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Night Gallery
S1.E1
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IMDbPro

The Dead Man/The Housekeeper

  • Episode aired Dec 16, 1970
  • TV-PG
  • 51m
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
721
YOUR RATING
Jeff Corey in Night Gallery (1969)
DramaFantasyHorrorMysterySci-FiThriller

Dr. Redford's patient John Fearing can mimic any disease's symptoms, and is having an affair with Mrs. Redford. / Cedric Acton, a student of the black arts, plans to replace his cruel wife C... Read allDr. Redford's patient John Fearing can mimic any disease's symptoms, and is having an affair with Mrs. Redford. / Cedric Acton, a student of the black arts, plans to replace his cruel wife Carlotta's soul with that of a kind housekeeper.Dr. Redford's patient John Fearing can mimic any disease's symptoms, and is having an affair with Mrs. Redford. / Cedric Acton, a student of the black arts, plans to replace his cruel wife Carlotta's soul with that of a kind housekeeper.

  • Directors
    • Douglas Heyes
    • John Meredyth Lucas
  • Writers
    • Douglas Heyes
    • Fritz Leiber Jr.
    • Rod Serling
  • Stars
    • Carl Betz
    • Jeff Corey
    • Louise Sorel
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.1/10
    721
    YOUR RATING
    • Directors
      • Douglas Heyes
      • John Meredyth Lucas
    • Writers
      • Douglas Heyes
      • Fritz Leiber Jr.
      • Rod Serling
    • Stars
      • Carl Betz
      • Jeff Corey
      • Louise Sorel
    • 22User reviews
    • 6Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos

    Top cast15

    Edit
    Carl Betz
    Carl Betz
    • Dr. Max Redford (segment "The Dead Man")
    Jeff Corey
    Jeff Corey
    • Dr. Miles Talmadge (segment "The Dead Man")
    Louise Sorel
    Louise Sorel
    • Velia Redford (segment "The Dead Man")
    Michael Blodgett
    Michael Blodgett
    • John Michael Fearing (segment "The Dead Man")
    Larry Hagman
    Larry Hagman
    • Cedric Acton (segment "The Housekeeper")
    Suzy Parker
    Suzy Parker
    • Carlotta Acton…
    Jeanette Nolan
    Jeanette Nolan
    • Miss Wattle…
    Glenn Dixon
    • Minister (segment "The Dead Man")
    Cathleen Cordell
    Cathleen Cordell
    • Miss Beamish (segment "The Housekeeper")
    Howard Morton
    • Headwaiter (segment "The Housekeeper")
    Rod Serling
    Rod Serling
    • Self - Host
    Bobby Gilbert
    • Waiter (segment "The Housekeeper")
    • (uncredited)
    Raven Grey Eagle
    • Minor Role
    • (uncredited)
    Joseph La Cava
    • Waiter (segment "The Housekeeper")
    • (uncredited)
    Judith Lowry
    Judith Lowry
    • Last Housekeeper (segment "The Housekeeper")
    • (uncredited)
    • Directors
      • Douglas Heyes
      • John Meredyth Lucas
    • Writers
      • Douglas Heyes
      • Fritz Leiber Jr.
      • Rod Serling
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews22

    7.1721
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    Featured reviews

    8Hitchcoc

    Off to a Pretty Good Start

    So I need to review two complete episodes. The first, "The Dead Man" is a tale of a man's arrogance, such an arrogance that he revels in the pain of his subject. He has found a man who when signaled, shows symptoms of whatever has been programmed into his brain. When the good doctor, played by Carl Betz, the father on "The Donna Reed Show," taps, the guy becomes filled with sores, grey with a blood condition, or, in the final test, dead. I didn't catch where this guy came from other than he is rich and bored and interesting in the doctor's young, beautiful wife. There is that tussle that often takes place in shows like this, where despite his need for this not so subtle attraction to progress his research, he harbors some pretty serious anger. This leads to a great mistake. I remember this episode like it was yesterday, and the conclusion is to die for.

    The second episode, "The Housekeeper," has the ever entertaining Larry Hagman married to a virago who has a fortune of seven million dollars. There is no pre-nup, so he must put up with her dalliances. Through a study of the black arts, using frogs, he has found a way to transfer the brain and personality from one person to another (at one point we are let in on his experiments where a pig crows and a rooster oinks. He puts out an add for an unattractive old lady with a kind heart. He hopes to transfer her kind demeanor to his wife's body, and get his hands on her money. This is utterly silly and yet delightful. When he and the old lady goes to the fancy restaurant, he orders frog legs. Interesting.
    5ksdilauri

    Some good casting, but.......

    If you like to revisit creepy TV memories of prime-time past, 'Night Gallery' can supply you with an occasional quick fix, with the refreshing absence of today's explicit gore---these two entries typify what was considered scary back in the poofy-haired, sideburned Seventies. Now, more than 40 years later, I found 'The Dead Man' to be the creepier of the two, complete with your standard crazed doctor, dark cemetery, and hysterical woman running around in a flowing nightgown. But in 'The Housekeeper' , the sole graces are the creepy/comic performances of Larry Hagman and Jeannette Nolan. The rest---especially if it's been edited for commercials-- is pure pastel-colored cheese, except for Hagman's final line of otherwise-silly dialogue. (Both of these compared badly to the excellent Twilight Zone episode 'The New Exhibit', with Martin Balsam, that aired directly afterward. Catch that if you can!)
    6blanbrn

    Nice early work from Larry and a neat clever way to change your trophy socialite wife!

