DARK SHADOWS FORUMS
General Discussions => Current Talk Archive => Current Talk '24 I => Current Talk '13 II => Topic started by: Gothick on September 11, 2013, 04:19:30 PM
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Since I consider Boris Karloff, Bela Lugosi, John Carradine, Peter Lorre et al to be spiritual grandfathers to DS, I thought it would be worth reporting that the cable channel Cozi TV is scheduled to show Karloff's final known appearance on film. An episode of the Gene Barry series NAME OF THE GAME called, I think, "The White Birch," is supposed to air at 3:30 a.m. on Friday Sept. 20. Please doublecheck your listings before programming your device.
It is said that this was the last time dear Boris went before the cameras; the episode was aired after his death.
G.
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You're correct, Gothick. It is indeed titled The White Birch. Karloff only has a couple of scenes but it is certainly a better farewell appearance than The Snake People.
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Since Boris worked throughout 1968, was there ever any attempt to get him to appear on DS? He would have made a great judge in 1795, or a fantastic Dr Lang!
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It would've been mesmorizing to have him have done a cameo on DS. I still think of him whenever I see How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Despite all the dastardly characters he played, he was a sweet and gentle man who particularly loved children, which is why he did the Grinch. He has become a part of Americana Christmas classics. Like they say, when he was created, the mold was broken.
Gerard
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MeTV has just started showing Thriller in the early morning hours. It's a story anthology series (I had never heard of it before) with Boris Karloff giving the introduction for each episode.
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Keep watching Thriller, Josette. Diana Millay pops up in an episode.
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When I was a kid, Thriller was considered the scariest show on TV, so scary, in fact, that even us kids who would sneak peaks at The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits, would not watch it.
Gerard
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Funny, I don't even remember Thriller from back in the day. I don't remember realizing the show existed before about a year ago when I saw it on MeTV's nighttime weekend schedule. But even then I never watched it. I guess I should remedy that by programming my DVR. [ghost_wink]
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A lot of the episodes are on YouTube. I caught a lot of episodes that I had never seen before. Boris appears in a few as a performer to great effect. The episode with Tom Poston and Elizabeth Montgomery is extremely clever.
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I just did a little research on tv.com and I see why I don't remember the show from back in the day: I was 4 when it came on and I was barely 6 when it went off. Somehow I doubt my parents would have let me stay up to watch something like Thriller. [ghost_nowink] And I guess that if/when the show was ever in syndication in my area, I just didn't pay attention.
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THRILLER was a show I always craved to see but whenever it would show up, it would be in some weird time slot or a channel we couldn't get (this would have been when it was in syndication in the late 60s and 70s). I finally caught up with quite a few episodes some years ago but there's still many I have yet to see.
There are a couple where instead of doing one 50 minute story, they break it up and do two shorter stories. In one of these Karloff plays a philosophical morgue attendant who can talk to the dead. It's one of the creepiest, most poignant things I've ever seen on television. If Karloff had done a cameo on DS, I'd have hoped he could have a role like that of the morgue attendant.
A number of the stories have a definite DS flavor... I think you would enjoy the shows, MB, though I have no idea when you'd have time to watch them, especially with all the exciting new shows coming on this autumn.
G.
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Another spiritual grandfather of DS has to be Vincent Price. A friend sent me this link:
http://laughingsquid.com/a-huge-silver-ring-that-features-vincent-prices-head/
It made me think of how intriguing it would have been doing one of the storylines where Barn had been trapped in his coffin if a mysterious visitor arrived at Collinwood wearing a silver ring carved with the likeness of Barnabas' face!
G.
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It looks like my first introduction to Thriller (the next ep on MeTV) will feature Karloff:
THE PREDICTION
Original airdate: 11/22/60
An engaged couple (Audrey Dalton, Alex Davion) ignores a psychic's (Boris Karloff) warning of death.
Also, if the listings on my DVR are correct, it looks like MeTV is playing the eps in their original order, including having the Sunday at 10pm ET weekend ep following along after the eps from Tuesday-Saturday at 3am ET, meaning the Saturday at 3 ep originally ran 11/29/60, and the Sunday at 10 ep originally ran 12/06/60, and then the Tuesday at 3 ep originally ran 12/13/60.
