Reviews (3)

An often immitated story line.
Boris is a quack prestidigitator whose premonitions suddenly begin to come true. One of the first of these kinds of stories possibly, but often immitated since. Reminicent of a One Step Beyond story. Worth a look though.

Karloff in excellent form!
Not too long ago, the classic early-sixties horror/suspense/crime series "Thriller" ended a highly-edited run on The Sci-Fi Channel, where it was tucked into the wee hours of the morning. To its credit, Sci-Fi showed all of the series' episodes, horror and non-horror, and in their original order, which made this episode all the more significant, as it was the first truly supernatural installment in the series, and an excellent one. The story is conventional but very cleverly done and wonderfully atmospheric, paving the way for such great entries as Robert Bloch's "The Hungry Glass" and Robert Arthur's "Pigeons from Hell." Karloff, who had a tendency to ham up such roles, is excellent here as the magician/seer who suddenly finds himself cursed with terrible powers. The ending, while unsurprising, is memorably tragic. One of the best!

Good Episode of a Sublime, Though Sadly Forgotten, TV Show
True fans of Horror who grew up in the 1960s and 1970s love this show. Even Stephen King, in his book DANSE MACABRE (p. 216 of the oversized paperback), calls this "the best horror series ever put on TV."

The show's host, Boris Karloff, obviously no stranger to the horror genre, stars in this particular episode, "The Prediction." It is a story about a second-rate magician (Karloff) whose "stage" predictions about the future suddenly start to come true. But when the old prognosticator warns that a secretly planned elopement will result in death, his assistant and her fiance think it's all a smoke-and-mirrors attempt to end their relationship. Though the ending to this story is a bit predictable (excuse the pun), the strong performance by Karloff makes it definitely worth watching. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Adult Thriller episode~
This episode is not as much fun or nearly as creepy as other Thrillers,but the acting is superb.This was more of an adult presentation~~no thunder & lightening & old,dark mansions in this one!Worth owning,tho'!

One of the better "Thriller" episodes.
"The Terror in Teakwood" is a typical horror installment of "Thriller" in every regard. The horrific and supernatural elements are presented in a matter-of-fact, Jacques-Tourneur fashion, with the primary emphasis placed on telling a good story. Such an approach renders the frightening moments all the more frightening. Whatever happened to this approach?

The story is an imaginative variation on "The Hands of Orlac," with a dangerously obsessed pianist stealing the hands of his dead rival from the graveyard. The pianist is played by none other than Guy Rolfe of William Castle's 1961 "Mr. Sardonicus." Not the scariest "Thriller" episode, by any means, but scary enough.

Creepy Episode of a Sublime, Though Sadly Forgotten, TV Show
True fans of Horror who grew up in the 1960s and 1970s love this show. Even Stephen King, in his book DANSE MACABRE (p. 216 of the oversized paperback), calls this "the best horror series ever put on TV." The show's host, Boris Karloff, was obviously no stranger to the genre, and he even starred in several notable episodes.

This episode, "The Terror in Teakwood," tells the story of a pianist and composer who is obsessed with proving to the public that he can best his late rival. He is eventually able to perform his rival's most difficult pieces, but only when wearing the severed hands of the deceased rival like a pair of gloves. Of course, such gruesome acts ultimately lead to the jealous pianist's demise....

This is a particularly eerie and morbid episode, so fans of the genre should definitly find here those chills they seek. Also worth noting is that the episode was directed by Paul Henreid, who is well known to fans of classic cinema as the actor who played Victor Laszlo in 1942's CASABLANCA. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Great TV, lots of fun.
I recently ordered three of these tapes from Amazon.com and I'm not disappointed. This one has great atmosphere, Boris steals the show of course. Dick York is great too. Nice shock ending. The subject matter was very uncommon for early 60s television, a rare living dead story. Ooops, don't want to give away the ending! Classic TV horror, one of the best. Pleasant screams!

The first horror story I ever saw; it scarred me for life
I cannot believe I found this, because "The Incredible Doktor Markesan" was the first horror story I can remember seeing. More to the point, I remember the ending, which freaked me out so much that I could not stand to watch "Bewitched" because all I could think of is what happened to Dick York and Carolyn Kearney at the end of this story. This was an episode of "Thriller," the suspense anthology that aired on NBC from 1960-1962 and was hosted by Boris Karloff, who also plays the title character in this 1962 story directed by Robert Florey ("Murders in the Rue Morgue").

