Full Transcript for Night Gallery S03E01&02 (Return of the Sorcerer - The Girl with the Hungry Eyes)

00:04:46.360 --> 00:04:49.600 of Stanley Waxman, who was also on two episodes of Night Gallery. He 59 00:04:49.720 --> 00:04:54.600 was an actor in the episodes of The Academy and Deer Departed. Now, 60 00:04:54.600 --> 00:04:58.519 because of the shake up here splitting hour long episodes into half hours, we've 61 00:04:58.519 --> 00:05:02.040 decided to continue that by reviewing a full hour here. So on every episode 62 00:05:02.079 --> 00:05:06.240 of Midnight Viewing for the third season. We're reviewing it. Two episodes of 63 00:05:06.600 --> 00:05:13.399 Night Gallery. Question. When Rod comes out and does his introduction, is 64 00:05:13.439 --> 00:05:16.879 he doing that for a full episode? It feels like he keeps saying our 65 00:05:17.000 --> 00:05:20.480 first painting tonight. Yeah, he does keep saying that. That's weird. 66 00:05:20.720 --> 00:05:24.199 Yeah. I don't know. I don't know the reasoning behind that yet, 67 00:05:24.240 --> 00:05:27.480 other than maybe he's just used to saying it, or the scripts were written 68 00:05:27.480 --> 00:05:30.879 with an eye toward an hour long and then they just split it and didn't 69 00:05:30.920 --> 00:05:34.160 do any revising, which is very likely. When I find very unusual about 70 00:05:34.240 --> 00:05:39.879 this whole shakeup is that they clearly didn't want to spend one more dime on 71 00:05:39.920 --> 00:05:43.199 the show that they had to, But then they had a new credit sequence 72 00:05:43.319 --> 00:05:46.800 and theme commissioned. We all know that they don't make any sense over there 73 00:05:46.839 --> 00:05:51.279 in Hollywood. Come on now, it's weird to me the changes that they've 74 00:05:51.319 --> 00:05:56.199 made, and it's weird to me that Rod Serling is still here. Frankly, 75 00:05:56.879 --> 00:05:59.720 like, of all the things that are surprising, the fact that Rod 76 00:05:59.759 --> 00:06:03.079 Serling is still here is the most surprising, because this is the point where 77 00:06:03.120 --> 00:06:08.759 I'm just like, oh boy, the quality it's like, it's like Twilight's 78 00:06:08.800 --> 00:06:12.600 own nineteen eighty five season three. It's the same thing, just like you 79 00:06:12.800 --> 00:06:18.040 have done a complete retooling of what this show is. And I'm not sure 80 00:06:18.040 --> 00:06:23.040 that a retooling wouldn't have been better than just like it, going away, 81 00:06:23.720 --> 00:06:27.839 going away, you know. Again, not commenting on these episodes specifically, 82 00:06:27.879 --> 00:06:31.199 just saying, sometimes it's better to just sometimes Dad is better, Sometimes it's 83 00:06:31.240 --> 00:06:34.519 better just to let the show be done. And two seasons. Again, 84 00:06:34.600 --> 00:06:39.000 not commenting in a roundabout way about the episodes at all, just saying, 85 00:06:39.040 --> 00:06:41.439 sometimes you don't have to keep doing it. I get why they did, 86 00:06:41.480 --> 00:06:45.120 because money, like stage capitalism, but yeah, it is a bit of 87 00:06:45.199 --> 00:06:47.879 turn about. Is fair play? However, because Jack Laired in the second 88 00:06:47.920 --> 00:06:51.319 season kind of shoved Rout out of the way and asserted creative control, and 89 00:06:51.319 --> 00:06:55.079 at the end of that season Universal stepped in and said, yeah, we'll 90 00:06:55.079 --> 00:06:59.879 take it from here. So in the area of the old cultage, customer 91 00:07:00.079 --> 00:07:04.600 to preoccupy ourselves with witchets, and too infrequently we dabble on the male side 92 00:07:04.600 --> 00:07:10.360 of that time honored profession. The sorcerer. On display here is a painting 93 00:07:10.839 --> 00:07:15.120 showing the natural habitat of this species of black art practitioner, Dark Alley, 94 00:07:15.360 --> 00:07:20.600 Murky Light, a few sundry skulls, and the gentleman himself on the right 95 00:07:20.639 --> 00:07:26.399 of the picture with the upraised hand and the funny little goat horns. Yes, 96 00:07:26.439 --> 00:07:30.560 indeed this is a sorcerer, and for those of you who disbelieve his 97 00:07:30.639 --> 00:07:33.800 existence, we invite you to check this out for a little while. Our 98 00:07:33.839 --> 00:07:38.759 painting is called the Return of the Sorcerer, and we're a better place for 99 00:07:38.839 --> 00:07:44.120 him to return than right here in the night gallery. Rod wants us check 100 00:07:44.160 --> 00:07:47.240 this out. It's Return of the Sorcerer. This was season three, episode 101 00:07:47.279 --> 00:07:50.920 one, released on September the twenty fourth, nineteen seventy two. It was 102 00:07:50.959 --> 00:07:56.639 written by Holston Wells, based on a Clark Ashton Smith short story, and 103 00:07:56.680 --> 00:08:01.240 directed by Jeno Zwark or Jean Zwark I noticed that Yeah, he'll be known 104 00:08:01.279 --> 00:08:05.399 by the more sophisticated and way easier to say Jean Zwark for the rest of 105 00:08:05.439 --> 00:08:09.519 the season. This one stars Vincent Price. This is his second appearance on 106 00:08:09.600 --> 00:08:13.759 That Guy, Tia Sterling her first, and Bill Bixby special appearance by Bill 107 00:08:13.800 --> 00:08:18.759 Bixby and his second appearance in this one. Bill Bixby is hired to translate 108 00:08:18.800 --> 00:08:22.680 an ancient text by a sorcerer. What could go on? What do you 109 00:08:22.720 --> 00:08:26.199 think of this one, Mike? I was very confused, but this one. 110 00:08:26.480 --> 00:08:31.439 I kept trying to figure out the power dynamics between Tisia Sterling and Vincent 111 00:08:31.480 --> 00:08:35.840 Price. And then there's this whole talk about Vincent Price is a twin and 112 00:08:37.039 --> 00:08:41.200 he cut off his twins head and the head is someplace, and I'm just 113 00:08:41.279 --> 00:08:46.600 like, this sounds far more interesting than a translation story. And then this 114 00:08:46.720 --> 00:08:48.919 goat keeps showing up, and I'm like, Bill Bixby's okay with this?

