Thriller (U.S. TV series)
| Thriller | |
|---|---|
| File:Thriller Title.png | |
| 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 |
| External links | |
| [{{#property:P856}} Website] | |
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.
Contents
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | 01 | "The Twisted Image" | Arthur Hiller | James P. Cavanagh | September 13, 1960 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, Leslie Nielsen, and George Grizzard | |||||
| 02 | 02 | "Child's Play" | Arthur Hiller | Robert Dozier | September 20, 1960 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, Frank Overton and Bethel Leslie | |||||
| 03 | 03 | "Worse Than Murder" | Mitchell Leisen | Mel Goldberg | September 27, 1960 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, Constance Ford, and John Baragrey | |||||
| 04 | 04 | "The Mark of the Hand" | Paul Henreid | Eric Peters | October 4, 1960 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, Mona Freeman, and Jessie Royce Landis | |||||
| 05 | 05 | "Rose's Last Summer" | Arthur Hiller | Marie Baumer | October 11, 1960 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, Mary Astor, and Lin McCarthy | |||||
| 06 | 06 | "The Guilty Men" | Jules Bricken | John Vlahos | October 18, 1960 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, Everett Sloane, and Jay C. Flippen | |||||
| 07 | 07 | "The Purple Room" | Douglas Heyes | Douglas Heyes | October 25, 1960 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, Rip Torn, and Patricia Barry | |||||
| 08 | 08 | "The Watcher" | John Brahm | Donald S. Sanford | November 1, 1960 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, Martin Gabel, and Stuart Erwin | |||||
| 09 | 09 | "Girl with a Secret" | Mitchell Leisen | Charles Beaumont | November 15, 1960 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, Fay Bainter, Cloris Leachman, Monte Markham, and Paul Hartman | |||||
| 10 | 10 | "The Prediction" | John Brahm | Donald S. Sanford | November 22, 1960 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, Audrey Dalton (actress and Alexander Davion | |||||
| 11 | 11 | "The Fatal Impulse" | Gerald Mayer | Philip MacDonald | November 29, 1960 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, Robert Lansing, Whitney Blake, Mary Tyler Moore | |||||
| 12 | 12 | "The Big Blackout" | Maurice Geraghty | Oscar Millard | December 6, 1960 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, Jack Carson, Nan Leslie, and Charles McGraw | |||||
| 13 | 13 | "Knock Three-One-Two" | Herman Hoffman | John Kneubuhl | December 13, 1960 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, Joe Maross and Beverly Garland | |||||
| 14 | 14 | "Man in the Middle" | Fletcher Markle | Howard Rodman | December 20, 1960 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, Mort Sahl, and Werner Klemperer | |||||
| 15 | 15 | "The Cheaters" | John Brahm | Donald S. Sanford | December 27, 1960 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, Mildred Dunnock, and Harry Townes | |||||
| 16 | 16 | "The Hungry Glass" | Douglas Heyes | Douglas Heyes | January 3, 1961 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, Donna Douglas, William Shatner, and Joanna Heyes | |||||
| 17 | 17 | "The Poisoner" | Herschel Daugherty | Robert Hardy Andrews | January 10, 1961 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, Murray Matheson, and Sarah Marshall (British film actress) | |||||
| 18 | 18 | "Man in the Cage" | Gerald Mayer | Stuart Jerome | January 17, 1961 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, Philip Carey, and Diana Millay | |||||
| 19 | 19 | "Choose a Victim" | Richard Carlson (actor) | George Bellak | January 24, 1961 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, Larry Blyden, and Susan Oliver | |||||
| 20 | 20 | "Hay-Fork and Bill-Hook" | Herschel Daugherty | Alan Caillou | February 7, 1961 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, Kenneth Haigh, and Audrey Dalton | |||||
| 21 | 21 | "The Merriweather File" | John Brahm | John Kneubuhl | February 14, 1961 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, James Gregory, and Bethel Leslie | |||||
| 22 | 22 | "The Fingers of Fear" | Jules Bricken | Robert Hardy Andrews | February 21, 1961 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, Nehemiah Persoff, and Robert Middleton | |||||