According to tv.com, the ep with Elizabeth Montgomery originally ran 10/30/61, so there's a while before that one might show up.
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The Liz Montgomery episode definitely has some DS resonances and is quite cute.
My personal favorite episode may be "A Wig for Miss Devore" because I could imagine a similar story playing out with one of Lara Parker's Cassandra wigs some feckless aging actress comes across in a junkshop. A tie would be this story co-starring Jo van Fleet and John Carradine... can't recall the title, but the ancient Witch Goddess Circe is involved.
Some of the episodes are really pretty mediocre. The quality varies a lot in terms of the scripting.
G.
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The greatest "Thriller" episode of all: "Pigeons From Hell," starring the late Brandon DeWilde, imho. [ghost_shocked] [ghost_wink] (I still get nightmares about that spooky Southern mansion.) [ghost_grin]
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Back in the '90's, when what is now the "SyFy" Channel was the fantastic Sci-Fi Channel, airing classic movies and TV shows, it ran Thriller. It usually came on Saturday night.
Thriller was brilliantly produced. It didn't achieve the ratings of fellow show like The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits because it tried to be two things in one. It would go back and forth between suspense and supernatural horror, hoping to appease aficionadoes of both genres. One of the most frightening episodes, dealing with the former, concerned a woman who went on ahead to a vacation cottage she and her husband owned. They were planning on spending the weekend together and since she had a chance to go up earlier and get the place ready, she did so. While there, she found the body of a murdered woman and to her own terror she was being stalked by the man who did it. I won't say anything more to spoil it for those who want to see the episode. I saw it as an adult (it may have been on Sci-Fi, or when I watched it in syndication on another network previously) and it turned my blood cold. I slept with the lights on.
Gerard
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I have to say I've been enjoying watching Thriller, some eps more than others, but I just finished watching one of the best eps so far: The Hungry Glass. The synopsis for it -
A couple (William Shatner, Joanna Hayes) see faint images in the glass of their old home.
- doesn't even begin to describe what a creepy vibe the ep has. And it even has sort of a DS vibe to it because the old house is located at the edge of a cliff and there are frequent shots of it atop the cliff and of the waves crashing against the rocks below. And for fans of '60s TV, it has the added attraction of appearances by Russell Johnson (Gilligan's Island) and Donna Douglas (The Beverly Hillbillies) before they became household names. And believe it not, William Shatner is quite good and seemingly doesn't display any of his mannered Star Trek tics - or at least none that I noticed.
All in all it's definitely an ep I would recommend watching if you ever come across it.
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I treated myself to the Thriller set of DVDs for my birthday a few years back; beautiful, just beautiful. I had seen The Hungry Glass (based on a marvelous Robert Bloch story) on SciFi in college; "A Wig for Ms. DeVore" and "Pigeons from Hell" also lived up to their respective reps -- but the creepiest episode (and I can't for the life of my remember its title) involves a woman whose husband (or father?) is killed by a puppet/dummy that comes to life. Has a super spooky denouement, if I remember correctly.
Gothy, PLEASE write a story where one of Cassandra's wigs pops up and does something DEEEEEvious!
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After watching The Hungry Glass, one may never look at or into mirrors in quite the same way again! [ghost_nowink]
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the creepiest episode (and I can't for the life of my remember its title) involves a woman whose husband (or father?) is killed by a puppet/dummy that comes to life. Has a super spooky denouement, if I remember correctly.
This is the only episode that I've seen in recent years, and just a month or so ago at that. It's called "The Weird Tailor" and was memorable because it was so unusual-- the black mass, the son in the freezer, the real horror of domestic violence, and yikes, that ending!
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Yes yes yes!!! I need to rewatch it -- I was really freaked out the first time I saw it. The Elizabeth Montgomery vampire episode is super interesting as well.
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Thanks, I'll watch for that one!
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I just watched two episodes on youtube: "Pigeons from Hell," and "Parasite Mansion." Both are creepy and scary beyond belief.
Gerard
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There are some other ones to watch for like Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper and La Strega with Alejandro Rey, Jeanette Nolan and Ursula Andress. There's also a pretty good where Karloff appears as a mad scientist with Dick York as a supporting player.
