The Veil
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (May 2009) |
| The Veil | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Horror Mystery fiction |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 12 |
| Release | |
| Original release | 1958 |
The Veil is an American horror/supernatural anthology television series produced in 1958 by Hal Roach Studios, very similar to Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond.
Format[]
The series is hosted by Boris Karloff, who also acts in every episode but one (Jack the Ripper). Episode plots allegedly were based upon real-life reports of supernatural happenings and the unexplained. Ten of the 12 episodes begin and end with Karloff standing in front of a roaring fireplace and inviting viewers to find out what lies "behind the veil". Guest stars included Whit Bissell, George Hamilton, Myron Healy, Patrick MacNee and others.
Hailed by critics as "the greatest television series never seen" (according to DVD release publicity), The Veil was never broadcast. Troubles within the studio (and the collapse of a preliminary co-production arrangement with National Telefilm Associates) resulted in production being cancelled after only 10 episodes were produced. The number of episodes was considered to be too small to justify sale to a network or to syndication. In the late 1960s, several episodes were combined to make feature-length films that aired on late night television. Ten episodes were released to the public on home video in their entirety for the first time in the 1990s, and have subsequently been released on DVD by Something Weird Video.
In 1999, "Lifting the Veil of Mystery", a Tom Weaver article on the making of the series (complete with episode guide), appeared in issue #29 of Cult Movies magazine. It was later expanded into the book Scripts from the Crypt: The Veil (BearManor, 2017) which featured the series' history, scripts of several episodes, interviews with some of the participants, and a chapter on Boris Karloff's career as a television anthology host. Contributors included Weaver, Dr. Robert J. Kiss, and Barbara Bibas Montero, the daughter of the series' creator-producer, Frank Bibas.
For many years it was thought that only 10 episodes of The Veil had been produced, and that two extra titles cited in references ("The Vestris" and "Peggy") were just "alternate titles". However, in 2008, Timeless Media Group released a two-DVD set of The Veil, under the title Tales of the Unexplained, which included "The Vestris" and "Peggy" for a total of 12 episodes. "The Vestris" was a backdoor pilot for The Veil that aired as a 1958 episode of the ABC-TV anthology series Telephone Time.[1][2]
Episodes[]
There are a total of 12 episodes in the series. There is no actual airing order, since the series never aired. The episode order below is the order used in the original home video release.
| No. overall |
No. in season |
Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TBA | TBA | "The Vestris" | Arthur Hiller | David Evans | ||
|
(with Torin Thatcher and ); Note: This Episode was a backdoor pilot that aired on Feb. 25, 1958 as an episode of the ABC-TV anthology show Telephone Time (S3E25)) | ||||||
| TBA | TBA | "Vision of Crime" | Herbert L. Strock | Fred Schiller | ||
| (with Robert Hardy, Patrick Macnee and ) | ||||||
| TBA | TBA | "Girl on the Road" | George Waggner | George Waggner | ||
| (with Tod Andrews and Eve Brent) | ||||||
| TBA | TBA | "Food on the Table" | Frank P. Bibas | Jack Jacobs | ||
| (with and Tudor Owen) | ||||||
| TBA | TBA | "The Doctor" | George Waggner | David Evans | ||
| (with and Argentina Brunetti) | ||||||
| TBA | TBA | "The Crystal Ball" | Herbert L. Strock | Robert L. Joseph | ||
| (with Booth Colman and Roxane Berard) | ||||||
| TBA | TBA | "A Chapter Of Genesis" | George Waggner | Sidney Morse | ||
| (with Katherine Squire and ) | ||||||
| TBA | TBA | "Summer Heat" | George Waggner | Rik Vollaerts | ||
| (with Harry Bartell and Paul Bryar) | ||||||
| TBA | TBA | "The Return of Madame Vernoy" | Herbert L. Strock | Stanley H. Silverman | ||
| (with , and George Hamilton) | ||||||
| TBA | TBA | "Destination Nightmare" | Paul Landres | Ellis Marcus | ||
| (with Ron Hagerthy and Myron Healey) | ||||||
| TBA | TBA | "Jack the Ripper" | David MacDonald | Michael Plant | ||
| (with Niall MacGinnis and Dorothy Alison; produced by a different studio) | ||||||
| TBA | TBA | "Whatever Happened To Peggy?" | Herbert L. Strock | Stanley H. Silverman | ||
| (with Denise Alexander, Whit Bissell and Olive Blakeney) | ||||||
Trivia[]
- The only episode in which Karloff does not appear as a character in the story, as well as serving as the host, is "Jack the Ripper"; this episode was produced by another studio and acquired by Hal Roach Studios.
- Karloff's introductions for the episodes "Destination Nightmare" and "Peggy" are set in a study, rather than in front of a fireplace like the others.
- Episodes have been screened at the annual Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention in Aberdeen, Maryland.
External links[]
References[]
- ^ "Timeless Media Tales of the Unexplained webpage". Archived from the original on 2010-11-29.
- ^ Bibas Montero, Barbara; Weaver, Tom; Kiss, Dr. Robert J. (2017). Boris Karloff's The Veil. BearManor Media. ISBN 9781629331669. Retrieved 2020-08-31.
- 1950s American anthology television series
- 1958 American television series debuts
- 1958 American television series endings
- American horror fiction television series
- Horror fiction television series