My memory of the end of this show was so intense that all I remembered about the rest of the episode was that the young married couple were told not to go exploring in the house and they did not listen (my parents could not have possibly known their five year old was watching "Thriller"; watching Karloff would have meant nothing to me). It turns out the good Doktor has invented a serum that wakes the dead by turning them into zombies. When his nephew and his bride come to live with Markesan, their curiosity gets the better of them with horrible results.

I do not claim to be objective about this story because it literally scarred me for life. Watching the ending again, for the second time ever, totally creeped me out and it has been forty years. Eventually I got up enough nerve to actually watch the parts of "The Wizard of Oz" with the wicked witch, but I have needed the intervening decades to screw up enough courage to watch "The Incredible Doktor Markesan" again. This is probably the only episode of "Thriller" I ever watched, which makes perfect sense to me. I just cannot believe I found this (shiver).

Classic Episode From A Classic TV Show.
I was overjoyed when Universal issued this along with 5 other episodes of THRILLER a few years ago as this was one of my favorite shows from the early days of TV. It lasted only 2 years on NBC but not before many fine segments were aired featuring a number of well known actors, writers and directors. I had taped several episodes when a local station ran them late night many years ago. It's always a pleasant surprise when something is as good as you remember it. Unfortunately the copies I taped were not in the best of shape so it was especially disappointing when Universal chose not to release any more in the series. Many fine stories were not included such as THE HUNGRY GLASS with William Shatner, PIGEONS FROM HELL based on a story by Robert E. Howard of CONAN fame, and LA STREGA a tale of witchcraft with a young Ursula Andress. The ones that were chosen seem to be based on contemporary recognition factors of the stories and performers which is understandable but unfortunate. Perhaps someday TV LAND or one of the cable channels will make the series available. It's too good to waste. Of the ones released this episode is, in my opinion, the best of the lot and one of the best from the entire series. It is based on a story by H.P. Lovecraft disciple August Derleth and directed by veteran Robert Florey (MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE, THE BEAST WITH 5 FINGERS). Boris Karloff is unforgettable as the title character while Dick York is fun to see outside of BEWITCHED. It's the details such as camera angles, lighting and acting that add up in this old-fashioned approach to horror and while the story may be predictable the results are highly effective. For those of you who want to be chilled as opposed to grossed out then check this out along with the other 5 in the series. Perhaps someone could persuade Stephen King (who loved this show as a kid) to use his considerable clout to persuade Universal to release more episodes. I'm sure they would listen to him.

The best TV Horror circa 1960
I first saw this in the early 70s when a local station was thoughtfully running the series every night of the week right at bedtime. This episode is on my short list of the best of the best of this series. (Others that spring to mind: Guillotine; Kill My Love; The Remarkable Mrs. Hawk; Masquerade)

The other reviewers here mention the predictability of the ending, and for certain, the producers do all they can to annihilate the surprise factor. They show the last few seconds of this particular episode in a 2 minute teaser that precedes the feature on this video, just throwing away the one hour buildup that is to follow for the sake of a glitzy montage. (Idiots!) Beware!! --Fast forward without looking, if you can, to the beginning proper of the tape.

I think the ending is predictable the way the ending of a trailblazing movie like, say, Psycho is now. It doesn't take a prophet to see the past with 20-20 vision. In it's day, however, the convention that a protagonist must make it to the closing credits of a popular entertainment was only beginning to be challenged by movies like Psycho, and on TV, by The Twilight Zone, and Thriller. Just those two. I recall clearly my dismay, indeed my horror, the first time I saw this episode, with no hint of what was to come. So maybe the failure here is the failure of the other writers to adequately "work with" the episode, as they would have to the original Nosferatu, Frankenstein or Metropolis.

I give it a very solid 5 stars.

Superb crawler of flesh!
Others may give this episode a "so~so" review,but I liken it to being trapped in a nightmare while wanting to run for help!The atmosphere is dank & musty,the acting is sharp,Karloff is simply magnificent & the black & white photography only enhances the story.DON'T MISS THIS ONE! ... Read more

Reviews (5)

SCARIEST MOVIE EVER
I saw this movie once in my life....in 1965. I had nightmares about it for twenty years. Absolutely the most spine-tingling movie of all time. Not bloody type of scary, DEMON kind of scary.

