Time Travel and The Twilight Zone Quiz

Answer: Kenneth Haigh

"The Last Flight" stars Kenneth Haigh as Lt William Decker, a World War I aviator who finds himself in 1959. He had fled from a dogfight and a mysterious cloud transported him 40 years into the future.

Decker discovers that the pilot he was fighting with, Alexander Mckaye, survived the fight and became a war hero during the Battle of Britain. Decker realizes that he must have returned to 1917 and saved McKaye's life. One of the Americans helps Decker escape and he flies back into the cloud, and the past. An older McKaye recalls how Decker saved his life, but that he was shot down. "The Last Flight" has a dual meaning, both in Decker's fatal flight but also the last time he would run away.

Kenneth Haigh was a notable British actor in the 1950s and 1960s. He rose to prominence in "Look Back in Anger" on London's West End in 1956. He appeared in several major films, including "Cleopatra" (1963) and "A Hard Day's Night" (1964).

Answer: James Daly

"A Stop at Willoughby" stars James Daly as Gart Williams, a businessman in a dead-end job and failing marriage. He seeks to escape his boring life and finds it in a quaint town called Willoughby. When he asks the train conductor about Willoughby, Williams is told there is no such stop.

His first two attempts to stay in Willoughby fail, but he is successful on the third time around. Flash forward to the present, where Williams has committed suicide by jumping off the train. A hearse is picking up his body, and on the side it says "Willoughby and Son" mortuary. Serling left his commentary on exactly what Willoughby was deliberately vague.

James Daly was a veteran character actor who appeared in a wide range of films and television shows, including "Planet of the Apes" (1968). He is probably best known for his work as Doctor Paul Lochner on "Medical Center" (1969-76). Daly's daughter Tyne and son Tim are both highly acclaimed actors themselves.

Rod Serling wrote "A Stop at Willoughby" and said it was his favorite episode of the first season. It aired on May 6, 1960.

Answer: Brian Aherne

Brian Aherne plays Booth Templeton, a past-his-prime actor who is nostalgic about the past, especially his late wife. Templeton's nostalgia leads him to 1927, when he was a huge success on Broadway. He visits a speak easy where he sees his late wife (Pippa Scott) and friends.

His wife acts like an unfaithful witch and his friends ridicule him. As he leaves the club, **Templeton grabs a script. When he returns to the present, he discovers the script is called "What to do when Booth comes back." He realizes that it had all been an act to snap him out of his nostalgia. A newly confident Templeton returns to the theater and commands the respect he deserves.

Brian Aherne was most noted for his work in British cinema, but he did work in Hollywood and on Broadway as well. Aherne began his film career during the silent era (1924) and made his last film in 1967. He was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for his work in the 1939 film "Juarez".

Answer: Russell Johnson

Russell Johnson plays Peter Corrigan, a member of a men's club in Washington, DC. In 1961, they are debating the possibility of time travel. A little later, Corrigan finds himself in April 1865, hours before the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.

Corrigan tries to warn people, but is generally disbelieved. He then has the misfortune to run into John Wilkes Booth, who drugs him. When he awakes, he discovers Lincoln is dead. He returns to 1961, where one thing has changed. William, who has been the club's waiter, is now a wealthy member. William's grandfather had been the lone policeman who believed Corrigan and attempted to prevent Lincoln's assassination. He became chief of police and later a wealthy real estate mogul. Corrigan, who pulls out a handkerchief bearing the initials JWB, realizes some history can be changed.

Russell Johnson is probably best known as "The Professor" on the 1960s sitcom "Gilligan's Island". Before Gilligan, Johnson did lots of westerns in the 1950s. This was his second "Twilight Zone" after "Execution" (1960), which also involved time travel. Johnson played a professor who brings a murderer into the present day.

Answer: John Anderson

"The Odyssey of Flight 33" stars John Anderson as the pilot of a flight which travels through time. Their first stop is millions of years in the past, as dinosaurs can be seen. Their second stop is in New York City in 1939, where they speak to Idlewild Field and see the 1939 World's Fair in progress.

"The Odyssey of Flight 33" was written by Rod Serling with the help of his brother in law, an aviation journalist. It is praised by pilots for having some of the most accurate flight dialogue in the history of television.

John Anderson (1922-1992) was a veteran character actor who often played authority figures such as military officers or pilots. He appeared in four episodes of the "Twilight Zone": "Flight 33", "Of Late I Think of Cliffordville" (another time travel episode), "The Old Man in the Cave" and "A Passage for Trumpet" (as the Angel Gabriel). Later in his career, Anderson played Harry Jackson, Angus McGyver's grandfather on the ABC series. Anderson was a fan of Science Fiction and his resume included "The Outer Limits" (1963), "Voyagers" (1982), "Star Trek: The Next Generation" (1989) and "Quantum Leap" (1992). Anderson died in Los Angeles in August 1992.

Answer: Buster Keaton

"Once Upon a Time" stars Buster Keaton as Woodrow Mulligan, assistant to a scientist in 1890 who invents a time machine. He uses the "time helmet" to travel to 1960, but damages the device. With the help of a scientist named Rollo (Stanley Adams) he is able to repair the helmet and return to the past. Rollo comes along to 1890, but soon finds the era hopelessly backwards. Woodrow sends Rollo back to his own time using the helmet.

