Actors in multiple Twilight Zone episodes.

Cafe Society
1

Other than Rod Serling, of course.

OK, so, I’ve been watching the original Twilight Zone lately - Space, the science fiction channel up here, is airing episodes every weekday - and have noticed something that’s a bit weird to me, though I suppose not everyone would.

While the show doesn’t have an actual ensemble, mostly having a completely new cast with each episode, there’s a handful of actors I’ve seen multiple times.

Burgess Meredith, Billy Mumy, Ed Wynn, and William Shatner - I’ve seen each of them in 2 episodes (well, actually, I missed both It’s a Good Life and Nightmare at 20,000 Feet, and it hasn’t cycled back to them, yet…but, you know what I mean). So…I got to wondering if anyone knew of other actors who entered the Twilight Zone multiple times.

Some thoughts on the repeat visitors…

It’s interesting (again, to me, maybe not to others) that Mumy is the only one of that lot who don’t end up playing very similar characters in each of the episodes I saw them in.

Wynn is, of course, a comedian, in generally comedic episodes, and Shatner is…Shatner, and cast to play to his strengths. Meredith is a little more surprising in his episodes being generally comedic - at least until the bomb in Time Enough at Last - and his character is a friendly loser both times. (Mr Dingle, the Strong being the other.)

Mumy’s character in Long Distance Call, though - a young boy, very attached to his grandmother - is a far cry from the reality warping spoiled brat from It’s a Good Life.

2

Manly man Lee Marvin did 2 episodes after serving in the USMC and before winning an Oscar as a gunfighter – Steel and The Grave – showcasing his vulnerability, even if he was up on the big screen as Liberty Valance in between.

3

Suzanne Cupito was the little girl in “Nightmare as a Child,” “Valley of the Shadow,” and “Caesar and Me.”

As an adult, she’d be known as Morgan Brittany, who played Katharine Wentworth, Pam Ewing’s whacko half-sister, on Dallas.

4

George Grizzard starred in two – THE CHASER and IN HIS IMAGE – playing to his strength, as the in-over-his-head guy who realizes he hasn’t thought this through. Having said that, though, the roles differ plenty.

5

I immediately thought of Jack Klugman. He appeared in four episodes.

In Praise of Pip
A Passage for Trumpet
A Game of Pool
Death Ship

6

Who brings to mind another guy from 12 ANGRY MEN – Jack Warden, who got tapped for THE LONELY and THE MIGHTY CASEY.

7

People already got Burgess Meredith, William Shatner, Jack Klugman, Billy Mumy, Jack Warden and Lee Marvin.

Let’s see, who’s left… J. Pat O’Malley.

Larry Blyden.

Claude Akins.

Russel “The Professor” Johnson

Ross Martin

John Fiedler

8

Not a major star, but Albert Salmi was in several episodes.

So was James “Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane” Best.

And James “Inspector Luger” Gregory.

9

Anne Francis starred in two: JESS-BELLE and THE AFTER HOURS.

10

Robert McCord - 32 episodes.

Jay Overholts- 8 episodes.

Vaughn Taylor - 5 episodes. He’s probably more recognizable as a character actor.

Quite a few actors had 4 appearances including notable stars like Jack Klugman and Burgess Meredith.

S. John Launer might be recognized by Perry Mason fans for his frequent appearances as a judge.

ETA:The complete list.

11

I’m surprised this wasn’t in the OP. Questions like this are so easily answered this way.

The only real issues are the surprises. Like McCord: 32 episodes, wow.

And Burgess Meredith and J. Pat O’Malley both appeared in 4? I can only think of one each off the top of my head. Makes Shatner look like a slacker.

12

I didn’t come into the thread with the intention of displaying the list. It is fun for people to remember the episodes. But when I saw that McCord had 32 episodes I thought it should be mentioned. And then reviewing the list it did bring back memories of the episodes anyway so I don’t think it spoils the thread.

13

Reviewing the list brings to mind two memorable Martin Landau episodes.

14

Yep. See this a lot with the Hallmark movies I watch.

15

Three reasons…

  1. The already mentioned reason of ‘well, discussing it is more fun’.
  2. While IMDb is a good resource, it’s frustratingly non-comprehensive a lot of the time.
  3. When it is comprehensive, it’s too comprehensive, ironically, confusing this issue.

While I didn’t say it explicitly, I was thinking of significant roles.

That list puts Robert McCord as the undisputable winner for most appearances, with 32 - but 30 of those are uncredited bit appearances as unnamed characters. And even when it’s a credited role with a name, that’s no guarantee it’s much more than a bit part. In A Hundred Yards Over the Rim, John Astin played a character named Charlie…who was in all of 2 or 3 minutes, and played no real part in the episode’s plot.

16

Eh. . . McCord has over 60 occurrences. Most of them just aren’t listed. Respectfully submitted for your perusal. . . TZ’s workhorse, Robert L. McCordl.

Strange thing: His name was actually Robert L. McCord II, but was sometimes credited as Robert L. McCord III–who was actually his son, a TV sound guy, who later opened a restaurant.

17

Interesting. I’ve seen IMDB confused in the past about Alan Hale Jr. and his father Alan Hale Sr. with both often credited as just Alan Hale.