The Twilight Zone (1961)

In The Twilight Zone Companion, author Marc Scott Zicree includes a telling quote from Rod Serling in April 1961 about his prior font of original ideas:

"I've never felt quite so drained of ideas as I do at this moment. Stories used to bubble out of me so fast I couldn't set them down on paper quick enough--but in the last two years I've written forty-seven of the sixty-eight Twilight Zone scripts, and I've done thirteen of the first twenty-six for next season [Season 3]. I've written so much I'm woozy. It's just more than you really should do. You can't retain quality. You start borrowing from yourself, making your own clichés. I notice that more and more."

An examination of the episodes aired in 1961--the latter two-thirds of Season 2 and the first one-third of Season 3--confirms Serling's assessment: many of the same themes are dealt with that had been covered in 1959 and 1960, and some of the plots or themes just didn't work very well, even some of those still fondly remembered today. But amongst the retreads are still a few poignant reminders of why The Twilight Zone is still considered one of the best dramatic series of its time.

Time travel is reworked a few more times, but not to great effect and without revealing any great observations. In "Back There" (January 13, 1961) Washington, D.C. men's club member Peter Corrigan has a discussion with fellow club members about going back in time to change history and then is transported himself after merely bumping into a waiter to the night Abraham Lincoln was shot at Ford's Theater. It's a foregone conclusion that Corrigan does not prevent Lincoln's assassination, and the entire experience merely reveals that even if time travel were possible, changing history is hard. The other side of the coin is demonstrated in "A Hundred Yards Over the Rim" (April 7, 1961) in which 1847 wagon train leader Christian Horn leaves his sick son and fellow travelers in search of water and is vaulted into 1961, where he discovers the existence of penicillin and that his son will be an important future medical researcher, making it essential that he return to his own time with the wonder drug so that he can ensure that that future takes place. And in "The Odyssey of Flight 33" (February 24, 1961) we watch as a commercial airliner hits a particularly strong jet stream and jettisons back into prehistoric times when (animatronic)  dinosaurs roamed the earth, catches the jet stream again to travel to the 1939 World's Fair, and then has to make a third attempt to get back to the present with Serling lamely narrating that if you see or hear a jet soaring above but sounding lost, it might be Flight 33 still looking for the present.

But undoubtedly the worst time-travel episode is "Once Upon a Time" (December 15, 1961) starring silent-film era comic Buster Keaton. As Zicree relates, even teleplay author Richard Matheson, who devised the story after meeting Keaton through a friend of his, was unhappy with the results. The premise is that Keaton's character is janitor Woodrow Mulligan working for an inventor who creates a time-travel helmet with a dial to choose what year you wish to visit. Unhappy with everything about his 1890 existence, from high prices to loud noises, Mulligan decides to take a trip to 1961 only to find that everything there is much worse. While in 1961 Mulligan literally runs into scientist Rollo, who for some unexplained reason has extensively studied and developed a fondness for the 1890s. Rollo steals the helmet from Mulligan, who chases after him through the city streets and finally latches on to him just as they are sent back to the 1890s, where Mulligan is now perfectly happy but which Rollo quickly becomes disenchanted with because of its lack of modern conveniences and technology. The episode ends with Mulligan sending Rollo back to his own time via the helmet and a tacked on lesson from Serling to stay in your own backyard. But the entire plot is merely an excuse to let Keaton reprise his slapstick humor from his silent-film days. In fact, all the 1890s scenes are done in silent-film style, with dialogue cards rather than spoken sound. Ironically, however, the real lesson of "Once Upon a Time" is that Keaton's brand of physical comedy doesn't play as well in 1961, or in contemporary times either.

Another star vehicle with a similar message is "The Mind and the Matter" (May 12, 1961) which portrays comic Shelley Berman as misanthropic office worker Archibald Beechcroft, who is annoyed by everyone around him. After being given a book on the power of the mind by klutzy office boy Henry, Beechcroft uses his newfound mental powers to first get rid of all the other people in his life, but this only leaves him bored. So he decides to populate his world with the only people he can stand--himself. But he soon learns that having to listen to his own constant whining and complaining is extremely unpleasant, so he reverts the world back to what it was, now completely content with all of life's little ups and downs, like having Henry spill things on him, because he has seen the alternative and found it lacking. This episode and "Once Upon a Time" offer a rather conservative argument in favor of the status quo that is surprising given Serling's normally progressive outlook on the foibles of mankind. More in line with his perspective is "The Obsolete Man" (June 2, 1961), which depicts in Kafkaesque terms the dangers of an all-powerful state over the rights of the individual and the importance of free thought.

As with the depiction of time travel, the 1961 episodes showing alien life forms are more laughable than frightening, though often the intent is to show humor rather than fear. "Mr. Dingle, the Strong" (March 3, 1961) begins with a two-headed, one-bodied Martian creature and ends with a pair of heavily made-up child actors portraying a pair of Venusians in a farce about aliens performing experiments on an unwitting human to see the effects of giving him unlimited strength or intelligence. The only lessons learned from these experiments is that humans are likely to foolishly use their increased powers for cheap parlor tricks that gain them attention rather than anything that might benefit their species or their world. In "Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up" (May 26, 1961) a witnessed UFO crash landing leads a pair of state troopers to an isolated diner where one of the customers is assumed to be the missing Martian from the ditched spacecraft. The plot plays out like the stereotypical whodunit as we try to guess which diner customer is the Martian based on what they say in response to the trooper's questions. The final scene throws in an out-of-left field curveball much like a Perry Mason courtroom confession that marks the episode as little more than a pulp mystery story. The same could be said for "The Invaders" (January 27, 1961), which takes itself much more seriously in a nearly wordless, over-wrought script that has Agnes Moorehead playing a rustic frontier woman battling a crashed UFO with what look like two tiny wind-up robots that shoot sparks and can also wield a kitchen knife to cut her on the hand. 

