The Veil
Encyclopedia
The Veil is the title of an American horror
/suspense anthology
television series produced in 1958 by Hal Roach
Studios.
The series was hosted by Boris Karloff
, who also acted in every episode but one, and was allegedly based upon real-life reports of supernatural
happenings and the unexplained. Ten of the twelve episodes began and ended with Karloff standing in front of a sinister-looking roaring fireplace and inviting viewers to find out what lies "behind the veil."
Hailed by critics as "the greatest television series never seen" (according to DVD release publicity) The Veil was never broadcast. Troubles within the studio (and the collapse of a preliminary co-production arrangement with National Telefilm Associates
) resulted in production being cancelled after only 10 episodes (an additional episode called "Jack the Ripper" had been produced by another studio and was acquired by the Roach Studios; Boris Karloff only introduces the episode). This was considered too few to justify sales to a network or to syndication. In the late 1960s, footage from several episodes was combined to make films that aired on late night television. Ten episodes were released to the public in their entirety for the first time in the 1990s and have subsequently been released on DVD
by Something Weird Video. In 1999, "Lifting the Veil of Mystery," a Tom Weaver article on the making of the series (complete with episode guide), appeared in issue #29 of "Cult Movies" magazine.
For many years it was thought that only 10 episodes of The Veil were filmed, and two extra titles ("The Vestris" and "Peggy") were "alternative titles". However, in 2008 Timeless Media Group released a 2-DVD set of 12 episodes of The Veil under the title Tales of the Unexplained that included those two. "The Vestris" was an episode of Telephone Time that served as an unofficial pilot for the series. It starred Torin Thatcher
, Rita Lynn, and guest star Boris Karloff.
, Patrick Macnee
, and Jennifer Raine)
2. Girl on the Road (with Tod Andrews
and Eve Brent)
3. Food on the Table (with Kay Stewart and Tudor Owen)
4. The Doctors (with Tony Travis and Argentina Brunetti
5. The Crystal Ball (with Booth Colman
and Roxane Berard
)
6. Genesis (with Katherine Squire
and Peter Miller
)
7. Summer Heat (with Harry Bartell
and Paul Bryar)
8. The Return of Madame Vernoy (with Lee Torrance, Jean del Val
, and George Hamilton
)
9. Destination Nightmare (with Ron Hagerthy
and Myron Healey
)
10. Jack the Ripper (with Niall MacGinnis
and Dorothy Alison
)
11. Peggy (with Denise Alexander
, Whit Bissell
, and Olive Blakeney
)
There is no airing order since the series never aired. Production order above according to original video and DVD release.
.
Boris Karloff's introduction for the episodes "Destination Nightmare" and "Peggy" were set in a study rather than in front of a fireplace like the others.
Horror fiction
Horror fiction also Horror fantasy is a philosophy of literature, which is intended to, or has the capacity to frighten its readers, inducing feelings of horror and terror. It creates an eerie atmosphere. Horror can be either supernatural or non-supernatural...
/suspense anthology
Anthology
An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...
television series produced in 1958 by Hal Roach
Hal Roach
Harold Eugene "Hal" Roach, Sr. was an American film and television producer and director, and from the 1910s to the 1990s.- Early life and career :Hal Roach was born in Elmira, New York...
Studios.
The series was hosted by Boris Karloff
Boris Karloff
William Henry Pratt , better known by his stage name Boris Karloff, was an English actor.Karloff is best remembered for his roles in horror films and his portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in Frankenstein , Bride of Frankenstein , and Son of Frankenstein...
, who also acted in every episode but one, and was allegedly based upon real-life reports of supernatural
Supernatural
The supernatural or is that which is not subject to the laws of nature, or more figuratively, that which is said to exist above and beyond nature...
happenings and the unexplained. Ten of the twelve episodes began and ended with Karloff standing in front of a sinister-looking roaring fireplace and inviting viewers to find out what lies "behind the veil."
Hailed by critics as "the greatest television series never seen" (according to DVD release publicity) The Veil was never broadcast. Troubles within the studio (and the collapse of a preliminary co-production arrangement with National Telefilm Associates
National Telefilm Associates
National Telefilm Associates was an independent distribution company that handled reissues of American film libraries, including much of Paramount Pictures' animated and short-subjects library.-History:...
) resulted in production being cancelled after only 10 episodes (an additional episode called "Jack the Ripper" had been produced by another studio and was acquired by the Roach Studios; Boris Karloff only introduces the episode). This was considered too few to justify sales to a network or to syndication. In the late 1960s, footage from several episodes was combined to make films that aired on late night television. Ten episodes were released to the public in their entirety for the first time in the 1990s and have subsequently been released on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
by Something Weird Video. In 1999, "Lifting the Veil of Mystery," a Tom Weaver article on the making of the series (complete with episode guide), appeared in issue #29 of "Cult Movies" magazine.
For many years it was thought that only 10 episodes of The Veil were filmed, and two extra titles ("The Vestris" and "Peggy") were "alternative titles". However, in 2008 Timeless Media Group released a 2-DVD set of 12 episodes of The Veil under the title Tales of the Unexplained that included those two. "The Vestris" was an episode of Telephone Time that served as an unofficial pilot for the series. It starred Torin Thatcher
Torin Thatcher
Torin Thatcher was an English actor born in Bombay, British India, India), to English parents. He was an imposing, powerfully built figure noted for his flashy portrayals of screen villains....
