Night Gallery

Night Gallery
Joan Crawford in the film which began the series, 1969.
Genre	Anthology
Created by	Rod Serling
Presented by	Rod Serling
Starring	Gary Collins
Theme music composer	Gil Mellé
Composer(s)	Robert Bain Paul Glass John Lewis Gil Mellé Oliver Nelson Robert Prince Eddie Sauter
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	3
No. of episodes	46 (+ 1 pilot) (List of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Paul Freeman
Producer(s)	Jack Laird William Sackheim
Camera setup	Single-camera
Running time	50 minutes (seasons 1 & 2) 25 minutes (season 3)
Production company(s)	NBC
Broadcast
Audio format	Monaural
Original run	November 8, 1969 (pilot) December 16, 1970 (1970-12-16) – May 27, 1973 (1973-05-27)

Night Gallery is an American anthology series that aired on NBC from 1970 to 1973, featuring stories of horror and the macabre. Rod Serling, who had gained fame from an earlier series, The Twilight Zone, served both as the on-air host of Night Gallery and as a major contributor of scripts, although he did not have the same control of content and tone as he had on The Twilight Zone.

Plot

Serling appeared in an art gallery setting and introduced the macabre tales that made up each episode by unveiling paintings (by artist Thomas J. Wright) that depicted the stories. Night Gallery regularly presented adaptations of classic fantasy tales by authors such as H. P. Lovecraft, as well as original works, many of which were by Serling himself.

The series was introduced with a pilot TV movie that aired on November 8, 1969, and featured the directorial debut of Steven Spielberg, as well as one of the last acting performances by Joan Crawford. Allegedly, Bette Davis was set to star in the segment, but she felt her work was not important to a young director. However there is nothing in the files at Universal to suggest anyone other than Crawford was slated for the role.

Unlike the series, in which the paintings merely accompanied an introduction to the upcoming story, the paintings themselves actually appeared in the three segments, serving major or minor plot functions.

Night Gallery was initially part of a rotating anthology or wheel series called Four in One. This 1970–1971 television series rotated four separate shows, including McCloud, SFX (San Francisco International Airport) and The Psychiatrist. Two of these, Night Gallery and McCloud were renewed for the 1971–1972 season with McCloud becoming the most popular and longest running of the four.

Reception

The series attracted criticism for its use of comedic blackout sketches between the longer story segments in some episodes, and for its splintered, multiple-story format, which contributed to its uneven tone. Another notable difference from the original Twilight Zone series was there was no ending monologue by Serling summarizing the end of the story segment. Very often the camera would simply focus on the final chosen image (often for a chilling effect) for several seconds, then black out.

Serling wrote many of the teleplays, including "Camera Obscura", "The Caterpillar" (based on a short story by Oscar Cook), "Class of '99", "Cool Air" (based on a short story by H.P. Lovecraft), "The Doll", "Green Fingers", "Lindemann's Catch", and "The Messiah on Mott Street" (heavily influenced by Bernard Malamud's "Angel Levine"). Non-Serling efforts include "The Dead Man", "I'll Never Leave You—Ever", "Pickman's Model" (based on a short story by H.P. Lovecraft), "A Question of Fear", "Silent Snow, Secret Snow", and "The Sins of the Fathers".

By the final season, Serling, stung by criticism and ignored by the show's executives, all but disowned the series.

List of episodes

Pilot

Title	Original airdate	Writer	Director	Cast	Notes
"The Cemetery"	1969-11-08	Rod Serling	Boris Sagal	Roddy McDowall, Ossie Davis, George Macready
"Eyes"	1969-11-08	Rod Serling	Steven Spielberg	Joan Crawford, Barry Sullivan, Tom Bosley
"Escape Route"	1969-11-08	Rod Serling	Barry Shear	Richard Kiley, Sam Jaffe

