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Lights Out (1949 TV series)

January 01, 1970

Lights Out is an American television anthology series that featured dramas of thrills and suspense. Broadcast on NBC from July 12, 1949, until September 29, 1952,[1] it was the first TV dramatic program to use a split-screen display.[2]

Lights Out
Directed by
  • William Corrigan
  • Kingman T. Moore
Presented by
Country of originUnited States
Production
Producers
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseJuly 12, 1949 (1949-07-12) –
September 29, 1952 (1952-09-29)

Overview edit

Lights Out was an adaptation of the radio series of the same name. The series was preceded by four Lights Out TV specials in 1946.[3]

Jack LaRue was the initial host for the program. Frank Gallop, who replaced him in 1950[3] was described as "the hollow-voiced man with the ectoplasmic eyebrows."[2] Episodes in the first season featured actors who were relatively unknown. The last two seasons had better-known actors, including Eddie Albert, Billie Burke, Yvonne DeCarlo, Boris Karloff, Raymond Massey, Burgess Meredith, Leslie Nielsen, and Basil Rathbone.[3]

The program's demise began on October 15, 1951, with the debut of I Love Lucy as its competition on CBS. Mike Dann, who was then program chief at NBC, said later, "We never knew what had happened, but it happened and it happened fast."[4]

Episodes edit

Each episode began with "a close shot of a pair of eyes, then a bloody hand reaching to turn out the lights, followed by an eerie laugh and the words, 'Lights out, everybody ...'"[3] Another version had Gallop blow out a candle.[5] Helen Wheatley wrote in the book Gothic Television that Lights Out "sought to terrify viewers through the deployment of low budget sound effects and minimal orchestration, which both betrayed a radiophonic background and would become specific to Gothic television (the sepulchral tonal quality of the narrator's voice, the combination of resonant musical instruments to create eerie sound effects, and so on)."[6]

Some episodes were created for the show, and some were adaptations of other material. Stories frequently included lonely country roads, people who returned from the dead, and spooky houses.[3]

Partial List of Episodes of Lights Out
Date Episode Actor(s)
September 23, 1949 "The Whisper" Paul Winchell[7]
April 10, 1950 "Faithful Heart" Anne Francis[1]
June 12, 1950 "The Determined Lady" Ethel Griffies, Donald Foster, Robert Eckles, Gene Blakely, Lee Nugent, Fred Barron[8]: 280 
June 19, 1950 "A Child Is Crying" David Cole, Frank M. Thomas, Nielsen, Mary Stuart MacDonald, Florence Robinson, Sam Alexander, Martin Brandt, Jason Johnson[8]: 280-281 
June 26, 1950 "Encore" Don Hanmer, Adelaide Klein, Denise Alexander, Heywood Hale Braun, Reginald Mason[8]
September 18, 1950 "The Leopard Lady" Martin Brandt, A. J. Herbert, Karloff, Ronald Long[9]
October 2, 1950 "The Posthumous Deed" Ed Begley, Biff Elliott, Arthur Hansen, Kenneth Renard, Blair Davis, Roland Hogue, Leonard Sherer[10]
October 9, 1950 "Just What Happened" John Howard, Dick Purdy, Rita Lynn, Alan Stevenson, Lolla Hespon, William Reed, James Rafferty, Garr Smith, William Branch[11]
December 4, 1950 "Beware This Woman" Veronica Lake[1]
February 5, 1951 "The House of Dust" Anthony Quinn, Nina Foch[1]
April 23, 1951 "The Fonceville Curse" Patric Knowles, Rosalind Ivan, Alma Lawton, Donald Morrison[12][13]
April 30, 1951 "Grey Reminder" (adaptation of Edith Wharton's "The Pomegranate Seed") Beatrice Straight, John Newland, Helene Dumas, Parker McCormick[12][14]
May 7, 1951 "The Lost Will of Dr. Rant" Leslie Nielsen, Russell Collins, Pat Englund, Eva Condon, John Gerstad, Marvin Paige, Florence Anguish, Fred Ardath[15][16]
May 14, 1951 "Dead Man's Coat" Basil Rathbone, William Post Jr., Norman Rose, Heywood Hale Broun, Harvey Hays, Pat Donovan[17][18]
April 7, 1952 "The Pit and the Pendulum" Murvyn Vye[19][5]
April 21, 1952 "A Lucky Piece" Adelaide Klein, Henry Jones, Oliver Thorndike, Abe Simon, Stephen Gray[20]
September 29, 1952 "The Hollow Man" William Bendix[1]

