Rod Serling

Rodman Edward Serling (Rod Serling) (December 25, 1924 – June 28, 1975) was an American screenwriter, playwright, television producer, and narrator known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his anthology television series, The Twilight Zone. Serling was active in politics, both on and off the screen, and helped form television industry standards. He was known as the "angry young man" of Hollywood, clashing with television executives and sponsors over a wide range of issues including censorship, racism, and war.

Works

7.1

Tales of the Uncanny

A detailed look at the history of horror anthology films.

Release Date: 2020-10-31

Character: Self (archive footage)

Vote Count: 10

10.0

The Twilight Zone: A 60th Anniversary Celebration

Six episodes of the original series, restored and on the big screen for the first time, and a special retrospective documentary encompass this Fathom Event.

Release Date: 2019-11-14

Department: Production

Job: Producer

Character: Narrator (archive sound)

Vote Count: 2

6.7

The Trap

A man tries to convince his skeptical friend that he has invented a trap for catching extraterrestrials.

Release Date: 2015-10-28

Department: Crew

Job: Thanks

Vote Count: 3

10.0

The Twilight Zone Christmas Classics

The Christmas Fantasy "Night of the Meek" starring Art Carney as a drunken department-store Santa who experiences quite an epiphany on Christmas Eve. And “Five Characters in search of an exit”.

Release Date: 2014-10-07

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

Character: Self

Vote Count: 2

6.3

For All Time

A man facing middle-age and a failing marriage finds a time slip that can take him back to the end of the nineteenth century.

Release Date: 2000-10-18

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

Vote Count: 15

5.8

A Storm in Summer

Set in 1969, Abel Shaddick, a crotchety deli owner, has a grudge against virtually everyone in his upstate New York town of Fairview, particularly against his slacker nephew Stanley who lives behind the shop. Without telling his uncle, Stanley agrees to put up a needy city kid for the summer as part of a charity program run by rich debutante Gloria. Abel immediately vetoes the plan, but it is too late. The kid, young Herman Washington, is already on his way...

Release Date: 2000-01-18

Department: Writing

Job: Screenplay

Vote Count: 4

4.0

A Town Has Turned to Dust

In a futuristic desert hamlet, a ruthless town boss lynches a falsely accused Native American teen, setting the stage for revolt and a clash with a troubled, drunken sheriff.

Release Date: 1998-06-27

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

Vote Count: 4

4.8

In the Presence of Mine Enemies

In the Warsau ghetto of 1943, one man's struggle to keep his family together leads him to the ultimate crisis of faith and one final chance at redemption.

Release Date: 1997-04-20

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

Vote Count: 4

7.0

Rod Serling: Submitted for Your Approval

The life and career of the renowned television writer and creator of the classic science fiction series, "The Twilight Zone."

Release Date: 1995-11-29

Character: Self (Archive Footage)

Vote Count: 1

5.7

The Enemy Within

A officer with the Joint Chiefs of Staff uncovers a planned military coup of the U.S. government and has only one week to prevent the takeover.

Release Date: 1994-08-24

Department: Writing

Job: Screenplay

Vote Count: 36

6.5

The Twilight Zone: Rod Serling's Lost Classics

James Earl Jones hosts this film based on two stories by the late Rod Serling, who wrote the stories of the original 'The Twilight Zone' (1959) series. In "The Theatre," a young woman attends a movie only to find that her life story is being revealed on the screen. In "Where the Dead Are," a Boston surgeon in 1868 searches for a scientist who may have the answer to a medical mystery.

Release Date: 1994-05-19

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

Vote Count: 20

5.7

The Salamander

An Italian policeman investigates a series of murders involving people in prominent positions. Left behind at each murder scene is a drawing of a salamander. The policeman begins to suspect these murders are linked to a plot to seize control of the government.

