tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post2705078203061583854..comments2024-03-16T11:23:44.620-07:00Comments on A Thriller a Day...: The Hungry Glass: Season 1 Episode 16John Scolerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830334036783163702noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-91914638483555160702018-04-23T07:16:11.601-07:002018-04-23T07:16:11.601-07:00Trust me Gary and Dan, you are not the only ones t...Trust me Gary and Dan, you are not the only ones to be bothered by the wretched audio mastering for this episode. It is so bad that I stopped watching after about five minutes. I went to YouTube and Dailymotion in an attempt to find a better version birthday they are from the same bad transfer. I cannot tolerate this transfer and will keep looking for an alternative version to watch.<br /><br />I am shocked that more people have not noticed this problem, or if they did have failed to mention it.Brian Greenhalghnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-26526817416226706662016-11-17T11:33:57.422-08:002016-11-17T11:33:57.422-08:00I saw this first run when I was a kid. I was abou...I saw this first run when I was a kid. I was about six and it gave me nightmares for weeks. The image of the ghost trying to pull someone through a mirror terrified me. Up to that point I didn't imagine ghosts could KILL and of course I fully believed in them. <br /><br />Over the years I never forgot this episode and had no idea what show it was from. I found out a few years ago and found the short story and read it. It no longer gives me nightmares, but the real Donna Douglas looked a little scarier as an old lady as depicted here.Scott Santorohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11121728877352851032noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-23480056235955550642015-11-14T12:38:04.755-08:002015-11-14T12:38:04.755-08:00What I find most fascinating about this excellent ...What I find most fascinating about this excellent episode is the chance to watch both Shatner ande Johnson give dramatic performances in their pre-famous days of Trek and Island. As a huge fan of the horror genre in all its forms I'd give this episode 3 1/2 Karloffs. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14017980743895720048noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-19556558969147211402015-09-03T17:10:21.882-07:002015-09-03T17:10:21.882-07:00A late reply, but ... I agree completely with Dan...A late reply, but ... I agree completely with Dan's comment. This is the only old television show set where I have to ride the volume control all the way through, cranking it up into the 70's or 80's for the dialogue, and than quickly having to turn it down into the 20's when the dramatic music suddenly blasts out. It is really irritating.<br /><br />I think Dan has hit it: They just stuck the music/effects track onto the dialogue track with no effort to meld them as it would have been in the original print. I am especially disappointed because Image usually seems to take a lot of care with such things.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-4001495149556228772015-03-19T13:34:51.713-07:002015-03-19T13:34:51.713-07:00I thoroughly agree with everything you saidI thoroughly agree with everything you saidBill Brayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01339085169758850323noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-19599358497794065782015-01-13T16:38:40.669-08:002015-01-13T16:38:40.669-08:00Shatner is, in fact, an excellent actor. I do unde...Shatner is, in fact, an excellent actor. I do understand, however, the pressure to conform to the fashionable opinions of the cognoscenti. Alphonsus Jr.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07979620591831858572noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-103294220117428792015-01-13T16:33:58.168-08:002015-01-13T16:33:58.168-08:00Don't let such criticisms of Shatner trouble y...Don't let such criticisms of Shatner trouble you, as such criticisms are quite fashionable. You're quite right in calling Shatner an excellent actor, however unfashionable this assessment is. Alphonsus Jr.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07979620591831858572noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-48327965347447032302014-07-01T14:54:21.628-07:002014-07-01T14:54:21.628-07:00Yeah, those references are tame compared to this e...Yeah, those references are tame compared to this episode--but this episode has good atmosphere and Shat--could you ask for anything more?<br /><br />Recall that in "Play Misty for Me," the mucho, macho, man--Clint Eastwood cold cocked a very unpleasant female stalker out of his residence in the Big Sur Cliffs--splatt. A nasty film, but vintage Eastwood to include references to radio FM KRLM, Carmel. Pete Ruggalo, the former music man for Thriller--he was a jazz journeyman who just cranked out scores for god knows how many series and commercials.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-33535549452466738892014-05-09T15:21:52.835-07:002014-05-09T15:21:52.835-07:00ME TV repeats this one tonight. To keep this dial...ME TV repeats this one tonight. To keep this dialogue thread alive, well, and boisterous.<br /><br />Anybody remember the original movie, the Ghost and Ms Muir? Not the TV series with Blythe Danner.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17039193262140929110noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-14931304126554584362014-02-22T00:19:52.182-08:002014-02-22T00:19:52.182-08:00Another Russell Johnson line of note: "Beware...Another Russell Johnson line of note: "Beware of geeks bearing bubbles!"