A Burst of Serling for the Fourth

Television’s Fourth of July fare brings the best of Rod Serling and a burst of fireworks.

KTLA kicks off today’s programming with its seventh annual “Twilight Zone Marathon.” The nine-hour telecast, airing from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Channel 5, opens with “Where Is Everyone?,” the first episode of Serling’s classic anthology series.

Later tonight, stars of all stripes celebrate Independence Day. On PBS, Pearl Bailey, Henry Mancini, Peter Nero and host E. G. Marshall, among others, collaborate on “A Capitol Fourth 1989.” The 10th annual mix of music and fireworks on the Capitol lawn airs from 8 to 9:30 p.m. on Channels 28, 15, 24 and 50.

More festivities can be found on “Walt Disney’s Fourth of July Spectacular.” Hosted by Willard Scott and Miss America Gretchen Carlson, the Magic Kingdom combination of parades, musical performances and pyrotechnics runs from 8:30 to 10:30 p.m. on Channel 5. (It starts at 8 p.m. on Channel 6 in San Diego.)

Rounding out today’s specials is “The Story of Rock ‘n’ Roll.” The first of three monthly programs tracing the evolution of rock arrives at 8 p.m. on Channel 13.

On the movie front, Channel 11 screens “Stars and Stripes Forever,” the 1952 biography of John Philip Sousa, at 8 p.m. Then at 9 p.m., cable’s Disney Channel has a colorized version of the perennial “Yankee Doodle Dandy” with James Cagney as showman George M. Cohan.

In search of sports? NBC televises delayed coverage of Wimbledon tennis from 9 to 11 a.m. (4)(36)(39), with late-night highlights at 11:30. Home Box Office covers the women’s quarterfinals at 5 p.m. and recaps the day’s action at 7:30 p.m.

For local baseball fans, there are two games on tap. The Dodgers and St. Louis Cardinals play at 3:30 p.m. on Channel 11, while the Angels and Texas Rangers meet at 6 p.m. on Channel 5.