Welcome to the Gallery for one last tale…
The Night Gallery is open for one final exhibit. The paintings tell tales of witches, warlocks, spectral animals, demonic women, mad scientists, ghosts, and zombies. Step into the Night Gallery for one last scare.
Rod Serling’s Night Gallery—Season 3 was the final season in series and ran from September 24, 1972 to August 27, 1973 with only fifteen episodes. The series was originally an hour show but was reduced to a half-hour for the season. The DVD collection also has three cut segments (used in syndication) and a longer version of Season 2’s “Little Girl Lost”. Not included in any of the DVD collections were the recuts of Night Gallery which included Gary Collins’ Sixth Sense series.
I’m on fire!!!
I love Night Gallery and after the stellar Season 2, Season 3 is rather a disappointment. By this point in the series, Rod Serling had all but disowned the series due to criticism. It feels like it too. There are some good episodes, but it just pales in comparison to other episodes. Some episodes feel like retread of old Twilight Zone episodes like “Rare Objects” or “The Ring with the Red Velvet Ropes”. The classic open used in Season 1 and Season 2 also is lost and replaced with a less interesting and less memorable tune.
Night Gallery despite the changes still maintains a nice quality of production. The episodes look great and still have a classiness to them that is lost in modern shows. Each episode does feel like a mini-film. Unfortunately it is more of a B-Film (or C-Film) in comparison to previous seasons. Fortunately, the much maligned shorts from Season 2 are virtually gone in Season 3.
Hey Ozzie…I don’t feel so good.
The series also still commands stars that at the time were either often at the end of their careers or just starting. Vincent Price, Bill Bixby, John Astin, Mickey Rooney, Sandra Dee, Ozzie and Harriet Nelson, Lindsay Wagner, Burgess Meredith, Leonard Nimoy, Geraldine Page, Leif Erickson, Burl Ives, Sally Field, and Dean Stockwell all stop by the Gallery. Slim Pickens also appears in one of the shorts…playing of course a bumpkin cop. It is always fun to see the opening credits of any Night Gallery episode just to see who was appearing.
I loved the Night Gallery and I miss the Night Gallery. I wish that the season had been better and it was rather sad to watch the Night Gallery go out with a whimper instead of a bang. Rod Serling was such an influence on science-fiction, horror, and fantasy that I wish he could have kept making more and more, but unfortunately Serling died in 1975.
Night Gallery—Season 3 Complete Episode Guide:
“The Return of the Sorcerer”
3.1 The Return of the Sorcerer Airdate; 09/24/72
A sorcerer named John Carnby (Vincent Price) hires non-believing translator Noel (Bill Bixby) for the translation of an ancient text. When Noel begins an affair with the sorcerer’s wife Fern (Tisha Sterling), Noel begins to question what happened to the translators before him. Translating the sorcerer’s text, Noel learns the horror of what happened to the Carnby’s twin brother.
“The Girl with the Hungry Eyes”
3.2 The Girl with the Hungry Eyes Airdate: 10/01/72
A strange woman (Joanna Pettet) comes to a photographer named David Faulkner (James Farentino). Her eyes seem to hold a haunting look and a darkness that kills. When she becomes the leading model for the business of Mr. Munsch (John Astin), David realizes she is a killer that must be stopped before her power spreads.
“Rare Objects”
3.3 Rare Objects Airdate: 10/22/72
A gangster named August Kolodney (Mickey Rooney) finds himself always the target of other criminals. Getting a tip on where he can live in peace, Kolodney finds a man named Dr. Glendon (Raymond Massey) offering him safety at a price…as part of a strange collection.
“Spectre in Tap Shoes”
3.4 Spectre in Tap-Shoes Airdate: 10/29/72
Millicent Hardy (Sandra Dee) returns home early from vacation to her tap school to find her twin sister Marion has killed herself. Now, Millicent is haunted everyday by her sister’s death and feels that she is haunting her. Millicent worries she’s going crazy or has Marion truly come back and why?
“You Can Come Up Now, Mrs. Millikan”
“Smile, Please”
3.5 You Can Come Up Now, Mrs. Millikan/Smile, Please Airdate: 11/12/72
You Can Come Up Now, Mrs. Millikan—Henry Millikan (Ozzie Nelson) is a scientist who is a failure at everything he does. When he plans his greatest experiment to restore his ailing wife Helena Millikan (Harriet Hilliard), he could face murder charges when his nephew (George Beaumont) learns of his plans. Smile, Please—A photographer (Lindsay Wagner) plans to photograph a real vampire only to learn her host (Cesare Danova) has tricked her.
