(1972)
Dir - Jeff Corey
Overall: GOOD
For "Deliveries in the Rear", Rod Serling does his own interpretation of the frequented Burke and Hare case that inspired many genre works both on the small and big screen up until this point and beyond. Instead of focusing on said grave robbing scoundrels or an artistic liberty variant thereof, Serling makes the doctor who defends the securing of bodies at any ethical cost the main focus. In this case it is a morality tale where a protagonist can justify his means as something that benefits all of mankind, while at the same time disregarding the lives that are necessary to take in order for him to achieve such seemingly benevolent goals. The final moment is a typical Serling gasper that audience member's will predict several minutes before it happens, and one that slams home the point that poetic justice is often times, (or at least should be), right around the corner to teach those who need teaching.
(1972)
Dir - Jeannot Szwarc
Overall: MEH
Thankfully Jack Laird's blackout sketches were temporarily retired by the end of Night Gallery's second season, the producer instead focusing on comparatively longer yet still brisk enough vignettes that had a dark comedy angle to them. "Stop Killing Me" is just such a vignette, an adaptation of Hal Dresner's 1963 short story of the same name. The gag does not work as well as intended, though it is amusing to a point in witnessing little more than Geraldine Page unload her frustrations to James Gregory's bemused police officer, frustrations which concern her husband that openly threatens to end her life. We can see where Gregory's mind is going the more that Page prattles on, but as brief as it is, the narrative has some clunky components that undermine how amusing it should be.
(1972)
Dir - Timothy Galfas
Overall: GOOD
"Dead Weight" finds producer Jack Laird once again adapting a short story in the macabre comedy vein, this one based on Jeffry Scott's 1966 short story "Out of the Country". It features none other than a mustached Bobby Darin as a criminal on the run who is desperate to get out of the country, seeking out the respectable services of Jack Albertson's exporter. As was often the case for any of the program's segments that served as nothing more than a prolonged gag to a grisly punchline, audience members will have no problem seeing where this one is going. Yet it is still a satisfying reveal where a crafty guy outwits a bad guy, neither one of them having a problem with getting some blood on their hands in their lines of work.
(1972)
Dir - Daniel Haller
Overall: GOOD
A rare Night Gallery teleplay from producer Jack Laird that has no comedic elements, (unless one counts the overacting of Peggy Webber), "I'll Never Leave You - Ever" is an atmospheric and grissly bit of rural witchcraft horror. It also features genre mainstay John Saxon doing a cromulent enough Scottish accent as Lois Nettleton's secret lover whom she has to sneak off to meet in haystacks while here elderly husband Royal Dano dies from a slow and painful sickness back home. The tale is an adaptation of Rene Morris' 1966 short story of the same name, set in an undisclosed time period where people relied on black magik to rid themselves of desperate situations. Instead of waiting for her better half to expire naturally so that her and Saxton can settle in together, Nettleton tries to get it done faster by seeking the services of a cackling ole crone, (the aforementioned Peggy Webber), and is of course punished accordingly.
(1972)
Dir - John Newland
Overall: GOOD
Featuring a blink and you'll miss it appearance from Mark Hamill, (and not to be confused with Rainier Wolfcastle's most famous role on The Simpsons), "There Aren't Anymore Macbanes" is another Night Gallery installment that has characters foolishly unleashing dark forces that they cannot control. It is a contemporary reworking of Stephan Hall's 1887 short story "By One, By Two and By Three" where a weaselly Joel Grey studies some ancient and forbidden texts to bring forth a relentless demon from his family's past, one that he sicks on his wealthy uncle just because said uncle will not grant him any of his inheritance unless Grey gets off of his lazy ass post-college and gets a job. Aside from the finale where we see the evil entity in more detail, (nothing more than Ellen Blake in pale witch makeup), all of its other appearances are appropriately menacing, and the presentation benefits from director John Newland's serious tone.
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