Release Date: 1981-04-25

Department: Writing

Job: Adaptation

Vote Count: 22

6.2

Time Travelers

When a novel virus devastates the world in 1976, Dr. Earnshaw notices that it resembles a virus that a Dr. Henderson found a cure for in 1871 Chicago. However, the doctor perished and his notes were destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire. Earnshaw is approached by a government agent, Jeffrey Adams, who informs him of a Top Secret time traveling technology and asks for his assistance in finding Dr. Henderson and his cure. But their adventure becomes a race against time when a glitch sends them back to the day before the fire instead of the planned four days.

Release Date: 1976-03-19

Department: Writing

Job: Story

Vote Count: 13

6.5

Requiem for a Heavyweight

The tragic story of a heavyweight prizefighter at the end of his career.

Release Date: 1974-01-01

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

Vote Count: 2

6.3

The Man

When the President and Speaker of the House are killed in a building collapse, and the Vice-President declines the office due to age and ill-health, Senate President pro tempore Douglas Dilman (James Earl Jones) suddenly becomes the first black man to occupy the Oval Office. The events from that day to the next election when he must decide if he will actually run challenge his skills as a politician and leader.

Release Date: 1972-07-19

Department: Writing

Job: Screenplay

Vote Count: 3

6.0

A Storm in Summer

A story of the friendship between an elderly Jewish man and a young African-American boy set during the Vietnam War.

Release Date: 1970-02-06

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

Vote Count: 1

7.1

Night Gallery

This anthology telefilm aired on NBC on November 8, 1969, and tells three strange tales: "The Cemetery," directed by Boris Sagal; "Eyes," directed by Steven Spielberg; and "The Escape Route," directed by Barry Shear. This film also served as a backdoor pilot for the TV series of the same name, which premiered on December 16, 1970.

Release Date: 1969-11-08

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

Character: Self - Host

Vote Count: 18

Certain Honorable Men

The protégé of a powerful congressman discovers his boss's corruption.

Release Date: 1968-09-12

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

7.6

Planet of the Apes

Astronaut Taylor crash lands on a distant planet ruled by apes who use a primitive race of humans for experimentation and sport. Soon Taylor finds himself among the hunted, his life in the hands of a benevolent chimpanzee scientist.

Release Date: 1968-02-07

Department: Writing

Job: Screenplay

Vote Count: 3602

6.5

The Movie Orgy

Clips from assorted television programs, B-movies, commercials, music performances, newsreels, bloopers, satirical short films and promotional and government films of the 1950s and 1960s are intercut together to tell a single story of various creatures and societal ills attacking American cities.

Release Date: 1968-01-01

Character: Self (archive footage)

Vote Count: 11

6.5

The Doomsday Flight

A bomb on board an airliner has an altitude-sensitive trigger. Unless a ransom is paid, it will explode when the plane descends to land.

Release Date: 1966-12-13

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

Vote Count: 5

5.5

Assault on a Queen

A group of adventurers refloat a WWII German submarine and prepare to use it to pull a very large heist; The Queen Mary which they plan to rob on the high seas.

Release Date: 1966-06-15

Department: Writing

Job: Screenplay

Vote Count: 24

Planet of the Apes Test Reel

A make-up test to determine the feasibility of 'Planet of the Apes' (1968).

Release Date: 1966-03-01

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

5.5

Carol for Another Christmas

Daniel Grudge, a wealthy industrialist and fierce isolationist long embittered by the loss of his son in World War II, is visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve who lead him to reconsider his attitude toward his fellow man.

Release Date: 1964-12-28

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

Vote Count: 22

7.2

Seven Days in May

A U.S. Army colonel alerts the president of a planned military coup against him.

Release Date: 1964-02-01

Department: Writing

Job: Screenplay

Vote Count: 198

The Yellow Canary

Andy is an arrogant pop singer about to be divorced by his wife who treats his staff badly. On the same night he starts a job at a theater in Los Angeles his infant son is kidnapped. Despite requests from the lead police officer on the case, Lieutenant Bonner, Paxton plays along with the kidnappers as they string him along even though they are willing to kill.