115 00:08:50.200 --> 00:08:54.039 I mean, seven hundred and fifty dollars a week as somebody's making. Yes, 116 00:08:54.559 --> 00:08:56.720 I'd be okay with that as well, because that's I'd be okay with 117 00:08:56.759 --> 00:09:01.519 that now. In nineteen seventy two, that was the equivalent of fifty five 118 00:09:01.600 --> 00:09:05.240 hundred dollars. Holy cow wow. I mean, I guess he's not going 119 00:09:05.320 --> 00:09:09.919 to be around to spend it. Is the thing is because the person who 120 00:09:09.120 --> 00:09:13.240 translates the stuff is supposed to have all these horrible things done to him. 121 00:09:15.039 --> 00:09:20.120 Or is he yeah, nice hand off there at the end? I mean, 122 00:09:20.399 --> 00:09:24.080 is it just me? Or is it very confusing. Oh yeah, 123 00:09:24.120 --> 00:09:28.600 it's all over the place. It's okay, it's Clark Ashton Smith who's just 124 00:09:28.639 --> 00:09:33.559 trying to emulate his idol, HP Lovecraft but not really understanding what HP Lovecraft 125 00:09:33.600 --> 00:09:37.159 was doing. Right, That's what it felt like. It felt like Lovecraft 126 00:09:37.200 --> 00:09:43.039 light to me, Lovecraft light or Lovecraft two words love Craft. You know 127 00:09:43.039 --> 00:09:46.879 what I mean? Oh? Oh, he went there? He went there? 128 00:09:48.240 --> 00:09:52.360 Can he say that? Pull his license? For me? It ultimately 129 00:09:52.440 --> 00:09:56.879 comes down to, once again, we have a story of a man with 130 00:09:56.919 --> 00:10:00.080 a secret who brings someone else in to help him solve that secret. I 131 00:10:00.080 --> 00:10:03.399 feel like we've seen this story in the end of season two a lot, 132 00:10:03.000 --> 00:10:07.360 and now it's like their opening season three with it. And the biggest shame 133 00:10:07.480 --> 00:10:11.200 is that it's Vincent Price more than anything else. Let's just get Vincent Price 134 00:10:11.240 --> 00:10:13.639 to mug for thirty minutes. That's what this feels like. A lot of 135 00:10:15.039 --> 00:10:18.440 close up shots of Vincent Price mugging for the camera, which is fine, 136 00:10:20.039 --> 00:10:24.279 but that's there's not a story there per se. It's just a lot of 137 00:10:24.720 --> 00:10:28.320 I don't know, it's a lot of gothic looking settings and not a lot 138 00:10:28.320 --> 00:10:31.440 of story to go along with it. I think there are quite a lot 139 00:10:31.480 --> 00:10:33.440 of problems with this episode, and yet I fucking loved it. I really 140 00:10:33.440 --> 00:10:37.480 had a good time with it. Wow. Yeah, just beginning to end. 141 00:10:37.759 --> 00:10:39.600 I know this is a setup we've seen one billion times, but I 142 00:10:39.639 --> 00:10:43.559 think, I think as Jean Swarz is doing fucking great work here. The 143 00:10:43.639 --> 00:10:46.679 opening shot, not the opening shop, but the first time he steps into 144 00:10:46.679 --> 00:10:50.879 that house. It's all drenched in red and Bixby is framed

in the jones 145 00:10:50.919 --> 00:10:54.080 of a crocodile that you know he would have used a split diopter if they 146 00:10:54.120 --> 00:10:56.320 could have afforded. When Vincent Price mentions he was a twin, I was 147 00:10:56.399 --> 00:10:58.960 so excited. I was like, oh my god, we're getting two prices 148 00:11:00.080 --> 00:11:03.120 for the price of one. This is going to be freaking fantastic. Fern 149 00:11:03.679 --> 00:11:09.440 is the female character in the Sterling character and when we meet her, she's 150 00:11:09.480 --> 00:11:13.840 wearing a thermal shirt with a star on it. Right star is obviously added 151 00:11:13.840 --> 00:11:20.360 by wardrobe. It's a slate thermal shirt with a blue star, and I 152 00:11:20.360 --> 00:11:22.399 think it's there to clue the audience into the fact that she has more than 153 00:11:22.399 --> 00:11:28.639 a passing familiarity with magic, but it also kind of subtly clued me into 154 00:11:28.679 --> 00:11:33.200 that famous shot of Sharon Tate from Esquire magazine back in sixty seven. She's 155 00:11:33.240 --> 00:11:35.279 wearing a white shirt with a red star. It got talked about a lot 156 00:11:35.320 --> 00:11:39.799 a decade ago because on mad Men, Megan Draper's character wore the same shirt 157 00:11:39.799 --> 00:11:43.879 as Sharon Tate and it was on purpose and people were thinking she was going 158 00:11:43.919 --> 00:11:46.279 to be murdered. It turned out to be nothing. But it's probably a 159 00:11:46.279 --> 00:11:52.399 coincidence here, But I hope it's my design because they've inverted the Sharon Tate 160 00:11:52.639 --> 00:11:56.399 shirt and that's what this is, because we end up with this character doing 161 00:11:56.440 --> 00:12:01.000 the sacrificing. Anyway that might be more ominous and the episode deserved. But 162 00:12:01.039 --> 00:12:03.480 it was on my mind the moment she opened the door. As much as 163 00:12:03.480 --> 00:12:07.759 I am praising Geno or Jean Swark for that opening scene, the second scene 164 00:12:07.799 --> 00:12:11.320 is fucking atrocious. The lighting is the most garish lighting I've seen on any 165 00:12:11.440 --> 00:12:15.879 episode of Night Gallery ever. It looked like the crew from The Price Is 166 00:12:16.039 --> 00:12:18.559 right lit the scene. You can see all the flaws in all of the 167 00:12:18.600 --> 00:12:22.480 set decoration behind Bixby and Price. By the way, Bixby and Price is 168 00:12:22.480 --> 00:12:28.480 my ya detective novels oh. I like that yeah. I