Forgotten from the 1950s, THE VEIL tried to be a kind of TWILIGHT ZONE TV series. It's been given a second chance at life on DVD.
© Something Weird Video
The Veil
By: Andrew HershbergerDate: Monday, April 19, 2004
Based on Actual Television Shows
Greetings Cinescapers! This week I've been killing some down time with a few DVDs of favorite TV shows. While for the most part I'm sure you've heard of SOUTH PARK, ROCKY AND BULLWINKLE AND FRIENDS, ROGER RAMJET, DAVY CROCKETT and SCHOOLHOUSE ROCK, and don't need my opinion to sway your interest in their direction, I'm not so sure you're aware of a never broadcast show called THE VEIL.
Staring Boris Karloff, before he hosted THRILLER (no not the Michael Jackson video), this show marketed itself as dramatizations of true tales of the supernatural. Basically it's one of those television horror anthology series that popped up with steady regularity during the late 50s and early 60s. Ten episodes of this show were filmed for potential syndication, but there were no buyers - perhaps they were held at bay by supernatural forces not wanting their stories exposed to the masses and the show was shelved later to be condensed into three syndicated TV movies, THE VEIL, JACK THE RIPPER and DESTINATION NIGHTMARE; perhaps you've stumbled across one of these during a late night channel surf or a Saturday afternoon creature feature.
Well a few years back Something Weird Video got all THE VEIL episodes together and put them on DVD, where one can sit down and enjoy the shows as they were intended to be seen (minus commercial interruptions of course).
Now those who would expect a never broadcast show from the late 50s to be a suppressed masterwork of untold brilliance may eventually locate such a show, but not with THE VEIL. The creaky direction, the cliché supernatural stories (ghost hitchhikers anyone?), and the abysmal comic relief can't be ignored, but the show does have its moments and if you're a TWILIGHT ZONE and THE OUTER LIMITS fan you should have no problem enjoying these which are better than their worst and worse then their best.
Two weeks ago we asked a question of you, the reader, and that question was "Mr. [James] Gunn was the writer for two different films making back-to-back number one at the box office appearances. Has that ever happened before?"
Well nobody came up with anything, so instead of providing an answer, we'll ask this question:
If you had to recommend five current television shows to a person living overseas, what would those five shows be?
I'd really like to know and so would some guy named Sven.
Send your answers to TVWasteland@cinescape.com.
Now, onto the shows.
MONDAY, APRIL 19
EVERWOOD (8 pm, WB) Amy tells Bright her feelings for Ephram before pausing a second to say "Who the hell names their kid Bright, talk about being presumptuous!"
THE FAIRLY ODDPARENTS (8 pm, NIK) Timmy wishes nobody needs sleep, leading one distraught young man to exclaim, "Now I'll never get a reprieve from thinking how miserable my life is." (Repeat)
WHAT LIES BENEATH (8 pm, ABC) A wife is haunted/possessed by the ghost of her husband's murdered mistress. Features one of those ludicrous endings where the ostensibly human villain becomes a virtually unstoppable killing machine in spite of serious injuries.
CSI: MIAMI (10 pm, CBS) In order to clear a murdered cop suspected of being corrupt, Horatio has to first catch the murderer, then he has to lie.
FLETCH LIVES (8 pm, AMC) An American Movie Classic.
TUESDAY, APRIL 20
DEEP CORE (8 pm, SCIFI) Geologists go head-to-head with nature in order to stop an underwater disruption that has the potential to wipe out humanity. Forgotten from the 1950s, THE VEIL tried to be a kind of TWILIGHT ZONE TV series. It's been given a second chance at life on DVD. © Something Weird Video
24 (9 pm, FOX) "7 am 8 am." When a hotel guest manages to escape the quarantine zone, the proprietor of the building asks the agents sent on the trail just one thing: to try and bring his towels back unscathed.
