Night Gallery: Season 2

This season, is, IMO, the best of Night Gallery. Virtually all of my favorite episodes reside in this collection, beginning with The Academy,that is absolutely chilling and you find yourself shifting around in your chair wanting to be far away from it...the recalitrant son of the businessman who is having the guided tour, in hopes of improving his son's outlook, is in for a very different education. I enjoyed The Diary primarily to watch the excellent performance by Patty Duke, reminiscent of her Neely O'Hara role in Valley of the Dolls. She does a great interpretation of a female you would never want to meet. Camera Obscura is my number on all time favorite episode ever; Ross Martin and Rene Auberjenois are fabulous in their respective roles and the story is wonderful, Ross Martin is a collector par excellence and when he tries and fails to reform Auberjonois's greed in his zeal to collect his debts (by use of practices which can only be described as usury) from an impoverished friend of Martin's, Martin shows Auberjonois one last item in his collection: A camera obscura. And last but not least of my favorites, The Caterpillar, starring Laurence Harvey and Joanna Pettit, when Harvey is so bedazzled by her beauty he schemes to get possession of her by any means available. These shows represent the best of the best, and each one is a brilliant stand alone study of human (and sometimes inhuman) nature in all its forms. When I saw these episodes when they first came out, I was absolutely enthralled; I never missed a show and watched them every time they were on like it was the first time; never dreaming that someday they would all be available to watch as often as I wished in my own home. What a treat!!! Season 2, Episode 1: The Boy who Predicted Earthquakes Original Air Date: 15 September 1971 A young boy who can accurately foresee future events becomes a TV star. Season 2, Episode 2: Miss Lovecraft Sent Me Original Air Date: 15 September 1971 Sent from an agency for an overnight stay, a babysitter begins to think something is wrong when the father's reflection doesn't appear in a mirror and his unseen son sounds a lot like a wild dog. Season 2, Episode 3: The Hand of Borgus Weems Original Air Date: 15 September 1971 A man's hand is possessed and starts to exact revenge for the death of it's owner. Season 2, Episode 4: Phantom of What Opera? Original Air Date: 15 September 1971 Season 2, Episode 5: A Death in the Family Original Air Date: 22 September 1971 Petty thief Doran is on the run from the law and hides out at the funeral home run by Mr. Jared Soames, an undertaker who has an unusual method of dealing with the loneliness in his life. Season 2, Episode 6: The Merciful Original Air Date: 22 September 1971 In this brief twist on Edgar Allan Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado", a marital partner is cemented inside a small cubicle as part of a mercy killing. Season 2, Episode 7: Class of '99 Original Air Date: 22 September 1971 The final is given at an unknown university that reveals more than just the knowledge of its students. Season 2, Episode 8: Witches Feast Original Air Date: ???? Season 2, Episode 9: Since Aunt Ada Came to Stay Original Air Date: 29 September 1971 College professor Craig Lowell and his wife have recently opened their home to her aunt Ada Burn Quigley, but he suspects that she is not the sweet little old lady she appears to be. Season 2, Episode 10: With Apologies to Mr. Hyde Original Air Date: 29 September 1971 Doctor Jeckyl takes his potion with some unusual results. Season 2, Episode 11: The Flip Side of Satan Original Air Date: 29 September 1971 A callous disc jockey finds himself spinning platters at a hellish radio station. Season 2, Episode 12: A Fear of Spiders Original Air Date: 6 October 1971 Arachnophobic gourmet critic Justus Walters has no use for the clingy librarian who lives upstairs, until he discovers a tenacious spider in his kitchen sink and needs help to get rid of it. Season 2, Episode 13: Junior Original Air Date: 6 October 1971 A "black-out" vignette dealing with parents who have to decide which one gets out of bed in the middle of the night to feed their son. Season 2, Episode 14: Marmalade Wine Original Air Date: 6 October 1971 Roger Blacker gets caught in a cloudburst, is welcomed into the home of retired surgeon Dr. Francis Deeking, drinks excessively, and lies about his photographic achievements. Season 2, Episode 15: The Academy Original Air Date: 6 October 1971 A wealthy businessman is having trouble with his son, a delinquent who's constantly in trouble. He hears of a private school that specializes in "problem" children, and pays it a visit to determine if it's the kind of place that will straighten out his son. Season 2, Episode 16: The Phantom Farmhouse Original Air Date: 20 October 1971 Psychiatrist Joel Winter is questioned by the local sheriff when one of his patients is savagely murdered in the forest near the sanitarium where Winter is on staff. Season 2, Episode 17: Silent Snow, Secret Snow Original Air Date: 20 October 1971 Mr. and Mrs. Frank Hasleman are concerned when their young son Paul escapes from reality into a fantasy world full of snowy landscapes. Season 2, Episode 18: A Question of Fear Original Air Date: 27 October 1971 A mercenary is bet $15,000 that he cannot stay one night in a haunted house, a house that turned his companion's hair white in one night. Season 2, Episode 19: The Devil Is Not Mocked Original Air Date: 27 October 1971 The Nazi's plan to bring everyone under their domination throughout the Balkans during the early days of World War II including the master of a dark castle and his entire household. Season 2, Episode 20: Midnight Never Ends Original Air Date: 3 November 1971 A hitch-hiking Marine feels he has met the woman who picks him up before. Season 2, Episode 21: Brenda Original Air Date: 3 November 1971 A girl vacationing on an island comes across a creature that she befriends. Season 2, Episode 22: The Diary Original Air Date: 10 November 1971 A gossip columnist gets a gift of a diary in which the next day's events are described before they happen. Season 2, Episode 23: A Matter of Semantics Original Air Date: 10 November 1971 Dracula visits a blood bank with an