Rod Serling's Night Gallery

[carolinec]

Had a nice eBay find a few weeks' back - a DVD of season 1 of Night Gallery. Just started watching it last night and I thought it might be a good idea to start a thread - to see if anybody else is into this and wants to comment too?

Sorry, no cover image, but picture in your mind, if you will, a smartly-dressed Rod Serling standing looking serious (didn't he always?), hands clapsed in front of him, welcoming you into the Night Gallery ...

So far, I've just watched part of the pilot episode (all written by Serling) as follows:

THE CEMETERY
An evil nephew (played by Roddy McDowell with an irritating accent) bumps off his infirm uncle to inherit his fortune. But then a picture of the family burial ground painted by the uncle starts to take on a life of its own (seemingly), and the nephew is driven mad, and, eventually, to his death.

Turns out to be a plot by the uncle's faithful old retainer, but then the painting really does take on a life of its own ...

EYES
A rich blind woman (Joan Crawford) bribes her doctor into performing surgery to restore her sight for a few hours - but this involves permanently taking the sight of a "nobody" (admirably played by Tom Bosley - who played the father in Happy Days I believe).

This one displays the trademark Serling streak of black humour in that when she regains her sight, there's a city-wide power cut so she doesn't reap the benefits of it!

***********
These definitely aren't as good as The Twilight Zone, but it's great to see them again anyway. I've only just realised after watching these and comparing them with TZ just how important a part of TZ writers Richard Matheson and Charles Beaumont were. As we mentioned on another thread, I think Beaumont had died (or certainly wasn't writing) by the time of Night Gallery, and I don't think Matheson was involved in this at all? (though I may be wrong?)

Anyway, it's good to see them again, and I'm looking forward to later stories too - some based on stories by the likes of Fritz Leiber and HP Lovecraft.

Anybody else seen these? Any other comments?

[sean]

Night Gallery turned up in a thread somewhere not too long back (an episode called 'Green Fingers'). It's certainly not on a level with the best of the original TZ, but then again some episodes of that were dire! Well worth a look though - there's loads of the things up on youtube as well.

Apparently Serling didn't have the same amount of 'artistic control' on this series that he did on TZ, which might explain some of the differences. Or might not. I don't know.

[Johnlprobert]

I found it a very interesting series to watch, ranging from some superbly atmospheric stuff, to the kind of story where you wonder what kind of drugs everyone was on to see the thing through production and not think 'this is bloody stupid'.

Personally I can't wait for the DVD release of Season 2, but it doesn't look as if it'll be anytime soon. The wonderful Clark Ashton Smith's 'The Return of the Sorceror' starring Vincent Price, Bill Bixby & the gorgeous Patricia Stirling is a nice bonus extra on the set I have

[Craig Herbertson]

Summarised so well johnlprobert. A times you'd get the surreal wooooooohhh and at others you would think NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

[allthingshorror]

I got my copy from HMV only a couple of weeks back, £15 I think it was. Absolutely loved The Cemetery with Roddy McDowall - he just carries that malicious skittery bent off of his perfectly. Watched a couple of the bonus episodes from series 2 - enjoyed Professor Peabody's last Lecture - but on the whole quite dissapointing and not a patch on the TZ.

[dem bones]

Rod Serling's Night Gallery

1st March 1972
The Caterpillar

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Writer: Rod Serling
Story: Oscar Cook
Director: Jeannot Szwarc

Cast: Laurence Harvey (Steven Macy); Joanna Pettet (Rhona Warwick): Tom Helmore (John Warwick): Don Knight (Tommy Robinson): John Williams (Doctor):

Story: In Borneo, a man plots to murder the husband of a beautiful woman by using an 'earwig', an insect which burrows through the brain of its host. The plan backfires, and instead, he becomes the victim. The earwig somehow comes out without harming him, but then he learns that it was a female, which left its eggs behind.

Note: Oscar Cook's story was originally entitled Boomerang

- from Jean-Marc Lofficier & Randy Lofficier's Into the Twilight Zone: The Rod Serling Programme Guide, iUniverse, 2003.

Been checking through some listings of the series and spotted many other interesting-sounding adaptations among the 99 episodes: Chetwynd-Hayes's Housebound (as Something In The Woodwork), 14 Jan 1973. The previous episode, broadcast on 24th December '72 was Andrea Newman's creepy cat shockerShe'll Be Company For You starring Burgess Meradith. There are also versions of Seabury Quinn's The Phantom Farmhouse, R. C. Cook's Green Fingers, David Ely's The Academy, Shamus Frazier's The Tune In Dan's Cafe and even some Pan Horrors: Christianna Brand The Sins Of The Fathers, Bryan Lewis Someone In The Room, Harry E. Turner's Hell's Bells ...

There's an excellent episode guide at nightgallery

[Johnlprobert]

Needless to say I'd love to see the BOOMERANG episode. PROFESSOR PEABODY is fun - did you notice the students are all named after mythos writers (including in the credits at the end?)

[sean]

The Caterpillar (part 1):

www.youtube.com/watch?v=d4p_gg4KHu4

This leads to the other parts as well.

[Johnlprobert]

Sean that's great!

Thanks very much my friend!

JLP

[sean]

No problem!

It's a pretty good episode, the very British baddie is nicely over-the-top and cringeworthy.

"Have a cold bath Mr Macy," is my favourite line, from the lady of the piece.

[corpsecandle]

If you use E-Mule (a piece of P2P software) you can get your hands on all the Night Gallery stuff and more besides.

Go to this website:

forum.dead-donkey.com/

Just noticed the site is switching servers at the time of posting the link,but the place should be up and running again within a few days...oh and check out the Sci-Fi Donkey forum for more gems

[mattofthespurs]

An official release of season 2 has been announced in the US. Sadly they appear to have 'lost' 2 of the shorter, filler episodes and are not included.

I find that a tad strange as the ones they have lost I have on a DVD I burned myself when I taped the series from late night showings on ITV and the SCI-FI channel.

If Universal want a copy they know where to find me. Bring your cheque book though chaps

[stuyoung]

Got the DVD of Season 1. I've only watched the first episode and the sampler for Season 2 featuring Professor Peabody's Last Lecture (available to watch at www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOLymAmJM4c ).

So far I agree with the above comments. It's good but not as good as Twilight Zone (which was itself occasionally a bit naff). That said, I think the fact that NG is obviously slightly more modern is throwing me off a bit; for me Serling's scripts work better in B&W and delivered by actors who didn't become famous until later rather than in colour and delivered by guest stars who are there in a desperate bid to grab the viewers' attention.

[mattofthespurs]

Nov 4, 2011 16:47:41 GMT stuyoung said:

It's good but not as good as Twilight Zone (which was itself occasionally a bit naff)

That comment in regards to TZ being occasionally naff is as close to heresay as I want to come.

Dam you Sir. Damn you to Hell!

[stuyoung]

Apparently Serling himself only thought about a third of the Twilight Zone episodes were any good. I've not seen the entire series so I can't say if I agree with him.

Anyway, I watched I Bury the Living last night. Bit Twilight Zoney, with Richard Boone unintentionally condemning people to death every time he sticks the wrong pin in a map of the local cemetery.

I was strangely fascinated by the fact that even as a young man Richard Boone's face looks like it was made out of concrete and leather.