Rod Serling's TWILIGHT ZONE - BARBARA BARRIE - Personally Signed Limited Edition Autograph Card from the series issued by Rittenhouse in 2016.
Barbara Barrie (born Barbara Ann Berman; May 23, 1931) is an American actress of film, stage and television. She is also an accomplished author.
Her film breakthrough came in 1964 with her performance as Julie in the landmark film One Potato, Two Potato, for which she won the Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival. She is best known for her role as Evelyn Stoller in Breaking Away, which brought her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in 1979 and an Emmy Award nomination in 1981 when she reprised the role in the television series based on the film.
On television she is perhaps best known for her portrayal, between 1975 and 1978, of the wife of the namesake captain in the detective sitcom Barney Miller. Barrie also is known for her extensive work in the theatre, receiving a Tony Award nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Musical in 1971 for originating the role of Sarah in Stephen Sondheim's Company.
Barbara Ann Berman was born in Chicago, Illinois, the daughter of Jewish parents, Frances Rose (née Boruszak) and Louis Berman. The family moved to Texas when she was nine years old, where she was raised in Corpus Christi. She had one sibling, a brother, Geoffrey Melvin Berman (1924–1983). At the start of her acting career, she chose "Barrie" as her stage name instead of "Berman".
She graduated from Corpus Christi Senior High School in 1948. She briefly attended Del Mar College as a journalism major, and then transferred to The University of Texas at Austin (UT-Austin), where she graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Drama in 1952. She then moved to New York to begin her professional career.
During her time at UT-Austin, she received two scholarships for drama, including the Kappa Kappa Gamma Donna Dellinger annual scholarship for Most Outstanding Junior in the Drama Department, as well as awards for specific performances, such as the Atlas Award from the Globe Theatre in San Diego for "Best Female Performance for 1950–51" based on her role in the California Theatre's summer production of Much Ado About Nothing as Beatrice.
She married director, actor, and producer Jay Malcolm Harnick (1928–2007) in July 1964. They had two children, Jane Caroline Harnick (born 1965) and Aaron Louis Harnick (born 1969). Jay Harnick founded Theatreworks USA and was the brother of Tony Award-winning musical lyricist Sheldon Harnick.
In 1972, Barrie signed her name to the Ms. campaign: “We Have Had Abortions” which called for an end to "archaic laws" limiting reproductive freedom, they encouraged women to share their stories and take action.
She was treated successfully for rectal cancer in 1994, and wrote a memoir, Second Act: Life After Colostomy and Other Adventures, about the experience. In September 2014, Barrie announced she has been diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
One of Barrie's first professional stage jobs was a resident actress for one season for a theatre company in Corning, New York, where she played the lead in The Moon is Blue in 1953. She also worked at the Rochester Arena Theatre. She made her Broadway debut in the 1955 play The Wooden Dish with Louis Calhern. In 1959, she appeared on Broadway in The Beaux' Stratagem by George Farquhar as Cherry. Some of her earliest Off-Broadway credits were in a 1958 production of The Crucible as Elizabeth Proctor and as Illse in a play version of Mädchen in Uniform directed by Walt Witcover. She was a repertory member of the American Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford for the 1958 and 1959 seasons, playing numerous Shakespearean roles to critical acclaim. In 1961 she went on tour in Europe as Annie Sullivan in The Miracle Worker.
In 1969, she played Viola in Twelfth Night, directed by Joseph Papp at the Delacorte Theater. In 1970, Barrie originated the role of Sarah in Stephen Sondheim's musical Company, in a cast that included Elaine Stritch and Susan Browning. Company won the Tony Award for Best Musical and Barrie was nominated for Best Featured Actress in a Musical.
In 1974, Barrie earned critical acclaim for her performance as Sparky Off-Broadway in The Killdeer by Jay Broad, for which she received an Obie Award for Best Actress and a Drama Desk Award for Most Outstanding Performance. In 1976, Barrie performed in Neil Simon's successful Broadway play California Suite. Barrie played the female lead in the 1979 US premiere of Botho Strauß' 1978 play Big and Little at the Phoenix Theatre in the East Village, Manhattan.
In 1995, Barrie performed in After-Play, written by Anne Meara at the Manhattan Theatre Club. In 2014, Barrie performed in I Remember Mama Off-Broadway, receiving an Outer Critics Circle nomination for Best Featured Actress in a Play.
