tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post5858875178003545006..comments2024-03-16T11:23:44.620-07:00Comments on A Thriller a Day...: Mr. George: Season 1 Episode 32John Scolerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830334036783163702noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-82861699679521532023-09-29T22:45:38.158-07:002023-09-29T22:45:38.158-07:00Robert Garrick here.
Everybody seems to love this...Robert Garrick here.<br /><br />Everybody seems to love this episode. I'm sure I would have loved it--when I was nine years old. That's about how old I was when I watched THRILLER for the first time, on KTTV Channel 11 in Los Angeles (in syndication, back in the early '60s).<br /><br />As a grown-up, watching this episode on DVD, I was bored. The entire plot was obvious from the start. Mr. George told Priscilla she had nothing to worry about, and I believed him. End of show! The cinematography was dull, not up to the usual "Thriller" standard. Hey Ida Lupino--enough with the close-ups already. (Though I found Virginia Gregg kinda hot, especially when she was standing there braiding her long black hair, like Claude Rains's mother in "Notorious.") There was no suspense, there were no shocks, there were no frightening sequences.<br /><br />There could have been. We could have seen the girl in peril, and we could have been scared along with her. The cameraman could have turned the lights down. But no. We knew the ghostly friend would give his gentle instructions, and then we knew that the bad grown-ups would die, in predictable ways.<br /><br />The acting was fine. With a little more suspense and fear, it could have been a great episode. It could have been a little closer to "Curse of the Cat People," which was extraordinary. <br /><br />A note on the cinematography. It's generally extraordinary on THRILLER. But on this episode, it was ordinary. Lucy Chase Williams observed that John F. Warren, who was the Director of Photography, had been Oscar-nominated for THE COUNTRY GIRL, but then quickly found himself shooting DAUGHTER OF DR. JEKYLL a few years later.<br /><br />I submit that DAUGHTER OF DR. JEKYLL is beautifully photographed, and THE COUNTRY GIRL is blah! DAUGHTER OF DR. JEKYLL was directed by cult-hero Edgar G. Ulmer (DETOUR, THE BLACK CAT), and THE COUNTRY GIRL was one of those Oscar-bait snoozes that nobody wants to see anymore. Let's hear it for DAUGHTER OF DR. JEKYLL, Gloria Talbott, Arthur Shields (as a werewolf!), and John Agar.<br /><br />John F. Warren shot THE TORN CURTAIN for Hitchcock, and he shot a ton of Alfred Hitchcock Presents and Alfred Hitchcock Hour shows. He had a solid career. For me, though, his career peaked with DAUGHTER OF DR. JEKYLL. How's he going to top that? Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-74463776637817388912022-04-03T07:02:53.133-07:002022-04-03T07:02:53.133-07:00Howard Freeman has a definite Rondo Hatton connect...Howard Freeman has a definite Rondo Hatton connection, being one of the smarmy art critics murdered by the back breaking Creeper in HOUSE OF HORRORS.casydemarcohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16300173612917513839noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-35370619948009492842022-04-03T06:56:51.083-07:002022-04-03T06:56:51.083-07:00I'll never forget the voice of William Conrad ...I'll never forget the voice of William Conrad as GUNSMOKE's Marshal Matt Dillon: "Kitty, get that goddamn thing outta here!"casydemarcohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16300173612917513839noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-86833399692426464922017-11-27T04:21:14.586-08:002017-11-27T04:21:14.586-08:00My fascination us with how much effort was require...My fascination us with how much effort was required to lay trolley tracks onto the paved street running in front of the Cleaved house. <br /><br />It is a great trick of the direction that I cannot remember seeing any means of propulsion for the trolley. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12022247007870738550noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-41758450892111860792016-07-04T02:48:17.123-07:002016-07-04T02:48:17.123-07:00I watched Mr. George yet again this morning,--even...I watched Mr. George yet again this morning,--even took an early nap to stay up for it--and it played as well as ever. What more can I say:<br /><br />One thing: Jerry Goldsmith's score, indeed most Thriller scores, seems more emphasized, which is to say louder, than the scores of most TV shows of the same era. Thriller was often underscored at the feature film level, often with feature film quality music. The use of strings was something I've noticed, with the use of brass prominent only in the opening titles, which I think they'd have been wise to have changed once the series became more horror oriented.