# What was your favorite Twilight Zone episode? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** tv-shows-scripted\ **Created:** [October 12, 2005, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-favorite-twilight-zone-episode/325971 "2005-10-12T22:04:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2024, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-favorite-twilight-zone-episode/325971/61 "2024-07-09T23:56:12Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > My all time favorite was with Burgess Meredith as Henry Bemis clutching books in ‘Time Enough at Last’. A book-loving bank teller who becomes the last man on Earth after surviving a nuclear attack. But his glasses drop, smashing the lenses and leaving him unable to read. I hate that episode. Twilight Zones are all about getting their comeuppance- but he is not a bad person at all. His only “crime” is that he likes to read. My fave is > **[One for the Angels](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_for_the_Angels)** > > "One for the Angels" is the second episode of the American anthology television series The Twilight Zone. It originally aired on October 9, 1959, on CBS television. > Street scene: Summer. The present. Man on a sidewalk named Lew Bookman, age sixtyish. Occupation: pitchman. Lew Bookman, a fixture of the summer, a rather minor component to a hot July, a nondescript, commonplace little man whose life is a treadmill built out of sidewalks. And in just a moment, Lew Bookman will have to concern himsel... > [@Baker](#): > > “One For the Angels” Okay, so I like corny, happy endings. And it _was_ a happy ending! We concur here. Second fave is- > **[Where Is Everybody?](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Where_Is_Everybody%3F)** > > "Where Is Everybody?" is the first episode of the American anthology television series The Twilight Zone and was originally broadcast on 2 October 1959, on CBS. It is one of the most realistic Twilight Zone episodes, as it features no supernatural elements and is based on fairly straightforward extrapolation of science. > > The following narration was used in the later-released versions of the episode which had been dubbed over by Rod Serling as narrator, where the phrase "the sixth dimension" is... > [@Cunctator](#): > > It was about a man who appeared to be the only person left in a small town after all the other people had vanished. See above. > [@WolfpackJeep](#): > > An old hillbilly and his dog go out 'coon hunting, and after a mishap find themselves wandering along a deserted road. > **[The Hunt (The Twilight Zone)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hunt_(The_Twilight_Zone))** > > "The Hunt" is episode 84 of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone. It originally aired on January 26, 1962 on CBS. > An old man and a hound-dog named Rip, off for an evening's pleasure in quest of raccoon. Usually, these evenings end with one tired old man, one battle-scarred hound dog, and one or more extremely dead raccoons, but as you may suspect, that will not be the case tonight. These hunters won't be coming home from the hill. They're headed for the backwoods — of The T... Also a great one. ---
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-favorite-twilight-zone-episode/325971/62 "2024-07-10T00:37:36Z")
Among others not mentioned: “The Howling Man” - A traveler finds shelter with some monks who may have captured Satan. “The Odyssey of Flight 33” - A passenger jet flies back in time. “The “dinosaur sequence” was credited to [Jack H. Harris](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0364796/?ref_=tttrv_tr), and used a brontosaurus model taken from [Dinosaurus! (1960)](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0053768/?ref_=tttrv_tr). The expense of the two brief shots ran $2,500, making it the most expensive footage in the original [The Twilight Zone (1959)](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0052520/?ref_=tttrv_tr).” - ["The Twilight Zone" The Odyssey of Flight 33 (TV Episode 1961) - Trivia - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0734668/trivia/?ref_=tt_trv_trv) “Little Girl Lost” - Inspiration for _Poltergeist_ (1982). ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-favorite-twilight-zone-episode/325971/63 "2024-07-10T00:48:02Z")
The Nightmare at 20.000 Feet (Shatner version) ---
**Author:** ![Briny\_Deep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/briny_deep/32/17188_2.png) [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-favorite-twilight-zone-episode/325971/64 "2024-07-10T00:58:01Z")
> [@Dropo](#): > > “The Odyssey of Flight 33” - A passenger jet flies back in time. Especially on a cloudy day when it can’t be seen, I can’t hear a jet overhead without thinking of Serling’s closing narrative about engines that sound somehow lost and searching, and I want to throw up a flare, as he urged. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-favorite-twilight-zone-episode/325971/65 "2024-07-10T01:19:19Z")
> [@marque\_elf](#): > > Another episode that I enjoyed was the one based on the Ambrose Bierce short story _An Incident At Owl Creek Bridge_. My personal favorite as well. An epitome of “show, don’t tell”. (yes, I know the poster I’m quoting is not an active board member, but why type all the information again? A peril of ancient threads looming forth with the funk of forty thousand years!) ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-favorite-twilight-zone-episode/325971/66 "2024-07-10T01:25:59Z")
> [@peedin](#): > > The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street Exactly because who are the monsters? ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-favorite-twilight-zone-episode/325971/67 "2024-07-10T01:34:05Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > “One For the Angels” Okay, so I like corny, happy endings. And it _was_ a happy ending! I too love “One For the Angels”. As heart-rending as it is in places, it’s a rare TZ episode that is also side-splittingly funny, when the G-Man-like Mr. Death totally falls apart–and for–Lew’s pitch: _“I’ll buy all you’ve got!”_ ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-favorite-twilight-zone-episode/325971/68 "2024-07-10T02:13:23Z")
