tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post8362820029733264642..comments2024-03-16T11:23:44.620-07:00Comments on A Thriller a Day...: Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper: Season 1 Episode 28John Scolerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830334036783163702noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-78012315479543675202022-04-20T21:36:08.864-07:002022-04-20T21:36:08.864-07:00I'm glad to look at the dates above and see th...I'm glad to look at the dates above and see that people are still adding to this. (I wish it would happen more often with the OUTER LIMITS section.)<br /><br />I can't help liking most of this one, especially the comical Captain Jago / Sir Guy relationship. And if I didn't like anything else, there would be the moment of Sir Guy practically shooting up from his chair when someone suggests looking in on Beverly Hills in her dressing room!<br /><br />There's one question I have, and I think I've already looked on IMDB. At about 30:00, the girl on the art critic's arm looks a lot like Judy Bamber of THE ATOMIC BRAIN and BUCKET OF BLOOD. Does anyone here know if it is?Granthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09603892208775996594noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-91581007462198302012022-03-21T22:45:26.104-07:002022-03-21T22:45:26.104-07:00This one still resonates with me. It's fairly ...This one still resonates with me. It's fairly modest on the surface, with an exceptional cast, and it keeps pace with the viewer and his expectations. Yours Truly is a Thriller that still thrills.john kenrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00710666533854296630noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-17137485148209166342021-12-26T02:39:00.001-08:002021-12-26T02:39:00.001-08:00John Williams was virtually the only standout with...John Williams was virtually the only standout with one telling statement about his quarry: "a vampire who fattens not on blood but on life itself." Karloff's introduction concludes on a particularly witty note: "it'd be a pity if a member of our audience became dismembered!"casydemarcohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16300173612917513839noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-76522790754534301792016-08-04T05:23:12.986-07:002016-08-04T05:23:12.986-07:00Wildly bizarre commentary on this episode, since ...Wildly bizarre commentary on this episode, since it's by far the best episode of the entire series.<br />One of the most effective aspects of the script is the sheer denial with which the police greet the prospect that the supernatural might be involved. This script prefigures the X FILES concept of the authorities covering up events outside their ability to comprehend because their tiny little minds just can't deal with the implications. <br />Let's face it: the idea of Jack the Ripper striding through the centuries by conducting occult rituals during the murder of his victims just freezes the lymph in your glands. The other brilliant touches, like the corpse of the murdered girl staring straight up at someone in the crowd of mourners when the coffin gets dropped, tease us with the identify of the real killer. Only at the very end do we realize just how horrific that dead girl's stare really was, and at whom it was directed.<br />One of the scariest parts of this episode remains the sense of unstoppability of the murderer. Despite being surrounded by police, even though the John Williams character has managed to decipher the occult runes that give the locations of the murders, the killer still gets away with it. That's ten kinds of terrifying right there.<br />Perhaps the most powerful element of this screenplay involves the sense that no one is what they seem. You get a real up close and personal demonstration of how radically a charming seemingly civilized person's inner life can differ from their bland exterior. That's perhaps the scariest part of this episode.<br />Without doubt, this episode is a masterpiece. Seen it half a dozen times and it scares the crap out of me each and every time. The sense of desperation in the John Williams character by the fourth act, when he realizes he's up against a centuries-old diabolically clever mass murderer armed with occult rejuvenation powers and superhuman ingenuity, is just brutal and generates a bone-deep horror much more powerful than any mere ghost of shock effect. Making the Jack the Ripper character an immortal embodiment of evil, and coming to the realization that evil can never be eliminated from the human heart, just hits you like a hammerblow by the end of this episode.