We've arrived at the end of the second season of Night Gallery. Don't be sad - there are a few more episodes to go for season 3.
"The Caterpillar" is a classic story for this show, one that gets repeated often and even has entered into being an urban legend. Directed by Jeannot Szwarc and written by Rod Serling from the story by Oscar Cook - who actually served in its setting, Borneo - this is the story of British civil servant - and new man in Borneo - Stephen Macy (Laurence Harvey). He's moved into the home of Mr. Warwick (Tom Helmore) and his much younger wife Rhona (Joanna Pettet, The Evil) and as you can imagine, quickly makes a move on Mrs. Warwick. He hires Tommy Robinson (Don Knight) to place an earwig - a small bug that burrows into the brain and death is always the end of its work - on the pillow of Warwick.
Except that Macy's pillow is used. Somehow, the evil man survives and even confesses that he did what he did for love. Sadly, the worse is yet to come, as the earwig that went through his brain - giving "agonizing, driving, itching pain" - was female.
And she laid eggs.
Just a perfect Night Gallery story, directed and told by the two of the best talents on the show. No gore, just a spot of blood and plenty of acting gives this the kind of darkness that some turn away from.
"Little Girl Lost" was directed by Timothy Galfas (Black Fist) and written by Stanford Whitmore (The Dark) from a E. C. Tubb story. Professor Putman (William Windom) was once a brilliant military physicist but the death of his daughter Ginny after a hit and run accident has destroyed him. A psychologist, Dr. Charles Cottrell (Ivor Francis), wants an injured test pilot, Tom Burke (Ed Nelson), to bond with the man, help him think his daughter is still alive and keep him working on the weapon the government needs.
It works at least until they go out in public and someone sits where Putman's daughter is supposedly sitting. He then realizes what they want. "Bigger and better bombs at a fraction of the cost."
So he gives it to them. He really does.
This is one of the best Night Gallery episodes as it dispenses with the silliness and gives us dread and darkness. There are no black out gags here, just the end of the world for one man and, well, for everyone, all told in the moral play style that Serling pioneered for television.
"The Caterpillar" is a classic story for this show, one that gets repeated often and even has entered into being an urban legend. Directed by Jeannot Szwarc and written by Rod Serling from the story by Oscar Cook - who actually served in its setting, Borneo - this is the story of British civil servant - and new man in Borneo - Stephen Macy (Laurence Harvey). He's moved into the home of Mr. Warwick (Tom Helmore) and his much younger wife Rhona (Joanna Pettet, The Evil) and as you can imagine, quickly makes a move on Mrs. Warwick. He hires Tommy Robinson (Don Knight) to place an earwig - a small bug that burrows into the brain and death is always the end of its work - on the pillow of Warwick.
Except that Macy's pillow is used. Somehow, the evil man survives and even confesses that he did what he did for love. Sadly, the worse is yet to come, as the earwig that went through his brain - giving "agonizing, driving, itching pain" - was female.
And she laid eggs.
Just a perfect Night Gallery story, directed and told by the two of the best talents on the show. No gore, just a spot of blood and plenty of acting gives this the kind of darkness that some turn away from.
"Little Girl Lost" was directed by Timothy Galfas (Black Fist) and written by Stanford Whitmore (The Dark) from a E. C. Tubb story. Professor Putman (William Windom) was once a brilliant military physicist but the death of his daughter Ginny after a hit and run accident has destroyed him. A psychologist, Dr. Charles Cottrell (Ivor Francis), wants an injured test pilot, Tom Burke (Ed Nelson), to bond with the man, help him think his daughter is still alive and keep him working on the weapon the government needs.
It works at least until they go out in public and someone sits where Putman's daughter is supposedly sitting. He then realizes what they want. "Bigger and better bombs at a fraction of the cost."
So he gives it to them. He really does.
This is one of the best Night Gallery episodes as it dispenses with the silliness and gives us dread and darkness. There are no black out gags here, just the end of the world for one man and, well, for everyone, all told in the moral play style that Serling pioneered for television.