She appeared in the Joshua Harmon play Significant Other at the Booth Theatre on Broadway in 2017. She had appeared in the play's premiere in the Roundabout Theatre Company's Off-Broadway production in 2015.
Barrie made her film debut uncredited in Giant (1956). Her first credited role was as Edna in The Caretakers in 1963. The following year, Barrie received her first leading role in film with One Potato, Two Potato, portraying Julie Cullen Richards, a divorced woman newly remarried to an African-American man while her ex-husband demands custody rights for their child, on grounds that their child is in danger because they are living with a man of color. The film was considered controversial when released, dealing with racial tensions at the time, and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Screenplay. She won the Cannes Best Actress Award for her performance.
In 1979, Barrie received critical acclaim for her role as Evelyn Stoller, the small-town mother of a young man who dreams of becoming an Italian bicycle racer in Breaking Away. Breaking Away was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture and Barrie was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. In 1980, she played the mother of Goldie Hawn's character in Private Benjamin. In the 1999 film, Judy Berlin, Barrie was nominated for an Indie Spirit Award for her performance as Sue Berlin, the mother of Edie Falco's character.
Barrie made her television debut in 1955 performing on Kraft Television Theatre. In 1956, she performed in Horton Foote's teleplay Flight as the sister of Kim Stanley's character. She guest-starred on two episodes of Decoy (1958–59). In 1962, she guest-starred on three episodes of Naked City. In 1963 she played Virginia in a teleplay version of The Dark Labyrinth by Lawrence Durrell. During the 1960s, Barrie guest-starred on many of the popular television series of the time. She appeared in three episodes of The Defenders and two episodes of Ben Casey.in 1962 she did an episode of route 66 where she played a blind girl, and in 1963 appeared in episode "The Miniature" of The Twilight Zone, playing opposite the young Robert Duvall.
In 1964, Barrie appeared in two episodes of The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. The first episode was "Isabel", in which Barrie performed the title role of Isabel Smith, the murder target of her husband Howard, played by Bradford Dillman. The second, titled "Consider Her Ways," also starred Barrie as the lead character, Jane Waterleigh. In 1965 Barrie guest starred as Aimee Rennick in The Fugitive. The episode, entitled "The End Is But The Beginning" is widely considered among fans to be one of the best of the 120 episodes. In 1968 she guest-starred in the TV series The Invaders in the episode "The Enemy". In 1975 Barrie was directed by Lee Grant in the television movie For The Use Of The Hall as "Charlotte". In 1977 she appeared in two television films, as the mother of Lesley Ann Warren's character in 79 Park Avenue and as Emily McPhail in Tell Me My Name. In 1978 she played Emily Armsworth in the Disney television film Child of Glass, based on the novel The Ghost Belonged to Me by Richard Peck. In 1978 she played Mrs. Berg in the television film Summer of My German Soldier.
From 1975 to 1978, Barrie was credited in 37 episodes of Barney Miller starring Hal Linden, as Barney's wife Elizabeth. In the 1979 television mini-series Backstairs at the White House she portrayed Mamie Eisenhower. In the fall of 1980 a television series based on the film Breaking Away debuted on ABC with Barrie reprising her role as Evelyn Stoller. The show lasted only part of one season, but Barrie was nominated for an Emmy Award for her performance. Barrie reprised her role as Harriet Benjamin in the 1981 television series Private Benjamin, which was based on the 1980 film of the same name. Also in 1981, Barrie played Ethel Banks in a televised version of the play Barefoot in the Park by Neil Simon and appeared in the made-for-television movie The Children Nobody Wanted in December of that year.
She guest-starred on a 1987 episode of Family Ties as Aunt Rosemary. For her performance as Mrs. Bream on a February 1992 episode of Law & Order ("Vengeance"), Barrie was nominated for the Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama. In 1994 she played the character of Pauline Robillard in the Emmy-winning mini-series Scarlett. In 1997 she voiced Alcmene, the adoptive mother of Hercules, in the Disney animated film Hercules and in 1998 she played the role of Ruth in the television film A Chance of Snow.
Barrie was credited in 92 episodes of the television series Suddenly Susan as Brooke Shields character's grandmother, Aileen Keane. For her performance in a May 2003 episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit ("Perfect") as Paula Haggerty, Barrie was nominated for the Emmy Award for Best Guest Actress in a Drama. In 2004 she appeared in Dead Like Me as Georgia's grandmother / Joy's mother. Her final television credits have included roles on Pushing Daisies, Nurse Jackie, and Enlightened.