<br />Various commenters whimpered and whined about the allegedly boring "talky" nature of this episode. News flash: that's how psychological horror works. Most likely, the horror buffs reviewing this series have been spoiled by the slasher flicks of the 70s through the 2000s. Those cruder and more exploitive films and TV shows leveraged cheap shock effects like Michael Ironside's exploding head and pea-soup vomit pressure-hosed out of Linda Blair's mouth to scare the audience with a cheap adrenaline jolt. Pyschological horror that builds up a sense of dread and creepiness culminating in a spine-tingling thrill of pure terror runs much deeper than the shock effects of animatoronic heads or pneumatic pulsating blood gushers from latex appliances glued to an actor's body. Fortunately, the era of cheesy slasher horror now seems to have come to an end with the recrudescence of psychological horror in excellent recent films like Oculus and The Witch. Episodes like YOURS TRULY, JACK THE RIPPER represent the original vein of pure psychological horror mined by these recent films -- a horror pure, deep, soul-infecting, and unspeakable in its culminant intensity.<br />Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10994509912655287453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-19527323347254655442015-04-03T02:49:50.511-07:002015-04-03T02:49:50.511-07:00Once again, I watched the Ripper and was entertai...Once again, I watched the Ripper and was entertained throughout. Even after several viewings now I'm impressed by the way the true identity of the Ripper is nicely concealed till the end. No "telegraphing" the ending in this Thriller.<br /><br />One thing that struck in my mind after the episode ended was the number of times Thrillers, including and maybe especially the best, rely in back stories, with a good deal of exposition along the way (i;e; a lot of info offered up along the way, whether folklore or true history), and these are key ingredients of the series as a while, the horror episodes especially.<br /><br />john kenrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00710666533854296630noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-64492743151398622062014-03-18T15:09:55.091-07:002014-03-18T15:09:55.091-07:00I'm surprised this isn't more highly regar...I'm surprised this isn't more highly regarded,but i can understand,it had the limitations of it's day,but when i originally saw this (during it's very short syndication run in the early 70's) it really creeped me out,granted that serial killers are almost run of the mill stock characters nowadays,it wasn't like that when i first saw it,and the "unknown" factor about Jack added a little hmmm to the plot...btw,the artist that won the competition,Adam Williams,played a serial killer in a overlooked gem called Without Warning,and his small part in this doubled the creep factor when i watched this episode for the first time in 30 years...it would still be in my top ten,just for the dispatch at the end...i'd give it a three,possibly four if they explained how the killer got to the Blond Party Girl even though they knew Jack would strike again...and am I mistaken,but wasn't this set in Chicago...not NYC?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06245695041187554132noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-27299076784126953272013-10-04T02:08:20.123-07:002013-10-04T02:08:20.123-07:00The ending was a shocker and even up repeat viewin...The ending was a shocker and even up repeat viewings it startles me every time. It's not the best Thriller but far from the worst. The atmosphere is meh but the story and some of the dialogue, the back story that Sir Guy offers, lend this one an air of genuine mystery. If this were an entry in any other mystery or crime anthology of its era I think it would have more fans, but it's a Thriller, and Thriller fans want more. Much more. I dig it, beatnicks and all. Adam Williams,--of all people!--is actually well cast and strangely credible as an artist, something anyone familiar with the actor's work would believe possiblejohn kenrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00710666533854296630noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-71679613505299186032013-06-28T18:02:27.944-07:002013-06-28T18:02:27.944-07:00A better fit-Time After Time - Jack the Ripper in ...A better fit-Time After Time - Jack the Ripper in 1979 San Francisco.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-3077900463560955552013-06-28T17:48:41.809-07:002013-06-28T17:48:41.809-07:00Whoops-Originally aired: 4/21/10? Anyway, the open...Whoops-Originally aired: 4/21/10? Anyway, the opening scenes were most atmospheric, and from there it went downhill. Agree about the remakes--how 'bout "The Presidio?" Sean Connery. I lived in the SF Bay area, Pacifica, from 1979-1983. Talk about the fog--eh, Moss Beach Distillery"-the Ghost story AKA prohibition - a missed Thriller script to say the least, my San Francisco friends.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-26917773112991405192012-12-15T03:31:35.269-08:002012-12-15T03:31:35.269-08:00I really liked this episode -- and for many of the...I really liked this episode -- and for many of the reasons others find it easy to criticize. By going against genre expectations, "Yours Truly..." is often funny and uniquely strange -- its sanitized surfaces frame alien-like Beatniks and an undercover prostitute. A coffin flies open with a glaring corpse who *does* stare right at the culprit. And yes, we see drone-like police officers making neither heads nor tails of a case they refuse to grasp, but their vague disinterest reflects what I imagine would be true of regular guys forced to hunt a supernatural prowler.