When it comes to my top five television series of all time, I would say that Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone rests comfortably in the second place position – although it shifts to the number one slot depending on my mood I suppose. It is also true that Serling’s follow-up beginning in 1969, Night Gallery is easily within my top ten list of my favorite television series. If you need further proof of how much I enjoy both series I would ask you to look over the times we’ve selected one of the shows as subjects for the Saturday Frights podcast. While I feel it is true that Rod Serling wasn’t happy with the control he was given for Night Gallery – I do also think that there are quite a few incredibly memorable segments that came about thanks to this particular horror anthology. One of the elements that really stood out about the series was of course the artwork that was featured in Serling’s introduction to each segment – usually a painting by Thomas J. Wright. And while a handful of those beautiful and sometimes unnerving pieces of art were offered as posters back in 1972 – there was never a time where fans of Night Gallery could see them all collected – say like in a coffee table book? Now make no mistake about it – fans of the TV series have been clamoring for just such a thing for many, many years and it’s understandable why we crave such a tome. Just a few days ago Anthony Rotolo shared on his TV Terror Facebook page some incredible news – on Friday the 8th of November at 12 noon Pacific time – preorders by way of a Kickstarter at Creature Features will go live for Rod Serling’s Night Gallery – The Art of Darkness!
To say this is monumental news is really kind of an understatement and while I wouldn’t normally do this – I’m going to copy and paste from the Rod Serling’s Night Gallery – The Art of Darkness Facebook page:
“Submitted for your approval, Creature Features—the award-winning publisher of The Outer Limits at 50, The Fantasy Worlds of Irwin Allen, and Return to Tomorrow: The Filming of Star Trek: The Motion Picture—honors and celebrates the series’s fiftieth anniversary with Rod Serling’s Night Gallery: The Art of Darkness, a deluxe, limited-edition, hardbound volume showcasing the macabre, iconic paintings and sculptures that introduced each chilling tale of the famed anthology series that ran from 1970 to 1973.
Written by Scott Skelton and Jim Benson, coauthors of Rod Serling’s Night Gallery: An After-Hours Tour, this impressive 300-page coffee-table book is packed with more than 200 full-color images of the paintings, never-seen-before concept art, and many rare, behind-the-scenes photos along with detailed commentary by the original artists on the series, Tom Wright, Jaroslav Gebr, and Phil Vanderlei. The authors also trace the extensive history of the paintings, from the time they were created on the Universal Studios lot to their labyrinthine journey into the collector’s market to the present day.
Fully licensed by NBC Universal and featuring a foreword by Academy Award–winning director and professed Night Gallery connoisseur Guillermo del Toro, this book will be offered exclusively through CreatureFeatures.com in both a regular hardbound edition and a deluxe signed edition, autographed by the authors and artist Tom Wright.
Fascinating, engrossing, and boasting a stunning design, Rod Serling’s Night Gallery: The Art of Darkness is a must-read for any fan of Rod Serling, 1970s television history, or the development of the macabre in twentieth-century art.
Preorders begin via Kickstarter at www.creaturefeatures.com on the 50th anniversary of the Night Gallery pilot: November 8, 2019, at noon Pacific Standard Time, featuring a sinister selection of promotional perks, including signed prints, cast and crew interviews, original teleplays, and other rare memorabilia.
Tune into this Facebook page for daily updates as we reveal our upcoming trailer and select samples from the book with in-depth historical information and never-before-seen artwork.”
There you have it, Fright Fans – a book that we fans have longed for is just about to offered up for preorder this Friday. I hope you will excuse the copy and pasting – I just felt that they could say it far better than I could… now… pardon me while I make some more room on my book shelves!
UPDATE:
” NEWS FLASH! Our 25-year quest has taken an unexpected—but VERY exciting—turn! Some unexpectedly welcome developments involving “buried treasures” and a new key alliance have occurred in JUST the last 48 hours that have encouraged us to delay our Kickstarter campaign. We will make a formal announcement regarding our new date shortly, but suffice it to say we are very excited and inspired to share the latest developments with everyone. Thank you for your patience and understanding, and stay tuned to this Facebook page for updates! “
+ There are no comments
Add yours