Thriller (1962)

 

As it shambled toward its inevitable death at the hands of that other master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock, as documented in our post on the 1961 episodes, Thriller continued its obsession with inheritance-motivated murder and marital infidelity plots with an occasional foray into gothic horror or contemporary true crime. The diversity of themes is not so much the series' biggest problem as it is the recycling of well-known stories that had already been rendered more effectively elsewhere. One of the prime offenders is "Waxworks" (January 8, 1962), which bears too close a resemblance to the 1953 Vincent Price classic feature film House of Wax even if the Thriller episode is based loosely on screenwriter Robert Bloch's earlier 1939 story for the pulp magazine Weird Tales. Besides the by-then shop-worn story, the explanations for the weird happenings provided at the end of the episode simply don't make sense, as wryly discussed by the authors of the blog A Thriller a Day..., which is recommended reading for anyone who wants to dig very deep into the series. Also borrowing heavily from familiar horror and suspense plots is "A Wig for Miss Devore" (January 29, 1962), which mashes up "The Picture of Dorian Gray," Sunset Boulevard, and an 18th-century witch hanging with predictable results. "The Bride Who Died Twice" (March 19, 1962) borrows from Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet in having Consuelo de la Varra fake her own death on the night of her forced marriage to evil military commander Col. Sangriento in order to escape his clutches and later be reunited with her true love, the dashing young Captain Bartolomeo Antonio Fernandez. But as with Shakespeare's tragedy, all does not end well as the reunited lovers are discovered and captured by Sangriento, who executes Fernandez only to discover that the young captain has slipped a deadly poison to Consuelo before expiring, allowing her to follow him in death and elude Sangriento once again.

The inheritance murder episodes include "An Attractive Family" (January 1, 1962) chronicling the New England Farrington brood whose children marry wealthy marks and then fabricate accidental deaths to inherit their estates and thus continue to fund their own leisurely lifestyle. This is another episode where the explanations at the end don't quite add up--we have Farrington sister-in-law Virginia Wells dreaming that she is being driven to hang herself in a supposedly haunted mansion whose previous owner also did away with himself, then having that nightmare play out in real life, only the voices driving her to kill herself are the Farringtons, since she has inherited half of her late sister's estate, but Virginia, it turns out, has been on to them all along and entraps them after they confess to killing her sister. So the nightmares didn't really happen? It's confusing to say the least. "Cousin Tundifer" (February 19, 1962) pulls off the inheritance murder scheme with a bit more creativity as the excellent Edward Andrews returns to the series to play avaricious nephew Miles Tundifer, who bears a striking resemblance to a distant relative hanged for murder in the 19th century. Miles discovers a time portal in an old house his rich uncle is having restored, and after reading a book on how to get away with murder, decides to knock off his uncle in the 19th century part of the house, stash his body there, and live scot free on the inheritance after leaving the house in the present. And it almost works except for a meddling couple of prior residents in the 19th century part of the house who think he is his notorious ancestor, call the cops on him, and have him taken away in a 19th-century paddy wagon. The first of the two stories in "The Lethal Ladies" (April 16, 1962) features a philandering husband whose wife has all the money, prompting him to plot her demise so that he can be financially independent and allowed to canoodle with his mistress openly, only his wife is also on to him and survives being pushed off a cliff into a body of water weighed down by a harness full of rocks. But this episode has one of those tacked-on reversals when the wife is outraged that her husband dies from fright before she has a chance to push him off the same cliff and then slips off the cliff herself when she loses her balance. The second half of this two-part episode has another tacked on ending with a long-suffering library employee able to successfully trap her mean-spirited new boss in the rare book vault on the last day of the semester, guaranteeing that he will suffocate before anyone can find him three months later, only to have Boris Karloff narrate at the end of the episode that she, too, slipped off a cliff and was killed while on summer vacation. We are supposed to be amused by the irony of two different characters played by the same actress in the same episode meeting the same ending, but the latter demise is forced and disconnected from anything depicted on screen.