Though Zicree considers it too messianic, a much more effective episode dealing with UFOs is "The Shelter" (September 29, 1961), in which a reported UFO brings out the worst in earthlings much like the 1960 episode "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street." The drama in "The Shelter" opens with a birthday party for long-time physician Dr. Bill Stockton given by his appreciative neighbors. They tease him about building a bomb shelter in his basement until a radio report says that UFOs have been spotted overhead, throwing everyone into a panic. Suddenly everyone who scoffed at Stockton's shelter wants him to let them in, but he refuses because he says it was designed to only accommodate three people--himself, his wife, and his son. After Stockton shuts himself and his family inside, his neighbors become more frantic and wind up getting a long piece of pipe to use as a battering ram, breaking down the door and effectively ruining the shelter's protection just as the radio announces that the UFOs turned out to be harmless satellites. Though the neighbors apologize and promise to pay for any required repairs, the damage has been done and cannot be fixed. Stockton is appalled that the threat of alien attack ripped off the veneer of civility and turned everyone into animals. During their frenzy one of the neighbors had suggested that another neighbor, an immigrant, was less deserving of protection because immigrants come over to "our" country and try to grab everything for themselves. The real terror and the power of this episode, even if it is a retread, is that the greatest threat to humanity is humans themselves.

An equally powerful episode with an anti-war message is "A Quality of Mercy" (December 29, 1961) in which Dean Stockwell plays a green army lieutenant on the Philippine Islands at the end of World War II. Assigned to a regiment of U.S. infantry that has roughly 20 injured and worn-out Japanese trapped in a cave, Stockwell's Lt. Katell wants to mount a quick assault to wipe them out but finds that his regiment of war-weary men haven't the stomach for slaughter, they themselves also worn out by killing. In upbraiding their lack of aggression, Katell reminds them that in war you kill the enemy and keep killing them until ordered to stop, but when he accidentally drops his binoculars, an instrument meant to enhance one's vision, he gets a view of the other side of battle, transformed into a Japanese Lt. Yamuri faced with a similar cave full of injured American soldiers three years earlier. Yamuri feels empathy for the Americans, since he was so recently one of them, but is upbraided by his Japanese captain, who repeats the same arguments he just made about the necessity of killing the enemy in war. Serling's script expertly captures the fallacy of reducing another race to sub-human status in order to justify their elimination, a line of argument used by humans throughout history to exploit and abuse other living beings. But once Katell/Yamuri has "walked a mile in the other man's shoes," his bloodthirsty ambition has been replaced with the mercy alluded to in the title.

Some of the year's more popular episodes don't have quite the same depth because they offer little more than a clever twist or situation without any application beyond their fictional worlds. An example is "It's a Good Life" (November 3, 1961) in which Bill Mumy plays omnipotent yet petulant 6-year-old Anthony Fremont who keeps his parents and neighbors in constant fear with his ability to banish them or turn them into something monstrous if they do anything that displeases him or say anything bad about him. While this dynamic could be construed as reflecting any situation in which people are afraid to speak up against tyrannical behavior, whether in the political, corporate, or familial worlds, the problem with the episode is that there is no narrative development--things do not change. The climactic scene comes when the honoree of a birthday party gets drunk, loosening his tongue so that he can express how awful their existence is cow-towing to Anthony's whims, but when he urges that they gang up on Anthony and kill him to free themselves, no one makes a move, and Anthony responds by turning the man into a jack-in-the-box. Everyone then simply returns to their fawning praise of Anthony for doing a "good thing," making the episode more of a vignette than a narrative.

"Five Characters in Search of an Exit" (December 22, 1961) shows five disparate characters trapped inside some kind of tall cylinder with a light above it and an occasional ringing sound like a bell that vibrates the entire cylinder violently. An army major, the last character to arrive in the cylinder, insists on devising a method to escape, but once he does, using a human ladder and a rope tied around his broken sword serving as a kind of Bat-arang to pull himself over the top, we discover that the five characters are all toys inside a Salvation Army-style donation trash can. At some existential level perhaps there's a comment here about not knowing who we really are or understanding the world we live in (a common theme in many Twilight Zone episodes), but it seems we have expended a lot of time and mental energy for such a tepid conclusion.

Perhaps the most telling episode for 1961 is "Shadow Play" (May 5, 1961), a dystopic Groundhog Day with Dennis Weaver playing a man caught in an endlessly repeating nightmare in which he is convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to the electric chair. He tries to convince the judge, district attorney, and a newspaper editor that he has already been killed and that if he dies this time, their existence will end, too. He then reveals that each of them is someone from his past, trying to prove that they are creations of his imagination, and once the cycle makes it full circle and we start the nightmare again, characters from the previous iteration have changed roles--a former cellmate becomes the judge; the district attorney becomes his defense lawyer; and so on. As Serling emphasizes in his closing narration, this episode makes us ask what is the actual nature of our reality--are we merely a character in someone else's dream? But it also serves as a microcosm of what was happening to The Twilight Zone as a series.  

