an aging film star who refuses to let go of her glory days.
“The Masks” also serves as the last role for actor Robert Keith, who passed away two years later.
2Rod Serling Plays Favorites
Several years ago, an interview was unearthed in which Rod Serling revealed his favorite episodes of the series. First was “The Invaders” starring Agnes Moorehead and written by series regular Richard Matheson. Serling described it as “pure science fiction, with a very O. Henryish twist.”
He also named the now fan-favorite episode “Time Enough at Last,” starring Burgess Meredith. Serling said, “And the other was an adaptation of mine…a very free, loose adaption of…a short story called ‘Time Enough at Last,’ about a myopic bank teller who at the end of the world breaks his glasses just when he’s able to read all that he’s ever wanted to read.”
In an interview with Syfy Wire last year, Serling’s daughter, Jodi Serling, also named “Walking Distance” as a favorite. She said, “I mean, there was just pieces of him in it, dealing with the loss that he had because he never saw his father, because he wasn’t able to be released from the Army in time before his father died. So it was a very personal story for him.”
3The Good and the Bad
Not all episodes are created equal, and while some are still held in high regard today, some…not so much. First, the good. On IMDb, the highest-rated episode of the series is “Eye of the Beholder.” The story follows a young woman who desperately wants to be “normal,” to the point of undergoing surgery eleven times. As she lays in the hospital bed recovering and bandaged, she begins to question what beauty truly means. The episode features one of the best twist endings in the series.
On the opposite end of that list, coming in as the lowest rated episode, is “Cavender Is Coming.” Starring comedian Carol Burnett as the clumsy, unemployed, yet good-natured Agnes Grep, a guardian angel must help Agnes succeed in life before earning his wings. The episode is pretty goofy, to the point of originally having a laugh track that was later removed. It was also to serve as a pilot for a spin-off show, but it never took off.
4‘Mirror Image’ Inspires a Hit Hollywood Movie
Jordan Peele is no stranger to The Twilight Zone, having co-created the 2019 revival series for CBS All Access. So, it’s no surprise that his hit 2019 film, Us, was inspired by one of Rod Serling’s classic episodes. In “Mirror Image,” a woman (Millicent, played by Vera Miles) waiting at a bus station repeatedly sees her doppelgänger, but is suspected of going crazy by those around her. Jordan Peele’s Us follows a family hunted down by their doppelgängers, with the main character (Adelaide, played by Lupita Nyong’o) suffering a similar fate as Millicent.
5Rocky Enters the Twilight Zone
“The Bewitchin’ Pool,” which was the last of the series, is about two children who want to escape their parents’ selfish, endless bickering which is leading to an inevitable divorce. They discover that diving to the bottom of their swimming pool takes them to a rural swimming hole where children can live simple, yet happy lives with each other and an old, kind woman named “Aunt T.”
Upon watching, you may notice something sounds out of place when the daughter, Sport (played by Mary Badham), is outside. Due to back-lot noise, the cast had to re-record their lines to later be dubbed over, however they realized Badham’s voice still needed work only when she returned home to Alabama. In lieu of flying her back to L.A., popular voice actress June Foray, well-known for her work on the The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle as Rocky the Flying Squirrel, recorded Sport’s lines for outdoor scenes. If you go back for a re-watch, you can definitely hear the distinct voice of Rocky shine through.
6‘Star Trek’ Enters the Twilight Zone
Two of the most famous episodes feature Star Trek star William Shatner (“Nick of Time” and “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet”), but he isn’t the only Trek alumni to appear on the show. Both Leonard Nimoy and George Takei starred in WWII-themed episodes — “A Quality of Mercy” and “The Encounter,” respectively — while James Doohan starred in “Valley of the Shadow.”
In addition to the shared cast, background noises from the spaceship featured in the episodes “Third from the Sun” and “Elegy” were later used in Star Trek: The Original Series.
7‘Forbidden Planet’ Enters the Twilight Zone
If you have seen the 1956 science fiction film Forbidden Planet, there is no doubt you will notice many of the same props and costumes used in The Twilight Zone. This includes spaceships, guns, costumes, and even Robby the Robot himself. If you would like to hunt them all down, here’s an episode list to get you started:
- Third from the Sun
- The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street
- The Invaders
- To Serve Man
- Hocus-Pocus and Frisby
- Death Ship
- On Thursday We Leave for Home
- The Rip Van Winkle Caper
- Uncle Simon
- One for the Angels
- The Little People
- The Brain Center at Whipple’s
8‘A Stop at Willoughby’…Ohio
In “A Stop at Willoughby,” a man who is exhausted with life falls asleep during his daily train commute and wakes to find himself in the idyllic town of Willoughby, 1888. To celebrate the episode, Willoughby, Ohio, which is the only town in America with that name, has long hosted the annual event Last Stop Willoughby. There are plenty of trains, of course, and Rod Serling’s daughter, Anne Serling, has even been in attendance.
Although festival coordinator Greg Patt claims Rod Serling would stop in Willoughby via train on his way to upstate New York, there are other speculations that the name was actually inspired by Willoughby Avenue in Hollywood.
9‘It’s a Good Life’ on Tranquility Lane
The episode “It’s a Good Life,” which follows a town under the rule of a six-year-old boy with superhuman powers, continues to be a major influence in pop culture, even inspiring a quest in Fallout 3. To complete “Tranquility Lane,” the player must enter a virtual reality simulation where things are really “good.” However, in typical Fallout fashion, nothing is how it appears as a maniacal child is seemingly controlling the world, which isn’t so “good” after all.
10Let’s Play a Game
Over the years, there have been a few Twilight Zone-themed games released. While Midway Games’ pinball is perhaps the most well-known, there is a board game that remains a bit more elusive. In 1964, Ideal launched The Twilight Zone Game which consists of a playing board, spinning wheel, playing cards, and four player pieces. According to every vintage board game website this writer looked at, as well as eBay, it is not only pricey but quite rare to find today.
