Thriller (U.S. TV series)

Thriller

Genre	Anthology
Created by	Hubbell Robinson
Directed by	John Brahm Jules Bricken Herschel Daugherty Paul Henreid Douglas Heyes Arthur Hiller Mitchell Leisen Ida Lupino Gerald Mayer John Newland Ted Post
Presented by	Boris Karloff
Starring	Various
Theme music composer	Pete Rugolo
Composer(s)	Jerry Goldsmith Stanley Wilson Pete Rugolo
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	67
Production
Executive producer(s)	Hubbell Robinson
Producer(s)	William Frye Fletcher Markle Maxwell Shane
Running time	49 min. (Season 1) 50 min. (Season 2)
Production company(s)	Hubbell Robinson Productions Revue Studios
Distributor	Revue Studios (original) NBCUniversal Television Distribution (current)
Release
Original network	NBC
Picture format	Black and white 4:3
Audio format	Mono
Original release	September 13, 1960 – April 30, 1962

Thriller (also known as Boris Karloff's Thriller) is an American anthology television series that aired during the 1960–61 and 1961–62 seasons on NBC. The show featured host Boris Karloff introducing a mix of macabre horror tales and suspense thrillers.^[1] Reruns currently (October 2016) air occasionally on the Decades television network.

Overview

Thriller was created by Hubbell Robinson for MCA's Revue Studios. It was produced by Fletcher Markle, William Frye, and Maxwell Shane. Among the many writers for the series were Robert Hardy Andrews, and Robert Bloch, who adapted a number of his own stories, notably "The Weird Tailor."

In addition to serving as the host of the series, Karloff starred in five episodes: "The Prediction," "The Premature Burial," "The Last of the Sommervilles," "Dialogues With Death," and "The Incredible Doctor Markesan."

Other actors included Leslie Nielsen in the show's first episode "The Twisted Image, William Shatner in two episodes, "The Hungry Glass" and "The Grim Reaper," Constance Ford in two episodes, Mary Tyler Moore in two episodes and Edward Andrews in three episodes. Child actress Beverly Washburn appeared in "Parasite Mansion"; Joan Tompkins appeared in "The Cheaters" and "Mr. George." Elizabeth Montgomery, Tom Poston, and John Carradine in "Masquerade." Carradine also starred in "The Remarkable Mrs. Hawk," co-starring Bruce Dern and Jo Van Fleet; Ed Nelson starred in four episodes: "The Fatal Impulse," "The Cheaters," "A Good Imagination," and "Dialogues With Death."

Other performers included: Rip Torn. George Grizzard, Natalie Trundy, Bethel Leslie, Patricia Medina, Patricia Barry, Richard Anderson, Richard Chamberlain, Elisha Cook, Conrad Nagel, Larry Pennell, Russell Johnson, Diana Millay, Philip Carey, Kathleen Crowley, Susan Oliver, Rodolfo Hoyos, Jr., J. Pat O'Malley, Henry Daniell, Robert Vaughn, Marlo Thomas, John Ireland, Jeanette Nolan, Virginia Gregg, Hazel Scott, Lloyd Bochner, Scott Marlowe, Judson Pratt, Olive Sturgess, Mary Astor, Marion Ross, MacDonald Carey, Natalie Schafer, Phyllis Thaxter, Estelle Winwood, Antoinette Bower, Jane Greer, Dick York, Jocelyn Brando, Richard Carlson, William Windom, George Kennedy, Cloris Leachman, Monte Markham, Patricia Breslin and Edward Binns.

Episodes

No = Overall episode number Ep = Episode number within the season

Due to a number of TV stations that pre-emptied Thriller in favor of local programs, Thriller only ran for two seasons starting September 1960.

Season 1: 1960–1961

The show premiered on September 13, 1960 with the episode "The Twisted Image."

