Rod Serling spent three years as a paratrooper during World War II, an experience that haunted him for the rest of his life.
The Emmy Award-winning creator and host of “The Twilight Zone” died in 1975 at age 50 of a heart attack.
Ahead of what would have been his 100th birthday, on December 25, Serling's daughter, Anne Serling, and television writer Marc Scott Zicree are discussing his life and legacy.
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Rod Serling was born on December 25, 1924. (CBS via Getty Images)
Anne, author of the memoir “As I Knew Him: My Dad, Rod Serling,” told Fox News Digital that the star suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder after serving his country.
“My father enlisted in the war the day after graduating high school,” he shared. “He really wanted to go and fight the Nazis, but… he was sent to the Philippines. He was in Laos… where some of the fiercest fighting took place… He saw a friend of his decapitated when a box of food fell from the “My goodness, just horrible things.”
Anne Serling as a child with her father Rod Serling. (Courtesy of Anne Serling.)
“I know my dad had nightmares,” Anne said. “Sometimes I listened to him. And in the morning I asked him what had happened and he told me that he had dreamed that the enemy was coming towards him.”
Anne Serling's memoir, “As I Knew Him,” and television writer Marc Scott Zicree's book, “The Twilight Zone Companion,” are available now. (Commonwealth Book Company, Inc. | Silman-James Press)
“When I was writing my book, I read the letters he wrote to…his parents before they sent him away when he was in training camp,” Anne recalled. “And they broke my heart because he asked me for things like candy and gum and a belt buckle or something, and underwear because he didn't like soldier underwear. That showed how young these guys were.”
Anne said she coped with her PTSD symptoms “as best as she could.”
Anne Serling with Rod Serling on Father's Day. (Courtesy of Anne Serling)
“Back then it was called 'shock,'” he said. “It wasn't even a term, PTSD… But I will tell you that he wore his paratrooper bracelet his entire life. It was extremely meaningful to him.”
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Rod Serling served during World War II. (Courtesy of Anne Serling)
Anne's sister, Jodi Serling, later wrote that the war “opened dark horizons of terror” for her father. He said it left the patriarch with “heartbreaking memories” that influenced his writing and kept him awake at night, “sweating and screaming inconsolably.”
Zicree, a screenwriter who wrote “The Twilight Zone Companion,” emphasized to Fox News Digital that Serling was not a “dark, depressed, broken man.”
Rod Serling and Carol Burnett share an off-camera moment while filming an episode of “The Twilight Zone.” (CBS via Getty Images)
“When he turned 40, he returned to his battalion to make another skydiver just to prove he could still do it,” Zicree laughed. “He always had great affection for his fellow veterans… [And] It was full of life, full of fun. He was present, he loved, he loved his family. He had very close friends. “He was a really great guy.”
Dick York, of “Bewitched” fame, filming “The Purple Testament” for “The Twilight Zone.” Director Rod Serling is seen here between scenes. (CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images)
According to the National World War II Museum, one in three men in Serling's regiment survived. He was awarded a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart.
“As a writer, he was able to let off steam by writing,” Zicree said. “There's a fantastic episode of 'The Twilight Zone' called 'The Purple Testament,' which is about a soldier in World War II… fighting in the Philippines, who can see the faces of those who are about to die in combat.” “.
“The Twilight Zone” aired from 1959 to 1964. (File Photos/Getty Images)
“There's a strange light that affects them that he can see, and the tired feeling in the soul of those soldiers: it feels so real and authentic,” he shared. “You can tell the man who wrote that episode lived that experience. It's one of the best things ever written about war.”
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Rod Serling and his family arrive in New York City from Los Angeles, circa 1962. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)
Anne described Serling as a loving father who was undeterred by fame: family always came first.
“My dad was very different from what the public might imagine,” he said. “You see this dark image walking across the sound stage, but my dad was very funny. He loved 'The Flintstones.'
Anne Serling celebrating with Rod Serling on her birthday. (Courtesy of Anne Serling)
“He had a great singing voice. He sang Sinatra and Tony Bennett. He did the best gorilla impression you can imagine, as evidenced in almost every home movie. He told the audience [member] once, 'You think you know me, but I actually don't even like going in the attic unless the light is on.'”
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“There are so many memories I have of my father that make me smile,” Anne continued. “One time he came down using my lampshade, and it was kind of funny. Another thing is, when he got angry, he would walk out of the room, and about five minutes later he would come back and say, 'Did you see? My twin brother in somewhere?
Rod Serling is seen here hosting an episode of his television show “The Twilight Zone” in California, circa 1962. (CBS Photo Archive/Getty Images)
“The other great memory I have is of my trips with my father to New York City. Every time we got into an elevator, he would tell me (when I was a little older) a bawdy limerick. I would start to We were laughing the moment we got into the elevator and then he started laughing. There we were like two fools laughing.”
The screenwriter and producer quickly became one of television's most prolific and well-known writers, The New York Times reported. Zicree said Serling had a “mixed response” to his success in Hollywood.
Anne Serling had a close bond with her father, Rod Serling. She insisted that he was not a dark, brooding figure, but someone full of life. (Courtesy of Anne Serling)
“I think he was certainly proud of 'The Twilight Zone,'” he explained. “He felt that 'The Twilight Zone' accomplished what it set out to do, which was to take everything he cared about, everything he felt about life and humanity and love and death, all the great true themes, and put them into in your program.
“But I think Hollywood… can be incredibly corrosive. It can break your heart. It can break your spirit. Rod was not a broken man at all. But certainly after 'The Twilight Zone,' when he made 'Night Gallery' and others important projects, he certainly felt how unnecessarily cruel Hollywood could be, how it didn't recognize quality like we all do.”
Rod Serling would go on to inspire filmmakers like Jordan Peele and M. Night Shyamalan. (CBS via Getty Images)
“I wish Rod Serling had never had a day where an executive turned him down because he was our genius,” Zicree reflected. “But I think toward the end of his life, he didn't believe 'The Twilight Zone' would stand the test of time. He said that in interviews.”
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Rod Serling died in 1975. He was 50 years old. (CBS via Getty Images)
“When I was writing [my book]”I interviewed over 100 people who worked on the show,” Zicree shared. “No one spoke ill of Rod, no one… in a city that is known for its malice, its gossipy qualities and its catfights, everyone loved Rod.”
Anne said Serling was full of hope during his final years. I was excited about writing a novel and a Broadway play. He also “wanted to meet his grandchildren one day.”
“He felt very positive about his future,” he said. “My parents had talked about staying back east longer because they both loved the change of seasons.”
Rod Serling with Robby the Robot, circa 1963. (CBS via Getty Images)
“He wasn't a broken man, just hiding in the shadows,” Zicree interjected. “I think we're lucky that he worked in a medium where we can see his work… And the quality of 'The Twilight Zone' is what has made it last now and a hundred years from now. When we are in the nutritious tanks with robot bodies, we'll probably be here again saying how great Rod was.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