Season 1: 1970–71

Title	Original airdate	Writer	Director	Cast	Notes
"The Dead Man"	1970-12-16	Douglas Heyes	Douglas Heyes	Carl Betz, Jeff Corey, Louise Sorel, Michael Blodgett	Based on a short story of the same name by Fritz Leiber
"The Housekeeper"	1970-12-16	Matthew Howard	John Meredyth Lucas	Larry Hagman, Jeanette Nolan, Suzy Parker	"Matthew Howard" was a pseudonym for Douglas Heyes
"Room with a View"	1970-12-23	Hal Dresner	Jerrold Freedman	Joseph Wiseman, Diane Keaton, Angel Tompkins	Based on a short story of the same name by Hal Dresner
"The Little Black Bag"	1970-12-23	Rod Serling	Jeannot Szwarc	Burgess Meredith, Chill Wills	Based on a short story of the same name by C.M. Kornbluth
"The Nature of the Enemy"	1970-12-23	Rod Serling	Allen Reisner	Joseph Campanella, James Sikking
"The House"	1970-12-30	Rod Serling	John Astin	Joanna Pettet, Paul Richards, Steve Franken	Based on a short story by André Maurois
"Certain Shadows on the Wall"	1970-12-30	Rod Serling	Jeff Corey	Louis Hayward, Agnes Moorehead, Grayson Hall, Rachel Roberts	Based on the short story "The Shadows on the Wall" by Mary E. Wilkins-Freeman
"Make Me Laugh"	1971-01-06	Rod Serling	Steven Spielberg	Godfrey Cambridge, Jackie Vernon, Tom Bosley, Al Lewis
"Clean Kills and Other Trophies"	1971-01-06	Rod Serling	Walter Doniger	Raymond Massey, Tom Troupe, Barry Brown, Herb Jefferson, Jr.
"Pamela's Voice"	1971-01-13	Rod Serling	Richard Benedict	Phyllis Diller, John Astin
"Lone Survivor"	1971-01-13	Rod Serling	Gene Levitt	John Colicos, Torin Thatcher, Hedley Mattingly	Possibly inspired by the story of Frank Tower
"The Doll"	1971-01-13	Rod Serling	Rudi Dorn	Shani Wallis, John Williams, Henry Silva	Based on a short story of the same name by Algernon Blackwood
"They're Tearing Down Tim Riley's Bar"	1971-01-20	Rod Serling	Don Taylor	William Windom, Diane Baker, John Randolph, Bert Convy	Serling considered this script one of the finest two works he ever wrote (along with Requiem for a Heavyweight).
"The Last Laurel"	1971-01-20	Rod Serling	Daryl Duke	Jack Cassidy, Martin E. Brooks, Martine Beswick	Based on "The Horsehair Trunk" by Davis Grubb

