I grew up watching this as a really little kid in Brooklyn, my family loved this show and it's probably the reason I still suffer from Night Terrors to this DAY! I was 5 when I saw 1971 episode THE DOLL. (there are 2 different doll episodes, I think the other is from 73 and is called Doll of Death)
Anyhoo, I was SO FREAKED out from watching that 71 The Doll episode that I still remember having horrible nightmares as a kid and I called the Episode The Doll with the Black Eyes. I couldn't sleep in a room with dolls, and I had a new strange raggedy ann type doll my aunt had just bought me, and she had Solid Black Eyes. I loved that doll, but could not sleep with it in my bed or anywhere in my room at night after this episode. I would make my Mom lock it up every night. Seriously!! I Never wanted to re-watch that episode growing up and even as an adult cannot sleep in any room with dolls. I finally re-watched this in 2004, I'm a grown woman and YES, it still CREEPED ME OUT!! It's like this episode gave me PTSD as a kid, and all those feelings of Terror came flooding back. I know, it sounds crazy, but it's TRUE! I haven't watched it since. LOL I'm creeped out just writing this and remembering how terrorized I felt as a child. Rod Serling was Great and I love him to this day, but his show Freaked me out and left my sleep disturbed to this day. But weird thing is I always Loved Horror Movies and can watch The Walking Dead alone at night with no problems, but Don't play the Doll with the Black Eyes for me, cause I don't think I will sleep for days. :o Great old school series with alot of creepy and disturbing episodes. ;D.
62 Reviews
Rod Serling's final bow
jc1305us28 May 2008
Often overlooked by the phenomenal success and pop culture landmark that Twilight Zone was and is, "Rod Serling's Night Gallery" was a much different show that never really lived up to it's potential. Viewed as three separate entities, i believe my thoughts will make more sense.
After the cancellation of "TZ" Serling wanted to get back into television with another show, but this time, he had a different idea. "Rod Serling's Wax Museum" was his idea, and it consisted of episodes introduced by Serling, who, as the curator of a wax museum, would introduce the evening's stories accompanied by a wax figure relating to the tale. While this concept was never realized, the idea was the starting point for Night Gallery. In 1969, Serling presented "Night Gallery", a made for TV movie that included three stories, each introduced by a different painting. "The Cemetery" , "Eyes" and "The Escape Route". Receiving high ratings and critical praise, the show was greenlighted by Universal as a rotating series for the 1970-1971 TV season.
The first season of "Rod Serling's Night Gallery", as it was now known, featured paintings revealed for each story, which now included several stories within the hour. As an anthology series, quality varied as different directors, and different script writers worked on different stories. However, "The Dead Man", "The House" "The Doll" and "They're Tearing Down Tim Reilley's Bar" which was nominated for a prime time emmy, stood out among the truncated first season.
Serling, who served as the on screen host of the show and it's public face, was back. However, it wouldn't last long. Producer Jack Laird, brought on board for the first season was the de facto boss. All script and editorial decisions were his. Serling, weary of the grind of weekly TV, had decided to take a smaller role in the day to day affairs of the show, assuming that as creator and host, he would be consulted on scripts, and other decisions, he was in for a rude awakening.
Beginning in the second, and best season, Night Gallery really got it's legs. The best of the series, in my opinion, are to be found here. Along with adaptations of great short fiction stories, such as "Cool Air", "Camera Obscura", "The Caterpillar", "Silent Snow Secret Snow", "A Death in the Family", "Pickman's Model", and many others, were excellent Serling originals, such as "Lindemann's Catch", "Deliveries in the Rear", and "Class of '99". One of the reasons is the great work of director Jeannot Szwarc, and cinematographer Lionel Lindon. However, strains were appearing between Serling and producer Laird, over the inclusion of short, comic viginettes, intended to round out the hour. Probably the most controversial aspect of this wonderful show.
For the third and final 1972-1973 season, short sighted executives at Universal mandated that NG be cut to 30 minute episodes, with more emphasis on American fiction, as they deemed adaptations of British fiction, over the head of the American audience. Despite several fine episodes, including the chilling "The Other Way Out", Rod Serling's Night Gallery was cancelled. In all 98 story segements, which ranged from 3-30 minutes a piece were filmed. In order to increase profits from the show, Universal butchered the series to fit into 30 minute segements for the syndication package, thereby gutting the souls of these wonderful stories. To add insult to injury, another series "The Sixth Sense", an ESP themed bomb, was grafted on to Night Gallery in the syndication package further destroying NG's reputation. Serling, contractually bound, introduced the Sixth Sense episodes, as if they were Night Gallery.
AFter the cancellation Serling stayed busy, but ultimately passed away in 1975, after surgery to correct a heart defect. He remained upset about the treatment he received by Universal and Laird until he passed away.
Years later, after viewing Night Gallery in it's original format, we can see that there were, for all of it's warts, flashes of brilliance from this series. Macabre, eerie, sometimes frighteneing, and even humorous stories were all to be found, with enough differences to make them very fresh, and enough similarities to make them classics. If you're a fan of well told stories, then Night Gallery is for you.
After the cancellation of "TZ" Serling wanted to get back into television with another show, but this time, he had a different idea. "Rod Serling's Wax Museum" was his idea, and it consisted of episodes introduced by Serling, who, as the curator of a wax museum, would introduce the evening's stories accompanied by a wax figure relating to the tale. While this concept was never realized, the idea was the starting point for Night Gallery. In 1969, Serling presented "Night Gallery", a made for TV movie that included three stories, each introduced by a different painting. "The Cemetery" , "Eyes" and "The Escape Route". Receiving high ratings and critical praise, the show was greenlighted by Universal as a rotating series for the 1970-1971 TV season.
The first season of "Rod Serling's Night Gallery", as it was now known, featured paintings revealed for each story, which now included several stories within the hour. As an anthology series, quality varied as different directors, and different script writers worked on different stories. However, "The Dead Man", "The House" "The Doll" and "They're Tearing Down Tim Reilley's Bar" which was nominated for a prime time emmy, stood out among the truncated first season.
Serling, who served as the on screen host of the show and it's public face, was back. However, it wouldn't last long. Producer Jack Laird, brought on board for the first season was the de facto boss. All script and editorial decisions were his. Serling, weary of the grind of weekly TV, had decided to take a smaller role in the day to day affairs of the show, assuming that as creator and host, he would be consulted on scripts, and other decisions, he was in for a rude awakening.
Beginning in the second, and best season, Night Gallery really got it's legs. The best of the series, in my opinion, are to be found here. Along with adaptations of great short fiction stories, such as "Cool Air", "Camera Obscura", "The Caterpillar", "Silent Snow Secret Snow", "A Death in the Family", "Pickman's Model", and many others, were excellent Serling originals, such as "Lindemann's Catch", "Deliveries in the Rear", and "Class of '99". One of the reasons is the great work of director Jeannot Szwarc, and cinematographer Lionel Lindon. However, strains were appearing between Serling and producer Laird, over the inclusion of short, comic viginettes, intended to round out the hour. Probably the most controversial aspect of this wonderful show.