Production edit

Lights Out was broadcast live. Initially it was on Tuesdays from 9 to 9:30 p.m. Eastern Time. In November 1949 it was moved to Mondays from 9 to 9:30 p.m. E. T., and it remained in that time slot.[3] Sponsors included Admiral Corporation,[21] Ennds chlorophyll tablets, and Eye-Gene eye drops.[22]

Engineers at NBC developed a "newly perfected" split-screen technology for use on the series. The New York Times reported, "The new development, it is said, makes it possible for the first time to maintain continuity of action, including scene change, on both sides of the screen ..."[23] Other effects used on the series included the first-person camera approach, an amorphous shadow, people walking through walls, and vanishing spirits.[24]

Visual elements of the show were supplemented by musical effects. Arlo Hults played an organ throughout the show's run. In 1949 Paul Lipman played a theremin, and from 1950 through 1952, Doris Johnson played a harp.[3]

Herbert Swope Jr.[8] and Fred Coe were the producers.[25] Directors included William Corrigan[9] and Kingman T. Moore. Don Pike was the technical director.[25] Writers included Ernest Kinoy,[8]: 280  Douglas Wood Gibson,[7] Douglas Gilbert[25] and James Lee.[9]

Authors whose works were adapted for the program included Edgar Allan Poe,[24] John J. MacDonald,[8]: 280  Gerald Kersch,[7] Dorothy L. Sayers,[9] and Harry Junkin.[25]

Coe staged a pre-broadcast performance of the initial episode a week before the show's on-air premiere. The episode was recorded via kinescope and evaluated to determine possible changes. Two scenes were cut before the broadcast, and the opening and ending were revised.[26]

Critical response edit

A review in The New York Times contained praise for the program's third episode, "Long Distance". Val Adams wrote that the broadcast had "memorable effect" and called Jan Miner's acting "a sterling performance".[25] The review focused on the episode's use of a split-screen technique that enabled viewers to see and hear both ends of multiple telephone conversations as the wife of a condemned man tried to find a judge who would intervene to prevent her husband's execution. Adams wrote that the technique "underscored anew video's possibilities when motivated by imagination tempered with common sense."[25]

Another review in the Times found a May 1952 episode of Lights Out less impressive. Jack Gould summarized a plot that "fell on its supernatural ... It tried to put mind over matter and found itself only holding a jar of chlorophyll tablets."[27]

A review of the episode "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment" in the trade publication Billboard noted that it had "little suspense or impact in the script."[28] The review said that Burke and Gene Lockhart performed well, but "the supporting players, generally, delivered wooden performances, and the omnipresent organ made far too much commotion at times."[28]

Bob Goddard wrote in the St. Louis Globe-Democrat that the TV version of Lights Out was "mild by comparison" to its radio counterpart.[29] "At its peak moments," Goddard said, the TV show "barely ruffled me", whereas the radio program "scared the socks off of you".[29] He attributed the different impacts to video's leaving little to the imagination. With radio, in contrast, "You hear a moan or a clank of a ghostly chain and you can conjure up all manner of ghastly sights."[29] Goddard also criticized the placement of the first commercial after LaRue had set the tone for the episode in the opening. Goddard suggested beginning with the commercial, then having LaRue's opening lead directly into the story.[29]