Season 2: 1971–72

Title	Original airdate	Writer	Director	Cast	Notes
"The Boy Who Predicted Earthquakes"	1971-09-15	Rod Serling	John Badham	Clint Howard, Michael Constantine, Bernie Kopell	Based on a short story of the same name by Margaret St. Clair
"Miss Lovecraft Sent Me"	1971-09-15	Jack Laird	Gene Kearney	Joseph Campanella, Sue Lyon
"The Hand of Borgus Weems"	1971-09-15	Alvin Sapinsley	John M. Lucas	George Maharis, Ray Milland	Based on the short story "The Other Hand" by George Langelaan
"Phantom of What Opera?"	1971-09-15	Gene Kearney	George Kearney	Leslie Nielsen
"A Death in the Family"	1971-09-22	Rod Serling	Jeannot Szwarc	E. G. Marshall, Desi Arnaz, Jr.	Based on a short story by Miriam Allen deFord
"The Merciful"	1971-09-22	Jack Laird	Jeannot Szwarc	Imogene Coca, King Donovan	Based on a short story of the same name by Charles L. Sweeney, Jr.; twist on "The Cask of Amontillado"
"The Class of '99"	1971-09-22	Rod Serling	Jeannot Szwarc	Vincent Price, Brandon deWilde, Randolph Mantooth
"Witches' Feast"	1971-09-22	Gene Kearney	Jerrold Freedman	Agnes Moorehead, Ruth Buzzi
"Since Aunt Ada Came to Stay"	1971-09-29	Alvin Sapinsley	William Hale	Michele Lee, James Farentino, Jeanette Nolan, Jonathan Harris	Based on a short story "The Witch" by A. E. van Vogt
"With Apologies to Mr. Hyde"	1971-09-29	Jack Laird	Jeannot Szwarc	Adam West, Jack Laird
"The Flip-Side of Satan"	1971-09-29	Malcolm Marmorstein & Gerald Sanford	Jerrold Freedman	Arte Johnson	Based on a short story by Hal Dresner
"A Fear of Spiders"	1971-10-06	Rod Serling	John Astin	Patrick O'Neal, Kim Stanley	Based on a short story "The Spider" by Elizabeth Walter
"Junior"	1971-10-06	Gene Kearney	Theordore J. Flicker	Wally Cox, Barbara Flicker
"Marmalade Wine"	1971-10-06	Jerrold Freedman	Jerrold Freedman	Robert Morse, Rudy Vallee	Based on a short story by Joan Aiken
"The Academy"	1971-10-06	Rod Serling	Jeff Corey	Pat Boone, Leif Erickson	Based on a short story of the same name by David Ely
"The Phantom Farmhouse"	1971-10-20	Halsted Welles	Jeannot Szwarc	David McCallum, Linda Marsh, David Carradine	Based on a short story of the same name by Seabury Quinn
"Silent Snow, Secret Snow"	1971-10-20	Gene Kearney	Gene Kearney	Radames Pera, Lonny Chapman	Based on a short story of the same name by Conrad Aiken; narrated by Orson Welles
"A Question of Fear"	1971-10-27	Theodore J. Flicker	Jack Laird	Leslie Nielsen, Fritz Weaver	Based on a short story of the same name by Bryan Lewis
"The Devil Is Not Mocked"	1971-10-27	Gene Kearney	Gene Kearney	Helmut Dantine, Francis Lederer, Hank Brandt	Based on a short story of the same name by Manly Wade Wellman. Lederer reprises his role as Dracula from The Return of Dracula.
"Midnight Never Ends"	1971-11-03	Rod Serling	Jeannot Szwarc	Susan Strasberg, Robert F. Lyons
"Brenda"	1971-11-03	Matthew Howard	Allen Reisner	Laurie Prange, Glenn Corbett, Robert J. Hogan, Barbara Babcock	Based on a short story of the same name by Margaret St. Clair
"The Diary"	1971-11-10	Rod Serling	William Hale	Patty Duke, Virginia Mayo, David Wayne	Features a brief, late appearance by Lindsay Wagner
"A Matter of Semantics"	1971-11-10	Gene Kearney	Jack Laird	Cesar Romero, E. J. Peaker
"Big Surprise"	1971-11-10	Richard Matheson	Jeannot Szwarc	John Carradine, Vincent Van Patten	Based on a short story of the same name by Richard Matheson
"Professor Peabody's Last Lecture"	1971-11-10	Jack Laird	Jerrold Freedman	Carl Reiner	A professor gives a lecture on entities from the Cthulhu Mythos. Possibly the first time Cthulhu's name appeared on national television.
"House with Ghost"	1971-11-17	Gene Kearney	Gene Kearney	Bob Crane, Jo Anne Worley, Alan Napier	Based on a short story by August Derleth
"A Midnight Visit to the Neighborhood Blood Bank"	1971-11-17	Jack Laird	William Hale	Victor Buono
"Dr. Stringfellow's Rejuvenator"	1971-11-17	Rod Serling	Jerrold Freedman	Forrest Tucker, Murray Hamilton, Don Pedro Colley
"Hell's Bells"	1971-11-17	Theodore J. Flicker	Theodore J. Flicker	John Astin	Based on a short story by Harry Turner
"The Dark Boy"	1971-11-24	Halsted Welles	John Astin	Elizabeth Hartman, Gale Sondergaard	Based on a short story of the same name by August Derleth
"Keep in Touch—We'll Think of Something"	1971-11-24	Gene Kearney	Gene Kearney	Alex Cord, Joanna Pettet
