| Genre: | Anthology, horror, thriller |
| Creator: | Hubbell Robinson |
| Director: | John Brahm Jules Bricken Herschel Daugherty Paul Henreid Douglas Heyes Arthur Hiller Mitchell Leisen Ida Lupino Gerald Mayer John Newland Ted Post |
| Presenter: | Boris Karloff |
| Starring: | Various |
| Theme Music Composer: | Pete Rugolo |
| Composer: | Jerry Goldsmith Stanley Wilson Pete Rugolo Morton Stevens |
| Country: | United States |
| Language: | English |
| Num Seasons: | 2 |
| Num Episodes: | 67 |
| Executive Producer: | Hubbell Robinson |
| Producer: | William Frye Fletcher Markle Maxwell Shane |
| Runtime: | 49 min. (Season 1) 50 min. (Season 2) |
| Company: | Hubbell Robinson Productions Revue Studios |
| Channel: | NBC |
Thriller (also known as Boris Karloff's Thriller and Boris Karloff Presents) is an American anthology television series that aired during the 1960–61 and 1961–62 seasons on NBC. The show featured host Boris Karloff introducing a mix of macabre horror tales and suspense thrillers.[1]
Thriller was created by Hubbell Robinson for MCA's Revue Studios. Though remembered primarily as a series that emphasized gothic horror, under producer Fletcher Markle Thriller was initially a series oriented towards suspense and crime drama, in the manner of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Markle was let go after having completed eight episodes, and replaced by Maxwell Shane. Shane continued in the crime drama mold, though he began to add trappings of gothic horror to a few stories, but he too was replaced after having completed a further nine episodes. The rest of the first season and all of the second was produced by William Frye, who firmly moved Thriller into the format for which it would be most well-remembered, although non-horror crime and mystery stories would still be featured from time to time throughout the show's run.
Among the many writers for the series were Donald S. Sanford, Robert Hardy Andrews, and Robert Bloch, who adapted a number of his own stories, notably "The Weird Tailor". Authors whose works were frequently adapted included August Derleth, Charlotte Armstrong and Cornell Woolrich.
In addition to serving as the host of the series, Karloff also starred in five episodes: "The Prediction", "The Premature Burial", "The Last of the Sommervilles", "Dialogues with Death", and "The Incredible Doctor Markesan".
Other actors included Leslie Nielsen in the show's first episode "The Twisted Image", William Shatner in two episodes, "The Hungry Glass" and "The Grim Reaper", Constance Ford in two episodes, Mary Tyler Moore in two episodes, Henry Daniell in five episodes, and Edward Andrews in three episodes. Child actress Beverly Washburn appeared in "Parasite Mansion"; Joan Tompkins appeared in "The Cheaters" and "Mr. George". Elizabeth Montgomery, Tom Poston, and John Carradine in "Masquerade". Carradine also starred in "The Remarkable Mrs. Hawk", co-starring Bruce Dern and Jo Van Fleet; Ed Nelson starred in four episodes: "The Fatal Impulse", "The Cheaters", "A Good Imagination", and "Dialogues with Death".
Other performers included: Rip Torn, George Grizzard, Natalie Trundy, Bethel Leslie, Patricia Medina, Patricia Barry, Richard Anderson, Richard Chamberlain, Elisha Cook, Conrad Nagel, Larry Pennell, Russell Johnson, Diana Millay, Philip Carey, Kathleen Crowley, Susan Oliver, Rodolfo Hoyos, Jr., J. Pat O'Malley, Robert Vaughn, Marlo Thomas, John Ireland, Jeanette Nolan, Virginia Gregg, Hazel Scott, Lloyd Bochner, Scott Marlowe, Judson Pratt, Olive Sturgess, Mary Astor, Marion Ross, Hazel Court, MacDonald Carey, Donna Douglas, Natalie Schafer, Phyllis Thaxter, Estelle Winwood, Antoinette Bower, Jane Greer, Dick York, Jocelyn Brando, Richard Carlson, William Windom, George Kennedy, Cloris Leachman, Monte Markham, Nancy Kelly, Patricia Breslin and Edward Binns.