A Thriller worth seeing
When I fisrt rented this video, I thought it would be hum-drum and boring. But I found it to be suspenseful, interesting, entertaining and definitely worth seeing. It's about a young man(William Shatner) who goes to visit his aunt who just recently married a man much younger than herself, he comes to warn her of an 'evil' painting that brings certain death to all who posses it. But the painting does not strike without warning, before the unlucky party is to die, the scythe in the painting bears blood, and its meaning is certain death. The ending was the best. Just when you think you've figured the plot, a surprise twist occurs. Starring William Shatner and hosted by the great Boris Karloff, and written by Robert Bloch, the author of Psycho, this is a thriller worth dying for.

Surprisingly better than average- even thrilling
When I fisrt rented this video, I thought it would be hum-drum and boring. But I found it to be suspenseful, interesting, entertaining and definitely worth seeing. It's about a young man(William Shatner) who goes to visit his aunt who just recently married a man much younger than herself, he comes to warn her of an 'evil' painting that brings certain death to all who posses it. But the painting does not strike without warning, before the unlucky party is to die, the scythe in the painting bears blood, and its meaning is certain death. The ending was the best. Just when you think you've figured the plot, a surprise twist occurs. Starring William Shatner and hosted by the great Boris Karloff, and written by Robert Bloch, the author of Psycho, this is a thriller worth dying for.

Good Episode of a Sublime, Though Sadly Forgotten, TV Show
True fans of Horror who grew up in the 1960s and 1970s love this show. Even Stephen King, in his book DANSE MACABRE (p. 216 of the oversized paperback), calls this "the best horror series ever put on TV." The show's host, Boris Karloff, was obviously no stranger to the genre, and he even starred in several notable episodes.

This particular episode, "The Grim Reaper," is a pretty good one. The story centers a wealthy writer of horror fiction and her visiting nephew. The nephew's plan is to "bump off" his old aunt, using the legend of a cursed painting of the Grim Reaper--a painting the aunt has recently purchased--as his cover. But, of course, there is more to the "legend" behind the painting than the nephew realizes....

As with all the good and great episodes of THRILLER, this one does chill the bones. Also notable are a pre-STAR TREK performance by William Shatner, as the nephew, and a pre-GILLIGAN'S ISLAND performance by Natalie Schafer as the wealthy aunt. Definitely one of the THRILLER episodes that fans of the genre, especially fans of classic horror, won't want to miss.

best move to with the grim reaper so far
a cursed painting of the grim reaper comes to life ... Read more

Amazon.com

Ann-Margret never actually touches a whip in this seedy jailbait drama of juvenile delinquents and square-john fall guys, but her slithery moves and schizophrenic mood swings are still enough to give anyone whiplash. The teen temptress makes her entrance skittering through an industrial park in nothing more than a baby-doll nightie as bongos pound away on the soundtrack. Taking refuge in the seemingly deserted house of political hopeful John Forsythe, she begins her torment of the man who would be her savior with her gang of beatnik buddies. "Now cool it and co-exist!" exclaims nominal leader Peter Brown. Fat chance.

Ann-Margret yo-yos from little girl lost to feral femme fatale with sharp claws and a taste for blood. She becomes a hellcat who turns on everyone in her nocturnal flight to Tijuana. She even growls with glee while gunning a jeep over a running buddy tangled in barbed wire! Stiff Forsythe is uncomfortably out of place next to the slinky sex kitten, like a sitcom dad who walked onto the wrong set, and the dated portrait of nihilistic, pseudo-philosophical teens makes the film unintentionally campy. But give it credit for energy: Ann-Margret almost single-handedly powers this offbeat drama with pure sass. If the music sounds familiar in the south-of-the-border scenes, that's because it borrows liberally from Henri Mancini's Latin-flavored Touch of Evil score. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Hot Ann-Margret Flick
Talk about sexy. In this film Ann-Margret has got it going on. She is indeed a Kitten With A Whip. Filmed in black and white it has film noir quality. I'm sure she turned on a million teenage boys back in 1964 playing Jody, a troubled JD who prays on the frailties of politician John Forstythe. This kitten made me purr.