love a plot 169 00:12:28.519 --> 00:12:33.799 where there's an unseen force like slowly approaching, and they do that here with 170 00:12:33.879 --> 00:12:39.679 the sort of sliding, the scraping sound that's slowly approaching, which my favorite 171 00:12:39.720 --> 00:12:43.360 thing is the Ferns character tries to explain it away by saying it's just rats, 172 00:12:43.559 --> 00:12:46.200 as if that's preferable to whatever else is there. Oh no, it's 173 00:12:46.200 --> 00:12:50.440 just a wall full of rats. Bixby is hired to translate this book and 174 00:12:50.480 --> 00:12:56.120 he has to do so in this main like sacrificial chamber on the altar with 175 00:12:56.200 --> 00:13:01.200 seven candles burning. Could I take the book to my room? Would that 176 00:13:01.200 --> 00:13:05.559 be okay? They explained that other translators have come and they've done the translation, 177 00:13:05.679 --> 00:13:09.120 and they fled to prevent that. Vincent Price has armed himself with a 178 00:13:09.159 --> 00:13:13.480 revolver. Right, there's gonna make this guy speak the thing. But makes 179 00:13:13.519 --> 00:13:18.039 sense. Yeah, but logically follows. You're a rich guy. You get 180 00:13:18.080 --> 00:13:20.200 away with it, right. Oh yeah, you could choose somebody in the 181 00:13:20.200 --> 00:13:22.159 middle of fifth Avenue. He'd get away with him. Wouldn't lose any you 182 00:13:22.159 --> 00:13:26.720 wouldn't lose any demons involved. Now there's magic involved here. But the thing 183 00:13:26.840 --> 00:13:31.799 is Bixby has written the translation down. I'm assuming the other translators did as 184 00:13:31.840 --> 00:13:35.720 well, unless they were keeping the entire quad train or whatever the fuck it 185 00:13:35.840 --> 00:13:41.080 is in their heads. So why don't they just why doesn't he just say, 186 00:13:41.360 --> 00:13:46.759 hand me that and I'll read it. I don't okay anyway, but 187 00:13:46.799 --> 00:13:50.120 that, But there's not an invocation if he just hands them a telefax and 188 00:13:50.120 --> 00:13:54.639 goes read it, bub you know, like that, there's there's none of 189 00:13:54.000 --> 00:13:58.960 there's none of the horseshit of Bill Bix feeling. You know, I'm I'm 190 00:13:58.039 --> 00:14:01.720 confused as what's going on and wait, what does it say? It's like, 191 00:14:01.759 --> 00:14:03.879 there's none of that. If he just goes here, you go like, 192 00:14:03.159 --> 00:14:09.159 yeah, it's so a lot of this requires a one party to know 193 00:14:09.200 --> 00:14:13.200 what's going on and the other to have literally no idea. It just normally 194 00:14:13.279 --> 00:14:16.080 isn't the audience. We're not normally supposed to be the ones that have no 195 00:14:16.159 --> 00:14:20.320 idea, That's true, It's supposed to be the characters. Like, yeah, 196 00:14:20.440 --> 00:14:24.440 the characters. I feel like the characters know about more, what's more 197 00:14:24.480 --> 00:14:28.600 about what's going on than we do, and they never get that across to 198 00:14:28.639 --> 00:14:31.360 the rest of us. There's a lack of exposition in this episode. Shockingly. 199 00:14:31.559 --> 00:14:35.600 I like how specific the curse is, Like it has a pre cursing 200 00:14:35.639 --> 00:14:39.639 the reader of it, and then it has a clause that seems to relate 201 00:14:39.679 --> 00:14:43.080 directly to Price. The situation. It's like he thinks he's scott free

until 202 00:14:43.080 --> 00:14:46.200 he reads the dismemberment condaicil. You know, like, oh no, even 203 00:14:46.200 --> 00:14:52.159 if I cut him up, God damn and laid up play alive across hot 204 00:14:52.279 --> 00:14:56.240 coals or something like that. God, it goes hard. Yeah, I 205 00:14:56.320 --> 00:15:00.000 mean at the end of the scene before the brother shows up, Vincent Price 206 00:15:00.159 --> 00:15:01.879 goes catatonic and he's just sitting there, and all I thought was, like, 207 00:15:03.080 --> 00:15:05.240 what a wonderful piece of furniture. I'd love to have a Vincent Price 208 00:15:05.240 --> 00:15:11.919 in like the corner of the corner, I think. My speaking of furniture, 209 00:15:11.960 --> 00:15:16.399 my favorite piece of furniture was the hands with the candle sticking out of 210 00:15:16.440 --> 00:15:20.440 the walls. That was a nice piece of set dressing. Though though again, 211 00:15:20.440 --> 00:15:24.159 if they were trying to go for the interchamber of Anton Levey, I 212 00:15:24.240 --> 00:15:28.120 don't know how well they managed, because I'm sure his room was very red. 213 00:15:28.440 --> 00:15:31.519 But yeah, I don't know. It looks I like the main chamber, 214 00:15:31.559 --> 00:15:35.399 but it is a little on the nose. I feel like that felt 215 00:15:35.480 --> 00:15:39.639 a little wonka e to me right, Like it's over the top. Here's 216 00:15:39.679 --> 00:15:46.919 the kid's version of Satanism maybe or as a top maybe, or any number 217 00:15:46.960 --> 00:15:50.600 of names we're gonna we're gonna speer out during the during this episode that when 218 00:15:50.639 --> 00:15:54.559 Bixby and Fern first get together, now before we figure out what Fern's intentions 219 00:15:54.559 --> 00:15:58.360 are here, he says to her at the end of the scena, I 220 00:15:58.440 --> 00:16:00.600 depend on you as a friend, And I thought, like, are those 221 00:16:00.600 --> 00:16:04.279 words magic? Because it's the easiest pickup line I've ever seen. She immediately 222 00:16:04.320 --> 00:16:08.000 like falls into his arms. I'm like, WHOA, Okay, I guess 223 00:16:08.039 --> 00:16:12.120 friendship means a little something different in their house. A friendship is magic. 