Barrie has written two children's books. In 1990, she published Lone Star, a biographical book about a girl named Jane who moves from Illinois to Texas and deals with her Orthodox Jewish family assimilating to Texas culture.
Her second book, Adam ZigZag, was published in 1994 and is also biographical, about a young boy named Adam with an actress mother who struggles with dyslexia.
She is also the author of two books about her battle with colorectal cancer, Second Act and Don't Die of Embarrassment, and has said that speaking out about early detection is "more important than acting."
Year |
Title |
Role |
Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1956 |
Giant |
Mary Lou Decker |
Uncredited |
1963 |
The Caretakers |
Edna |
|
1964 |
One Potato, Two Potato |
Julie Cullen Richards |
Cannes Film Festival
Award for Best Actress |
1972 |
To Be Young, Gifted, and Black |
N/A |
Television movie |
1975 |
For the Use of the Hall |
Charlotte |
Television movie |
1978 |
Child of Glass |
Emily Armsworth |
Television movie |
1978 |
Summer of My German Soldier |
Mrs. Bergen |
|
1979 |
The Bell Jar |
Jay Cee |
|
1979 |
Breaking Away |
Evelyn Stoller |
Nominated—Academy
Award for Best Supporting Actress |
1980 |
To Race the Wind |
Mrs. Krents |
Television movie |
1980 |
Private Benjamin |
Harriet Benjamin |
|
1981 |
The Children Nobody Wanted |
Hanna |
Television movie |
1982 |
Barefoot in the Park |
Mrs. Banks |
Television movie |
1982 |
Not Just Another Affair |
Martha Dawson |
Television movie |
1982 |
Two of a Kind |
Dottie Minor |
Television movie |
1984 |
All Together Now |
Elly Parker |
Television movie |
1985 |
The Execution |
Sophie Langbein |
Television movie |
1986 |
Vital Signs |
Frances |
Television movie |
1987 |
End of the Line |
Jean Haney |
|
1987 |
Real Men |
Mom Pirandello |
|
1988 |
Winnie Mandela |
Mrs. Drake |
Television movie |
1988 |
My First Love |
Ruth Waxman |
Television movie |
1993 |
The Odd Couple: Together Again |
Gloria Unger |
Television movie |
1997 |
Hercules |
Alcmene |
|
1998 |
A Chance of Snow |
Ruth Pulmer |
Television movie |
1999 |
Judy Berlin |
Sue Berlin |
Nominated—Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Female |
1999 |
30 Days |
Barbara Trainer |
|
2000 |
$pent |
Mrs. Walsh |
|
2004 |
Second Best |
Dorothea |
|
2009 |
Frame of Mind |
Thelma |
|
2009 |
The Six Wives of Henry Lefay |
Mae |
|
2010 |
Harvest |
Yetta Monopoli |
|
2010 |
Twelve Thirty |
Eve |
|
2018 |
Above All Things |
Maggie |
|
TBA |
The Magnificent Meyersons |
|
Post-production |
Year |
Title |
Role |
Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1951 |
Love of Life |
Ginny Crandall |
Unknown episodes |
1955 |
Pond's Theater |
N/A |
Episode: "Cynara" |
1955 |
Kraft Television Theatre |
N/A |
Episode: "Lady Ruth" |
1956 |
Playwrights '56 |
Verna Anderson |
Episode: "Flight" |
1957 |
Robert Montgomery Presents |
Maggie Correll |
Episode: "Wait for Me" |
1957 |
Suspicion |
Ethel |
Episode: "Heartbeat" |
1958 |
Decoy |
Anne |
Episode: "My Brother's Killer" |
1960 |
The Play of the Week |
Lila |
Episode: "A Palm Tree in a Rose Garden" |
1960 |
The Art Carney Special |
N/A |
Episode: "Full Moon Over Brooklyn" |
1961 |
The Defenders |
Fran Helber |
Episode: "The Attack" |
1961 |
Armstrong Circle Theatre |
Joanna Sommers |
Episode: "Black Market Babies" |
1961 |
The United States Steel Hour |
Trina Trent |
Episode: "Delayed Honeymoon" |
1962 |
Route 66 |
Celia |
Episode: "Even Stones Have Eyes" |
1962 |
The Untouchables |
Cheryl Hines |
Episode: "The Chess Game" |
1962 |
Naked City |
Rosalind Faber |
Episode: "To Walk Like a Lion" |
1962 |
Naked City |
Sarah Hinson |
Episode: "And by the Sweat on Thy Brow..." |
1962 |
Naked City |
Marcia Kormack |
Episode: "Dust Devil on a Quiet Street" |