For the third and final 1972-1973 season, short sighted executives at Universal mandated that NG be cut to 30 minute episodes, with more emphasis on American fiction, as they deemed adaptations of British fiction, over the head of the American audience. Despite several fine episodes, including the chilling "The Other Way Out", Rod Serling's Night Gallery was cancelled. In all 98 story segements, which ranged from 3-30 minutes a piece were filmed. In order to increase profits from the show, Universal butchered the series to fit into 30 minute segements for the syndication package, thereby gutting the souls of these wonderful stories. To add insult to injury, another series "The Sixth Sense", an ESP themed bomb, was grafted on to Night Gallery in the syndication package further destroying NG's reputation. Serling, contractually bound, introduced the Sixth Sense episodes, as if they were Night Gallery.
AFter the cancellation Serling stayed busy, but ultimately passed away in 1975, after surgery to correct a heart defect. He remained upset about the treatment he received by Universal and Laird until he passed away.
Years later, after viewing Night Gallery in it's original format, we can see that there were, for all of it's warts, flashes of brilliance from this series. Macabre, eerie, sometimes frighteneing, and even humorous stories were all to be found, with enough differences to make them very fresh, and enough similarities to make them classics. If you're a fan of well told stories, then Night Gallery is for you.
Rod Serling's Wings
mothfodder14 December 2006
Warning: Spoilers
We all know who Paul McCartney is. He was one of the leaders of the biggest, best bands in history, The Beatles. And we all know - or most of us know - who Rod Serling is. He was the host, and writer and creator of one of the greatest television shows in history, The Twilight Zone. After McCartney left The Beatles he formed a band called Wings. This band was, for the most part, just all right. The music wasn't too bad. It wasn't great, it wasn't horrible. It was good, if you were in the mood for it. You could hear some of The Beatles' aura in Wings - especially because of the vocals. And now to the point... Listening to Wings with the Beatles in mind is the same feeling you get when watching Night Gallery with The Twilight Zone in mind. It's not bad. Feels the same on occasion, and Rod's creativity, as well as his hosting presence, is... present. But there's something missing. Perhaps it's the originality, or the style. Perhaps it's because of the color of the Gallery episodes, that shed too much light on a world that's better off bleak and mysterious. Something about Zone's black & white made it that much more classically eerie. But there are a few pretty good (above average) episodes of Night Gallery, especially in the first season. The first three of four episodes in the pilot are entertaining, one directed by Steven Spielberg featuring the iconic Joan Crawford as a blind woman who wants her sight back. Another with Roddy McDowell as a greedy heir being haunted by a changing portrait of a cemetery outside his mansion. But some other episodes get lost in their own sense of strangeness. They just don't pan out in the end. And the main thing that separates Gallery from Zone is the climax. There is nothing better than a those great Zone endings. They stop right as the character is entering his or her own doom that they, usually, brought upon themselves. But Gallery, in going that step further and often resolving the dilemmas (either the main character getting too punished, or being completely pardoned somehow), in doing so goes a bit too far, and the pay off isn't there. We get a bit too much information. Often the Gallery episodes run about five minutes longer than they should. But, all in all, The Night Gallery is enjoyable. Like Zone it makes good of some great actors, sometimes making great of some good actors, and there is plenty of creativity to go around. You might be let down now and again, but rarely will you not be entertained. After all, that's what it's about - entertainment.
Creepy chills and grisly gems on display for your perusal...
cchase27 May 2002
Caught a few episodes of this once again, as part of a Memorial Day marathon on Encore's MYSTERY! Channel. In spite of the fact that it was mostly reviled by critics and not a few viewers, when it originally ran on NBC back in the early '70's, it now has garnered a cult following and I can definitely see why.
GALLERY in its own way, did for horror anthologies what TWILIGHT ZONE did for science fiction and fantasy. It's not as good as ZONE was in most respects, and I don't think that Rod Serling intended it to be. Free of the pressure of topping himself, which was something damn near impossible to do, GALLERY could be wildly uneven in the way the stories were featured, as it has been mentioned before, in terms of both quantity and quality. One story could take up an entire hour, while a half-hour tale could be accompanied by much shorter vignettes, some of them no more than LOVE, AMERICAN STYLE-quality blackouts, albeit it with endings that feature mayhem rather than marriage, though just as hokey.
A lot of the clothes, the special effects, the skewed photographic angles and lighting are positively outdated by today's standards, but that is a big part of the charm of revisiting a lot of the episodes, many which are all too familiar to the generation that grew up with GALLERY and its peer programs from this particular era.
Even more fascinating, however, is the chance to see movie and TV veterans rubbing elbows and sharing scenes with many "newbies," a lot of whom are established stars today, and the chance to see them cutting their teeth on '70's material is an interesting and sometimes enlightening experience. For example, one episode I viewed featured Kim Hunter, Harry Morgan and a very young Randy Quaid; another starred an up-and-coming actor named Bill Bixby, with Carol Lynley, Ned Glass and Donna Douglas (yes, as in "Ellie Mae Clampett," but without most of her corn-pone accent.)
Based on classic short stories by everyone from August Derleth and H.P. Lovecraft ("Pickman's Model"), to Charles Beaumont and Ray Bradbury, the adaptations varied in quality, but usually never suffered as much as the original stories. Even so, there were scripts, directing and acting that are still every bit as good as anything produced today, better even, since anthology shows such as this are in woefully short supply (though the revamped THE OUTER LIMITS is in reruns, and I've heard a new version of THE TWILIGHT ZONE is in the works.)
Case in point, is one of the episodes I saw in the marathon, called THE WAITING ROOM. From an original Rod Serling story, directed by one of the resident GALLERY helmers, Jeannot Szwarc, this was a masterfully dark Old West tale with a twist, and a Who's-Who of a cast that would put any character actor buff or fan of Western potboilers into High Noon Heaven: Steve Forrest, Buddy Ebsen, Lex Barker, Albert Salmi, Jim Davis and Gilbert Roland. This tale brought to mind a movie TNT did not so long ago called PURGATORY, but where that film needed ninety minutes, this episode delivered a similar punch in thirty.
Of course, there is the now-legendary work done in both the pilot movie and the series by some young, green, but talented kid with the unlikely last name of Spielberg, but if you should happen to catch this while channel-surfing, look beyond those prejudicial impressions, stop and give it a chance, especially if you haven't seen it in quite a while. There are plenty of misses that were made during GALLERY'S three-season run, but the hits, which can still leave trails of cranberry-sized goosebumps down the back of your spine, are definitely worth it. Don't believe me? Well, you'll know whether or not NIGHT GALLERY can still have an effect on you, if you still shudder when you read my closing sentence...
"...and the FEMALE LAYS EGGS...."
GALLERY in its own way, did for horror anthologies what TWILIGHT ZONE did for science fiction and fantasy. It's not as good as ZONE was in most respects, and I don't think that Rod Serling intended it to be. Free of the pressure of topping himself, which was something damn near impossible to do, GALLERY could be wildly uneven in the way the stories were featured, as it has been mentioned before, in terms of both quantity and quality. One story could take up an entire hour, while a half-hour tale could be accompanied by much shorter vignettes, some of them no more than LOVE, AMERICAN STYLE-quality blackouts, albeit it with endings that feature mayhem rather than marriage, though just as hokey.
