Which episode first featured the familiar Marius Constant Twilight Zone theme?

“Which episode first featured the familiar Marius Constant Twilight Zone theme? The answer is ‘King Nine Will Not Return.’”

The familiar theme first appeared with “King Nine Will Not Return,” the season-two premiere, which aired on September 30, 1960. It replaced Bernard Herrmann’s orchestral title music, used throughout the first season, and introduced the sharper guitar-and-percussion sound most audiences now associate with the series.

Marius Constant’s music was not originally written as a full-length Twilight Zone theme. CBS commissioned short pieces of library music, and the televised opening combined sections later identified as “Etrange 3” and “Milieu 2.” Jazz guitarist and session musician Howard Roberts played the distinctive guitar part.

The episode itself concerns Captain James Embry, whose B-25 bomber has apparently crashed in the desert. His psychological ordeal is tied to the real-world discovery of the B-24 bomber Lady Be Good. The episode also marked Rod Serling’s first on-camera opening narration in the series, adding to its importance as a turning point in the show’s presentation.