unusual request. Season 2, Episode 24: Big Surprise Original Air Date: 10 November 1971 Mr. Hawkins is an elderly hermit feared by the children in the neighborhood. When three boys reluctantly pass his farmhouse on the way home from school, he offers them a big surprise if they visit nearby Miller's Field and do some digging. Season 2, Episode 25: Professor Peabody's Last Lecture Original Air Date: 10 November 1971 During one of his classroom lectures, college professor Peabody makes the mistake of dismissing pagan religious cults as childish superstitions. Season 2, Episode 26: House - with Ghost Original Air Date: 17 November 1971 In England an American with a nagging wife rents a house that comes with a stairwell ghost. Season 2, Episode 27: A Midnight Visit to the Neighborhood Blood Bank Original Air Date: 17 November 1971 A hungry vampire goes in search of a nocturnal nosh in a young woman's bedchamber. Season 2, Episode 28: Dr. Stringfellow's Rejuvenator Original Air Date: 17 November 1971 In the American desert circa 1880, "Doctor" Ernest Stringfellow survives by selling snake oil in the form of a medicinal tonic with dubious healing powers. Season 2, Episode 29: Hell's Bells Original Air Date: 17 November 1971 A hippie dies in an automobile accident and finds himself in hell. He wonders just how bad eternity in hell can be. Season 2, Episode 30: The Dark Boy Original Air Date: 24 November 1971 In 19th-century Montana, recently-widowed schoolteacher Judith Timm is visited by the specter of Joel Robb, a fourth grader who died two years earlier. Season 2, Episode 31: Keep in Touch - We'll Think of Something Original Air Date: 24 November 1971 Wealthy young housewife Claire Foster is a dead ringer for the attractive hitchhiker who pistol-whipped musician Erik Sutton and stole his car. But she steadfastly proclaims her innocence to him and to the police. Season 2, Episode 32: Pickman's Model Original Air Date: 1 December 1971 In 1890's Boston, art student Mavis Goldsmith has a desperate crush on her teacher Richard Upton Pickman and tries to learn why he is obsessed with painting rat-like ghouls. One night, she follows him home to learn more. Season 2, Episode 33: The Dear Departed Original Air Date: 1 December 1971 Con artist Mark Bennett and his bumbling accomplice Joe Casey run a successful spiritualist scam, until Mark falls for Joe's wife Angela. Season 2, Episode 34: An Act of Chivalry Original Air Date: 1 December 1971 When a woman enters an elevator, a ghoul is asked to remove his hat. Season 2, Episode 35: Cool Air Original Air Date: 8 December 1971 A Gothic love story about a woman and a man who lives in a refrigerated apartment. Season 2, Episode 36: Camera Obscura Original Air Date: 8 December 1971 A miserly banker finds himself trapped after viewing his client's strange optical device. Season 2, Episode 37: Quoth the Raven Original Air Date: 8 December 1971 Edgar Allen Poe can't even get the first line down on paper. Season 2, Episode 38: The Messiah on Mott Street Original Air Date: 15 December 1971 When his grandfather is ailing, a nine-year-old Jewish buy runs out looking for the Messiah. His grandfather said that he will appear big and black against the sky striking down their enemies. When he gets into trouble and is saved by a black man, he brings him home to his grandfather announcing that he had found him. Season 2, Episode 39: The Painted Mirror Original Air Date: 15 December 1971 Removing the paint from the glass of an antique mirror, an aged shop owner sees an alien landscape that is used in a plot to rid himself of his unwanted partner. Season 2, Episode 40: The Different Ones Original Air Date: 29 December 1971 In the 21st century, suburban widower Paul Koch is desperate to find a solution to his 17-year-old son Victor's facial deformity, but none seem to exist - on this planet. Season 2, Episode 41: Tell David... Original Air Date: 29 December 1971 Lost and asking for directions a woman gets a warning and possible glimpse into her own future. Season 2, Episode 42: Logoda's Heads Original Air Date: 29 December 1971 A man scours the African jungle for his missing brother and finds Logoda, a witch doctor whose "trophy room" contains the shrunken heads of defeated enemies. Season 2, Episode 43: Green Fingers Original Air Date: 5 January 1972 In the days before the Supreme Court's Kelo v. City of New London decision extending eminent domain rights to private business development, the owner of a construction company must resort to nefarious means to acquire the home of a little old lady in order to build a factory. Season 2, Episode 44: The Funeral Original Air Date: 5 January 1972 Greedy funeral director Morton Silkline balks at having to arrange a belated funeral for distinguished client Ludwig Asper, but Mr. Asper proves to be very convincing... Season 2, Episode 45: The Tune in Dan's Cafe Original Air Date: 5 January 1972 Season 2, Episode 46: Lindemann's Catch Original Air Date: 12 January 1972 A fisherman who catches a mermaid longs to keep her, but wishes for her to be a real woman. Season 2, Episode 47: A Feast of Blood Original Air Date: 12 January 1972 Vain young beauty Sheila Gray is repulsed by Henry Mallory, the unattractive man who wants to marry her. But he's given her a gift - an unusual fur brooch that will not fall off Sheila's coat, no matter how much it is shaken. Season 2, Episode 48: The Late Mr. Peddington Original Air Date: 12 January 1972 A woman who is provided very little means from her husband's estate is shopping for the cheapest funeral she can find. Season 2, Episode 49: The Miracle at Camafeo Original Air Date: 19 January 1972 Instead of spending his insurance settlement on a medical solution to his paralyzed legs, he visits a Mexican Shrine and looks for a miracle. Season 2, Episode 50: The Ghost of Sorworth Place Original Air Date: 19 January 1972 Wandering through Scotland, American drifter Ralph Burke is instantly smitten with Ann Loring, a beautiful widow whose home Sorworth Place is haunted by a ghost. Season 2, Episode 51: The Waiting Room Original Air Date: 26 January 1972 The sins of unsavory gunfighter Samuel Dichter follow him into the afterlife. Season 2, Episode 52: Last Rites for a Dead Druid Original Air Date: 26 January 1972 Attorney Bruce