Spectre in Tap-Shoes

I would classify this episode as a tad boring, even though I would still have to say it was well written, with an interesting motive and ending, which I'll try my best not to ruin it for you. A few familiar faces here are Sandra Dee(plays twin sisters), and Christopher Connelly(Sam); also starring is Dane Clark(William Jason), who is probably the reason to watch this, as I thought Dee was average at best. The gist of the story is that Millicent is tormented by her sister's ghost, or so she thinks, after finding her sister hanging to death in an upstairs room. Let me add that I enjoyed the painting that Rod Serling spoke in front of while describing the story to us. There aren't many scary apparitions and/or noises, but we do get to hear a rather annoying piano jingle throughout the episode, although it is effective for the final shot of this story. I'll give props to the solid conclusion, which I didn't expect, and it may or may not make up for the rest of the show, but it ended on a good note, at least.

Where do I begin when it comes to anything Rod Serling has his name attached to. This is the second time the talented Sandra Dee blesses the camera with her outstanding performance. I really enjoyed the fact it was the early 70s and I really enjoyed classic horror/thrillers from that time period. It's great Sandra Dee came off of The Dunwich Horror (which I would also recommend to watch if you enjoy classic horror) to do another thriller piece. I think the story was spot on, the crew had a great grip on the pacing and cinematography and the music was chilling and haunting a few times. I'm glad Rod Serling brought her back.

Sandra Dee works with her sister in a dance studio. One day she comes home and hears tap dancing in the upstairs part of the building. She assumes her sister is rehearsing. When she goes up, she finds the young woman hanging there. This leads to a series of paranoid events where Dee hears the tapping and has flashbacks of the event. Meanwhile, as she becomes more and more irrational, a man comes and makes her an offer for the studio. Trying to confront her demons, she refuses to give in and tells him no. It gets worse and worse, until one day she hears the sound of tapping again. When she goes up she sees the rope hanging there and hears a voice telling her to put an end to it. This is a good ghost story because it allows us a rational explanation but leaves us with some unexplained events. The writing is good and the acting reasonable. Dee isn't terribly convincing but manages to pull it off pretty well.

Sandra Dee stars as Millicent, a young woman whose twin sister Marion, a tap dancer, has committed suicide while alone one night. Then Millicent comes to believe she's being haunted by the sibling, as she is always hearing piano music in the house and hearing the sound of tap-shoes. All of this while she is being pressured by a developer (Dane Clark) who wants to purchase her property.

This whole tale has too much familiarity for it to be completely effective (all the way to the reveal & resolution), but at least director Jeannot Szwarc builds up a respectable atmosphere and mood. It also helps that Dee is so affecting in the main role, and she does make Millicent a sympathetic character. She receives able support from an under-playing Clark, a likeable Christopher Connelly as her well-meaning friend, and a solid Russell Thorson as a very straightforward and forthcoming doctor. The house itself has an ominous presence, and Eddie Sauters' music is good.

This one has good intentions, but isn't one of the more inspired 'Night Gallery' episodes.

Written by Gene R. Kearney, based on a story by series producer Jack Laird.

Six out of 10.

Sandra Dee stars as Millicent Hardy, who shares a house with her twin sister Marion, but after returning from vacation, finds her hanging by a noose from the rafters dead. An apparent suicide, Millicent is beset by nightmares about Marion's death. Meanwhile, a real estate developer wants to buy her property, but she resists, despite mounting pressure by him, and her own strange behavior which sees her dressing and tap dancing just like her late sister, not to mention she thinks she hears her voice telling her to do so, including committing her own suicide... Ordinary tale has some eerie bits but is just too obvious and derivative to succeed.