    Just watched this now classic episode of "Night Gallery" from season one I believe the first episode it's even more special now that TV legend Larry Hagman has passed. Anyway it was odd seeing Hagman sport a beard I was always used to him being clean shaved. Anyway again about seven years before his big role as J.R. Ewing on "Dallas", Larry was a guest star on this sci-fi, horror suspense series "Night Gallery". In this episode Larry is a man that has an attractive trophy socialite type wife, but her attitude on the inside is terrible. In a clever twist the Hagman character hires a sweet and innocent old lady as a housekeeper, once he sees this old lady's attitude is so much better than his wife's he's got a plan. It's in the form of a frog it's a strange creature transformation that you have to watch to see it explained. The body and attitude turns out to both be switched between his wife and the old lady! Overall good clever episode nice to see some Hagman work before he became J.R. and this episode had good montage editing with old "Frankenstein" clips!
    7Hey_Sweden

    A good start to the series.

    This is a good, if not great, official first episode to the Rod Serling series. He hosts, introducing each segment with his trademark delivery, but did not adapt these stories. They're certainly entertaining, with the second of the two having a little more "punch" with its final punchline.

    'The Dead Man' (scripted and directed by Douglas Heyes, based on the tale by Fritz Leiber Jr.) stars Carl Betz as Max Redford, a doctor who's found a remarkable young patient in the studly John Michael Fearing (Michael Blodgett). Through the power of suggestion, Max can get John to simulate any disease. Tragedy arises when he tries to get John to simulate death, and John dies for good. Max's wife Velia (Louise Sorel), deeply in love with John, goes insane with grief, and his associate Dr. Talmadge (the great character actor and acting teacher Jeff Corey) realizes the mistake that was initially made. But what will the final result be, when Max tries to make things right?

    'The Housekeeper') offers a nifty premise when Cedric Acton (Larry Hagman) tries to replace the cold personality of his wife Carlotta (Suzy Parker) with the much more appealing soul of kindly old housekeeper Miss Wattle (Jeanette Nolan). Miss Wattle is not happy with this idea, but Cedric is determined to see his plan come to fruition. Heyes also wrote this segment (under a pseudonym), which is directed by John Meredyth Lucas.

    'The Dead Man' doesn't have a particularly imaginative conclusion, but it IS sad and creepy, with 'The Housekeeper' containing more blatantly comedic and silly touches. Cedric has a basement laboratory that would make Dr. Frankenstein proud, and as evidence of his experiments, we see a crowing pig and an oinking rooster.

    Overall, the acting is excellent (horror fans will recognize Cathleen Cordell, who played the Colonels' wife in "The Return of the Living Dead", in 'The Housekeeper'), and the directors offer some good atmosphere, pacing, and humor.

    Seven out of 10.
    7claudio_carvalho

    The Dead Man is Worthwhile Watching

    Divided in two segments hosted by Rod Serling, the first episode of "Night Gallery" presents two supernatural stories.

    Dr. Miles Talmadge (Jeff Corey) is invited by his colleague and friend Dr. Max Redford (Carl Betz) to come to his isolated clinic to witness his recent research. Max shows his only patient John Michael Fearing (Michael Blodgett) that has psychosomatic illness and is capable to receive suggestions under hypnosis to change his body instantaneously from healthy to sickness and vice-versa. Fearing is in love with Dr. Redford´s younger wife Velia Redford (Louise Sorel) and this is the only reason for him to accept to be submitted to Dr. Redford´s experiments. When he decides to defeat death using Fearing, his signal does not bring his guinea pig back to life and Fearing dies. Velia becomes insane until the day Dr. Talmadge discovers his friend committed a mistake in his signal. What will happen next?

    "The Dead Man" is a creepy tale. The tension increases and the conclusion is excellent. My vote is eight.

    Cedric Acton (Larry Hagman) is unhappily married with the wealthy Carlotta Acton (Suzy Parker). He requests an ugly and lonely housekeeper and Miss Wattle (Jeanette Nolan) applies for the job. She is interviewed by Cedric and soon she leans his intentions. Will she accept his proposal?

    'The Housekeeper" is a shorter and weaker episode with many flaws and confused conclusion without explanation for Cedric´s final words. Maybe the episode was edited to 20 minutes running time and become nonsense. My vote is six.

    My global vote to this episode is seven.

    Title (Brazil): "O Morto / A Empregada" ("The Dead Man / The Housekeeper")

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      This was Suzy Parker's final role before her retirement from acting.
    • Goofs
      Thoth is Egyptian god of the Moon and knowledge, not god of underworld.
    • Quotes

      [last lines]

      Last Housekeeper (segment "The Housekeeper"): Oh dear, how many times, dear God, how many times?

      Cedric Acton (segment "The Housekeeper"): Until we get it right.

    • Connections
      Features Frankenstein (1931)

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 16, 1970 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Filming locations
      • Mount St. Mary's College, Doheny Mansion - 10 Chester Pl, Los Angeles, California, USA(Redford Clinic and Convalescent Hospital)
    • Production company
      • Universal Television
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 51m
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 4:3

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