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Karloff was brilliant in The Incredible Dr. Markesan which I finally saw a couple of years ago after having seen several stills from it in Famous Monsters as a child.
The final shot of that is so unbearably shocking. and it's accomplished with the simplest of means; lighting, music, make-up, and a really dedicated performance.
When you watch material such as this you really feel as if the classic Gothic horror of yore is much to be mourned...
G.
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Thank you, Gothick! [ghost_smiley] That is the title of the Dick York episode that I referred to earlier. Couldn't remember the title. And the ending is everything you say it is.
Gerard, I watched Parasite Mansion this evening and you were right on the money with it. The family was like the Clampetts going to the darkside
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Wow wish i knew about this would of watched it. Sure brings back the good old days of
black and white tv. I'm not sure but i think Liz Montgomery had a role as Lizzy Borden.
That was a scary one as well. Love Anne [ghost_smiley] [ghost_grin]
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There are some other ones to watch for like Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper
I was just glancing over what my DVR has programmed to record in the next two weeks and I saw where that ep will be on Friday, October 4th at 3am ET.
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This program sounds incredible. I want so much to continue my ongoing education of the stuff that was around before I seem to have been fully alert as a human being (as if that ever happens) in the very early 60s and before, that misty time when I existed but had a primitive brain.... I need me a big ass antenna to pick up MeTV after the glorious advent of totally digital TV however. Eliz Montgomery + Tom Poston I want to see........
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I'm am currently residing where there is an incredible cable package and yet, no me-tv. I was informed that I can have a streaming netflix account. I know that is mentioned here on the Forums quite a bit as an alternative to DVDs, etc. (Though I wouldn't expect it to carry Thriller.) Honestly, I am somewhat tired of the genre as a whole and have no interest in anything new or tying myself to another must watch every episode series (as Josette stated in the Sleepy hollow thread) currently airing, but like you Magnus, I am very curious about (and more open to) the older stuff especially when it is touted here as being marvelously creepy and well done (pre-CGI, which is really saying something) and can be viewed as a stand alone property.
I saw Karloff's The Old House, or something like that - the movie that's been credited as where Wallace got the idea for Shadows On The Wall, and have been fascinated with Karloff's non-Universal monster work ever since. So I am really eager to catch some of these eps everyone is talking about, even if he's not in them all.
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Marge honey, you would LOVE maybe the second or so episode of THRILLER ever produced. It was a star vehicle for Constance Ford, the evil frigid b-i-t-c-h in THE SUMMER PLACE (sternly instructing a pouting Sandra Dee--"you gotta HOOK a man--you can't just let him kiss and MAUL you like that!"). I don't recall the plot details and I am looking forward to watching it again at some point. I just remember she plays this conniving woman scheming to get her hands on some money, there's a big old mansion, and a plot more reminiscent of ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS than the supernatural stuff referenced in this thread.
THRILLER really was a mixed bag. To be honest most THRILLER fans regard the Diana Millay episode as one of the weakest. I always enjoy the period details such as the clothing and decor but vintage TV junkies need more than that to pique their interest, I guess.
G.
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Marge honey, you would LOVE maybe the second or so episode of THRILLER ever produced. It was a star vehicle for Constance Ford, the evil frigid b-i-t-c-h in THE SUMMER PLACE (sternly instructing a pouting Sandra Dee--"you gotta HOOK a man--you can't just let him kiss and MAUL you like that!"). I don't recall the plot details and I am looking forward to watching it again at some point. I just remember she plays this conniving woman scheming to get her hands on some money, there's a big old mansion, and a plot more reminiscent of ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS than the supernatural stuff referenced in this thread.
Because of the timing of when it's on, I mostly miss the beginning of it, but end up seeing most of the rest. Even with that, a lot of them have been very good. I saw most of the one you're referring to. I just looked it up - it's the 3rd episode, "Worse than Murder." By now I don't remember much about it, but if it's the one I'm thinking of, it was good.
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Constance Ford made it brilliant. I think she and Clarice were friends with one another btw. Like Clarice, Constance Ford was a highly talented actress who became a regular on one of the Sixties soaps--I can't recall which one now.
G.
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Constance Ford played Ada, the salt of the earth mother of A.nother World's resident bad girl Rachel
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The Elizabeth Montgomery vampire episode is super interesting as well.