In recounting the origins of the series, Zicree describes how Serling sought a canvas where he could probe substantial human issues under the cover of the fantastic to ward off sponsor and network interference over controversial content. However, like one of his characters who doesn't anticipate the after-effects of some bold action, Serling failed to realize that the rigors of producing 30-40 TV episodes each season would tax his creative powers and force him to make compromises that are the bane of every idealistic artist. As he soldiered on into Season 3 in the fall of 1961, being forced to recycle themes and plots, Serling himself may have felt that he was lost somewhere in The Twilight Zone.

The Actors

For the biography of Rod Serling, see the 1960 post on The Twilight Zone.

Notable Guest Stars

Season 2, Episode 12, "Dust": Thomas Gomez (appeared in Ride the Pink Horse, Key Largo, The Woman on Pier 13, and Beneath the Planet of the Apes) plays traveling peddler Peter Sykes. John A. Alonso (shown on the left, cinematographer on Vanishing Point, Harold and Maude, Lady Sings the Blues, Chinatown, Scarface, Steel Magnolias, and Star Trek: Generations) plays convicted felon Luis Gallegos. Vladimir Sokoloff (appeared in The Life of Emile Zola, Road to Morocco, For Whom the Bell Tolls, Back to Bataan, and I Was a Teenage Werewolf) plays his father. John Larch (starred in The Wrecking Crew, Play Misty for Me, and Dirty Harry and played Deputy District Attorney Jerry Miller on Arrest and Trial, Gerald Wilson on Dynasty, and Arlen & Atticus Ward on Dallas) plays small-town Sheriff Koch. Paul Genge (Lt. Burns on 87th Precinct) plays grieving father John Canfield. Dorothy Adams (appeared in Laura, The Best Years of Our Lives, The Winning Team, and The Killing) plays his wife. Jon Lormer (Harry Tate on Lawman, various autopsy surgeons and medical examiners in 12 episodes of Perry Mason, and Judge Irwin A. Chester on Peyton Place) plays a man attending Luis' hanging.

Season 2, Episode 13, "Back There": Russell Johnson (shown on the right, starred in It Came From Outer Space, This Island Earth, and Johnny Dark and played Marshal Gib Scott on Black Saddle, Professor Roy Hinkley on Gilligan's Island, and Assistant D.A. Brenton Grant on Owen Marshall: Counselor at Law) plays time traveler Peter Corrigan. Raymond Bailey (Milburn Drysdale on The Beverly Hillbillies, Dean Magruder on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis, D.A. John Carvell on The Untouchables, and Mr. Beaumont on My Sister Eileen) plays club member Millard. John Eldredge (starred in The Woman in Red, The Murder of Dr. Harrigan, and The Black Cat and played Harry Archer on Meet Corliss Archer) plays club member Whittaker. Bartlett Robinson (Frank Caldwell on Mona McCluskey) plays club attendant William. Jean Inness (see the biography section for the 1961 post on Dr. Kildare) plays boarding house owner Mrs. Landers. Lew Brown (SAC Allen Bennett on The F.B.I.) plays an army lieutenant. Carol Eve Rossen (Anna Kassoff on The Lawless Years) plays his date. John Lasell (Dr. Peter Guthrie on Dark Shadows) plays John Wilkes Booth. Paul Hartman (Albie Morrison on The Pride of the Family, Charlie on Our Man Higgins, Emmett Clark on The Andy Griffith Show and Mayberry R.F.D., and Bert Smedley on Petticoat Junction) plays a police desk sergeant. James Gavin (Sheriff Frank Madden on The Big Valley) plays a policeman. Jimmy Lydon (starred in Tom Brown's School Days, Little Men, Joan of Arc, and 9 Henry Aldrich features and played Biff Cardoza on Rocky Jones, Space Ranger, Andy Boone on So This Is Hollywood, and Richard on Love That Jill) plays a patrolman. Nora Marlowe (Martha Commager on Law of the Plainsman, Sara Andrews on The Governor and J.J., and Mrs. Flossie Brimmer on The Waltons) plays a chambermaid.

Season 2, Episode 14, "The Whole Truth": Jack Carson (starred in Gentleman Jim, Arsenic and Old Lace, Mildred Pierce, Romance on the High Seas, Red Garters, and A Star Is Born) plays sleazy used car salesman Harvey Hunnicut. Arte Johnson (a regular performer on Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In who played Bascomb Bleacher, Jr. on Sally, Cpl. Lefkowitz on Don't Call Me Charlie, and Clive Richlin on Glitter) plays his understudy Irv. George Chandler (Mac Benson on Waterfront, Uncle Petrie Martin on Lassie, and Ichabod Adams on Ichabod and Me) plays an old man with a haunted car. Jack Ging (Beau McCloud on Tales of Wells Fargo, Dr. Paul Graham on The Eleventh Hour, Lt. Dan Ives on Mannix, Lt. Ted Quinlan on Riptide, and Gen. Harlan "Bull" Fullbright on The A-Team) plays a young car buyer. Patrick Westwood (Mian Rukn Din on The Indian Tales of Rudyard Kipling) plays Nikita Krushchev's interpreter.