"Pickman's Model"	1971-12-01	Alvin Sapinsley	Jack Laird	Bradford Dillman, Louise Sorel	Based on a short story of the same name by H. P. Lovecraft
"The Dear Departed"	1971-12-01	Rod Serling	Jeff Corey	Steve Lawrence, Maureen Arthur, Harvey Lembeck	Based on a short story of the same name by Alice-Mary Schnirring
"An Act of Chivalry"	1971-12-01	Jack Laird	Jack Laird	Deidre Hall
"Cool Air"	1971-12-08	Rod Serling	Jeannot Szwarc	Barbara Rush, Henry Darrow	Based on a short story by H.P. Lovecraft
"Camera Obscura"	1971-12-08	Rod Serling	John Badham	René Auberjonois, Ross Martin	Based on a short story of the same name by Basil Copper
"Quoth the Raven"	1971-12-08	Jack Laird	Jeff Corey	Marty Allen
"The Messiah on Mott Street"	1971-12-15	Rod Serling	Don Taylor	Edward G. Robinson, Yaphet Kotto, Tony Roberts
"The Painted Mirror"	1971-12-15	Gene Kearney	Gene Kearney	Zsa Zsa Gabor, Arthur O'Connell Rosemary DeCamp	Based on a short story of the same name by Donald Wandrei
"The Different Ones"	1971-12-29	Rod Serling	John Meredyth Lucas	Dana Andrews, Jon Korkes	Parallels themes from the Serling-penned Twilight Zone episode The Eye of the Beholder
"Tell David…"	1971-12-29	Gerald Sanford	Jeff Corey	Sandra Dee, Jared Martin	Based on a short story of the same name by Penelope Wallace
"Logoda's Heads"	1971-12-29	Robert Bloch	Jeannot Szwarc	Patrick Macnee, Brock Peters, Denise Nicholas, Tim Matheson	Based on a short story of the same name by August Derleth
"Green Fingers"	1972-01-05	Rod Serling	John Badham	Cameron Mitchell, Elsa Lanchester, Michael Bell	Based on a short story by R. C. Cook
"The Funeral"	1972-01-05	Richard Matheson	John Meredyth Lucas	Joe Flynn, Werner Klemperer, Jack Laird	Based on a short story of the same name by Richard Matheson
"The Tune in Dan's Café"	1972-01-05	Gerald Sanford & Garrie Bateson	David Rawlins	Pernell Roberts, Susan Oliver	Based on a short story by Shamus Frazier
"Lindemann's Catch"	1972-01-12	Rod Serling	Jeff Corey	Stuart Whitman, Harry Townes
"A Feast of Blood"	1972-01-12	Stanford Whitmore	Jeannot Szwarc	Sondra Locke, Norman Lloyd, Hermione Baddeley	Based on a short story "The Fur Brooch" by Dulcie Gray
"The Late Mr. Peddington"	1972-01-12	Jack Laird	Jeff Corey	Harry Morgan, Kim Hunter	Based on a short story "The Flat Male" by Frank Sisk; features a brief, late appearance by Randy Quaid
"The Miracle at Camafeo"	1972-01-19	Rod Serling	Ralph Senesky	Harry Guardino, Julie Adams, Ray Danton	Based on a short story by C. B. Gilford
"The Ghost of Sorworth Place"	1972-01-19	Alvin Sapinsley	Ralph Senesky	Richard Kiley, Jill Ireland	Based on the short story "Sorworth Place" by Russell Kirk
"The Waiting Room"	1972-01-26	Rod Serling	Jeannot Szwarc	Steve Forrest, Albert Salmi, Lex Barker, Jim Davis, Buddy Ebsen
"Last Rites for a Dead Druid"	1972-01-26	Alvin Sapinsley	Jeannot Szwarc	Bill Bixby, Carol Lynley, Donna Douglas, Ned Glass
"Deliveries in the Rear"	1972-02-09	Rod Serling	Jeff Corey	Cornel Wilde, Rosemary Forsyth, Kent Smith
"Stop Killing Me"	1972-02-09	Jack Laird	Jeannot Szwarc	Geraldine Page, James Gregory	Based on a short story of the same name by Hal Dresner
"Dead Weight"	1972-02-09	Jack Laird	Timothy Galfas	Jack Albertson, Bobby Darin	Based on the short story "Out of the Country" by Jeffry Scott
"I'll Never Leave You—Ever"	1972-02-16	Jack Laird	Daniel Haller	Lois Nettleton, Royal Dano, John Saxon	Based on a short story of the same name by Rene Morris
"There Aren't Any More MacBanes"	1972-02-16	Alvin Sapinsley	John Newland	Joel Grey, Howard Duff	Features a brief, early appearance by a young Mark Hamill. Based on the short story "By One, By Two and By Three" by Stephen Hall
"You Can't Get Help like That Anymore"	1972-02-23	Rod Serling	Jeff Corey	Cloris Leachman, Broderick Crawford, Lana Wood
"The Sins of the Fathers"	1972-02-23	Halsted Welles	Jeannot Szwarc	Geraldine Page, Richard Thomas, Michael Dunn	Based on a short story of the same name by Christianna Brand
"The Caterpillar"	1972-03-01	Rod Serling	Jeannot Szwarc	Joanna Pettet, Laurence Harvey, John Williams	Based on the short story "Boomerang" by Oscar Cook
"Little Girl Lost"	1972-03-01	Stanford Whitmore	Timothy Galfas	Ed Nelson, William Windom, Ivor Francis	Based on a short story of the same name by E.C. Tubb
"Satisfaction Guaranteed"	1972-03-22	Jack Laird	Jeannot Szwarc	Victor Buono	Vignette, premiered during a repeat broadcast of the 1971-09-22 episode, replacing "Witches' Feast"