Speaking of disconnected, the final episode of the series, "The Specialists" (April 30, 1962), was, according to commentary on imdb.com, a pilot for a new series that was never picked up. It plays more like an episode of The Avengers without the nonchalance and witty interplay of Steed and Mrs. Peel. U.S. Government agent Peter Duncan chases murderous jewel smugglers in Canada and England and almost gets blown up a couple of times, including a final scene reminiscent of a Hitchcock thriller, before finally nabbing the smuggler/bomber in a fight on a staircase. There is very little to get attached to in this one as Duncan is played with Robert Stack-like stoicism by Lin McCarthy, and his one scene with his wife fails to provide him with the warmth we are supposed to feel about him being just a regular family man. After the case is cracked and Duncan is invited to take some time off with a vacation in England, he glibly tells his British counterpart that he needs to get back to Washington for a picnic with his son, whom we have never seen. Duncan's family priorities may be a step above those of Elliot Ness but are less than convincing.

Despite these disappointing episodes, Thriller continued to excel at its specialty--gothic horror. Perhaps the best of the final 16 episodes from Season 2 is "The Incredible Doctor Markesan" (February 26, 1962) which stars Karloff in the title role and allows him to somewhat reprise his most famous film appearance, though this time he is the mad doctor who finds a way to reanimate the dead. The creepy, southern-decay atmospherics are top notch in the depiction of Markesan's dilapidated Oakmoor estate, and Karloff himself is brilliant as the tight-lipped and foreboding former college professor. This episode also benefits by avoiding the urge to provide some sort of happy ending or tacked-on cute plot twist--the denouement is just as grim as the rest of the narrative. "The Hollow Watcher" (February 12, 1962) likewise uses a southern location to create an air of superstition-driven horror, though this time we are sent to Appalachia in rural Black Hollow, North Carolina rather than the deep south. The set-up leads us to believe the legend of the hollow watcher, an otherwordly avenger who sees all and exacts retribution on murderers, is just the creation of local ignorant superstition. This is the view taken by Irishman Sean O'Danagh when he arrives to complete an inheritance murder plot already begun by his "sister" Meg, who has married Hugo Wheeler and killed his father while Hugo was unconscious in order to steal the $5000 the father reportedly had hidden somewhere on his property. While Sean is snooping around for the fortune one night and is attacked by the scarecrow usually guarding the road in town--the same scarecrow in which Meg tells him she hid the father's dead body--he believes Hugo has dressed himself up as a scarecrow to try to frighten him off, and later Sean assumes that some of the village folk intercepted a letter he had sent Meg before his arrival which may have been a little too loose in discussing their plan. But when Sean again thinks that Hugo will try donning the scarecrow outfit to frighten him after excusing himself early from dinner one evening, he follows him into the barn and finds him dead, then turns around to be attacked by the scarecrow, which clearly now is not a living person in disguise. The scarecrow dispatches Sean and then turns to take care of his accomplice Meg, hiding in the house while watching through the window at the terrible happenings in the barn. The scarecrow is able to break into the house and chase her upstairs, and while she is able to stop the demon by setting fire to his body made of hay, she sees the father's skeleton emerge after the hay is burned away, then crumple to the ground, after which she crumples in a heap laughing madly. Again, no winking irony or forced plot twist makes this one of the better episodes in the series. The same accolades can be given to the episode "La Strega" (January 15, 1962) set in the superstitious distant past of small-town Italy and involving accusations of witchcraft. Is the title character really a witch who holds a supernatural hold over her fearful granddaughter, or is her power only a figment of the backward townspeople's imagination? The plot bounces back and forth between logical explanations for unusual happenings and events that seem to defy logical explanation, prompting the viewer to try to decide whether La Strega is really the witch she is accused of being. However, this episode suffers a little because of a silly modern-dance Black Mass scene in the woods orchestrated by La Strega and a somewhat predictable final plot twist when poor Spanish painter Tonio Bellini thinks that he has killed the witch but instead finds out a curse she placed on him has come true.