Release Date: 1963-05-15

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

7.2

Requiem for a Heavyweight

Mountain Rivera is a veteran heavyweight and near-champion who suddenly finds himself washed up in the only trade he knows—prizefighting. Yet, threatened by gangsters for welshing on a gambling debt, Mountain’s opportunistic manager, Maish Rennick, schemes to get the ex-boxer into a phony wrestling match to make some quick money. Although he and his loyal trainer, Army, oppose the degrading proposition, the disillusioned Mountain begins to wonder if he has any options left.

Release Date: 1962-10-16

Department: Writing

Job: Screenplay

Vote Count: 71

3.1

Incident in an Alley

A policeman is accused of manslaughtering a 14-year-old boy but is acquitted of all charges. Still, he feels a lot of guilt and begins to doubt if he really is innocent after all.

Release Date: 1962-05-16

Department: Writing

Job: Story

Vote Count: 5

6.7

One-Eyed Jacks

Running from the law after a bank robbery in Mexico, Dad Longworth finds an opportunity to take the stolen gold and leave his partner Rio to be captured. Years later, Rio escapes from the prison where he has been since, and hunts down Dad for revenge. Dad is now a respectable sheriff in California, and has been living in fear of Rio's return.

Release Date: 1961-03-30

Department: Crew

Job: Additional Writing

Vote Count: 218

The Velvet Alley

Ernie Pandish has tried to be a writer for years and has never made much money out of it. But now he seems likely to hit the big-time.

Release Date: 1959-01-22

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

Bomber's Moon

A hard-hearted Colonel loses many men in his group's bombing missions over World War Two Germany, but keeps on going and won't tolerate lightly a young LIEUTENANT losing his nerve under the strain,who refuses to continue.

Release Date: 1958-08-07

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

A Town Has Turned to Dust

The weakling sheriff of a small southwestern town allows a Mexican teenager to be lynched by a local mob for a crime he may not have committed.

Release Date: 1958-06-19

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

Nightmare at Ground Zero

After the first atom bomb test, scientists realize the bomb was more powerful than they expected - which may have terrible results.

Release Date: 1958-05-15

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

6.5

Saddle the Wind

Steve Sinclair is a world-weary former gunslinger, now living as a peaceful farmer. Things go wrong when his wild younger brother Tony arrives on the scene with his new bride Joan Blake.

Release Date: 1958-03-20

Department: Writing

Job: Screenplay

Vote Count: 31

The Dark Side of the Earth

A drama set in 1956, during the unsuccessful Hungarian uprising against the Russians.

Release Date: 1957-09-19

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

Blood Money

"Mountain" McClintock is over the hill as a boxer, but his corrupt manager keeps putting him back in the ring.

Release Date: 1957-03-31

Department: Writing

Job: Story

9.0

The Comedian

Sammy Hogarth, a vaudeville comedian who now has his own TV show, is a ruthless egomaniac who demands instant obedience from his staff and heaps abuse on those in lesser positions than his. His most vituperative behavior, however, is reserved for his weak-willed brother, Lester, whom Sammy has hired as his assistant but whom he really uses as his whipping boy.

Release Date: 1957-02-14

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

Vote Count: 1

6.6

The Rack

Army Captain Edward Hall returns to the U.S. after two years in a prison camp in the Korean War. In the camp, he was brainwashed and helped the Chinese convince the other prisoners that they were fighting an unjust war. When he comes back he is charged for collaboration with the enemy. Where does loyalty end in a prison camp, when the camp is a living hell?

Release Date: 1956-11-02

Department: Writing

Job: Teleplay

Vote Count: 25

7.0

Requiem for a Heavyweight

An over-the-hill heavyweight boxing champion who suffers from the ravages of years of head trauma is exploited by his manager, despite the efforts of a compassionate young woman who tries to help him recover his self-respect.

Release Date: 1956-10-11

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

Vote Count: 1

7.0

Forbidden Area

Why are so many B-99 bombers from Hibiscus Air Base crashing or simply disappearing? Colonel Price comes up with a terrifying explanation, but will anyone believe him?