<br /><br />Ida Lupino's direction, rightly praised here, deserves even more: for her use of close ups, the way she alternated them with medium and long shots, creating an intimate feeling throughout, even in the few exterior scenes. There was a certain sacrifice of the pictorial, a minor flaw of the episode, made up for by the emotional identification approach to the characters; to this it's worth adding that the trio of villains, while up to something loathsome, are often presented as strangely sympathetic or pathetic in one way or another; by their lights they're at risk, need to take action to preserve their well being.john kenrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00710666533854296630noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-56767729787134730982015-12-13T13:29:22.248-08:002015-12-13T13:29:22.248-08:00While I am not disputing that Les Tremayne was the...While I am not disputing that Les Tremayne was the voice of Mr. George, when I saw the episode, my ears perked up and I though, "That's Harry Morton!" I thought it was Larry Keating who played George and Gracie's neighbor on Burns and Allen, as well as Roger Addision, who was one of the neighbors of Mr. Ed (and Wilbur & Carol). Basilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00304218067534993876noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-90668392102471680192015-10-01T02:54:45.716-07:002015-10-01T02:54:45.716-07:00Yes, Virginia Gregg was rather hot (in a schoolmar...Yes, Virginia Gregg was rather hot (in a schoolmarmish sort of way), and strangely attractive. Indeed, she had more style than her co-conspirators, though I liked Howard Freeman's performance, which suggested a dignity, in his voice and bearing, not evident in his character's behavior. Fine work from this seemingly forgotten actor. The players were al well chosen in Mr. George.john kenrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00710666533854296630noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-60709904603012589872015-08-29T20:25:08.945-07:002015-08-29T20:25:08.945-07:00God forgive me but I love Edna in this. Virginia G...God forgive me but I love Edna in this. Virginia Gregg invests her with so much poise and self-assurance. Yes, she's the most evil, the one who most wants to kill the innocent child. But that's because she, unlike her siblings, knows who she is.<br /><br />Of course it's a good thing Gregg's Edna is so magnetic. Any savvy viewer can predict that she'll be the last to be killed, so we'll be spending a lot of time with her.Benhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06590397694589547524noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-26927244309905770032015-04-08T02:58:10.398-07:002015-04-08T02:58:10.398-07:00Yes, the walnuts ep of Van Dyke's show was act...Yes, the walnuts ep of Van Dyke's show was actually scary as well as very funny. They also did another, less spooky one about a ghost set somewhere in the Catskills or Adirondacks (can'r remember) that featured Thriller alum Milton Parsons in a small but key role, which seemed, sadly, to be his fate in films and on television. Even Cyril Delevanti was given more to do than just dodder (sic) in the small parts he played, but I digress.<br /><br /> I napped early this evening to stay up and watch the twofer Hitchcock and Thriller eps, and they did not disappoint. Both featured some of the interior of the Psycho house, with the Hitchcock, An Unlocked Window, also using what appears to be the exterior as well.john kenrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00710666533854296630noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-86138930301786361932015-01-25T09:05:02.589-08:002015-01-25T09:05:02.589-08:00"one of the best and most horrific of all epi..."one of the best and most horrific of all episodes, indeed of any episode of any series ever made"<br /><br />I think you might want to revisit the Walnut episode of Dick Van Dyke. <br /><br />http://www.hulu.com/watch/30476John Scolerihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15830334036783163702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-32961556439750779292015-01-25T03:23:32.833-08:002015-01-25T03:23:32.833-08:00This is actually one of the best and most horrific...This is actually one of the best and most horrific of all episodes, indeed of any episode of any series ever made. Its horror has nothing to do with the ghost, and everything to do with the fact that a child's relatives and ostensible protectors are trying to murder her. Infinitely more horrific is the fact that most today, as shown in most of the commentary here and on the disc, are numb to the profound horror of this episode. <br /><br />This numbness flows, in large part, from these flattened, processed souls having accepted and grown accustomed to the horror of today's ongoing holocaust; namely, the ongoing holocaust of legalized surgical/pharmaceutical infanticide whereby the most innocent and defenseless among us--in utero infants--are systematically sacrificed to the neopagan idol Liberty on the bloody Altar of Choice and Convenience. <br /><br />Tens upon tens of millions of tiny corpses piling up with every passing decade.... And the masses numb to the horror of it all, and thus numb to the horror of this episode. Such is today's "progress." Friends, reject the myth of progress. The