The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series, season 1)

The first season of The Twilight Zone aired Fridays at 10:00–10:30 pm (EST) on CBS from October 2, 1959, to July 1, 1960. There are 36 episodes, including the pilot, "Where Is Everybody?" The theme music for this season, written by Bernard Herrmann, is different from the music most commonly associated with the series, written by Marius Constant for the second season onwards.

The Twilight Zone
Season 1
Country of originUnited States
No. of episodes36
Release
Original networkCBS
Original releaseOctober 2, 1959 (1959-10-02) 
July 1, 1960 (1960-07-01)
Season chronology

Intro

The opening intro for most of these episodes features a series of lagoon graphics by UPA, with Rod Serling's narration:

"There is a fifth dimension, beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call The Twilight Zone."

A different intro was used for the final four episodes, featuring an animated close-up of an eye that metamorphosed into a setting sun and an abridged version of Herrman's theme music. Serling's narration for this went as follows:

"You are about to enter another dimension. A dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land of imagination. Next stop—The Twilight Zone."

The graphics for this opening were by Pacific Title, as were those for the openings in the subsequent seasons.[1]

At least one episode, "Mr. Denton on Doomsday", is known to have had this opening dubbed over the original lagoon opening when it was aired as a summer repeat in 1960. The following summer, a number of first-season episodes had the second season intro dubbed over the original when they were aired as repeats. The original openings have since been restored for those episodes.

Segments of the original first season intro continued to be used as an intermission graphic up through season three.[2]

Episodes

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air dateProd.
code
11"Where Is Everybody?"Robert StevensRod SerlingOctober 2, 1959 (1959-10-02)173-3601
A man (Earl Holliman) with no memory of who he is finds himself in a strange empty town.
22"One for the Angels"Robert ParrishRod SerlingOctober 9, 1959 (1959-10-09)173-3608
A pitchman (Ed Wynn) talks Death (Murray Hamilton) into sparing his life until he makes one last great pitch, but threatens the life of a little girl in the process.
33"Mr. Denton on Doomsday"Allen ReisnerRod SerlingOctober 16, 1959 (1959-10-16)173-3609
A town drunk (Dan Duryea) faces an infamous killer after magically regaining his gunfighting skills.
44"The Sixteen-Millimeter Shrine"Mitchell LeisenRod SerlingOctober 23, 1959 (1959-10-23)173-3610
An aging movie star (Ida Lupino) rewatches her old films in an attempt to recapture her youth.
55"Walking Distance"Robert StevensRod SerlingOctober 30, 1959 (1959-10-30)173-3605
An ad executive (Gig Young) under pressure at his job visits his old hometown, only to find himself returned to his childhood.
66"Escape Clause"Mitchell LeisenRod SerlingNovember 6, 1959 (1959-11-06)173-3603
A mean-spirited hypochondriac (David Wayne) afraid of dying sells his soul to the Devil (Thomas Gomez) for immortality.
77"The Lonely"Jack SmightRod SerlingNovember 13, 1959 (1959-11-13)173-3602
In the year 2046, a convicted man (Jack Warden) serving his sentence on an uninhabited asteroid is given a female robot (Jean Marsh) for companionship.
88"Time Enough at Last"John BrahmBased on a short story by: Lynn Venable
Teleplay by: Rod Serling
November 20, 1959 (1959-11-20)173-3614

A bank teller (Burgess Meredith) yearning for more time to read gets his wish when he becomes the sole survivor of a nuclear holocaust.

