User Reviews

I really enjoyed 'The Waiting Room', as Westerns are my favorite TV and movie genre, and it had a few of the great Western character actors of the era with Albert Salmi, Jim Davis, Lex Barker and Buddy Ebsen as a few of the principals. Though we don't know who the hanged man is when Sam Dichter (Steve Forrest) rides into the unnamed town, it's a reveal well worth waiting for as this ghostly tale of the Old West plays out. It's a bit of a different take on the old 'fastest gun in the West' story, because no one can outrun the bullet fired by this Rod Serling script. I would like to have seen more Night Gallery offerings set within the Western genre if they could have been as good as this one.

Now try as I might, I just couldn't see the resemblance between Bill Bixby's character and the stone statue his wife purchased at the old antique shop. Maybe the Night Gallery folks figured if it was mentioned enough times in the story one would take it on faith that there was some similarity. In any event, Bruce Tarraday (Bixby) is driven to distraction when he learns the background of his Druid inspired statue, mesmerized by the history of sorcery and black magic that manifests in visions and nightmares that he can't shake. I'm not sure how he would have explained the barbecued cat if push came to shove, but it was cool to see Donna Douglas in a role where she wasn't as hare-brained as Elly Mae Clampett.

"The Waiting Room" - Boastful and arrogant gunslinger Sam Dichter (an excellent performance by Steve Forrest) finds himself in some kind of hellish purgatory with several fellow gun fighters. Director Jeannot Szwarc adroitly crafts an intriguing eerie and enigmatic atmosphere. Rod Serling's sinewy script makes a powerful and provocative point on how those who live by the gun are doomed and destined to die by same. This segment further benefits from the uniformly ace acting from a tip-top cast, with especially stand-out work from Albert Salmi as the surly Joe Bristol, Jim Davis as the regretful Abe Bennett, Gilbert Roland as a laconic bartender, and, most surprisingly, Buddy Ebsen as a wise old doctor who's resigned to his miserable fate.

"Last Rites for a Dead Druid" - Bruce Tarraday (a fine portrayal by Bill Bixby) finds himself falling under the evil influence of a statue of a druid sorcerer that was impulsively purchased by his wife Jenny (nicely played by Carol Lynley). Szwarc once again does a sound job of creating a creepy and unsettling mood. Moreover, it's fun to watch uptight skeptic Tarraday succumb to the wicked spell of a maleficent supernatural force. Nifty bummer ending, too.

"Wo alle Wege enden" (Where all Ways end) is the 1973 German TV version of the "Night Gallery" episode: "The Waiting Room" (episode # 2.51) 1/26/1972. After his death, Sam Dichter (Steve Forrest), a fast-draw gunslinger from the Old West with a "taste for death," meets other doomed souls in a saloon, a Waiting Room (hell). One by one, they leave the Waiting Room and go outside to relive their death. The standout is Albert Salmi as Bristol; his face is shown in close up, and Albert (star of many Westerns) epitomized the Old West. As Bristol, Albert Salmi delivers the most important lines in the show. When the gunslinger idly refers to him as "brother," implying they are all the same, Bristol snaps: "Don't call me brother... I'd sooner be kin to a vulture bird." Indeed, even though they are all doomed, they all had their different reasons for killing (dueling, robbing, unethical doctor) and winding up in hell; they are not brothers. And when the gunslinger acts like he doesn't know why he's in hell, Bristol tells him, "The problem with you, Dichter, is you got no memory for things... Now dip into that muddy swamp you call a brain and try to stir up a few recollections." For indeed, there would not be much point to hell if people didn't know why they were there. Soames (Buddy Ebsen), sums it all up: "All of us were doomed from the moment we took up firearms." (This particular sentence would likely produce goosebumps for Albert Salmi's fans, for the saying "Live by the gun, die by the gun" might have a tragic meaning to them. It was by the gun he lived in these TV dramas and westerns, and by the gun he died in real life. He, too, was doomed from the moment he took up firearms.) Another thought-provoking Night Gallery, written by the creative force behind "The Twilight Zone," Rod Serling.

P.S. This story should not be confused with the German novel "Wo alle Wege enden" which is about the lovely Jade stranded on a desert island with Pieter.