1963 |
Ben Casey |
Martha Dignan |
Episode: "Lullaby for Billy Dignan" |
1963 |
Dr. Kildare |
Peggy Farrow |
Episode: "The Mosaic" |
1963 |
The Virginian |
Ellen Beecher |
Episode: "The Small Parade" |
1963 |
The Twilight Zone |
Myra Russell |
Episode: "Miniature" |
1963 |
Alcoa Premiere |
Virginia Stanley |
Episode: "The Dark Labyrinth" |
1964 |
Mr. Novak |
Mary Smith |
Episode: "How Does Your Garden Grow?" |
1964 |
The Doctors and the Nurses |
Laura Crane |
Episode: "The Love of a Smart Operator" |
1964 |
The Defenders |
Shirley Lowell |
2 episodes |
1964 |
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour |
Isabel Smith |
Episode: "Isabel" |
1964 |
The Alfred Hitchcock Hour |
Dr. Jane Waterleigh |
Episode: "Consider Her Ways" |
1965 |
The Fugitive |
Aimee Rennick |
Episode: "The End Is But the Beginning" |
1965 |
Ben Casey |
Ellen Tevlin |
Episode: "A Rambling Discourse on Egyptian Water Clocks" |
1965 |
Rawhide |
Liz Harmon |
Episode: "Mrs. Harmon" |
1966 |
The Trials of O'Brien |
Jean Fields |
Episode: "A Horse Called Destiny" |
1966 |
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre |
Laurel Catlan |
Episode: "The Eighth Day" |
1967 |
Ironside |
Myra Dupont |
Episode: "The Leaf in the Forest" |
1967 |
The Invaders |
Gale Frazer |
Episode 5: "The Enemy" |
1971 |
Play for Today |
N/A |
Episode: "The Rank and File" |
1973 |
The ABC Afternoon Playbreak |
Tina Bordeaux |
Episode: "The Mask of Love" |
1973 |
Koska and His Family |
Isabel Koska |
Episode: "Pilot" |
1973–1974 |
Diana |
Norma Brodnick |
10 episodes |
1974 |
The Mary Tyler Moore Show |
Judith Chandler |
Episode: "I Love A Piano" |
1975–1978 |
Barney Miller |
Elizabeth Miller |
37 credited episodes (appeared in 11) |
1975 |
Bronk |
Lorna |
Episode: "Terror" |
1975 |
McMillan & Wife |
Emily Church |
Episode: "Aftershock" |
1977 |
79 Park Avenue |
Kaati Fludjicki |
1 episode |
1978 |
Visions |
N/A |
Episode: "Blackout" |
1979 |
Backstairs at the White House |
Mrs. Mamie Eisenhower |
Episode: "#1.4" |
1979 |
Roots: The Next Generations |
Dodie Brattle |
Episode: "#1.7" |
1979 |
Lou Grant |
Edna Raines |
2 episodes |
1980–1981 |
Breaking Away |
Evelyn Stoller |
8
episodes |
1981 |
Private Benjamin |
Harriet Benjamin |
Episode: "Bye, Bye Benjamin" |
1982 |
American Playhouse |
Schoolteacher |
Episode: "Working" |
1982–1983 |
Tucker's Witch |
Ellen Hobbes |
12 episodes |
1983 |
Reggie |
Elizabeth Potter |
6 episodes |
1984 |
Trapper John, M.D. |
Dr. Kate Hanley |
Episode: "All Fall to Grace" |
1984–1985 |
Double Trouble |
Aunt Margo |
15 episodes |
1986 |
Kate & Allie |
Anne |
Episode: "Late Bloomer" |
1987 |
Mr. President |
Peggie |
2 episodes |
1987 |
Family Ties |
Aunt Rosemary |
Episode: "The Way We Were" |
1988–1990 |
Thirtysomething |
Barbara Steadman |
2 episodes |
1989 |
A Fine Romance |
Aunt Grace |
Episode: "A Horse is a Horse, Of Course, Of Course" |
1990 |
His & Hers |
N/A |
2 episodes |
1991 |
Babes |
Mom |
Episode: "Mom" |
1992 |
Law & Order |
Mrs. Bream |
Episode:
"Vengeance" |
1992 |
ABC Afterschool Special |
Anne Charney |
2 episodes |
1993 |
Lovejoy |
Miss Lillian |
Episode: "The Lost Colony" |
1994 |
CBS Schoolbreak Special |
Shirley |
Episode: "My Summer As a Girl" |
1994 |
Scarlett |
Pauline Robillard |
2 episodes |
1994 |
The Commish |
Ann Palmer |
Episode: "A Christmas Story" |
1996–2000 |
Suddenly Susan |
Helen Keane |
92 episodes |
1998 |
Hercules |
Alcmene |
Episode: "Hercules and the Parents' Weekend" |
2000 |
Once and Again |
Peg Sammler |
Episode: "Feast Famine" |
2003 |
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit |
Paula Haggerty |
Episode:
"Perfect" |
2004 |
Dead Like Me |
Phyllis |
2 episodes |
2007 |
Pushing Daisies |
Mamma Jacobs |
Episode: "Girth" |
2009 |
