Rod Serling's Daughters Share Their FavoriteTwilight ZoneEpisodes — and The Creepy Prop They Loved (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Rod Serling.Photo:CBS/Getty

CBS/Getty

Rod Serling was best known as the creator and narrator of the science fiction anthology series,The Twilight Zone. When he died in 1975 at age 50 from a heart attack, he left behind a lasting legacy —  for fans and future screenwriters, but also for his two daughters, Anne and Jodi.Now, on what would have been Rod’s 100th birthday, the sisters are looking back on their father’s memory — as well as theTwilight Zoneepisodes that most impacted them.Both daughters say that they didn’t watchThe Twilight Zoneregularly when they were kids, but came to appreciate the series, which aired from 1959 to 1964 on CBS, after their father’s death.“The one that really brought the writer and my dad together was the episode ‘In Praise of Pip,’ because he’d used some dialogue that was a routine that my father and I had,” Anne, author of the memoirAs I Knew Him: My Dad, Rod Serling, tells PEOPLE. The season 5 episode follows a father who learns his son has been wounded in the Vietnam War.

Jack Klugman in ‘The Twilight Zone episode “In Praise of Pip”.CBS via Getty

CBS via Getty

“‘Who’s your best buddy? Pops, you are.’ And it was just this amazing moment where I literally found my father inThe Twilight Zone,” she says.

Another standout episode, Anne notes, is “The Dummy" from season three, about a ventriloquist who believes his dummy is alive. Though the episode is the stuff of nightmares, Anne says that her father brought the dummy prop home — and the kids fell in love with it.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.“We’d sit it at the dinner table and we’d fight over who could go to bed with it,” Anne says. “And then my dad had to take it back to the studio. Sometime later, I watched the episode and it was terrifying.”

Cliff Robertson in ‘The Twilight Zone’ episode ‘The Dummy’.CBS via Getty

One of the series’ most beloved — and emotional — episodes is season one’s “Walking Distance,” about a man who time-travels to his hometown, only to find himself stuck in the time period of his childhood. While it offers a critique on the pitfalls of nostalgia, the man is also able to interact with his dead parents — a plotline that Rod’s daughters say was pivotal for him, as a World War II veteran.“When he was in the war, he wasn’t able to make it home to his hometown in Binghamton [N.Y.],” Jodi says. “His father died [while he was deployed] so he never saw his father again.”

Gig Young in ‘The Twilight Zone’ episode ‘Walking Distance’.CBS via Getty

source: people.com