No	Ep	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
01	01	"The Twisted Image"	Arthur Hiller	James P. Cavanagh	September 13, 1960 (1960-09-13)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Leslie Nielsen, and George Grizzard
02	02	"Child's Play"	Arthur Hiller	Robert Dozier	September 20, 1960 (1960-09-20)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Frank Overton and Bethel Leslie
03	03	"Worse Than Murder"	Mitchell Leisen	Mel Goldberg	September 27, 1960 (1960-09-27)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Constance Ford, and John Baragrey
04	04	"The Mark of the Hand"	Paul Henreid	Eric Peters	October 4, 1960 (1960-10-04)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Mona Freeman, and Jessie Royce Landis
05	05	"Rose's Last Summer"	Arthur Hiller	Marie Baumer	October 11, 1960 (1960-10-11)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Mary Astor, and Lin McCarthy
06	06	"The Guilty Men"	Jules Bricken	John Vlahos	October 18, 1960 (1960-10-18)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Everett Sloane, and Jay C. Flippen
07	07	"The Purple Room"	Douglas Heyes	Douglas Heyes	October 25, 1960 (1960-10-25)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Rip Torn, and Patricia Barry
08	08	"The Watcher"	John Brahm	Donald S. Sanford	November 1, 1960 (1960-11-01)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Martin Gabel, and Stuart Erwin
09	09	"Girl with a Secret"	Mitchell Leisen	Charles Beaumont	November 15, 1960 (1960-11-15)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Fay Bainter, Cloris Leachman, Monte Markham, and Paul Hartman
10	10	"The Prediction"	John Brahm	Donald S. Sanford	November 22, 1960 (1960-11-22)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Audrey Dalton (actress and Alexander Davion
11	11	"The Fatal Impulse"	Gerald Mayer	Philip MacDonald	November 29, 1960 (1960-11-29)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Robert Lansing, Whitney Blake, Mary Tyler Moore
12	12	"The Big Blackout"	Maurice Geraghty	Oscar Millard	December 6, 1960 (1960-12-06)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Jack Carson, Nan Leslie, and Charles McGraw
13	13	"Knock Three-One-Two"	Herman Hoffman	John Kneubuhl	December 13, 1960 (1960-12-13)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Joe Maross and Beverly Garland
14	14	"Man in the Middle"	Fletcher Markle	Howard Rodman	December 20, 1960 (1960-12-20)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Mort Sahl, and Werner Klemperer
15	15	"The Cheaters"	John Brahm	Donald S. Sanford	December 27, 1960 (1960-12-27)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Mildred Dunnock, and Harry Townes
16	16	"The Hungry Glass"	Douglas Heyes	Douglas Heyes	January 3, 1961 (1961-01-03)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Donna Douglas, William Shatner, and Joanna Heyes
17	17	"The Poisoner"	Herschel Daugherty	Robert Hardy Andrews	January 10, 1961 (1961-01-10)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Murray Matheson, and Sarah Marshall
18	18	"Man in the Cage"	Gerald Mayer	Stuart Jerome	January 17, 1961 (1961-01-17)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Philip Carey, and Diana Millay
19	19	"Choose a Victim"	Richard Carlson (actor)	George Bellak	January 24, 1961 (1961-01-24)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Larry Blyden, and Susan Oliver
20	20	"Hay-Fork and Bill-Hook"	Herschel Daugherty	Alan Caillou	February 7, 1961 (1961-02-07)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Kenneth Haigh, and Audrey Dalton
21	21	"The Merriweather File"	John Brahm	John Kneubuhl	February 14, 1961 (1961-02-14)
Cast: Boris Karloff, James Gregory, and Bethel Leslie
22	22	"The Fingers of Fear"	Jules Bricken	Robert Hardy Andrews	February 21, 1961 (1961-02-21)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Nehemiah Persoff, and Robert Middleton
23	23	"Well of Doom"	John Brahm	Donald S. Sanford	February 28, 1961 (1961-02-28)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Ronald Howard, and Henry Daniell
24	24	"The Ordeal of Dr. Cordell"	Laslo Benedek	Donald S. Sanford	March 7, 1961 (1961-03-07)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Robert Vaughn, and Kathleen Crowley
25	25	"Trio for Terror"	Ida Lupino	Wilkie Collins	March 14, 1961 (1961-03-14)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Reginald Owen, and John Abbott
26	26	"Papa Benjamin"	Ted Post	John Kneubuhl	March 21, 1961 (1961-03-21)
Cast: Boris Karloff, John Ireland, and Jeanne Bal
27	27	"Late Date"	Herschel Daugherty	Donald S. Sanford	April 4, 1961 (1961-04-04)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Larry Pennell, and Edward Platt
28	28	"Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper"	Ray Milland	Barré Lyndon	April 11, 1961 (1961-04-11)
Cast: Boris Karloff, John Williams, and Beverly Powers
29	29	"The Devil's Ticket"	Jules Bricken	Robert Bloch	April 18, 1961 (1961-04-18)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Macdonald Carey, and Patricia Medina
30	30	"Parasite Mansion"	Herschel Daugherty	Donald S. Sanford	April 25, 1961 (1961-04-25)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Pippa Scott, and Jeanette Nolan
31	31	"A Good Imagination"	John Brahm	Robert Bloch	May 2, 1961 (1961-05-02)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Edward Andrews, and Patricia Barry
32	32	"Mr. George"	Ida Lupino	Donald S. Sanford	May 9, 1961 (1961-05-09)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Virginia Gregg, and Howard Freeman
33	33	"The Terror in Teakwood"	Paul Henreid	Alan Caillou	May 16, 1961 (1961-05-16)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Guy Rolfe, and Hazel Court
34	34	"The Prisoner in the Mirror"	Herschel Daugherty	Robert Arthur, Jr.	May 23, 1961 (1961-05-23)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Lloyd Bochner, and Henry Daniell
35	35	"Dark Legacy"	John Brahm	John Tomerlin	May 30, 1961 (1961-05-30)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Harry Townes, and Ilka Windish
36	36	"Pigeons from Hell"	John Newland	John Kneubuhl	June 6, 1961 (1961-06-06)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Brandon De Wilde, and Crahan Denton
37	37	"The Grim Reaper"	Herschel Daugherty	Robert Bloch	June 13, 1961 (1961-06-13)
Cast: Boris Karloff, William Shatner, and Natalie Schafer

