Rod Serling

Writing

Rod Serling

Born — Died

1924-12-25 — 1975-06-28

Place of birth

Syracuse, New York, USA

Known for

Writing

Credits

78 titles

Rodman Edward 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.

Known for

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson poster
7.6

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.

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

1962

Ironside poster
6.8

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.

Ironside

1967

The Dick Cavett Show poster
6.8

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

The Dick Cavett Show

1968

The Twilight Zone poster
8.5

An anthology series containing drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, and/or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist.

The Twilight Zone

1959

The Red Skelton Show poster
7.4

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.

The Red Skelton Show

1951

Night Gallery poster
7.8

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.

Night Gallery

1970

Film credits

2010s · 5 titles

Mike Wallace Is Here poster
6.5

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.

Mike Wallace Is Here

2019

The Twilight Zone: A 60th Anniversary Celebration poster
10.0

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.

The Twilight Zone: A 60th Anniversary Celebration

2019

Charles Beaumont: The Short Life of Twilight Zone's Magic Man poster
2.0

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.

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

2010

The Twilight Zone Christmas Classics poster
10.0

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”.

The Twilight Zone Christmas Classics

2014

The Twilight Zone 60th: Remembering Rod Serling poster
9.0

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.

The Twilight Zone 60th: Remembering Rod Serling

2019

1970s · 11 titles

Phantom of the Paradise poster
7.5

Singer-songwriter Winslow Leach seeks revenge on the nefarious music producer Swan, who steals both Winslow's music and his favorite singer for the grand opening of Swan's new rock palace, the Paradise.

Phantom of the Paradise

1974

The Legendary Curse of the Hope Diamond poster
7.0

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.

The Legendary Curse of the Hope Diamond

1975

Encounter with the Unknown poster
4.3

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

Encounter with the Unknown

1972

UFOs: Past, Present, and Future poster
8.7

A documentary about unidentified flying objects (UFOs).

UFOs: Past, Present, and Future

1974

Appointment With Destiny: The Last Days of John Dillinger poster
10.0

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

Appointment With Destiny: The Last Days of John Dillinger

1971

The Outer Space Connection poster
5.2

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.

The Outer Space Connection

1975

No artwork available
7.4

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.

UFOs: It Has Begun

1979

Deadly Fathoms poster
10.0

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.

Deadly Fathoms

1973

In Search of Ancient Mysteries poster
6.3

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

In Search of Ancient Mysteries

1974

No artwork available
NR

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

The Alcoholism Film

1974

In Search of Ancient Astronauts poster
7.5

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.

In Search of Ancient Astronauts

1973

1960s · 3 titles

Series credits

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson poster
7.6

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.

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson

1962

Ironside poster
6.8

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.

Ironside

1967

The Dick Cavett Show poster
6.8

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

The Dick Cavett Show

1968

The Twilight Zone poster
8.5

An anthology series containing drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, and/or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist.

The Twilight Zone

1959

The Red Skelton Show poster
7.4

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.

The Red Skelton Show

1951

Night Gallery poster
7.8

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.

Night Gallery

1970

The Jack Benny Program poster
7.8

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

The Jack Benny Program

1950

Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In poster
6.8

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

Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In

1968

The Danny Kaye Show poster
7.0

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.

The Danny Kaye Show

1963

Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse poster
6.3

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.

Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse

1958

The David Susskind Show poster
7.0

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.

The David Susskind Show

1959

The Pet Set poster
6.7

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.

The Pet Set

1971

No artwork available
NR

Liar's Club is an American comedy game show, produced by Ralph Andrews that had three syndicated runs. It was first seen in 1969 with Rod Serling as host, and returned for a three-season run from 1976-1979, after airing as a local series on Los Angeles' KTLA in 1974-75 season. Bill Armstrong was the original host, soon succeeded by Allen Ludden, with Bill Berry and Joe Seiter sharing the announcing duties. It was later revived for almost one year from 1988-1989 as The New Liar's Club; Chicago native Eric Boardman was the host, and former emcee Bill Armstrong was announcer. This version was produced by Blair Murdoch at CKVU-TV in Vancouver, with Stan Litke as the director for the first half of its run, later replaced by Dave Stewart. A pilot for a new version in 1996 was done with Ed McMahon hosting, but the series did not sell. The title is a pun on the Friars Club.

Liar's Club

1969

Behind the camera

Planet of the Apes poster
7.7

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.

