Ghost Story (1972 TV series)

It was part of NBC's early-'70s anthology streak, which also included Love Story (1973-74), Police Story (1973-78), and Medical Story (1975-76).

Everything flopped in the ratings except Police Story, which ran for six seasons and spun off Police Woman.

NBC's focus on anthologies, miniseries and movies during this period dug it into a ratings hole for a decade.

OP Never heard of it but it sounds interesting

Yes, I'm quite fond of it, although the twenty-three episodes are fairly hit-and-miss. (IMO, 'Bad Connection' is one of the misses.)

Only fourteen episodes are 'Ghost Story' (introduced by Sebastian Cabot at the Hotel Del Coronado). The series underwent a change mid-season and became 'Circle of Fear' for the remaining nine episodes. (Circle of Fear intro linked below):

Probably my favorite episode from this series would be '𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐡, 𝐀𝐢𝐫, 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫' (aired Jan 19, 1973), starring Frank Converse:

Ghost Story gays, what do you think of these episode rankings?

The #1 ranking at r5 involves Susan Dey, and of course that's enough for me!

^ DL Condolence Queen Susan Dey plus Leif Garrett and his little sister Dawn Lyn, Dodie from My Three Sons!

The #1 choice on R5's episode rankings, '𝐃𝐨𝐨𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐓𝐨 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡,' isn't a bad choice. It's probably 3 or 4 on my own list. Here's the episode:

r8, what would be your higher choices?

The episodes of Ghost Story are too long based on the few I watched. A half hour would have served the stories better as they feel repetitive and are rather predictable.

"The New House" apparently has a character called "Mrs. Ramsey." That scared me so much, that I couldn't get past the opening credits. Does it take place in Boulder, CO?

I remember watching a movie called " The Screaming Woman" when I was a kid. Me and my brothers were hugged up on the couch scared to death. I can't remember if it was part of "The Circle of Fear" series or not. I remember a story about a rocking horse, too.

"The Screaming Woman" was a very scary TV movie from the same year, 1972, starring Olivia de Havilland. It wasn't part of the "Ghost Story"/"Circle of Fear" anthology. there is a good episode of the latter, though, about a toy rocking horse, starring martin Sheen and Kim Darby called "Dark Vengeance."

What I remember most is Sebastian Cabot looking very drawn and much thinner than in his Mr French days. He had health issues and died rather young. I used to Imagine the Family Affair was between Brian Keith and him.

The "Doorway to Death" episode is pretty creepy, although it stars four of the most unappealling TV actors of the day I can imagine: Barry Nelson (he of the amazing unconvincing ratty Korean wigs), Susan Dey (with her awful nasal voice), and mouth-breathing siblings Leif Garrett and Dawn Lyn.

This series did have good music, although it overrelied on the harpsichord.

[quote]R12: I remember watching a movie called " The Screaming Woman" when I was a kid. Me and my brothers were hugged up on the couch scared to death.

R13 is correct about 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 (1972) with Olivia de Havilland. It was one of the ABC Movies of the Week. But there's also an episode of 𝐑𝐚𝐲 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫, a version of 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧 (Feb 22, 1986) starring Drew Barrymore, that's quite good.

The de Havilland version:

The 𝐑𝐚𝐲 𝐁𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 version of 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧:

[quote]R13: there is a good episode of the latter, though, about a toy rocking horse, starring martin Sheen and Kim Darby called "Dark Vengeance."

Here's that episode:

[quote]R15: This series did have good music, although it overrelied on the harpsichord.

Well, the harpsichord was mostly used in connection with Sebastian Cabot's scenes as host 'Winston Essex.' 'Ghost Story/Circle of Fear's score was written by Billy Goldenberg, about whom I cannot say enough good things. He was excellent.

R9, I will answer soon. I just want time to collect my thoughts about the episodes, and to give others time to respond to the thread. There's already too many of my own replies.

The episode "Bad Connection" has almost the quintessential Karen Black performance. She's excellent when she's being low-key, but when she has to react to the supernatural she wildly overdoes it. There's great POV cinematography in this episode, but also really confusing and murky day-for-night cinematography too.

Every episode of this series takes place in the Golden State, and it's usually not that scary of a place since it's so sunny.

I find Sebastian Cabot's presence in the first half of the season (before the name change) bewildering, His presence is always welcome since he's so likable and classy, and yet he isn't scary in the slightest, so you wonder why he's there.

Was Jodie Foster the deaf mute with the evil grandpa and the dollhouse?

Yes, r21.

This is one of the more famous ones because it starred Helen Hayes. It's got a good creepy set-up based probably on the Conraid Aiken story "Silent Snow, Secret Snow," about a child being possessed by his dark side. Unfortunately the child actor is exceptionally effeminate when he's playing his evil self, so he seems like his sexuality is linked to his evilness. It's also ruined by a dumb ending.

“Altar Ego” was my favorite as a child. I seem to remember it was shot in the Bewitched living room.

I liked the Barbara Parkins one

This is the Jodie Foster one.

Best thing in the Jodie Foster episode is when Richard Mulligan assembles Melvyn Douglas's cursed dollhouse for Jodie Foster.

JOAN HOTCHKISS: "It's just like this house! Same staircase, all the rooms... I wonder how he managed it!"

RICHARD MULLIGAN: "Just a coincidence!"