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e McNeil, Alex (1996). Total Television: the Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present (4th ed.). New York, New York: Penguin Books USA, Inc. p. 482. ISBN 0-14-02-4916-8.
  2. ^ a b "Supernatural Tales Highly Rated on TV". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. May 25, 1952. p. 16. Retrieved October 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Brooks, Tim; Marsh, Earle (1999). The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946-Present (7th ed.). New York: The Ballentine Publishing Group. p. 585. ISBN 0-345-42923-0.
  4. ^ Nachman, Gerald (August 23, 2000). Raised on Radio. University of California Press. p. 491. ISBN 978-0-520-22303-5. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
  5. ^ a b Hawes, William (December 26, 2001). Filmed Television Drama, 1952-1958. McFarland. pp. 120–121. ISBN 978-0-7864-1132-0. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
  6. ^ Wheatley, Helen (June 1, 2017). Gothic television. Manchester University Press. p. 125. ISBN 978-1-5261-2561-3. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
  7. ^ a b c "Radio and Television: Fannie Brice Will Resume Her Role of 'Baby Snooks' With NBC on Nov. 8". The New York Times. September 22, 1949. p. 62. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  8. ^ a b c d e f Hawes, William (November 16, 2015). Live Television Drama, 1946-1951. McFarland. p. 281. ISBN 978-1-4766-0849-5. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
  9. ^ a b c d Nollen, Scott Allen; Nollen, Yuyun Yuningsih (January 13, 2021). Karloff and the East: Asian, Indian, Middle Eastern and Oceanian Characters and Subjects in His Screen Career. McFarland. p. 386. ISBN 978-1-4766-8063-7. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  10. ^ "Monday October 2". Ross Reports. September 30, 1950. p. 5. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
  11. ^ "Monday October 9 (Continued)". Ross Reports. October 8, 1950. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
  12. ^ a b "To See and Hear: Tomorrow". The Baltimore Sun. April 22, 1951. p. 16A. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
  13. ^ Globe Social Net (April 25, 2022). "Lights Out-The Fonceville Curse". Youtube. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
  14. ^ The Radio Ghost (July 14, 2017). "Lights Out TV Series: Grey Reminder". Youtube. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
  15. ^ "Tonight on Television—WBEN-TV, Channel 4". The Buffalo News. May 7, 1951. p. 24. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
  16. ^ Free the Kinescopes! (December 5, 2019). "Lights Out: The Lost Will of Dr Rant (May 7, 1951)". Youtube. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
  17. ^ "Television Schedules for the Week—WBZ-TV, Channel 4; WNAC-TV, Channel 7: Monday". The Boston Globe. May 14, 1951. p. 28-A. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
  18. ^ Free the Kinescopes! (December 5, 2019). "Lights Out: Dead Man's Coat (May 14, 1951)". Youtube. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
  19. ^ Panitt, Merrill (April 10, 1952). "Poe's Classic Rewritten, Horrible Show Result". The Philadelphia Inquirer. p. 34. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
  20. ^ "Monday April 21". Ross Reports. April 20, 1952. p. 15. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  21. ^ "Radio and Television: All Video Networks to Cover Cornerstone Laying of U. N. Headquarters Monday". The New York Times. October 22, 1949. p. 28. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
  22. ^ "Poe's 'The Pit and the Pendulum', adapted for TV, is first in new 'Lights Out' drama series with 'Ennds' as the sponsor". NBC Trade News. April 2, 1952. Retrieved October 13, 2023.
  23. ^ Lohman, Sidney (July 31, 1949). "The Field of Television: News and notes". The New York Times. p. X 7. ProQuest 105780297. Retrieved October 11, 2023 – via ProQuest.
  24. ^ a b "'Lights Out' Supernatural Television Chiller". The Norfolk Ledger-Dispatch. September 20, 1950. p. 37. Retrieved October 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ a b c d e f Adams, Val (August 7, 1949). "Television in Review: NBC Offers Two Series of Drama Shows, 'Academy Theatre' and 'Lights Out'". The New York Times. p. X 7. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  26. ^ Lohman, Sidney (July 24, 1949). "The Field of Television: News and notes". The New York Times. p. X 7. ProQuest 105793432. Retrieved October 11, 2023 – via ProQuest.
  27. ^ Gould, Jack (May 7, 1952). "Radio and Television: Mind Reading, Gin Rummy, Mental Telepathy and Hypnotism on 'Lights Out' Strain One's Credulity". The New York Times. p. 37. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
  28. ^ a b Chase, Sam (December 2, 1950). "Lights Out". Billboard. p. 8. Retrieved October 12, 2023.
  29. ^ a b c d Goddard, Bob (December 3, 1949). "Dial Side Seat". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. p. 7. Retrieved October 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.