224 00:16:12.600 --> 00:16:18.080 I can't not love this and recommend this segment this episode because it has one 225 00:16:18.159 --> 00:16:22.720 of my favorite exchanges in the entire exchange and transition in the series, where 226 00:16:22.759 --> 00:16:26.799 Bixby says what makes you think I'll stay and Vincent price is dinner, and 227 00:16:26.840 --> 00:16:30.720 then it cuts to a close up of a black goat eating from a plate, 228 00:16:30.240 --> 00:16:33.879 sitting in a carved wooding chair at a table that wouldn't be out of 229 00:16:33.919 --> 00:16:38.240 place at like Wayne manor Oh, by the way, falling Tower, I 230 00:16:38.279 --> 00:16:41.639 called it a goat, forgive me. His name is Falling Tower and he's 231 00:16:41.720 --> 00:16:48.039 Vincent Price's father. And then that's the last mention of that fact. That's 232 00:16:48.080 --> 00:16:51.720 the best part of the entire episode is the goat eating at the table, 233 00:16:51.879 --> 00:16:59.159 Like that alone is a visual that's worth seeing, especially that transition, But 234 00:16:59.399 --> 00:17:02.320 it never lived up to the lofty goals of a goat eating at the table, 235 00:17:02.360 --> 00:17:08.400 you know, the heights of a goat consuming whatever, like fucking Risotto 236 00:17:08.559 --> 00:17:11.720 is never reached again. Evil Vincent Price shows up and now they got to 237 00:17:11.759 --> 00:17:15.720 sacrifice good Vincent Price, good being a relative term. And I noticed that 238 00:17:15.720 --> 00:17:19.519 they cut to an above shot of the altar and there's a disco floor. 239 00:17:19.960 --> 00:17:23.759 The altar had a disco floor underneath it, lights and red and blue and 240 00:17:23.839 --> 00:17:29.160 yellow just flashing away like wow, some nights at a disco, Some nights 241 00:17:29.240 --> 00:17:33.359 sacrificial chamber. If Vincent Price knew Fern was the culprit, knew she was 242 00:17:33.400 --> 00:17:37.279 pulling the strings, what was all this charade about? That's the confusion, 243 00:17:37.359 --> 00:17:40.960 Mike, Like the power ends up being like what is happening here? And 244 00:17:41.240 --> 00:17:44.680 here's a fun fact. If you read the original short story, Fern isn't 245 00:17:44.720 --> 00:17:47.799 in it? Oh really? And the Vincent Price character and then the Vincent 246 00:17:47.799 --> 00:17:52.359 Price brother shows up and then that's it. You don't suppose there's anything in 247 00:17:52.400 --> 00:17:56.400 that preamble about the reader being dismembered. You don't think there's anything to that, 248 00:17:56.480 --> 00:18:00.240 do you? No, Bill, You're going to be fine with her. 249 00:18:02.720 --> 00:18:03.920 She knows that that actress knows how to hold a frog though, or 250 00:18:04.079 --> 00:18:08.880 toad, I guess walking around with that toad in her hand that whole scene. 251 00:18:10.119 --> 00:18:11.920 Last season we had Richard Thomas, and I mentioned like I couldn't tell 252 00:18:11.960 --> 00:18:15.519 if he was giving a good performance or not. I feel the same way 253 00:18:15.519 --> 00:18:18.920 about her. She reminded me a lot of life Dianner for some reason. 254 00:18:18.960 --> 00:18:23.920 While she was talking like facially and that sort of that yeah, that airy 255 00:18:25.200 --> 00:18:27.640 demeanor. But I couldn't Sometimes I thought she was really good, and then 256 00:18:27.640 --> 00:18:30.519 sometimes I was like, God, she's awful. I mean, I can't 257 00:18:30.559 --> 00:18:34.400 imagine how much they spent on candles for this episode. Where's any of this 258 00:18:34.480 --> 00:18:37.480 money coming from? I got, well, I was gonna say they spent 259 00:18:37.559 --> 00:18:41.920 all the money on candles

that they didn't spend on the sound effects, because 260 00:18:41.160 --> 00:18:45.880 no, owls and hooting. No were wolves know nothing in this episode, 261 00:18:45.960 --> 00:18:49.759 lack of fun sound effects. Even they weren't. He did get Castle Thunder 262 00:18:49.839 --> 00:18:55.079 briefly at the beginning, Oh right, once. That's just because that's a 263 00:18:55.200 --> 00:18:57.079 Union thing. Castle Thunder has to appear at these once. I was just 264 00:18:57.119 --> 00:19:00.920 waiting for like a hooting owl or something just in the background incessantly, because 265 00:19:00.920 --> 00:19:03.599 you know the show likes to do that too. So we did get that 266 00:19:04.279 --> 00:19:10.039 scraping slurpity. I'm coming to get you. My feet and hand are coming 267 00:19:10.039 --> 00:19:11.799 to get you. That was a good effect. By the way, those 268 00:19:11.880 --> 00:19:15.119 the dismembered hands, and they looked pretty good, like crawling and stuff. 