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
Theme music composer Peter Rugolo
Composer(s) Jerry Goldsmith
Stanley Wilson
Country of origin United States
Original 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)
Production company(s) Hubbell Robinson Productions
Revue Studios
Distributor Revue Studios (original)
NBCUniversal Television Distribution (current)
Release
Original network NBC
Picture format Black and white 4:3
Audio format Mono
Original release September 13, 1960 – April 30, 1962

Thriller (also known as Boris Karloff's Thriller) is an American 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] Reruns currently (November 2015) air on the MeTV television network.

Overview

Thriller was created by Hubbell Robinson for MCA's Revue Studios. It was produced by Fletcher Markle, William Frye, and Maxwell Shane. Among the many writers for the series were Robert Hardy Andrews, and 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 Sommervilles," "Dialogues With Death," and "The Incredible Doctor Markesan."

Other actors included Leslie Nielsen in the show's first episode "The Twisted Image, William Shatner in two episodes, "The Hungry Glass" and "The Grim Reaper," Constance Ford in two episodes, Mary Tyler Moore in two episodes and Edward Andrews in three episodes. Child actress Beverly Washburn appeared in "Parasite Mansion"; Joan Tompkins appeared in "The Cheaters" and "Mr. George." Elizabeth Montgomery, Tom Poston, and John Carradine in "Masquerade." Carradine also starred in "The Remarkable Mrs. Hawk," co-starring Bruce Dern and Jo Van Fleet, Ed Nelson starred in four episodes: "The Fatal Impulse," "The Cheaters," "A Good Imagination," and "Dialogues With Death."

Other performers included: Rip Torn. George Grizzard, Natalie Trundy, Bethel Leslie, Patricia Medina, Patricia Barry, Richard Anderson, Richard Chamberlain, Elisha Cook, Conrad Nagel, Larry Pennell, Russell Johnson, Diana Millay, Philip Carey, Kathleen Crowley, Susan Oliver, Rodolfo Hoyos, Jr., J. Pat O'Malley, Henry Daniell, Robert Vaughn, Marlo Thomas, John Ireland, Jeanette Nolan, Virginia Gregg, Hazel Scott, Lloyd Bochner, Scott Marlowe, Judson Pratt, Olive Sturgess, Mary Astor, Marion Ross, MacDonald Carey, Natalie Schafer, Phyllis Thaxter, Estelle Winwood, Antoinette Bower, Jane Greer, Dick York, Jocelyn Brando, Richard Carlson, William Windom, George Kennedy, Cloris Leachman, Monte Markham, Patricia Breslin and Edward Binns.

Episodes

No = Overall episode number
Ep = Episode number within the season

Due to a number of TV stations that pre-emptied Thriller in favor of local programs, Thriller only ran for two seasons starting September 1960.

Season 1: 1960–1961

The show premiered on September 13, 1960 with the episode "The Twisted Image."