A lot of the clothes, the special effects, the skewed photographic angles and lighting are positively outdated by today's standards, but that is a big part of the charm of revisiting a lot of the episodes, many which are all too familiar to the generation that grew up with GALLERY and its peer programs from this particular era.
Even more fascinating, however, is the chance to see movie and TV veterans rubbing elbows and sharing scenes with many "newbies," a lot of whom are established stars today, and the chance to see them cutting their teeth on '70's material is an interesting and sometimes enlightening experience. For example, one episode I viewed featured Kim Hunter, Harry Morgan and a very young Randy Quaid; another starred an up-and-coming actor named Bill Bixby, with Carol Lynley, Ned Glass and Donna Douglas (yes, as in "Ellie Mae Clampett," but without most of her corn-pone accent.)
Based on classic short stories by everyone from August Derleth and H.P. Lovecraft ("Pickman's Model"), to Charles Beaumont and Ray Bradbury, the adaptations varied in quality, but usually never suffered as much as the original stories. Even so, there were scripts, directing and acting that are still every bit as good as anything produced today, better even, since anthology shows such as this are in woefully short supply (though the revamped THE OUTER LIMITS is in reruns, and I've heard a new version of THE TWILIGHT ZONE is in the works.)
Case in point, is one of the episodes I saw in the marathon, called THE WAITING ROOM. From an original Rod Serling story, directed by one of the resident GALLERY helmers, Jeannot Szwarc, this was a masterfully dark Old West tale with a twist, and a Who's-Who of a cast that would put any character actor buff or fan of Western potboilers into High Noon Heaven: Steve Forrest, Buddy Ebsen, Lex Barker, Albert Salmi, Jim Davis and Gilbert Roland. This tale brought to mind a movie TNT did not so long ago called PURGATORY, but where that film needed ninety minutes, this episode delivered a similar punch in thirty.
Of course, there is the now-legendary work done in both the pilot movie and the series by some young, green, but talented kid with the unlikely last name of Spielberg, but if you should happen to catch this while channel-surfing, look beyond those prejudicial impressions, stop and give it a chance, especially if you haven't seen it in quite a while. There are plenty of misses that were made during GALLERY'S three-season run, but the hits, which can still leave trails of cranberry-sized goosebumps down the back of your spine, are definitely worth it. Don't believe me? Well, you'll know whether or not NIGHT GALLERY can still have an effect on you, if you still shudder when you read my closing sentence...
"...and the FEMALE LAYS EGGS...."
Serling series has informed cult following
sskelton26 April 2002
Often lost in the shadow of Rod Serling's first series, "The Twilight Zone," "Night Gallery" was a fascinating experiment in the anthology format. Instead of one story per episode, the hour was splintered into two, three, or four different stories of varying length. Some were quite brief, lasting no more than a minute; others lasted over 40 minutes. The quality often varied, too. A few of the little vignettes were quite bad. Some stories were quite good. And on more than a few occasions, this little mini-film festival on Wednesday nights produced segments that were as good as anything else on TV at the time. Classic episodes included "They're Tearing Down Tim Riley's Bar," "Pickman's Model" (both nominated for Emmys), "The Caterpillar," "Class of '99," "Green Fingers," "The Messiah on Mott Street," "The Sins of the Fathers," "The Doll," "Cool Air," "Silent Snow, Secret Snow," "A Question of Fear," "The Little Black Bag," and "The Dead Man." Because one of these classics could often be followed or preceded by a story of lesser quality, the series got a reputation for being wildly uneven. It was universally lambasted during its network run by near-sighted critics who were thrown off by its inconsistency, and missed the quality elements: intelligent, stylish writing by Serling and others, top-notch production values (particularly in cinematography and music), and innovative directorial touches. For its syndication run, the series segments were butchered to fit into a half-hour time slot, some losing half their length in the editing, and is a travesty, a mere shadow of its former self. Episodes of a boring ESP potboiler, "The Sixth Sense," were annexed into the syndie package with terrible results. Stick to the uncut version.
After The Twilight Zone: The Night Gallery
FloatingOpera723 October 2006
Warning: Spoilers
The Night Gallery (1970-1973): Starring Rod Serling, John Astin, Michael Laird, Larry Watson, Joanna Pettet, Matt Pelto, Alan Napier, Jack Laird, Geraldine Page, John J. Fox, Burgess Meredith, Jeff Corey, Jeanette Nolan, James Sikking, Cathleen Cordell, Arthur Malet, Josehph Campanella, Jason Wingreen, Albert Popwell, Louise Sorel, Roger E. Mosley, Raymond Massey, Susan Strasberg, Leif Ericson, John Williams, William Windom, Terence Pushman, James Farentino, Ivor Francis, Bill Quinn, Ross Martin, Lindsay Wagner, Charles Davis, Leslie Nielsen, Patricia Donahue, Victor Bruno, Susanna Darrow, James Metropole, Cameron Mitchell, Stuart Whitman.....Directors Leonard Nimoy, Edward M. Abroms, Allen Baron, Jeannot Szwarc, Boris Sagal, Barry Shear, Screenplay/Writing Credits Rod Sterling and Jack Laird.
"A nightmare frozen in time"............
TV writer Rod Serling was the creative force behind the popular supernatural/horror series "The Twilight Zone" in the 1960's, a series of half hour episodes in which the bizarre, frightening and unnatural filled TV screens across America to critical acclaim. After "Twilight Zone" was canceled, Rod Serling's "The Night Gallery" came to television from 1970 to 1973. It was hosted by Rod Serling himself, a bit older than he looked when he hosted "Twilight Zone" as he walked us through an art gallery replete with strange, demonic often very intimidating artwork. Each work of art told a story which was the focus of each half-hour episode. The series did very well and it was, if anything, a more intense follow-up to "Twilight Zone". Because it was the early 70's, the episodes of Night Gallery were a tad more uncensored and graphic. It was on late night on television so that younger viewers would not be exposed to it. Various directors worked on the series, among them Leonard Nimoy, Spock from Star Trek and European-bornJeannot Szwarc who would later direct the 1980 romantic time-travel film "Somewhere In Time" starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour. Several TV and film actors guest starred during the run of the series. They included Vincent Price (himself a horror film figure), Al Lewis (Grandpa Dracula from "The Munsters"), John Astin (Gomez from "The Addams Family") Phyllis Diller, Elsa Lanchester, Carl Reiner, Burgess Meredith, a young Diane Keaton, Cesar Romero (The Joker from "Batman") Tom Bosley (from Happy Days) and Zsa Zsa Gabor. Clearly, this series enticed a number of celebrities at the time who probably enjoyed watching this scary series themselves.