Still, churning out 30 or more episodes per season of first-rate horror and suspense is no easy task, and we should not be too harsh if Thriller failed to hit the jackpot on every episode. Rather, the series deserves its well-earned respect for hitting the heights on the few occasions that it did. Not many other dramatic series from the era ever did so.

 

The Actors

For the biography of Boris Karloff, see the 1960 post of Thriller.

Notable Guest Stars

Season 2, Episode 15, "An Attractive Family": Richard Long (starred in The Stranger, Criss Cross, All I Desire, and as Tom Kettle in 4 Ma and Pa Kettle features, and played Red Randolph on Bourbon Street Beat and 77 Sunset Strip, Jarrod Barkley on The Big Valley, Professor Everett on Nanny and the Professor, and Ernie Paine on Thicker Than Water) plays New England murderous family member Richard Farrington. Joan Tetzel (appeared in Duel in the Sun, The Paradine Case, The File on Thelma Jordan, The Red Dress, and Joy in the Morning) plays his sister Marian. Otto Kruger (appeared in Treasure Island, Dracula's Daughter, Saboteur, Murder, My Sweet, and High Noon) plays their uncle Bert. Joyce Bulifant (shown on the left, played Mary Gentry on Tom, Dick and Mary, Mrs. Marsha Patterson on The Bill Cosby Show, Peggy Wilson on Love Thy Neighbor, Marjorie Martin on Big John, Little John, Marie Slaughter on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Miriam Willoughby on Flo, and Emily Wallace on Weird Science) plays Richard's sister-in-law Virginia Wells. Leo G. Carroll (appeared in Clive of India, A Christmas Carol (1938), Wuthering Heights, Rebecca, Spellbound, Father of the Bride, The Bad and the Beautiful, North by Northwest, and The Parent Trap and played Cosmo Topper on Topper, Father Fitzgibbon on Going My Way, and Alexander Waverly on The Man From U.N.C.L.E., The Girl From U.N.C.L.E., and in 4 Man From U.N.C.L.E. feature films) plays bird watcher Major Downey. William Mims (see the biography section for the 1960 post on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp) plays Iowa corn farmer George Drake. Paul Barselou (played various bartenders in 9 episodes of Bewitched) plays canoe renter Mr. Lamb. Will Wright (Ben Weaver on The Andy Griffith Show and Mr. Merrivale on Dennis the Menace) plays constable Tom Walker.

Season 2, Episode 16, "Waxworks": Oscar Homolka (starred in The Dreyfus Case, Anna Lucasta, The Seven Year Itch, War and Peace, and A Farewell to Arms) plays wax museum proprietor Pierre Jacquelin. Antoinette Bower (Fox Devlin on Neon Rider) plays his "niece" Annette. Booth Colman (Zaius on Planet of the Apes, Prof. Hector Jerrold on General Hospital, and Dr. Felix Burke on The Young and the Restless) plays police detective Lt. Bailey. Alan Baxter (appeared in Saboteur, Close-Up, Judgment at Nuremberg, and Paint Your Wagon) plays his partner Sgt. Dane. Ron Ely (shown on the right, starred in The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker, Night of the Grizzly, and Doc Savage: Man of Bronze and played Mike Madison on The Aquanauts and Tarzan on Tarzan) plays young policeman Lt. Mike Hudson. Martin Kosleck (appeared in Confessions of a Nazi Spy, The Mad Doctor, Nazi Agent, The Hitler Gang, The Mummy's Curse, House of Horrors, Hitler, and The Flesh Eaters) plays visiting French gendarme Col. Andre Bertroux. J. Pat O'Malley (see the biography section for the 1961 post on Frontier Circus) plays a morgue attendant. Amy Fields (Jean on The F.B.I.) plays art student Irene Coulter.