Season 2: 1961–1962

The second season of Thriller started on September 18, 1961 with the episode "What Beckoning Ghost?" and had 30 episodes in the season.

No	Ep	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date
38	01	"What Beckoning Ghost?"	Ida Lupino	Donald S. Sanford	September 18, 1961 (1961-09-18)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Judith Evelyn, and Tom Helmore
39	02	"Guillotine"	Ida Lupino	Charles Beaumont	September 26, 1961 (1961-09-26)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Robert Middleton, and Danielle De Metz
40	03	"The Premature Burial"	Douglas Heyes	William D. Gordon	October 2, 1961 (1961-10-02)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Sidney Blackmer, and Scott Marlowe
41	04	"The Weird Tailor"	Herschel Daugherty	Robert Bloch	October 16, 1961 (1961-10-16)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Henry Jones, and George Macready
42	05	"God Grante That She Lye Stille"	Herschel Daugherty	Robert Hardy Andrews	October 23, 1961 (1961-10-23)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Ronald Howard, and Sarah Marshall
43	06	"Masquerade"	Herschel Daugherty	Donald S. Sanford	October 30, 1961 (1961-10-30)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Elizabeth Montgomery, and Tom Poston
44	07	"The Last of the Sommervilles"	Ida Lupino	Ida Lupino	November 6, 1961 (1961-11-06)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Peter Walker, Chet Stratton, Phyllis Thaxter, and Martita Hunt
45	08	"Letter to a Lover"	Herschel Daugherty	Donald S. Sanford	November 13, 1961 (1961-11-13)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Ann Todd and Murray Matheson
46	09	"A Third for Pinochle"	Herschel Daugherty	Mark Hanna	November 20, 1961 (1961-11-20)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Edward Andrews, and Doro Merande
47	10	"The Closed Cabinet"	Ida Lupino	Jess Carneol	November 27, 1961 (1961-11-27)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Olive Sturgess, and David Frankham
48	11	"Dialogues with Death"	Herschel Daugherty	Robert Arthur, Jr.	December 4, 1961 (1961-12-04)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Norma Crane, and Ed Nelson
49	12	"The Return of Andrew Bentley"	John Newland	Richard Matheson	December 11, 1961 (1961-12-11)
Cast: Boris Karloff, John Newland, and Antoinette Bower
50	13	"The Remarkable Mrs. Hawk"	John Brahm	Donald S. Sanford	December 18, 1961 (1961-12-18)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Jo Van Fleet, and John Carradine
51	14	"Portrait Without a Face"	John Newland	Jason Wingreen	December 25, 1961 (1961-12-25)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Jane Greer, and Robert Webber
52	15	"An Attractive Family"	John Brahm	Robert Arthur, Jr.	January 1, 1962 (1962-01-01)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Richard Long, and Leo G. Carroll
53	16	"Waxworks"	Herschel Daugherty	Robert Bloch	January 8, 1962 (1962-01-08)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Oskar Homolka, and Martin Kosleck
54	17	"La Strega"	Ida Lupino	Alan Caillou	January 15, 1962 (1962-01-15)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Ursula Andress, and Alejandro Rey
55	18	"The Storm"	Herschel Daugherty	William D. Gordon	January 22, 1962 (1962-01-22)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Nancy Kelly, and David McLean
56	19	"A Wig for Miss Devore"	John Brahm	August Derleth	January 29, 1962 (1962-01-29)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Patricia Barry, and John Baragrey