269 00:19:15.200 --> 00:19:18.400 It looked great. The foot looked fantastic. And when he's there at the 270 00:19:18.519 --> 00:19:25.680 end and apparently the dismembered head is now back attached to the body and his 271 00:19:25.799 --> 00:19:30.079 face is all like corpse like. I thought that looked really good. I 272 00:19:30.079 --> 00:19:33.000 thought it's a Vincent Price. He knows how to hold his head and all 273 00:19:33.039 --> 00:19:37.039 that to really up the creep factor. To me, this is a redemption 274 00:19:37.079 --> 00:19:38.839 for Vincent Price because the last time we saw him was in that Class of 275 00:19:38.920 --> 00:19:45.119 ninety nine episode where he was just a moderator for the robots. Yeah, 276 00:19:45.160 --> 00:19:48.720 it was a waste of Vincent Price. I liked that story, like thinking 277 00:19:48.759 --> 00:19:55.000 back about it, but h yeah, why him of all the people to 278 00:19:55.119 --> 00:19:57.799 have in that episode, Why Vincent Price. I think that was a studio 279 00:19:59.519 --> 00:20:02.799 thing where they were really pushing the guest stars. But that's the only thing 280 00:20:02.839 --> 00:20:06.240 they could think to help the show that they did never understood to begin with. 281 00:20:06.359 --> 00:20:07.759 Two out of the three here are pretty big stars. I mean Bill 282 00:20:07.759 --> 00:20:12.000 Bekesy and Vincent Price. So starting out the third season at least in terms 283 00:20:12.000 --> 00:20:15.960 of like visibility of who it is pretty strong. So let me welcome you 284 00:20:17.000 --> 00:20:22.039 to this parlor of paintings. We offer them to you for your enjoyment and 285 00:20:22.200 --> 00:20:26.839 edification. Feel free to dwell on them at your leisure and in your own 286 00:20:26.880 --> 00:20:33.319 good fashion, but kindly don't touch because here they frequently touched back. Our 287 00:20:33.400 --> 00:20:37.000 number one painting in tonight's exhibit, this intriguing portrait of a young lady, 288 00:20:37.839 --> 00:20:44.880 curiously photogenic and pointingly formid. Year recall seeing this face. You've seen it 289 00:20:45.480 --> 00:20:48.880 on bill boards and magazine ads, on television commercials. Oh yes, you've 290 00:20:48.920 --> 00:20:53.240 seen it, but there are people who, having seen it, whish they 291 00:20:53.240 --> 00:20:59.119 hadn't. Our painting is called The Girl with the Hungry Eyes, And should 292 00:20:59.119 --> 00:21:03.119 I have failed to mention that this is the Night Gallery. Do we recall 293 00:21:03.160 --> 00:21:06.160 seeing that face? You bet we do, Rod. She's been in every 294 00:21:06.240 --> 00:21:08.359 season, The Girl in Question, The Girl with the Hungry Eyes. This 295 00:21:08.480 --> 00:21:12.960 is season three, episode two, aired on October the first, nineteen seventy 296 00:21:14.039 --> 00:21:17.839 two. Written by Robert Malcolm Young from a short story by Fritz Leeber. 297 00:21:18.160 --> 00:21:22.240 This one is directed by John Badam. The m is gone. Everyone's shedding 298 00:21:22.279 --> 00:21:25.119 things here in the third season, it's just John Batham now. This one 299 00:21:25.160 --> 00:21:30.079 stars James Farantino, John Aston, Kit Niven, and Joanna Pettitt as the 300 00:21:30.160 --> 00:21:33.440 Girl with the Hungry Eyes. This one features a photographer searching for the world's 301 00:21:33.480 --> 00:21:37.680 most alluring woman and he finds her and it doesn't go well. What do 302 00:21:37.759 --> 00:21:41.720 you think, Chris? I think Joanna Pettitt was better the last time she 303 00:21:41.799 --> 00:21:45.359 was on the show. I don't think she was better the first time versus 304 00:21:45.359 --> 00:21:49.240 the second time. But I think that this is just I don't know, 305 00:21:49.279 --> 00:21:52.599 it's not much of anything. I don't it's just fine. I don't. 306 00:21:52.680 --> 00:21:57.640 It feels like a Twilight Zone tales from the Crypt episode. I feel like 307 00:21:57.640 --> 00:22:02.279 I've seen this story before, I guess is the problem. It doesn't feel 308 00:22:03.000 --> 00:22:06.880 unique or interesting or exciting. It just feels like it's just waiting to get 309 00:22:06.920 --> 00:22:11.519 to the twist at the end. Joanna Pettit's fine, and her chemistry is 310 00:22:11.799 --> 00:22:15.559 fine with James Farantino, but again, he just has to play this very 311 00:22:15.559 --> 00:22:18.799 specific kind of character, and she has to play a very specific kind of 312 00:22:18.880 --> 00:22:26.039 character in this story of she's absuckubus or something to that effect. It was 313 00:22:26.200 --> 00:22:30.960 fine. It was better than the last episode, that's for sure for me, 314 00:22:30.039 --> 00:22:33.359 at least with these hungry eyes. One look at you and I can't 315 00:22:33.359 --> 00:22:37.400 disguise I've got hungry eyes. I feel the magic between you and I. 316 00:22:37.400 --> 00:22:44.880 I couldn't stop thinking of the Eric Carmon song

for the entire thing. Surprise, 317 00:22:44.920 --> 00:22:48.480 surprise, I really liked this one. I was very happy with everything 318 00:22:48.559 --> 00:22:52.680 that took place. Yeah, it's a little muddy at times as far as 319 00:22:52.759 --> 00:22:56.319 what are her powers and these kind of things, But man, Amanda, 320 00:22:56.440 --> 00:23:00.039 I like John asked them in this when he starts talking about how there's that 321 00:23:00.200 --> 00:23:04.880 face that he's looking for for his beer ad and it has to be this 322 00:23:06.000 --> 00:23:11.200 kind of construct that all men have put together and it's this perfect woman, 323 00:23:11.319 --> 00:23:15.160 but yet you feel scared and all of these emotions whenever you look at her. 324 00:23:15.200 --> 00:23:18.720 And yeah, that was kind of cool. I liked him showing up 325 00:23:18.799 --> 00:23:25.200 and it was very unclear at the end that she kills him, kind of 326 00:23:25.279 --> 00:23:32.319 just thrown out in dialogue. But I did like James Barantino and especially his 327 00:23:32.440 --> 00:23:34.480 buddy when he's just yeah, no, you can't talk with this chick, 328 00:23:34.519 --> 00:23:38.440 and his buddy is so mad at him. Richard is that his friend's name? 329 00:23:38.720 --> 00:23:41.839 Yeah, kid Nivin is the actor. Yeah, and then he gets 330 00:23:42.680 --> 00:23:48.079 killed off the maybe murderer in the Park. I did enjoy that one as 331 00:23:48.119 --> 00:23:52.000 well. Yeah, I really actually liked this episode. I'm with you, 332 00:23:52.079 --> 00:23:56.119 Mike, I really liked this episode. I can't believe season three is shaping 333 00:23:56.200 --> 00:24:00.319 up for me the way it is. Chris, you mentioned that you've seen 334 00:24:00.319 --> 00:24:02.920 this story before. You've goddamn right, We've seen it one million times. 