<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-26939827044527052542013-07-19T15:07:51.198-07:002013-07-19T15:07:51.198-07:00Well, I added my two cents to this episode with my...Well, I added my two cents to this episode with my latest post of the Thriller series at WitD. I made pointed references to what Peter, John and Larry have opined on this thread.<br /><br />http://wondersinthedark.wordpress.com/2013/07/19/anthology-heaven-thrillers-the-hungry-glass/<br /><br />As always this site is invaluable for all kinds of reasons.Sam Julianonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-12003413501427210322013-07-10T04:37:29.226-07:002013-07-10T04:37:29.226-07:00This assessment is way too harsh and a disservice ...This assessment is way too harsh and a disservice to show and to the fans who have waited so long for the release.Sam Julianonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-4937061457384668142013-06-01T16:45:48.423-07:002013-06-01T16:45:48.423-07:00Good grief--it was the early version of our Capt K...Good grief--it was the early version of our Capt Kirk. Great atmosphere, fine musical score, fairly good plot development. But, no real scary thriller chiller. The scene where Shatner falls to the ocean-how about the final scene in Eastwood flix, play Misty For Me!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-81148962678404213582013-05-15T11:56:16.284-07:002013-05-15T11:56:16.284-07:00This episode is actually an adaptation of a short ...This episode is actually an adaptation of a short story called The Hungry House, also written by Bloch. I read the story long before I knew of the show, and IMHO it's a relatively obscure gem of the haunted house genre. The story never actually describes the ghost in detail, and the ending is different than the show (with lots of implied gore.) I was curious how these gruesome details would be depicted on television and was disappointed the ending was changed to make it less gory. On the upside, the rest of the story is relatively intact except for the realtor and his wife having a slightly expanded role on film. <br /><br />One of the key things the show changed that I think muted the feeling of dread was in the story the couple who bought the house did not know it was haunted. The realtor friend knew it had a bad history, but didn't tell them ahead of time. So we get to join the couple as things get weirder and weirder before the story reveals the house really is out to get them.<br /><br />If you enjoyed the episode but take issue with the casting or pacing, I'd recommend looking for the story. It leaves more to the reader's imagination, and what the reader imagines is always much worse than what they see. You can find it in various horror and Bloch anthologies.kobun37noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-77527780980697844262013-04-29T02:35:27.319-07:002013-04-29T02:35:27.319-07:00Your saying, "...the guy in the toupee who oc...Your saying, "...the guy in the toupee who occasionally had to wear a girdle..." is so needlessly nasty beyond belief and irrelevant, that you belie your own lameness.<br />Shatner is an excellent actor.<br /><br />I greatly admire The Outer Limits Companion which I believe you co-wrote, but I will no longer value any of your TV criticisms.Steven Ernesthttp://www.stevenernest.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-32233289205963261722013-04-29T01:20:56.606-07:002013-04-29T01:20:56.606-07:00I watched The Hungry Glass again tonight and enjoy...I watched The Hungry Glass again tonight and enjoyed it, found it maybe over-written in some ways, not well enough written in others. For some reason the characters aren't drawn sympathetically. Is this the fault of the actors, the director, the writer, the dialogue coach? I can't say, but having seen The Cheaters last week the difference between these two early horror Thrillers is striking inasmuch as for some reason (and maybe this is just me) I felt something for the principle characters in each "installment" of The Cheaters,, from Paul Newlan's clueless junkman to Millie Dunnock's sly, valetudinarian, Jack Weston's chubby social climbing nephew, Harry Townes as the failed writer who somehow seems to possess a first rate mind in spite of his non-starting "career", and even his wife came of well. In stark contrast, I really didn't care a rat's behind who lived or who died in The Hungry Glass. It was a good story but so plot-driven as to siphon off that essential ingredient for any good tale to work, horror or otherwise: human interest, empathy, one's ability to identify with the characters. I just couldn't. Still, it was a handsome show none the less.john kenrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00710666533854296630noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-16231216806556943312013-01-23T09:26:07.730-08:002013-01-23T09:26:07.730-08:00I'm scratching my head on this one....thought ...I'm scratching my head on this one....thought it was a very well composed and atmospheric ghost story...certainly worthy of it's placement as one of the top ten fan favorites on DVD.Shatner's Grim Reapernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-91659824841749998452012-11-23T02:59:59.738-08:002012-11-23T02:59:59.738-08:00For me The Hungry Glass is an above average but no...For me The Hungry Glass is an above average but not superior Thriller. It should be among the best of the series but a few things drag it down for me:<br /><br />1.) The casting of the too bland duo of Shatner and Johnson as the male leads, fine for a Loretta Young episode or an entry in The Millionaire series but wrong for Thriller.