Release Date: 1956-10-04

Department: Writing

Job: Adaptation

Vote Count: 1

7.2

Patterns

Staples, a successful plant operator, is brought in from Ohio to take an executive position at Ramsey & Co. in New York. He forms a friendship with Briggs, the long-time vice president, but it soon becomes apparent that Walter Ramsey, who has inherited the position of CEO, is grooming Staples to replace Briggs. Ramsey will not fire Briggs, instead doing everything he can to humiliate and sabotage Briggs until he resigns.

Release Date: 1956-03-27

Department: Writing

Job: Story

Vote Count: 46

7.0

Patterns

"Patterns" was an American television play broadcast live on January 12, 1955, remade as a film the next year with some of the same cast. Fred Staples is the newest executive in a large firm. He strikes up a friendship with Andy Sloane, the Vice President to whom he nominally reports. Staples is good at his job and the company's hard-nosed president, Walter Ramsey, is pleased with his choice. Staples has a crisis of conscience when Ramsey tells him that he's been recruited to replace Sloane, someone who has devoted his entire life to the company at the expense of his family. Sloane knows what Ramsey is up to but digs in his heels and refuses to quit. Tragedy ensues forcing Staples to make a choice.

Release Date: 1955-01-12

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

Vote Count: 1

4.5

The Challenge

A school bus driver (Jack Warden) is fired by the local school board when he refuses to sign a loyalty oath. This was a pilot for a proposed anthology series that didn't sell.

Release Date: 1955-01-01

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

Vote Count: 2

6.0

Knife in the Dark

A tormented convict must take a stand against the violent inmate who murdered his best friend.

Release Date: 1954-12-07

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

Vote Count: 1

7.5

The Strike

Major Gaylord grapples with a vexing command in the Korean War. Aired by Studio One in Hollywood, sponsored by Westinghouse.

Release Date: 1954-06-07

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

Vote Count: 2

6.0

A Long Time Till Dawn

Just out of prison Joe Harris looks to restart his life. His wife Barbie has moved and the one man who can tell him where refuses to do so. Enraged, Joe beats the old man senseless and runs away to his father's home, where he also finds his wife. A police detective comes around about the beating (which will soon to become a murder) and Joe insists he's innocent. Joe tells his wife and father he's a changed man and he's only a suspect because of his prior conviction. Barbie and Fred struggle with their desire to believe Joe's plea versus their fear he'll never change.

Release Date: 1953-11-11

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

Vote Count: 4

He's Alive

An American neo-Nazi is visited by the ghost of Adolf Hitler.

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

9.0

The Twilight Zone 60th: Remembering Rod Serling

Celebrating 60 years of the landmark television series, this all-new documentary takes viewers on a journey into the fertile imagination and the life of creator Rod Serling. This insightful chronicle provides viewers with a closer look at the life experiences that inspired Serling's unique blend of thought-provoking and visionary storytelling -- from his experiences as a paratrooper in world war 2, to his early writing days in live television, and ultimately the creation of the classic Twilight Zone series. Friends, collaborators, and members of the Serling family share details on the man whose fertile imagination provided the foundation for this groundbreaking and influential storytelling phenomenon that has inspired audiences across the globe for nearly six decades.

Release Date: 2019-11-14

Character: Self

Vote Count: 2

6.5

Mike Wallace Is Here

For over half a century, 60 Minutes' fearsome newsman Mike Wallace went head-to-head with the world's most influential figures. Relying exclusively on archival footage, the film interrogates the interrogator, tracking Wallace's storied career and troubled personal life while unpacking how broadcast journalism evolved to today’s precarious tipping point.

Release Date: 2019-07-26

Character: Self (archive footage)

Vote Count: 12

2.0

Charles Beaumont: The Short Life of Twilight Zone's Magic Man

A documentary about one of the most influential science fiction writers of the 1950s and 1960s. Charles Beaumont was responsible for penning some of the most memorable Twilight Zone episodes before his untimely death at age 38.

Release Date: 2010-03-27

Character: Self (archive footage)

Vote Count: 1

The Twilight Zone
7.2

The Twilight Zone

A 2002 revival of Rod Serling's 1950/60s television series, The Twilight Zone, with actor Forest Whitaker assuming Serling's role as narrator and on-screen host.