I love this episode with something to always remember: Things are not as they appear... The story begins on a seemingly ordinary night as gunfighter Sam Dichter rides past a hanged figure with a mask over his face. Minutes later, Dichter arrives at a local saloon and orders a drink. He notices some poker players nearby and walks over to their table. To his surprise, one of the men, Dr. Soames, knows all about Dichter and his fearsome reputation: "The eminent Samuel Dichter...taskmaster of the six-gun...lightning-fast draw and a devilish, deadly aim...you're KNOWN, Mr. Dichter." Soon after, the clock strikes 9pm, one of the men, Charlie McKinley, gets up to leave. Dichter recognizes him as an old friend rumored to have had the back of his head shot off in Abilene. McKinley sternly tells Dichter not to be too relieved at seeing him and then leaves the saloon...followed quickly by the sound of a gunshot. When Dichter tries to see what happened, Dr. Soames calmly explains that McKinley just got the back of his head shot off...and then invites Dichter to take his place and join the poker game. While the confused Dichter is studying his hand and trying to read the other players, the loudmouth to his left, Joe Bristol, yells to Dichter to make up his mind. Dichter tells Bristol that he'll assume that Bristol doesn't know who he's talking to. Bristol replies, "That's a dead wrong assumption; I thought we made it clear WE KNOW WHO YOU ARE. You're Sam Dichter, who fancies himself lord of the gun! The trouble with you is you have no memory for things. FAST HANDS, SLOW BRAIN! Now dig into that muddy swamp you call a brain and try to conjure up a few recollections!" Dichter now realizes something is very wrong when he remembers actually seeing Bristol killed in a gunfight with a younger, faster opponent. Dr. Soames asks Dichter if he understands what's going on, but Dichter has no clue. Bristol taunts him further by remarking that his gun hand was always fast, but not his brain. Enraged, Dichter challenges Bristol to a duel, dead or not. Just then, as the clock strikes 10pm, a voice from outside the saloon calls for Bristol to come out, and Bristol leaves...again quickly followed by the sound of gunshots. Next up is Abe Bennett, who asks if Dichter remembers his story. Dichter vaguely recalls the story about Bennett getting caught inside a church. Bennett refreshes Dichter's recollection by telling how Bennett robbed a bank and killed a bank teller in the process. Bennett then hid in a church belfry, and the first time he stuck his head up to see what was outside, a sharpshooter hit him between the eyes and Bennett fell to his death. At the chime of 11pm, Bennett leaves the saloon and more gunshots ring out accompanied by the sound of a church bell ringing. When Dr. Soames again asks Dichter if he understands what's going on now, Dichter responds that the proceedings are nothing but a looney bin. Soames goes on to tell Dichter that he was a surgeon who had a very lucrative practice patching up wounded gunslingers. Dr. Soames further explains that he had a crisis of conscience when he realized that every gunfighter he was able to save eventually went on to kill again, and the realization of this caused Soames to go to his office, take out HIS gun, and then turn it on himself and commit suicide. Soames then tells Dichter the point he'd been missing all along: that they were all doomed when they made the decision to take up firearms. Soames then leaves as the clock strikes midnight and we hear one more gunshot. Stunned, Dichter asks the bartender the name of this town, and the bartender replies that it is merely a waiting room where the inhabitants play out that which is preordained...and some call it hell. Unimpressed, Dichter leaves after the clock strikes at 1am. When he returns to the hanging figure, with a leer Dichter pulls the mask off the corpse only to see that the dead man's face...IS HIS OWN!!! The terrified Dichter runs back to the bar to find the poker players and the bartender in place as if nothing happened. At that point, the clock begins to chime in perpetuity. Turns out all the poker players, and now Dichter, are doomed to replay their violent deaths for all eternity. Sam Dichter, WELCOME TO HELL!!! A wonderful episode with great performances by a flawless, all-world cast: Steve Forrest (the increasingly not-so-cocksure Sam Dichter); Buddy Ebsen (the ironically sagacious Dr. Soames); Albert Salmi (the overbearing Joe Bristol); Lex Barker (the not-too-happy Charlie McKinley); Jim Davis (the reckless Abe Bennett); and Gilbert Roland (the very stoic bartender).

"The Waiting Room" is a great segment. It has quite an eerie atmosphere with its enclosed setting and the realization of the protagonist's predicament is very chilling once it sets in. I do like how unique this is compared to other "Night Gallery" stories. Overall, this is a very well-done story with a chilling twist, an eerie mood all throughout, and stands out from other stories in the "Night Gallery". I have given this episode a ten solely for this segment.

"Last Rites for a Dead Druid" is pretty good despite some strange loose ends here and there. A woman wants to buy an ancient statue that supposedly "resembles" her husband but naturally, her husband objects to it. Once the statue seems to start possessing our main character, however, things start getting stranger. This is quite a well-done story and the scenes where Bruce is getting possessed are quite eerie. However, not much is said about Mildred, the lady that recommended the statue to Bruce's wife. Other than that, this was a pretty good horror story.

'The Waiting Room'. A Rod Serling original, directed by Jeannot Szwarc. Steve Forrest plays Sam Dichter, a notorious gunslinger who comes to a sparsely populated saloon one dark, cold night. The gentlemen there will have an unfortunate surprise in store for him, as they all await something inevitable. Now, this segment doesn't really represent Mr. Serlings' best work, as it's not hard to see where it's going. Overall, it's predictable. But it has a decent atmosphere, plus excellent work by a capable ensemble - Buddy Ebsen, Lex Barker, Albert Salmi, Jim Davis, Gilbert Roland - keeps it very watchable. The incidental music composed by John Lewis and Robert Bain is superb at setting the mood. Forrest is amusing as a man who is either too thick-headed to get the point, or who just doesn't want to admit the truth.