In Danse Macabre, Stephen King's 1981 history and critique of horror fiction, King suggests that Thriller was the best series of its kind up to that point.[2]
Alfred Hitchcock hastened the demise of the series after he came aboard on NBC with The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, an expanded one-hour version of his previous half-hour series Alfred Hitchcock Presents. Hitchcock apparently did not want two similar one-hour shows on at the same time.[3]
In a review of the anthology's 2010 DVD release, The Hollywood Reporter said "Not all the episodes work, and the transfers can be a bit grainy. But when they do—the strong shadows living in the black and white, the awesomely overwrought score by composers Jerry Goldsmith and Morton Stevens (if only they had music like that again), the storytelling not using gore and cheap scares as crutches—the results are genuinely goosebump-inducing."[4]
Due to a number of TV stations that pre-empted Thriller in favor of local programs, Thriller only ran for two seasons starting September 1960. A few minutes into each episode, Boris Karloff introduces the title of the episode, the "major players" (actors) in that episode, and states that "as sure as my name is Boris Karloff, this is a thriller!" Karloff also appeared as an actor in five episodes over the duration of the series.
The show premiered on September 13, 1960 with the episode "The Twisted Image". It had 37 episodes in the first season (in addition to serving as the host of the series, Karloff starred in one episode in the first season: "The Prediction").
The second season of Thriller started on September 18, 1961 with the episode "What Beckoning Ghost?" and had 30 episodes in the season(in addition to serving as the host of the series, Karloff starred in four episodes in the 2nd season: "The Premature Burial," "The Last of the Sommervilles," "Dialogues With Death," and "The Incredible Doctor Markesan").
| The Original Music of Thriller | |
| Type: | Soundtrack |
| Artist: | Pete Rugolo and His Orchestra |
| Cover: | The Original Music of Thriller.jpg |
| Released: | 1961 |
| Recorded: | February 23 and 24, 1961 United Recording Studios, Hollywood, CA |
| Genre: | Jazz |
| Label: | Time 52034/S 2034 |
| Producer: | Bob Shad |
| Chronology: | Pete Rugolo |
| Prev Title: | 10 Trombones Like 2 Pianos |
| Prev Year: | 1960 |
| Next Title: | Ten Trumpets and 2 Guitars |
| Next Year: | 1960 |
Each episode of the first season featured a specially composed score; the main theme and majority of writing was by Pete Rugolo, with additional compositions by Jerry Goldsmith and Morton Stevens. In 1961, The Original Music of Thriller, composed, arranged and conducted by Rugolo, was released on Bob Shad's Time label.[5]
All compositions by Pete Rugolo.
After a creative change during the first season, Rugolo was one of the crew to be removed (although his theme music was retained). Goldsmith and Stevens replaced him, scoring the rest of the run between them.
The British label Tadlow Music released two albums featuring several of Goldsmith's scores, re-recorded by City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and conducted by Nic Raine.
First Tadlow CD released in 2017:
Second Tadlow CD released in 2018:
| Year | Result | Award | Category | Recipient | Episode |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | Nominated | Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Music for Television | — | ||
| 1962 | Best Edited Television Program | Danny B. Landres | "Third for Pinochle" | ||
| Best Dramatic Presentation | — | — |
Gold Key Comics published a comic book version of Thriller, beginning in October 1962.[6]
The title changed to Boris Karloff: Tales of Mystery after the TV series ended; the comic book series lasted until the very end of 1979, long after the death of Karloff himself. Dark Horse Comics published an archive reprint of the series beginning in 2009.[7]
On August 31, 2010, Image Entertainment released Thriller: The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1. The 14-disc set contains all 67 episodes, remastered and uncut, with new commentary tracks and separated music tracks.[8]