8 Golden Age Broadway Stars in 2024 New Year's Twilight Zone Marathon

There is a fifth dimension…and some of your faves are part of it.

| New York City |

December 26, 2024

Before Law & Order became the go-to series for guest-starring theater actors, there was The Twilight Zone—Rod Serling’s iconic black-and-white anthology that aired on CBS from 1959 to 1964. Over the years, this psychological thriller has cemented its place as a holiday marathon staple, particularly on New Year’s Eve, thanks to the Syfy network. If you’re a Broadway fan tuning in this year, watch closely for these stars who, at one point in their careers, graced the stage before (or after) crossing over into The Twilight Zone.

Note: Times below are Eastern Standard. The marathon begins at 3am on Tuesday, December 31.

1. Carol Burnett
Episode: “Cavendar Is Coming”
When to Watch: 4:35pm on January 1
Original Airdate: May 25, 1962

Carol Burnett stars as Agnes Grep, a down-on-her-luck woman who receives a visit from a guardian angel to help her realize how fortunate she truly is. Before her memorable appearance on The Twilight Zone, Burnett made waves on Broadway, originating the role of Princess Winnifred in Once Upon a Mattress in 1959, a performance that earned her a Tony nomination. Following her foray into Serling’s dimension, Burnett skyrocketed to global fame with The Carol Burnett Show (1967–1978), collecting a shelf full of Emmy Awards along the way. Her most recent Broadway appearance was in 2014, starring in A.R. Gurney’s Love Letters.

2. Lois Nettleton
Episode: “The Midnight Sun”
When to Watch: 12:25pm on December 31
Original Airdate: November 17, 1961

In this episode, the Earth’s orbit shifts, bringing the planet dangerously closer to the sun. Lois Nettleton plays Norma, a prolific artist who remains in her sweltering city, refusing to flee to cooler climates. Nettleton made her Broadway debut in 1949 under the stage name Lydia Scott in The Biggest Thief in Town. Over her career, she graced the Broadway stage nine times between 1949 and 1979, earning a Tony nomination in 1976 for her performance in They Knew What They Wanted. Her final stage appearance was in the 2004 off-Broadway production of How to Build a Better Tulip. Nettleton passed away in 2008, leaving behind a rich legacy in theater and television.

3. Robert Redford
Episode: “Nothing in the Dark”
When to Watch: 2:05pm on January 1
Original Airdate: January 5, 1962

Robert Redford stars as Harold Beldon, an injured police officer seeking help from a reclusive woman who refuses to open her door, convinced that death itself is waiting on the other side. When this episode aired, Redford had already appeared on Broadway in Tall Story, The Highest Tree, Little Moon of Alban, and Sunday in New York. In 1963, he took on his final—and most iconic—Broadway role as Paul in Neil Simon’s Barefoot in the Park. Redford went on to achieve international stardom in films such as The Sting and Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, solidifying his status as a Hollywood legend.

4. Fritz Weaver
Episode: “The Obsolete Man”
When to Watch: 10:20am on December 31
Original Airdate: June 2, 1961

In The Obsolete Man, Fritz Weaver portrays the Chancellor, a totalitarian state leader tasked with deciding which individuals are deemed essential and which are condemned as obsolete. Over his illustrious career, Weaver earned 21 Broadway credits, beginning with his 1955 debut in The Chalk Garden. He won a Tony Award in 1970 for his performance in Child’s Play and concluded his stage career with a role in the Atlantic Theater Company’s 2006 production of The Voysey Inheritance. Weaver passed away in 2016.

5. Cliff Robertson
Episode: “The Dummy”
When to Watch: 7:05pm on December 31
Original Airdate: May 4, 1962

In this chilling episode, Cliff Robertson plays an alcoholic ventriloquist who becomes convinced that his dummy is coming to life. Robertson later earned an Academy Award for his performance in Charly (1968), based on Flowers for Algernon. Before his rise to Hollywood fame, Robertson appeared on Broadway in the original 1957 production of Tennessee Williams’s Orpheus Descending. Decades later, in 1990, he returned to the stage as a replacement in the original production of A.R. Gurney’s Love Letters, performing opposite Elaine Stritch.

6. George Takei
Episode: “The Encounter”
When to Watch: 4:15am on January 1
Original Airdate: May 1, 1964

In The Encounter, a young Japanese-American gardener clashes with a bigoted World War II veteran over a katana sword the vet stole from a Japanese soldier he killed decades earlier. Due to its racist and anti-Asian overtones, this episode was withheld from syndication for nearly 50 years. It featured an early role for George Takei, who, during World War II, was forcibly placed in an internment camp with his family—an experience he later explored in the Broadway musical Allegiance.

7. Mary Badham
Episode: “The Bewitchin’ Pool”
When to Watch: 5:30am on January 1
Original Airdate: June 19, 1964

Mary Badham was just 12 years old when she appeared in this episode, two years after earning an Oscar nomination for her portrayal of Scout in the film To Kill a Mockingbird. Interestingly, her voice is only heard in indoor scenes—her outdoor scenes were dubbed by voice actor June Foray after the initial edit revealed excessive background noise. Years later, Badham returned to the world of To Kill a Mockingbird, appearing on the national tour of the stage adaptation, playing racist neighbor Mrs. Dubose.

8. Theodore Bikel
Episode: “Four o’Clock”
When to Watch: 3:45pm on January 1
Original Airdate: April 6, 1962

Theodore Bikel portrays a paranoid fanatic convinced that at 4 p.m., he will shrink all the evil people in the world to a height of two feet. By the time of his appearance, Bikel was already a Broadway star, having originated the role of Captain Georg von Trapp in The Sound of Music in 1959, a performance that earned him a Tony nomination. His most iconic role came in 1967 when he first played Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof, a character he embodied in over 2,000 performances across various productions. Bikel continued performing until his death in 2015.