Tarraday suffers nightmares after his wife Jennie visits an antique store and makes an impulse purchase of a life-size druid sorcerer statue that she claims resembles him. Season 2, Episode 53: Deliveries in the Rear Original Air Date: 9 February 1972 In 19th century New England, callous surgery instructor Dr. John Fletcher is unconcerned about where the local grave robbers obtain the dissection cadavers that they sell to him for his classroom lectures. Season 2, Episode 54: Stop Killing Me Original Air Date: 9 February 1972 Middle-aged housewife Frances Turchin confides in police sergeant Stanley Bevelow that her husband is trying to murder her. Season 2, Episode 55: Dead Weight Original Air Date: 9 February 1972 A bank robber desperate to leave the country doubts the credentials of Mr. Bullivant, an aging exporter with a reputation for complete customer satisfaction. Season 2, Episode 56: I'll Never Leave You - Ever Original Air Date: 16 February 1972 An adulteress tries to destroy her terminally ill husband Owen with the help of a local crone skilled in the black arts. Season 2, Episode 57: There Aren't Any More MacBanes Original Air Date: 16 February 1972 Arthur Porter is fed up with wasting his money supporting his eccentric nephew Andrew MacBane and threatens to cut him off, so Andrew turns to the occult to solve the problem. Season 2, Episode 58: You Can't Get Help Like That Anymore Original Air Date: 23 February 1972 Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Fulton delight in the sadistic torture of their servants, but they may have met their match when a new robot maid, known as Model # 931, shows up at their home. Season 2, Episode 59: The Sins of the Fathers Original Air Date: 23 February 1972 Famine runs rampant in 19th century Wales, requiring terrified young Ian Evans to feast on the sins of deceased Mr. Craighill in order to feed himself and his parents. Season 2, Episode 60: The Caterpillar Original Air Date: 1 March 1972 A unscrupulous man who wants the beautiful wife of another colleague pays to have an "earwig" placed in the husband's ear. This insect will will tunnel through the victim's brain causing excruciating pain and certain death. His accomplice enters the wrong bedroom and places the insect in his employer's ear. After weeks of pain he miraculously survives, but his doctor tells him that his ordeal is not yet over. Season 2, Episode 61: Little Girl Lost Original Air Date: 1 March 1972 The government plays up to a genius' illusion that his dead daughter still lives so that he can finish his energy experiments even though his mind is still clouded. Season 2, Episode 62: Satisfaction Guaranteed Original Air Date: 22 September 1971 An employment service has a difficult time fulfilling a customer's request for staff.

While this Blu-ray set of classic American television may seem pricey, there are five discs and literally days or weeks of entertainment here for the dollar. "Night Gallery" has always enjoyed the dubious distinction of having the reputation of being inferior to Rod Serling's "The Twilight Zone, " but the comparison is unfair. "TTZ' ran for 5 seasons to "NG's" 3, and Serling had artistic control on the former and rather less on the latter. For all of that, there are many fine original teleplays and classic adaptations of literary horror works here, and the vast majority of what isn't A-level material is still hugely entertaining, funny, and handsomely mounted (for the most part). I've seen all of these early 1970s episodes repeatedly, first as a child when they were originally aired, and again after numerous viewings of the DVD boxed set. I can say without qualification that savoring these in gorgeous Blu-ray is like seeing them all again for the very first time, and the quality that Kino Lorber has put into this set deserves to be rewarded by purchase. What particularly stands out for me with this somewhat underrated series - underrated by critics of the time, that is...and certainly not by those of us who were kids when it aired - is how the segments that were strong in the first place come across in this presentation as even better, partially thanks to the modern miracle of subtitles, with nuances of richness in script and dialogue that sailed right past this hearing-challenged viewer upon original viewings. And the pristine Blu-ray treatment really drives home what wonders the art directors and lighting and makeup technicians were able to accomplish by dint of sheer resourcefulness and imagination, confronted by what must have often seemed like skeletal, weekly-TV budgets. Even the loathsome "blackouts" - the short comedy sketches of black humor that producer Jack Laird insisted on shoehorning into so many of the earlier episodes, to the consternation of Serling, the critics of the time, staff and co-workers in the creative processes associated with the show - even those blackouts sometimes seem better here and redeem themselves on the basis of beautiful color and set designs, and their underlying, obvious affection for old Universal horror film monsters. (Nothing could save the wretchedness of execution and concept for "The Witches," though, rightfully pulled from its original projected air date.) If I have nits at all with this beautiful set, these would be twofold. Firstly, the commentaries were all welcomed here by this viewer, and most were enjoyed very much, even if some were redundant to anyone who's read "Night Gallery: After Hours." But if you're going to the trouble of soliciting authors or directors to give some time to this project and offer commentaries, couldn't these picks be approached with a bit more discretion and care, so that those commenting are speaking clearly, loudly, and in even tones instead of mumbling or speed-reading into the mikes? I was completely unable, for example, to follow almost anything at all that the female commentator on "the Phantom Farmhouse" had to say about the episode, so fast was she talking. Secondly, nit-wise, I hate the type of swinging carousel doors employed here to house the five discs, which press into the printed cover art when one turns each "page" left to access a new disc. Surely there's a better way to mount five discs in a package that won't mar this as a collectible either for discs or package art?

