NIGHT GALLERY (TV 1969-1973)

Widely regarded as the successor to The Twilight Zone, writer, producer, and former flyweight boxer, Rod Serling, plays curator to Night Gallery – a varied anthology series that’s again available on DVD from Via Vision Entertainment in Australia.

As an avid fan of Night Gallery’s predecessor, I found it naturally difficult not to draw comparisons at first, but the most noticeable difference was the show’s structure. Not only were episodes twice as long, but they contained several segments. However, it’s not always an even split of the time, which I felt hindered the show’s overall quality. Often when one segment would exceed 40 minutes, the remaining time felt like filler for ideas that were either leftover or underdeveloped, yet many of the 3 to 5-minute segments served well as fun gags, such as Caesar Romero as Count Dracula wishing to withdraw blood from a “blood bank.”

Serling’s introductions never fail to invite intrigue and how he manages to liken just about every topic to an art gallery is impressive. Variety is definitely not in short supply, although the supernatural has a stronger presence, leaving less room for ambiguity. In terms of overall content, Night Gallery does appeal to a wide audience, as topics range from non-sensical love affairs to an old-fashioned scary story about an old man and the promise of buried treasure. I was also very grateful to have come across a holiday-themed episode that stared the late Yaphet Kotto as a giver of miracles.

In the tradition of television from the late ’60s through the ’70s, there’s a feature-length pilot episode, which makes a strong impression with its three stories, one of which is directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Joan Crawford who in a morbid attempt to see again, purchases the eyes of a sad individual indebted to the mob.

SPECIAL FEATURES

Bonus episodes from Night Gallery: Season One featuring the series’ biggest guest stars: Sally Field, Vincent Price, Lindsay Wagner, Carl Reiner and more!
Audio commentary by director Guillermo Del Toro and Night Gallery historians Scott Skelton & Jim Benson
Art Gallery: The Paintings in “Rod Serling’s Night Gallery”
NBC Night Gallery TV Promos
Lost Tales from Season Two

I wouldn’t say that pre-Bionic Woman, Lindsay Wagner was a “guest star” as she only has one line, but the others are justified, especially Carl Reiner. The extra listed above a completest quality about them as it’s mostly content viewers did not get back during the original and syndicated broadcasts.

VIDEO AND AUDIO

AV enthusiasts will appreciate Via Vision’s continued preference for NTSC formatted discs and despite this edition being ported from, what I’m guessing, the 2017 U.S. release, quality has stood up reasonably well against modern players and screens. Naturally presented in 4:3, the colour pallet is typically “70s television” with some nice film grain, while the Dolby Digital 2.0 track is dangerously loud, so dial down the volume before that theme hits.

I expected a little more from Mr. Serling but it’s hard to re-capture that same creative magic. By 1971 the world had drastically changed since The Twilight Zone ended. People’s anxieties and subconscious fears laid elsewhere as civil unrest was a major societal concern during the years during which Night Gallery ran.

Night Gallery: The Complete Collection retails for $89.95 – available to purchase online at through Via Vision’s official website.

NIGHT GALLERY
(1969-1973, director: Various)