Room with a View/The Little Black Bag/The Nature of the Enemy

For the pilot for this series, Rod Serling wrote all the episodes--and they were all very good. But, starting with the very first regular show, the producers started using other writers--an insane decision considering Serling many wonderful TV and movie credits. The first time they tried this, the episode still turned out to be exceptional (episode 1.1). Can this same pattern be repeated in 1.2 where Serling once again contributed none of the writing? "Room With a View" stars Joseph Wiseman ("Dr. No") and a very young Diane Keaton. Wiseman plays an invalid and Keaton his nurse. Wiseman is upset about his young wife's infidelity and uses Keaton to teach her a lesson. Frankly, this one wasn't very good--little in the way of irony or horror. I'd give this one a 3--simply because it's nice to see Keaton and Wiseman together.

"The Little Black Bag" is a sci-fi comedy episode. Apparently a bag with futuristic medical devices is accidentally lost in the past (1971). What can the consequences be? This stars Burgess Meredith and Chill Wills as winos who happen upon this lost item. If the term 'winos' offends you, substitute the more politically correct term 'job and sobriety-impaired'! Any way, Meredith is an old drunk who used to be a doctor. And, with the help of this black bag of goodies, he's a magical healer. Tune in yourself to see where it goes, but it's a pretty ordinary little piece that earns a 5.

"The Nature of the Enemy" is a short segment starring Joseph Campanella. It has to do with a lost space mission but who cares?! The less said about this abominable short, the better. I'd give it a 0--it's THAT bad! Overall, we have a 3, 5 and 0--showing a sharp decrease in quality from the pilot and first episode.

"Room with a View". A sickly middle-aged man (Joseph Wiseman) with a smoking hot young wife (Angel Tompkins) makes a point of getting to know his young nurse (Diane Keaton) a little better. The reason for this is soon made clear, as this is quite a short segment. Unfortunately, it leads to an underwhelming resolution that comes as no great surprise. This is made watchable by the acting (Keaton is cute and adorable, in one of her earliest roles), but is no great shakes. Directed by Jerrold Freedman ("Kansas City Bomber", "Borderline").

"The Little Black Bag". The lengthiest portion of the episode, this is scripted by Rod Serling himself from a story by C.M. Kornbluth. It's wonderfully acted by old pros Burgess Meredith and Chill Wills, as bums who discover a medical bag from the future that has accidentally been sent back to 1971. Meredith, a former doctor, is ecstatic at what this could mean for medicine, but Wills merely wants to make a bundle. This is wrapped up in a very effective and fun way, recalling Serlings' legendary 'Twilight Zone' series in the way that its revelation is so potent. Directed by Jeannot Szwarc ("Jaws 2", "Santa Claus: The Movie").

Finally, "The Nature of the Enemy". Another very short segment starring Joseph Campanella as a man at Mission Control overseeing a rescue mission on the moon. It's great at stressing the mystery element for a while, until it resolves itself with such a funny bit of business that it makes one think that Serling (who also scripted here) was basically just having a bit of goofy fun. Directed by TV veteran Allen Reisner.

Familiar faces in supporting roles and bits include George Furth, Arthur Malet, James Sikking, Albert Popwell, and Jason Wingreen.

Seven out of 10.

I'm not terribly surprised by the negative reviews regarding this short episode that Night Gallery is known for, but I thought there were some redeeming qualities, mainly some decent performances by actors Joseph Campanella, Albert Popwell(Dirty Harry), and Jason Wingreen(All in the Family)wasn't that bad either playing a wooden reporter. The first half contained some decent suspense, as a major problem occurs in space and no one knows what the culprit is; there's some interesting communication revolving around missing astronauts between a very wooden and bad acting Steve(astronaut), who's in space, and Simms(Campanella), who's in the control room. The suspicious media have gathered, and both Popwell and Wingreen get some acting credit time, as tension mounts regarding the missing crew; there is a cool scene with both the media and Simms watching as another member screams in space before the video fades, and we still don't know what's happening up there, and we get to see an object which looks like a giant mousetrap on the moon. A few moments later, a member of the ground crew yells into his monitor, as he obviously sees something; unfortunately, the culprit ends up being a giant mouse who's eating the astronauts. I'm all for the unexpected but this a bit of a letdown after the suspense, and if any reviewer on here says they were happy with the conclusion, they're lying though their teeth. If you must watch this short episode, then do so for Campanella's decent performance and a young Popwell before you see him in the Dirty Harry films.

Divided in three segments hosted by Rod Serling, "Night Gallery" presents two great stories and ends with a terrible segment. "Room with a View" tells a Machieavellian story of manipulation and revenge, with Diane Keaton in the beginning of career performing a nurse easily manipulated by her patient. "The Little Black Bag" tells a tragic story of greed with Burgess Meredith in the lead role. "The Nature of the Enemy" is a totally forgettable short story. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Galeria do Terror - Quarto com Vista / A Pequena Valise Preta / A Natureza do Inimigo" ("Gallery of Terror - Room with a View / The Little Black Bag / The Nature of the Enemy ")

'Room With A View' - Joseph Wiseman plays an old bedridden invalid who uses his young nurse(played by Diane Keaton) in a cunning plan to get rid of his faithless wife using jealousy as a motive. Slight but effective story.

'The Little Black Bag' - Burgess Meredith & Chill Wills play two bums who find a medical bag from the future, and efforts to use it for good by healing local people end in betrayal, murder, and tragedy. Clever story with a most ironic ending.

'The Nature Of The Enemy' - Astronauts on the moon meet with mysterious deaths. Thin segment with a ludicrous twist ending. First two segments make up for it though.