335 00:24:02.960 --> 00:24:07.119 This is basically just the old Japanese Yuki Ona snowwoman tale, which, if 336 00:24:07.160 --> 00:24:11.000 you don't know it, it's a man meets a demon in a storm and 337 00:24:11.079 --> 00:24:14.960 she saves him from a blizzard, but swears him to secrecy of its existence. 338 00:24:15.319 --> 00:24:17.240 Years later, he meets a woman, They fall in love, have 339 00:24:17.359 --> 00:24:21.160 children, live their life. He tells his wife the secret. The wife 340 00:24:21.319 --> 00:24:23.920 is the demon, and there are many variations in the story. Either she 341 00:24:25.000 --> 00:24:26.839 kills him and the kids, or she kills him and takes the kids, 342 00:24:27.000 --> 00:24:30.799 or she leaves both them and the kids. It's been It was adapted back 343 00:24:30.839 --> 00:24:37.200 in sixty five and a gorgeous supernatural anthology called Kwaidan. It was adapted in 344 00:24:37.240 --> 00:24:41.200 nineteen sixty eight in a movie just called Snow Woman. Akira Kurosawa had an 345 00:24:41.200 --> 00:24:45.079 anthology film in nineteen ninety called Dreams. He had a segment that also featured 346 00:24:45.160 --> 00:24:48.880 It's also called Yukiyona. That same year, Michael McDowell, the guy who 347 00:24:48.880 --> 00:24:53.480 wrote Beetlejuice, adapted to the same story for Tales from the Dark Sides movie. 348 00:24:53.680 --> 00:24:57.480 Except in this the guy is a sculptor and the snow woman is a 349 00:24:57.519 --> 00:25:02.119 gargoyle. It's the exact same story we get here. In fact, she 350 00:25:02.240 --> 00:25:04.880 even says lays down, not the not don't tell anyone, but don't follow 351 00:25:04.920 --> 00:25:10.200 me. It's so same sort of pattern here, which I instantly recognized and 352 00:25:10.240 --> 00:25:12.119 I liked. I like what you said, Mike, like the John Aston 353 00:25:12.200 --> 00:25:18.759 speech. This sort of idea of like mass consciousness focusing something into existence is 354 00:25:18.799 --> 00:25:22.039 a really great idea. I love it, and I love it that it 355 00:25:22.079 --> 00:25:26.880 was used here, like in conjunction with an old kind of myth. This, 356 00:25:26.480 --> 00:25:32.319 I think is the best directed episode of the entire series of Night Gallery. 357 00:25:32.440 --> 00:25:37.480 It is really spectacular transitions alone. That scene with John Aston. The 358 00:25:37.519 --> 00:25:41.359 scene ends on a model of a billboard and they dissolve to a real billboard 359 00:25:41.480 --> 00:25:48.720 and it's perfect. Yeah, it was so spectacular. There's an entire sequence 360 00:25:48.759 --> 00:25:53.000 when we first meet Joanna Pennitt. It's a photo shoot sequence. The editing 361 00:25:53.039 --> 00:25:57.079 in it, the camera work ever, it's just it's really a sight to 362 00:25:57.119 --> 00:26:02.240 behold. James Farantino's best friend. He mentions one of his clients is Bimini 363 00:26:02.359 --> 00:26:06.240 swimwear, and I just kept repeating that phrase over and over again, like 364 00:26:06.279 --> 00:26:08.799 that does look comfortable? What are they Beimni swimwear, Bamiti swimwear, y'all. 365 00:26:08.920 --> 00:26:14.000 Anyway, this episode has now made me officially embrace day for night. 366 00:26:14.480 --> 00:26:18.200 I'm just considering it a house style here on Night Gallery. I'm complaining about 367 00:26:18.200 --> 00:26:21.839 it anymore. I'm gonna be excited from now on when there's a day for 368 00:26:21.920 --> 00:26:22.599 night. I'm just gonna be like, hey, just say that day for 369 00:26:22.680 --> 00:26:26.400 night. It was great. Speaking of those transitions, this isn't even a 370 00:26:26.400 --> 00:26:32.119 transition. Late in the episode, there's a character standing on the street and 371 00:26:32.160 --> 00:26:36.640 there's a print ad of Joanna Pettitt like sticking off of a newspaper stand, 372 00:26:36.839 --> 00:26:38.839 and then she steps out from behind it. It's exact. It's perfect. 373 00:26:40.079 --> 00:26:44.440 Once again, given their budgets, given their timeframe, this is a marvel 374 00:26:44.480 -->