Season 2, Episode 17, "La Strega": Alejandro Rey (Carlos Ramirez on The Flying Nun and Capt. Luis Rueda on Dallas)  plays poor Spanish painter Tonio Bellini. Jeannette Nolan (starred in Macbeth (1948), The Big Heat, Tribute to a Bad Man, and The Reluctant Astronaut, did voicework for Psycho, The Rescuers, and The Fox and the Hound, and played Annette Devereaux on Hotel de Paree and Holly Grainger on The Virginian) plays alleged Italian witch La Strega. Ursula Andress (shown on the left, starred in Dr. No, Fun in Acapulco, She, What's New Pussycat, Casino Royale, The Sensuous Nurse, and Clash of the Titans) plays her granddaughter Luana. Ramon Novarro (appeared in The Prisoner of Zenda, Scaramouche, Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1925), The Road to Romance, Mata Hari, The Big Steal, and Heller in Pink Tights) plays Tonio's teacher Maestro Guiliano. Frank DeKova (Chief Wild Eagle on F Troop and Louis Campagna on The Untouchables) plays policeman Lt. Vincoli.

Season 2, Episode 18, "The Storm": Nancy Kelly (shonw on the right, Oscar nominee, sister of Jack Kelly, and once married to Edmond O'Brien, starred  in Tail Spin, Jesse James, Tarzan's Desert Mystery, Show Business, and The Bad Seed) plays homeowner Janet Willsom. David McLean (see the biography section for the 1960 post on Tate) plays her husband Ben. James Griffith (Deputy Tom Ferguson on U.S. Marshal) plays taxi driver Ed Brandies.

Season 2, Episode 19, "A Wig for Miss Devore": Patricia Barry (shown on the left, played Kate Harris on Harris Against the World, Lydia McGuire on Dr. Kildare, Adelaide Horton Williams on Days of Our Lives, Peg English on All My Children, and Sally Gleason on Guiding Light) plays washed-up actress Sheila Devore. John Fiedler (appeared in 12 Angry Men, That Touch of Mink, The World of Henry Orient, Kiss Me, Stupid, Girl Happy, The Odd Couple, True Grit and played Emil Peterson on The Bob Newhart Show and Woody on Buffalo Bill) plays movie studio bookkeeper Herbert Bleake. Herbert Rudley (Sam Brennan on The Californians, Lt. Will Gentry on Michael Shayne, General Crone on Mona McCluskey, and Herb Hubbard on The Mothers-in-Law) plays movie studio head Max Quinke. John Baragrey (appeared in The Creeper, Pardners, and The Fugitive Kind and played Arthur Rysdale on The Secret Storm and James Blair on Dark Shadows) plays director George Machik. Linda Watkins (Robin Crosley on One Life to Live) plays gossip columnist Arabella Foote. Bernard Fein (Pvt. Gomez on The Phil Silvers Show) plays Sheila's bodyguard Lester Clyne. Pamela Searle (Miss England and 3rd runner-up in the 1959 Miss Universe contest) plays 18th-century woman hanged as a witch Meg Payton. Maurice Dallimore (Willie Shorthouse on Fair Exchange) plays one of her hangmen.

Season 2, Episode 20, "The Hollow Watcher": Denver Pyle (Ben Thompson on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp, Grandpa Tarleton on Tammy, Briscoe Darling on The Andy Griffith Show, Buck Webb on The Doris Day Show, Mad Jack on The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams, and Uncle Jesse on The Dukes of Hazzard) plays rural North Carolina store owner Ortho Wheeler. Warren Oates (shown on the far right, see the biography section for the 1962 post on Stoney Burke) plays his son Hugo. Audrey Dalton (shown on the near right, appeared in Titanic (1953), Separate Tables, and Kitten With a Whip) plays Hugo's mail-order bride Meg O'Danagh Wheeler. Sean McClory (Jack McGivern on The Californians and Myles Delaney on Bring 'Em Back Alive) plays her "brother" Sean. Sandy Kenyon (Des Smith on Crunch and Des, Shep Baggott on The Travels of Jaimie McPheeters, and Reverend Kathrun on Knots Landing) plays store clerk Mason. Walter Burke (starred in All the King's Men, Jack the Giant Killer, and Support Your Local Sheriff! and played Tim Potter on Black Saddle) plays store customer Croxton. Norman Leavitt (Ralph on Trackdown) plays checker player Hendricks. Eve McVeagh (starred in High Noon, The Glass Web, and Tight Spot and played Frances Moseby on The Clear Horizon and Miss Hammond on Petticoat Junction) plays store customer Mrs. Curtis. Mary Grace Canfield (Amanda Allison on The Hathaways, Harriet Kravitz on Bewitched, and Ralph Monroe on Green Acres) plays store customer Ally Rose.