Raggedy Ann...
David Stratton (John Forsythe) an up and coming San Diego politician, finds a beautiful seventeen year old girl (Ann-Margret), asleep in his daughter's room. Her name is Jody, and she has a sad story to tell. The kind hearted Stratton decides against turning the girl over to the authorities, dropping her off at a bus stop, thinking he'll never see the young beauty again. The truth is she's a runaway from a reform school, who stabbed a staff member in making her escape, and is wanted by the law.

Stratton's wife and child are away from home, and later upon learning the facts about his recent houseguest, he is perhaps feeling fortunate that there are no serious repercussions from the young delinquent's visit. That is, until he returns home to find that Jody is back in his house again. Already compromised, he now has a guest who won't leave, and it gets worse when she invites three of her friends over for a party. The politician just wants to get out with his reputation intact, and is forced to go along with the game. An accident with a razor leads to a trip to Tijuana for medical attention. South of the border, Jody just can't keep from making trouble, and matters get more complicated, culminating in mad car chase with the wild child herself behind the wheel.

There is budding star quality evident in Ann-Margret's vampy performance. Displaying both innocence as well as a malicious dark side, Jody is a manipulative little sex kitten. Wild and troubled, but still with dreams of an ordinary life. John Forsythe gives a solid performance as a model citizen overwhelmed by circumstances and trapped by good intentions. A bit cliched, but interesting for the performances of the two stars.

One Of The Greatest Movie Titles Of All Time!
Ann-Margret turns in a star-making performance in "Kitten With A Whip," alternately acting scared, sexy, angry and even psychotic. This kitten has claws and she's not afraid to use them! She breaks out of a girls' reformatory and breaks into what she thinks is a deserted house. Later that night, the owner of the house returns home. John Forsythe plays his straight-laced character to perfection. Ann-Margret decides that she'd rather stay with him instead of running from the law. When she invites her beatnik friends over for a party, the action really heats up. After the head beatnik accidentally gets cut with a straight razor, they hightail it to Tijuana. There's a doctor friend of theirs who will patch him up with no questions asked. The violence escalates until the movie reaches its surprise ending. Hopefully, Rhino will release the Mystery Science Theater 3000 version of this cult classic!

Creepy.
At first glance this movie looks like a campy, b-flick from the early sixties; perhaps this is all there is to it. But when I watched it, I was floored by how genuinely eerie it is. The title is a euphemism for what in male circles is called being (..)whipped, and the term aludes to the power of female sexuality over the male. Ann-Margret plays up that power, both as an apparently helpless, almost childlike girl and as a ferocious femme fatale. (spoiler)

Ann-Margaret's "beat" friends also appear campy, or almost like a frightened suburbanite's sterotype of wayward youth. But when one listens to their conversation and watches their behavior, one wonders whether their campiness is in fact deliberate. These kids are so off-center and weird that they make your skin crawl. This is David Lynch or Quentin Tarantino territory, early sixties version.

Ann-Margaret is great, John Forsythe shows up. As the Amazon reviewer notes, the film lifts Henry Mancini's "A Touch of Evil score. How did they dare use it so soon after A Touch of Evil came out?

ONE TERRIFIC MOVIE!
MY GIRLFRIEND AND I WATCHED THIS FILM ON AMERICAN MOVIE CLASSICS.FEBUARY 4TH..AT 3 IN THE MORNING AND WE LOVED IT!!!...I NEVER REALLY SAT DOWN AND WATCHED A ANN-MARGRET MOVIE.....AND I GOTTA TELL YA I'M GLAD THIS WAS MY FIRST!...IT WAS GREAT..WE ABSOLUTLY ENJOYED IT!....THE WANNA-BE ACTRESSES OF TODAY HAVE NOTHING ON THOSE OF THE PAST...THESE BLONDE BRAIN-DEAD NO TALET ACTRESSES ON THESE SIT-COMS AND DRAMAS SHOULD WATCH THIS FIM AND SEE TURE TALET AT WORK! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Nice twist on Poe.
This is the E. A. Poe story with a twist. I liked it alot, had me guessing what would happen next. Clever pop-open coffin setup. The specter's face was very effective. Well done twist to a classic Poe story.

Good Episode of a Sublime, Though Sadly Forgotten, TV Show
True fans of Horror who grew up in the 1960s and 1970s love this show. Even Stephen King, in his book DANSE MACABRE (p. 216 of the oversized paperback), calls this "the best horror series ever put on TV." The show's host, Boris Karloff, is obviously no stranger to the horror genre, and he co-stars in this particular episode, "The Premature Burial."