<br /><br />The modern setting is distinctly antithetical to Jack the Ripper. After the brief “period” opening, we see no cobblestone streets, "Bobbies" or gaslight. No infamous killer in a black top hat carrying his trademark surgeon's bag. And, until the final minutes, no fog.<br /><br />Once we leave 1888 London -- and Karloff's jaunty introduction -- the only Britishness offered is from the always-watchable, elegantly-voiced John Williams. <br /><br />With suspects that include affected artistes and peripheral perverts, we are given TV’s answer to the “usual suspects”. The story cynically suggests that modernity does not give us much hindsight, and that society itself doesn't get any less unresolved. What better proof than that Jack the Ripper can just as easily run circles around us today as he did in the 1888?<br /><br />As for the procedural aspect to the show, I enjoy the clinical rhythm of the actors as they pretend to get closer to solving the case. As suggested in the commentary, the police are like a hive of "Dr, Richmans" from Psycho; they offer a sterile, technical perspective of ghastly, sexually uncomfortable butcherings but their familiarity with horror isn't reassuring. Unconscionable, inexplicable behavior doesn't become better understood, just familiar. <br /><br />By the end, we are left with two candidates, and our choices are cleanly delineated. We have John Williams's "Sir Guy" and Donald Woods's "Dr. Carmody" -- one, a British gentleman, and the other, a pleasantly bland psychiatrist. I like Woods's safe, Television-friendly persona; he personifies that rare adult who confidently projects just enough. Neither performer is vying to be the “star”, which serves the tension and the tale’s meaning well. <br />When Carmody does not seize an opportunity to kill the stripper, we are left with Sir Guy as the main suspect. Stepping outside together into the fog (which finally smokes up the mis-en-scene), we having everything stripped down to victim and the “man with the knife”. <br />When the victim falls out of frame, and then, Jack crouches out of frame with him, we are given the space to fill our minds with a cruel, slasher-style défoulement. Then, rising back into view on the picture tube, we have that gentleman who would never raise our suspicions. <br /><br />With television stereotypes, oddballs and stiffs, we see the seams of a ritualized tale, to be told with the same beats of an unholy passion play throughout time.<br /><br />3 1/2 KarloffsJonathan Woodsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-17205929362427411052012-07-22T07:15:33.865-07:002012-07-22T07:15:33.865-07:00I really liked this one because I wasn`t sure whet...I really liked this one because I wasn`t sure whether or not this was yet another crime drama or an actual supernatural episode. Kept me guessing to the end and the opening bit<br />with the song was really fun. Three yours trulys...JCRnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-60356366795982639642012-01-28T21:40:07.270-08:002012-01-28T21:40:07.270-08:00I remembered this episode very fondly from its ori...I remembered this episode very fondly from its original airing. Though there were some disappointments viewing it again (mainly, I couldn't believe the stupidity of the police; one office walks the party girl home and never thinks to check her room), I found the admittedly talky script very literate and often witty ("My daughter has hair like me." "Ah, a natural platinum blonde."). Sure, the artists' scenes are a bit much, but I enjoyed the echoes of the beatniks and artists in Roger Corman's films. I thought there were some interesting comments on femininity, particularly in the presentation of "Second Victim" (Pamela Curran). When she's caught in the police lights, she seems almost emaciated--hardly a glamorized depiction of the world's oldest profession.<br /><br />BTW, Hymie the prize-winning bad artist is played by Adam Williams, who played Valerian, the thug with the high-pitched laugh in "North by Northwest," so there's another Hitchcock connection if anybody's counting.Frank Millernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-80234619921535923902011-12-23T15:54:38.879-08:002011-12-23T15:54:38.879-08:00I hated this episode. Absolutely the worst moment...I hated this episode. Absolutely the worst moment (maybe of the series): John Williams<br />knows for a fact the ripper is going to kill someone that night, he befriends a very sympathetic young single mother and doesn't think to try to stop her when she decides to take a leisurly late night stroll to the hospital???? It boggles the mind.Cmacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-4266534719342963642011-12-17T22:17:24.412-08:002011-12-17T22:17:24.412-08:00This episode suffers from the "old men in sui...This episode suffers from the "old men in suits talking endlessly in wood-paneled rooms" syndrome that killed most of British science fiction films in the 50s. In spite of the lurid killings of about 3 beautiful women, it's 80% "slow and dull" content.