tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post3026151363694657509..comments2024-03-16T11:23:44.620-07:00Comments on A Thriller a Day...: Parasite Mansion: Season 1 Episode 30John Scolerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830334036783163702noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-60861646921416525002023-09-23T18:37:27.512-07:002023-09-23T18:37:27.512-07:00James B. Harris (who produced several Kubrick film...James B. Harris (who produced several Kubrick films) said this about Tim McIntire, in an interview in Film Comment: <br /><br />"[H]e’s the illegitimate son of Orson Welles! Look it up in Wikipedia, you’ll see. I mean, I don’t know if you can verify it, but everybody says it, and the proof is in the pudding. His voice is exactly like Welles, his nose is exactly like Welles, he’s subject to the overweight thing, just like Welles. Welles made a picture with his mother, I forget her name—Jeannette Nolan. But so everything leads to his being Welles’ illegitimate son. And… he is. I spent so much time with him and I felt like I was talking to Orson Welles most of the time."<br /><br />As for James B. Harris, Michelle Phillips (of the Mamas and the Papas) said that Harris had an affair with 14-year-old Sue Lyon during the filming of LOLITA. <br /><br />All this fooling around--and I'm sitting at home watching old "Thriller" episodes.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-55877678328963471612017-11-02T11:25:53.562-07:002017-11-02T11:25:53.562-07:00For years I thought the OUTER LIMITS episode THE G...For years I thought the OUTER LIMITS episode THE GUESTS was titled PARASITE MANSION. And couldn't remember WHAT this THRILLER was called, though I sure remembered the episode!JBLhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06120358953477246942noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-49828504023258421262015-08-11T01:09:42.711-07:002015-08-11T01:09:42.711-07:00The ending was more shocking when the episode was ...The ending was more shocking when the episode was new, as one seldom saw people on fire on prime time back then, let alone elderly women, with this one hightailin' down those stars and out into the swamp pretty darn quick for an old lady in her seventies. <br /><br />In its day Parasite Mansion was cutting edge. It plays less well now but not by that much. The writing could have been better, though Pippa's character gets the best lines. I wish James Griffith's Victor had been more consistent in his development as a character, as he was as close to a hero as there was in the episode, and I was really hoping he'd hit it off with Pippa later on.<br />. john kenrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00710666533854296630noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-42927078246658153062014-05-15T15:55:45.325-07:002014-05-15T15:55:45.325-07:00Uncontrolled pyrotechnics, she set herself on fire...Uncontrolled pyrotechnics, she set herself on fire by mistake me thinks.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-43232037060660315362013-12-23T08:51:33.865-08:002013-12-23T08:51:33.865-08:00I fell asleep last night and missed how the old la...I fell asleep last night and missed how the old lady died! Please help! Thanks!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-78247962915563156762013-07-09T03:13:02.724-07:002013-07-09T03:13:02.724-07:00That's an interesting observation about there ...That's an interesting observation about there being no Lovecraft adaptations on Thriller. My first response was "maybe he was too obscure a figure to be adapted for a 1960-62 TV series", but then I think of the many relatively unknown (except to pulp fans) authors whose works for adapted for Thriller, including Mary Elizabeth Counselman. How famous was August Derleth back then? They adapted stories from many obscure writers. It must have been something else with Lovecraft.<br /><br />There are so many Lovecraft tales that would have made excellent Thrillers. One, Cool Air, was done on Night Gallery. A Lovecraft "threesome",--three stories in one hour--might have worked. Lovecraft's unique, offbeat, non-, almost anti-modern prose probably didn't help matters, as in "how the hell do we find a visual correlation (?) or connection/channeling, whatever, for Lovecraft's literary style. Maybe they just passed.