With only a vague resemblance to the Poe story of the same name, this story concerns a man who suffers from catalepsy and consequently becomes obsessed with ensuring that he is never buried alive during a seizure. But unbenknownst to him, his cuckolding young wife has other plans. Karloff appears as a medical doctor who is good friends with the cataleptic gentleman and who eventually uncovers the truth about the wife's sinister doings. All in all, it's an entertaining little horror story with an interesting and suspenseful climax. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Horrifyingly Amusing "Thriller" Episode!
This 1961 installment of the Boris Karloff-hosted hour-long TV anthology series, "Thriller", is one of the best of the lot. Starring Elizabeth Montgomery and Tom Poston (along with a creepy John Carradine), "Masquerade" is delightfully "tongue-in-cheek" from start to finish. With a great, great twist ending too!

Liz and Tom are stranded in a severe rain storm, and stop by the nearest residence for shelter. Too bad -- for them that is. Because this "residence" is occupied by some rather odd inhabitants (Carradine and family).

This plot has a very familiar ring. It's the same storyline that exists in the feature film "The Old Dark House", the outstanding 1932 horror classic. But in "Masquerade", the "horror" is heavily tinged with humor (mostly humor in fact -- but still a little scary around the edges at times). A nice blend of scary images and humor make this episode quite fun to see.

The very first thing you'll notice as this episode begins is something that is distinctly familiar to nearly all horror movie fans -- that being the house that was used as the location for this "Thriller" program. It's none other than Norman Bates' homestead from the film "Psycho" (which was released just 16 months prior to the airing of this TV episode)! It *does* seem rather strange (IMO) for this by-now highly-recognizable "Psycho" house to be shown in a TV episode.

With lightning illuminating the house and thunder crashing during the heavy rainstorm, the producers of this "Thriller" episode did an excellent job of photographing this famous old house, and creating an eerie setting at the beginning of the program. The famous dwelling looks even spookier in this "Thriller" episode (if that's possible) than it did in Mr. Hitchcock's movie.

"Masquerade" first aired on network TV on October 30, 1961 -- the 43rd episode of the "Thriller" series, which ran for just two seasons (67 total episodes).

This VHS video comes via "MCA/Universal Home Video" and runs approx. 50 minutes in Full-Frame (1.33:1) format. The audio is Hi-Fi Mono. The video opens with a short "Trailer" ad for the six MCA/Universal VHS videos in this "Thriller" series. Each video contains one (approx. 50-minute) episode from the short-lived 1960s Boris Karloff series. They're all pretty darn good too. Getting them all wouldn't be that bad of an idea. A much better idea than spending a stormy night in the "Psycho" house, at any rate. LOL! :)

Vampire comedy thriller
Film legend Boris Karloff hosts this horror television series. In this episode he invites us to update our image of vampires.

Stars Elizabeth Montgomery (Bewitched) and Tom Poston (Bob Newhart Show) as a couple of young smart and cynical honeymooners who take refuge in a forbidding old house (the Psycho set) which is occupied by a strange family. The story keeps you guessing whether the honeymoon couple or the somewhat mocking hosts including John Carradine (Hillbillies in a Haunted House) are the ones who've made a grave mistake.

If you can suspend disbelief this is a nerve-racking nail-biting story, if you can't it's just nerve-racking.

Excellent creepfest with laughs & bats,too!
I very much enjoyed this lighthearted "THILLER" episode & I must admit~~I didn't see the twist ending coming!Great performances by all!Highly Recommended!!!

can't touch this
Now to really view a horror sitcomof the 1960's and enjoy the thrillof it...What a shame these are not duplicated anymore. Horror todayis loaded with blood, violence,sex and same thing same thing. With Thriller the old fashionthrill is there. REMEMBER THEFIRST ROLLER-COASTER RIDE. Thissame experience will be felt withthis video of yesterdays gone by.

Great Episode of a Sublime, Though Sadly Forgotten, TV Show
True fans of Horror who grew up in the 1960s and 1970s love this show. Even Stephen King, in his book DANSE MACABRE (p. 216 of the oversized paperback), calls this "the best horror series ever put on TV." The show's host, Boris Karloff, was obviously no stranger to the genre, and he even starred in several notable episodes.