While Night Gallery's frightening aspects are considerably tame and even cheap by today's digital age, it can be haunting and scary in its own light. Rather than focusing on graphic violence, blood and gore, Night Gallery's stories were very well-written, chilling both psychologically and emotionally and often coming off like the sort of thing that Stephen King was possibly inspired by. But it is clearly a series modeled after Alfred Hitchock Presents. Rod Sterling himself called himself a lesser, thinner Hitchcock. All of the episodes contain great things one can spend hours talking about. Here are some of my favorites: "The Painted Mirror": Zsa Zsa Gabor plays a bitchy heiress who wishes to put an elderly antique shop owner out of business. A strange mirror, painted over in black, fades to reveal a pre-historic dinosaur world dimension. It is Zsa Zsa Gabor's character who is punished by being trapped in that world. A similar story has a greedy corporate businessman/fraud who is punished by being trapped in a dimension of soulless zombies. In the episode entitled "Green Fingers" Elsa Lanchester stars as an elderly gardener who owns a home in the path of freeway construction. The man behind the project hires a hit man to kill her but she gets her revenge by literally "planting" her own fingers and then coming back from the dead. Other episodes included demons, ghosts, the living dead, vampires and aliens from outer space. Some episodes were too bizarre and ambiguous to fully be understood. The episode directed by Jeannot Szwarc (Somewhere In Time) dealt with a medical bag from the future that contained the cure to all known diseases (including cancer) is in the hands of a time traveler but they, that is people from the past, don't believe his story and they throw away the bag. Often, short stories by noted horror genre authors such as H.P. Lovecraft were included such as the well-done "Pickman's Model" about a 19th century artist whose "monster" subject for one particularly gruesome painting turns out to be based on a real monster who inhabits his home. This was an excellent series, full of mystery, intrigue, suspense, danger and surrealism. For me, it surpassed "The Twilight Zone" which, despite being a classic, was sometimes too dull and talky. For those of you who are interested in this series, it is now available on DVD in its entirety (four seasons).
"A nightmare frozen in time"............
TV writer Rod Serling was the creative force behind the popular supernatural/horror series "The Twilight Zone" in the 1960's, a series of half hour episodes in which the bizarre, frightening and unnatural filled TV screens across America to critical acclaim. After "Twilight Zone" was canceled, Rod Serling's "The Night Gallery" came to television from 1970 to 1973. It was hosted by Rod Serling himself, a bit older than he looked when he hosted "Twilight Zone" as he walked us through an art gallery replete with strange, demonic often very intimidating artwork. Each work of art told a story which was the focus of each half-hour episode. The series did very well and it was, if anything, a more intense follow-up to "Twilight Zone". Because it was the early 70's, the episodes of Night Gallery were a tad more uncensored and graphic. It was on late night on television so that younger viewers would not be exposed to it. Various directors worked on the series, among them Leonard Nimoy, Spock from Star Trek and European-bornJeannot Szwarc who would later direct the 1980 romantic time-travel film "Somewhere In Time" starring Christopher Reeve and Jane Seymour. Several TV and film actors guest starred during the run of the series. They included Vincent Price (himself a horror film figure), Al Lewis (Grandpa Dracula from "The Munsters"), John Astin (Gomez from "The Addams Family") Phyllis Diller, Elsa Lanchester, Carl Reiner, Burgess Meredith, a young Diane Keaton, Cesar Romero (The Joker from "Batman") Tom Bosley (from Happy Days) and Zsa Zsa Gabor. Clearly, this series enticed a number of celebrities at the time who probably enjoyed watching this scary series themselves.
While Night Gallery's frightening aspects are considerably tame and even cheap by today's digital age, it can be haunting and scary in its own light. Rather than focusing on graphic violence, blood and gore, Night Gallery's stories were very well-written, chilling both psychologically and emotionally and often coming off like the sort of thing that Stephen King was possibly inspired by. But it is clearly a series modeled after Alfred Hitchock Presents. Rod Sterling himself called himself a lesser, thinner Hitchcock. All of the episodes contain great things one can spend hours talking about. Here are some of my favorites: "The Painted Mirror": Zsa Zsa Gabor plays a bitchy heiress who wishes to put an elderly antique shop owner out of business. A strange mirror, painted over in black, fades to reveal a pre-historic dinosaur world dimension. It is Zsa Zsa Gabor's character who is punished by being trapped in that world. A similar story has a greedy corporate businessman/fraud who is punished by being trapped in a dimension of soulless zombies. In the episode entitled "Green Fingers" Elsa Lanchester stars as an elderly gardener who owns a home in the path of freeway construction. The man behind the project hires a hit man to kill her but she gets her revenge by literally "planting" her own fingers and then coming back from the dead. Other episodes included demons, ghosts, the living dead, vampires and aliens from outer space. Some episodes were too bizarre and ambiguous to fully be understood. The episode directed by Jeannot Szwarc (Somewhere In Time) dealt with a medical bag from the future that contained the cure to all known diseases (including cancer) is in the hands of a time traveler but they, that is people from the past, don't believe his story and they throw away the bag. Often, short stories by noted horror genre authors such as H.P. Lovecraft were included such as the well-done "Pickman's Model" about a 19th century artist whose "monster" subject for one particularly gruesome painting turns out to be based on a real monster who inhabits his home. This was an excellent series, full of mystery, intrigue, suspense, danger and surrealism. For me, it surpassed "The Twilight Zone" which, despite being a classic, was sometimes too dull and talky. For those of you who are interested in this series, it is now available on DVD in its entirety (four seasons).
I am compensating the damage did to this great show!
daleja-dale3 May 2011
This great show did indeed fail to live up to its potential! It may have been as successful as Rod Serling's Twilight Zone have not the execs at Universal not order the time and format changed, and if Jack Laird not put in all those ridiculous short stories which didn't belong on the show! So, for the sack of compensation, I rated the series 10 stars instead of 9 which I would have giving it! Anyway, this was a great series, much like the Zone and my other favorite show The Outer Limits 1963! Some of my favorite stories include: "The Dead Man", "the Little Black Bag","Camera Obscura", "Cool Air", "the Caterpillar", and many more! May least favorite include: Jack Lairds comedic shorts (doesn't belong there), "Lindamenn's Catch"( annoying characters in it), "She Be Coming for You", "Nature of the Enemy", "the Big Supriase", etc.! And another reason why I am compensating this series is because of the butchering of the shows in syndication, I recommend watching only the original un-edited versions of this show!
Incredible Series
Rainey-Dawn26 February 2022
A wonderful TV series filled with monsters, aliens, weird events, strange tales, evil people, and more. The show was hosted by Rod Serling - the original creator and host of the original "Twilight Zone". This series is not exactly like The Twilight Zone but will still shock and horrify some audiences.
Great actors, musicians, directors, writers and more for this incredible TV series! Worth watching if you're into fantasy, horror, thrillers and mysteries.
9.5/10.
Great actors, musicians, directors, writers and more for this incredible TV series! Worth watching if you're into fantasy, horror, thrillers and mysteries.
9.5/10.
Better Than Its Reputation.
AaronCapenBanner16 August 2013
This has often been considered a poor cousin to Rod Serling's other series "The Twilight Zone", and while it isn't in that league, it did present a number of standout segments like 'The Caterpillar', 'A Question Of Fear', 'The Devil Is Not Mocked', and my favorite 'Silent Snow, Secret Snow'.
Rod would present each segment/episode by introducing a painting representing the basic story to be shown, and these paintings were usually quite chilling(like 'Pickman's Model'). There were some duds of course, mostly the comedic skits that were quite silly and pointless, though creator Jack Laird was said to be fond of them; season Two was the best of the three(take a bow Gerald Sanford!) Worth viewing, even if Mr. Serling wasn't as proud of it as he should have been...