NYPD BLUE (10 pm, ABC) A man shot in the head develops amnesia. His family winds up selling his life story to a Hollywood producer looking to make a REGARDING HENRY for the '00s.
THE SHIELD (10 pm, FX) The Strike team attempt to avoid being linked to the Money Train heist. Will they succeed? Only The Shadow knows.
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21
SMALLVILLE (8 pm, WB) Clark needs to find an antidote to a deadly serum before Chloe dies. Lana refuses to help.
ENTERPRISE (8 pm, UPN) [pick one] Archer attacks an innocent alien ship A) in order to salvage parts to repair the Enterprise's engines B) to toughen up his image C) Because at heart he's a sadist. D) To score points with the women E) All of the above.
I'M STILL ALIVE! (9 pm, UPN) More people who came close to suffering horrible deaths gloat about it.
ANGEL (9 pm, WB) When Angel realizes that a couple's son is really his son he refuses to help them regarding matters of the boy's supernatural abilities.
THURSDAY, APRIL 22
TRU CALLING (8 pm, FOX) Tru (Eliza Dushku, R) learns that Jack (Jason Priestley) has been keeping secrets in the TRUE CALLING episode "Rear Window". © Fox
CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION (9 pm, CBS) A corpse bitten in the jugular results in the investigation of blood-drinking Goths and Republicans.
STEPHEN KING'S KINGDOM HOSPITAL (9 pm, ABC) A heart transplant patient becomes the Kingdom Hospital's official one millionth spooked customer. He gets a free decoder ring and the potential for a gruesome death out of the deal.
WITHOUT A TRACE (10 pm, CBS) A neurosurgeon disappears after hanging out with her ex-husband; he was of the sort that need to have his head examined. (BUH DUMP BUMP)
TRIPPING THE RIFT (10:30 pm, SCIFI) Chode goes to the spring break planet where he fails to encounter any situations that could be deemed hilarious. He does, however, encounter many situations that could be deemed tedious.
FRIDAY, APRIL 23
REBA (8 pm, WB) Van tries to claim Reba is his maid, so it's no surprise that later Reba's daughter has to identify her husband's corpse. (Repeat)
STARGATE SG-1 (9 pm, SCI-FI) 1) Carter investigates his latest fling's secret life. Hilarity fails to ensue. 2) Carter and Warrick pair up in a race. 3) Third verse same as the first. (All repeats)
WITHOUT A TRACE (10 pm, CBS) Some nice young missing guy turns out to have had a Jekyll and Hyde complex.
THE DEVIL'S RAIN (10:30 pm, AMC) A man goes after the devil worshipping coven that murdered his family. Where the hell was this during last year's Monsterfest AMC?
SATURDAY, APRIL 24
DIRTY HARRY (8 pm, HISTORY) Why is this playing on the history channel?
GREASE (8 pm, VH1) Everyone's Sci-Fi's DINOCROC claims another victim. © The Sci Fi Channel
DINOCROC (8 pm, SCIFI) Silliest title ever.
SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE (11:30, NBC) Christina Aguilera hosts and Maroon 5 sings.
SUNDAY, APRIL 25
THE SIMPSONS (8 pm, FOX) 1) Marge and Homer attempt to have a romantic getaway. 2) Homer fills in for Krusty for some inexplicable reason. (Second episode a repeat)
CHARMED (8 pm, WB) The girls are caught on tape using their powers. The tape is then sold to a producer and marketed as WITCHES GONE WILD.
MIMIC (8 pm, AMC) An American Movie Classic.
ALIAS (10 pm, ABC) Vaughn is kidnapped by Lauren and Sark, who proceed to torture him with a screening of DAREDEVIL.
Until next week we leave you with this additional question, who would win in a bar fight to the death: Paul McCartney or Mick Jagger?
Tell me at Tvwasteland@cinescape.com.
And the wrap's been set. Until next time send your gripes to Tvwasteland@cinescape.com.
TV Wasteland is our weekly Television column.
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