<br /><br />Parasite Mansion worked for me this past Sunday. Jeanette Nolan's presence was stronger than I'd remembered, James Griffith's, sadly, weaker,--no fault of the actor, his character simply wasn't particularly well developed---while Beverly Washburn was outstanding, Pippa Scott a worthy opponent for Granny. When given first rate material director Herschel Daughtery showed once again that he could rise to the occasion with the best of them.john kenrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00710666533854296630noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-91900103343740411622013-07-08T07:15:51.511-07:002013-07-08T07:15:51.511-07:00Didn't anyone else find it interesting that Co...Didn't anyone else find it interesting that Counselman's story appeared in the same edition of WT as did Lovecraft's Shadow over Innsmouth? And is it also not interesting that, to my knowledge, Boris Karloff never used any of HPLs stories for source material in THRILLER?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16348299084061034915noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-59990101432868384482012-07-24T17:02:34.253-07:002012-07-24T17:02:34.253-07:00After some rough early innings, great to see Thril...After some rough early innings, great to see Thriller finally hitting the ball out of the park with shows like Pidgeons and Parasite...<br />Thanks again, guys, for all the background info which really adds to my enjoyment of watching these for the first time.<br />Agree with our hosts -three Karloffs.JCRnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-52790092672417943922012-07-19T04:35:22.674-07:002012-07-19T04:35:22.674-07:00I went to middle school with Tim and he played Mac...I went to middle school with Tim and he played Macbeth in the school play. He did a remarkable performance channeling Wells to a degree that many people in the audience thought the teacher was the actor. Tim was 12 years old at the time.<br /><br />But as Tim reached middle age just before his tragic death, he finally started to look like John Mcintire.<br /><br />Maybe this will never be known. Every one who could have known is gone.<br /><br />I asked my ex boyfriend who was Tim's lifelong best buddy and he had never heard about this controversy.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-49057246519319057252012-07-16T16:31:34.323-07:002012-07-16T16:31:34.323-07:00I wholeheartedly agree, R. washington. Parasite Ma...I wholeheartedly agree, R. washington. Parasite Mansion is a favorite Thriller of mine. Jeanette rules but Jim Griffith isn't too far behind.john kenrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00710666533854296630noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-62829687350369586372012-05-09T05:28:07.956-07:002012-05-09T05:28:07.956-07:00R. Washington; Illinois I really enjoyed this ep...R. Washington; Illinois I really enjoyed this episode more than all than the other's! Parasite mansion was a masterpiece in gothic-horror, particularly, for the time period in consideration.Jeanette Nolan was absolutely enthrawling in her portrayal of a wicked ol' witch, by the way, shes' "ALWAY'S" great in her performances!! Therefore, give them a break, in your cinematic critisism, just except the storyline as given, and the performances as provided, especially, for the period in question. Boris, Jeanette, Pippa, Jimmy and Tommy, job well done!!!Robert Washingtonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-39724483432215314182012-03-07T19:07:47.228-08:002012-03-07T19:07:47.228-08:00hey Boris, I love you man, but please lighten up...hey Boris, I love you man, but please lighten up about the South - we here below the mason-dixon line resemble that remark, as norm crosby would say. At least we can pronounce Ms. "Noland" 's name correctly....<br /><br /> and I never was quite sure that she died - how did we know that , because the music stopped ? and how did the family know that ? why did they quit going after her while she was on fire ? why couldn't two grown men keep up with this tiny, elderly woman ?<br /><br /> why did Lollie's stigmata present itself at the dinner table ? granny had not done any tricks up to that point , which we were led to believe caused the psychosomatic bleedings ....<br /><br /><br /> ah , sometimes the Thriller mysteries seem to be just holes in the plot... but I love it anyway...lostcausenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-15342340253346125982012-02-25T04:13:08.220-08:002012-02-25T04:13:08.220-08:00Yes, I can see the resemblance between Parasite Ma...Yes, I can see the resemblance between Parasite Mansion and The Guests. Some similarities:<br /><br />both visitors-outsiders (Scott, Horne) arrive at or near the old house by car.<br /><br />There's a "difficult" older woman with an abusive streak in each (Nolan, Burt) who torments a man she's strongly tied to (Griffith, Vaughn Taylor).