true Dark Ages are upon us. Alphonsus Jr.https://www.blogger.com/profile/07979620591831858572noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-60231680146240389722014-07-19T01:24:27.819-07:002014-07-19T01:24:27.819-07:00How could anyone forget Leo G. Carroll? He was in ...How could anyone forget Leo G. Carroll? He was in another Thriller which featured a nasty but much more attractive family as well as a young person, in this case a young woman, in peril; and it also featured some of the same props, and the Psycho house, too! Carroll was rather the Mr. George of this episode, more lighthearted than Mr. George, its charms, and it had many, were geared more toward adults, while a child can watch and thoroughly understand Mr. George.john kenrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00710666533854296630noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-70948571306360422182014-07-18T15:04:55.134-07:002014-07-18T15:04:55.134-07:00Leo G Carroll? You mean the same guy who played Mr...Leo G Carroll? You mean the same guy who played Mr Waverly in the Man from U.N.C.L.E?<br /><br />Also an elderly Catholic Priest in the series on TV, "Going my Way."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-87498721536874739552014-07-18T14:57:59.092-07:002014-07-18T14:57:59.092-07:00Well done episode. Any others out there wish to c...Well done episode. Any others out there wish to comment?<br /><br />And--who remembers the Topper series in the '50s with--Leo G Carroll?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-60249623517542638032013-12-26T02:13:59.296-08:002013-12-26T02:13:59.296-08:00Beautiful, charming episode, I remember seeing Mr....Beautiful, charming episode, I remember seeing Mr. George when it was first aired (or in first rerun) and loved it then. It holds up beautifully, and John Qualen and his horse drawn trolley thingie was a plus. <br /><br />There were so many nice touches in this episode. Virginia Gregg rocked as maybe the best female villain of a Thriller. She's up there with Jeanette Nolan. Solid, solid performance. Is it me or does it appear that she's made up to resemble Martha Mattox in the 1927 Paul Leni silent version of The Cat and the Canary. Her hair is nearly identical to Miss Mattox's in that early (and charming) old dark house thriller.<br /><br />Hats off to director Ida Lupino and the Uni art department. Most (all?) of the sets and props were familiar but they were used in a different way than in other shows and movies. As has already been noted, great turn of the (20th) century atmosphere, some theatrical playing by the adult actors, nice work from little Miss Gillespie. The Goldsmith score was perfection, the ending, wistful without being overly sentimental. Actually, it was just perfect. john kenrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00710666533854296630noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-855420822329110212013-07-28T14:33:32.339-07:002013-07-28T14:33:32.339-07:00Remembered the bit with the trunk lid from childho...Remembered the bit with the trunk lid from childhood. Very well done, though we know exactly where it's going from early on. And why fault the pacing? This was a story that might better have been done in 1/2 hour format which had to fill almost an hour, yet I was never bored.<br /><br />But one thing does bother me: Apart from the first death (which could have been written off as a freak accident) the others would have clearly implicated the little girl. Did no one investigate? Did the surviving siblings lie about the cause of death? Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-59759615207992077982013-07-19T15:53:29.460-07:002013-07-19T15:53:29.460-07:00Quite a change of pace. Viewed on ME TV, 14 Jul 13...Quite a change of pace. Viewed on ME TV, 14 Jul 13. Missed it on the first run in 1961 when I was 12. Goldsmith score is primo as usual. The story line smacks of Dicken's characters. Or ?<br /><br />For those of you who were avid readers of MAD magazine circa this time period-I don't recall a satire on Thriller, but Hitchcock got some airplay in MAD. As did Star Blech! <br /><br /> Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-37822441763881008222012-07-24T19:17:00.108-07:002012-07-24T19:17:00.108-07:00Only one thing to add: As a fan of the old radio s...Only one thing to add: As a fan of the old radio shows, I know Virginia Gregg as one of the most prolific actors of that era and may never have seen her on television until now. Alongside people like Howard McNear and William Conrad, it is a pity they are only remembered for later TV works when the true zenith of their careers was during their radio years...the original Gunsmoke anyone?????JCRnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-67181092092995274862012-02-05T17:36:20.153-08:002012-02-05T17:36:20.153-08:00Another total charmer! I agree with Cmac. There...Another total charmer! I agree with Cmac. There's never any doubt that little Priscilla will come out of this fine, which may make the deaths of the murderous cousins predictable, but didn't keep me from enjoying each one. I actually hooted with laughter as each aspiring child killer bit the dust.