Release Date: 2002-09-18

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

Episode Count: 2

Vote Count: 105

The Exiles

A chronicle of the rescue of oppressed intellectuals and artists from Europe before the outbreak of World War II. It studies the cultural and intellectual impact of this emigre population on American life.

Release Date: 1989-09-24

Character: Self

The Twilight Zone
7.7

The Twilight Zone

This 1980s revival of the classic sci-fi series features a similar style to the original anthology series. Each episode tells a tale (sometimes two or three) rooted in horror or suspense, often with a surprising twist at the end. Episodes usually feature elements of drama and comedy.

Release Date: 1985-09-27

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

Episode Count: 2

Vote Count: 219

7.0

UFOs: It Has Begun

A documentary exploring the existence of UFOs and extra-terrestrial beings. Hosted by the LEGENDARY Rod Serling. This was considered his "coming out the closet" in regards to his deep belief in UFOs just before his death from cancer.

Release Date: 1979-01-01

Vote Count: 7

7.0

The Legendary Curse of the Hope Diamond

The curse of the legendary blue Hope Diamond on all its owners is dramatized from the gem's discovery in 17th Century India until its donation to the Smithsonian Institute.

Release Date: 1975-03-27

Character: Narrator

Vote Count: 1

4.7

The Outer Space Connection

This documentary examines the speculation that aliens have visited Earth in ancient times, and built structures to which they will return at a future date.

Release Date: 1975-02-01

Character: Narrator

Vote Count: 3

7.5

Phantom of the Paradise

Fledgling singer-songwriter Winslow Leach finds himself double-crossed by the nefarious music producer Swan, who steals both his music and the girl Winslow wants to sing it, Phoenix, for the grand opening of his new rock palace, the Paradise. After Swan has Winslow sent to prison for trespassing, Winslow endures a freak accident that leaves him disfigured and seeking revenge.

Release Date: 1974-10-31

Character: Introductory Narrator (voice) (uncredited)

Vote Count: 674

8.0

UFOs: Past, Present, and Future

A documentary about unidentified flying objects (UFOs).

Release Date: 1974-06-01

Character: Narrator

Vote Count: 2

6.0

In Search of Ancient Mysteries

An examination of mysteries of the ancient world and their connection to the possibility that aliens visited Earth.

Release Date: 1974-01-31

Character: Narrator

Vote Count: 2

The Alcoholism Film

Hosted by Rod Serling, this color public service film was meant to spread awareness of the symptoms, signs, psychological roots, and dangers of alcoholism.

Release Date: 1974-01-01

Character: Self

Deadly Fathoms

Rod Serling narrates a look at the consequences of the 1946 atomic testing at Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands. Dubbed "Operation Crossroads," the tests included dozens of blasts that sunk a fleet of nearby warships. Serling's narration follows a team of expert divers as they navigate the derelict warships. Serling's expert narration combines with the otherwordly imagery to create a very interesting experience.

Release Date: 1973-05-03

Character: Narrator

7.7

In Search of Ancient Astronauts

An edited version of the 1970 German documentary "Erinnerungen an die Zukunft" (Chariots of the Gods), this examines the theory that aliens have landed on Earth in ancient times and were responsible for many of mankind's oldest mysteries.

Release Date: 1973-01-05

Character: Narrator

Vote Count: 3

4.0

Encounter with the Unknown

Three eerie tales based on actual events are enacted in this film. First, three college students play a prank on a geeky classmate, who is accidentally shot and killed. His vengeful mother forecasts the deaths of the three young men she holds responsible, on 7, 14, and 21 days hence. And, one by one, her grim predictions come true. Next, a ghoulish sound emanates from a mist-shrouded hole in the Earth near where a Missouri boy has lost his dog. The boy's father is lowered into the hole and lets out an agonizing scream! Finally, a senator returning home from a party finds a lost girl on a bridge and learns from her father that she died years earlier

Release Date: 1972-11-15

Character: Narrator (voice)

Vote Count: 16

10.0

Appointment With Destiny: The Last Days of John Dillenger

John Dillinger had a very public, whirlwind career until authorities took him off the streets for good.