Planet of the Apes

1968

Seven Days in May poster
7.4

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

Seven Days in May

1964

Requiem for a Heavyweight poster
7.2

After suffering a brutal defeat and being told he can no longer fight, 37-year-old, scar-ridden prizefighter Louis 'Mountain' Rivera struggles to find a new direction in life.

Requiem for a Heavyweight

1962

Night Gallery poster
6.7

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.

Night Gallery

1969

The Enemy Within poster
5.8

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.

The Enemy Within

1994

Saddle the Wind poster
6.7

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.

Saddle the Wind

1958

Assault on a Queen poster
5.8

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.

Assault on a Queen

1966

The Twilight Zone: Rod Serling's Lost Classics poster
6.8

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.

The Twilight Zone: Rod Serling's Lost Classics

1994

Patterns poster
7.2

To eliminate internal opposition, a cruel CEO sabotages and humiliates a good-natured executive in an effort to force his resignation — and make the reticent new hire his new yes man.

Patterns

1956

Requiem for a Heavyweight poster
8.0

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.

Requiem for a Heavyweight

1956

The Comedian poster
9.0

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.

The Comedian

1957

Carol for Another Christmas poster
5.9

Wealthy industrialist and fierce isolationist Daniel Grudge, 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.

Carol for Another Christmas

1964

A Storm in Summer poster
6.4

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...

A Storm in Summer

2000

For All Time poster
6.4

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.

For All Time

2000

No artwork available
NR

The investigation into a plane crash concludes that it was caused by pilot error. At the inquiry, the co-pilot seeks to place the blame on the captain who died in the crash.

Panic Button

1957

Patterns poster
7.0

"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.

Patterns

1955

A Long Time Till Dawn poster
6.0

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.

A Long Time Till Dawn

1953

He's Alive poster
NR

A tiny neo-Nazi organization struggles pathetically to succeed in a big city. A mysterious figure begins to ruthlessly guide a young, insecure U.S. Nazi leader, and the group begins to draw more attention.

He's Alive

1963

The Doomsday Flight poster
6.5

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.

The Doomsday Flight

1966

A Town Has Turned to Dust poster
4.1

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.

A Town Has Turned to Dust

1998

The Velvet Alley poster
7.0

Ernie Pandash 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.

The Velvet Alley

1959

The Twilight Zone: A 60th Anniversary Celebration poster
10.0

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.

The Twilight Zone: A 60th Anniversary Celebration

2019

The Twilight Zone: A 60th Anniversary Celebration poster
10.0

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.

The Twilight Zone: A 60th Anniversary Celebration

2019

Planet of the Apes Test Reel poster
NR

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

Planet of the Apes Test Reel

1966

The Dark Side of the Earth poster
NR

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

The Dark Side of the Earth

1957

A Storm in Summer poster
6.5

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

A Storm in Summer

1970

No artwork available
NR

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

Nightmare at Ground Zero

1958

A Town Has Turned to Dust poster
5.5

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.

A Town Has Turned to Dust

1958

In the Presence of Mine Enemies poster
5.7

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.

In the Presence of Mine Enemies

1997

The Man poster
6.5

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.

The Man

1972

The Yellow Canary poster
8.0

Andy Paxton is an arrogant pop singer about to be divorced by his wife. On the same night he starts an engagement at a theater in Los Angeles their infant son is kidnapped. Despite objections from the lead police officer on the case, Paxton plays along with the kidnappers as they string him along.

The Yellow Canary

1963

The Time Element poster
NR

A man is sent back in time to December 6, 1941 and tries to warn people about the upcoming Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.

The Time Element

—

In the Presence of Mine Enemies poster
NR

Rod Serling's teleplay depicting the struggles of Jews living in the Warsaw Ghetto in the months before the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising.

In the Presence of Mine Enemies

1960

The Strike poster
7.5

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

The Strike

1954

The Twilight Zone Christmas Classics poster
10.0

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”.

The Twilight Zone Christmas Classics

2014

Bomber's Moon poster
NR

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.

Bomber's Moon

1958

The Challenge poster
4.5

A school bus driver is dismissed by his local school board after refusing to sign a loyalty oath. Produced with assistance from the Fund for the Republic, this unsold television pilot presents the case as an open-ended civic drama, challenging viewers to consider how they would vote.

The Challenge

1955

No artwork available
NR

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.

Horace Mann's Miracle

1953

Requiem for a Heavyweight poster
6.7

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

Requiem for a Heavyweight

1974

Certain Honorable Men poster
10.0

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

Certain Honorable Men

1968