Season 2, Episode 15, "The Invaders": Agnes Moorehead (shown on the left, starred in Citizen Kane, The Magnificent Ambersons, Jane Eyre, Dark Passage, Show Boat, and How the West Was Won and played Endora on Bewitched) plays a woman living in a rustic farmhouse.

 

Season 2, Episode 16, "A Penny for Your Thoughts": Dick York (shown on the right, played Tom Colwell on Going My Way and Darrin Stephens on Bewitched) plays bank employee Henry B. Poole. Dan Tobin (Terrance Clay on Perry Mason) plays his boss E.M. Bagby. Hayden Rorke (starred in Father's Little Dividend, When Worlds Collide, and Pillow Talk and played Steve on Mr. Adams and Eve, Col. Farnsworth on No Time for Sergeants, Dr. Alfred Bellows on I Dream of Jeannie and Bishop on Dr. Kildare) plays loan client Sykes. James Nolan (Inspector Roper on Dante) plays security guard Jim. Cyril Delevanti (Lucious Coin on Jefferson Drum) plays old employee L.J. Smithers. Frank London (Shad on Johnny Staccato and Charlie on Peyton Place) plays a driver who knocks Poole down.

Season 2, Episode 17, "Twenty Two": Barbara Nichols (Ginger on Love That Jill) plays exotic dancer Liz Powell. Jonathan Harris (shown on the left, played Bradford Webster on The Third Man, Mr. Phillips on The Bill Dana Show, Dr. Zachary Smith on Lost in Space, and Commander Gampu on Space Academy) plays her doctor. Fredd Wayne (Sgt. Bill Hollis on Code 3) plays her agent Barney Kamener. Arlene Martel (Tiger on Hogan's Heroes and Spock's Vulcan bride on Star Trek) plays the morgue nurse. Mary Adams (see the biography section for the 1961 post on Window on Main Street) plays the day nurse. Norma Connolly (Ruby Anderson on General Hospital) plays the night nurse. Wesley Lau (see the biography section for the 1961 post on Perry Mason) plays an airline ticket agent.

Season 2, Episode 18, "The Odyssey of Flight 33": John Anderson (see the biography section for the 1960 post on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp) plays airline pilot Skipper Farver. Sandy Kenyon (Des Smith on Crunch and Des, Shep Baggott on The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters, and Reverend Kathrun on Knots Landing) plays navigator Hatch. Wayne Heffley (Officer Dennis on Highway Patrol and Vern Scofield on Days of Our Lives) plays second officer Wyatt. Paul Comi (see the biography section for the 1961 post on Ripcord) plays first officer John Craig. Nancy Rennick (Patty Johnson on Rescue 8) plays stewardess Paula. Lester Fletcher (Mr. Divine on Down to Earth) plays a passenger in the RAF.

Season 2, Episode 19, "Mr. Dingle, the Strong": Burgess Meredith (shown on the right, starred in Of Mice and Men, Mine Own Executioner, Advise & Consent, and The Cardinal and played Martin Woodridge on Mr. Novak, The Penguin on Batman, V.C.R. Cameron on Search, the narrator on Korg: 70,000 B.C., and Dr. Willard Adams on Gloria) plays vacuum cleaner salesman Luther Dingle. Don Rickles (legendary comedian who appeared in Run Silent, Run Deep, Muscle Beach Party, Bikini Beach, Beach Blanket Bingo, Kelly's Heroes, voiced Mr. Potato Head in all the Toy Story movies, and played Don Robinson on The Don Rickles Show, Otto Sharkey on C.P.O. Sharkey, and Al Mitchell on Daddy Dearest) plays a bully bettor. Eddie Ryder (see the biography section for the 1961 post on Dr. Kildare) plays bookie Joseph J. Callahan. James Westerfield (appeared in The Shaggy Dog, The Absent-Minded Professor, and The Love God? and played John Murrel on The Travels of Jamie McPheeters) plays bartender Anthony O'Toole. James Millhollin (appeared in No Time for Sergeants, The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, and How to Frame a Figg and played Anson Foster on Grindl) plays TV host Jason Abernathy. Michael Fox (Coroner George McLeod on Burke's Law, Amos Fedders on Falcon Crest, Saul Feinberg on The Bold and the Beautiful, and appeared 25 times as autopsy surgeons and various other medical witnesses on Perry Mason) plays half of a Martian. Douglas Spencer (appeared in The Thing From Another World, Shane, This Island Earth, River of No Return, and The Diary of Anne Frank) plays the other half of the Martian. Gregory Irvin (Johnny Brady on Dennis the Menace) plays a Venusian.