Release Date: 1971-01-01

Character: Himself (Narrator)

Vote Count: 1

Sathya Sai Baba: Man of Miracles

Hosted by Rod Serling, this film documents the phenomenon surrounding guru Sathya Sai Baba.

Character: Host

Patterns of Time

Describes how beautiful figures are selected and matched together. Shows how hardwood plywood is made in engineered panels to provide maximum durability and stability to bring the authenticity and beauty of the world's finest cabinet woods within the budget of the average American family.

Character: Narrator

The Twilight Zone
6.7

The Twilight Zone

Tales of science fiction, fantasy and the occult, exploring humanity's hopes, despairs, prides and prejudices in metaphoric ways. Next stop ahead The Twilight Zone.

Release Date: 2019-04-01

Department: Crew

Job: Creator

Episode Count: 20

Vote Count: 378

The Sixth Sense
6.3

The Sixth Sense

The Sixth Sense is an American paranormal thriller television

Release Date: 1972-01-15

Episode Count: 25

Vote Count: 6

The Pet Set
5.5

The Pet Set

Each episode of this part talk show, part docuseries begins with animal-loving celebrities showcasing their pets. The showcase transitions into a documentary segment on the species previously showcased, followed by a discussion with an animal expert, and concluding with host Betty White and sometimes her guest stars outside with a wild animal.

Release Date: 1971-01-25

Character: Self

Episode Count: 1

Vote Count: 2

Night Gallery
7.8

Night Gallery

Rod Serling narrates an anthology of fantasy, horror and sci-fi stories from a set resembling a macabre museum. A chilling work of art serves as the connective link between the stories.

Release Date: 1970-12-16

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

Character: Self - Host

Episode Count: 26

Vote Count: 97

The New People
5.7

The New People

The New People is a short-lived 1969 American television series on ABC that focused on a group of young college students who were returning from a trip in Southeast Asia when their plane crashed on an island in the south Pacific Ocean. The crash killed several of the college students, and all but one of the adults, who was badly injured and later died. The surviving students were the only human life remaining on the island. The island was unusual in that it had been built up as a site for a potential above-ground nuclear test which never took place, leaving all of the buildings and supplies untouched and ready for use by the survivors.

Release Date: 1969-09-22

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

Episode Count: 1

Vote Count: 3

The Dick Cavett Show
6.6

The Dick Cavett Show

The Dick Cavett Show has been the title of several talk shows hosted by Dick Cavett on various television networks.

Release Date: 1968-06-06

Character: Self - Guest

Episode Count: 1

Vote Count: 20

Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
6.5

Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In

An American sketch comedy television program hosted by comedians Dan Rowan and Dick Martin.

Release Date: 1967-09-09

Character: Self (uncredited)

Episode Count: 3

Vote Count: 31

Ironside
6.9

Ironside

When an assassin's bullet confines him to a wheelchair for life ending his career as Chief of Detectives, Robert T. Ironside becomes a consultant to the police department. Detective Sergeant Ed Brown and policewoman Eve Whitfield join with him to crack varied and fascinating cases. Ex-con Mark Sanger is employed by the chief as home help but eventually becomes a fully fledged member of the team also. Officer Whitfield leaves after 4 years service, and is replaced by Officer Fran Belding.

Release Date: 1967-03-28

Episode Count: 1

Vote Count: 63

The Loner
5.7

The Loner

The Loner is an American western series that ran for less than one season on CBS from 1965 to 1966, under the alternate sponsorship of Philip Morris and Procter & Gamble.

Release Date: 1965-09-18

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

Episode Count: 15

Vote Count: 3

Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
5.5

Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre

Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre is an American anthology series, sponsored by Chrysler Corporation, which ran on NBC from 1963 through 1967. The show was hosted by Bob Hope, but it had a variety of formats, including musical, dramatic, and comedy.