<br /><br />2.) The absence of at least one strong supporting player to bolster the episode,--a Homolka, a Townes, a John Williams, Leo G. Carroll, Jeanette Nolan, Sidney Blackmer--someone, anyone, to give it a touch of class. We have to settle for the briefly seen near death Clem Bevans, the hauntingly hideous Ottolo Nesmith. This is all for the good but isn't enough to save the episode.<br /><br />3.) A certain predictability in the storyline. Once I got the gist of the story I pretty much knew how it was likely to end. Not exactly, but it wasn't a shock to me. The top episodes are better than Thrillers; they're shockers. This one wasn't. <br /><br />As to the good: as others have noted, the production values, as good as any I've seen in the series; the opening sequence of Donna Douglas dancing, turning into Ottola Nesmith when she answers the door, which got from me a bigger startle reaction than anything that followed. Awesome, with perfect photography, razor sharp editing. The mirrors were nice to look at and well presented and for the most part creatively used throughout the episode. I do like The Hungry Glass but once the story kicked into high gear it triggered a kind of been there, done that depressiveness in me soon after, and it never really lifted. john kenrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00710666533854296630noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-53668711777597056202012-04-19T17:38:54.999-07:002012-04-19T17:38:54.999-07:00Some judicious cutting to remove about 10 minutes ...Some judicious cutting to remove about 10 minutes of the incessant dialogue would have improved this episode significantly. Nonetheless, Heyes and his DP realize some wonderful images, the opening visual pun revealing the old woman is brilliant, and the visualization of the spirits (almost unerringly a disappointment in film/TV ghost stories) is among the best in ANY medium, IMO. The combination of negative photography and optical haze is simply inspired.<br /><br />On the down side, Image owes us a replacement disk for the appalling phasing in their mastering of the M&E track. Releasing this as is was almost as brain dead as the choice of images in the menus. (On a par with Universal's DVDs of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" in which the menu synopses virtually give away the entire story.)<br /><br />But then it should be no surprise that marketing executives--who apparently made these choices--are morons on the whole.Bob Lindstromhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02074903551228708722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-34923774808862721982012-03-18T20:42:08.878-07:002012-03-18T20:42:08.878-07:00PE: has it all wrong. O.K. I remember some of the...PE: has it all wrong. O.K. I remember some of the Star Trek TOS eps (which is a series I love) where Shatner is on all fours 'whinying' like a horse with a midget on his back or his performance in the Legendary 'White Comanche' (altho that's kind of a guilty pleasure also) but most of my favorite Shatner is black and white 60's performances. He's an original guy back then (and I don't care for his new schtick particularly) and is great in all of these old Thriller/Twilight Zone shows! It's nice to see him young, in shape, without a wig, and.. talking.. like.. he.. does.. Spock.. I guess it's a matter of taste but I'm a vintage Shatner fan. This was a great episode of Thriller plus Donna Douglas was beautiful and The Professor was great also.AmazingCriswellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14572862672881427485noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-75687955961240447572012-02-10T15:35:59.424-08:002012-02-10T15:35:59.424-08:00#2 out of 67 for me its so great, 4 out of 4. I&#...#2 out of 67 for me its so great, 4 out of 4. I'll even give them a pass on the sound effects- maybe the ghosts took Shatner before he even hit the ground.Cmacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-23415458633971528692012-01-17T12:51:31.801-08:002012-01-17T12:51:31.801-08:00I am in agreement with Gary here: Image has done a...I am in agreement with Gary here: Image has done a terrible job overall with this much-anticipated dvd release. The main culprit seems to be their mishandling of the Music and Effects isolated tracks. In HUNGRY GLASS the effects are completely distorted, making watching this an ordeal. Secondly, on other M&E isolated tracks on other episodes these tracks are so loud that they swamp the dialog, and they are not modulated up and down as would normally be the case in a proper sound mix. <br /><br />Apparently Image got ahold of these tracks, and the separate dialog tracks and just joined them together without a thought to the sound mix. The result is a complete mess and the viewer has to keep pumping up the sound to hear the dialog then turning it back down when the next music cue starts. Idiotic. All they had to do was to have the M&E tracks separate, and then for the show itself merely use the properly-mixed track that the show was provided with.<br /><br />It is just mind-boggling to me that there is such a colossal ignorance out there in dvd manufacturing land. Does anyone there even attempt quality control?<br /><br />Another incredibly stupid thing Image did on this set was to use on their menu screen photos of the surprise endings of these shows, thereby ruining the shock. It would be like them giving the name of the murderer away before the mystery even begins. How does one explain such stupidity?