Part Three: The First Season 1959-1960 Summary and Analysis

Now that the series was underway, Rod Serling requested that Bill Self continue to work as the show's producer. Self preferred his executive status at CBS and suggested a new producer on the form of Buck Houghton, a former script editor turned producer. Houghton was enthusiastic about joining Serling's team. For the first three years of the series, Houghton was the major force behind translating Serling's words onto film. Serling and Houghton shared final approval on every aspect of the show. Some refer to as Houghton as one of the best producers around.

One of the first and jobs assigned to Houghton was to find a studio in which to shoot the series. The pilot for the show had been filmed at Universal, but because Universal did not rent out its...