This particular episode, "Masquerade," is one of the tamer episodes horror-wise, but it still sets the creepy mood that was the trademark of the series. Also notable are pre-fame performances by Tom Poston and Elizabeth Montgomery, as well as a nice little turn by John Carradine. Unlike the majority of THRILLER episodes, it does contain humor and has a humorous twist ending that, by today's standards, probably seems a bit cliche. Nontheless, it is a very entertaining episode and well worth a watch. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Iron Trail
Wish that there were more movies like the Cheyenne series on VHS today. They are great movies for the whole family to watch. I'd like to purchase others if they ever are made for VHS. I especially like Clint Walker westerns.

very good western exciting
This video was excellent. I am surprised that more episodes of this series have not been released. But if any one wants to see a good western this is one that is a must see. Dennis Hopper is great as a Billy the Kid type outlaw. Clint Walker is great as Cheyenne. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

White Warrior
Again, I love Cheyenne westerns and I think Michael Landon did a great job too! Wish there were more of the Cheyenne series on VHS.

The tallest and hadsomest cowboy the GREAT Clint Walker
Cheyenne series starring Clint Walker was probably the greatest cowboy star who through his personality dominated the screen .He was even a bigger star than Clint Eastwood.Just wathing him sitting on a horse is satisfying .This is one of his best westerns and I thoroughly enjoyed it .The print is excellent.Worth preserving as a classic.I dont know why warner Bros cant release a Gift Box containing 6 episodes of this great series.

Cheyenne - White Warrior
A fine entry in the long-running Cheyenne series, from Warner Bros. This episode features Clint Walker as a wagon train boss who rescues a young white man, played by Michael Landon, soon to star in Bonanza, who has been captured and brought up by the Indians. Not all the pioneers are happy with this, and led by B-western veteran, Morris Ankrum, they challenge Cheyenne. Beautiful print and Dolby B sound. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Welcome To The Night Gallery
Those opening words by writer, host and all round creative genius Rod Serling paved the way for viewers to enjoy many intriguing stories of mystery, mayhem and the supernatural during the three year run of the classic series "Night Gallery". A brain child of Serling who had earlier been responsible for the creation of one of televisions most innovative and best remembered series in the classic "The Twilight Zone","Night Gallery was a regular anthology series on NBC that told stories of macabre happenings with surreal characters in often out of this world situations. This particular TV movie was the original pilot for the series and aired in 1969. It contains three individual stories and was adapted by Rod Serling from his own short story collection titled "The Season to be Wary". While varying in quality with the third story by far the weakest, all are rich in suspense and detail with stories one and two boasting top flight guest stars in engrossing teleplays.

All three episodes are linked by the presence in each story of a painting that literally guides the course of events, hence the title "Night Gallery". Rod Serling introduces each of the segments by the unveiling of each painting in turn and the viewer is then drawn into the story it has to tell.

Episode One which is the real gem of the trio is titled "The Cemetary", and stars a superb Roddy McDowall as a devilish young man called Jeremy Evans who has latched on to his previously unknown wealthy uncle. To hasten the time when he will recieve the old man's inheritance Jeremy deliberatly exposes him to cold winds upon which the old man dies of pheumonia. However Jeremy finds that life is not all plain sailing now as a mysterious painting on the staircase keeps changing and shows his uncle slowly rising from the dead in the nearby family graveyard. Slowly driven to insanity by the thought of his uncle coming after him from the grave Jeremy falls down the stairs in terror and breaks his neck upon which the real twist in the story reveals itself. But is that really the end of the story?

Episode Two is the justly famous episode "Eyes",that stars none other than veteran Hollywood actress Joan Crawford in what was without doubt her most memorable television apearance. Here she was directed by a rookie director at the time, the now famous Steven Speilberg in his first directing opportunity. Joan plays Claudia Menlo an extremely wealthy Park Avenue Socialite who has been blind since birth. Hearing of an innovative approach to eye surgery whereby with a willing donor vision can be returned for roughly twelve hours, Claudia sets out to secure this opportunity for herself no matter what the cost. Totally ruthless in her dealings with others Claudia blackmails with incriminating evidence Surgeon Frank Hetherton to perform the surgery when a donor Sidney Resnick (Tom Bosley) is found. Resnick has gambling debts and is willing to sacrifice his eyes to get mob members off his back. The surgery is performed but just as Claudia removes her bandages New York experiences a total blackout leaving her as much in the dark as before. As ordinary daylight begins to break and Claudia sees not only the painting of herself she had commissioned but also her first sunrise she finds however that she has paid a very big price for little return resulting in tragedy.