January 01, 1970
lights, 1949, series, lights, american, television, anthology, series, that, featured, dramas, thrills, suspense, broadcast, from, july, 1949, until, september, 1952, first, dramatic, program, split, screen, display, lights, outdirected, bywilliam, corrigan, k. Lights Out is an American television anthology series that featured dramas of thrills and suspense Broadcast on NBC from July 12 1949 until September 29 1952 1 it was the first TV dramatic program to use a split screen display 2 Lights OutDirected byWilliam Corrigan Kingman T MoorePresented byJack La Rue Frank GallopCountry of originUnited StatesProductionProducersHerbert Swope Jr Fred CoeOriginal releaseNetworkNBCReleaseJuly 12 1949 1949 07 12 September 29 1952 1952 09 29 Contents 1 Overview 2 Episodes 3 Production 4 Critical response 5 ReferencesOverview editLights Out was an adaptation of the radio series of the same name The series was preceded by four Lights Out TV specials in 1946 3 Jack LaRue was the initial host for the program Frank Gallop who replaced him in 1950 3 was described as the hollow voiced man with the ectoplasmic eyebrows 2 Episodes in the first season featured actors who were relatively unknown The last two seasons had better known actors including Eddie Albert Billie Burke Yvonne DeCarlo Boris Karloff Raymond Massey Burgess Meredith Leslie Nielsen and Basil Rathbone 3 The program s demise began on October 15 1951 with the debut of I Love Lucy as its competition on CBS Mike Dann who was then program chief at NBC said later We never knew what had happened but it happened and it happened fast 4 Episodes editEach episode began with a close shot of a pair of eyes then a bloody hand reaching to turn out the lights followed by an eerie laugh and the words Lights out everybody 3 Another version had Gallop blow out a candle 5 Helen Wheatley wrote in the book Gothic Television that Lights Out sought to terrify viewers through the deployment of low budget sound effects and minimal orchestration which both betrayed a radiophonic background and would become specific to Gothic television the sepulchral tonal quality of the narrator s voice the combination of resonant musical instruments to create eerie sound effects and so on 6 Some episodes were created for the show and some were adaptations of other material Stories frequently included lonely country roads people who returned from the dead and spooky houses 3 Partial List of Episodes of Lights Out Date Episode Actor s September 23 1949 The Whisper Paul Winchell 7 April 10 1950 Faithful Heart Anne Francis 1 June 12 1950 The Determined Lady Ethel Griffies Donald Foster Robert Eckles Gene Blakely Lee Nugent Fred Barron 8 280 June 19 1950 A Child Is Crying David Cole Frank M Thomas Nielsen Mary Stuart MacDonald Florence Robinson Sam Alexander Martin Brandt Jason Johnson 8 280 281 June 26 1950 Encore Don Hanmer Adelaide Klein Denise Alexander Heywood Hale Braun Reginald Mason 8 September 18 1950 The Leopard Lady Martin Brandt A J Herbert Karloff Ronald Long 9 October 2 1950 The Posthumous Deed Ed Begley Biff Elliott Arthur Hansen Kenneth Renard Blair Davis Roland Hogue Leonard Sherer 10 October 9 1950 Just What Happened John Howard Dick Purdy Rita Lynn Alan Stevenson Lolla Hespon William Reed James Rafferty Garr Smith William Branch 11 December 4 1950 Beware This Woman Veronica Lake 1 February 5 1951 The House of Dust Anthony Quinn Nina Foch 1 April 23 1951 The Fonceville Curse Patric Knowles Rosalind Ivan Alma Lawton Donald Morrison 12 13 April 30 1951 Grey Reminder adaptation of Edith Wharton s The Pomegranate Seed Beatrice Straight John Newland Helene Dumas Parker McCormick 12 14 May 7 1951 The Lost Will of Dr Rant Leslie Nielsen Russell Collins Pat Englund Eva Condon John Gerstad Marvin Paige Florence Anguish Fred Ardath 15 16 May 14 1951 Dead Man s Coat Basil Rathbone William Post Jr Norman Rose Heywood