57	20	"The Hollow Watcher"	William F. Claxton	Jay Simms	February 12, 1962 (1962-02-12)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Audrey Dalton, Sean McClory and Warren Oates
58	21	"Cousin Tundifer"	John Brahm	Boris Sobelman	February 19, 1962 (1962-02-19)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Edward Andrews, and Sue Ane Langdon
59	22	"The Incredible Doktor Markesan"	Robert Florey	Donald S. Sanford	February 26, 1962 (1962-02-26)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Dick York, and Carolyn Kearney
60	23	"Flowers of Evil"	John Brahm	Barré Lyndon	March 5, 1962 (1962-03-05)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Luciana Paluzzi, and Kevin Hagen
61	24	"'Til Death Do Us Part"	Herschel Daugherty	Robert Bloch	March 12, 1962 (1962-03-12)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Henry Jones (actor) and Jim Davis
62	25	"The Bride Who Died Twice"	Ida Lupino	Robert Hardy Andrews	March 19, 1962 (1962-03-19)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Mala Powers, and Eduardo Ciannelli
63	26	"Kill My Love"	Herschel Daugherty	Donald S. Sanford	March 26, 1962 (1962-03-26)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Richard Carlson, and Patricia Breslin
64	27	"Man of Mystery"	John Newland	Robert Bloch	April 2, 1962 (1962-04-02)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Mary Tyler Moore and John Van Dreelen
65	28	"The Innocent Bystanders"	John English	Robert Hardy Andrews	April 9, 1962 (1962-04-09)
Cast: Boris Karloff, John Anderson, and George Kennedy
66	29	"The Lethal Ladies"	Ida Lupino	Boris Sobelman	April 16, 1962 (1962-04-16)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Howard Morris, and Rosemary Murphy
67	30	"The Specialists"	Ted Post	John Kneubuhl	April 30, 1962 (1962-04-30)
Cast: Boris Karloff, Lin McCarthy, and Robert Douglas

DVD release

On August 31, 2010, Image Entertainment released Thriller: The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1 for the first time. The 14-disc set contains all 67 episodes, remastered and uncut, with new commentary tracks and more.^[2]

Reception

In a brief review of its premiere, Time called it the "hour-long bloodmobile...unpromising".^[3]

In Danse Macabre, Stephen King's 1981 history and critique of horror fiction, King suggests that Thriller was the best series of its kind up to that point.^[4]

In a review of the anthology's 2010 DVD release, Hollywood Reporter said "Not all the episodes work, and the transfers can be a bit grainy. But when they do — the strong shadows living in the black and white, the awesomely overwrought score by composers Jerry Goldsmith and Morton Stevens (if only they had music like that again), the storytelling not using gore and cheap scares as crutches — the results are genuinely goosebump-inducing."^[5]

Musical score and soundtrack

The Original Music of Thriller

Soundtrack album by Pete Rugolo and His Orchestra

Released

1961

Recorded

February 23 & 24, 1961
United Recording Studios, Hollywood, CA

Time
52034/S 2034

Pete Rugolo chronology

10 Trombones Like 2 Pianos
(1960)

The Original Music of Thriller
(1961)

Ten Trumpets and 2 Guitars
(1960)

Each episode of the first season featured a specially composed score with the main theme and majority of writing by Pete Rugolo with additional compositions by Jerry Goldsmith and Morton Stevens. In 1961 The Original Music of Thriller, composed, arranged and conducted by Rugolo was released on Bob Shad's Time label.^[6]

