Unknown Sender
Encyclopedia
UNKNOWN SENDER is an internet television
series created in the United States
, which debuted in August 2008 on Strike.TV
, a website
created by Hollywood writers during the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike
. Like the other Strike.TV offerings which were sanctioned by the Writers' sister union, the Screen Actors Guild
(SAG), UNKNOWN SENDER was able to attract major talent to its cast, all of whom agreed to donate profits to the Hollywood charity
, Actors' Fund
. Among the actors in the series are Timothy Dalton
, Joanne Whalley
, Mindy Sterling
(Austin Powers
' "Frau Farbissina"), comedian Jay Davis
(Dane Cook
's Tourgasm
), and Stan Freberg
.
Behind the camera, noteworthy figures include Academy Award nominee Marilyn Vance
and pioneer web filmmaker Kevin Rubio
(Troops) among the producers; as well as Lost
Director of Photography Edward J. Pei, film composer Adam Cohen
(The Incredibles
); and Special Effects Supervisor Shant Jordan (Hellboy II).
screenwriter Steven E. de Souza
, described the series as "a cross between The Twilight Zone
and Alfred Hitchcock Presents
". De Souza, a writer and director on HBO's similarly themed Tales From the Crypt
, said another influence was the legendary 1947-1949 Mutual (and later, ABC
) network radio horror series, Quiet, Please
. Considered by many to be the best example of Golden Age Radio, and a direct precursor of The Twilight Zone, Quiet, Please often dramatized its episodes as if the members of the listening audience were themselves participants or inadvertent observers, eavesdropping on the story’s action.
The first episode of UNKNOWN SENDER (1.1 If You’re Seeing this tape…) acknowledges the Quiet, Please connection via its opening music, Symphony in D minor
by César Franck
, the same piece used as the theme for every episode of Quiet, Please.
, The McClatchy Company
, and tilzy.tv. USA Today in particular hailed the series's "clever premise".
engaged in a bitter divorce
prepares a video will. Stars Timothy Dalton
, Joanne Whalley
, and Stan Freberg
as "Mostly Mozart" DJ. Tagline: "Where there’s a will, there’s a widow." Aired 28 October, 2008.
1.2. Beta Test - An overworked and underpaid American IT engineer discovers he is being cheated by a European cartel. Stars Xander Cardinale, Viola Sator, Molly Kohler-Pei, and Michael Butler Murray, with Brian Rodda and Drea Hoffman. Tagline: “It’s not a bug, it’s a feature.” Aired 7 November, 2008.
1.3. Slippery Slope - Two sexy actresses appearing in "Hardwood Pictures'" latest production have a hidden agenda. Stars Ashley Shultz and Amy Main. Tagline: "She’s the man, baby."
Aired 11 November, 2008.
1.4. Return Engagement - A retired Las Vegas
performer must pull out every trick in his repertoire to foil home invaders. Stars Stan Freberg
, with Holly Kaplan and Geoff Meed. Tagline: "His act always killed." Aired 21 November, 2008.
1.5. Sorry, Wrong Website - An assassin posing as a hotel
employee receives his instructions from a mysterious website. Stars Michael Shunnarah. Tagline: "It's 'i' before 'e' except after 'c'." Aired 12 December, 2008.
1.6. Spin Cycle - A tenant in her building's laundry
room suspects a stranger is waiting for something more sinister than the dryer. Stars Mindy Sterling
and Jay Davis
. Tagline: "Blood is the nastiest stain." Aired 19 December, 2008.
Internet television
Internet television is the digital distribution of television content via the Internet...
series created in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, which debuted in August 2008 on Strike.TV
Strike.TV
Strike.TV is an internet television website that was created during the 2007-08 Writers Guild of America strike. It is an online network of original programming produced by well-known Hollywood names...
, a website
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
created by Hollywood writers during the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike
2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike
The 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, more commonly referred to as simply the Writers' Strike, was a strike by the Writers Guild of America, East and the Writers Guild of America, West ....
. Like the other Strike.TV offerings which were sanctioned by the Writers' sister union, the Screen Actors Guild
Screen Actors Guild
The Screen Actors Guild is an American labor union representing over 200,000 film and television principal performers and background performers worldwide...
(SAG), UNKNOWN SENDER was able to attract major talent to its cast, all of whom agreed to donate profits to the Hollywood charity
Charitable organization
A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization . It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A charitable organization is a type of non-profit organization (NPO). It differs from other types of NPOs in that it centers on philanthropic goals A...
, Actors' Fund
Actors' Fund
The Actors Fund of America is a nonprofit umbrella charitable organization that assists American entertainment and performing arts professionals through a broad spectrum of programs, including comprehensive social services, health services, supportive and affordable housing, employment and training...
. Among the actors in the series are Timothy Dalton
Timothy Dalton
Timothy Peter Dalton ) is a Welsh actor of film and television. He is known for portraying James Bond in The Living Daylights and Licence to Kill , as well as Rhett Butler in the television miniseries Scarlett , an original sequel to Gone with the Wind...
