The First Host of ‘The Twilight Zone’ Was a Legendary Sitcom Star

Eerie alternate realities, moral conundrums, supernatural chills. The Twilight Zone has long been associated with the unnerving and psychologically complex. Creator Rod Sterling is regarded as the host, but technically, the original host was none other than sitcom icon Desi Arnaz.

Desi Arnaz and Lucille Ball are credited as titans of television, laying crucial groundwork for the entire medium in the decades to come. But he was also the first to introduce the macabre anthology series credited with introducing the wider American audience to science fiction and fantasy tropes. Here’s how.

The Twilight Zone first aired in 1958, and for the critical and popular success it would be, the show had a perilously rocky, uncertain start. Sterling’s very first screenplay was a story called “The Time Element” and launched The Twilight Zone as an episode of Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse.

CBS liked what they saw and greenlit the creation of more of this surreal series. What they saw all began with Arnaz stepping out, swathed in shadow with a grandfather clock and its swinging pendulum setting the tone for the episode to come.

“Good evening, ladies and gentlemen,” Arnaz said in greeting to what would launch The Twilight Zone and its enduring legacy, “and welcome to another Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse. Tonight we’re going to see a story written by Rod Serling and starring William Bendix.”

Arnaz would go on to say, “Our story begins in a doctor’s office. A patient is sitting there. He walked into this office nine minutes ago.” His presence and speech alone were not uncommon for a host, but Arnaz proved his remarkable range by utilizing an intonation that perfectly matched the tone of the series this would spawn.

“The Time Element” premiered on November 24, 1958, and while it would not formally be a part of The Twilight Zone proper, it proved the point Sterling needed to make. That, in turn, allowed The Twilight Zone to inspire a feature production, TV film, radio series, several spin-offs, literature, and more, including a contemporary spin on the concept called Black Mirror.

Would you have wanted to see more of The Twilight Zone introduced by Desi Arnaz?