No Ep Title Directed by Written by Original air date
0101"The Twisted Image"Arthur HillerJames P. CavanaghSeptember 13, 1960 (1960-09-13)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Leslie Nielsen, and George Grizzard
0202"Child's Play"Arthur HillerRobert DozierSeptember 20, 1960 (1960-09-20)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Frank Overton and Bethel Leslie
0303"Worse Than Murder"Mitchell LeisenMel GoldbergSeptember 27, 1960 (1960-09-27)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Constance Ford, and John Baragrey
0404"The Mark of the Hand"Paul HenreidEric PetersOctober 4, 1960 (1960-10-04)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Mona Freeman, and Jessie Royce Landis
0505"Rose's Last Summer"Arthur HillerMarie BaumerOctober 11, 1960 (1960-10-11)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Mary Astor, and Lin McCarthy
0606"The Guilty Men"Jules BrickenJohn VlahosOctober 18, 1960 (1960-10-18)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Everett Sloane, and Jay C. Flippen
0707"The Purple Room"Douglas HeyesDouglas HeyesOctober 25, 1960 (1960-10-25)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Rip Torn, and Patricia Barry
0808"The Watcher"John BrahmDonald S. SanfordNovember 1, 1960 (1960-11-01)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Martin Gabel, and Stuart Erwin
0909"Girl with a Secret"Mitchell LeisenCharles BeaumontNovember 15, 1960 (1960-11-15)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Fay Bainter, Cloris Leachman, Monte Markham, and Paul Hartman
1010"The Prediction"John BrahmDonald S. SanfordNovember 22, 1960 (1960-11-22)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Audrey Dalton (actress and Alexander Davion
1111"The Fatal Impulse"Gerald MayerPhilip MacDonaldNovember 29, 1960 (1960-11-29)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Robert Lansing, Whitney Blake, Mary Tyler Moore
1212"The Big Blackout"Maurice GeraghtyOscar MillardDecember 6, 1960 (1960-12-06)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Jack Carson, Nan Leslie, and Charles McGraw
1313"Knock Three-One-Two"Herman HoffmanJohn KneubuhlDecember 13, 1960 (1960-12-13)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Joe Maross and Beverly Garland
1414"Man in the Middle"Fletcher MarkleHoward RodmanDecember 20, 1960 (1960-12-20)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Mort Sahl, and Werner Klemperer
1515"The Cheaters"John BrahmDonald S. SanfordDecember 27, 1960 (1960-12-27)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Mildred Dunnock, and Harry Townes
1616"The Hungry Glass"Douglas HeyesDouglas HeyesJanuary 3, 1961 (1961-01-03)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Donna Douglas, William Shatner, and Joanna Heyes
1717"The Poisoner"Herschel DaughertyRobert Hardy AndrewsJanuary 10, 1961 (1961-01-10)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Murray Matheson, and Sarah Marshall (British film actress)
1818"Man in the Cage"Gerald MayerStuart JeromeJanuary 17, 1961 (1961-01-17)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Philip Carey, and Diana Millay
1919"Choose a Victim"Richard Carlson (actor)George BellakJanuary 24, 1961 (1961-01-24)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Larry Blyden, and Susan Oliver
2020"Hay-Fork and Bill-Hook"Herschel DaughertyAlan CaillouFebruary 7, 1961 (1961-02-07)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Kenneth Haigh, and Audrey Dalton
2121"The Merriweather File"John BrahmJohn KneubuhlFebruary 14, 1961 (1961-02-14)
Cast: Boris Karloff, James Gregory, and Bethel Leslie
2222"The Fingers of Fear"Jules BrickenRobert Hardy AndrewsFebruary 21, 1961 (1961-02-21)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Nehemiah Persoff, and Robert Middleton
2323"Well of Doom"John BrahmDonald S. SanfordFebruary 28, 1961 (1961-02-28)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Ronald Howard, and Henry Daniell
2424"The Ordeal of Dr. Cordell"Laslo BenedekDonald S. SanfordMarch 7, 1961 (1961-03-07)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Robert Vaughn, and Kathleen Crowley
2525"Trio for Terror"Ida LupinoWilkie CollinsMarch 14, 1961 (1961-03-14)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Reginald Owen, and John Abbott
2626"Papa Benjamin"Ted PostJohn KneubuhlMarch 21, 1961 (1961-03-21)
Cast: Boris Karloff, John Ireland, and Jeanne Bal
2727"Late Date"Herschel DaughertyDonald S. SanfordApril 4, 1961 (1961-04-04)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Larry Pennell, and Edward Platt
2828"Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper"Ray MillandBarré LyndonApril 11, 1961 (1961-04-11)
Cast: Boris Karloff, John Williams, and Beverly Powers
2929"The Devil's Ticket"Jules BrickenRobert BlochApril 18, 1961 (1961-04-18)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Macdonald Carey, and Patricia Medina
3030"Parasite Mansion"Herschel DaughertyDonald S. SanfordApril 25, 1961 (1961-04-25)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Pippa Scott, and Jeanette Nolan
3131"A Good Imagination"John BrahmRobert BlochMay 2, 1961 (1961-05-02)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Edward Andrews, and Patricia Barry
3232"Mr. George"Ida LupinoDonald S. SanfordMay 9, 1961 (1961-05-09)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Virginia Gregg, and Howard Freeman
3333"The Terror in Teakwood"Paul HenreidAlan CaillouMay 16, 1961 (1961-05-16)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Guy Rolfe, and Hazel Court
3434"The Prisoner in the Mirror"Herschel DaughertyRobert Arthur, Jr.May 23, 1961 (1961-05-23)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Lloyd Bochner, and Henry Daniell
3535"Dark Legacy"John BrahmJohn TomerlinMay 30, 1961 (1961-05-30)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Harry Townes, and Ilka Windish
3636"Pigeons from Hell"John NewlandJohn KneubuhlJune 6, 1961 (1961-06-06)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Brandon De Wilde, and Crahan Denton
3737"The Grim Reaper"Herschel DaughertyRobert BlochJune 13, 1961 (1961-06-13)
Cast: Boris Karloff, William Shatner, and Natalie Schafer

Season 2: 1961–1962

The second season of Thriller started on September 18, 1961 with the episode "What Beckoning Ghost?" and had 30 episodes in the season.

