NIGHT GALLERY
(Wed., 10-11 p.m., NBC-TV)

Rod Serling's Night Gallery is a suspenseful, eerie, trilogy of tales, two of which are highly imaginative and gripping while the other is not particularly good. But for the most part of the two hours, Serling's scripts provide some offbeat and superior drama.

Sam Jaffe in "The Escape Route"

Paintings are the connective link in the stories which dwell on a common theme -- a search for what seems unobtainable, with unsavory characters and greed involved. Serling has blended the world of reality with fantasy, and his characters moved through a mixture of illusion and delusion. His principals are a young and greedy man who conveniently arranges for his rich uncle's death; a wealthy femme who is blind and seeks to see again; and a Nazi running from Israeli agents.

All these melodramatic mirrors serve as bases for Serling's trio. Unfortunately they opened with the weakest link, the one in which a young man (Roddy McDowall) expedites the death of his Uncle (George Macready) so he can have his fortune. There wasn't a faintly likable character in this yarn, and it took a long time to go nowhere, ending on a contrived note.

Joan Crawford was superb as the rich femme who literally buys a man's eyes for a transplant, so she can see for a few hours. She ruthlessly utilizes blackmail and any other device necessary to achieve her goal, but it all turns out differently from what she has calculated. Tom Bosley turns in a jewel of a performance as the miserable failure in life who sells his eyes. Barry Sullivan was very good as the surgeon.

Richard Kiley was excellent as the onetime Nazi on the lam, contributing an indelibly realistic performance. Israeli agents closing in on him, he is fearful of past and present as he tries desperately to evade them. Denouement is ironic and fitting. Sam Jaffe was confident in support, while Norma Crane delivered an arresting and poignant portrait of a prostie.

Performances by McDowall and Ossie Davis were okay in opening vignette, but vehicle was n.s.g.

Different directors were utilized on each yarn. Barry Shear's work in the Kiley tale was easily the best, sensitive and perceptive. Steve Spielberg's direction of Crawford seg was topnotch. Work of Boris Sagal in McDowall story was satisfactory.

Serling hosted. Producer William Sackheim invested "Gallery" with top production values.

Daku.

(Daily Variety; November 10, 1969)