Season 3: 1972–73

Title	Original airdate	Writer	Director	Cast	Notes
"Return of the Sorcerer"	09/24/1972	Halsted Welles		Vincent Price, Patricia Sterling, Bill Bixby	Based on a short story of the same name by Clark Ashton Smith
"The Girl with the Hungry Eyes"	10/1/1972	Robert Malcolm Young		James Farentino, John Astin, Joanna Pettet	Based on a short story of the same name by Fritz Leiber
"Rare Objects"	10/22/1972	Rod Serling		Mickey Rooney, Raymond Massey
"Spectre in Tap-Shoes"	10/29/1972	Gene Kearney		Sandra Dee, Dane Clark, Christopher Connelly	Story by Jack Laird
"Through a Flame Darkly"	11/4/1972	Dick Nelson	John Newland	Sandra Dee, John Anderson
"You Can Come Up Now, Mrs. Millikan"	11/12/1972	Rod Serling		Ozzie Nelson, Harriet Nelson, Roger Davis, Michael Lerner	Based on the short story "The Secret of the Vault" by J. Wesley Rosenquist
"Smile, Please"	11/12/1972	Jack Laird		Cesare Danova, Lindsay Wagner
"The Other Way Out"	11/19/1972	Gene Kearney		Burl Ives, Ross Martin	Story by Kurt van Elting
"Fright Night"	12/10/1972	Robert Malcolm Young		Stuart Whitman, Barbara Anderson, Alan Napier	Story by Kurt van Elting
"Finnegan's Flight"	12/17/1972	Rod Serling		Burgess Meredith, Cameron Mitchell, Barry Sullivan
"She'll Be Company for You"	12/24/1972	David Rayfiel		Leonard Nimoy, Lorraine Gary, Kathryn Hays	Based on a short story of the same name by Andrea Newman
"The Ring with the Red Velvet Ropes"	01/07/1973	Robert Malcolm Young		Gary Lockwood, Joan van Ark, Chuck Connors	Based on a short story of the same name by Edward D. Hoch
"Something in the Woodwork"	01/14/1973	Rod Serling		Leif Erickson, Paul Jenkins, John McMurtry, Geraldine Page, Barbara Rhoades	Based on the short story "Housebound" by R. Chetwynd-Hayes
"Death on a Barge"	03/04/1973	Halsted Welles	Leonard Nimoy	Lesley Ann Warren, Lou Antonio, Brooke Bundy, Robert Pratt	Based on the short story "The Canal" by Everil Worrell
"Whisper"	05/13/1973	David Rayfiel		Dean Stockwell, Sally Field	Based on a short story by Martin Waddell
"The Doll of Death"	05/20/1973	Jack Guss		Susan Strasberg, Alejandro Rey	Based on a short story by Vivian Meik
"Hatred unto Death"	05/27/1973	Halsted Welles		Steve Forrest, Dina Merrill, Fernando Lamas	Based on an Inner Sanctum Mystery episode from 1941 titled The Man from Yesterday, written by Milton Geiger
"How to Cure the Common Vampire"	05/27/1973	Jack Laird	Jack Laird	Richard Deacon, Johnny Brown
"Die Now, Pay Later"				Will Geer, Slim Pickens	Based on the short story "Year-End Clearance" by Mary Linn Roby
"Room for One Less"				Lee Jay Lambert, James Metropole