, Joanne Whalley
Joanne Whalley
-Early life:Whalley was born in Salford but brought up in Stockport where she studied at the Braeside School of Speech and Drama, Marple.Whalley first appeared as a child in How We Used To Live and bit parts in soap operas, especially Coronation Street and Emmerdale...
, Mindy Sterling
Mindy Sterling
Mindy Lee Sterling is an American actress. Although she had worked in film for over 30 years, she only began to garner attention after playing Frau Farbissina, the diminutive and domineering Germanic cohort of Dr. Evil in the Austin Powers series of comedy films, and has a recurring role as Ms...
(Austin Powers
Austin Powers (film series)
The Austin Powers series is a series of action-comedy films written by and starring Mike Myers as the title character, directed by Jay Roach and distributed by New Line Cinema...
' "Frau Farbissina"), comedian Jay Davis
Jay Davis
Jay Davis is an American actor, stand-up comedian and comedy promoter/producer who garnered nationwide attention after appearing in Dane Cook's Tourgasm, a 30-day cross-country-tour-turned-reality-show which also included Cook, Gary Gulman and Robert Kelly, and was given a 8-episode run on...
(Dane Cook
Dane Cook
Dane Jeffrey Cook is an American stand-up comedian and film actor. He has released five comedy albums: Harmful If Swallowed; Retaliation; Vicious Circle; Rough Around The Edges: Live From Madison Square Garden; and Isolated Incident. In 2006, Retaliation became the highest charting comedy album...
's Tourgasm
Tourgasm
Tourgasm was a 30-day 20-show stand-up comedy tour in 2005 featuring Dane Cook and three of his best friends in the industry: Robert Kelly, Gary Gulman and Jay Davis. The tour was filmed in its entirety and aired on HBO as a documentary in June 2006. The documentary was created and directed by Dane...
), and Stan Freberg
Stan Freberg
Stanley Victor "Stan" Freberg is an American author, recording artist, animation voice actor, comedian, radio personality, puppeteer, and advertising creative director whose career began in 1944...
.
Behind the camera, noteworthy figures include Academy Award nominee Marilyn Vance
Marilyn Vance
Marilyn Vance is an award-winning American costume designer and filmmaker.-Background:Born Marilyn Kaye, she was once married to Kenny Vance of Jay and the Americans. Marilyn became a costume designer in Hollywood...
and pioneer web filmmaker Kevin Rubio
Kevin Rubio
Kevin Rubio is an American filmmaker, best known for his Star Wars parody film Troops.Rubio studied theater and photography throughout his high school years in California, and made his directorial debut at the age of 17 with a stage adaptation of Robert Redford’s Ordinary People...
(Troops) among the producers; as well as Lost
Lost (TV series)
Lost is an American television series that originally aired on ABC from September 22, 2004 to May 23, 2010, consisting of six seasons. Lost is a drama series that follows the survivors of the crash of a commercial passenger jet flying between Sydney and Los Angeles, on a mysterious tropical island...
Director of Photography Edward J. Pei, film composer Adam Cohen
Adam Cohen
Adam Cohen is an American journalist and assistant editorial page editor of The New York Times. Cohen is a lawyer and author, with a particular interest in legal issues, politics and technology...
(The Incredibles
The Incredibles
The Incredibles is a 2004 American computer-animated action-comedy superhero film about a family of superheroes who are forced to hide their powers. It was written and directed by Brad Bird, a former director and executive consultant of The Simpsons, and was produced by Pixar and distributed by...
); and Special Effects Supervisor Shant Jordan (Hellboy II).
Series Premise
The five to ten minute long UNKNOWN SENDER episodes consist of suspense or sci-fi stories which share the conceit that they are actual events, captured by closed circuit television (CCTV), surveillance monitors, amateur videographers, and the like, all collected and posted on the web by a mysterious, unseen "Unknown Sender".Influences
The creator of the show, Die HardDie Hard
Die Hard is a 1988 American action film and the first in the Die Hard film series. The film was directed by John McTiernan and written by Jeb Stuart and Steven E. de Souza. It is based on a 1979 novel by Roderick Thorp titled Nothing Lasts Forever, itself a sequel to the book The Detective, which...
screenwriter Steven E. de Souza
Steven E. de Souza
Steven E. de Souza is an American producer, director and screenwriter. He is among a handful of screenwriters whose films have earned over two billion dollars at the worldwide box office.-Life and career:...
, described the series as "a cross between The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone is an American television anthology series created by Rod Serling. Each episode is a mixture of self-contained drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist...
and Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Alfred Hitchcock Presents is an American television anthology series hosted by Alfred Hitchcock. The series featured dramas, thrillers, and mysteries. By the premiere of the show on October 2, 1955, Hitchcock had been directing films for over three decades...
". De Souza, a writer and director on HBO's similarly themed Tales From the Crypt
Tales from the Crypt (TV series)
Tales from the Crypt, sometimes titled HBO's Tales from the Crypt, is an American horror anthology television series that ran from 1989 to 1996 on the premium cable channel HBO...