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-87177794520522357802011-09-22T18:59:42.535-07:002011-09-22T18:59:42.535-07:00So this episode is the link to that annoying TV co...So this episode is the link to that annoying TV commercial. Odd, considering much TV I watched in the late 70s / early 80s, I don't remember it.<br /><br />From reading the above comments, I see that this story has made the rounds on various TV shows many a time. Lucky for me, I can only recall seeing this premise used maybe once of twice, so watching Yours Truly, Jack The Ripper was still a fresh experience. <br /><br />After the Sir Guy lays out his theory it's immediately on to a game of, "Which one is Jack?". After the one cop admits to his past life in an artist colony, I couldn't figure out if he was a red herring or Jack.<br /><br />With the exception of John Williams, the acting in this episode was bellow par for the Thriller series. Goofy cops, badly stereotyped artists and other assorted oddities fumbled and bumbled their way through the 50 minutes.<br /><br />The varied, but somewhat ordinary locations and set designs, kept things moving along. <br /><br />The always tricky bit of trying to portray a prostitute in a PG medium was dealt with by making her a party girl. The very attractive blond got a call for a late night party and she was excitedly getting ready, until she met the Ripper. <br /><br />When we see the painting of young widow with a touch of death thrown in, we know what's coming next. Thankfully, we are invited to a swinging beatnik art contest first. <br /><br />Jack has one more murder to go! Lucky viewers that we are, the murder is due to take place at a strip club. Was that Jack Ruby's club that they went to? I was very amused when Sir Guy expressed complete naivety towards these types of places and then was eager to take the plunge all in the name of justice. From the strip club scenes I must say that strip clubs sure have come a long way...so I'm told...I too laughed at the limp cigarette, which brought back memories of an old Married With Children episode with a cigar smoking Al in the hot tub. <br /><br />Finally, we're about to find out who the murder is. I admit to me thrown for a loop when our detective went to Mrs. Beverly Hills dressing room and did not murder her. I thought that Jack might be Sir Guy and then was fooled again when detective Jack revealed himself and stabbed Sir Guy. Not the way I thought things would end.<br /><br />Now hopefully soon, someone will follow through with Spinal Tap's idea of making a musical based upon the life of Jack the Ripper. You're a naughty one Saucy Jack...<br /><br />I'll give Jack Two and half Karloffs.Hynekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08641908347705520084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-29202570529718019952011-08-18T05:21:03.455-07:002011-08-18T05:21:03.455-07:00Of course this suffers for being 60 minutes, it sh...Of course this suffers for being 60 minutes, it should have been 20, but I do get a certain satisfaction seeing these pulp tales get adapted. As someone said above this story kind of created a genre in itself so it seems kind of old hat, but the basic premise is pretty cool.<br /><br />I do think this suffers from bad acting. Aside from John Williams some of the supporting acting, expecially the detectives and the women is pretty terrible. I also had trouble getting my mind around the eccentrics in the artist colony. They seem created of stereotypes that are too dated for me to get a grip on. Like was that goateed guy supposed to be the fifties (early sixties) subtext for gay?<br /><br />The sanitized murders, the fully clothed stripper, and the "gee-I-guess-that-is-supposed-to-be-a-prostitute-cause-they-look-like-normal-women" work against this, too. I'm not a fan of gore by any means, but these elements were just too PG for me and worked against the story's atmosphere.<br /><br />Still liked seeing the story adapted though. Two Karloffs out of four.Chris Kempnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-9422146632754680832011-05-06T08:58:02.735-07:002011-05-06T08:58:02.735-07:00I apparently liked YOURS TRULY, JACK THE RIPPER be...I apparently liked YOURS TRULY, JACK THE RIPPER better than most. It had everything from flying coffins to John Williams in a strip club (I bet he was a "stranger in paradise" there). Also, it have sufficent THRILLER atmosphere. <br /><br />While they could have scaled back the detective conversations, I wasn't bored. Certainly not as bored as the majority of episodes preceeding this one.<br /><br />Peter's observation about the John Williams cigarette position at the strip club is hilarious. The funny thing about when Williams and Woods exit the strip club to a smoke filled alley is they did so to get some fresh air. "Ahhhhh", one of them sighs as he breathes in a cloud of toxic smoke.<br /><br />"2 1/2 Karloffs"SoSo Cinemahttp://www.sosocinema.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-77764996495398918072011-04-17T20:27:27.910-07:002011-04-17T20:27:27.910-07:00I don't know it very well, but I have to agree...I don't know it very well, but I have to agree with Jack Seabrook.