Season 2, Episode 20, "Static": Dean Jagger (starred in Brigham Young, Twelve O'Clock High, White Christmas, Bad Day at Black Rock, and Elmer Gantry and played Albert Vane on Mr. Novak) plays boarding house resident Ed Lindsay. Robert Emhardt (Sgt. Vinton on The Kids From C.A.P.E.R.) plays boarding house resident Professor Ackerman. Arch Johnson (starred in Somebody Up There Likes Me, G.I. Blues, and The Cheyenne Social Club and played Gus Honochek on The Asphalt Jungle and Cmdr. Wivenhoe on Camp Runamuck) plays boarding house resident Roscoe Bragg. Alice Pearce (appeared in On the Town, The Opposite Sex, Dear Heart, Kiss Me, Stupid, and The Glass Bottom Boat and played Gladys Kravitz on Bewitched) plays boarding house owner Mrs. Nielson. Stephen Talbot (son of Lyle Talbot, played Gilbert Bates on Leave It to Beaver, and served as produce on Frontline, Frontline/World, and Independent Lens) plays a young boy who helps move a radio. Clegg Hoyt (Mac on Dr. Kildare) plays a junk shopkeeper.

Season 2, Episode 21, "The Prime Mover": Dane Clark (starred in Destination Tokyo, God Is My Co-Pilot, and That Way With Women and played Richard Adams on Justice, Dan Miller on Wire Service, Slate Shannon on Bold Venture, and Lt. Arthur Tragg on The New Perry Mason) plays diner owner Ace Larsen. Christine White (Abigail Adams on Ichabod and Me) played his girlfriend Kitty Cavanaugh. Buddy Ebsen (shown on the left, played Sgt. Hunk Marriner on Northwest Passage, Jed Clampett on The Beverly Hillbillies, Barnaby Jones on Barnaby Jones, and Roy Houston on Matt Houston) plays his super-powered friend Jimbo Cobb.

Season 2, Episode 22, "Long Distance Call": Bill Mumy (shown on the right, played Will Robinson on Lost in Space, Weaver on Sunshine, and Lennier on Babylon 5) plays sheltered little boy Billy Bayles. Philip Abbott (starred in Sweet Bird of Youth and played Arthur Ward on The F.B.I., Dr. Alex Baker on General Hospital, and Grant Stevens on The Young and the Restless) plays his father Chris. Patricia Smith (Charlotte Landers on The Debbie Reynolds Show and Margaret Hoover on The Bob Newhart Show) plays his mother Sylvia. Henry Hunter (Doctor Summerfield on Hazel) plays a doctor. 

Season 2, Episode 23, "A Hundred Yards Over the Rim": Cliff Robertson (shown on the near left, starred in Picnic, The Naked and the Dead, Gidget, PT 109, The Devil's Brigade, Charly, and Three Days of the Condor and played Rod Brown on Rod Brown of the Rocket Rangers, Shame on Batman, Dr. Michael Ranson on Falcon Crest, and Hal Malloy on The Lyon's Den) plays western settler Christian Horn. John Astin (shown on the far left, appeared in That Touch of Mink, The Wheeler Dealers, Move Over, Darling, Viva Max, and Freaky Friday and played Harry Dickens on I'm Dickens, He's Fenster, Gomez Addams on The Addams Family, Rudy Pruitt on The Phyllis Diller Show, Lt. Cmdr. Matthew Sherman on Operation Petticoat, Ed LaSalle on Mary, Buddy Ryan on Night Court, Radford on Eerie, Indiana, and Prof. Albert Wickwire on The Adventures of Briscoe County, Jr.) plays fellow traveler Charlie. Ken Drake (Bragan on Not for Hire) plays another traveler. John Crawford (appeared in Zombies of the Stratosphere, John Paul Jones, Exodus, and The Americanization of Emily and played Chief Parks on Police Woman and Sheriff Ep Bridges on The Waltons) plays diner owner Joe. Evan Evans (widow of John Frankenheimer, appeared in All Fall Down, Bonnie and Clyde, and The Iceman Cometh) plays his wife Mary Lou. Edward Platt (appeared in Rebel Without a Cause, Written on the Wind, Designing Woman, and North by Northwest and played the Chief on Get Smart) plays a doctor. Robert McCord (Captain Amos Fry on Yancy Derringer) plays the sheriff.

Season 2, Episode 24, "The Rip Van Winkle Caper": Oscar Beregi, Jr. (see the biography section for the 1961 post on The Untouchables) plays criminal mastermind Mr. Farwell. Simon Oakland (starred in Psycho, West Side Story, and Follow That Dream and played Tony Vincenzo on Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Brig. Gen. Thomas Moore on Black Sheep Squadron, and Sgt. Abrams on David Cassidy - Man Undercover) plays demolitions expert De Cruz. Lew Gallo (Major Joseph Cobb on 12 O'Clock High and directed multiple episodes of That Girl, The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, Love American Style, Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, and The New Mike Hammer) plays weapons expert Brooks. John Mitchum (see the biography section for the 1960 post on Riverboat) plays mechanical engineer Erbie. Wallace Rooney (Andrew Winters on The Doctors) plays highway driver George.

Season 2, Episode 25, "The Silence": Franchot Tone (shown on the near right, starred in Moulin Rouge (1934), Mutiny on the Bounty, Fast and Furious, Dark Waters, and I Love Trouble and played Dr. Daniel Niles Freeland on Ben Casey) plays club member Col. Archie Taylor. Jonathan Harris (shown on the far right, see "Twenty Two" above) plays his lawyer George Alfred. Liam Sullivan (Major Mapoy on The Monroes, Dr. Joseph Lerner on The Young and the Restless, and Mr. Willis on Knots Landing) plays loudmouth Jamie Tennyson. Cyril Delevanti (see "A Penny for Your Thoughts" above) plays club waiter Franklin. 

