Rod Serling in his Office – 1960’s

Rod Serling on the Set of “Planet of the Apes” – Mid 1960’s

1959 Viceroy Cigarette Ad – Rod Serling’s Cigarette of Choice

The gentleman in this 1959 Viceroy Ad bears a strong resemblance to Mr. Rod Serling; coincidence?

1959 Viceroy Cigarette ad

Rod Serling smoking nothing other than a Viceroy while discussing "Playhouse 90" (Image: Corbis)

Rod Serling on the New York City Subway

A friend saw this graffiti on the subway this morning.  She knows about my Rod Serling obsession,  so she sent it over to me.  I can’t believe it! This has got to be one of the coolest tags I’ve seen.

1959 Pre-Twilight Zone Interview with Rod Serling

This 1959 Rod Serling interview with Mike Wallace is incredible. Besides Mr. Serling’s flawless style and his smoking on air, this interview is why Rod Serling gets so much coverage here on The Invisible Agent. I love Mr. Serling’s response when Rod’s new project “The Twilight Zone” comes up. Mr. Wallace asks him, “…You’re going to be, obviously, working so hard on The Twilight Zone that, in essence, for the time being and for the foreseeable future, you’ve given up on writing anything important for television, right?”

Little did he know at the time. Check out the interview in two parts below.

Part One:

Part Two:

Related Posts:
CBS – Home of Great Hosts

Al Hirschfeld – Great Caricatures

Al Hirschfeld with daughter Nina - 1961 (Image LIFE Archive)

Al Hirschfeld was an American cartoonist known for his amazing caricature portraits of celebrities.  Hirschfeld also liked to hide the name of his daughter “Nina” in his cartoons.  Below are a small selection of some of my favorites.

TV Guide cover from November 3, 1956 featuring Edward R. Murrow

Rod Serling

Marilyn Monroe

Frank Sinatra

The Marx Brothers

Audrey Hepburn

John Lennon

CBS – Home of Great Hosts

The Columbia Broadcasting System has not only produced great programing during it’s long and illustrious history, it also has produced some great hosts. Two of my favorites are Edward R. Murrow and Rod Serling. Not only were these guys impeccably dressed chain-smokers, they were also brilliant in their fields. Mr. Murrow, who criticized the Red Scare and helped bring about the political downfall of Senator McCarthy, began his career with CBS in 1950 on “The CBS Evening News” and soon after appeared on various programing including: “See it Now” & “Person to Person”. I love these photographs of Mr. Murrow below, especially the old microphones and television screens in the background.

Check out the old microphone

The old camera and broadcast room is incredible!

Rod Serling, was the creator, host, and also a writer for CBS’ hit series “The Twilight Zone”. Serling used the show to express his progressive social views veiled with a touch of Science Fiction. Mr. Serling, a U.S. Army paratrooper in World War II was wounded in combat and awarded the Purple Heart along with a Bronze Star. He suffered terribly from flashbacks and war time nightmares and these were a driving force behind his writing. I have always loved Mr. Serlings aesthetic: trim and clean blazer, white oxford, skinny tie, and a cigarette…

Rod with his typewriter

One the original 1950's wool sharkskin suits

Hamilton Electric

The Hamilton watch company has a long and extensive history. Although I love the older manual winding Hamilton’s, lately I have been obsessed with the Hamilton Electrics. Research for the first battery operated watch began by Hamilton in 1946. It wasn’t until 1957 that Hamilton announced the release of the “Ventura” the world’s first battery powered watch. For the next 12 years, Hamilton would produce some of the most interesting and highly sought after “Space Age” designs. Check out the Meteor, Altair, Flight, Ventura, & Regulus below. If you watch some of the original Twilight Zone episodes, you might notice Rod Serling wearing the Ventura. Rene Rondeau is considered the leading expert on the Hamilton Electric and also has various models available for purchase from time to time.

“Ventura” model – This was the first ever battery powered watch. This watch with a white dial was worn by “The Twilight Zone” host Rod Serling

“Meteor” model – The asymetrical shape of this watch is incredible!

“Flight” model – This watch was originally designed as a prototype for Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey

“Regulus” model – Extremely rare electric.

“Altair” model – This is one of my favorites!