A Fear of Spiders/Junior/Marmalade Wine/The Academy (6 Oct. 1971)
"Night Gallery" A Fear of Spiders/Junior/Marmalade Wine/The Academy (original title)

Justus Walters needs help getting rid of a spider in his kitchen. A father wakes up to quench his son's thirst. Braggart Roger Blacker waits out a storm with a surgeon. Jeff Holston checks out a military academy for his wayward son.

Directors:

John Astin, Jeff Corey,

Writers:

Rod Serling (teleplay), Elizabeth M. Walter (short story "The Spider"),

Stars:

Patrick O'Neal, Kim Stanley, Wally Cox

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Patrick O'Neal	...	Justus Walters (segment "A Fear of Spiders")
Kim Stanley	...	Elizabeth Croft (segment "A Fear of Spiders")
Wally Cox	...	Father
Robert Morse	...	Roger Blacker
Rudy Vallee	...	Dr. Francis Deeking
Leif Erickson	...	Director (segment "The Academy")
Pat Boone	...	Holston (segment "The Academy")
Tom Pedi	...	Mr. Boucher (segment "A Fear of Spiders")
Barbara Flicker	...	Mother
Bill Svanoe	...	Junior
Larry Linville	...	Sloane (segment "The Academy")
Ed Call	...	Drill Instructor (segment "The Academy")
Stanley Waxman	...	Bradley (segment "The Academy")
Robert Gibbons	...	Gatekeeper Simmons (segment "The Academy")
E.A. Sirianni	...	George, Holston's Chauffeur (segment "The Academy")

Storyline

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/ A man is awoken during the night by the cries of his son, who wants a glass of water--but the son is somewhat different from other children/ A man who is lost in the woods is invited to the home of a quack doctor/ 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.

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Horror | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 October 1971 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal TV

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The original story on which "A Fear of Spiders" is based does not include the landlord character.

User Reviews

Great episode from a classic show.

I remember this show from when I was a child. At the time, all I remembered was being scared to death. :) As an adult, I'm more impressed with the great storytelling and artful direction. I once had arachnophobia and therefore this episode stuck out in my mind from childhood. But even when I saw it back then, I had an appreciation for the relationship dynamics between the female and male lead. And that's really the magic of Night Gallery - being able to scare you but still having a solid story to do it with. I wish that today's TV shows and movies would take a hint from Night Gallery. It's OK to have CGI (which wasn't available back when Night Gallery was done) but don't get so caught up in it that the story suffers (or is nonexistent). Thank goodness for hulu.com. Maybe some television executive will revive this series at some time in the future or at least learn from its craftsmanship. You can't beat a good story.