, said another influence was the legendary 1947-1949 Mutual (and later, ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
) network radio horror series, Quiet, Please
Quiet, Please
Quiet, Please! was a radio fantasy and horror program created by Wyllis Cooper, also known for creating Lights Out. Ernest Chappell was the show's announcer and lead actor. Quiet, Please! debuted June 8, 1947 on the Mutual Broadcasting System, and its last episode was broadcast June 25, 1949, on...
. Considered by many to be the best example of Golden Age Radio, and a direct precursor of The Twilight Zone, Quiet, Please often dramatized its episodes as if the members of the listening audience were themselves participants or inadvertent observers, eavesdropping on the story’s action.
The first episode of UNKNOWN SENDER (1.1 If You’re Seeing this tape…) acknowledges the Quiet, Please connection via its opening music, Symphony in D minor
Symphony in D minor (Franck)
The Symphony in D minor is the most famous orchestral work and the only symphony written by the 19th-century Belgian composer César Franck. After two years of work, the symphony was completed 22 August 1888. It was premiered at the Paris Conservatory on 17 February 1889 under the direction of ...
by César Franck
César Franck
César-Auguste-Jean-Guillaume-Hubert Franck was a composer, pianist, organist, and music teacher who worked in Paris during his adult life....
, the same piece used as the theme for every episode of Quiet, Please.
Critical Reaction
Unknown Sender has been well received by the public and the press alike, having garnered positive reviews from such outlets as TV GuideTV Guide
TV Guide is a weekly American magazine with listings of TV shows.In addition to TV listings, the publication features television-related news, celebrity interviews, gossip and film reviews and crossword puzzles...
, The McClatchy Company
The McClatchy Company
The McClatchy Company is a publicly traded American publishing company based in Sacramento, California. It operates 30 daily newspapers in 15 states and has an average weekday circulation of 2.2 million and Sunday circulation of 2.8 million...
, and tilzy.tv. USA Today in particular hailed the series's "clever premise".
Episode Guide, Season One (through December 2008)
1.1. If You’re Seeing This Tape… - A philanthropistPhilanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
engaged in a bitter divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
prepares a video will. Stars Timothy Dalton
Timothy Dalton
Timothy Peter Dalton ) is a Welsh actor of film and television. He is known for portraying James Bond in The Living Daylights and Licence to Kill , as well as Rhett Butler in the television miniseries Scarlett , an original sequel to Gone with the Wind...
, Joanne Whalley
Joanne Whalley
-Early life:Whalley was born in Salford but brought up in Stockport where she studied at the Braeside School of Speech and Drama, Marple.Whalley first appeared as a child in How We Used To Live and bit parts in soap operas, especially Coronation Street and Emmerdale...
, and Stan Freberg
Stan Freberg
Stanley Victor "Stan" Freberg is an American author, recording artist, animation voice actor, comedian, radio personality, puppeteer, and advertising creative director whose career began in 1944...
as "Mostly Mozart" DJ. Tagline: "Where there’s a will, there’s a widow." Aired 28 October, 2008.
1.2. Beta Test - An overworked and underpaid American IT engineer discovers he is being cheated by a European cartel. Stars Xander Cardinale, Viola Sator, Molly Kohler-Pei, and Michael Butler Murray, with Brian Rodda and Drea Hoffman. Tagline: “It’s not a bug, it’s a feature.” Aired 7 November, 2008.
1.3. Slippery Slope - Two sexy actresses appearing in "Hardwood Pictures'" latest production have a hidden agenda. Stars Ashley Shultz and Amy Main. Tagline: "She’s the man, baby."
Aired 11 November, 2008.
1.4. Return Engagement - A retired Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
performer must pull out every trick in his repertoire to foil home invaders. Stars Stan Freberg
Stan Freberg
Stanley Victor "Stan" Freberg is an American author, recording artist, animation voice actor, comedian, radio personality, puppeteer, and advertising creative director whose career began in 1944...
, with Holly Kaplan and Geoff Meed. Tagline: "His act always killed." Aired 21 November, 2008.
1.5. Sorry, Wrong Website - An assassin posing as a hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
employee receives his instructions from a mysterious website. Stars Michael Shunnarah. Tagline: "It's 'i' before 'e' except after 'c'." Aired 12 December, 2008.
1.6. Spin Cycle - A tenant in her building's laundry
Laundry
Laundry is a noun that refers to the act of washing clothing and linens, the place where that washing is done, and/or that which needs to be, is being, or has been laundered...
room suspects a stranger is waiting for something more sinister than the dryer. Stars Mindy Sterling
Mindy Sterling
Mindy Lee Sterling is an American actress. Although she had worked in film for over 30 years, she only began to garner attention after playing Frau Farbissina, the diminutive and domineering Germanic cohort of Dr. Evil in the Austin Powers series of comedy films, and has a recurring role as Ms...
and Jay Davis
Jay Davis
Jay Davis is an American actor, stand-up comedian and comedy promoter/producer who garnered nationwide attention after appearing in Dane Cook's Tourgasm, a 30-day cross-country-tour-turned-reality-show which also included Cook, Gary Gulman and Robert Kelly, and was given a 8-episode run on...
. Tagline: "Blood is the nastiest stain." Aired 19 December, 2008.