Russell Johnson And William Shatner Co-Starred In An Episode Of Boris Karloff's Show
Before they set sail for Gilligan's Island and Star Trek, Borif Karloff brought Russell Johnson And William Shatner together in a classic horror series.
In 1959, two up-and-coming actors, William Shatner and Russell Johnson, shared the screen together in an episode of Boris Karloff's anthology series, Thriller. Shatner played photographer Gil Thrasher, while Johnson portrayed realtor Adam Talmadge, who sold the couple the haunted house. The couple soon began experiencing strange occurrences in their new home, such as seeing apparitions in mirrors.
This episode, titled "The Hungry Glass," was one of the many horror stories featured in Thriller, which was known for its excellent anthology series format.
Shatner would later become famous for his role as Captain Kirk in Star Trek, while Johnson had a successful career in Westerns and other genres, including appearances on Alfred Hitchcock Presents and The Twilight Zone. Other recognizable actors who appeared on Thriller included Leslie Nielsen, Bruce Dern, John Carradine, Mary Tyler Moore, and Rip Torn. Karloff himself starred in five of the 67 episodes.
Thriller was praised for its quality, with Stephen King even calling it "the best horror series ever put on TV." However, the show's run was cut short when Alfred Hitchcock's own anthology series, The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, began airing in 1961, leading to Thriller's cancellation after its second season in 1962.
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