Rod would present each segment/episode by introducing a painting representing the basic story to be shown, and these paintings were usually quite chilling(like 'Pickman's Model'). There were some duds of course, mostly the comedic skits that were quite silly and pointless, though creator Jack Laird was said to be fond of them; season Two was the best of the three(take a bow Gerald Sanford!) Worth viewing, even if Mr. Serling wasn't as proud of it as he should have been...
Twilight Zone 2
nickenchuggets3 February 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Sometime in 1965, CBS released their schedule for the shows they would be making new seasons of for 1966, and Twilight Zone was not on it. Many people loved the show (and still do), so it begs the question of why did it get cancelled? Even into its fifth season, TZ was still rated well, but even the most diehard fans could see the writing on the wall. After 100+ episodes, the series was running out of steam. Rod Serling, who had created Twilight Zone and was involved a great deal with its writing and stories, would not have the same amount of freedom when it came to this new show. The best way I can explain Night Gallery to someone who has never watched it is this: it's basically Twilight Zone but in color. This might lead some people to believe that the show is a straight improvement on its predecessor with none of its shortcomings, but they would be wrong. Night Gallery's episodes are definitely not as good as TZ's, and this is clear as day to someone like me who has seen every single installment of the aforementioned show. Sadly, the pilot episode of Night Gallery is vastly superior to most of the other stories on the show, so it might give the false impression that they're all excellent. I saw the pilot first, and while I noticed a pretty large drop in quality between it and subsequent episodes, I still thought they were passable. A lot of them just don't make a lot of sense to me, such as an early one which involves a sailor who has apparently been alive in a lifeboat for 3 whole years. It's revealed that he was on the Titanic, and now that it's ww1, he's fished out of the water by a passing ship (which just so happens to be the Lusitania). They hear his amazing story, but the ship is torpedoed right after. He's also able to predict when the torpedo will strike. It's not really an original story considering TZ also briefly mentioned the Lusitania in one episode. That's not to say Night Gallery is completely devoid of any original content. An episode I really like involves a former nazi hiding in a south american country to escape persecution. Every day, he walks down to the local art museum to stare into a painting featuring a guy drifting nonchalantly in a canoe on a mountain lake. He seems to envision himself in this painting, because it represents his desire to never be seen again and thus never pay for his crimes. While staring at the painting, he's approached by an elderly man who claims that he knows him from a concentration camp, but he rebuffs him and says he's not german, but hungarian. Later on, the old man's suspicions are confirmed because he catches the guy loudly singing the german anthem while drunk in a bar. To cover his tracks, the former SS officer murders the old man, and while being pursued by cops, he runs back to the art museum and begs to be let into the painting. His wish is granted, but it's not the nice mountain lake painting he's brought into. It's a painting of a crucifixion. This episode is very well done, but like I said before, the same can't be said for most of the episodes in this show. They're just ok, and not on the same level as Twilight Zone in terms of quality. This makes sense, because Serling had burnt himself out on writing by this point and he was never going to achieve that level of fame again. Although Rod did create many teleplays for Night Gallery, he mostly just serves as the show's host and wasn't involved with the majority of the stories. If he had been, I think this show would be considered on par with TZ in terms of being a classic, but even geniuses like him eventually get tired. What I can say is that NG is unique in that it uses stories by famous horror writers (such as HP Lovecraft) as the basis for many of its episodes. Overall, Night Gallery is not as polished or well made as the Twilight Zone, but that's the case for most shows in general. What it does have is still a lot of fun to watch, and because it's from the 70s, it has that old fashioned atmosphere.
Very uneven
thompsonm-0503116 February 2019
Some episodes are fantastic. Most are dull, boring and go nowhere. Then there are those that so unbelievably stupid and obnoxious, it's hard to understand how they made it into this anthology in the first place. These are the "funny" episodes which were the hallmark of Jack laird's utter and complete incompetence. These steaming piles of dog excrement were so bad that they would not make the cut in a Junior High School talent show. The truly baffling part of all this is that this show had access to a huge amount of the most talented writers directors and actors available at the time.
Dark Art
hellraiser77 March 2014
I always love horror anthologies because with them not just do you have a great variety of stories but their a creative freedom to them, you can do just about anything.
This is both my favorite horror anthology show but also one of my favorite shows in general. This show I also feel has became a bit of a forgotten gem, yeah I know there have been a lot of other anthologies out there some like "The Twilight Zone", "The Outer Limits" (no surprises there), but this I just really love the best and I feel doesn't get the credit it deserves. It's also kinda a childhood relic since I seen this show when I was about 10 years old, so that's all the more reason this show is close to my heart.
I love the theme song it's one of my favorite theme songs ever, it has a creepy and rather menacing tune to it which perfectly fits. It was done on a modest budget but I thought they used it really well and I thought the effects were solid because they were all practical, though there really aren't many which is fine by me, effects aren't what power this show.
Rod Stirling is a great host, director, and writer as usual, his presence is almost easy to mistake this show for being a sequel to "The Twilight Zone" but it's not there is a difference; "The Twilight Zone" was more sci-fi and fantasy morality tales, this show is more horror, fantasy, and suspense stories. However what I really love is the art gallery he directs us in, which all consists of surreal and dark art all which are real paintings. This gallery I thought was awesome since both are my favorite types of paintings and seeing that gallery as a kid I wanted to make my own private art gallery that consisted of that art.
There are plenty of good and memorable stories, some which are really suspenseful and even scary. It's true there are some bad apples as well but all anthologies have their hits and misses. Some of my favorites are "The Way Out" which is like an E.C. comics Suspense story on a scum bag that is trapped in a maze. "Cold Air" which is an adaptation of a story from H.P. Lovecraft one of my favorite authors, about a scientist living off borrowed time, it's both sad and creepy. "The Catapilar" on a doomed man attacked by a Caterpillar , I'll admit this one always made me squirm. And my favorite on "Silent Snow, Secret Snow" which is beautiful, sad, but also really haunting and unsettling, it's a story left to your own interpretation and I love the narration from Orson Wells which adds to the atmosphere.
Like any great painting it's worth looking at, and like any great painting won't be forgotten.
Rating: 4 stars
This is both my favorite horror anthology show but also one of my favorite shows in general. This show I also feel has became a bit of a forgotten gem, yeah I know there have been a lot of other anthologies out there some like "The Twilight Zone", "The Outer Limits" (no surprises there), but this I just really love the best and I feel doesn't get the credit it deserves. It's also kinda a childhood relic since I seen this show when I was about 10 years old, so that's all the more reason this show is close to my heart.
I love the theme song it's one of my favorite theme songs ever, it has a creepy and rather menacing tune to it which perfectly fits. It was done on a modest budget but I thought they used it really well and I thought the effects were solid because they were all practical, though there really aren't many which is fine by me, effects aren't what power this show.
Rod Stirling is a great host, director, and writer as usual, his presence is almost easy to mistake this show for being a sequel to "The Twilight Zone" but it's not there is a difference; "The Twilight Zone" was more sci-fi and fantasy morality tales, this show is more horror, fantasy, and suspense stories. However what I really love is the art gallery he directs us in, which all consists of surreal and dark art all which are real paintings. This gallery I thought was awesome since both are my favorite types of paintings and seeing that gallery as a kid I wanted to make my own private art gallery that consisted of that art.