Season 2, Episode 21, "Cousin Tundifer": Edward Andrews (shown on the left, appeared in The Harder They Fall, Elmer Gantry, The Absent-Minded Professor, Son of Flubber, Advise and Consent, and The Glass Bottom Boat and played Cmdr. Rogers Adrian on Broadside and Col. Fairburn on The Doris Day Show) plays avaricious nephew Miles Tundifer.  Vaughn Taylor (starred in Jailhouse Rock, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Psycho, and In Cold Blood and played Ernest P. Duckweather on Johnny Jupiter) plays his rich old uncle Pontifex. Sue Ane Langdon (Kitty Marsh on Bachelor Father, Lillian Nuvo on Arnie, Rosie on Grandpa Goes to Washington, Darlene on When the Whistle Blows, and Marge Pulaski on General Hospital) plays exotic dancer Queenie De Lyte. Dayton Lummis (appeared in Man in the Dark, The View From Pompey's Head, and Elmer Gantry and played Marshal Andy Morrison on Law of the Plainsman) plays Miles' lawyer Millard Braystone. Howard McNear (see the biography section for the 1961 post on The Andy Griffith Show) plays building contractor Jack Passasstroy. Bart Patton (see the biography section for the 1960 post on Riverboat) plays his assistant Joe. Cyril Delevanti (Lucious Coin on Jefferson Drum) plays a ghost from 1890. Clem Bevans (appeared in Sergeant York, Saboteur, The Yearling, Mourning Becomes Electra, and Harvey) plays a bookseller. Jim Bannon (Red Ryder in 4 feature films and the TV series Red Ryder, Sandy North on The Adventures of Champion, Sheriff Tom Tynes on Casey Jones, and was the announcer on Ethel and Albert) plays a police lieutenant.

Season 2, Episode 22, "The Incredible Doctor Markesan": Boris Karloff (see the biography section for the 1960 post on Thriller) plays former college researcher Dr. Konrad Markesan. Dick York (shown on the right, played Tom Colwell on Going My Way and Darrin Stephens on Bewitched) plays his nephew Fred Bancroft. Carolyn Kearney (appeared in Hot Rod Girl, Young and Wild, and The Thing That Wouldn't Die and played Ellen Holt on Lassie) plays Fred's wife Molly. Richard Hale (starred in Abilene Town, Kim, San Antone, Red Garters, and To Kill a Mockingbird) plays dead college Prof. Everett Latimore. Henry Hunter (Doctor Summerfield on Hazel) plays college dean Prof. Angus Holden. Billy Beck (Lt. Trask on Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, the photo editor on Lou Grant, Charles on Falcon Crest, and Nick Pappasmearos on Son of the Beach) plays dead college Prof. Grant.

Season 2, Episode 23, "Flowers of Evil": Luciana Paluzzi (shown on the left, starred in My Seven Little Sins, Sea Fury, Return to Peyton Place, Muscle Beach Party, To Trap a Spy, Thunderball, The Venetian Affair, and The Green Slime and played Simone Genet on Five Fingers) plays lawyer's widow Madalena. Kevin Hagen (John Colton on Yancy Derringer, Inspector Dobbs Kobick on Land of the Giants, Dr. Hiram Baker on Little House on the Prairie, and Toughie Richards on General Hospital) plays medical school secretary Arno Lunt. Jack Weston (appeared in Imitation of Life, The Incredible Mr. Limpet, The Cincinnati Kid, The Thomas Crown Affair, The Four Seasons, and Dirty Dancing and played Wilbur "Wormsey" Wormser on Red Brown of the Rocket Rangers, Chick Adams on My Sister Eileen, Walter Hathaway on The Hathaways, and Danny Zimmer on The Four Seasons) plays medical school director Maurice Reynard. Gregory Gaye (appeared in Dodsworth, Tovarich, Ninotchka, and Creature With the Atom Brain and played The Ruler on Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe and Andre the Maitre D' on The Roaring 20's) plays the medical school president.