Track listing

All compositions by Pete Rugolo

"Theme from "Thriller"" - 1:33
"The Hungry Glass" - 4:14
"Voodoo Man" - 2:55
"The Guilty Men" - 3:06
"Girl With a Secret" - 2:24
"The Purple Room" - 2:40
"Twisted Image" - 1:47
"Rose's Last Summer" - 2:42
"Worse Than Murder" - 2:04
"Child's Play" - 2:13
"Finger of Fear" - 3:31
"The Man in the Middle" - 2:55

Personnel

Pete Rugolo - arranger, conductor
Frank Beach, Don Fagerquist, Ollie Mitchell, Uan Rasey - trumpet
Milt Bernhart, Dick Nash, Frank Rosolino - trombone
George Roberts - bass trombone
James Decker, Vince DeRosa, Richard Perissi - French horn
Gene Cipriano, Bob Cooper, Norman Herzberg, Harry Klee Ronnie Lang, Bud Shank - piccolo, flute, bass flute, bass clarinet, alto saxophone, baritone saxophone, bassoon
Red Callender - tuba
Laurindo Almeida, Robert Bain - guitar
Red Mitchell, Joe Mondragon - bass
Caesar Giovannini, Jimmy Rowles - piano
Jack Cookerly - organ
Dorothy Remsen - harp
Larry Bunker, Frank Flynn, Milt Holland, Louis Singer, Alvin Stoller - percussion, vibraphone, marimba, xylophone, timpani, congas, bongos, snare drum, bells, chimes, gong, triangle, temple blocks, jawbone, gourd, timbales, maracas
Herman Clebanoff, Sam Freed, Benny Gill, Mort Herbert, Anatol Kaminsky, Nathan Kaproff, Lou Klass, Marvin Limonick, William Miller, Alexander Murray, Erno Neufeld, Irma Neumann, Jack Pepper, Lou Raderman, Ambrose Russo, Leon Trebacz - violin
Justin Di Tullio, Armand Kaproff, Raphael Kramer, Edgar Lustgarten, Marie Manahan, Joseph Saxon, Harold Schneier, Eleanor Slatkin - cello

Award nominations

Year	Result	Award	Category	Recipient	Episode
1961	Nominated	Emmy Award	Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Music for Television	Pete Rugolo Jerry Goldsmith	—
1962		American Cinema Editors	Best Edited Television Program	Danny B. Landres	"Third for Pinochle"
1962		Hugo Award	Best Dramatic Presentation	—	—

Books

Gold Key Comics published a comic book version of Thriller, changing the title to Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery after the series ended; the series lasted until the 1980s, long after not only the end of Thriller but also the death of Karloff himself. Dark Horse Comics published an archive reprint of the series beginning in 2009.^[7]

McFarland & Company published Alan Warren's This Is a Thriller! - An Episode Guide in 1996, an exhaustive account of the history of the show. Here it was revealed that it was Alfred Hitchcock more than anyone else who was responsible for the demise of the series, after he came aboard on NBC with an expanded one-hour version of his previous Alfred Hitchcock Presents.^[8]

References

↑ Boris Karloff Rejoice! Image Entertainment is Finally Bringing Us Home Thriller! from dreadcentral.com
↑ "Image Entertainment". Image Entertainment. 2010-08-31. Retrieved 2011-10-03.
↑ "Television: : The New Shows". Time. September 26, 1960. Retrieved 2010-10-17.
↑ King, Stephen. Danse Macabre. Berkley Books, New York,1982. Page 216.
↑ "Boris Karloff back in Thriller: Complete Series". Hollywood Reporter. via Reuters. September 1, 2010. Retrieved 2010-10-17.
↑ Discography of the Time Label accessed October 6, 2016
↑ Comicvine.com
↑ Warren, Alan (1996). This Is A Thriller! - An Episode Guide. McFarland & Company, Inc.

External links

Thriller at the Internet Movie Database
Thriller at TV.com
A Thriller a Day Peter Enfantino and John Scoleri review each and every episode of Boris Karloff's Thriller
Thriller guide Summary of each episode.
Thriller at CVTA
The Return of Andrew Bentley Public domain episode at the Internet Archive

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