Surviving Suburbia |
Val |
Episode: "No Reception" |
2009 |
Army Wives |
Virginia |
Episode: "As Time Goes By..." |
2010 |
Nurse Jackie |
Libby Sussman |
Episode: "Silly String" |
2011 |
Enlightened |
Carol |
Episode: "Consider Helen" |
The Twilight Zone is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, suspense, horror, and psychological thriller, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist, and usually with a moral. A popular and critical success, it introduced many Americans to common science fiction and fantasy tropes. The original series, shot entirely in black and white, ran on CBS for five seasons from 1959 to 1964.
The Twilight Zone followed in the tradition of earlier television shows such as Tales of Tomorrow (1951–53) and Science Fiction Theatre (1955–57); radio programs such as The Weird Circle (1943–45), Dimension X (1950–51) and X Minus One (1955–58); and the radio work of one of Serling's inspirations, Norman Corwin. The success of the series led to a feature film (1983), a TV film (1994), a radio series (2002–12), literature including a comic book, novels and a magazine and a theme park attraction and various other spin-offs that spanned five decades, including three revival television series. The first revival (1985–89) ran on CBS and in syndication in the 1980s, while the second revival ran on UPN (2002–2003). In December 2017, CBS All Access officially ordered the third Twilight Zone revival to series, helmed by Jordan Peele. The series premiered on April 1, 2019.
TV Guide ranked the original TV series #5 in their 2013 list of the 60 greatest shows of all time and #4 in their list of the 60 greatest dramas.
As a boy, Rod Serling was a fan of pulp fiction stories. As an adult, he sought topics with themes such as racism, government, war, society, and human nature in general. Serling decided to combine these two interests as a way to broach these subjects on television at a time when such issues were not commonly addressed.
Throughout the 1950s, Serling established himself as one of the most popular names in television. He was as famous for writing televised drama as he was for criticizing the medium's limitations. His most vocal complaints concerned censorship, which was frequently practiced by sponsors and networks. "I was not permitted to have my senators discuss any current or pressing problem," he said of his 1957 Studio One production "The Arena", intended to be an involving look into contemporary politics. "To talk of tariff was to align oneself with the Republicans; to talk of labor was to suggest control by the Democrats. To say a single thing germane to the current political scene was absolutely prohibited."
CBS purchased a teleplay in 1958 that writer Rod Serling hoped to produce as the pilot of a weekly anthology series. "The Time Element" marked Serling's first entry in the field of science fiction.
Several years after the end of World War II, a man named Peter Jenson (William Bendix) visits a psychoanalyst, Dr. Gillespie (Martin Balsam). Jenson tells him about a recurring dream in which he tries to warn people about the "sneak attack" on Pearl Harbor before it happens, but the warnings are disregarded. Jenson believes the events of the dream are real, and each night he travels back to 1941. Dr. Gillespie insists that time travel is impossible given the nature of temporal paradoxes. While on the couch, Jenson falls asleep once again but this time dreams that the Japanese planes shoot and kill him. In Dr. Gillespie's office, the couch Jenson was lying on is now empty. Dr. Gillespie goes to a bar where he finds Jenson's picture on the wall. The bartender tells him that Jenson had tended bar there, but he was killed during the Pearl Harbor attack.