Hale Broun Harvey Hays Pat Donovan 17 18 April 7 1952 The Pit and the Pendulum Murvyn Vye 19 5 April 21 1952 A Lucky Piece Adelaide Klein Henry Jones Oliver Thorndike Abe Simon Stephen Gray 20 September 29 1952 The Hollow Man William Bendix 1 Production editLights Out was broadcast live Initially it was on Tuesdays from 9 to 9 30 p m Eastern Time In November 1949 it was moved to Mondays from 9 to 9 30 p m E T and it remained in that time slot 3 Sponsors included Admiral Corporation 21 Ennds chlorophyll tablets and Eye Gene eye drops 22 Engineers at NBC developed a newly perfected split screen technology for use on the series The New York Times reported The new development it is said makes it possible for the first time to maintain continuity of action including scene change on both sides of the screen 23 Other effects used on the series included the first person camera approach an amorphous shadow people walking through walls and vanishing spirits 24 Visual elements of the show were supplemented by musical effects Arlo Hults played an organ throughout the show s run In 1949 Paul Lipman played a theremin and from 1950 through 1952 Doris Johnson played a harp 3 Herbert Swope Jr 8 and Fred Coe were the producers 25 Directors included William Corrigan 9 and Kingman T Moore Don Pike was the technical director 25 Writers included Ernest Kinoy 8 280 Douglas Wood Gibson 7 Douglas Gilbert 25 and James Lee 9 Authors whose works were adapted for the program included Edgar Allan Poe 24 John J MacDonald 8 280 Gerald Kersch 7 Dorothy L Sayers 9 and Harry Junkin 25 Coe staged a pre broadcast performance of the initial episode a week before the show s on air premiere The episode was recorded via kinescope and evaluated to determine possible changes Two scenes were cut before the broadcast and the opening and ending were revised 26 Critical response editA review in The New York Times contained praise for the program s third episode Long Distance Val Adams wrote that the broadcast had memorable effect and called Jan Miner s acting a sterling performance 25 The review focused on the episode s use of a split screen technique that enabled viewers to see and hear both ends of multiple telephone conversations as the wife of a condemned man tried to find a judge who would intervene to prevent her husband s execution Adams wrote that the technique underscored anew video s possibilities when motivated by imagination tempered with common sense 25 Another review in the Times found a May 1952 episode of Lights Out less impressive Jack Gould summarized a plot that fell on its supernatural It tried to put mind over matter and found itself only holding a jar of chlorophyll tablets 27 A review of the episode Dr Heidegger s Experiment in the trade publication Billboard noted that it had little suspense or impact in the script 28 The review said that Burke and Gene Lockhart performed well but the supporting players generally delivered wooden performances and the omnipresent organ made far too much commotion at times 28 Bob Goddard wrote in the St Louis Globe Democrat that the TV version of Lights Out was mild by comparison to its radio counterpart 29 At its peak moments Goddard said the TV show barely ruffled me whereas the radio program scared the socks off of you 29 He attributed the different impacts to video s leaving little to the imagination With radio in contrast You hear a moan or a clank of a ghostly chain and you can conjure up all manner of ghastly sights 29 Goddard also criticized the placement of the first commercial after LaRue had set the tone for the episode in the opening Goddard suggested beginning with the commercial then having LaRue s opening lead directly into the story 29 References edit a b c d e McNeil Alex 1996 Total Television the Comprehensive Guide to Programming from 1948 to the Present 4th ed New York New York Penguin Books USA Inc p 482 ISBN 