Bert (Claude Akins) and his wife Margo (June Lockhart) are a salt-of-the-earth, kind hearted couple, who lovingly take care of their bed-ridden Uncle George. A situation which benefits both parties, since Bert, thanks to a "bad ticker", as he puts it, is unable to work and the couple relying on Uncle George's monthly pension money to survive. But one day the inevitable happens and Uncle George blesses the temporal. Now Burt and Margo are pretty much out of options and decide to find a "new" Uncle George among the hobos downtown. Eventually the find a fitting replacement in the shape of Dixie (Dub Taylor), who is reluctant at first, but quickly wooed by the promise of a warm spot, being taken care of, having to play the role of Uncle George whenever the insurance-people pay a visit and – not least of all – as much daily whiskey as he can stomach. As promised, Dixie is bedded, has his legs rubbed in and is supplied with booze, while Margo explains to him how Uncle George came into the benefit of such an opulent pension: Uncle George had worked for the railway, until a train came by and amputated both his legs
Once again a gem in this short-lived and underrated anthology series, I dare say, one of the five best episodes. Other than similar shows, say, for example "Tales from the Crypts", "Dark Room" usually spared the shocks and creeps right for the end of each episode, and does so with "Uncle George". Again we have seasoned film- and TV-veterans, all of whom Have around 200+ roles under the belt and will be easily recognizable by anybody who watches movies. The show is stolen by Dub Taylor, who may have had his golden years as supporting actors in "Bonnie & Clyde" and countless Western movies behind him, but was still able to stand out in small roles like in "Back to the Future III". It's episodes like "Uncle George" that make you long for those days of anthology series, harmless but yet creepy, and often way more entertaining and witty than most stuff you see on TV nowadays. For fans, it deserves a straight 9/10
Review of Uncle George
A warm-hearted tale with a second of horror (which should essentially be enough for a good horror short-story)
26 September 2016
Warning: Spoilers