January 22 in Twilight Zone History: Celebrating the 1960 premiere of 'The Hitch-Hiker'
The Twilight Zone. This was one of Rod Serling's best Season 1 episodes, adapted from a radio play by Lucille Fletcher. Not only did it introduce Inger Stevens to TZ fans (she had been working in network television since the mid-1950s) but it placed her in a very relatable situation. Just as Jaws changed the way we all look at the surf and Dressed to Kill changed the way we view elevators, "The Hitch-Hiker" cast a suspicious eye on hitch-hikers and traveling alone. Stevens was given able support by Leonard Strong, a wonderful character actor who plays the creepy thumb-rider.