Award nominations

Night Gallery was nominated for an Emmy Award for its first-season episode "They're Tearing Down Tim Riley's Bar" as the Outstanding Single Program on U.S. television in 1971. In 1972, the series received another nomination (Outstanding Achievement in Makeup) for the second-season episode "Pickman's Model."

Syndication

In order to increase the number of episodes that were available for syndication, the 60-minute episodes were reedited into a 30-minute time slot, with many segments severely cut, and others extended by inserting 'new' scenes of recycled, previously discarded, or stock footage to fill up the time. In their book Rod Serling's Night Gallery: An After-Hours Tour, authors Scott Skelton and Jim Benson identify 39 of the 98 individual segments that were produced for Night Gallery as being "severely altered" in syndication. As well, 25 episodes of a short-lived (and otherwise unrelated) supernatural series from 1972, The Sixth Sense, were also incorporated into the syndicated version of the series, with Serling providing newly filmed introductions to those episodes. As The Sixth Sense was originally a one-hour show, these episodes were all severely edited to fit into the half-hour timeslot.

In recent years, the original, uncut version of the series (and without the additional Sixth Sense episodes) has been shown on the Encore Mystery cable network, allowing fans to see the episodes in their original format for the first time in 30 years. The show is also available in some markets through the Retro Television Network and MeTV. All three seasons, excluding the pilot episode and the "Witches Feast" segment from Season Two, are available on Hulu free of charge.

DVD releases

In 2004, Universal released the Region 1 DVD collection (including the pilot film and the six episodes of the first season) of the series, plus bonus episodes from Seasons 2 and 3 as extras. On October 16, 2006, the first season (including the pilot film and two bonus episodes, one from Season 2 and one from Season 3) was released on Region 2 DVD.

In August 2008, Universal announced a November 18, 2008, release of the complete Season 2 DVD collection (only Region 1). Later, they announced that one story segment from Season 2, "Witches' Feast", would not be included, due to the fact that "Universal was not able to locate portions of the 40-year-old episode."

Season three was released on April 10, 2012. "Witches' Feast" is included as bonus material.

DVD name	Ep #	Release date	Additional information
The Complete First Season	17	August 24, 2004
Season 2	61	November 18, 2008	Podcast commentaries, featuring Jim Benson and Scott Skelton Audio commentaries, with Guillermo del Toro Revisiting the Gallery: A Look Back Art Gallery: The Paintings in "Rod Serling's Night Gallery" NBC TV Promos
Season 3	20	April 10, 2012

See also

• Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond
• The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)
• The Twilight Zone (1985 TV series)
• The Twilight Zone (2002 TV series)
• The Outer Limits (1963 TV series)
• The Outer Limits (1995 TV series)

Similar series

• Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond
• Amazing Stories
• Fear Itself
• Masters of Horror
• Masters of Science Fiction
• Monsters
• The Outer Limits
• The Ray Bradbury Theater
• Science Fiction Theatre
• Tales from the Crypt
• Tales from the Darkside
• The Twilight Zone
• Way Out

External links

• Night Gallery at the Internet Movie Database
• Night Gallery at TV.com
• Rod Serling's Night Gallery: A Shadowy Museum of the Outre