Release Date: 1963-10-04

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

Episode Count: 3

Vote Count: 6

The Danny Kaye Show
6.3

The Danny Kaye Show

The Danny Kaye Show is an American variety show hosted by Danny Kaye that aired on CBS from 1963 to 1967 on Wednesday nights. Directed by Robert Scheerer, the show premiered in black-and-white, but later switched to color broadcasts. At the time, Kaye was at the height of his popularity, having starred in a string of successful films in the 1940s and '50's, made successful personal appearances at such venues as the London Palladium, and appeared many times on television. His most recent films had been considered disappointing, but the television specials he starred in were triumphant, leading to this series. Prior to his television and film career, Kaye had made a name for himself with his own radio show, and numerous other guest appearances on other shows.

Release Date: 1963-09-25

Character: Self

Episode Count: 1

Vote Count: 3

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
7.4

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson is a talk show hosted by Johnny Carson under The Tonight Show franchise from 1962 to 1992. It originally aired during late-night. For its first ten years, Carson's Tonight Show was based in New York City with occasional trips to Burbank, California; in May 1972, the show moved permanently to Burbank, California. In 2002, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson was ranked #12 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.

Release Date: 1962-10-01

Character: Self

Episode Count: 1

Vote Count: 71

The Twilight Zone
8.4

The Twilight Zone

A series of unrelated stories containing drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, and/or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist.

Release Date: 1959-10-02

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

Character: Self - Host

Episode Count: 95

Vote Count: 914

The David Susskind Show
5.0

The David Susskind Show

The David Susskind Show is an American television talk show hosted by David Susskind. The program began its existence in 1958 as Open End, and was broadcast by WNTA-TV in New York City. The title referred to the fact that the program continued until Susskind or his guests were too tired to continue late on a Sunday night.

Release Date: 1959-01-18

Character: Self

Episode Count: 1

Vote Count: 1

Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse
5.3

Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse

Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse is an American television anthology series produced by Desilu Productions. The show ran on CBS television between 1958 and 1960. Two of its 48 episodes served as pilots for the 1950s television series The Twilight Zone and The Untouchables.

Release Date: 1958-10-06

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

Character: Self

Episode Count: 1

Vote Count: 4

Playhouse 90
7.5

Playhouse 90

Playhouse 90 is an American television anthology series that was telecast on CBS from 1956 to 1960 for a total of 133 episodes. It originated from CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California. Since live anthology drama series of the mid-1950s were usually hour-long shows, the title highlighted the network's intention to present something unusual, a weekly series of hour-and-a-half dramas rather than 60-minute plays. Playhouse 90 began as a pitch by Frank Stanton—the formidable, forward-thinking right-hand man to CBS chairman William S. Paley—during a brainstorming session for program ideas. The project was ultimately developed by Hubbell Robinson, a CBS vice president who received no screen credit on Playhouse 90 but is often described as its creator.

Release Date: 1956-10-04

Department: Writing

Job: Screenplay

Episode Count: 1

Vote Count: 6

The Jane Wyman Show
4.0

The Jane Wyman Show

The Jane Wyman Show is an American anthology drama series that ran on NBC from 1955 to 1958.

Release Date: 1955-08-30

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

Episode Count: 1

Vote Count: 4

Star Tonight

Star Tonight

Star Tonight, an American television anthology series, aired on ABC from February 1955 to August 1956.

Release Date: 1955-02-03

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

Episode Count: 1

Climax!
3.0

Climax!

Climax! is an American anthology series that aired on CBS from 1954 to 1958. The series was hosted by William Lundigan and later co-hosted by Mary Costa. It was one of the few CBS programs of that era to be broadcast in color. Many of the episodes were performed and broadcast live.

Release Date: 1954-10-07

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

Episode Count: 1

Vote Count: 10

The United States Steel Hour
5.8

The United States Steel Hour

The United States Steel Hour is an anthology series which brought hour-long dramas to television from 1953 to 1963. The television series and the radio program that preceded it were both sponsored by the United States Steel Corporation.