Night Gallery fans will rejoice with the second season release of this popular anthology series. Thanks to Universal's collaboration with "Night Gallery: An After Hours Tour" authors Jim Benson and Scott Skelton provide several commentaries on a number of key episodes. One wishes they were contracted for the first season's collection of DVDs were released. Their keen insight into the various installments are most welcome as they explain not just the obvious, but many of the interesting backstories to the individual episodes. One interesting observation that the authors made was that the reason why Night Gallery attracted such outstanding acting talent was primarily based on the strength of the scripts, the short shooting schedule (a week at the most; sometimes less than 3 days--Stuart Whitman recalled learning his lines for "Lindemann's Catch" the night before!) and the limited theatrical-feel to the sets and the surroundings during filming. Whatever the reason, prepare yourself for eighteen hours of pleasurable television viewing, not seen in a similar format and theme until "Roald Dahl's "Tales of the Unexpected" making it's debut in 1978. Also included is an interview with director Guillermo Del Toro, whose recent work included the popular theatrical film, "Hellboy 2." NBC promos are also round out the set as well as a insightful short hosted by Tom Wright, the artist whose paintings introduced by Serling kicked-off each story. The second season, usually considered the strongest of the three, clearly indicated the ever-present stamp of producer Jack Laird who, at this time, just about wrested all creative control of the series from Serling. Because of the latter's contract with NBC and Universal, Serling virtually signed away any opportunity for story approval or creative input into the anthology series. Many fans lament...."What would become of Night Gallery if Rod had been given total reign over the series as he had on Twilight Zone?" Alas, it could also be argued that because of Laird's supervison, the second season is nothing less than an outstanding showcase of some of the finest writers and short story adaptations available--Alvin Sapinsley's superb "Pickman's Model" and Halsted Welles' disturbing "Sins of the Fathers" to name a few. Nonetheless, several of the outstanding installments of this set were written or adapted by Serling himself and they include Emmy-nominated "The Messiah of Mott Street" and the chilling "The Caterpillar" starring Lawrence Harvey and Joanna Pettet. Those annoying vignettes are present as well and back with a vengeance with Jack Laird himself, replete with hunchback, playing Igor to Adam West's Dr.Jekyll in the "With Apologies to Mr. Hyde." It's nice to know our DVD players can allow us to fast forward such codswallop like the fetid "The Witches Feast" and get right to the main installments. In all, a delight for fans to savor. I cannot wait for Season Three....

I was delighted to finally get a copy of Night Gallery. Excellent set. Worth adding to your collections. This set includes the episode "Brenda" which I had partially remembered from the original airing where a shaggy monster was caught in a pit... but that's all I had remembered until having this opportunity to watch it again. I was never able to find it on a rerun so this was the first time I have been able to see it since the original airing. I had been hoping for some extras on the DVD's but there were none. I always felt like the "Brenda" episode had ended unfinished and appeared to have chunks chopped out of it... whether it was chopped from the original story or script or production or edited thereafter... I'm not certain... but it does look chopped from the way it ended hanging. I was sorry to see that there was no extra info on the DVD set about this episode, but from what I did hear, I guess we are lucky to have these episodes at all. Apparently, they were brought to DVD with great difficulty. As for the episode "Brenda" I don't agree with the commenters on the internet about her character being some lonely, innocent child seeking a companion. I found her character to be just the opposite. It came across to me as an episode about the type of brat who captures and torments animals, insects or other kids. This is a taunter and tormenter on a power trip at any age... perhaps a future candidate for Munchausen's by proxy or a juvenile Ted Bundy on the rise. Letting the creature into the house was just a way to torment the parents and taunt the creature like an animal caught in a trap... then let it go again, only to turn around and taunt it some more. I understood what they were trying to do with the storyline although it did not work out very well from what I could see. The episode seemed like it ended in midstream and was never finished. It left the ending just hanging. I would like to see the original written storyline. This episode definitely looks edited... like it was hacked apart before it was originally aired... so I don't think it was a DVD transfer issue. I think the DVD version is like the original broadcast... but it has been so long since I saw the original, I can't remember for certain. I saw a post from someone who said this story for "Brenda" came from something called "Weird Tales" published in 1954. If so, I'd like to find that and read it. That sounds like a comic book? I'm not sure. Perhaps it had a better ending? I'd be interested in any improved info on that episode. I think it might have been interesting to follow it through to the conclusion where the creature would likely end up eating her at the most poignant, trusting moment.

Night Gallery was the scariest fun around when I was a kid. Staying up late to watch stories like "Lindemann's Catch" and "Pickman's Model" is one of my fondest memories. In season 2, the show really came into its own and produced some of the best segments, in my opinion. The whole concept of an anthology series where the stories are represented by paintings is brilliant, and Tom Wright's artwork is sometimes more memorable than the segment it introduces. It helps to have an understanding of the early-mid Seventies to really appreciate Night Gallery. The "Monster Craze" was still a pop-culture force among young people. Aurora model kits of Frankenstein, Dracula, The Phantom of the Opera, etc., were still selling on store shelves across America. Cartoon ghouls were all over Saturday morning cartoon blocs. Jack Laird, the producer, sometimes injected this monster-mania wackiness into Night Gallery, which gives the show its own particular style and feeling. It also brought him into conflict with the brilliant Rod Serling, who loathed the sillier short segments, and wanted Night Gallery to be a more cerebral showcase for television drama, evoking his earlier career highlights with Playhouse 90 and Twilight Zone. Though Serling didn't have the kind of creative control over Night Gallery that he wanted or should have had, he contributed a great deal of the show's best scripts, and it is still "his" show even more so than Laird's in some respects, and not just because Serling's name and face are out in front (The show's real title is "Rod Serling's Night Gallery"). Actually, the mix of styles is quite in keeping with the whole "gallery" concept, making the show appeal to a range of tastes. I am very grateful Universal decided to release season two, and give it respect, with fascinating extras and attractive packaging. Worth owning for anyone inclined to appreciate the genre, the era, or the genius and irreplaceable screen presence of Rod Serling.