“The Other Way Out”
3.6 The Other Way Out Airdate: 11/19/72
A businessman named Bradley Meredith (Ross Martin) finds himself being blackmailed when he causes the death of a go-go dancer. Finding himself the prisoner of her father (Burl Ives), Meredith learns of another way out.
“Fright Night”
3.7 Fright Night Airdate: 12/10/72
Tom and Leona Ogilvy (Stuart Whitman and Barbara Anderson) inherit an ancestral home at the death of Tom’s cousin Zachariah (Alan Napier). When Tom and Leona begin receiving messages of warning, Cousin Zachariah might be reaching out from beyond the grave.
“Finnegan’s Flight”
3.8 Finnegan’s Flight Airdate: 12/17/72
A convict named Pete Tuttle (Cameron Mitchell) finds the perfect patient for his plans to hypnotize long term prisoners in Charlie Finnegan (Burgess Meredith). When Tuttle takes his powerful hypnosis findings to the prisoner doctor (Barry Sullivan), Finnegan’s dream of jets could be his death.
“She’ll Be Company for You”
3.9 She’ll Be Company for You Airdate: 12/24/72
Henry Auden (Leonard Nimoy) has finally lost his invalid wife and feels free. Left a cat by his wife’s friend Barbara Morgan (Lorraine Gary), Henry finds himself haunted by the cat which seems to be a spectral beast.
“The Ring with Red Velvet Ropes”
3.10 The Ring with the Red Velvet Ropes Airdate: 01/07/73
A boxer named James Figg (Gary Lockwood) wins the title, but learns that he has a bigger fight ahead of him when he wakes up in a strange ring. Facing a man calling himself Roderick Blanco (Chuck Connors), James learns Blanco’s wife Sondra (Joan Van Ark) that winning might not be everything he hoped it would be.
“Something in the Woodwork”
3.11 Something in the Woodwork Airdate: 01/14/73
A bitter divorced woman named Molly Wheatland (Geraldine Page) finds herself alone in a house inhabited by a ghost named Jamie. When her ex-husband Charlie (Leif Erickson) attempts to help Molly by having her committed, Molly asks Jamie to stop him.
“Death on a Barge”
3.12 Death on a Barge Airdate: 03/04/73
A young man named Jake (Lou Antonio) visits a girl named Hyacinth (Lesley Ann Warren) marooned on a barge nightly. Telling his girlfriend Phyllis (Brooke Bundy) that he’s in love, Jake begins to realize that the girl is a vampire and that she wants to be with him eternally.
“Whisper”
3.13 Whisper Airdate: 05/13/73
Irene Evans (Sally Field) hears the voices of the dead in her head. As her husband Charlie (Dean Stockwell) indulges her but tries to keep her grounded, Irene is more and more possessed by the dead around her.
“The Doll of Death”
3.14 The Doll of Death Airdate: 05/20/73
Sheila Trent (Susan Strasberg) walks out on her fiancé Alex Brandon (Barry Atwater) on their wedding day to be with Raphael (Alejandro Rey). Alex seeks revenge and calls upon the forces of voodoo to do it.
“Hatred Unto Death”
“How to Cure a Common Vampire”
3.15 Hatred Unto Death/How to Cure the Common Vampire Airdate: 05/27/73
Hatred Unto Death—Two researchers (Steve Forrest and Dina Merrill) find a gorilla in a pit in Africa. The gorilla seems to hate Grant, and Grant has a hatred of it. Returning the gorilla to America for research, Grant wonders if the hatred is an old and ancient evil that has spanned lifetimes. How to Cure the Common Vampire—A vampire hunter (Richard Deacon) questions if killing a vampire is the right move.
Night Gallery—Unaired and Re-Edited Episodes:
“Die Now, Pay Later”
Die Now, Pay Later (Added to Syndication)
Walt Peckinpah (Will Geer) is an undertaker with a deal on funerals and everyone is dying to get in on it. Sheriff Ned Harlow (Slim Pickens) decides to investigate his friend and the mysterious deaths.
“Room for One Less”
Room for One Less (Added to Syndication)
An over-crowded elevator is about to get less crowded when a demon gets on.
“Witches’ Feast”
Witches’ Feast (Originally Part of Season 2 Episode 2 but Replaced by “Satisfaction Guaranteed”)
A coven of witches await the return of a member for their grand feast.
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