The Screaming Woman is dreadful. It's so padded and so anti-climactic. I was waiting for the scene where Olivia grinds that bitch of a daughter-in-law's face in the dirt and tells off her pussy whipped son. Charles Robinson who plays Olivia's son resembles George Maharis.

Has no one mentioned one of the best network horror/supernatural films: Don't Be Afraid of the Dark? Remade in 2010 by Guillermo del Toro.

In the Jodie Foster episode, the house is obviously a re-dressed version of the set for the Stevens's house from "Bewitched."

'House of Evil' with Jodie Foster is far better than the other episodes of Ghost Story that I watched.

The New House ranked at #8 and Bad Connection #5 and Alter-Ego #4 are weakly plotted and go on too long. House of Evil #10 directed by Daryl Duke who directed two well-regarded theatrical releases Payday (19730 and The Silent Partner (1978) as well as the episode ranked #1 Doorway to Death is the best of the episodes that I watched.

There are so many problems with "Doorway to Death" even beyond the unappealing actors. What the ghost does when he finally corners Susan Dey alone is pretty stupid. (Had he done what everyone expected, it actually would have been a terrifying episode.) The best part is the idea of the room that defies time and space that at first only th children can enter.

One of the reasons "House of Evil" works so well is the fine acting: Jodie Foster (already excellent at about ten years old), Mildred Dunnock, and especially Melvyn Douglas with his great voice.

[quote]R29: Has no one mentioned one of the best network horror/supernatural films: Don't Be Afraid of the Dark?

Well, that one was part of the ABC Movie of the Week series, and this thread is about an anthology series that aired for a single season on NBC. But there is some relationship between ABC's '𝐃𝐨𝐧'𝐭 𝐁𝐞 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤' 1973 and NBC's Circle of Fear episode '𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐡, 𝐀𝐢𝐫, 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫'. Both were scored by Billy Goldenberg, and both feature whispering, malign entities who want to absorb people and make them their own. The two projects aired just months apart in 1973, with 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐡, 𝐀𝐢𝐫, 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫 coming first. The one may well have influenced the other.

[quote]R9: what would be your higher choices?

My top ten countdown would be:

#10: 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫 with Patricia Neal;

#9: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐲𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐒𝐡𝐢𝐟𝐭 with John Astin, and a cameo by William Castle as himself;

#8: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐨𝐦 𝐨𝐟 𝐇𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐝 𝐒𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐞, with the late David Soul, singing!

#7: 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐤 𝐕𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞, with Martin Sheen and Kim Darby;

#6: 𝐋𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐎𝐟 𝐃𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐬, with Shirley Knight (see the toad dressed up like the Devil!);

#5: 𝐓𝐨𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐚𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 (one of the few episodes I remembered from my childhood);

#4: 𝐃𝐨𝐨𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐓𝐨 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡, Susan Dey, Leif Garrett, and Henry Jones!;

#3: 𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐲 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐀 𝐕𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐞, Hal Linden!;

#2: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐖𝐞 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐝, Jason Robards and Stella Stevens;

#1: 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐡, 𝐀𝐢𝐫, 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐖𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫, my favorite

~~~~~ ~~~~~~ ~~~~~

There's a few honorable mentions that I wrestled with possibly placing on my top ten, but they didn't quite make the cut. They're not bad episodes, really - there's a category of mediocrity for which I feel a certain amount of warmth, for camp value, if nothing else - Janet Leigh's performance in 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡'𝐬 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐝, and Angie Dickinson's in 𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐨𝐧 are like that. They're funny. In 𝐂𝐫𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐭, our cat lady (Lauri Peters) has this way of snarling to show her displeasure, she reminds me of Kimberly Guilfoyle and that infamous face she makes; it's difficult not to crack up. 𝐀𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫-𝐄𝐠𝐨 and 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐄𝐯𝐢𝐥 both have their charms, but they're not among my favorites.

I want to talk about 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐮𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐫 𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐞, and it's a shame that episode isn't available online for you all to evaluate. Although not a lot actually ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑛𝑠 in it, it has a certain strangeness about it that has kept me thinking about it all these years, somewhat the way an anthology collector once said of Robert Aickman's 𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐻𝑜𝑠𝑝𝑖𝑐𝑒, that it 𝑏𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑑 him, and for that reason alone it must have something going for it.

There's some absolute dogs here; episodes for which I wish I could get back the time I spent watching them. IMO, 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧, 𝐀𝐭 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐨𝐭, 𝐁𝐚𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐟 𝐀 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡, 𝐒𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬, and 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐨𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫'𝐬 𝐅𝐢𝐞𝐥𝐝 fall into this category.

I'd love to discuss / debate the details of any or all of these with you all, their merits or lack thereof.

I had forgotten the little bitch from “Crowhaven Farm” - as a kid, she reminded me of Autumn Sepellick (sp?) - a nasty brat who squealed on us younger kids.

The blond Eilbacher(?) sister….also in Bad Ronald (as was her sister) correct?

Here's the little bitch. "Give me Ben and live"

That’s Cindy! She and her sister Lisa were all over tv and movies in the early 70s. She knew how to play a bitch.

[quote]One of the reasons "House of Evil" works so well is the fine acting: Jodie Foster (already excellent at about ten years old)

Jodie was never a "child actor"; she was always an excellent actor even when she was a child.

Which means she was a “child actor.”