Night Gallery as a series is difficult to define. My video is designed to give you a feel for the mood and tone of the series and show an example of how the drama segments are introduced, also the layout and artwork of the media and box set. Night Gallery cuts across the genres of horror, science fiction and dark humor. It doesn't fit perfectly into one of these, or any of these categories. For me the most enjoyment I got from the series is seeing Rod Serling's brief stoic narrative introductions to each episode segment himself via the vaguely unnerving paintings in the backdrop of the shadowy Night Gallery. Rod, impeccably dressed and coiffed in his signature black jacket and tie has a resonant voice that makes you pay attention as if something vitally important is being said. The introductions where Serling sometimes imparts a bit of cautionary wisdom to the "visitors" of the night gallery can occasionally offer a more chilling feeling than the actual production itself. There is no doubt you will find the effects and the sets of the individual dramas dated. But that is part of the retro charm of the series as viewed from a modern perspective. With the likes of SAW, Silent Hill, Star Wars, and TV series like the new Outer Limits, the Friday The 13th series ( anyone remember the V series? ), etc..., having made their impressions, the episodes of Night Gallery are not going to seem very impressive by comparison. However, there are many epsiodes that maintain their nail-biting tension and edge-of-your-seat drama because of the great writing, directing, and serious acting..., three elements which can rise above older values in cinematography and set production. Which is why great older series such as Alfred Hitchcock Presents still have powerful entertainment impact today. Season two of Night Gallery starts off with two such high impact episodes. "The Boy Who Could Predict EarthQuakes" and "The Hand Of Borgus Weems". Both episodes are unnerving. In the first we are treated to the exploitation of a young boy's gift for clairvoyence. Until, one day, he predicts something terrible that no one wants to hear. In the second, a man's life is taken over by a force beyond his control as his hand suddenly carries within it a supernatural determination to follow a deadly course of action. Other episodes that I would recommend in the second season are "Since Aunt Ada Came To Stay", a brilliantly concieved supernatural drama in which a very rational, very logical college professor suddenly finds himself believing in witchcraft and that his wife's life is in deadly danger from it. This episode is particularly interesting for it's co-star Jonathan Harris ( Doctor Smith from Lost In Space ), who plays a friend of the professor who gives him advice on how to defeat the supernatural power he is facing. "Pickman's Model" a fairly good limited production of the classic H.P. Lovecraft tale of an artist who has delved far too deep into the supernatural vistas of his world to find models for his strange unnerving paintings. There are others worth viewing as well. "The Messiah On Mott Street", written by Rod Serling himself , I believe this marks one of the last television appearances of the great Edward G. Robinson, as an aged and dying grandfather trapped in a little run down apartment on Mott Street trying to care for his young grandson. It's a heartwarming story, not typical of the series, but very satisfying. While you should not expect to be "wowed" by the sets or the effects, overall I must recommend this series for anyone who enjoys great acting and great entertainment. It is well worth the investment. The disks themselves functioned perfectly. The video was clean and the color was magnificent, the audio also is outstanding. The DVD's performed flawlessly. - Mike S.

Now that I have watched almost all of the season 2, I can say that there are some good ones, some boring ones, and it seems that when I was remembering night gallery that I must have been focusing on just the two or three that were my favorites. The stories are somewhat "macabre" type stories or twist endings, and that is all fine of course, or the "what goes around comes around" type thing. If one has to wait a couple of more years for season three, oh well. ...........Wow, I wanted to buy this back in 08, but hey, I was waiting for seasons three to be released, and since its been going on for over seven years since they started releasing the seasons, I figured I'd pick up the only two seasons available right now while I am still alive and kicking, used. So, they are seemingly putting out a season every four years?, there is a season three, I suppose it will come out in 2012. I am enjoying season two right now, very good transfers, its inexcusable to not release all the seasons finally or originally all at once, I mean, this is the modern age, its almost becoming a night gallery drama about those who keep on waiting for all the seasons to be released, I mean, here let me write a night gallery, season three comes out someday and the finally dead fans of night gallery all come out of their graves or urn to snatch a copy of night gallery, and those responsible for not releasing the seasons get dragged back with the dead. Since they started releasing night gallery, I have gone from my early thirties to over fourty. What I should have done back around halloween, there was a guy selling public domain copies of this show on e b a y, all three seasons, for about $25 shipped, I was tempted, but was "sure" season three would be released soon, HA! I wished I had kept his e b a y name, even if the public domain copies were not as good, cause I know there were some memorable season three shows I wanted to see.