Episode Three, "Escape", is the weakest of the stories and tells of a former Nazi Officer Herme Arndt (Richard Kiley) now going by the name of Josef Strobe who has fled to South America to avoid detection for his war crimes. While visting a museum he becomes intrigued by a painting of a fisherman and the tranquil setting in the painting makes him keep coming back to the painting each day secretly wishing he was that fisherman. He encounters a former Concentration Camp survivor in the museum who is aware of his former identity. Repeatedly seeking to become that fisherman in the painting however his wish is unfortunately granted but not in the way he expected when he becomes a part of a much more sinister painting moved to where the earlier painting used to hang. In this new painting Strobe will more than pay for his war crimes for all eternity.

Superbly linked together by an appropriately eerie narration by Rod Serling much like he did in his "Twilight Zone", series, "Night Gallery", makes wonderful viewing for those that grew up with the great anthology series of the 50's, and 60's decades. "Night Gallery", the TV movie was really Serling's last significant work for television and it was responsible for giving the green light to the successful series that followed over the next three seasons. Episodes One and Two are the really great stories here, thanks to the tense writing by Serling and the top notch performances by Roddy McDowall and Joan Crawford. The musical score employed throughout the segments also is highly evocative and adds tremendously to the eerie atmosphere employed here. I highly recommend "Night Gallery", for its great storytelling and as the last chapter in the career of one of television's most innovative pioneers, the legendary Rod Serling.

Flashforward: 1969-1972
Midnight never ends in a private showing dedicated to you, the viewer.

Rod Serling, with his perfect stage voice and brilliant mind has been missed since his death years ago.

These pilot episodes are very good, very unusual, and very, what's the word...nostalgic. You'll see. :)

The first offering is one where a black sheep nephew with an itch plots to do away with his uncle so as to reap his inheritance early. In this he was successful, until he begins notice odd little changes on a painting of the family graveyard which rests just outside the walls of the familiy mansion...

I won't touch the other two, they are great in their own right, but the first is the best of the three.

This strange gallery may show you the Flip-Side of Satan.

Classic Serling with Mod Roddy and Mommy Dearest Joan.
Here's some classic 1960s TV; the movie debut of Rod Serling's "Night Gallery". Though the series lapsed quickly into B-TV oblivion, this film stands out as fresh, original, and even profound on some level. Serling introduces his 3 original stories as 3 art gallery paintings and we start off with Roddy McDowell, all Modded up and with a Southern accent. He kills his uncle for the inheritance, but the painting by the stairs is scaring the daylights out of him. Ozzie Davis does a convincing (Mr.) Portifoy who's after some inheritance of his own.

Next we are on New York's 5th Ave. where Joan Crawford is blind and rich. She blackmails a doctor to do an operation allowing her 12 hours of sight...the catch is Tom Bosley has to donate his eyes for her. The moment she takes off her bandage for her 1st glimpse of sight a citywide blackout occurs. This is classic Serling (Beware of consequences) and even more profound and trippy than many Twilight Zone episodes. Not to mention this was Steven Spielberg's directorial debut. The final scene with Crawford getting a first and last glimpse of the sun has some profundity to it. Really the second the blackout hits we enter a surreal dimension, and we hear her thoughts "I want the sun", the window breaks, and we come back to Serling's gallery.

These first 2 stories I remember vividly from seeing them on early '70s TV as a kid. So it's really got the nostalgia factor going on. The 3rd story is a bit of a throwaway about a Nazi war criminal in South America.

Get this for the 1st 2.

Spookier than most made-for-TV films
This pilot film for Rod Serling's final TV endeavor NIGHT GALLERY is a three-part omnibus that is far spookier than most made-for-television projects. Serling's own morality tracts are here bought together in a delicious mix of suspense, terror, and melodrama.

The first story concerns a greedy nephew (Roddy McDowall) who deliberately leaves his uncle exposed (George Macready) open to the cold, so that his death will result in McDowall grabbing onto the family fortune. But there is a painting in his uncle's vast collection that, bit by little bit, proceeds to drive McDowall to utter madness because of what it depicts--Macready coming back from the grave!