There are plenty of good and memorable stories, some which are really suspenseful and even scary. It's true there are some bad apples as well but all anthologies have their hits and misses. Some of my favorites are "The Way Out" which is like an E.C. comics Suspense story on a scum bag that is trapped in a maze. "Cold Air" which is an adaptation of a story from H.P. Lovecraft one of my favorite authors, about a scientist living off borrowed time, it's both sad and creepy. "The Catapilar" on a doomed man attacked by a Caterpillar , I'll admit this one always made me squirm. And my favorite on "Silent Snow, Secret Snow" which is beautiful, sad, but also really haunting and unsettling, it's a story left to your own interpretation and I love the narration from Orson Wells which adds to the atmosphere.
Like any great painting it's worth looking at, and like any great painting won't be forgotten.
Rating: 4 stars
A decent follow up to The Twilight Zone
ramsfan12 July 2009
Night Gallery was a decent follow up to Serling's vastly superior Twilight Zone series of a decade earlier. Leaning more toward the macabre, Night Gallery's adaptation of short stories produced some memorable episodes during its short run, including "The Caterpillar", "Green Fingers" and "The Doll". Serling's own feelings toward the show were lukewarm at best. Erring in judgment at the outset, Serling thought the producers would routinely defer to him on outside scripts and creative control of the show. He quickly realized they would do no such thing, and his disenchantment with stories that "didn't say something" eventually reached a crescendo. Nonetheless, Serling was contractually bound to host "NG" until its cancellation.
Night Gallery fell victim to those who compared it (both unfavorably and unfairly) to episodes of "The Twilight Zone". Also hurting the series were episodes that were not of uniform length and the horrific "comedic" vignettes that producer Jack Laird found fit to round out each segment, many times ruining what was an otherwise effective, dramatic (half)hour of television.
The show boasted some fine performances and some Emmy nominated segments, yet strangely, the show was neither embraced nor promoted by studio execs who clashed with Serling's concept of what the show should be. Fed up with the industry, Serling would die only a couple of years after "NG" left the air- a sad finale to a tremendous writer and major contributor to television.
Night Gallery fell victim to those who compared it (both unfavorably and unfairly) to episodes of "The Twilight Zone". Also hurting the series were episodes that were not of uniform length and the horrific "comedic" vignettes that producer Jack Laird found fit to round out each segment, many times ruining what was an otherwise effective, dramatic (half)hour of television.
The show boasted some fine performances and some Emmy nominated segments, yet strangely, the show was neither embraced nor promoted by studio execs who clashed with Serling's concept of what the show should be. Fed up with the industry, Serling would die only a couple of years after "NG" left the air- a sad finale to a tremendous writer and major contributor to television.
I loved it as a kid....now 40 years later it looks so bad at times.
planktonrules31 March 2011
I was feeling nostalgic recently and began re-watching episodes of "The Night Gallery". As a kid, I loved it--and it often scared the crap out of me. But now, 40 years later, I can sure see the limitations of the show--limitations that only became more obvious the more shows you've seen. While I ADORE the idea of a horror anthology series, this one was undone by bad writing and too much re-tooling of a basically good idea.
The series is alternately called "Rod Serling's Night Gallery"--and this leads to the biggest problem with the show. While Serling's name is at the masthead, he actually only wrote a few episodes here and there--and wrote less and less as the series continued. Why the execs would NOT want Serling writing as much of the show as possible is beyond me--he was brilliant in all his previous work and you'd think a shelf full of Emmy Awards for writing would convince the high muckity-mucks to make him THE writer for the show. But, instead, it seemed like practically anyone (talented or not) could write for the show--and this became VERY obvious in season two.
This brings me to the next biggie damaging the show. It's rare to see a show's writing go downhill so fast as it did between season one and two. While season one was no masterpiece, some idiots thought the format needed retooling--and comedy shorts were added to the show in addition to the scary stuff. Some of the comedy was funny--most was not. But the big problem is that it totally disrupted the serious mood of the show and cheapened it. In effect, the series jumped the shark in season two.
The final big problem is that even if you ignore the comedy infused into "Night Gallery", you can't deny that the quality of the serious scripts dropped considerably. Many episodes were now pretty awful--so bad that I simply couldn't continue watching the shows. My time is too important to watch any more.
The series is alternately called "Rod Serling's Night Gallery"--and this leads to the biggest problem with the show. While Serling's name is at the masthead, he actually only wrote a few episodes here and there--and wrote less and less as the series continued. Why the execs would NOT want Serling writing as much of the show as possible is beyond me--he was brilliant in all his previous work and you'd think a shelf full of Emmy Awards for writing would convince the high muckity-mucks to make him THE writer for the show. But, instead, it seemed like practically anyone (talented or not) could write for the show--and this became VERY obvious in season two.
This brings me to the next biggie damaging the show. It's rare to see a show's writing go downhill so fast as it did between season one and two. While season one was no masterpiece, some idiots thought the format needed retooling--and comedy shorts were added to the show in addition to the scary stuff. Some of the comedy was funny--most was not. But the big problem is that it totally disrupted the serious mood of the show and cheapened it. In effect, the series jumped the shark in season two.
The final big problem is that even if you ignore the comedy infused into "Night Gallery", you can't deny that the quality of the serious scripts dropped considerably. Many episodes were now pretty awful--so bad that I simply couldn't continue watching the shows. My time is too important to watch any more.
Fantastic Series
laffinsal2 April 2004
One of the most underrated TV series of the 1970s, and of all time, is this terrific collection of sci-fi and horror stories, hosted by Rod Serling. Often (wrongly) compared to Serling's other series, "The Twilight Zone"...the overall mood, and purpose of this series is different. The "Zone" was a collection of morality tales, disguised as sci-fi stories. A fantastic show, without a doubt, but the "Gallery" was designed purely to shock and entertain...and it certainly succeeded in that area.
So much great talent was on display in this series. The actors, writers, directors, and musicians were almost always top-notch. Though the decision to have multiple stories within each episode, did result in some mediocre results sometimes (especially with the campy vignettes), the quality of the better segments is what most remember best.
Among some of the better segments:
"They're Tearing Down Tim Riley's Bar", with William Windom (in an awesome performance) as a has-been salesman who's beckoned by the ghosts of his past.
"The Doll", about a gruesome doll, sent to a British officer as revenge.
"The Tune in Dan's Cafe", about a haunted jukebox that plays the same song always.
"Green Fingers", with Elsa Lanchester as an elderly woman, harassed by a tycoon who wants her land, where she has an unusual knack for gardening.
So many more great ones. Some folks get turned off by the dated 1970s look to this show (the costumes, sets, bright color, excessive use of zooms/close-ups). If you can get past that aspect, and rather appreciate the show's camp value, you're sure to enjoy this unique and highly original horror series. It's a classic in my book.
So much great talent was on display in this series. The actors, writers, directors, and musicians were almost always top-notch. Though the decision to have multiple stories within each episode, did result in some mediocre results sometimes (especially with the campy vignettes), the quality of the better segments is what most remember best.
Among some of the better segments:
"They're Tearing Down Tim Riley's Bar", with William Windom (in an awesome performance) as a has-been salesman who's beckoned by the ghosts of his past.
