Movies - TV
The Twilight Zone Reshot An Entire Episode Following A Real-Life Tragedy
By VALERIE ETTENHOFER
The Season 1 "The Twilight Zone" episode titled "The Mighty Casey" was completely different from its original concept due to a tragedy that struck as filming ended.
Actor Paul Douglas was set to play McGarry, coach of the Hoboken Zephyrs baseball team. Unfortunately, the actor died just days after the episode finished shooting.
According to Marc Scott Zicree’s book "The Twilight Zone Companion," Serling knew something was wrong with Douglas during filming but had mistakenly assumed he was intoxicated.
Serling shared that Douglas "couldn't continue one short staccato sentence without [gasping for breath]." Serling called Douglas' agent to discuss the actor’s drinking.
Shooting for the episode wrapped on a Thursday. By Saturday, Douglas had died, which made Sterling realize in retrospect how off-base he had been.
Out of respect, Serling refused to let the episode air without recasting the part despite the executives’ objections. He reportedly paid $27,000 out of pocket for the reshoots.