Night Gallery
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| Night Gallery | |
|---|---|
| Format | Horror |
| Created by | Rod Serling |
| Starring | Rod Serling (Host) |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| No. of episodes | 43 (98 story segments, including 3 in the pilot episode and 2 that were added for the syndication run) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 60 minutes (seasons 1 & 2); 30 minutes (season 3) |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | NBC |
| Original run | December 16, 1970 – May 27, 1973 |
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Night Gallery is Rod Serling's follow-up series to The Twilight Zone that aired on NBC from 1970 to 1973. Serling functioned both as the on-air host of Night Gallery and as a major contributor of scripts, although he did not have the same control of content and tone as he did on Twilight Zone.
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[edit] Synopsis
Serling appeared in an art gallery setting and introduced the macabre tales that made up each episode by unveiling paintings (by artist Tom Wright) depicting the stories.
Night Gallery regularly presented adaptations of classic fantasy tales by authors such as H. P. Lovecraft as well as original works, many by Serling himself.
The series was introduced with a pilot TV movie that aired November 8, 1969, featuring the directorial debut of Steven Spielberg and one of the last acting performances by Joan Crawford. Unlike the series, where the paintings merely accompanied an introduction to the upcoming story, the paintings themselves actually appeared in the three segments, serving major or minor plot functions.
Night Gallery was nominated for an Emmy Award for its first-season episode "They're Tearing Down Tim Riley's Bar" as the Outstanding Single Program on U.S. television in 1971. In 1972, the series received another nomination (Outstanding Achievement in Makeup) for the second season episode "Pickman’s Model."
The series attracted criticism for its use of comedic blackout sketches between the longer story segments in some episodes, and for its splintered, multiple-story format, which contributed to its uneven tone. Despite these distractions, Serling produced many distinguished teleplays, including "Camera Obscura", "The Caterpillar" (based on a short story by Oscar Cook), "Class of '99", "Cool Air", "The Doll", "Green Fingers", "Lindemann's Catch", and "The Messiah on Mott Street". Notable non-Serling efforts include "The Dead Man", "I'll Never Leave You--Ever", "Pickman's Model", "A Question of Fear", "Silent Snow, Secret Snow", and "The Sins of the Fathers".
By the final season, Serling, stung by criticism and ignored by the show’s executives, all but disowned the series.
In order to pump up the number of episodes available for syndication, the 60-minute episodes were reedited into a 30-minute time slot, with many segments either severely cut or extended using newly shot scenes and stock footage to fill up the time. Meanwhile, episodes of a short-lived supernatural series from 1972, The Sixth Sense, were also incorporated into the syndicated version of the series with Serling providing newly filmed introductions to those episodes.
[edit] Syndication and DVD release
In recent years, the original, uncut version of the series has been shown on the Encore Mystery cable network, allowing fans to see the episodes in their original format for the first time in 30 years. The show is also available in some markets through the Retro Television Network.
NBC Universal's horror-themed cable channel Chiller, which launched on March 1, 2007, is airing Night Gallery. The series airs weekdays at 5:00 a.m., 5:30 a.m., 7:00 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. Eastern time, Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 12 noon Eastern time, and Sundays from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Eastern time.[1] Episodes of The Sixth Sense rotate with Night Gallery.
In 2004, Universal released the Region 1 DVD collection (including the pilot film and the six episodes of the first season) of the series. On October 16, 2006, the first season (including the pilot film and 2 bonus episodes, one from season 2 and one from season 3) was released on Region 2 DVD.
The website www.nightgallery.net, which is regarded as the most reliable source of online Night Gallery news, has reported that an inside source from Universal has informed them about an October 2008 release date for the Season 2 DVD collection.[2]
[edit] References
- ^ ChillerTV schedule
- ^ http://www.nightgallery.net/index.html?title.html&0 NightGallery.net reporting on the Season 2 DVD
- Skelton, Scott and Jim Benson. Rod Serling's Night Gallery: An After-Hours Tour. Syracuse University Press: 1999.