Season 2, Episode 26, "Shadow Play": Dennis Weaver (shown on the left, see the biography section for the 1960 post on Gunsmoke) plays convicted murderer Adam Grant. Harry Townes (starred in The Brothers Karamazov, Screaming Mimi, and Sanctuary) plays D.A. Henry Ritchie. Wright King (see the biography section for the 1960 post on Wanted: Dead or Alive) plays newspaper editor Paul Carson. Bernie Hamilton (Capt. Harold Dobey on Starsky and Hutch) plays inmate Cooley.

Season 2, Episode 27, "The Mind and the Matter": Shelley Berman (shown on the right, legendary Grammy-winning comedian, appeared in The Best Man, Divorce American Style, Teen Witch, and Meet The Fockers and played Ben Flicker on L.A. Law, Judge Robert Sanders on Boston Legal, and Nat David on Curb Your Enthusiasm) plays misanthrope Archibald Beechcroft. Jack Grinnage (appeared in Rebel Without a Cause, King Creole, and Wolf Larsen and played Ron Updyke on Kolchak: The Night Stalker) plays office boy Henry. 

Season 2, Episode 28, "Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?": Barney Phillips (shown on the left, played Sgt. Ed Jacobs on the original Dragnet, Lt. Sam Geller on Johnny Midnight, Lt. Avery on The Brothers Brannagan, Doc Kaiser on 12 O'Clock High, Mike Golden on Dan August, and Fletcher Huff on The Betty White Show) plays a diner counterman. John Hoyt (starred in My Favorite Brunette, The Lady Gambles, and Blackboard Jungle and played Grandpa Stanley Kanisky on Gimme a Break!) plays business traveler Ross. Jack Elam (Deputy J.D. Smith on The Dakotas, George Taggart on Temple Houston, Zack Wheeler on The Texas Wheelers, and Uncle Alvin Stevenson on Easy Street) plays old man Avery. Jean Willes (appeared in Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Ocean's 11, and Gypsy) plays professional dancer Ethel McConnell. Bill Erwin (Joe Walters on My Three Sons and Glenn Diamond on Struck by Lightning) plays long-time husband Peter Kramer. Gertrude Flynn (appeared in War and Peace, Rome Adventure, and Funny Girl and played Anna Sawyer on Days of Our Lives) plays his wife Rose. Morgan Jones (see the biography section for the 1960 post on The Blue Angels) plays state trooper Dan Perry.

Season 2, Episode 29, "The Obsolete Man": Burgess Meredith (see "Mr. Dingle, the Strong" above) plays librarian Romney Wordsworth. Fritz Weaver (starred in Fail-Safe, The Maltese Bippy, Marathon Man, and The Thomas Crown Affair (1999) and played Hugo Marick on All My Children) plays the state chancellor. 

Season 3, Episode 1, "Two": Elizabeth Montgomery (shown on the far right, starred in Johnny Cool, Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed?, and How to Stuff a Wild Bikini and played Samantha Stephens on Bewitched) plays an apocalypse-surviving female soldier. Charles Bronson (shown on the near right, starred in The Magnificent Seven, The Dirty Dozen, Once Upon a Time in the West, The Valachi Papers, and four Death Wish movies and played Mike Kovac on Man With a Camera, Paul Moreno on Empire, and Linc Murdock on The Travels of Jamie McPheeters) plays an apocalypse-surviving male soldier.

Season 3, Episode 2, "The Arrival": Harold J. Stone (shown on the left, played John Kennedy on The Grand Jury, Hamilton Greeley on My World and Welcome to It, and Sam Steinberg on Bridget Loves Bernie) plays FAA investigator Grant Sheckly. Bing Russell (Kurt Russell's father, played Deputy Clem Foster on Bonanza) plays airport ground crew member George Cousins. Robert Karnes (see the biography section for the 1961 post on The Lawless Years) plays baggage handler Robbins. Noah Keen (Det. Lt. Carl Bone on Arrest and Trial) plays airline VP Bengston. Fredd Wayne (see "Twenty Two" above) plays PR rep Paul Malloy.

Season 3, Episode 3, "The Shelter": Larry Gates (starred in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Some Came Running, and The Young Savages and played H.B. Lewis on Guiding Light) plays suburban Dr. Bill Stockton. Peggy Stewart (starred in Oregon Trail, Son of Zorro, and Desert Vigilante and played Cherien's mother on The Riches) plays his wife Grace. Michael Burns (Howie Macauley on It's a Man's World and Barnaby West on Wagon Train) plays his son Paul. Jack Albertson (starred in Days of Wine and Roses, Kissin' Cousins, The Flim-Flam Man, and Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and played Lt. Harry Evans on The Thin Man, Walter Burton on Room for One More, Lt. Cmdr. Virgil Stoner on Ensign O'Toole, Paul Fenton on Mister Ed, and Ed Brown on Chico and the Man) plays neighbor Jerry Harlowe. Jo Helton (Nurse Conant on Dr. Kildare) plays Harlowe's wife Martha. Sandy Kenyon (see "The Odyssey of Flight 33" above) plays neighbor Frank Henderson. Mary Gregory (appeared in Sleeper and Coming Home and played Dr. Stanwhich on Knots Landing and Judge Pendleton on L.A. Law) plays Henderson's wife.