With the "Time Element" script, Serling drafted the fundamental elements that defined the subsequent series: a science-fiction/fantasy theme, opening and closing narration, and an ending with a twist. "The Time Element" was purchased immediately, but shelved indefinitely.
This is where things stood when Bert Granet, the new producer for Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse, discovered "The Time Element" in CBS' vaults while searching for an original Serling script to add prestige to his show. "The Time Element" (introduced by Desi Arnaz) debuted on November 24, 1958, to an overwhelmingly delighted audience of television viewers and critics alike. "The humor and sincerity of Mr. Serling's dialogue made 'The Time Element' consistently entertaining," offered Jack Gould of The New York Times. Over 6,000 letters of praise flooded Granet's offices. Convinced that a series based on such stories could succeed, CBS again began talks with Serling about the possibilities of producing The Twilight Zone. "Where Is Everybody?" was accepted as the pilot episode and the project was officially announced to the public in early 1959. Other than reruns at the time "The Time Element" was not aired on television again until it was shown as part of a 1996 all-night sneak preview of the new cable channel TVLand. It is available in an Italian DVD boxed set titled Ai confini della realtà – I tesori perduti. The Twilight Zone Season 1 Blu-ray boxed set released on September 14, 2010, offers a remastered high-definition version of the original Desilu Playhouse production as a special feature.
The series was produced by Cayuga Productions, Inc., a production company owned and named by Serling. It reflects his background in Central New York State and is named after Cayuga Lake, on which he owned a home, and where Cornell University and Ithaca College are located.
Aside from Serling, who wrote or adapted nearly two-thirds of the series' total episodes, writers for The Twilight Zone included leading authors such as Charles Beaumont, Ray Bradbury, Earl Hamner, Jr., George Clayton Johnson, Richard Matheson, Reginald Rose, and Jerry Sohl. Many episodes also featured new adaptations of classic stories by such writers as Ambrose Bierce, Jerome Bixby, Damon Knight, John Collier, and Lewis Padgett.
Twilight Zone's writers frequently used science fiction as a vehicle for social comment, as networks and sponsors who censored controversial material from live dramas were less concerned with seemingly innocuous fantasy and sci-fi stories. Frequent themes on The Twilight Zone included nuclear war, McCarthyism, and mass hysteria, subjects that were avoided on less serious primetime television. Episodes such as "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street" and "I Am the Night—Color Me Black" offered specific commentary on current events and social issues. Other stories, such as "The Masks", "I Dream of Genie", or "Mr. Denton on Doomsday" were allegories, parables, or fables that reflected the moral and philosophical choices of the characters.
Despite his esteem in the writing community, Serling found the series difficult to sell. Few critics felt that science fiction could transcend empty escapism and enter the realm of adult drama. In a September 22, 1959, interview with Serling, Mike Wallace asked a question illustrative of the times: "...[Y]ou're going to be, obviously, working so hard on The Twilight Zone that, in essence, for the time being and for the foreseeable future, you've given up on writing anything important for television, right?" While Serling's appearances on the show became one of its most distinctive features, with his clipped delivery still widely imitated today, he was reportedly nervous about it and had to be persuaded to appear on camera. Serling often steps into the middle of the action while the characters remain oblivious to him, but on one notable occasion, they are aware of his presence: In the episode "A World of His Own", a writer (Keenan Wynn) with the power to alter his reality objects to Serling's narration and promptly erases Serling from the show.
In season two, due to budgetary constraints, the network decided – against Serling's wishes – to cut costs by shooting some episodes on videotape rather than film. The requisite multicamera setup of the videotape format precluded location shooting, severely limiting the potential scope of the storylines, and the experiment was abandoned after just six episodes ("Twenty Two", "Static", "The Whole Truth", "The Lateness of the Hour", "The Night of the Meek", and "Long Distance Call").
The original series contains 156 episodes. The episodes in seasons one through three are 30 minutes long with commercials (24 or 25 minutes without commercials). Season four (1962–63) consists of one-hour episodes with commercials (51 minutes without commercials). Season five returned to the half-hour format.
It was Serling's decision to sell his share of the series back to the network that eventually allowed for a Twilight Zone revival. As an in-house production, CBS stood to earn more money producing The Twilight Zone than it could by purchasing a new series produced by an outside company. Even so, the network was slow to consider a revival, turning down offers from the original production team of Rod Serling and Buck Houghton and later from American filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola.