Season 2, Episode 24, "Til Death Do Us Part": Henry Jones (shown on the right, played Dean Fred Baker on Channing, Owen Metcalf on The Girl With Something Extra, Judge Jonathan Dexter on Phyllis, Josh Alden on Mrs. Columbo, Homer McCoy on Gun Shy, B. Riley Wicker on Falcon Crest, and Hughes Whitney Lennox on I Married Dora) plays undertaker Carl Somers. Reta Shaw (Flora McCauley on The Ann Sothern Show, Thelma on The Tab Hunter Show, Mrs. Stanfield on Oh, Those Bells, and Martha Grant on The Ghost and Mrs. Muir) plays wealthy family spinster Celia Hooper. Philip Ober (one-time husband of Vivian Vance, appeared in From Here to Eternity, North by Northwest, and Elmer Gantry) plays Celia's brother Elmer.  Jocelyn Brando (Marlon Brando's sister, appeared in The Big Heat, The Ugly American, The Chase, and Mommie Dearest and played Mrs. Reeves on Dallas) plays Elmer's wife Myrtle. Walker Edmiston (Enik on Land of the Lost and voiced Dr. Blinkey and Orson Vulture on H.R. Pufnstuf, Admiral Scuttlebutt, Bela, and Big Chief Sitting Duck on Lidsville, Sebastian on Dumbo's Circus, and Sir Thornberry on Adventures of the Gummi Bears) plays Somers' assistant Jerry Flagg. Jim Davis (Matt Clark on Stories of the Century, Wes Cameron on Rescue 8, Marshal Bill Winter on The Cowboys, and Jock Ewing on Dallas) plays the Prunedale marshal. Eve McVeagh (see "The Hollow Watcher" above) plays saloon hostess Bonnie. Edgar Buchanan (Uncle Joe Carson on The Beverly Hillbillies, Green Acres, and Petticoat Junction, Red Connors on Hopalong Cassidy, Judge Roy Bean on Judge Roy Bean, Doc Burrage on The Rifleman, and J.J. Jackson on Cade's County) plays Prunedale new physician Doc O'Connor. Phil Arnold (vaudeville actor, appeared in Little Miss Broadway, Deadline, G.I. Jane, The Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell, and Robin and the 7 Hoods and played Dr. Zerbo on Cowboy G-Men) plays saloon worker Curly.

Season 2, Episode 25, "The Bride Who Died Twice": Eduardo Ciannelli (see the biography section for the 1960 post on Johnny Staccato) plays South American country figurehead president Gen. de la Varra. Mala Powers (shown on the left, starred in Cyrano de Bergerac, Rose of Cimarron, and Tammy and the Bachelor and played Rebecca Boone on Walt Disney's Daniel Boone and Mona on Hazel) an his daughter Consuelo. Joe De Santis (appeared in Deadline - U.S.A., I Want to Live!, Al Capone, and Madame X) plays military commander Col. Sangriento. Robert Colbert (see the biography section for the 1961 post on Maverick) plays Consuelo's betrothed Capt. Bartolomeo Antonio Fernandez. Roberto Contreras (Pedro on The High Chapparal) plays one of Sangriento's men. Peter Brocco (appeared in The Prisoner of Zenda, Spartacus, Our Man Flint, and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and played Peter the waiter on The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show and Mr. Spencer on The Young Marrieds) plays local priest Padre Herrera. Alex Montoya (Miguel Morales on The High Chaparral) plays the cemetery custodian. Natividad Vacio (Fronk on Father Knows Best) plays a cantina owner.