<br /><br />Nobody's mentioned that Goldsmith's main theme is a riff on "Au Clair de la Lune," the same music associated with equally sweet (in pigtails and bangs yet) Rhoda Penmark in "The Bad Seed." That provides a nice little shiver for me as Priscilla blindly benefited from each act of homicide.Frank Millernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-77656305223033344212011-12-21T12:27:29.514-08:002011-12-21T12:27:29.514-08:00I'm surprised there isn't more love for th...I'm surprised there isn't more love for this episode other than from LWC, I think its easily<br />the best episode of the series (runner ups- The Hungry Glass and Pigeons from Hell), even though as one commentator points out it lacks the suspense of the other great episodes in that early on you realize the girl really isn't in danger. Still every performance and Ida Lupino's direction are fantastic. 4 Karloffs out of 4.Cmacnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-47534098617081830432011-10-22T13:51:43.982-07:002011-10-22T13:51:43.982-07:00I purchased the Val Lewton DVD box set last year a...I purchased the Val Lewton DVD box set last year and "yes", Mr. George evokes much of the same mood of childlike wonderment as Curse of the Cat People. <br /><br />Mr. George is a pleasant diversion from the Thriller crime dramas and gothic type horrors. I don't know how willing I would be to sit through other Thriller episodes in the Mr. George vein. Mr. George's voice was a bit too syrupy for me to hear for close to an hour. That and Ms. Gregg's goody goody performance almost resulted in me having a sugar overdose. <br /><br />I liked the late 19th century setting and the various stage sets and backgrounds did a very good job in evoking that time period. The characters were a bit cliched in a early 20th century film villiany manner, but the acting made it fun to watch their scheming and eventual demises. The swing set scene reminded me of Robert Florey's "look at me" shot in Murders of the Rue Morgue. <br /><br />Mr. George says, "2 1/2 Karloffs!"Hynekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08641908347705520084noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-75085456577631310212011-10-09T11:49:03.007-07:002011-10-09T11:49:03.007-07:00Bobby J. mentions "Curse of the Cat People.&q...Bobby J. mentions "Curse of the Cat People." Isn't the house in fact the one that Julia Dean and Elizabeth Russell live in? I'll have to check later; my apologies if I'm wrong.<br /><br />And it was indeed a pleasure to see John Qualen. And no one has mentioned that Gina Gillespie is the sister of Darlene--one of my first crushes.h.s. gudnasonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-14537163234949303162011-05-08T08:29:08.001-07:002011-05-08T08:29:08.001-07:00This was one of the THRILLER episodes I fondly rem...This was one of the THRILLER episodes I fondly remembered seeing as a youth. Watching it now, I was somewhat disappointed. The two problems for me were the voice of Mr. George (he sounded too young as the protective guardian) and the syrup-y performance by Gina Gillespie. I understand the obvious inexperience that child actors face, but felt her performance was more in line with a school production.<br /><br />Virgina Greg is awesome as always. I loved watching her in the old DRAGNET television series.<br /><br />"3 Karloffs"SoSo Cinemahttp://www.sosocinema.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-1622078623337327082010-11-22T17:45:14.687-08:002010-11-22T17:45:14.687-08:00It's a fragile and tender story with strong ec...It's a fragile and tender story with strong echoes of 'The Curse of the Cat People', let alone, 'Harvey', and 'The Ladykillers'.<br /><br />Lupino sure gives the guys a run for their money. No wonder she returned to helm some more segments in the 2nd season. It's a master class in direction and getting the maximum out of every shot; from conspiritorial framing of the three villains of the piece, to the splendidly visual dispatching of the first two, one with flowing camera moves, the other a black-out followed by a swing shot. I imagine Frye and Benton must have been pleasantly with the results checking the dailies. <br /><br />The three villains get the acting honours. The plot doesn't surprise in any way but it's pushed to the next level by Sanford, Goldsmith and the superb photography, making it rank it very high up.<br /><br />3 out of 4 Karloffs.bobby J.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3413477571485423494.post-13326695667156051002010-11-20T05:23:20.073-08:002010-11-20T05:23:20.073-08:00I was completely charmed by this episode, from the...I was completely charmed by this episode, from the opening scenes where Priscilla (in gloves and spats) visits the graveyard all the way to the end. And what a pleasure to see John Qualen as the trolley car driver--I don't think I've ever seen him give a bad performance, even one so small as this.Jack Seabrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02216640325305820140noreply@blogger.com