, Rita Lynn, and guest star Boris Karloff.
Episodes
1. Vision of Crime (with Robert HardyRobert Hardy
Timothy Sydney Robert Hardy, CBE, FSA is an English actor with a long career in the theatre, film and television. He is also an acknowledged expert on the longbow.-Early life:...
, Patrick Macnee
Patrick Macnee
Patrick Macnee is an English actor, best known for his role as the secret agent John Steed in the series The Avengers.-Early life:...
, and Jennifer Raine)
2. Girl on the Road (with Tod Andrews
Tod Andrews
Tod Andrews was an American actor on the stage, screen, and television. Born in New York, he was raised in California. He studied acting and journalism at Washington State College.-Career:...
and Eve Brent)
3. Food on the Table (with Kay Stewart and Tudor Owen)
4. The Doctors (with Tony Travis and Argentina Brunetti
Argentina Brunetti
-Biography:Brunetti was born Argentina Ferrau in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She began her show business career at the age of three with a walk on role in the opera, Cavalleria Rusticana and followed Mimi Aguglia, her famous mother's footsteps in the theater performing supporting roles on stages...
5. The Crystal Ball (with Booth Colman
Booth Colman
Booth Colman is a film, television and stage actor. The actor today usually plays older authority figures like doctors and lawyers in films. Colman has been appearing in films since 1952 when he appeared uncredited in The Big Sky directed by Howard Hawks...
and Roxane Berard
Roxane Berard
Roxane Berard is a Belgian-born actress who was the leading lady in various episodes of 26 American television series between 1958 and 1967. Berard had a gamine quality similar to fellow Belgian Audrey Hepburn's, with whom she was inevitably and continuously compared, especially since they...
)
6. Genesis (with Katherine Squire
Katherine Squire
Katherine Squire was an American actress who appeared on Broadway and in regional theater, movies and television, from the 1920s through the 1980s.-Early life:...
and Peter Miller
Peter Miller
Peter Miller is an Australian rules footballer who played for the Fremantle Dockers in 1995. He was a predraft selection from East Perth in the WAFL in the 1994 AFL Draft and played mainly as a rover....
)
7. Summer Heat (with Harry Bartell
Harry Bartell
Harry Bartell was an American actor and announcer in radio, television and film. With his rather youthful sounding voice, Bartell was one of the busiest West Coast character actors from the early 1940s until the final end of network radio drama in the 1960s.Bartell was born in New Orleans,...
and Paul Bryar)
8. The Return of Madame Vernoy (with Lee Torrance, Jean del Val
Jean Del Val
Jean Del Val was a French-born actor. He has also been credited as Jean Gauthier and Jean Gautier.He has played roles during the Hollywood silent era, beginning with The Fortunes of Fifi in 1917...
, and George Hamilton
George Hamilton (actor)
George Stevens Hamilton is an American film and television actor.-Early life:Hamilton was the youngest son of bandleader George "Spike" Hamilton and his first wife, Ann Stevens . He was born in Memphis, Tennessee, and lived in Blytheville, Arkansas...
)
9. Destination Nightmare (with Ron Hagerthy
Ron Hagerthy
Ronald F. "Ron" Hagerthy is a former American actor known primarily for his guest-starring and supporting roles on television westerns. In 1952, he portrayed Clipper King in the modern western series, Sky King, with Kirby Grant in the title role of Clipper's uncle, Schuyler "Sky" King, pilot of...
and Myron Healey
Myron Healey
Myron Daniel Healey was an American actor. He began his Hollywood, California, career during the early 1940s in bit parts and minor supporting roles at various studios.-Early years:...
)
10. Jack the Ripper (with Niall MacGinnis
Niall MacGinnis
Niall MacGinnis was an Irish actor who made 80 screen appearances.-Early life:MacGinnis was born in Dublin in 1913. He was educated at Stonyhurst College in England, and studied medicine at Dublin University. He qualified as a house surgeon...
and Dorothy Alison
Dorothy Alison
Dorothy Alison was an Australian stage, film and television actress.She was born in Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia, and was educated at Sydney Girls High School. She moved to London, England in 1949 to further her career...
)
11. Peggy (with Denise Alexander
Denise Alexander
Denise Alexander is a well-known American soap opera actress, most known for her role as Lesley Webber on General Hospital, a role she originally played from 1973 to 1984 and 1996 to present....
, Whit Bissell
Whit Bissell
Whitner Nutting Bissell , better known as Whit Bissell, was an American actor.-Early life:Born in New York City, Bissell was the son of prominent surgeon Dr. J. Dougal Bissell. He trained with the Carolina Playmakers, a theatrical organization associated with the University of North Carolina at...
, and Olive Blakeney
Olive Blakeney
-Career:She studied at a dramatic school. Played as a super in visiting stage shows at one dollar a performance. Played in many London stock companies. She became known on the London and American stage...
)
There is no airing order since the series never aired. Production order above according to original video and DVD release.
Trivia
Television episodes have been screened at the annual Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention in Aberdeen, MarylandAberdeen, Maryland
As of the census of 2000, there were 13,842 people, 5,475 households, and 3,712 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,166.2 people per square mile . There were 5,894 housing units at an average density of 922.4 per square mile...
.
Boris Karloff's introduction for the episodes "Destination Nightmare" and "Peggy" were set in a study rather than in front of a fireplace like the others.