Night Gallery (The Cemetery/Eyes/The Escape Route) **** (1969, Joan Crawford, Roddy McDowall, Tom Bosley, Barry Sullivan, Ossie Davis, Sam Jaffe) – Classic Movie Review 6010

Writer-creator Rod Serling introduces three of his own Twilight Zone-style stories, the pilot TV movie for the 50-episode anthology concept hit series Night Gallery (1969-73) showing off pictures that reflect mankind’s base instincts in stories of vengeance against evil.

The excellent cast is well deployed in satisfying appearances in strong stories in an intriguing, creepy outing that is a success for everybody.

Boris Sagal directs the opening episode The Cemetery, in which Jeremy Evans (Roddy McDowall) murders his rich uncle to inherit his fortune, harming the uncle’s butler (Ossie Davis).

And Barry Shear directs the finale episode Escape Route, in which Josef Strobe (Richard Kiley), a Nazi war criminal hiding out in South America, has to confront his demons and a curious Holocaust survivor, Bleum (Sam Jaffe).

But the main treasure is including the middle segment Eyes, in which the then 23-year-old wunderkind Steven Spielberg directs the then 63-year-old revered old movie queen Joan Crawford as rich Miss Claudia Menlo, who blackmails a young surgeon to give her an eye transplant so she can see for the first time, though it is only for half a day.

A film and television buff’s paradise, it is vintage TV movie viewing and a brilliant curio.

It is written by Rod Serling, shot by Richard Batcheller and William Margulies, produced by William Sackheim, scored by Billy Goldenberg and designed by Howard E Johnson.

Also in the cast are Tom Bosley, Barry Sullivan, Kate Greenfield, George Macready, Norma Crane, Barry Atwater, George Murdock, Tom Basham, Byron Morrow and Richard Hale.

Eyes and The Escape Route are based on Serling’s novellas in his 1967 book The Season to Be Wary.

Joan Crawford was initially unimpressed by the 23-year-old Steven Spielberg.

Crawford inherited the role after her arch-rival Bette Davis declined the offer of playing Claudia Menlo.

Crawford was initially unimpressed by Spielberg and phoned head of Universal Television Sid Sheinberg and threatened to quit if he didn’t replace him with a better director. But Sheinberg told her was confident in Spielberg’s abilities and would back him over her. However, she acquiesced and while working treated him with great respect, and after filming the two corresponded till her death om 10 May 1977, aged 71. She made a couple more TV segments and one more film – the infamous Trog (1970).

© Derek Winnert 2017 Classic Movie Review 6010

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