Release Date: 1953-10-27

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

Episode Count: 3

Vote Count: 4

Medallion Theatre

Medallion Theatre

Release Date: 1953-07-11

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

Episode Count: 1

Horace Mann's Miracle

In the 1850s, the small mid western college of Antioch faces going out of business unless it changes school policy and takes on wealthy clientèle to pay their mounting debts. Their stalwart dean, Horace Mann, refuses and would rather go down to defeat than betray his principles. At the moment that all seems lost, a benefactor steps in to rescue them.

Release Date: 1953-03-08

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

The Ford Television Theatre
7.0

The Ford Television Theatre

This show started in New York City, with Broadway actors and actresses. It then moved to Hollywood, California, where Hollywood actors and actresses headed the cast.

Release Date: 1952-10-02

Department: Writing

Job: Story

Episode Count: 1

Vote Count: 2

Hallmark Hall of Fame
8.7

Hallmark Hall of Fame

Hallmark Hall of Fame is an anthology program on American television, sponsored by Hallmark Cards, a Kansas City based greeting card company. The longest-running primetime series in the history of television, it has a historically long run, beginning during 1951 and continuing into 2013. From 1954 onward, all of its productions have been shown in color, although color television video productions were extremely rare in 1954. Many television movies have been shown on the program since its debut, though the program began with live telecasts of dramas and then changed to videotaped productions before finally changing to filmed ones. The series has received eighty Emmy Awards, twenty-four Christopher Awards, eleven Peabody Awards, nine Golden Globes, and four Humanitas Prizes. Once a common practice in American television, it is the last remaining television program such that the title includes the name of the sponsor. Unlike other long-running TV series still on the air, it differs in that it broadcasts only occasionally and not on a weekly broadcast programming schedule.

Release Date: 1951-12-24

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

Episode Count: 5

Vote Count: 6

The Red Skelton Show
7.3

The Red Skelton Show

The Red Skelton Show is an American variety show that was a television staple for two decades, from 1951 to 1971. It was second to Gunsmoke and third to The Ed Sullivan Show in the ratings during that time. Skelton, who had previously been a radio star, had appeared in several motion pictures as well. Although his television series is largely associated with CBS, where it appeared for more than fifteen years, it actually began and ended on NBC. During its run, the program received three Emmy Awards, for Skelton as best comedian and the program as best comedy show during its initial season, and an award for comedy writing in 1961.

Release Date: 1951-09-30

Character: Self / Cameo (uncredited)

Episode Count: 1

Vote Count: 15

The Jack Benny Program
7.7

The Jack Benny Program

Laugh along with funnyman Jack Benny as he brings his underplayed humor to TV along with regular performers from his radio show days.

Release Date: 1950-10-28

Character: Self

Episode Count: 1

Vote Count: 15

Armstrong Circle Theatre
3.0

Armstrong Circle Theatre

Armstrong Circle Theatre is an American anthology drama television series which ran from 1950 to 1957 on NBC, and then until 1963 on CBS. It alternated weekly with The U.S. Steel Hour.

Release Date: 1950-06-06

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

Episode Count: 1

Vote Count: 3

Suspense
4.7

Suspense

An anthology series adapted from the radio program of the same name. Like the radio program, many scripts were adaptations of literary classics by well-known authors. Classic authors such as Edgar Allan Poe, Agatha Christie, and Charles Dickens all had stories adapted for the series, while contemporary authors such as Roald Dahl and Gore Vidal also contributed.

Release Date: 1949-01-06

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

Episode Count: 1

Vote Count: 10

Studio One
4.7

Studio One

An American radio–television anthology series, created in 1947 by Canadian director Fletcher Markle, who came to CBS from the CBC. Studio One, presented by Westinghouse, was one of the first of the anthology TV programs. The episodes were often abridged remakes of movies from years gone by and many future well-known television and movie actors appeared in the productions.

Release Date: 1948-11-07

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

Episode Count: 6

Vote Count: 11

Kraft Television Theatre
7.3

Kraft Television Theatre

Kraft Television Theatre is an American drama/anthology television series

Release Date: 1947-05-07

Department: Writing

Job: Writer

Episode Count: 1

Vote Count: 3

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