"The Doll", about a gruesome doll, sent to a British officer as revenge.
"The Tune in Dan's Cafe", about a haunted jukebox that plays the same song always.
"Green Fingers", with Elsa Lanchester as an elderly woman, harassed by a tycoon who wants her land, where she has an unusual knack for gardening.
So many more great ones. Some folks get turned off by the dated 1970s look to this show (the costumes, sets, bright color, excessive use of zooms/close-ups). If you can get past that aspect, and rather appreciate the show's camp value, you're sure to enjoy this unique and highly original horror series. It's a classic in my book.
Scared the dickens out of me!s
Little_Loie5 April 2002
Warning: Spoilers
[Note: A few edits 21 years after my original review].
I first remember seeing Night Gallery as an adolescent (circa early- to mid-1980s) when it was in reruns. It scared the cr@p out of me then, and looking back on this series as an adult, it's still pretty darned scary. I would classify Night Gallery in the thriller genre. Serling seemed to channel and update Alfred Hitchcock Presents and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour from the late 1950s/1960s. Rod gave us suspense sans blood and gore, instead presenting ordinary people in always terrifying, often supernatural, situations. This series made my blood pressure rise and dread what could happen next.
I don't remember many episodes vividly, but most seemed to follow a pattern of average people in wholly non-average situation. I remember one episode about a disc jockey who was pulling an overnight shift. When he tried to play certain musical selections, they never quite sounded like they were supposed to. All the music sounded like the creepy Night Gallery-type theme music. (The music and the colors in the paintings in the opening sequences of this series was enough to make me run for cover.) I believe the disc jockey had done something nasty to someone, and this was some sort of supernatural cosmic retribution. Made me want to straighten up and fly right!
**Spoiler Alert**
The episode I remember most clearly was one with Cornel Wilde taking a turn as Dr. John Fletcher in the episode "Deliveries in the Rear." He played a doctor in the late 1800s-early 1900s who paid some pretty scummy guys to rob graves and obtain bodies for him to perform research. Of course, he needed the bodies to be as fresh as possible. Because of this, the two grave-robbers actually started killing people so the bodies would be fresh. In typical Serling fashion, the guys brought in a pretty (but dead) woman one night...LO AND BEHOLD it was Dr. Fletcher's girlfriend. There's that pesky supernatural cosmic retribution once again.
All in all, even though it frightened me half to death, I highly recommend catching this series if you can. I'd love to see TVLand or Sci-Fi start airing this one again. If nothing else for the 70s kitsch value alone. Not to mention seeing some formerly big-time stars from a long time back and probably some up-and comers, too. ENJOY!
I first remember seeing Night Gallery as an adolescent (circa early- to mid-1980s) when it was in reruns. It scared the cr@p out of me then, and looking back on this series as an adult, it's still pretty darned scary. I would classify Night Gallery in the thriller genre. Serling seemed to channel and update Alfred Hitchcock Presents and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour from the late 1950s/1960s. Rod gave us suspense sans blood and gore, instead presenting ordinary people in always terrifying, often supernatural, situations. This series made my blood pressure rise and dread what could happen next.
I don't remember many episodes vividly, but most seemed to follow a pattern of average people in wholly non-average situation. I remember one episode about a disc jockey who was pulling an overnight shift. When he tried to play certain musical selections, they never quite sounded like they were supposed to. All the music sounded like the creepy Night Gallery-type theme music. (The music and the colors in the paintings in the opening sequences of this series was enough to make me run for cover.) I believe the disc jockey had done something nasty to someone, and this was some sort of supernatural cosmic retribution. Made me want to straighten up and fly right!
**Spoiler Alert**
The episode I remember most clearly was one with Cornel Wilde taking a turn as Dr. John Fletcher in the episode "Deliveries in the Rear." He played a doctor in the late 1800s-early 1900s who paid some pretty scummy guys to rob graves and obtain bodies for him to perform research. Of course, he needed the bodies to be as fresh as possible. Because of this, the two grave-robbers actually started killing people so the bodies would be fresh. In typical Serling fashion, the guys brought in a pretty (but dead) woman one night...LO AND BEHOLD it was Dr. Fletcher's girlfriend. There's that pesky supernatural cosmic retribution once again.
All in all, even though it frightened me half to death, I highly recommend catching this series if you can. I'd love to see TVLand or Sci-Fi start airing this one again. If nothing else for the 70s kitsch value alone. Not to mention seeing some formerly big-time stars from a long time back and probably some up-and comers, too. ENJOY!
In This Painting We See A Variety of Stories
DKosty1232 November 2008
Not every episode of Rod Sterling's Night Gallery is great, but a lot of them produce surprises. While Sterling himself serves as a haunting host taking us on an episodic tour through an extensive art museum, we are often stopping to gasp at photos whose texture varied with the artist. Sterling's catch phrase "Picture if you will..." fits this format but I believe he first uttered that phrase on Twilight Zone.
Though Rod is the host here, a lot of the work on this series is from others. Sterling is used as the magnet to draw viewers. Most of the work is horror but there are a few comedy blackouts here too. Some of these were mixed into NBC's Mystery Movie format, and the lengths vary from the 90 minutes of those, to one hour shows to even some 30 minute galleries in the final season.
NBC had a habit in this era of attracting top talent to these types of series and getting them to show off that talent. While there are a few episodes I would not recommend, most of this series presents good viewing. On Halloween night, the image of Rod Sterling in front of a painting introducing us to it will always seem fitting to the Halloween spirit in my mind.
Though Rod is the host here, a lot of the work on this series is from others. Sterling is used as the magnet to draw viewers. Most of the work is horror but there are a few comedy blackouts here too. Some of these were mixed into NBC's Mystery Movie format, and the lengths vary from the 90 minutes of those, to one hour shows to even some 30 minute galleries in the final season.
NBC had a habit in this era of attracting top talent to these types of series and getting them to show off that talent. While there are a few episodes I would not recommend, most of this series presents good viewing. On Halloween night, the image of Rod Sterling in front of a painting introducing us to it will always seem fitting to the Halloween spirit in my mind.
Night Gallery or Sixth Sense
trainjustleft15 October 2022
The Man Who Died at Three and Nine
This is listed as episode s3, e28 of Night Gallery on another online TV episode guide of "Night Gallery."
Upon further research it was actually an episode of "Sixth Sense," s1,e5.
The common denominator is Rod Sterling.
This has confused me for quite some time when researching Night Gallery episodes. The last entry for the "Night Gallery" series also lists season 3 episode 50 as "The Sixth Sense," skipping all entries from episode 17 and jumping to 50.
Joseph Campanella was, as usual, quite excellent as Paul Crowley, a diplomat who sees visions of a beautiful woman drowning at the above mentioned "Three and Nine" clock times. He seeks the help of Dr. Rhodes but during his sessions he suddenly has an apparent change of consciousness and walks out.
I also believe that "Chandrika" is the woman in the water and can't find another reference to her to include here.
This is listed as episode s3, e28 of Night Gallery on another online TV episode guide of "Night Gallery."
Upon further research it was actually an episode of "Sixth Sense," s1,e5.
The common denominator is Rod Sterling.
