Thriller (U.S. TV series)
| Thriller | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Genre | Anthology |
| Created by | Hubbell Robinson |
| Directed by | John Brahm Jules Bricken Herschel Daugherty Paul Henreid Douglas Heyes Arthur Hiller Mitchell Leisen Ida Lupino Gerald Mayer John Newland Ted Post |
| Presented by | Boris Karloff |
| Starring | Various |
| Composer(s) | Stanley Wilson |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 67 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Hubbell Robinson |
| Producer(s) | William Frye Fletcher Markle Maxwell Shane |
| Running time | 49 min. (Season 1) 50 min. (Season 2) |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | NBC |
| Picture format | Black and white 4:3 |
| Audio format | Mono |
| Original run | September 13, 1960 – April 30, 1962 |
Thriller (a.k.a. Boris Karloff's Thriller) is an anthology television series that aired during the 1960–61 and 1961–62 seasons on NBC. The show featured host Boris Karloff introducing a mix of macabre horror tales and suspense thrillers.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Synopsis
Thriller was created by Hubbell Robinson for Revue Studios (later purchased by Universal Studios). It was produced by Fletcher Markle, William Frye, and Maxwell Shane. Among the many writers for the series was Robert Bloch, who adapted a number of his own stories, notably The Weird Tailor.
In addition to serving as the host of the series, Karloff starred in five episodes: "The Prediction," "The Premature Burial," "The Last of the Somerviles," "Dialogues With Death," and "The Incredible Doktor Markesan." Other players included Leslie Nielsen in the show's first episode "The Twisted Image", Rip Torn in "The Purple Room", William Shatner (in two episodes), Scott Marlowe, and Judson Pratt. Child actress Beverly Washburn appeared as Lolly Howard in the 1961 episode "Parasite Mansion". Dayton Lummis appeared as Clarence in "The Cheaters" (1960) and as Millard Braystone in "Cousin Tundifer" (1962). Joan Tompkins appeared twice on Thriller too as Ellen Grimm in "The Cheaters" (1960) and Laura Craig in "Mr. George" (1961). Elizabeth Montgomery, Tom Poston, and John Carradine starred in the episode "Masquerade".
[edit] DVD release
On August 31, 2010, Image Entertainment released Thriller: The complete series on DVD in Region 1 for the very first time. The 14-disc set contains all 67 episodes, remastered and uncut, with over 50 hours worth of extra features.[2]
[edit] Reception
In a brief review of its premiere, Time called it the "hour-long bloodmobile...unpromising"[3]
In Danse Macabre, Stephen King's 1981 history and critique of horror fiction, King suggests that Thriller was the best series of its kind up to that point.[4]
In a review of the anthology's 2010 DVD release, Hollywood Reporter said "Not all the episodes work, and the transfers can be a bit grainy. But when they do — the strong shadows living in the black and white, the awesomely overwrought score by composers Jerry Goldsmith and Morton Stevens (if only they had music like that again), the storytelling not using gore and cheap scares as crutches — the results are genuinely goosebump-inducing."[5]
[edit] Books
Gold Key Comics published a comic book version of Thriller, changing the title to Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery after the series ended; the series lasted until the 1980s, long after not only the end of Thriller but also the death of Karloff himself. Dark Horse Comics published an archive reprint of the series beginning in 2009.[citation needed]
McFarland & Company published Alan Warren's This Is a Thriller! - An Episode Guide in 1996, an exhaustive account of the history of the show. Here it was revealed that it was Alfred Hitchcock more than anyone else that was responsible for the demise of the series, after he came aboard on NBC with an expanded one-hour version of his previous Alfred Hitchcock Presents.[6]
[edit] Award nominations
| Year | Result | Award | Category | Recipient | Episode |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Nominated | Emmy Award | Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Music for Television |
Pete Rugolo & Jerry Goldsmith |
— |
| 1962 | American Cinema Editors | Best Edited Television Program | Danny B. Landres | "Third for Pinochle" | |
| Hugo Award | Best Dramatic Presentation | — | — |
[edit] References
- ^ Boris Karloff Rejoice! Image Entertainment is Finally Bringing Us Home Thriller! from dreadcentral.com
- ^ "Image Entertainment". Image Entertainment. 2010-08-31. http://www.image-entertainment.com/film.asp?ProjectID={33A7FC90-A3B8-4C19-8464-9C8F010512E4}&BusinessUnitID={86E09B33-2863-432E-AFFA-D34EA992FEDF}&ProductID={C8C7D7CD-4D64-4A64-8FEF-9C900005C6D4}. Retrieved 2011-10-03.
- ^ "Television: : The New Shows". Time. September 26, 1960. http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,897614,00.html. Retrieved 2010-10-17.
- ^ King, Stephen. Danse Macabre. Berkley Books, New York,1982. Page 216.
- ^ "Boris Karloff back in Thriller: Complete Series". Hollywood Reporter. via Reuters. September 1, 2010. http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6810KA20100902. Retrieved 2010-10-17.
- ^ This Is A Thriller! - An Episode Guide. McFarland & Company, Inc.. 1996.[page needed]
[edit] External links
- Thriller at the Internet Movie Database
- Thriller at TV.com