Season 2, Episode 26, "Kill My Love": Richard Carlson (shown on the right, starred in No, No Nanette, The Little Foxes, King Solomon's Mines, It Came From Outer Space, Creature From the Black Lagoon, and The Power and played Herbert A. Philbrick on I Led 3 Lives and Col. Ranald S. Mackenzie on Mackenzie's Raiders) plays traveling businessman Guy Guthrie. K.T. Stevens (Vanessa Prentiss on The Young and the Restless) plays his wife Olive. David Kent (Bill Scott on Leave It to Beaver) plays his son Julian. Kasey Rogers (Julie Anderson on Peyton Place and Louise Tate on Bewitched) plays San Diego model Anthea Jason. Patricia Breslin (Amanda Peoples Miller on The People's Choice, Laura Brooks on Peyton Place, and Meg Bentley on General Hospital) plays lounge pianist Dinah Duffay. Larry J. Blake (played the unnamed jailer on Yancy Derringer and Tom Parnell on Saints and Sinners) plays lounge bartender Larry.

Season 2, Episode 27, "Man of Mystery": John Van Dreelen (starred in The Leech Woman, 13 Ghosts, and Topaz) plays reclusive international financier Joel Stone. Walter Burke (see "The Hollow Watcher" above) plays his assistant Lucas. Mary Tyler Moore (shown on the left, see the biography section for the 1961 post on The Dick Van Dyke Show) plays nightclub singer Sherry Smith. William Windom (appeared in To Kill a Mockingbird, The Americanization of Emily, and Escape From the Planet of the Apes and played Congressman Glen Morley on The Farmer's Daughter, John Monroe on My World and Welcome to It, Larry Krandall on Brothers and Sisters, Frank Buckman on Parenthood, and Dr. Seth Hazlitt on Murder, She Wrote) plays stand-up comedian Lou Waters. Ken Lynch (see the biography section for the 1961 post on Checkmate) plays nightclub manager Rudy. Robert Sampson (Sgt. Walsh on Steve Canyon, Father Mike Fitzgerald on Bridget Love Bernie, and Sheriff Turk Tobias on Falcon Crest) plays a newspaper reporter. William Phipps (see the biography section for the 1960 post on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp) plays Stone's former public relations agent Harry Laxer. Willis Bouchey (Mayor Terwilliger on The Great Gildersleeve, Springer on Pete and Gladys, and the judge 23 times on Perry Mason) plays police detective Lt. Farnham. Ralph Clanton (William Collins on Search for Tomorrow) plays psychiatrist Dr. John Grail. Yuki Shomoda (Aki on Johnny Midnight) plays Stone's servant Koto.

Season 2, Episode 28, "The Innocent Bystanders": John Anderson (see the biography section for the 1960 post on The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp) plays body-snatcher Jacob Grant. George Kennedy (starred in Charade, The Sons of Katie Elder, The Dirty Dozen, Cool Hand Luke, and The Naked Gun and played MP Sgt. Kennedy on The Phil Silvers Show, Father Samuel Cavanaugh on Sarge, Bumper Morgan on The Blue Knight, and Carter McKay on Dallas) plays his partner John Paterson. Gale Robbins (shown on the right, singer who appeared in The Barkleys of Broadway, Three Little Words, and Calamity Jane) plays his sister-in-law Mary Jerold. Jean Engstrom (mother of actor Jena Engstrom) plays his wife Anne. Carl Benton Reid (starred in The Little Foxes, In a Lonely Place, Lorna Doone, and The Left Hand of God and played The Man on Burke's Law) plays medical researcher and lecturer Dr. Marcus Graham. Than Wyenn (Licenciado Piña on Zorro) plays his assistant Vane. Steven Terrell (Tom on The Pride of the Family) plays Grant's lodger Bruce Evans. Clegg Hoyt (Mac on Dr. Kildare) plays competing body-snatcher Kyle.