Season 3, Episode 4, "The Passersby": James Gregory (shown on the right, see the biography section for the 1960 post on The Lawless Years) plays former Confederate sergeant Abby. 

Season 3, Episode 5, "A Game of Pool": Jack Klugman (shown on the near left, starred in 12 Angry Men, Days of Wine and Roses, and I Could Go on Singing and played Alan Harris on Harris Against the World, Oscar Madison on The Odd Couple, Dr. Quincy, M.E. on Quincy, M.E., and Henry Willows on You Again?) plays pool shark Jesse Cardiff. Jonathan Winters (shown on the far left, legendary comedian, starred in It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World, The Loved One, The Russians Are Coming! The Russians Are Coming!, and Viva Max, hosted The Jonathan Winters Show and The Wacky World of Jonathan Winters, played Hearth on Mork & Mindy and Gunny Davis on David Rules, and voiced Mr. Freebus and Roger Gustav on The Completely Mental Misadventures of Ed Grimley, Grandpa Smurf on The Smurfs, Coach Cadaver on Gravedale High, and Mayor Cod on Fish Police) plays billiards legend Fats Brown.

Season 3, Episode 6, "The Mirror": Peter Falk (shown on the right, starred in Robin and the 7 Hoods, Murder by Death, and The Cheap Detective and played Daniel O'Brien on The Trials of O'Brien and Columbo on Columbo)plays Latin American revolutionary Ramos Clemente. Arthur Batanides (Sgt. Olivera on Johnny Midnight) plays his lieutenant Tabal. Rodolfo Hoyos, Jr. (Luis Valdez on Viva Valdez) plays his lieutenant Garcia. Will Kuluva (Charlie Kingman on Primus) plays deposed dictator General De Cruz. Vladimir Sokoloff (see "Dust" above) plays priest Father Tomas.

Season 3, Episode 7, "The Grave": Lee Marvin (shown on the far left, starred in The Big Heat, Bad Day at Black Rock, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Cat Ballou, The Dirty Dozen, and Paint Your Wagon and played Det. Lt. Frank Ballinger on M Squad) plays small-town lawman Conny Miller. Strother Martin (appeared in Kiss Me Deadly, The Shaggy Dog, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance, Cool Hand Luke, True Grit, The Wild Bunch, Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid, and Slap Shot and played Aaron Donager on Hotel de Paree and R.J. Hawkins on Hawkins) plays townsman Mothershed. Stafford Repp (shown on the middle left, played Chief O'Hara on Batman) plays bartender Ira Broadly. Lee Van Cleef (shown on the near left, starred in High Noon, The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms, For a Few Dollars More, and The Good, The Bad and the Ugly) plays gambler Steinhart. James Best (Sheriff Roscoe P. Coltrane on The Dukes of Hazzard)plays bettor Johnny Rob. Dick Geary (played various scuba divers and law enforcement officers in 13 episodes of Perry Mason) plays outlaw Pinto Sykes.

Season 2, Episode 8, "It's a Good Life": Bill Mumy (shown on the far right, see "Long Distance Call" above) plays omnipotent child Anthony Fremont. John Larch (see "Dust" above) plays his father. Cloris Leachman (shown on the near right, starred in The Last Picture Show, Charley and the Angel, Dillinger, and Young Frankenstein and played Ruth Martin on Lassie,  Rhoda Kirsh on Dr. Kildare, and Phyllis Lindstrom on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Rhoda, and Phyllis) plays his mother. Alice Frost (Mama Holstrum on The Farmer's Daughter) plays his Aunt Amy. Don Keefer (starred in Death of a Salesman, Hellcats of the Navy, and Sleeper and played George on Angel) plays neighbor Dan Hollis. Jeanne Bates (Nurse Wills on Ben Casey) plays Hollis' wife Ethel. Max Showalter (appeared in Niagra, The Music Man, Dangerous Crossing, Indestructible Man, The Monster That Challenged the World, and How to Murder Your Wife and played Gus Clyde on The Stockard Channing Show) plays neighbor Pat Riley.

Season 3, Episode 9, "Deaths-Head Revisited": Oscar Beregi, Jr. (see "The Rip Van Winkle Caper" above) plays former SS Capt. Gunther Luntze. Joseph Schildkraut (shown on the left, starred in Orphans of the Storm, The King of Kings, Viva Villa!, Cleopatra (1934), The Life of Emile Zola, The Shop Around the Corner, and The Diary of Anne Frank) plays his former prisoner Alfred Becker. Kaaren Verne (appeared in Sky Murder, All Through the Night, Kings Row, and Ship of Fools) plays a Dachau innkeeper.

Season 3, Episode 10, "The Midnight Sun": Lois Nettleton (Sue Kramer on Accidental Family, Joanne St. John on In the Heat of the Night, and Evelyn on Crossing Jordan) plays painter Norma. Jason Wingreen (Dr. Aaron Clark on The Long, Hot Summer, Harry Snowden on All in the Family and Archie Bunker's Place, and Judge Arthur Beaumont on Matlock) plays departing resident Mr. Shuster. Tom Reese (starred in Taggart, The Money Trap, and Murderers' Row and played Sgt. Thomas Velie on Ellery Queen) plays an intruder. William Keene (played various reverends on The Andy Griffith Show and Mayberry R.F.D.) plays a doctor. Robert Stevenson (bartender Big Ed on Richard Drum and Marshal Hugh Strickland on Stagecoach West) plays a radio announcer.