| 23 | 23 | "Well of Doom" | John Brahm | Donald S. Sanford | February 28, 1961 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, Ronald Howard, and Henry Daniell | |||||
| 24 | 24 | "The Ordeal of Dr. Cordell" | Laslo Benedek | Donald S. Sanford | March 7, 1961 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, Robert Vaughn, and Kathleen Crowley | |||||
| 25 | 25 | "Trio for Terror" | Ida Lupino | Wilkie Collins | March 14, 1961 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, Reginald Owen, and John Abbott | |||||
| 26 | 26 | "Papa Benjamin" | Ted Post | John Kneubuhl | March 21, 1961 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, John Ireland, and Jeanne Bal | |||||
| 27 | 27 | "Late Date" | Herschel Daugherty | Donald S. Sanford | April 4, 1961 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, Larry Pennell, and Edward Platt | |||||
| 28 | 28 | "Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper" | Ray Milland | Barré Lyndon | April 11, 1961 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, John Williams, and Beverly Powers | |||||
| 29 | 29 | "The Devil's Ticket" | Jules Bricken | Robert Bloch | April 18, 1961 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, Macdonald Carey, and Patricia Medina | |||||
| 30 | 30 | "Parasite Mansion" | Herschel Daugherty | Donald S. Sanford | April 25, 1961 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, Pippa Scott, and Jeanette Nolan | |||||
| 31 | 31 | "A Good Imagination" | John Brahm | Robert Bloch | May 2, 1961 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, Edward Andrews, and Patricia Barry | |||||
| 32 | 32 | "Mr. George" | Ida Lupino | Donald S. Sanford | May 9, 1961 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, Virginia Gregg, and Howard Freeman | |||||
| 33 | 33 | "The Terror in Teakwood" | Paul Henreid | Alan Caillou | May 16, 1961 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, Guy Rolfe, and Hazel Court | |||||
| 34 | 34 | "The Prisoner in the Mirror" | Herschel Daugherty | Robert Arthur, Jr. | May 23, 1961 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, Lloyd Bochner, and Henry Daniell | |||||
| 35 | 35 | "Dark Legacy" | John Brahm | John Tomerlin | May 30, 1961 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, Harry Townes, and Ilka Windish | |||||
| 36 | 36 | "Pigeons from Hell" | John Newland | John Kneubuhl | June 6, 1961 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, Brandon De Wilde, and Crahan Denton | |||||
| 37 | 37 | "The Grim Reaper" | Herschel Daugherty | Robert Bloch | June 13, 1961 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 38 | 01 | "What Beckoning Ghost?" | Ida Lupino | Donald S. Sanford | September 18, 1961 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, Judith Evelyn, and Tom Helmore | |||||
| 39 | 02 | "Guillotine" | Ida Lupino | Charles Beaumont | September 26, 1961 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, Robert Middleton, and Danielle De Metz | |||||
| 40 | 03 | "The Premature Burial" | Douglas Heyes | William D. Gordon | October 2, 1961 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, Sidney Blackmer, and Scott Marlowe | |||||
| 41 | 04 | "The Weird Tailor" | Herschel Daugherty | Robert Bloch | October 16, 1961 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, Henry Jones, and George Macready | |||||
| 42 | 05 | "God Grante That She Lye Stille" | Herschel Daugherty | Robert Hardy Andrews | October 23, 1961 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, Ronald Howard, and Sarah Marshall (British film actress) | |||||
| 43 | 06 | "Masquerade" | Herschel Daugherty | Donald S. Sanford | October 30, 1961 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, Elizabeth Montgomery, and Tom Poston | |||||
| 44 | 07 | "The Last of the Sommervilles" | Ida Lupino | Ida Lupino | November 6, 1961 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, Peter Walker, Chet Stratton, Phyllis Thaxter, and Martita Hunt | |||||
| 45 | 08 | "Letter to a Lover" | Herschel Daugherty | Donald S. Sanford | November 13, 1961 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, Ann Todd and Murray Matheson | |||||
| 46 | 09 | "A Third for Pinochle" | Herschel Daugherty | Mark Hanna | November 20, 1961 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, Edward Andrews, and Doro Merande | |||||
| 47 | 10 | "The Closed Cabinet" | Ida Lupino | Jess Carneol | November 27, 1961 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, Olive Sturgess, and David Frankham | |||||