<br /><br />I spent a fortune for this set and am thoroughly disgusted. If - and that's a big "if" - Image decides to "re-master" this disc and correct all these egregious errors I MIGHT be compelled to purchase it again. But I will never recommend this set to any THRILLER fan, not at least without first warning them of all the dumb mistakes Image made.Dannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-77483113903505709432012-01-07T22:03:47.010-08:002012-01-07T22:03:47.010-08:00This is one of the episodes I've remembered mo...This is one of the episodes I've remembered most fondly over the years, and I was pleased with the elements that had held up. As many of you have said, the atmosphere was terrific and there are places where it's genuinely scary. I also was intrigued by the script, which kept connecting the wife's jokes about her own vanity with the vanity of the Ellie May ghost. I was also pleased to read here that this was a Pete Ruggolo score. I was really getting tired of the marimba-percussion-brass combos he seemed to use all the time, so realizing he did this lovely, moody music made me think better of him.<br /><br />The acting, however, is very strange. I agree with David Schow's comment on the almost feminine nature of Shatner's histeria. He seems to be auditioning to play Blanche DuBois, only without the accent. But with the exception of Russell Johnson, the principals all seemed to be overdoing their line readings. I know Shatner and Elizabeth Allen started out doing more stage work, and at times they seemed to be projecting to the back row of the balcony. And Joanne Heyes just seemed to shout half her lines for no reason.<br /><br />Yet, some of that (particularly the two women) works in a sense. There seems to be a level of hysteria from the start that almost primes them for the horror to come. So, I'll still remember this one fondly and still get the shivers remembering the wife's death.Frank Millernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-42591894453160214492011-11-21T19:35:04.384-08:002011-11-21T19:35:04.384-08:00Well here I get to play Johnny-come-lately. I stu...Well here I get to play Johnny-come-lately. I stumbled upon a late night local TV channel playing a Thriller episode (no, unfortunately it wasn't "The Hungry Glass"). Afterward it got me thinking about the only time I viewed this episode when I was all of 8 years old. It was, like for many here, the only epi I remembered - with a vengence! So I google "The Hungry Glass" and what do I find? A wonderful dialog among all those who thought highly of it (and a few who didn't). Along with their varied opinions. Way cool!<br /><br />I think pretty much everything has been offered up for discussion regarding this superb horror tale, with one possible exception (MINE of course). First I have to rate this from distant memory, since the only time I saw this show was 52 years ago. I cannot say if I would feel the same way about it now (as an aged adult), but I'll assume for argument's sake that not much would have changed for me. I rate this 3 1/2 to 4 Borii (that's the plural form of Boris) for primarily one reason alone. It is not that important to me whether the actors gave Oscar winning performances or the score was not digital surround-sound. The single important factor for this guy is 'Did it deliver the goods in terms that were spelled out in it's premise as a horror film?' The answer is a resounding YES! The greatest acting this side of Broadway would have no meaning if the film did not scare the crap out of me (which it most definitely DID). On this merit alone I unhesitatingly give the high marks that I did. The psychological payoff as a truly scary program delivered on its promise. I was alone in the house during and after the showing of this epi and I refused to move from the sofa (to get to my room required my passing a gigantic mirror in the bathroom to which my mother ALWAYS left the door wide open). I truly wish movie makers could capture some of the mojo that they possessed way back in the day. This was truly a THRILLER!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-88146899024017878332011-08-16T18:20:49.572-07:002011-08-16T18:20:49.572-07:00Captain Kirk and the Professor in the same episode...Captain Kirk and the Professor in the same episode. How can you wrong?<br /><br />I really enjoyed watching The Hungry Glass. A great ghost story filmed with a nice and creepy atmosphere most certainly fits my definition of a Thriller. <br /><br />After watching this, I thought that the reviews would be uniformly positive and that no one would rate it less than 3 Boris heads. I've never been that big of a Star Trek fan, so the whole Shatner angle is moot with me. <br /><br />The opening setup played out like a Grimm fairy tale. This viewer was quickly sent to dream land watching the beautiful Laura dancing through the night only to be jolted from la-la land by her aged reality. <br /><br />The scene at the inn is one of those typical devices to display the stark contrast between the beautiful, young, innocent outsiders and the old and wise locals, but it does the job effectively. <br /><br />The ocean front house is a perfect stage for the following chills. I didn't really notice the phasing effects on the soundtrack, so I wasn't distracted by any unnatural whooshes.<br /><br />The dialog between the Kennedy era yuppies was perhaps a bit chatty, but it was interesting to listen to and I thought all four players did well. The pacing of the events were on the slow side, which complimented the dream like descent into the hungry mirrors. Unlike the poster above, the scary mirrors did work for me and were framed into the story perfectly. <br /><br />With each new supernatural quirk delivered by the casa I was reminded of how the old 1970s haunted house movie Burnt Offerings unfolded. A slow and subtle creep out setting the stage for a final ending of life snuffing madness. <br /><br />The mirror reflects three and a half Karloffs.Hynekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08641908347705520084noreply@blogger.com