Story #2 concerns a blind woman (Joan Crawford, in one of her last roles) who blackmails her doctor (Barry Sullivan) in giving her an occular transplant so that she may see, even if it is only for twelve hours. The operation is in actuality a success, but when her 5th Avenue penthouse is thrown into darkness because of the great 1965 New York blackout, she's led to believe it was a disaster.

Story #3 focuses on a Nazi fugitive (Richard Kiley) eking out an existence in Buenos Aires who becomes entranced by a painting of a fisherman in an art gallery, and who longs for Escape. But his past is about to catch up to him; and the twist ending is not quite what he had in mind.

Superbly scripted by Serling, from his collection of short stories entitled "The Season To Be Wary", NIGHT GALLERY is superior suspense entertainment. Boris Sagal and Barry Shear do effective jobs in the direction of the first and third stories, but it is the Crawford segment that gets the most attention--and for good reason. This marked the maiden directorial effort of a young man from Phoenix, Arizona named Steven Spielberg.

Billy Goldenberg's eerie, Herrmann-influenced score puts the capper on this one-of-a-kind TV movie. With Halloween fast approaching, NIGHT GALLERY is well worth searching for.

A must have for true Rod Serling fans
They just don't make 'em like this anymore!

To this day The Twilight Zone is one of my all-time favorite shows. It wasn't until recently that I re-discovered Night Gallery and learned that Rod Serling was behind this colorful, modernized series as well. Like TZ, Night Gallery's stories veer off the path of reality and venture into worlds of wild imagination never known before. Rod Serling was a master of mystery, macabre and leaving the viewer with incredible imprints from his mind.

The story I like best from this particular tape is the first one. Roddy McDowell and Ossie Davis give chilling performances and the storyline is truly eerie. I remember seeing this as a child and it really scared me. Watching it again bought back the same experience. "Eyes" with Joan Crawford also has an unforgettable twist for its conclusion.

Track this one down and add it to your collection and for those who want to see all the NG episodes, Columbia House has the series included in its extensive library, as well as The Twilight Zone. There are also Night Gallery and T.Z. Companions available here on Amazon that chronicle every episode of both series. Both are excellent resources for true Serling fans.

CLB. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Good adventure film with a great villan, and a bit of humor
Rod Taylor and Dennis Cole are troubleshooters for hire brought in by a railroad to rescue a hijcaked train in the southwest of 1914. Fernando Lamas has a great time playing a bandit (with all the stereotypes you don't expect to find in a 1970 film...though you can see elements of political awareness when our hereos buy a hotel that refused to rent rooms to the Hispanic family of the bad guy). Rod Taylor brings his typical light touch and charm to his role as the hero, leaving young Dennis Cole to do a lot of the action, that is climbing onto the moving train. Great cast with John McIntyre as the railroad owner and Micheal Ansara as the jailed brother of Lamas. The other hero of the show is the car...a 1914 Stutz Bearcat. If you like old cars, there are great shots of it roaring through the desert. The film served as the pilot film for a 1971 CBS-TV series starring Taylor and Cole, "Bearcats!" ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Episode Summary
For some reason the Rin Tin Tin tapes' descriptions have no episode summaries, so here ya go. "The Blood Brothers" finds Fort Apache threatened by the combined forces of two local Indian tribes. In "The Raw Recruit," Rinty and Rusty are rescued by a young soldier who's gone AWOL ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Good adventure film with a great villan, and a bit of humor
Rod Taylor and Dennis Cole are troubleshooters for hire brought in by a railroad to rescue a hijcaked train in the southwest of 1914. Fernando Lamas has a great time playing a bandit (with all the stereotypes you don't expect to find in a 1970 film...though you can see elements of political awareness when our hereos buy a hotel that refused to rent rooms to the Hispanic family of the bad guy). Rod Taylor brings his typical light touch and charm to his role as the hero, leaving young Dennis Cole to do a lot of the action, that is climbing onto the moving train. Great cast with John McIntyre as the railroad owner and Micheal Ansara as the jailed brother of Lamas. The other hero of the show is the car...a 1914 Stutz Bearcat. If you like old cars, there are great shots of it roaring through the desert. The film served as the pilot film for a 1971 CBS-TV series starring Taylor and Cole, "Bearcats!" ... Read more