On this day, October 11, 1963, The Twilight Zone first aired "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet."

[mahatmakanejeeves]

Mon Oct 11, 2021: On this day, October 11, 1963, The Twilight Zone first aired "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet."

President Kennedy might have sat down to watch this episode.

Nightmare at 20,000 Feet



William Shatner with Nick Cravat (not in full costume) as the gremlin

Episode no.: Season 5, Episode 3
Directed by: Richard Donner
Written by: Richard Matheson
Based on: "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" by Richard Matheson
Original air date: October 11, 1963

The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series) (season 5)
List of episodes

"Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" is episode 123 of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone, based on the short story of the same name by Richard Matheson, first published in Alone by Night (1961). It originally aired on October 11, 1963 and is one of the most well-known and frequently referenced episodes of the series. The story follows the only passenger on an airline flight to notice a hideous creature wandering around the wing of the plane while it is in flight.

In 2019, Keith Phipps of Vulture stated that the episode "doubles as such an effective shorthand for a fear of flying", making it endure in popular culture. This is the first of six episodes to be directed by Richard Donner.

{snip}

Closing narration

The flight of Mr. Robert Wilson has ended now, a flight not only from point A to point B, but also from the fear of recurring mental breakdown. Mr. Wilson has that fear no longer... though, for the moment, he is, as he has said, alone in this assurance. Happily, his conviction will not remain isolated too much longer, for happily, tangible manifestation is very often left as evidence of trespass, even from so intangible a quarter as the Twilight Zone.

{snip}

Turn on the lights before you watch this clip.

The Twilight Zone (Classic): Nightmare At 20,000 Feet - There's A Man Out There
68,701 views Mar 7, 2019

The Twilight Zone
6.61K subscribers

Airline passenger Bob Wilson (William Shatner) spots a creature on the wing of the airplane - but nobody believes him. Check back each Thursday for more Twilight Zone Classic videos. Stream The Twilight Zone on CBS All Access.

The Twilight Zone YouTube channel

[SergeStorms]

1. I remember watching it.

It scared the bejeebus out of me. I'd never flown before then, but I can't say it had any effect on me when I did take my first flight.

Just the sight of that creature on the wing.....👹

[lark]

3. Yes, I too saw the original show. Twilight Zone was appointment tv for my family.

I love that episode, it is one of the best from a great series.

[SergeStorms]

6. I had no idea who William Shatner was at that point.

Later on, of course, he became the biggest star in the universe on Star Trek.

Yeah, the Twilight Zone was must watch TV. The Outer Limits.... eh, some were good, but it couldn't match the Twilight Zone.

[lark]

7. I loved both, being a true sci-fi, horror fan.

I did like Twilight Zone better, though.

[multigraincracker]

2. In 1986 I was on a flight out of Memphis

when the pilot announced the space flight explosion in Florida. Everyone looked out their windows.

Yep, so did I.

[Auggie]

4. That series scared the crap out of me as a little kid

The Outer Limits too.

[usonian]

5. Always check for gremlins.

And enjoy the revisionist history provided by the internet.
(shuts down browser to edit some images ......)



None of the above are my handiwork.

The GOOD NEWS is that gremlins can't survive above 20,000 feet, which is why jets fly at 29,000 feet and above (speculation)

LIVED for Twilight Zone and Outer Limits.

Reality Distortion? These are a big reason that I majored in physics.