Buck Houghton

Career overview

Archible Ernest Buck Houghton Jr. was an American television producer and writer born in Denver, Colorado, on May 4, 1915. He is best remembered for his work as a producer on the television series The Twilight Zone, where he oversaw the first three seasons. His influence during this period spanned multiple facets of production, including script selection, the rental of production facilities, casting, scoring, and editing. He produced more than a hundred episodes of the series before departing when the network mandated that the fourth season consist of hour-long episodes.

Houghton began his career in Hollywood working as backstage help on films directed by Cecil B. DeMille. He later served as a reader for Val Lewton and as a story editor for David O. Selznick. Beyond his work on The Twilight Zone, Houghton contributed to various other television programs and independent films from the 1950s through the 1990s. This included a collaboration with dramatist Clifford Odets on The Richard Boone Show, which aired from 1963 to 1964 and featured a resident repertory company of actors. Houghton, who held degrees in English and economics from UCLA, died on May 14, 1999, at the age of 84.