62 Years Ago, One of the Twilight Zone’s Best Ever Episodes Helped Give Us These Star Trek & DC Legends

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Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone featured many memorable and touching episodes. Some standouts from the first season include “Time Enough at Last,” “The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street,” and “The After Hours.” But the show consistently delivered excellent episodes throughout its entire run, as evidenced by “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” alone. Unlike most horror anthology series, such as Tales from the Crypt, which often decline in quality over time, The Twilight Zone remained strong until the very end. This iconic television show aired “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet” during its fifth and final season, and it’s still a favorite episode for many fans.

It’s rare for a TV show to have its best episode near the end of its run, but that’s exactly what happened with this one – it’s still the most talked-about segment today. A big part of its appeal comes from the unique performance of its star, William Shatner, who was just starting to become famous. However, Shatner wasn’t the only talent involved; the episode was directed by someone who would also go on to achieve great success. Let’s look at how close everyone was to becoming household names.

The Early Days of Two Icons

William Shatner started his acting career in 1951 and has remained active for 74 years. Before becoming famous for “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet,” he’d already appeared on The Twilight Zone in the episode “Nick of Time” three years prior. He also had roles in popular shows like The Ed Sullivan Show and Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and acted alongside Judy Garland, Burt Lancaster, and Spencer Tracy in the film Judgment at Nuremberg.

Although he was still three years away from becoming famous as Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek, William Shatner later reprised the role in several films and the animated series. He also achieved significant success in the 1980s as the star of T.J. Hooker.

Before becoming a major film director with 1976’s The Omen, Richard Donner spent about 15 years working on television shows. He directed episodes of popular series like Westerns (Wanted: Dead or Alive, The Rifleman) and spy shows (The Man from U.N.C.L.E). He was particularly successful with The Twilight Zone, directing six episodes in its fifth season – including his first episode, the well-regarded “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet,” which likely led to him being asked back repeatedly.

Following his success with The Omen, Richard Donner directed Superman, which became a landmark superhero film. However, he was unexpectedly fired during the making of Superman II. Thankfully, a director’s cut of Superman II, known as Superman II: The Richard Donner Cut, was released in 2006, over 25 years later.

Richard Donner wasn’t always successful – films like The Toy, Assassins, and Timeline didn’t quite hit the mark. However, he was primarily known for his blockbuster hits, including The Goonies, the Lethal Weapon series, Scrooged, and Maverick. His film Ladyhawke also gained a strong following over time.

Even after creating the iconic duo of Riggs and Murtaugh, Richard Donner continued to work with horror on television. In 1989, he helped launch the acclaimed HBO series Tales from the Crypt as an Executive Producer. He collaborated with well-known names like Robert Zemeckis (Back to the Future), Joel Silver (The Matrix), and Walter Hill (48 Hrs). Though none of the Tales from the Crypt episodes he directed quite matched the impact of his “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet,” “The Ventriloquist’s Dummy” from Season 2 demonstrated his talent for television just as much as his success in film. Donner sadly passed away in 2021, but his work on The Twilight Zone remains a classic.

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2025-10-21 00:15