No Ep Title Directed by Written by Original air date
3801"What Beckoning Ghost?"Ida LupinoDonald S. SanfordSeptember 18, 1961 (1961-09-18)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Judith Evelyn, and Tom Helmore
3902"Guillotine"Ida LupinoCharles BeaumontSeptember 26, 1961 (1961-09-26)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Robert Middleton, and Danielle De Metz
4003"The Premature Burial"Douglas HeyesWilliam D. GordonOctober 2, 1961 (1961-10-02)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Sidney Blackmer, and Scott Marlowe
4104"The Weird Tailor"Herschel DaughertyRobert BlochOctober 16, 1961 (1961-10-16)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Henry Jones, and George Macready
4205"God Grante That She Lye Stille"Herschel DaughertyRobert Hardy AndrewsOctober 23, 1961 (1961-10-23)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Ronald Howard, and Sarah Marshall (British film actress)
4306"Masquerade"Herschel DaughertyDonald S. SanfordOctober 30, 1961 (1961-10-30)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Elizabeth Montgomery, and Tom Poston
4407"The Last of the Sommervilles"Ida LupinoIda LupinoNovember 6, 1961 (1961-11-06)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Peter Walker, Chet Stratton, Phyllis Thaxter, and Martita Hunt
4508"Letter to a Lover"Herschel DaughertyDonald S. SanfordNovember 13, 1961 (1961-11-13)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Ann Todd and Murray Matheson
4609"A Third for Pinochle"Herschel DaughertyMark HannaNovember 20, 1961 (1961-11-20)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Edward Andrews, and Doro Merande
4710"The Closed Cabinet"Ida LupinoJess CarneolNovember 27, 1961 (1961-11-27)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Olive Sturgess, and David Frankham
4811"Dialogues with Death"Herschel DaughertyRobert Arthur, Jr.December 4, 1961 (1961-12-04)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Norma Crane, and Ed Nelson
4912"The Return of Andrew Bentley"John NewlandRichard MathesonDecember 11, 1961 (1961-12-11)
Cast: Boris Karloff, John Newland, and Antoinette Bower
5013"The Remarkable Mrs. Hawk"John BrahmDonald S. SanfordDecember 18, 1961 (1961-12-18)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Jo Van Fleet, and John Carradine
5114"Portrait Without a Face"John NewlandJason WingreenDecember 25, 1961 (1961-12-25)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Jane Greer, and Robert Webber
5215"An Attractive Family"John BrahmRobert Arthur, Jr.January 1, 1962 (1962-01-01)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Richard Long, and Leo G. Carroll
5316"Waxworks"Herschel DaughertyRobert BlochJanuary 8, 1962 (1962-01-08)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Oskar Homolka, and Martin Kosleck
5417"La Strega"Ida LupinoAlan CaillouJanuary 15, 1962 (1962-01-15)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Ursula Andress, and Alejandro Rey
5518"The Storm"Herschel DaughertyWilliam D. GordonJanuary 22, 1962 (1962-01-22)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Nancy Kelly, and David McLean
5619"A Wig for Miss Devore"John BrahmAugust DerlethJanuary 29, 1962 (1962-01-29)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Patricia Barry, and John Baragrey
5720"The Hollow Watcher"William F. ClaxtonJay SimmsFebruary 12, 1962 (1962-02-12)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Audrey Dalton, Sean McClory and Warren Oates
5821"Cousin Tundifer"John BrahmBoris SobelmanFebruary 19, 1962 (1962-02-19)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Edward Andrews, and Sue Ane Langdon
5922"The Incredible Doktor Markesan"Robert FloreyDonald S. SanfordFebruary 26, 1962 (1962-02-26)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Dick York, and Carolyn Kearney
6023"Flowers of Evil"John BrahmBarré LyndonMarch 5, 1962 (1962-03-05)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Luciana Paluzzi, and Kevin Hagen
6124"'Til Death Do Us Part"Herschel DaughertyRobert BlochMarch 12, 1962 (1962-03-12)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Henry Jones (actor) and Jim Davis
6225"The Bride Who Died Twice"Ida LupinoRobert Hardy AndrewsMarch 19, 1962 (1962-03-19)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Mala Powers, and Eduardo Ciannelli
6326"Kill My Love"Herschel DaughertyDonald S. SanfordMarch 26, 1962 (1962-03-26)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Richard Carlson, and Patricia Breslin
6427"Man of Mystery"John NewlandRobert BlochApril 2, 1962 (1962-04-02)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Mary Tyler Moore and John Van Dreelen
6528"The Innocent Bystanders"John EnglishRobert Hardy AndrewsApril 9, 1962 (1962-04-09)
Cast: Boris Karloff, John Anderson, and George Kennedy
6629"The Lethal Ladies"Ida LupinoBoris SobelmanApril 16, 1962 (1962-04-16)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Howard Morris, and Rosemary Murphy
6730"The Specialists"Ted PostJohn KneubuhlApril 30, 1962 (1962-04-30)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Lin McCarthy, and Robert Douglas

DVD release

On August 31, 2010, Image Entertainment released Thriller: The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1 for the first time. The 14-disc set contains all 67 episodes, remastered and uncut, with new commentary tracks and more.[2]

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]

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.[6]

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 who 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.[7]

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

References

  1. Boris Karloff Rejoice! Image Entertainment is Finally Bringing Us Home Thriller! from dreadcentral.com
  2. "Image Entertainment". Image Entertainment. 2010-08-31. Retrieved 2011-10-03.
  3. "Television: : The New Shows". Time. September 26, 1960. Retrieved 2010-10-17.
  4. King, Stephen. Danse Macabre. Berkley Books, New York,1982. Page 216.
  5. "Boris Karloff back in Thriller: Complete Series". Hollywood Reporter. via Reuters. September 1, 2010. Retrieved 2010-10-17.
  6. Comicvine.com
  7. Warren, Alan (1996). This Is A Thriller! - An Episode Guide. McFarland & Company, Inc.

External links

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