<br />One genuinely funny line that does stay with me comes from the police detective during the amateur detective's demonstration, but I won't give it away.Grantnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-71952876948646449462011-03-04T03:39:51.957-08:002011-03-04T03:39:51.957-08:00Not a favorite Thriller of mine, Yours Truly, Jack...Not a favorite Thriller of mine, Yours Truly, Jack the Ripper worked for me as a crime episode. It could have been better written. The actors saved it for me. No surprise with John Williams, amazement in the case of Donald Woods. He was better than I'd ever seen him, which admittedly isn't saying a lot. Still, every little bit helps. The ending caught me by surprise as the episode at last felt like a true Thriller.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-278394171183556782010-11-14T07:32:35.429-08:002010-11-14T07:32:35.429-08:00I can't believe I didn't think to do this ...I can't believe I didn't think to do this before, as what Thriller collection could now be considered complete without a full set of Music Masterpieces on LP, 8-track or cassette.<br /><br />Here's a <a href="http://shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=%28120%2C+150%29+music+masterpieces&_sacat=0&_odkw=120+musical+masterpieces&_osacat=0&_trksid=p3286.c0.m270.l1313" rel="nofollow">link</a> to the current search results on eBay so readers can get their own set today! And guess what, they're even more affordable today!John Scolerihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15830334036783163702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-30278537773795103452010-11-14T05:26:47.683-08:002010-11-14T05:26:47.683-08:00I thoroughly enjoyed this episode and was disappoi...I thoroughly enjoyed this episode and was disappointed by the commentary, which seemed like 45 minutes of saying how boring the show was! I could watch John Williams in just about anything, and the addition of London fog, beatniks, and a strip club make this episode most entertaining. I also love the John Williams commercial and wish I had those records!Jack Seabrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02216640325305820140noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-62712264720116222852010-10-17T20:33:40.639-07:002010-10-17T20:33:40.639-07:00I might add Bloch's story has been adapted onc...I might add Bloch's story has been adapted once again, this time by Joe R. Lansdale (and Joe L.) as a graphic novella for IDW. I liked the illustrations and my hunch (having never read the original story for shame) is that it's much closer to the source material than anything previously attempted. <br /><br />This episode was pretty dreadful, as it seemed they just couldn't...quite...show...a...goddamn pentagram on the floating invisible off-screen blackboard of murder.Peter Farrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08282435407442494330noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-59966719922904045922010-10-05T18:50:52.944-07:002010-10-05T18:50:52.944-07:00"I'm sure you recognize this lovely melod..."I'm sure you recognize this lovely melody..." if I hear that %$#@&^$% thing one more time I SWEAR I'll kick in the computer screen! (though I love the way that JW gently slaps the phono console before uttering his immortal opening line...).<br /><br />Seriously, Dave..don't worry; we all have those moments we'd love to revisit. But your contributions to this project and the genre in general will easily withstand the passing concerns of the user/critics that haunt Amazon (a pastime in which I occasionally indulge--but always using "I", not "we" when rendering my grandiloquent opinions).<br /><br />I knew Ottola from a couple of appearances on the "Andy Griffith Show", most notably the Season 3 episode "Rafe Hollister Sings." There's also some good info on Google Images--including a cool shot of her from a 1958 Life Magazine; apparently she was a TV Horror Host in L.A.<br /><br />I also have the massive 2-volume set of the Academy Player's Directory from 1964...the big reference book that consists of nothing but head shots of every actor/actress in town back then---well, every one whose agent submitted their photos. It's one of the main sources the studios used for casting---especially for all of those small roles; I use this book to ID many onscreen folk who appear nowhere else. I'm always happy to check it if the need arise (in fact, I think I sent you [DJS] pics of Sasha Harden/Bernard Kates for your OL "Nightmare" credits from this tome).<br /><br />We move on.<br /><br />LarryLarry Rapchaknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-59417413576430052352010-10-05T18:47:53.593-07:002010-10-05T18:47:53.593-07:00I think it's working!I think it's working!Peter Enfantinohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04317575598411394944noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-7568530306948482712010-10-05T18:45:53.162-07:002010-10-05T18:45:53.162-07:00John Williams commercial, please no more....I'...John Williams commercial, please no more....I'll tell you who killed Kennedy? let me rest, this is worse the "It was an itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka-dot bikini"...no more.....arhhhhh, over a cliffbobby J.noreply@blogger.com