00:26:47.680 that John Badam pulled this off. I'm gonna have to reassess all of John 375 00:26:47.720 --> 00:26:51.720 Badam's films from now on this one. This episode really impressed me. Al 376 00:26:52.079 --> 00:26:55.839 is pretty great. There are those movies where you can feel like he's done 377 00:26:55.920 --> 00:26:57.920 for hire, but then there are the other ones where you're like, wow, 378 00:26:57.960 --> 00:27:02.839 he's putting a lot of style behind this. One of the most throwaway 379 00:27:03.000 --> 00:27:07.960 movies that you could ever have is that remake of lafem Nikita A Point of 380 00:27:07.000 --> 00:27:11.960 nor Turn with Bridge of Fonda. I really like what he did with that 381 00:27:11.000 --> 00:27:17.000 movie. I do too, And it seems like some sequences seem shot for 382 00:27:17.079 --> 00:27:21.519 shot like remake. But then and then John Batham takes over and it goes 383 00:27:21.559 --> 00:27:23.039 into a whole other direction. I agree. I like that movie as well. 384 00:27:23.599 --> 00:27:27.880 Are you familiar with Fritz Leiber, Yes, yeah, I figured you 385 00:27:27.880 --> 00:27:34.839 would. And it feels like he had either done this story before or it 386 00:27:36.079 --> 00:27:40.799 was maybe another adaptation of it, because I was looking up some of the 387 00:27:40.960 --> 00:27:44.799 other adaptations of his work and there's one called I want to say It's like 388 00:27:44.880 --> 00:27:51.759 Weird Woman, and it's basically it sounds like it's from his novel Conjure Wife, 389 00:27:51.799 --> 00:27:53.559 and it's let me read the description. While on the South Seast trip 390 00:27:53.559 --> 00:27:59.000 of Professor falls in love and Mary's an exotic native woman. What he doesn't 391 00:27:59.079 --> 00:28:02.839 know is that she was raised by superstitious natives who believe her to be some 392 00:28:02.920 --> 00:28:07.519 kind of supernatural being. So I imagine there's probably some he's working that out. 393 00:28:08.079 --> 00:28:11.119 Yeah, yeah, that's a theme that I wonder what his wife was 394 00:28:11.160 --> 00:28:17.960 like. My goodness. Now, the problem with this episode for me is, 395 00:28:18.039 --> 00:28:19.559 even though as much as I like it is it's the same problem with 396 00:28:19.680 --> 00:28:25.440 every version of the UK own his story, which requires a time jump that 397 00:28:25.960 --> 00:28:30.839 just strains This is basically a blackout sketch, so we're already straining it to 398 00:28:30.880 --> 00:28:33.240 the point of snapping, and then when we meet her. At the beginning, 399 00:28:33.240 --> 00:28:36.240 they're looking for the girl, and the next time we meet her, 400 00:28:36.279 --> 00:28:38.640 like the campaign is like a wild success already, and then we meet her 401 00:28:38.759 --> 00:28:42.440 again later. I remember when I saw Tales from the Dark Side in the 402 00:28:42.440 --> 00:28:45.240 theater. There's a time jump in that with a title card that

comes up 403 00:28:45.240 --> 00:28:48.640 and says ten years later, and somebody in the theater went ten years, 404 00:28:48.880 --> 00:28:52.960 as if they spoke collectively for all of us. Now you're pushing it, 405 00:28:53.000 --> 00:28:59.240 We can't go there with you. You can only ask so much. Yeah, 406 00:28:59.279 --> 00:29:02.079 when you're reading it on page that's one thing, Like we're already invested 407 00:29:02.079 --> 00:29:04.680 in those characters a little bit. There's only so much makeup and gray you 408 00:29:04.680 --> 00:29:10.400 can throw on people. At the end, when Farantino has okay, he's 409 00:29:10.440 --> 00:29:14.559 finally decided. He figured out the negatives. If he burns the negatives, 410 00:29:14.640 --> 00:29:18.119 he will destroy her. It's a good sequence and it's a beautiful sequence. 411 00:29:18.200 --> 00:29:21.319 The effects are all weird and wonderful, and the effect of her burning and 412 00:29:21.359 --> 00:29:25.559 solarizing and becoming a negative herself was really kind of cool. But at the 413 00:29:25.559 --> 00:29:29.799 same time Farentino is like yelling at her about how she's feeding off of our 414 00:29:29.960 --> 00:29:33.880 love, piss up a rope man. We're talking about a creature here that 415 00:29:33.079 --> 00:29:37.319 was like created out of lust and desire by a bunch of men. They 416 00:29:37.359 --> 00:29:41.880 were getting exactly what they Fuck it, she didn't deserve a morality lecture from 417 00:29:41.880 --> 00:29:45.640 you, as she's on fire. Fuck off, he burns the negatives. 418 00:29:45.720 --> 00:29:48.240 She's on fire. He looks out the window and sees her billboard. The 419 00:29:48.279 --> 00:29:51.240 eyes are on fire. I guess the eyes are not going to burn, 420 00:29:51.279 --> 00:29:53.440 so they won't tempt any more men. That's great. Then we get this 421 00:29:53.480 --> 00:29:56.880 epilogu where he goes into his gallery and all the eyes on all of the 422 00:29:56.880 --> 00:30:02.480 photos are burning, right because they up. Should we also assume that in 423 00:30:02.559 --> 00:30:07.519 thousands upon thousands of offices and buildings and houses and condos and apartments, like 424 00:30:07.880 --> 00:30:11.039 everything is now spontaneously bursting into flame. They'd call it the Day of the 425 00:30:11.079 --> 00:30:18.000 Burning Eyes. It'd be a religious holiday. They'd put it on calendars right, 426 00:30:18.920 --> 00:30:23.319 all those billboards everywhere, every magazine, every poster, because he's got 427 00:30:23.359 --> 00:30:27.480 those big pictures, blown up pictures of her all over his walls. Okay, 428 00:30:27.480 --> 00:30:32.599 it would be endless. The idea that they kept giving us was that 429 00:30:32.920 --> 00:30:36.880 her face is fucking everywhere now, so the whole world's gonna burn. By 430 00:30:36.920 --> 00:30:40.519 the way, the scene with John Aston when we first meet him and they're 431 00:30:40.599 --> 00:30:45.599