Well as my title indicates, the waiting IS over. Truth is the waiting was over 30 years. I have already purchased the first DVD set and was pleasantly surprised at the picture and sound quality, not just because of the new technology used to translate this program to digital, but I only remember seeing Night Gallery on an old black and white TV when the shows aired originally. Much like older horror films give a sense of darkness and graininess to the picture, I remember watching the show in black and white and thinking how it must look on a better set. Now that I have viewed the shows on DVD, and in full color, it brings them back to life once more. Seeing Mr. Wright's paintings in color gives them more meaning, not just the contrasts of Grey, black, and whites. Even though the corny little shorts were included in the set, I still remember THAT part of watching the show back then (especially Big Surprise, scared the heck out of me, just the look on the blond kids face backing out of the hole they dug). I had thought that this DVD set was already out, and was waiting for the right time to purchase it, only to find out it wasn't...until NOW! I will be sitting at home for a few nights after it arrives. Nothing will tear me away from the moments I remembered as a pre-teen kid watching for the first time. Certain images have followed me throughout my life, and there are plenty to remember in this series. When I got the first set, I was expecting to see some of those images once again, but was disappointed to find out that the most memorable ones were in the second season. Throughout the series, scenes like the old man coming out of the hole in the ground, The guy in the haunted house following a trail of liquid in the dirt basement floor only to be confronted with a specter appearing from the darkness of a dark room (just got goose bumps typing that), the art instructor yelling at his student and painting over what she had painted only to reveal his vision of what the model looks like...a ghoulish monster, and the epitome for me at the time was the images of a dead man rising from his grave, walking up to a house, up to the door, and then the darned door creaking open, and seeing it played out in ever changing paintings was too much for my little heart. Ahh the memories! Strange what we will wait for for over three decades to see once more. Wasn't once enough? If there was any collection of great old shows I would recommend, it would be these. Night Gallery kept me up at least once a week for the years it was on. Now it's time to lose more sleep.

This season, is the best season of Night Gallery. Virtually all of my favorite episodes reside in this collection, beginning with The Academy,that is absolutely chilling and you find yourself shifting around in your chair wanting to be far away from it...the recalitrant son of the businessman who is having the guided tour, in hopes of improving his son's outlook, is in for a very different education. I enjoyed The Diary primarily to watch the excellent performance by Patty Duke, reminiscent of her Neely O'Hara role in Valley of the Dolls. She does a great interpretation of a female you would never want to meet. Camera Obscura is my number on all time favorite episode ever; Ross Martin and Rene Auberjenois are fabulous in their respective roles and the story is wonderful, Ross Martin is a collector par excellence and when he tries and fails to reform Auberjonois's greed in his zeal to collect his debts (by use of practices which can only be described as usury) from an impoverished friend of Martin's, Martin shows Auberjonois one last item in his collection: A camera obscura. And last but not least of my favorites, The Caterpillar, starring Laurence Harvey and Joanna Pettit, when Harvey is so bedazzled by her beauty he schemes to get possession of her by any means available. These shows represent the best of the best, and each one is a brilliant stand alone study of human (and sometimes inhuman) nature in all its forms. When I saw these episodes when they first came out, I was absolutely enthralled; I never missed a show and watched them every time they were on like it was the first time; never dreaming that someday they would all be available to watch as often as I wished in my own home. What a treat!!! Season 2, Episode 1: The Boy who Predicted Earthquakes Original Air Date: 15 September 1971 A young boy who can accurately foresee future events becomes a TV star. Season 2, Episode 2: Miss Lovecraft Sent Me Original Air Date: 15 September 1971 Sent from an agency for an overnight stay, a babysitter begins to think something is wrong when the father's reflection doesn't appear in a mirror and his unseen son sounds a lot like a wild dog. Season 2, Episode 3: The Hand of Borgus Weems Original Air Date: 15 September 1971 A man's hand is possessed and starts to exact revenge for the death of it's owner. Season 2, Episode 4: Phantom of What Opera? Original Air Date: 15 September 1971 Season 2, Episode 5: A Death in the Family Original Air Date: 22 September 1971 Petty thief Doran is on the run from the law and hides out at the funeral home run by Mr. Jared Soames, an undertaker who has an unusual method of dealing with the loneliness in his life. Season 2, Episode 6: The Merciful Original Air Date: 22 September 1971 In this brief twist on Edgar Allan Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado", a marital partner is cemented inside a small cubicle as part of a mercy killing. Season 2, Episode 7: Class of '99 Original Air Date: 22 September 1971 The final is given at an unknown university that reveals more than just the knowledge of its students. Season 2, Episode 8: Witches Feast Original Air Date: ???? Season 2, Episode 9: Since Aunt Ada Came to Stay Original Air Date: 29 September 1971 College professor Craig Lowell and his wife have recently opened their home to her aunt Ada Burn Quigley, but he suspects that she is not the sweet little old lady she appears to be. Season 2, Episode 10: With Apologies to Mr. Hyde Original Air Date: 29 September 1971 Doctor Jeckyl takes his potion with some unusual results. Season 2, Episode 11: The Flip Side of Satan Original Air Date: 29 September 1971 A callous disc jockey finds himself spinning platters at a hellish radio station. Season 2, Episode 12: A Fear of Spiders Original Air Date: 6 October 1971 Arachnophobic gourmet critic Justus Walters has no use for the clingy librarian who lives upstairs, until he discovers a tenacious spider in his kitchen sink and needs help to get rid of it. Season 2, Episode 13: Junior