It’s interesting to compare the American and British versions of that show. In the first one, filmed in 1958, the betrayed wife/murderer was played by Barbara Bel Geddes, “Miz Ellie” on _ **Dallas** _. She gave a very subdued performance that suited the character perfectly. In the second, filmed in 1979, the wife was played by a young Susan George. Her performance, opposite Brian Blessed, is very good but completely different. She’s very convincing as a hysterical housewife who claims to have come home from the store only to find her husband dead. > [Alfred Hitchcock Presents S03E28 Lamb to the Slaughter](https://ok.ru/video/6872932158118) > [https://youtu.be/zAPw-uFhqjA](https://youtu.be/zAPw-uFhqjA) ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-favorite-twilight-zone-episode/325971/69 "2024-07-10T02:39:12Z")
I think my favorite _ **TZ** _ episode is this one, not least because Sebastian Cabot was cast perfectly! 🤭 > [The Twilight Zone 1959 S01E28 A Nice Place to Visit on Vimeo](https://vimeo.com/615755115) ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-favorite-twilight-zone-episode/325971/70 "2024-07-10T02:39:34Z")
[The Invaders](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Invaders_(The_Twilight_Zone)). [The After Hours](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_After_Hours). ---
**Author:** ![Happytree](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happytree/32/3555_2.png) [@Happytree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happytree)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-favorite-twilight-zone-episode/325971/71 "2024-07-10T03:00:09Z")
“Mr. Bevis” A lovable loser is visited by his guardian angel, and given a chance to turn his life around. It’s a cutesy, not serious at all episode. They did another almost identical episode with a female lead. A little more serious, but not as memorable. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-favorite-twilight-zone-episode/325971/72 "2024-07-10T03:52:46Z")
> [@anyrose](#): > > there’s the classic “Skin Deep” - has anyone mentioned that yet? (it may not actually be the title, tho) Beautiful woman devastated because she doesn’t look like all the pigfaces in her society > [@plnnr](#): > > Skin Deep It’s called “Eye of the Beholder.” (And yes I know this thread is from 2005, I was just surprised I hadn’t seen that title listed yet. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-favorite-twilight-zone-episode/325971/73 "2024-07-10T04:41:31Z")
**A Game of Pool** Just two guys in a pool hall, talking. Simple and brilliant. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-favorite-twilight-zone-episode/325971/74 "2024-07-10T04:41:41Z")
> [@Happytree](#): > > They did another almost identical episode with a female lead. A little more serious, but not as memorable. “Cavender is Coming”, starring Carol Burnett. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-favorite-twilight-zone-episode/325971/75 "2024-07-10T13:25:00Z")
Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up? ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-favorite-twilight-zone-episode/325971/76 "2024-07-10T13:44:52Z")
“IT’S A COOKBOOK!” 😲 ---
**Author:** ![Briny\_Deep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/briny_deep/32/17188_2.png) [@Briny\_Deep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Briny_Deep)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-favorite-twilight-zone-episode/325971/77 "2024-07-10T15:19:08Z")
_Third from the Sun._ I actually got to watch this one not long ago 90% unspoiled, so spoilerblurring the reveal. Though it’s fully guessable, there are nice touches: A family in what appears to be midcentury Earth hijacks a rocket to escape nuclear war. Naturally what they’re escaping **to** is the real Earth, but the fun, as with many other episodes, is the misdirection, and noticing the clues after the fact – the teenagers’ dance records are incredibly eerie, the cars make a bizarre whirring sound, and so forth. Even the artwork in the family’s period-perfect split-level ranch, on the face of it “progressive” or avant-garde (this is a family who bucks typical midcentury patriotic conservatism), is fully alien in retrospect. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-favorite-twilight-zone-episode/325971/78 "2024-07-10T18:08:06Z")
This one is good too: [Of Late I Think of Cliffordville - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Of_Late_I_Think_of_Cliffordville) ---
**Author:** ![That\_Don\_Guy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/that_don_guy/32/538_2.png) [@That\_Don\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/That_Don_Guy)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2024, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-favorite-twilight-zone-episode/325971/79 "2024-07-10T19:19:43Z")
> [@KlondikeGeoff](#): > > > [@GrahamWellington](#): > > > > Do any of you people remember the TZ? Any favorite episodes? > > Oh, my, it’s been a long time, but always thought a very funny one was the woman (now I can **almost** think of her name) who murdered her husband with a frozen leg-of-lamb. She then put it back in the freezer, adn the detective never did find the weapon. 🙂 That was _Alfred Hitchcock Presents_, not TZ - and they never found the weapon because she cooked it for them, and they literally ate the evidence. (Speaking of AHP, this was a prime example of the network’s insistence that Hitchcock include an epilogue where “justice was done in the end” - in this case, she tried it again, but it was partially thawed and didn’t kill the victim.) Did I just respond to a 19-year-old post? ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2024, 11:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-favorite-twilight-zone-episode/325971/80 "2024-07-12T11:48:47Z")
Earlier this year I received a copy of [Everything I Need to Know I Learned in the Twilight Zone](https://www.amazon.com/Everything-Need-Know-Learned-Twilight/dp/1250082374), a terrific book about Rod Serling’s personal philosophy, and how Mark Dawidziak believes it is expressed in the stories told in _The Twilight Zone_. I obtained all the series and am watching my way through, now and then, and reading about each episode afterwards, following the order that the “lessons” are covered in the book. The Amazon link above provides a surprisingly generous sample with many of the first few lessons. I’m sure most fans will love it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-favorite-twilight-zone-episode/325971.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-your-favorite-twilight-zone-episode/325971.md?page=5)