The Return of the Sorcerer

First episode of the third and final season was cut to a half-hour, but at least this episode is a good one. Bill Bixby("The Incredible Hulk") stars as Noel Evans, an Arabic interpreter who responds to an ad placed by John Carnby(played by Vincent Price) to interpret a rare book of magic. Noel falls hard for Carnby's assistant Fern(played by Patricia Sterling) who uses him for her own ends, as the book promises a horrible fate for anyone who dares to translate it, as events surrounding her plans and Carnby's dead brother come to a head... Amusing but grim episode(typical for this series) has a fine trio of actors doing their best, with a wild ending.

'The Return of the Sorcerer'. The first single-segment episode of the series, this was scripted by Halsted Welles, based on a story by Clark Ashton Smith, and directed by extremely prolific 'Night Gallery' director Jeannot Szwarc. Vincent Price stars as John Carnby, a sorcerer who hires young Noel Evans (Bill Bixby) to translate some ancient Arabic texts for him. Noel learns that the two translators before him quit, and for good reason: uttering a particular passage (involving hot coals and dismemberment) will leave a curse on the person doing the reading.

Price is a delight as always, and he IS in his element: a theatrical role in a wonderfully macabre genre tale. Price lends all the needed gravitas that the tale needs, although the sexy Tisha Sterling is equally delightful as a devious young woman living in Prices' abode. Bixby is an excellent "straight man" as a character with no particular love or affinity for the occult, just an appreciation for the Arabic language. He's understandably hesitant at taking the assignment, and his uneasiness naturally proves to be totally warranted, during a genuinely weird second half. This involves Sterling kissing a toad, and a black goat seated at a dinner table! Carnby, who is haunted by repeated scraping sounds, has a nasty history with his late brother, and this is paid off fairly well, although this viewer wouldn't blame others if they didn't feel a complete sense of satisfaction with the ending. After all, the episode is left fairly open-ended.

Director Szwarc DOES have a good flair for the macabre with the way he is able to keep the tension increasing, and the set decoration is 100% effective. Good atmosphere, too: the halls and rooms of this house often fill up with smoke. Bixby, Sterling, and genre icon Price keep things moving along quite nicely. Oddly enough, this episode only runs a half hour, unlike most in the series' run.

Seven out of 10.

This is an obtuse story of a sorcerer who hires a translator, played by Bill Bixby, to read an ancient manuscript containing an ancient curse. Vincent Price does his usual mugging best as the sorcerer, who, with his beautiful assistant enlist the nervous Bixby. There are things that should have been left unsaid because when these words are spoken, things are set in motion, including a twin brother who has been dismembered by his own brother and moves around the mansion in pieces; a hand here and a foot there. His head is kept in a closet and the body parts want to get back together. At times, things become quite confusing but Price and the others keep it going and the die is cast.

I can understand Noel's(Bill Bixby)aversion for kissing the toad, but he kisses Fern(Patricia Sterling)after she kisses the toad, so I guess in reality, he does in fact kiss the toad. Now that's over with, let me speak a bit about this odd Vincent Price segment. Price is in fine form as a strange sorcerer named John Carnby, who hires Noel to translate an Arabic book in order to do weird things, which you probably read about already, although Noel's hesitant to accept the job offer at first. The version I saw seemed to have been edited from the original format, so there's some unanswered questions, which is frustrating, and is typical for this series, but I did enjoy this episode for the most part, especially Price, a black goat, and the eerie interior shots of the house/castle. This has a Roger Corman feel to it, which adds to the eyes. Jeannot Szwarc(Jaws 2)directed this episode, and he's also directed 18 other Night Gallery episodes.

How did the script get approved? It's an aimless pile of twoddle. The episode leaps from scene to scene in an aimless and haphazard fashion; for example when we cut to the pair sharing an intimidate kiss with absolutely zero setup. Absolute amateur hour.

The performances are wooden, and, frankly, high-school-play quality. Price (the only person who actually delivers a line with any energy) is ok, but his edginess and hyper-reactivity exist in a vacuum, as the director doesn't provide adequate atmosphere for such behaviour to feel of-a-piece with the proceedings, leaving Price feeling abandoned.

Definitely the worst NG episode I've ever seen.