Original Air Date: 6 October 1971 A "black-out" vignette dealing with parents who have to decide which one gets out of bed in the middle of the night to feed their son. Season 2, Episode 14: Marmalade Wine Original Air Date: 6 October 1971 Roger Blacker gets caught in a cloudburst, is welcomed into the home of retired surgeon Dr. Francis Deeking, drinks excessively, and lies about his photographic achievements. Season 2, Episode 15: The Academy Original Air Date: 6 October 1971 A wealthy businessman is having trouble with his son, a delinquent who's constantly in trouble. He hears of a private school that specializes in "problem" children, and pays it a visit to determine if it's the kind of place that will straighten out his son. Season 2, Episode 16: The Phantom Farmhouse Original Air Date: 20 October 1971 Psychiatrist Joel Winter is questioned by the local sheriff when one of his patients is savagely murdered in the forest near the sanitarium where Winter is on staff. Season 2, Episode 17: Silent Snow, Secret Snow Original Air Date: 20 October 1971 Mr. and Mrs. Frank Hasleman are concerned when their young son Paul escapes from reality into a fantasy world full of snowy landscapes. Season 2, Episode 18: A Question of Fear Original Air Date: 27 October 1971 A mercenary is bet $15,000 that he cannot stay one night in a haunted house, a house that turned his companion's hair white in one night. Season 2, Episode 19: The Devil Is Not Mocked Original Air Date: 27 October 1971 The Nazi's plan to bring everyone under their domination throughout the Balkans during the early days of World War II including the master of a dark castle and his entire household. Season 2, Episode 20: Midnight Never Ends Original Air Date: 3 November 1971 A hitch-hiking Marine feels he has met the woman who picks him up before. Season 2, Episode 21: Brenda Original Air Date: 3 November 1971 A girl vacationing on an island comes across a creature that she befriends. Season 2, Episode 22: The Diary Original Air Date: 10 November 1971 A gossip columnist gets a gift of a diary in which the next day's events are described before they happen. Season 2, Episode 23: A Matter of Semantics Original Air Date: 10 November 1971 Dracula visits a blood bank with an unusual request. Season 2, Episode 24: Big Surprise Original Air Date: 10 November 1971 Mr. Hawkins is an elderly hermit feared by the children in the neighborhood. When three boys reluctantly pass his farmhouse on the way home from school, he offers them a big surprise if they visit nearby Miller's Field and do some digging. Season 2, Episode 25: Professor Peabody's Last Lecture Original Air Date: 10 November 1971 During one of his classroom lectures, college professor Peabody makes the mistake of dismissing pagan religious cults as childish superstitions. Season 2, Episode 26: House - with Ghost Original Air Date: 17 November 1971 In England an American with a nagging wife rents a house that comes with a stairwell ghost. Season 2, Episode 27: A Midnight Visit to the Neighborhood Blood Bank Original Air Date: 17 November 1971 A hungry vampire goes in search of a nocturnal nosh in a young woman's bedchamber. Season 2, Episode 28: Dr. Stringfellow's Rejuvenator Original Air Date: 17 November 1971 In the American desert circa 1880, "Doctor" Ernest Stringfellow survives by selling snake oil in the form of a medicinal tonic with dubious healing powers. Season 2, Episode 29: Hell's Bells Original Air Date: 17 November 1971 A hippie dies in an automobile accident and finds himself in hell. He wonders just how bad eternity in hell can be. Season 2, Episode 30: The Dark Boy Original Air Date: 24 November 1971 In 19th-century Montana, recently-widowed schoolteacher Judith Timm is visited by the specter of Joel Robb, a fourth grader who died two years earlier. Season 2, Episode 31: Keep in Touch - We'll Think of Something Original Air Date: 24 November 1971 Wealthy young housewife Claire Foster is a dead ringer for the attractive hitchhiker who pistol-whipped musician Erik Sutton and stole his car. But she steadfastly proclaims her innocence to him and to the police. Season 2, Episode 32: Pickman's Model Original Air Date: 1 December 1971 In 1890's Boston, art student Mavis Goldsmith has a desperate crush on her teacher Richard Upton Pickman and tries to learn why he is obsessed with painting rat-like ghouls. One night, she follows him home to learn more. Season 2, Episode 33: The Dear Departed Original Air Date: 1 December 1971 Con artist Mark Bennett and his bumbling accomplice Joe Casey run a successful spiritualist scam, until Mark falls for Joe's wife Angela. Season 2, Episode 34: An Act of Chivalry Original Air Date: 1 December 1971 When a woman enters an elevator, a ghoul is asked to remove his hat. Season 2, Episode 35: Cool Air Original Air Date: 8 December 1971 A Gothic love story about a woman and a man who lives in a refrigerated apartment. Season 2, Episode 36: Camera Obscura Original Air Date: 8 December 1971 A miserly banker finds himself trapped after viewing his client's strange optical device. Season 2, Episode 37: Quoth the Raven Original Air Date: 8 December 1971 Edgar Allen Poe can't even get the first line down on paper. Season 2, Episode 38: The Messiah on Mott Street Original Air Date: 15 December 1971 When his grandfather is ailing, a nine-year-old Jewish buy runs out looking for the Messiah. His grandfather said that he will appear big and black against the sky striking down their enemies. When he gets into trouble and is saved by a black man, he brings him home to his grandfather announcing that he had found him. Season 2, Episode 39: The Painted Mirror Original Air Date: 15 December 1971 Removing the paint from the glass of an antique mirror, an aged shop owner sees an alien landscape that is used in a plot to rid himself of his unwanted partner. Season 2, Episode 40: The Different Ones Original Air Date: 29 December 1971 In the 21st century, suburban widower Paul Koch is desperate to find a solution to his 17-year-old son Victor's facial deformity, but none seem to exist - on this planet. Season 2, Episode 41: Tell David... Original Air Date: 29 December 1971 Lost and asking for directions a woman gets a warning and possible glimpse into her own future. Season 2, Episode 42: Logoda's Heads Original Air Date: 29 December 1971 A man scours the African jungle for his missing brother and finds Logoda, a witch doctor whose "trophy room" contains the shrunken heads of defeated enemies. Season 2, Episode 43: Green Fingers Original Air Date: 5 January 1972 In the days before the