0 14 02 4916 8 a b Supernatural Tales Highly Rated on TV Fort Worth Star Telegram May 25 1952 p 16 Retrieved October 12 2023 via Newspapers com a b c d e f g Brooks Tim Marsh Earle 1999 The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows 1946 Present 7th ed New York The Ballentine Publishing Group p 585 ISBN 0 345 42923 0 Nachman Gerald August 23 2000 Raised on Radio University of California Press p 491 ISBN 978 0 520 22303 5 Retrieved October 12 2023 a b Hawes William December 26 2001 Filmed Television Drama 1952 1958 McFarland pp 120 121 ISBN 978 0 7864 1132 0 Retrieved October 12 2023 Wheatley Helen June 1 2017 Gothic television Manchester University Press p 125 ISBN 978 1 5261 2561 3 Retrieved October 12 2023 a b c Radio and Television Fannie Brice Will Resume Her Role of Baby Snooks With NBC on Nov 8 The New York Times September 22 1949 p 62 Retrieved October 11 2023 a b c d e f Hawes William November 16 2015 Live Television Drama 1946 1951 McFarland p 281 ISBN 978 1 4766 0849 5 Retrieved October 12 2023 a b c d Nollen Scott Allen Nollen Yuyun Yuningsih January 13 2021 Karloff and the East Asian Indian Middle Eastern and Oceanian Characters and Subjects in His Screen Career McFarland p 386 ISBN 978 1 4766 8063 7 Retrieved October 11 2023 Monday October 2 Ross Reports September 30 1950 p 5 Retrieved October 12 2023 Monday October 9 Continued Ross Reports October 8 1950 Retrieved October 12 2023 a b To See and Hear Tomorrow The Baltimore Sun April 22 1951 p 16A Retrieved March 19 2024 Globe Social Net April 25 2022 Lights Out The Fonceville Curse Youtube Retrieved March 19 2024 The Radio Ghost July 14 2017 Lights Out TV Series Grey Reminder Youtube Retrieved March 19 2024 Tonight on Television WBEN TV Channel 4 The Buffalo News May 7 1951 p 24 Retrieved March 19 2024 Free the Kinescopes December 5 2019 Lights Out The Lost Will of Dr Rant May 7 1951 Youtube Retrieved March 19 2024 Television Schedules for the Week WBZ TV Channel 4 WNAC TV Channel 7 Monday The Boston Globe May 14 1951 p 28 A Retrieved March 19 2024 Free the Kinescopes December 5 2019 Lights Out Dead Man s Coat May 14 1951 Youtube Retrieved March 19 2024 Panitt Merrill April 10 1952 Poe s Classic Rewritten Horrible Show Result The Philadelphia Inquirer p 34 Retrieved March 19 2024 Monday April 21 Ross Reports April 20 1952 p 15 Retrieved February 9 2024 Radio and Television All Video Networks to Cover Cornerstone Laying of U N Headquarters Monday The New York Times October 22 1949 p 28 Retrieved October 12 2023 Poe s The Pit and the Pendulum adapted for TV is first in new Lights Out drama series with Ennds as the sponsor NBC Trade News April 2 1952 Retrieved October 13 2023 Lohman Sidney July 31 1949 The Field of Television News and notes The New York Times p X 7 ProQuest 105780297 Retrieved October 11 2023 via ProQuest a b Lights Out Supernatural Television Chiller The Norfolk Ledger Dispatch September 20 1950 p 37 Retrieved October 12 2023 via Newspapers com a b c d e f Adams Val August 7 1949 Television in Review NBC Offers Two Series of Drama Shows Academy Theatre and Lights Out The New York Times p X 7 Retrieved October 11 2023 Lohman Sidney July 24 1949 The Field of Television News and notes The New York Times p X 7 ProQuest 105793432 Retrieved October 11 2023 via ProQuest Gould Jack May 7 1952 Radio and Television Mind Reading Gin Rummy Mental Telepathy and Hypnotism on Lights Out Strain One s Credulity The New York Times p 37 Retrieved October 11 2023 a b Chase Sam December 2 1950 Lights Out Billboard p 8 Retrieved October 12 2023 a b c d Goddard Bob December 3 1949 Dial Side Seat St Louis Globe Democrat p 7 Retrieved October 12 2023 via Newspapers com Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Lights Out 1949 TV series amp oldid 1224324122, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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