One of the best television anthologies ever produced aired on NBC from 1960-62 and was known simply as Thriller, hosted by horror film star Boris Karloff. Karloff would introduce (and sometimes star in) each episode, list the names of the stars appearing in that particular show (like William Shatner, Ursula Andress, Dick York, Mary Tyler Moore, Robert Vaughn, Rip Torn, Mary Astor and Leslie Nielsen, among others) and end with the ominious sounding words, "As sure as my name is Boris Karloff...This is a Thriller!" During it's short run, the series alternated formats, with a crime oriented mystery story one week and a really scary horror/science fiction entry the following week.
This uneven approach probably turned off most viewers, which is a shame, since the horror stories featured terrific adaptations of stories by such genre notables as Charles Beaumont, Robert Bloch, Robert E. Howard and Edgar Allan Poe. The adaptation of Howard's "Pigeons From Hell" , was one of the scariest dramatic hours ever produced and broadcast on TV. An acknowledged fan of the series is writer Stephen King, who cited both the series and "Pigeons" in his book Danse Macabre.
Unfortunately, the series is currently unavailable for viewing online or through television syndication and DVDs. Meanwhile, fan Michael R. Gates has put together a pretty good informative site on the series here. Hopefully, NBC/Universal Studios, the owner of the series, will eventually relent and make the show available again. Meanwhile, if you remember the show or have your interest piqued, check out Mr. Gates' site.
-Ed
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