So here’s something interesting. The unsold pilot for Tales of Frankenstein. Apparently, Hammer wanted to make a Frankenstein series and the producers from across the pond wanted a more anthology approach: notice the anthology-like intro, which is really reaching. Basically, any really weird story is a “Tale of Frankenstein”? Really? You couldn’t just go with a sane concept and more generic title, like Suspense! or Escape! or something? Regardless…here it is…
Now as an aside, here’s the American producers trying to get their wish — watch this Jack the Ripper story with the Tales of Frankenstein frame around it…
And for some additional fun…here’s an episode of yet another failed anthology series: The Veil, which was hosted by and starred Boris Karloff. Watch at least through the opening…you might find the show familiar…
The show never aired due to the producers, Hal Roach Studios, apparently falling apart. It only became available in the 1990s. So that’s twice that particular Jack the Ripper story didn’t get on television. Hard luck indeed.
The Tales of Frankenstein pilot is available on DVD…but seriously, it’s less than a half hour long and that appears to be it on the disc. So I’m not even bothering. And The Veil is available with ten episodes for super-cheap here.
Previous Day 17 fun has included New York’s Procession of the Ghouls, Kurt Russell and the Osmonds visiting Disney’s Haunted Mansion, my walkthrough of the Poe House, Milton Berle meeting Dracula, and Year One we had the original Alien trailer.