This has confused me for quite some time when researching Night Gallery episodes. The last entry for the "Night Gallery" series also lists season 3 episode 50 as "The Sixth Sense," skipping all entries from episode 17 and jumping to 50.
Joseph Campanella was, as usual, quite excellent as Paul Crowley, a diplomat who sees visions of a beautiful woman drowning at the above mentioned "Three and Nine" clock times. He seeks the help of Dr. Rhodes but during his sessions he suddenly has an apparent change of consciousness and walks out.
I also believe that "Chandrika" is the woman in the water and can't find another reference to her to include here.
One of the best horror shows
zsbiw7 October 2021
While The Twilight Zone featured science fiction stories, Night Gallery features short horror stories.
One of the best parts of Night Gallery is the creepy art gallery and unique painting displayed before each story.
I like Night Gallery more than The Twilight Zone. But I like horror more than science fiction.
2 of my favorite Night Gallery stories are The Painted Mirror and A Fear of Spiders. These 2 stories are so surreal and are two of the best stories I've seen from the show. I've seen a number of other great stories from Night Gallery, like The Tune in Dan's Cafe and The House. The Cemetery and Make Me Laugh are more great stories.
You can buy Night Gallery: The Complete Series on DVD. It includes all 98 stories. I bought The Complete Series on DVD and I love it. I love the fact I can now watch any of these stories anytime I want. Highly recommended.
One of the best parts of Night Gallery is the creepy art gallery and unique painting displayed before each story.
I like Night Gallery more than The Twilight Zone. But I like horror more than science fiction.
2 of my favorite Night Gallery stories are The Painted Mirror and A Fear of Spiders. These 2 stories are so surreal and are two of the best stories I've seen from the show. I've seen a number of other great stories from Night Gallery, like The Tune in Dan's Cafe and The House. The Cemetery and Make Me Laugh are more great stories.
You can buy Night Gallery: The Complete Series on DVD. It includes all 98 stories. I bought The Complete Series on DVD and I love it. I love the fact I can now watch any of these stories anytime I want. Highly recommended.
Night Gallery- they don't make T.V. shows like this anymore
michaelasiclari10 March 2013
I was 10 years old when this show debuted on T.V. back in 1970. I remember going to school the next day, and talking about the previous night's episode with my classmates. I would also draw images from the show while daydreaming in class; thats how much of an impact it had on me in those days! There is no doubt that Rod Serling was a genius and this anthology series shows why. My favorite episodes include- Pickmans Model, Cool Air, Messiah of Mott Street and Tell David. It was one of those fond memories from my childhood, and I am lucky enough to have found the first two season's on DVD. I also bought the companion book which is invaluable to any fan of the show. One of the great aspects of Night Gallery , is the chance to see not only veteran stars, but up and coming ones as well. Legendary director Steven Spielberg cut his teeth with the original T.V. pilot as well as a few episodes of the series. A true classic of the medium.
I Grew Up Watching This Show!
collectorofsorts20 August 2021
What to say about this one... This was a 'my generation' TV show. I was born too late to catch the original run of Twilight Zone and only get the 1970's reruns. But, I watched this as 'coming next week' attractions. It was a good show and still IS a good series. But, there are a lot of duds mixed in there with the gems. It's not as consistent as TZ. So, I have to base my ratings on the mix of good and bad episodes. There's also the part of it feeling like a TZ rip off at times. Rod Serling couldn't make a success out of TZ after the first few seasons and sold the rights to CBS. Production costs were too high and he believed that he would never recover the costs and make a viable go of it. That's the reasoning his widow has released about why he sold the rights in recent years. Must have been a bitter pill to swallow when he realized what it would go on to become. So, Night Gallery has always felt a little like a 'rip off' to me. That being said, if you've never watched it before, give it a chance There's lots of gems in there. They're just mixed in with a few duds.
Awesome follow-up to 'Twilight Zone'
Jerry Ables16 August 2001
This underrated science fiction anthology series is, in my opinion, as much fun to watch as its predecessor and in many ways creepier. I really enjoy watching it because of its focus on horror and the macabre. Most of the vignettes are funny and entertaining as well. My only real criticism about it is that the 'Sixth Sense' episodes aren't nearly as entertaining as the rest of the episodes. If you ever have the opportunity, I really think you should give this series a try.
Mostly a Misfire
gerard-2112 March 2007
Just because the creator of the Twilight Zone (TZ), Rod Serling, was "involved" in this mess doesn't make it better than it was. For those of us who were around for both, it was an extreme disappointment. Those little blackout sketches were more often than not extremely cringe-worthy and no doubt embarrassing to Serling. And, let's keep in mind, that Serling didn't have the creative control that he was allowed in the TZ and it shows. What we often have here are stories that go nowhere, have no point or whose conclusion is illogical. Not necessary a bad show, but definitely forgettable and not worth some of the accolades heaped upon it here.
a fine show with something for everyone
dtucker8610 October 2003
I vaguely remember watching this show when I was a small child when it was a regular series. I watched it in syndication when I was an adolescent and have watched it as an adult on the Sci-Fi channel, so I guess that you could say I have had a chance to view Night Gallery from three very different perspectives. Rod Serling was a true genius who was often called television's "first angry man". What I mean is that he wrote scripts for tv that dealt with real social issues and were not meant as fluff entertainment. He wanted to send out a message with the stories that he wrote. Serling wrote such classic screenplays as Requium For A Heavywieght and Patterns. He probably would not have liked it that he was best remembered for The Twilight Zone! Night Gallery was the last series he hosted before his untimely death in 1975. Each episode had about three or four stories. Of course they didn't hit the target with all of them, but they still had a good batting average! Some of the episodes were disturbing and terrifying and some were just meant to be merely humerous. I remember one with Leslie Nielsen as the Phantom of the Opera (keep in mind this was before the Naked Gun and Police Squad when he was a dramatic actor). The girl unmasked him and he unmasked her and found she was as deformed as he was! They had another episode that I clearly remember about a time traveler who was a survivor of the Titanic who was picked up by the Lusitania who was then rescued by the Andrea Doria! The one that I remember the most, the one that chilled me was the one about a boy who could see the future and then described a horrifying vision where the sun would explode (a nova) and would incinerate the earth! The fun part of this show was the high quality of the guest stars that they had everyone from Burgess Meredith to Ozzie and Harriet Nelson to Leonard Nimoy. Gary Collins was Night Gallery's most frequent guest star, he played a parapsychologist named Doctor Rhode's who investigated all kinds of odd cases and his character was so popular that he even got his own series. I always enjoyed every episode that Mister Collins was in. People don't realize this, but the original Night Gallery movie in 1969, the series pilot was one of the first television movies ever made! In fact, one of the directors who did one of the stories was a young man named Steven Spielburg! The story I most remember from the pilot was one with Richard Kiley as a Nazi War Criminal who meets a truly just and horrifying end. A man who put too many Christs on crosses for any God to give him forgiveness! Rod Serling fought in World War II as a paratrooper and was severely wounded. His wife said in an interview that he never stopped having nightmares about the war and many of the stories he wrote for the Twilight Zone and Night Gallery deal with the horrors of war. Rod Serling was a true genius who wrote stories that entertained us and made us think at the same time.
Twilight Alfred Hitchcock Zone
searchanddestroy-16 October 2019
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