CBS gave the new Twilight Zone a greenlight in 1984 under the supervision of Carla Singer, then Vice President of Drama Development. While the show did not come close to matching the enduring popularity of the original, some episodes – particularly Alan Brennert's love story "Her Pilgrim Soul" and J. Neil Schulman's "Profile in Silver" – were critically acclaimed. In a tribute to the original series, the opening credits include a brief image of Rod Serling. Four episodes are remakes of those from the original series: "Night of the Meek", "Shadow Play", "The After Hours" and "A Game of Pool", while "Dead Woman's Shoes" is an adaptation of "Dead Man's Shoes". Unlike the original series and the second revival, this series does not include the opening monologue during the title sequence. As well, the narration is all strictly voice-over and the narrator never appears on-screen.
In the early 1990s, Richard Matheson and Carol Serling produced an outline for a two-hour made-for-TV movie which would feature Matheson adaptations of three yet-unfilmed Rod Serling short stories. Outlines for such a production were rejected by CBS until early 1994, when Serling's widow discovered a complete shooting script ("Where the Dead Are") authored by her late husband, while rummaging through their garage. She showed the forgotten script to producers Michael O'Hara and Laurence Horowitz, who were significantly impressed by it. "I had a pile of scripts, which I usually procrastinate about reading. But I read this one right away and, after 30 pages, called my partner and said, "I love it," recalled O'Hara. "This is pure imagination, a period piece, literate – some might say wordy. If Rod Serling's name weren't on it, it wouldn't have a chance at getting made."
Eager to capitalize on Serling's celebrity status as a writer, CBS packaged "Where the Dead Are" with Matheson's adaptation of "The Theatre", debuting as a two-hour feature on the night of May 19, 1994, under the name Twilight Zone: Rod Serling's Lost Classics. The title represents a misnomer, as both stories were conceived long after Twilight Zone's cancellation. Written just months before Serling's death, "Where the Dead Are" starred Patrick Bergin as a 19th-century doctor who stumbles upon a mad scientist's medical experiments with immortality. "The Theatre" starred Amy Irving and Gary Cole as a couple who visits a cineplex where they discover the feature presentation depicts their own lives. James Earl Jones provided opening and closing narrations.
Critical response was mixed. Gannett News Service described it as "taut and stylish, a reminder of what can happen when fine actors are given great words." USA Today was less impressed, even suggesting that Carol Serling "should have left these two unproduced mediocrities in the garage where she found them." Ultimately, ratings proved insufficient to justify a proposed sequel featuring three scripts adapted by Matheson.
A second revival was developed by UPN in 2002, it was hosted by Forest Whitaker. It was broadcast in a one-hour format composed of two half-hour stories, it was canceled after one season. "It's Still a Good Life" is a sequel to "It's a Good Life", "The Monsters Are on Maple Street" is an adaptation of "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street" and "Eye of the Beholder" is a remake of an episode from the original series, with Serling still credited as writer.
In December 2012, it was reported that Bryan Singer was developing and executive producing a third revival television series for CBS Television Studios. A writer for the series was not chosen and the program was not pitched to any networks. CBS, which broadcast the original series and first revival, was reportedly interested. In February 2013, Singer told TG Daily that the project was still in development and that he hoped to direct the pilot and have A-list actors appear on the revival. The following month, he told IGN that a writer with whom he had previously worked was in negotiations to join the revival and that he felt "passionate" towards the original series and the planned revival.
In February 2016, it was reported that Ken Levine would write and direct the pilot episode of the revival series. It was also reported that the series would be interactive. In November 2017, it was reported that Jordan Peele was developing a reboot of the series for streaming service CBS All Access with Marco Ramirez serving as potential showrunner. In December 2017, CBS All Access ordered the third The Twilight Zone revival to series. It was announced that the series would be produced by CBS Television Studios in association with Monkeypaw Productions and Genre Films. Jordan Peele, Marco Ramirez, and Simon Kinberg will serve as executive producers for the series and collaborate on the premiere episode. Win Rosenfeld and Audrey Chon will also serve as executive producers. Peele was revealed to be the new host and narrator in September 2018, and the new opening sequence was released. The series premiered on April 1, 2019.
The second episode of the series, "Nightmare at 30,000 Feet", is based on "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet".