Night Gallery

Plot synopsis:
Rod Serling appeared in a dark art gallery setting and introduced a trilogy of supernatural tales by unveiling paintings that depicted each segment. The three canvases produced for the pilot were painted by Jaroslav "Jerry" Gebr (who was head of the Scenic Arts Department at Universal Studios). The original pilot theme was composed by William Goldenberg (who also did the pilot's background music).
=== "The Cemetery" ===
The first segment was directed by Boris Sagal and the following is the introduction by Serling:
Good evening, and welcome to a private showing of three paintings, displayed here for the first time. Each is a collector’s item in its own way—not because of any special artistic quality, but because each captures on a canvas, suspends in time and space, a frozen moment of a nightmare. Our initial offering: a small gothic item in blacks and grays, a piece of the past known as the family crypt. This one we call, simply, “The Cemetery.” Offered to you now, six feet of earth and all that it contains. Ladies and gentlemen, this is the Night Gallery...
Jeremy Evans is a despicable selfish young man who murders his rich uncle to inherit his estate, both much to the detriment of his uncle's butler, Osmond Portifoy. Later, Evans notices that a painting of the family graveyard has changed – a fresh, empty grave appears in it and soon after a coffin standing upright appears in the grave. Little by little, the painting depicts the return of his uncle from his burial site, moving closer and closer, or so it seems, to Evans.
Cast
Roddy McDowall as Jeremy Evans
Ossie Davis as Osmond Portifoy
George Macready as William Hendricks
Barry Atwater as Mr. Carson
Richard Hale as the Doctor
=== "Eyes" ===
The second segment was directed by Steven Spielberg and the following is the introduction by Serling:
Objet d'art number two: a portrait. Its subject, Miss Claudia Menlo, a blind queen who reigns in a carpeted penthouse on Fifth Avenue—an imperious, predatory dowager who will soon find a darkness blacker than blindness. This is her story...
Claudia Menlo is a heartless, wealthy blind woman who desperately wants to be able to see. Sidney Resnick, a hapless gambler who owes money to loan sharks, agrees to donate his eyes to her for the grand sum of $9,000. Her doctor, whom she blackmails into performing the illegal surgery, warns her that her vision will only last for about eleven hours. After the surgery, she removes the bandages from her eyes, and by a quirk of fate, there is a blackout seconds later. She awakens the next day to see the sunrise, but she panics when her sight quickly begins to fade.
Cast
Joan Crawford as Claudia Menlo
Barry Sullivan as Dr. Frank Heatherton
Tom Bosley as Sidney Resnick
Byron Morrow as George Packer
Garry Goodrow as Lou
Bruce Kirby as the Portrait Artist
=== "The Escape Route" ===
The third and final segment was directed by Barry Shear and the following is the introduction by Serling:
And now, the final painting. The last of our exhibit has to do with one Joseph Strobe, a Nazi war criminal hiding in South America—a monster who wanted to be a fisherman. This is his story...
A Nazi fugitive named Joseph Strobe is constantly on the run from the authorities and his nightmares about the past. One day, while fleeing from imaginary pursuers, he finds himself in a museum where he meets Bleum, a survivor of the same concentration camp where Strobe made the decisions about who would live or die. Bleum does not initially recognize him, but points out a painting that depicts a man being crucified in a concentration camp. Strobe turns away; he is drawn to a painting of a fisherman, and imagines himself in the painting.
When Strobe returns to the art gallery the next day, Bleum recognizes him as a Nazi, and later, outside a bar, Strobe kills him to ensure his own anonymity. Once again, Strobe must hide from authorities. In a state of desperation he returns to the museum and prays to become the fisherman in the painting, but dire consequences loom.
Cast
Richard Kiley as Joseph Strobe
Sam Jaffe as Bleum
Norma Crane as Gretchen
George Murdock as the first Israeli agent

Tags: paranormal, comedy

Review:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Narrated by Rod Serling, Night Gallery explores the supernatural from the context of an abstract painting--a different painting each episode.
When narrating his previous series, The Twilight Zone, Serling generally manifested an air of superiority to the plot--like he had it in the palm of his hand and could control it.
Night Gallery episodes are NOT concluded with a Serling anecdotal summary; instead, a shocking punch is usually delivered that the viewer is left to unravel without assistance.The directing and editing are top notch.
Simple story lines are translated into convoluted journeys of intrigue with music and sound effects akin only to The Exorcist.Some memorable episodes include Sally Field playing a woman with multiple personalities (this was before she played Cybil, mind you); an ostracized young girl who befriends a seaweed monster; a diner jukebox that hauntingly plays only one song; a man who has an earwig planted in his ear that creeps through his brain (and lays eggs!); and a young Clint Howard (Ron's kid brother) playing a child prodigy who foresees mankind's treacherous fate.Of course, there are those little, campy vignettes thrown in for fun, most of which are mildly amusing.
Often lost in the shadow of Rod Serling's first series, "The Twilight Zone," "Night Gallery" was a fascinating experiment in the anthology format.
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.
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.
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!
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..
The Night Gallery was Rod Serling introducing tales of terror and irony much like he did for the Twilight Zone.
To me this is one of the best anthology shows ever, ranking up there with the Outer Limits(the original) Tales From the Darkside, One Step Beyond, and the great Twilight Zone.
Later episodes were added from another series entitled The Sixth Sense and they were not nearly as good as the Serling ones..
Rod Serling made a name for himself with his stunning series the Twilight Zone, after it ended, he came up with this follow up series.
The Night Gallery was a great series.
If you like classic shows like The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, The Nightstalker, and others, and classic Horror, Crime, Thrillers, Dramas, and interesting films then I strongly recommend you to go over to Amazon.com and buy the complete first season on DVD that is also includes the pilot as well today!.
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.
In 1969, Serling presented "Night Gallery", a made for TV movie that included three stories, each introduced by a different painting.
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.
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".
Despite several fine episodes, including the chilling "The Other Way Out", Rod Serling's Night Gallery was cancelled.
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.
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.
I loved Night Gallery,it was a wonderful show.I saw it before I saw Twilight Zone and I  loved them both.My favorite episodes were the ones about the Shadows on the wall after the people in the house died and the clock stopped,The Lone Survivor about the man who goes from shipwreck to shipwreck,the one about the doll with the teeth  and the one about the man who "Collected" famous people who had disappeared.The show was definitely underrated and even though they only used his name not his talent was a tribute to Rod Serling.I did recognize the comment about "Them" laying eggs and it was a chilling episode and still makes my head itch thinking about it..
My favorite episodes were "There Aren't Any More McBains," "The Sin Eater," "The Little Black Bag," "Green Fingers" and "Camera Obscura." Why isn't someone moving to put the original stories on DVD?!.
It made me angry at the time because the pilot appeared good but the other episodes that followed were so boring that the pilot is all I remember of the series..
When I ordered the series from Columbia House, they didn't have the pilot where a very young Spielberg directed Joan Crawford in the story of a rich, cruel woman who wanted to see again at any cost.
I have looked in the NIGHT GALLERY Book, but it doesn't seem to be there.Does anybody else remember this, and if so, from where?Thanks for any help..
There is no doubt that Rod Serling was a genius and this anthology series shows why.
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.
After the Twilight Zone went off the air, Rod Serling hosted an even more unique psychological thriller series, called The Night Gallery.
One of the most intriguing things about this series, was that each hour-long show was broken up into several vignette-like episodes.
Though The Night Gallery focused primarily on the psycho/emotional distress of the characters in each episode, there are also elements of horror thrown-in.
I view "Night Gallery" as a television series of two halves.
However, the first half of this show - up until the end of the second season - contains some of Rod Serling's greatest work as a writer of television drama.
At its worst, "Night Gallery" makes for rather cringeworthy viewing but this is definitely not the fault of Rod Serling.
Usually with this kind of series, the viewers would see one story per episode.
The other two stories from the pilot episode are also very good.
I watched some of the third season episodes but they aren't half as good as the previous ones.
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 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.
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!
Anyway, this was a great series, much like the Zone and my other favorite show The Outer Limits 1963!
Terror and the supernatural were the prime factors of this suspenseful horror anthology series hosted by Rod serling, which ran on NBC from 1970-73..
Though it has virtually never received as much hype as his previous series, NIGHT GALLERY is in many ways superior to Rod Serling's THE TWILIGHT ZONE.
Just because the creator of the Twilight Zone (TZ), Rod Serling, was "involved" in this mess doesn't make it better than it was.
Not every episode of Rod Sterling's Night Gallery is great, but a lot of them produce surprises.
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.
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.
I was feeling nostalgic recently and began re-watching episodes of "The Night Gallery".
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.
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.
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').
I am a fan of Rod Sterling's Twilight Zone, and i thought this show also would be great.
I liked The Cemetery best, because i think it had: Creepy atmosphere, good acting, suspenseful and great story.I liked the twist ending.
I think the rest of the episodes lacked the, Creepy atmosphere, good acting, suspenseful and great story.
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".
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.
Listening to Wings with the Beatles in mind is the same feeling you get when watching Night Gallery with The Twilight Zone in mind.
But there are a few pretty good (above average) episodes of Night Gallery, especially in the first season.
After The Twilight Zone: The Night Gallery.
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.
It took years to get over the apprehension I had about "The Twilight Zone." "Night Gallery" didn't help.But watching the show, it's clear the series is uneven.
When there is a good episode, though, I have to say it hits a home run.While I don't care for the horror, it's still fun to watch so many of the actors involved.
While a few classic episodes do pop up, "Night Gallery" is a major misfire from the first season.Ridiculous "twist" endings, with no logical basis, are mistaken as being "scary." Some episodes don't even make sense, even after repeated viewings.The hour-long show should have been reduced to thirty minutes, as it was in syndication.
I've recently purchased the first and second seasons of Night Gallery on DVD and viewed them, and I have to admit that even after almost 40 years since the 3-segment pilot film, and the series itself, aired, it's still able to not only fill one's imagination with visions of all sorts of horrors, but also deals in sci-fi, fantasy, and nostalgia.