<br /><br />Literally otherworldly and/or supernatural undertones, more elaborately worked out in the more didactic Outer Limits episode. <br /><br />A young woman seemingly incapable of leaving and living a full life.<br /><br />Many differences between these two eps, too, of course, with the OL by no means a remake or even reworking of the Thriller. Many similarities,though. I like both about equally, with Parasite spookier by far, The Guests more thought provoking.2Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-87784247753075131992012-02-04T21:52:40.735-08:002012-02-04T21:52:40.735-08:00Even with the weak ending, this was a lot of fun. ...Even with the weak ending, this was a lot of fun. I was grinning ear to ear during all of Jeanette Nolan's scenes. She's a very inconsistent actress. She was one of the worst Lady Macbeth's I've ever seen in Orson Welles's screen version (he wanted Agnes Moorehead, but couldn't get her from MGM, which held her contract at the time) and is pretty unspeakable in "The Big Heat." For the most part, it seems she never met a piece of scenery she didn't want for dinner. But in this case, she's appropriately over the top, so it was great to join in the fun.<br /><br />For me, I would have preferred an ending with more of a twist, either by having her spirit come back or by revealing Pippa Scott revealed to be evil. Then again, Ms. Scott was so bad, I was hoping they'd pull a Psycho and kill her off early.Frank Millernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-40234971958297589102011-12-21T17:00:31.151-08:002011-12-21T17:00:31.151-08:00This is one of the top 3 or 4 Thrillers-very spook...This is one of the top 3 or 4 Thrillers-very spooky and disturbing. I prefer Jeanette Nolan in this- I can't get past the fact that her putty nose always seems to be falling off in La Strega (and yet that episode has commentary highlighting the makeup of the series). Also, Beverly Washburn gave by far the most enlightening commentary of any by actors or directors, she was very charming. 4 Karloffs out of 4.Cmannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-45320126133368936192011-09-28T20:53:51.164-07:002011-09-28T20:53:51.164-07:00Hynek-
If you liked Jeanette Nolan in "Paras...Hynek-<br /><br />If you liked Jeanette Nolan in "Parasite Mansion," all i can say is hold on to your hat when you get to "La Strega"!Peter Enfantinohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04317575598411394944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-2583841485426594512011-09-28T19:54:45.938-07:002011-09-28T19:54:45.938-07:00Every since I was a wee little tyke I loved old da...Every since I was a wee little tyke I loved old dark house themed entertainment. Parasite Mansion was another fine entry in this genre. <br /><br />As most others have commented, Jeanette Nolan was absolutely phenomenal in this episode. I am not familiar with any other of Mrs. Nolan's work to compare to, but she stole all of the scene's with such in a bats in my belfry crazed manner that was came off as completely natural. The tension between Jeanette and Pippa Scott evoked that of Eva Moore and Gloria Stuart in James Whale's version of the Old Dark House. <br /><br />The Parasite mansion stage sets along with the set lighting and camera work were near perfect in bringing a decrepit southern mansion to life. <br /><br />In his opening dialog, Boris mentioned that one of the characters would be killed off and that had me wondering early on who the unlucky person would be. Obviously, it wasn't going to be our unlucky heroine. Which one of the tragic residents of Parasite Mansion would it be? It was hard to tell during the first half of the proceedings, but than the true source of the family division was made more clear and you know our Thriller babe of the week would be meeting her end before those final white lines would mark themselves across the screen. <br /><br />It was funny to hear Marcia explain all the wonders of modern psychology as if this episode was partly underwritten as some sort of infomercial. <br /><br />I had mixed feelings about James Griffith's performance. Early on, he struck a nice, drunk and twisted cajun presence, then he seemed to dither into an educated and misdirected persona, which I found unconvincing. <br /><br />Despite his lack of air time, I enjoyed another appearance from Tommy Nolan, as a young Lee Harvey Oswald type. <br /><br />The supernatural events were effectively kept vague during the first half, which kept things interesting, but as with other Thriller episodes, these things were explained with a cop out ending. <br /><br />All in all, Parasite Mansion was good, spooky fun. A three Karloff rating for this hotel!Hynekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08641908347705520084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-40567428770667268142011-08-22T10:18:36.191-07:002011-08-22T10:18:36.191-07:00It was okay. Better than most. I thought it would ...It was okay. Better than most. I thought it would have been better at 3/4 of its length. When the girl kept getting clunked on the head by the cup it was kind of comical. I guess my biggest beef is that I didn't buy that the woman was powerful enough to keep three generations as prisoner. I found the boy's behavior kind of random, too. I think I am getting to the point where I can say that Thriller is not quite as good as I thought it would be. I mean, we are more or less hitting a hot streak now and it's still pretty hokey. Although it is kind of cool seeing these pulp writers' works coming to life, and this week was another example with Mary Elizabeth Counselman. Three Karloffs--who I wished wouldn't have tipped off that one person would die in his intro.Chris Kempnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-77727692321935990172011-05-08T08:12:39.638-07:002011-05-08T08:12:39.638-07:00One of the creepier episodes of the series. Jeane...One of the creepier episodes of the series. Jeanette Nolan's performance is a standout. The ending was a bit anti-climatic as were the levitation scenes. The scenes with Nolan and James Griffith are priceless. <br /><br />"3 Karloffs". This could have been a 4 Karloff if it had a bigger payoff. Still a great atmospheric episode.SoSo Cinemahttp://www.sosocinema.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-2139763926847764492010-12-07T17:52:48.833-08:002010-12-07T17:52:48.833-08:00So far, this is the best "Thriller" epis...So far, this is the best "Thriller" episode I've seen. If they had all been as good as this in the first season, "Thriller" would be up there with "Twilight Zone" and "Outer Limits". I want some of those spider webs for Halloween!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-41304600151819751962010-11-17T10:05:06.003-08:002010-11-17T10:05:06.003-08:00This episode was a lot of fun and the commentary i...This episode was a lot of fun and the commentary is more interesting than I expected. This is really what a Thriller should be. Tommy Nolan was even bearable.Jack Seabrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02216640325305820140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-89918078648375813342010-10-06T21:09:58.105-07:002010-10-06T21:09:58.105-07:00For Larry B:
I DID see an OUTER LIMITS about a pa...For Larry B:<br /><br />I DID see an OUTER LIMITS about a parasitical mansion.<br /><br />It was called "The Guests."<br /><br />Written by none other than THRILLER's own Donald Sanford.DJSnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-36407352022838034742010-10-06T13:47:36.922-07:002010-10-06T13:47:36.922-07:00Peter--
I hate to nitpick, but the cacti weren'...Peter--<br />I hate to nitpick, but the cacti weren't grown for the show, they were were handblown glass props for another NBC western BONANZA, by respected cacti wrangler Tevlin Marber Joyce.<br /><br />Okay, I made that up. Sad thing is I wasn't really familiar with THE VIRGINIAN until the Westerns Channel started running it daily. Now I am. Including an AWFUL episode written and directed by Sam Fuller (!).<br /><br />Larry R: Yes! Have that DRAGNET on dollar DVD. Good call.Larry Blamirenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-79892202607802903082010-10-06T13:16:28.005-07:002010-10-06T13:16:28.005-07:00Here I've been questioning the time I spend in...Here I've been questioning the time I spend in my life watching Thriller episodes. Larry B. can tell you who grew the cacti in The Virginian and Larry R. can tell you who played the baby Jesus that got arrested on Dragnet. I'm feeling pretty good about myself right now :>Peter Enfantinohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04317575598411394944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-18574290431721002902010-10-06T13:03:46.964-07:002010-10-06T13:03:46.964-07:00Larry--
James Griffith has a suporting role in th...Larry--<br /><br />James Griffith has a suporting role in the 1953 DRAGNET episode "The Big Baby Jesus" that's included in a couple of those cheap-o <br />"Christmas Treasures from the Past" TV collections. He's really good in it, very touching..almost pathetic. Worth searching for (though the rest of the episode is pretty silly).<br /><br />LRLarry Rapchaknoreply@blogger.com