Supreme Court's Kelo v. City of New London decision extending eminent domain rights to private business development, the owner of a construction company must resort to nefarious means to acquire the home of a little old lady in order to build a factory. Season 2, Episode 44: The Funeral Original Air Date: 5 January 1972 Greedy funeral director Morton Silkline balks at having to arrange a belated funeral for distinguished client Ludwig Asper, but Mr. Asper proves to be very convincing... Season 2, Episode 45: The Tune in Dan's Cafe Original Air Date: 5 January 1972 Season 2, Episode 46: Lindemann's Catch Original Air Date: 12 January 1972 A fisherman who catches a mermaid longs to keep her, but wishes for her to be a real woman. Season 2, Episode 47: A Feast of Blood Original Air Date: 12 January 1972 Vain young beauty Sheila Gray is repulsed by Henry Mallory, the unattractive man who wants to marry her. But he's given her a gift - an unusual fur brooch that will not fall off Sheila's coat, no matter how much it is shaken. Season 2, Episode 48: The Late Mr. Peddington Original Air Date: 12 January 1972 A woman who is provided very little means from her husband's estate is shopping for the cheapest funeral she can find. Season 2, Episode 49: The Miracle at Camafeo Original Air Date: 19 January 1972 Instead of spending his insurance settlement on a medical solution to his paralyzed legs, he visits a Mexican Shrine and looks for a miracle. Season 2, Episode 50: The Ghost of Sorworth Place Original Air Date: 19 January 1972 Wandering through Scotland, American drifter Ralph Burke is instantly smitten with Ann Loring, a beautiful widow whose home Sorworth Place is haunted by a ghost. Season 2, Episode 51: The Waiting Room Original Air Date: 26 January 1972 The sins of unsavory gunfighter Samuel Dichter follow him into the afterlife. Season 2, Episode 52: Last Rites for a Dead Druid Original Air Date: 26 January 1972 Attorney Bruce Tarraday suffers nightmares after his wife Jennie visits an antique store and makes an impulse purchase of a life-size druid sorcerer statue that she claims resembles him. Season 2, Episode 53: Deliveries in the Rear Original Air Date: 9 February 1972 In 19th century New England, callous surgery instructor Dr. John Fletcher is unconcerned about where the local grave robbers obtain the dissection cadavers that they sell to him for his classroom lectures. Season 2, Episode 54: Stop Killing Me Original Air Date: 9 February 1972 Middle-aged housewife Frances Turchin confides in police sergeant Stanley Bevelow that her husband is trying to murder her. Season 2, Episode 55: Dead Weight Original Air Date: 9 February 1972 A bank robber desperate to leave the country doubts the credentials of Mr. Bullivant, an aging exporter with a reputation for complete customer satisfaction. Season 2, Episode 56: I'll Never Leave You - Ever Original Air Date: 16 February 1972 An adulteress tries to destroy her terminally ill husband Owen with the help of a local crone skilled in the black arts. Season 2, Episode 57: There Aren't Any More MacBanes Original Air Date: 16 February 1972 Arthur Porter is fed up with wasting his money supporting his eccentric nephew Andrew MacBane and threatens to cut him off, so Andrew turns to the occult to solve the problem. Season 2, Episode 58: You Can't Get Help Like That Anymore Original Air Date: 23 February 1972 Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Fulton delight in the sadistic torture of their servants, but they may have met their match when a new robot maid, known as Model # 931, shows up at their home. Season 2, Episode 59: The Sins of the Fathers Original Air Date: 23 February 1972 Famine runs rampant in 19th century Wales, requiring terrified young Ian Evans to feast on the sins of deceased Mr. Craighill in order to feed himself and his parents. Season 2, Episode 60: The Caterpillar Original Air Date: 1 March 1972 A unscrupulous man who wants the beautiful wife of another colleague pays to have an "earwig" placed in the husband's ear. This insect will will tunnel through the victim's brain causing excruciating pain and certain death. His accomplice enters the wrong bedroom and places the insect in his employer's ear. After weeks of pain he miraculously survives, but his doctor tells him that his ordeal is not yet over. Season 2, Episode 61: Little Girl Lost Original Air Date: 1 March 1972 The government plays up to a genius' illusion that his dead daughter still lives so that he can finish his energy experiments even though his mind is still clouded. Season 2, Episode 62: Satisfaction Guaranteed Original Air Date: 22 September 1971 An employment service has a difficult time fulfilling a customer's request for staff.

Retro entertainment!

Wow! I was so happy when I found the entire series of Night Gallery at Amazon, having bought Season One a few weeks ago, and this has brought back some very pleasant memories of when I was a child in Jamaica, when at that time we watched TV in Black and White. It's great watching all the episodes in colour now, and it's even a greater treat watching them with my husband and kids. All this are on 5 discs which contains 22 episodes with 61 stories in all. A true bargain and professionally hosted by Twilight Zone's Rod Serling.

I found this really entertaining even though, to me, a lot of the stories were those with clever twists rather than outright horror. "Camera Obscura" is my favourite, I loved the short story when I first read it and it's been done justice by this series. My biggest disappointment was the one with David McCallum, I was really hoping this was going to be a retelling of 'The Locket', from 'Campfire Tales'. They even had a well at the farmhouse, for goodness sake! But alas it took a different, and I have to say, more mundane turning. The story that unsettled me was 'Little Girl Lost', I hate any story that involves the apocalypse, threatened or otherwise. Don't expect gore but do expect some good stories.

This is a 5 disc set - all discs are single sided, all episodes presented full screen 1.33:1, all have English Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono & English SDH subtitles. It contains all 22 season epsiodes - except portions of the episode Satisfaction Guaranteed and the lost story Witches Feast. There are commentary tracks for 6 episodes, a featurette, an art gallery of paintings from Night Gallery and some TV promos. This season is definitely worth a look, some of my favourite episodes are from this season and I have wonderful memories of watching reruns of this show as a kid.