| 48 | 11 | "Dialogues with Death" | Herschel Daugherty | Robert Arthur, Jr. | December 4, 1961 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, Norma Crane, and Ed Nelson | |||||
| 49 | 12 | "The Return of Andrew Bentley" | John Newland | Richard Matheson | December 11, 1961 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, John Newland, and Antoinette Bower | |||||
| 50 | 13 | "The Remarkable Mrs. Hawk" | John Brahm | Donald S. Sanford | December 18, 1961 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, Jo Van Fleet, and John Carradine | |||||
| 51 | 14 | "Portrait Without a Face" | John Newland | Jason Wingreen | December 25, 1961 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, Jane Greer, and Robert Webber | |||||
| 52 | 15 | "An Attractive Family" | John Brahm | Robert Arthur, Jr. | January 1, 1962 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, Richard Long, and Leo G. Carroll | |||||
| 53 | 16 | "Waxworks" | Herschel Daugherty | Robert Bloch | January 8, 1962 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, Oskar Homolka, and Martin Kosleck | |||||
| 54 | 17 | "La Strega" | Ida Lupino | Alan Caillou | January 15, 1962 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, Ursula Andress, and Alejandro Rey | |||||
| 55 | 18 | "The Storm" | Herschel Daugherty | William D. Gordon | January 22, 1962 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, Nancy Kelly, and David McLean | |||||
| 56 | 19 | "A Wig for Miss Devore" | John Brahm | August Derleth | January 29, 1962 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, Patricia Barry, and John Baragrey | |||||
| 57 | 20 | "The Hollow Watcher" | William F. Claxton | Jay Simms | February 12, 1962 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, Audrey Dalton, Sean McClory and Warren Oates | |||||
| 58 | 21 | "Cousin Tundifer" | John Brahm | Boris Sobelman | February 19, 1962 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, Edward Andrews, and Sue Ane Langdon | |||||
| 59 | 22 | "The Incredible Doktor Markesan" | Robert Florey | Donald S. Sanford | February 26, 1962 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, Dick York, and Carolyn Kearney | |||||
| 60 | 23 | "Flowers of Evil" | John Brahm | Barré Lyndon | March 5, 1962 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, Luciana Paluzzi, and Kevin Hagen | |||||
| 61 | 24 | "'Til Death Do Us Part" | Herschel Daugherty | Robert Bloch | March 12, 1962 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, Henry Jones (actor) and Jim Davis | |||||
| 62 | 25 | "The Bride Who Died Twice" | Ida Lupino | Robert Hardy Andrews | March 19, 1962 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, Mala Powers, and Eduardo Ciannelli | |||||
| 63 | 26 | "Kill My Love" | Herschel Daugherty | Donald S. Sanford | March 26, 1962 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, Richard Carlson, and Patricia Breslin | |||||
| 64 | 27 | "Man of Mystery" | John Newland | Robert Bloch | April 2, 1962 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, Mary Tyler Moore and John Van Dreelen | |||||
| 65 | 28 | "The Innocent Bystanders" | John English | Robert Hardy Andrews | April 9, 1962 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, John Anderson, and George Kennedy | |||||
| 66 | 29 | "The Lethal Ladies" | Ida Lupino | Boris Sobelman | April 16, 1962 |
| Cast: Boris Karloff, Howard Morris, and Rosemary Murphy | |||||
| 67 | 30 | "The Specialists" | Ted Post | John Kneubuhl | April 30, 1962 |
| 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
- ↑ Boris Karloff Rejoice! Image Entertainment is Finally Bringing Us Home Thriller! from dreadcentral.com
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ King, Stephen. Danse Macabre. Berkley Books, New York,1982. Page 216.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Comicvine.com
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
External links
- Lua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 28: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). Thriller at IMDb
- Thriller at TV.comLua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 28: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
- A Thriller a Day Peter Enfantino and John Scoleri review each and every episode of Boris Karloff's Thriller
- Thriller guide Summary of each episode.
- Thriller at CVTA
- The Return of Andrew Bentley Public domain episode at the Internet Archive