Slightly more interesting is 'Last Rites for a Dead Druid', written by Alvin Sapinsley (a 'Night Gallery' regular) and also directed by Mr. Szwarc. An engaging Carol Lynley is Jenny Tarraday, a young woman who enjoys antiques and bargains. One day, she is encouraged by her friend Mildred (a delicious Donna Douglas) to buy a statue since they believe it resembles Jenny's husband Bruce (Bill Bixby). The person who posed for the statue long ago turns out to be a sorcerer, Bruce the Black, who just might be an actual ancestor of the present-day Bruce. Soon, present-day Bruce is falling under the evil spell of the statue. This episode is really not fleshed out all that much - it could have been expanded to fill an entire episodes' run time to add more details to the story. But Bixby is very damn good as a born skeptic who begins to crack. At one point, it looks as if he might drop a cat into a barbecue! Ultimately, you feel bad for this character, since he was NOT an evil sort to begin with.

A good episode in general.

Seven out of 10.

I'm really enjoying the last two episodes of this show, which take two stories and have one director - in this case, Jeannot Szwarc - tell both of them.

"The Waiting Room" is written by Rod Serling and starts with Sam Dichter (Steve Forrest) riding into the type of Western town that has a man swinging from a tree. As he enters a bar, he's recognized by one of four card players, Doc Soames (Buddy Ebsen). Dichter soon reveals he's the kind of man that's sad that he missed getting to see that hanging. That's when Charlie McKinley (Lex Barker) stands up from the card game, says it's time to go and goes outside to be shot in the head, a fact that surprises only Dichter.

The same exact thing happens once an hour, as Joe Bresto (Albert Salmi) and Abe Bennett (Jim Davis) explain their deaths, then leave the bar to relive - redie? - them. Surely Doc Soames couldn't have been a killer like them. But he reveals that all the gunfighters he healed that went out and killed others weighed on his conscience until he shot himself.

Only Dichter remains, but as he's told that it's his turn, the story comes full circle. A magical 27-minute work of art by Serling and Szwarc that tells one of the best stories of every episode of Night Gallery.

Written by Alvin Sapinsley and based on "Out of the Eons" by Hazel Heald, "Last Rites for a Dead Druid" starts with Jenny Tarraday (Carol Lynley) and Mildred McVane (Donna Douglas) buying a strange sculpture because the screaming man reminds Jenny of her husband Bruce (Bill Bixby). He hates it and banishes it to the backyard.

Yet every night, he dreams of the horrible thing out back and soon learns it's a statue of Bruce the Black, a magician who sacrificed animals and humans to gain power. And when he's near the statue, he's not himself, like how he forces himself on his wife's best friend, not that she minds. But when he nearly kills a cat on the grill and tries to murder his wife to be with Mildred, Bruce hits the limit.

The end is kind of ridiculous but in a way that I love. Bruce attempts to smash the statue and the unexpected occurs, all while it's kind of hinted that Mildred - Elle Mae turned evil - is behind all of this possession and madness.

It was so nice to enjoy another episode and not deal with black out sketches or silliness. Ah, Night Gallery. As always when you are good, you are beyond good.

In this story, Sam Dichter (Steve Forrest) sees a hanging body before entering the town and its bar. He orders a whiskey, then sees 5 men playing a game of poker. When the clock chimes 9, Charlie McKinley (Lex Barker) leaves, and Dichter recalls that Charlie died in Abilene, and is shaken when Charlie meets his fate, but not the other 4 men at the table, who ask Dichter to take McKinley's place. When Dichter idly calls Joe Bristol (Albert Salmi) "brother", he snaps, "Don't call me brother. I'd sooner be kin to a vulture bird," and asks Dichter to recall when Bristol lost a duel in Monterey to Max Auburn (Larry Watson), a gunman who was younger and faster than Bristol was. He says to Doc Soames (Buddy Ebsen) that while Dichter may be fast on the draw, he's slow with his brain, and Dichter calls Bristol out. The clock chimes 10, Bristol is called out by Auburn, and as Bristol leaves, Dichter sees daylight instead of darkness, after which Bristol meets his fate. Dichter says he's dreaming, but Abe Bennett (Jim Davis) says that it's no dream, saying he had robbed banks before being shot dead in a holdup of a bank in Tombstone by a deputy armed with a rifle who saw him in a church steeple, and that his take was $40, which paid for his burial. The clock chimes 11, and Bennett meets his fate. Doc Soames tells Dichter of how he saved gunmen, until he counted the lives lost. Then he killed himself, adding, "The point, Mr. Dichter, the elusive point, is that we, all of us, were doomed from the moment we took up firearms." The clock chimes 12 and Soames meets his fate. The barkeep (Gilbert Roland) asks if Dichter recalls the lives he took, adding, "It's just a waiting room, Mr. Dichter, where each man awaits what is ordained. Some call it Hell." The clock chimes 1, and Dichter hears a crowd outside, which he is told is his jury, and the barkeep says, "It's closing time, Mr. Dichter. No doubt I'll be seeing you again." Dichter looks at the hanging body, and removes the hood from its face, then he screams, recalling that he was hung for murder. He enters the bar on foot, and sees the barkeep and the 5 men who said that all 6 would be there forever. When I saw this story, I thought: No one wants to be there forever, not even me. Spoiler alert: The segment was shot in the saloon set used in the TV western series based on the Owen Wister novel The Virginian.