One Of The Twilight Zone's First Episodes Adapted An Orson Welles Radio Play

The Twilight Zone, a landmark anthology series, once adapted a radio play by Orson Welles titled "The Hitch-Hiker." This early first-season episode of the iconic show was conceived after its creator, Rod Serling, heard the performance by Welles and deemed it suitable for television. The episode stars Inger Stevens as Nan Adams, who survives a car accident and encounters a mysterious hitchhiker repeatedly.

The hitchhiker's constant presence leads Nan to realize that she never survived the crash; instead, the apparition is Death, who came for her soul.

Originally written by Lucille Fletcher for Welles, "The Hitch-Hiker" was a radio drama that debuted on The Orson Welles Show. Over the years, Welles performed the play on Suspense, The Philip Morris Playhouse, and The Mercury Summer Theatre of the Air. Serling secured the rights from Fletcher, who changed the lead character to a woman and relocated the accident from New York to Pennsylvania, while maintaining the core plot.

Fletcher's inspiration stemmed from an incident during her move from New York to California with her then-husband, Bernard Herrmann, a composer.

Fletcher drew the concept from witnessing an odd man on the Brooklyn Bridge and later on the Pulaski Skyway. She later conceived the story as a ghost tale a year after giving birth. Welch was the ideal choice to portray the eerie tale, and Fletcher wrote it with that in mind. Herrmann composed the music for the radio play, which would later be utilized in the TV adaptation.

Although Serling purchased the rights to the play beforehand, Fletcher was unaware that it would be adapted for television and was not consulted on the gender change for the protagonist. In an interview with The Twilight Zone Companion, Fletcher expressed dissatisfaction with the unauthorized gender swap, stating that it diminished the dramatic impact of the original play, despite Inger Stevens' compelling performance.