Buster Keaton was one of the landmark figures of early cinema, with masterpieces such as "The General (1925) and "Steamboat Bill Junior" (1928). Keaton was renowned for his brilliant chase sequences and highly choreographed action sequences. Later in career, Keaton did a fair amount of work in television, including "The Twilight Zone." "Once Upon a Time" was written by legendary science fiction author Richard Matheson, who wrote some of the show's better episodes.

Answer: Dean Stockwell

"A Quality of Mercy" stars Dean Stockell as a hard charging young lieutenant named Katell. It is August 1945, near the end of the war, and Katell and his men are facing off with some trapped Japanese soldiers. Katell's Sargeant (Albert Salmi) tells him it is not worth killing the trapped men, but Katell gives a jingoistic speech about killing the enemy.

Katell suddenly finds himself 3 years earlier, but in the body of a Japanese lieutenant trying to convince his commanding officer not to attack a group of trapped Americans. Katell finds the Japanese officer parroting his own jingoistic blood thirsty rhetoric before he returns to 1945.

Upon returning, the news that the war has ended is spreading. The sergeant tells Katell "Don't worry Lieutenant. There will be more wars. You'll have the chance to knock people off." A chastened Katell says quietly "God help us, I hope not."

"Quality of Mercy" was written by Rod Serling, and gets its title from "The Merchant of Venice".
Dean Stockwell's career stretched from 1945 to 2015. He gained prominence as a child actor, especially in "The Boy with Green Hair" (1948). Stockwell worked in theater, film and television. He is possibly best known for his work on the time travel series "Quantum Leap" (1989-1993) in which he played observer Al Calavicci.

Answer: Dana Andrews

"No Time Like the Past" may well be "The Twilight Zone's" most time travel intensive episode. Dan Andrews plays Paul Driscoll, a man who has invented a time machine and hopes to use it to change the past. However, his efforts to change the past are poorly planned.

1) Driscoll travels to Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 to warn the city about the atomic bomb. Even if authorities believed him (they don't), it would take several days to evacuate a city of over 100,000 people. Why not travel to Tinian and sabotage the plane that carried the bomb?

2) Driscoll travels to August 1939 and plans to assassinate Adolf Hitler. He actually gets the German leader in his sights, then FAILS TO TAKE THE SHOT. Plus, by August 1939, Germany was on an inevitable path to war. Killing Hitler at that point would have actually made it more likely Germany would have won World War II. Why not kill Hitler in 1930, before he rose to power?

3) Driscoll travels to the Lusitania and tries to warn the captain of the impending attack. But by that point, World War I had been raging for six months. Why not go to Sarajevo and prevent the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand?

After Driscoll's attempts fail, he travels to the small town of Homeville, Indiana in July 1881. He decides not to meddle in the assassination of James Garfield. However, he learns there will be fire at the school house, an event he regards as minor in the course of history. In an attempt to prevent the fire, Driscoll sets forth the chain of events that caused it.

Driscoll decides that his knowledge of the future could actually damage his own future, so he returns to 1963 and vows to stop meddling with time travel.

Dana Andrews (1909-1992) was active in Hollywood from 1940 to 1985. He rose to prominence in a variety of war films in the 1940s. When his film career declined in the 1950s, Andrews turned to television, including "Twilight Zone." He worked in both films and television until 1985.

Answer: Albert Salmi

"Of Late I Dream of Cliffordville" stars Albert Salmi as William Feathersmith, a successful businessman who is bored with his life. He seeks to return to the challenges of his youth. He is offered the opportunity by Miss Devlin (Julie Newmar) to return to Cliffordville 1910, but at the cost of his fortune. He is allowed only $1400 to start over.

It is uncertain whether Miss Devlin is a sexy version of the Devil or simply on Satan's payroll. In any case, she successfully returns Feathersmith to 1910. He uses his $1400 to buy land that contains oil, but forgets that the technology to drill the oil would not be ready for decades. He also discovers that a young woman he idealized in his memory is actually homely and annoying.

Feathersmith begs Devlin to return him to the present and she agrees. To get his fare, he sells the land to a young man named Hecate. When he returns to 1963, Hecate is the head of Feathesmith's company and Feathersmith is a janitor. A major lesson in "Be careful what you wish for" especially if it involves the Devil.

Albert Salmi was in two other time-travel related "Twilight Zones": "Execution" (1960) in which he plays a murderer and "A Quality of Mercy" (1961) in which he plays a war-weary sergeant. Salmi (1928-1990) appeared in a wide range of film and television during his 30-year career from "Bang the Drum Slowly" (1956) to "The A Team" (1983).

Answer: Warren Oates

"The 7th is Made UP of Phantoms" centers around the Battle of Little Bighorn, which took place in June 1876. Warren Oates plays Corporal Richard Langsford, one of three national guardsmen who travel from 1964 to 1876. Their fate is revealed when their names turn up on a memorial to the soldiers lost at the Battle of Little Bighorn. Rod Serling wrote the screenplay.

"The 7th is Made Up of Phantoms" is most notable for an early appearance of "Mission: Impossible" star Greg Morris, as a lieutenant investigating the disappearance.

Warren Oates (1928-1982) was a veteran character actor, perhaps best known for Deputy Sam Wood in "In the Heat of the Night" (1967). Oates also appeared in "The Wild Bunch" (1969) and was Sergeant Hulka in "Stripes" (1981). Oates had a small role in the "Twilight Zone" episode "The Purple Testament" (1960).