That ep is being shown Tuesday at 3am ET on MeTV. Given all the glowing recommendations in this topic, I'm really looking forward to it. Plus I'm pretty sure I've never seen any of Elizabeth Montgomery's work prior to Bewitched, so that alone should make watching fun.
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Well, it was definitely a hoot. Though I've got to say that I suspected the twist early on. And by the time they started pouring on the clues about three quarters of the way through, I was certain of it. But none of that lessened the fun one iota. And using the Psycho house as the exterior was great fun as well. (That really had to add to things for the audience of the original airing.)
And while we're on the subject of this show, I definitely found it interesting that in the first season not only did two separate eps star William Shatner, but they starred William Shatner paired with Elizabeth Allen, and a future star of Gilligan's Island. The Hungry Glass starred Shatner, Allen, and Russell Johnson - and The Grim Reaper (which I also thought was quite good) starred Shatner, Allen, and Natalie Schafer. I suppose they liked the pairing of Shatner and Allen so much that they couldn't wait to pair them again. Or perhaps they were a couple at the time and they requested to work together again. Who knows? But the pairing doesn't seem coincidental, even if putting them with Johnson and Schafer had to be.
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There's another Thriller episode that would make a nice companion to the Elizabeth Montgomery episode. It stars Darren #1, Dick York and is one of the shows where Boris isn't merely the narrator. He's in full mad scientist mode and there is a good twist at the end
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"The Incredible Dr. Markesan." After seeing several stills from it as a child in Famous Monsters, I finally got to see the episode a few years ago. It's a really good one, even if the stupidity of the Dick York character really does beggar belief.
G.
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I purchased the DVD set as soon as it became available. Love this show.
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Marge honey, you would LOVE maybe the second or so episode of THRILLER ever produced. It was a star vehicle for Constance Ford, the evil frigid b-i-t-c-h in THE SUMMER PLACE (sternly instructing a pouting Sandra Dee--"you gotta HOOK a man--you can't just let him kiss and MAUL you like that!"). I don't recall the plot details and I am looking forward to watching it again at some point. I just remember she plays this conniving woman scheming to get her hands on some money, there's a big old mansion, and a plot more reminiscent of ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS than the supernatural stuff referenced in this thread.
Thriller just started over at the beginning this morning, so I'm assuming this episode will be on again at 3:00 (Eastern) Thursday morning (what I still consider as Wednesday night). The one before that was one I saw the last time with a little boy and I thought it very exciting.
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Wasn't the one with Constance Ford on last night/early this morning? I haven't watched it yet, but the credits on my DVR list her.
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Oh, wait - I see - she's on again in the 3rd ep of the 1st season. How wild that she was in both the 1st ep and the 3rd ep of the season.
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Well, to say Constance Ford's character was a hoot and a half would be an understatement. Loved her! Though why do I suspect that when the ep originally ran back in the day, most of the audience probably hated her? But even if they did, hopefully they appreciated CF's tour de force performance. And somehow I suspect her character landed right back on feet after her little trip to the police station (after all, there was no evidence against her) and she was soon back to her devilish and scheming ways.
However, one thing no one has mentioned about the ep is the direct connection it has to DS. It was nagging at me the whole time I watched - but right after I finished watching it finally hit me. Has it hit anyone else who watched yet? [hall2_wink]
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I thought I had seen most of this the last time around, but the little blurb of it was too vague for me to be sure. It turned out I had missed it entirely, so it was good to see it. I have absolutely no idea what the DS connection is that you're hinting at.
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Has it hit anyone else who watched yet? [hall2_wink]
I didn't watch it and only caught this morning's awful ep since the series was restarted, but having seen the credits for the one you're talking about, John Baragrey-- who played Burke's banker-- is near the top of the list.
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If you're referring to the little girl and the gun, I thought that was a pretty good one. As to Baragrey, I've never heard of him and certainly wouldn't recognize him from that bit part so long ago on DS!!
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MeTV recently started showing Alfred Hitchckock Hour before Thriller. Today's episode starred Anthony George.
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The Elizabeth Montgomery episode of Thriller will be on again tomorrow. That's Wednesday the 8th at 3:00 a.m. Eastern (what I consider to still be Tuesday night).