both drinking out of giant ceramic stins. I loved that. It seems so 432 00:30:45.720 --> 00:30:48.039 surreal because I forgot that he was a beer magnate and I was just like, 433 00:30:48.039 --> 00:30:52.839 like, this guy's got a keg in his office and they shoot beer 434 00:30:52.880 --> 00:30:57.279 stains. And you gotta know, every male viewer in nineteen seventy two went 435 00:30:57.880 --> 00:31:04.680 when they saw that k like that exists. I want that swim where Joanna 436 00:31:04.720 --> 00:31:10.720 Pettitt. She's shown up three different times and given three very different performances, 437 00:31:10.720 --> 00:31:14.400 and I think this is probably the best one, that's for sure, in 438 00:31:14.480 --> 00:31:17.359 terms of first season, second season, third season. And this also, 439 00:31:17.440 --> 00:31:22.039 I think is the best highlight of her abilities. I guess the one that 440 00:31:22.119 --> 00:31:26.240 she was in before she was having to act against her fake son. That 441 00:31:26.319 --> 00:31:30.079 was the whole thing was that it was her son. No, that was 442 00:31:30.119 --> 00:31:37.759 Sandra d The last she was in the house, the house with ghost one 443 00:31:38.000 --> 00:31:42.400 that's a weird little right, The one with the guy that he's he's been 444 00:31:42.480 --> 00:31:48.559 dreaming of her and she's been dreaming of him. Yeah, something That one 445 00:31:49.160 --> 00:31:55.920 that that is the one where It's like like that was such a nonsensical episode 446 00:31:55.960 --> 00:31:59.359 that I just I'm glad she came back and did something that. Yes, 447 00:31:59.400 --> 00:32:01.359 maybe I don't. It's not the most creative thing that I've seen on this 448 00:32:01.440 --> 00:32:06.920 show, but it's it is better than the last time she was on here, 449 00:32:07.200 --> 00:32:08.880 that's for sure. No, I disagree with you because for the time 450 00:32:08.920 --> 00:32:13.319 before that, I guess there you go, because he came back to Caterpillar, 451 00:32:13.480 --> 00:32:15.559 right, right, Okay, that's what it was. Okay, Yeah, 452 00:32:15.599 --> 00:32:19.519 she was opposite Lawrence Harvey. That's right. You know, like Vincent 453 00:32:19.519 --> 00:32:22.279 Price, in my mind, redeeming himself from his earlier appeance. I think 454 00:32:22.319 --> 00:32:27.759 James Farantino redeems himself from his early appearance from since aunt Ada Came to Stay, 455 00:32:27.839 --> 00:32:30.920 which was a nothing episode and he was not very good in it. 456 00:32:30.000 --> 00:32:34.640 I really like all of his directing work, Reservoir Dogs, pulp fiction, 457 00:32:34.759 --> 00:32:40.519 and I really like these Farantino films that Farantino. All right, with that, 458 00:32:40.839 --> 00:32:44.400 we're going to play a preview of our next episode and we'll be right 459 00:32:44.440 --> 00:32:49.680 back to wrap things up. Our artists and artistans take a rather pardonable pride 460 00:32:49.720 --> 00:32:53.160 in the work that you see hanging here. Bull is this item here. 461 00:32:53.599 --> 00:33:00.720 It's called rare Objects and represents that potpourri of collector's items that some men are 462 00:33:00.759 --> 00:33:06.119 prone to acquire. But there are collectors items and collectors items alver. Do 463 00:33:06.160 --> 00:33:12.440 you know, an excursion into the very strange tonight's offering in the Night Gallery. 464 00:33:14.240 --> 00:33:19.759 Our paintings are in oils, watercolor, acrylic, charcoal, and occasionally 465 00:33:20.160 --> 00:33:25.119 formaldehyde. Case in point is painting. Here it's called specter in tap Shoes, 466 00:33:25.680 --> 00:33:30.680 having to do with the nearly lost art of tap dancing. I said 467 00:33:30.839 --> 00:33:35.720 terms occurre in pursuit taking on an intriguing dimension when the dancer happens to be 468 00:33:35.759 --> 00:33:38.279 a ghost, as is so often the case, and the sort of thing 469 00:33:38.319 --> 00:33:44.960 that you view in the Night Gallery. That's right on the next Midnight viewing, 470 00:33:44.960 --> 00:33:47.920 we'll be taking a look at season three episodes three and four. Those 471 00:33:47.960 --> 00:33:53.519 are Rare Objects and Specter in tap Shoes Midnight Viewing. The Night Gallery podcast 472 00:33:53.599 --> 00:33:57.920 is a proud member of the weirding Way Media group, and our theme song 473 00:33:57.960 --> 00:34:00.400 was composed by HP. We've got a new theme song in addition to everything 474 00:34:00.440 --> 00:34:04.960 else season three related. I hope you enjoyed that. Until next time, 475 00:34:05.000 --> 00:34:07.159 what are you working on? Where can people find it? Chris Statue, 476 00:34:07.639 --> 00:34:12.039 Weirdingwaymedia dot com. That's where all the things that I work on can be 477 00:34:12.079 --> 00:34:15.960 found, including but not limited to the culture cast, scary stories we tell, 478 00:34:16.920 --> 00:34:22.000 cold check tapes. All the things that I have worked on for the 479 00:34:22.079 --> 00:34:27.119 last almost ten years now can be found at weirdingwaymedia dot com. What about 480 00:34:27.159 --> 00:34:30.119 you, Mike White? You know? Hey, me too? All right? 481 00:34:30.199 --> 00:34:34.920 Whoa, ladies and gentlemen, thank you for joining us here at midnine 482 00:34:34.960 --> 00:34:37.400 reviewing. Hey, you know what, I never do this. Why don't 483 00:34:37.440 --> 00:34:39.760 you subscribe to us and give us five stars and all that kind of business? 484 00:34:39.800 --> 00:34:45.760 Because there's evidently algorithms involved. I don't understand action. Yeah, please 485 00:34:45.880 --> 00:35:00.159 share this, give it to your friends. We love you, good night. Yes,