Season 2, Episode 29, "The Lethal Ladies": Howard Morris (shown on the left, appeared in Boys' Night Out, The Nutty Professor, and High Anxiety, played Ernest T. Bass on The Andy Griffith Show, and voiced Beetle Bailey, Gen. Halftrack, Otto, and Rocky on Beetle Bailey, Breezly Bruin on The Peter Potamus Show, Mr. Peebles on The Magilla Gorilla Show, Atom Ant on The Atom Ant Show, Jughead Jones, Big Moose, and Dilton Doiley on The Archie Show and Archie's Funhouse, Frankie, Wolfie, and Dr. Jekyll on Sabrina and the Groovie Goulies, Cousin Ambrose on Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, and The Hamburglar on McDonaldland) plays poor investor Myron Sills and head librarian Dr. Wilfred Bliss. Rosemary Murphy (appeared in The Young Doctors, To Kill a Mockingbird, Ben, and Walking Tall and played Nola Hollister on The Secret Storm and Margaret Blumenthal on Lucas Tanner) plays Sills' wife Lavinia and longtime library employee Alice Quimby. Marjorie Bennett (see the biography section for the 1960 post on The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis) plays switchboard operator Mercedes. Robert Carson (Mr. Maddis on The George Burns and Gracie Allen Show) plays stockbroker Albert White. Hank Brandt (Leonard Waggedorn on Julia, Morgan Hess on Dynasty, and Dr. Aaron Kranzler on Santa Barbara) plays library employee Richard Sutter. Jackie Russell (Peggy Connolly on The Joey Bishop Show) plays library employee Martha Foster. Ralph Moody (see the biography section for the 1961 post on The Rifleman) plays library custodian Mr. Jacobson. Jackie Joseph (wife of Ken Berry, starred in Little Shop of Horrors, Who's Minding the Mint?, The Cheyenne Social Club, and Gremlins, played Jackie Parker on The Doris Day Show, and voiced Melody on Josie and the Pussycats and Josie and the Pussy Cats in Outer Space and Sandy on Dinky Dog) plays Bliss' new hire Miss Martin.

Season 2, Episode 30, "The Specialists": Lin McCarthy (starred in Yellowneck, The D.I., and Face of a Fugitive and played Bill Talbot on Modern Romances) plays government agent Peter Duncan. David Frankham (appeared in Return of the Fly, Master of the World, and King Rat and played Reverend Daniels on The Bold and the Beautiful) plays his partner Joe Carter. Ronald Howard (shown on the far right, played Sherlock Holmes on Sherlock Holmes, Stephen Britten on Mary Britten, M.D., Wing Commander Hayes on Cowboy in Africa, and Dr. John Dartington on The Lotus Eaters) plays jewel smuggler Martin Gresham. Robert Douglas (appeared in The Fountainhead, Kim, Ivanhoe, and The Prisoner of Zenda and directed multiple episodes of 77 Sunset Strip, 12 O'Clock High, The F.B.I., and Baretta amongst many others) plays Gresham's boss Anthony Hugh Swinburne. Ray Montgomery (Prof. Howard Ogden on Ramar of the Jungle) plays smuggling ring member Ray Coleman. Suzanne Lloyd (shown on the near right, played Raquel Toledano on Zorro) plays Coleman's sister Helen. Lauren Gilbert (appeared in X-15, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, and The Fortune Cookie and played John Olcott on Fairmeadows, U.S.A., Tom Craythorne on Love of Life, Harry Lane on The Edge of Night, and Harry Noll on Hazel) plays Duncan's boss Tracy. Sean McClory (see "The Hollow Watcher" above) plays Duncan's British contact Galt. Alan Caillou (Jason Flood on Tarzan and The Head on Quark) plays the London police superintendent. Doris Lloyd (starred in Waterloo Bridge, Tarzan the Ape Man, Oliver Twist, and The Time Machine) plays Helen Coleman's landlady. Paddi Edwards (Doris on The Trouble With Harry and voiced Gorda on Phantom 2040, Atropos on Hercules, and Vera Groober-Schwartz on Pepper Ann) plays a nurse pushing a baby stroller. Richard Peel (Inspector Keith Barker on Bold Venture and Mr. Withers on Family Affair) plays a London policeman.