Season 3, Episode 11, "Still Valley": Gary Merrill (shown on the right, appeared in Twelve O'Clock High, All About Eve, and Mysterious Island and played Jason Tyler on Justice, Lou Sheldon on The Reporter, and Dr. Leonard Gillespie on Young Dr. Kildare) plays Confederate scout Sgt. Joseph Paradine. Ben Cooper (appeared in Johnny Guitar, The Rose Tattoo, and Support Your Local Gunfighter and played Waverly on The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo and the Director on The Fall Guy) plays Confederate trooper Dauger. Vaughn Taylor (starred in Jailhouse Rock, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Psycho, and In Cold Blood and played Ernest P. Duckweather on Johnny Jupiter) plays sorcerer Teague. Mark Tapscott (Deputy Andy on The Tall Man and Bob Anderson on Days of Our Lives) plays a Confederate lieutenant.

Season 3, Episode 12, "The Jungle": John Dehner (Duke Williams on The Roaring '20's, Commodore Cecil Wyntoon on The Baileys of Balboa, Morgan Starr on The Virginian, Cyril Bennett on The Doris Day Show, Dr. Charles Cleveland Claver on The New Temperatures Rising Show, Barrett Fears on Big Hawaii, Marshal Edge Troy on Young Maverick, Lt. Joseph Broggi on Enos, Hadden Marshall on Bare Essence, and Billy Joe Erskine on The Colbys) plays businessman Alan Richards. Emily McLaughlin (shown on the left, played Dr. Eileen Seaton on Young Dr. Malone and nurse Jessie Brewer on General Hospital) plays his wife Doris. Walter Brooke (appeared in The Graduate, Tora! Tora! Tora!, and The Nude Bomb and played D.A. Frank Scanlon on The Green Hornet and Clarence Johnson on The Waltons) plays his colleague Chad Cooper. Hugh Sanders (starred in That's My Boy, The Pride of St. Louis, The Winning Team, and The Wild One) plays board member Templeton. Donald Foster (Herbert Johnson on Hazel) plays company president Sinclair.

Season 3, Episode 13, "Once Upon a Time": Buster Keaton (shown on the right, iconic silent-film comedian, starred in Sherlock Jr., Go West, The General, Steamboat Bill, Jr., Sunset Boulevard, and Beach Blanket Bingo and hosted The Buster Keaton Show) plays janitor Woodrow Mulligan. Stanley Adams (Lt. Morse on Not for Hire and Gurrah on The Lawless Years) plays scientist Rollo. Jesse White (appeared in Harvey, Bedtime for Bonzo, The Bad Seed, It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World, and The Reluctant Astronaut and played Mickey Calhoun on Private Secretary, Jesse Leeds on Make Room for Daddy, and Oscar Pudney on The Ann Sothern Show) plays a fix-it repairman. James Flavin (Lt. Donovan on Man With a Camera and Robert Howard on The Roaring 20's) plays a police officer.

Season 3, Episode 14, "Five Characters in Search of an Exit": William Windom (appeared in To Kill a Mockingbird, The Americanization of Emily, and Escape From the Planet of the Apes and played Congressman Glen Morley on The Farmer's Daughter, John Monroe on My World and Welcome to It, Larry Krandall on Brothers and Sisters, Frank Buckman on Parenthood, and Dr. Seth Hazlitt on Murder, She Wrote) plays an army major. Murray Matheson (Felix Mulholland on Banacek) plays a clown. Susan Harrison (appeared in The Sweet Smell of Success and Key Witness and whose daughter, Darva Conger, was the bride of the ill-fated reality show Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire?) plays a ballerina. Kelton Garwood (Beauregard O'Hanlon on Bourbon Street Beat and Percy Crump on Gunsmoke) plays a hobo. Mona Houghton (daughter of producer Buck Houghton and screenwriter for The Young and the Restless, Another World, and Knots Landing) plays a young girl.

Season 3, Episode 15, "A Quality of Mercy": Dean Stockwell (shown on the left, starred in Anchors Aweigh, Gentleman's Agreement, Kim, Sons and Lovers, and Dune and played Dr. Rudy Devereux on Dr. Kildare, Admiral Al Calavicci on Quantum Leap, John Stern on Street Gear, Frank DiMeo on The Tony Danza Show, Edward Shefflied on JAG, and John Cavil on Battlestar Gallactica) plays American Lt. Katell and Japanese Lt. Yamuri. Albert Salmi (Yadkin on Daniel Boone and Pete Ritter on Petrocelli) plays U.S. Sgt. Causarano. Leonard Nimoy (Mr. Spock on Star Trek, Paris on Mission: Impossible, and Dr. William Bell on Fringe) plays radio man Hansen. Jerry Fujikawa (appeared in King of Marvin Gardens, Chinatown, and Farewell, My Lovely and played Matsu on Mr. T and Tina) plays a Japanese captain. Rayford Barnes (see the biography section for the 1960 post on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp) plays infantryman Andrew Watkins. Ralph Votrian (King Lexian in Masked Rider) plays infantryman Hanachek.