In 2009, TV Guide ranked this episode No. 11 on its list of the 100 Greatest Episodes.[3]
99"Perchance to Dream"Robert FloreyCharles BeaumontNovember 27, 1959 (1959-11-27)173-3616
A man (Richard Conte) with a severe heart condition who has been awake for a long time tells his psychiatrist that he will die if he goes to sleep, because a vixen (Suzanne Lloyd) is trying to kill him.
1010"Judgment Night"John BrahmRod SerlingDecember 4, 1959 (1959-12-04)173-3604
In 1942, a man (Nehemiah Persoff) from Germany does not remember how he boarded a British ship heading for New York, but he does have a feeling the ship will be sunk.
1111"And When the Sky Was Opened"Douglas HeyesBased on a short story by: Richard Matheson
Teleplay by: Rod Serling
December 11, 1959 (1959-12-11)173-3611
Three astronauts (Rod Taylor, Charles Aidman, Jim Hutton) return from the desert where their spacecraft crashed, but cannot remember what happened during their flight.
1212"What You Need"Alvin GanzerBased on a short story by: Lewis Padgett
Teleplay by: Rod Serling
December 25, 1959 (1959-12-25)173-3622
A thug (Steve Cochran) tries to exploit the abilities of a peddler (Ernest Truex) who can see into the future and discern just what a person will need in an emergency.
1313"The Four of Us Are Dying"John BrahmBased on a short story by: George Clayton Johnson
Teleplay by: Rod Serling
January 1, 1960 (1960-01-01)173-3618
A small-time con-man (Harry Townes) with the ability to change his face assumes the identities of a musician (Ross Martin), a gangster (Phillip Pine), and a boxer (Don Gordon).
1414"Third from the Sun"Richard L. BareBased on a short story by: Richard Matheson
Teleplay by: Rod Serling
January 8, 1960 (1960-01-08)173-3615
With an atomic war on the horizon, a scientist (Fritz Weaver) and his co-worker (Joe Maross) plot to board their families on a spaceship and escape to another planet.
1515"I Shot an Arrow into the Air"Stuart RosenbergBased on a story by: Madelon Champion
Teleplay by: Rod Serling
January 15, 1960 (1960-01-15)173-3626
Astronauts are deserted on what appears to be an uncharted asteroid.
1616"The Hitch-Hiker"Alvin GanzerBased on the radio play by: Lucille Fletcher
Teleplay by: Rod Serling
January 22, 1960 (1960-01-22)173-3612
A woman (Inger Stevens) driving cross-country keeps seeing a hitchhiker (Leonard Strong) everywhere she goes.
1717"The Fever"Robert FloreyRod SerlingJanuary 29, 1960 (1960-01-29)173-3627
A man (Everett Sloane) whose wife (Vivi Janiss) won them tickets to Las Vegas gets addicted to gambling, courtesy of a slot machine that calls his name.
1818"The Last Flight"William F. ClaxtonRichard MathesonFebruary 5, 1960 (1960-02-05)173-3607
A British World War I fighter pilot (Kenneth Haigh) flies through a strange cloud and lands his biplane on a modern-day American airbase.
1919"The Purple Testament"Richard L. BareRod SerlingFebruary 12, 1960 (1960-02-12)173-3619
An Army lieutenant (William Reynolds) serving in World War II has the ability to see who will die.
2020"Elegy"Douglas HeyesCharles BeaumontFebruary 19, 1960 (1960-02-19)173-3625
In the late 22nd century, astronauts (Jeff Morrow, Kevin Hagen, Don Dubbins) land on an asteroid resembling Earth, but its inhabitants appear motionless.
2121"Mirror Image"John BrahmRod SerlingFebruary 26, 1960 (1960-02-26)173-3623
A woman (Vera Miles) in a bus depot is treated by strangers as if they have seen her before and soon realizes that she has a doppelgänger.
2222"The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street"Ronald WinstonRod SerlingMarch 4, 1960 (1960-03-04)173-3620
A power failure causes the residents of a suburban neighborhood to suspect one another of being monsters from outer space planning an invasion.
2323"A World of Difference"Ted PostRichard MathesonMarch 11, 1960 (1960-03-11)173-3624
A businessman (Howard Duff) finds himself in another life as an actor playing a character in a movie.
2424"Long Live Walter Jameson"Anton LeaderCharles BeaumontMarch 18, 1960 (1960-03-18)173-3621
A history professor (Kevin McCarthy) is revealed to have lived for thousands of years.
2525"People Are Alike All Over"Mitchell LeisenBased on a short story by: Paul Fairman
Teleplay by: Rod Serling
March 25, 1960 (1960-03-25)173-3613
Two astronauts (Roddy McDowall, Paul Comi) take an expedition to Mars, where one dies in a crash landing and the other learns how alike people really are.
2626"Execution"David Orrick McDearmonBased on a short story by: George Clayton Johnson
Teleplay by: Rod Serling
April 1, 1960 (1960-04-01)173-3628
An outlaw cowboy (Albert Salmi) about to be hanged for murder in 1880 is brought to 1960 by a time machine built by a professor (Russell Johnson).
2727"The Big Tall Wish"Ronald WinstonRod SerlingApril 8, 1960 (1960-04-08)173-3630
A boy (Stephen Perry) makes a wish for a boxer (Ivan Dixon) to win a comeback match.
2828"A Nice Place to Visit"John BrahmCharles BeaumontApril 15, 1960 (1960-04-15)173-3632
A thief (Larry Blyden) is shot by police and winds up in a place where he has everything he has ever wanted upon meeting a strange man named Pip (Sebastian Cabot).
2929"Nightmare as a Child"Alvin GanzerRod SerlingApril 29, 1960 (1960-04-29)173-3635
A strange little girl (Terry Burnham) reveals secrets about the past of a school teacher (Janice Rule).
3030"A Stop at Willoughby"Robert ParrishRod SerlingMay 6, 1960 (1960-05-06)173-3629
A stressed-out ad executive (James Daly) discovers a quiet 1880s town in his dreams that seem better than his waking life.
3131"The Chaser"Douglas HeyesBased on a short story by: John Collier
Teleplay by: Robert Presnell, Jr.
May 13, 1960 (1960-05-13)173-3636
A lovestruck man (George Grizzard) in love with a self-obsessed woman named Leila (Patricia Barry) buys a love potion that works too well.
3232"A Passage for Trumpet"Don MedfordRod SerlingMay 20, 1960 (1960-05-20)173-3633
A down-and-out trumpet player (Jack Klugman) gets another chance at life after attempting suicide.
3333"Mr. Bevis"William AsherRod SerlingJune 3, 1960 (1960-06-03)173-3631
A guardian angel (Henry Jones) offers to help a good-natured man (Orson Bean) who is having a bad day.
3434"The After Hours"Douglas HeyesRod SerlingJune 10, 1960 (1960-06-10)173-3637
A woman (Anne Francis) is told that the floor of a department store where she made a purchase does not exist.
3535"The Mighty Casey"Alvin Ganzer
Robert Parrish
Rod SerlingJune 17, 1960 (1960-06-17)173-3617
A baseball manager (Jack Warden) takes his team to the championships thanks to a robot pitcher (Robert Sorrells).
3636"A World of His Own"Ralph NelsonRichard MathesonJuly 1, 1960 (1960-07-01)173-3634
A playwright (Keenan Wynn) has the ability to bring anything to life by describing it to a tape recorder.

References

  1. "Visions from the Twilight Zone" by Arlen Schumer, ISBN 0877016828
  2. episode list at TV.com
  3. "TV Guide's Top 100 Episodes". Rev/Views. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
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