Roald Dahl's Tales of the Unexplained

[Crothian]

I got this for Christmas, it's a DVD set, and was wondering if anyone else had seen it or knew anything about the series.

 

[Dismas]

I got this for Christmas, it's a DVD set, and was wondering if anyone else had seen it or knew anything about the series.

British late 70's TV adaptations of RD's short stories. From what I remember most stories had a dark twist at the end, some of them almost Urban Legends. James Bond like dancing silloute in the begining titles, quite a few 'big name' british TV stars. Fond memories of the series, two episodes stick in my mind;

Murder investigation where they are trying to find the murder weapon while the widow keeps herself busy by finishing the dinner she was preparing.

Gambler gets draw into a game where he ends up having to stake a finger on the outcome of the game.

Staying up to watch an episode got you some serious bragging rights in the playground the next day (IIRC the odd episode showed enough flesh to get a schoolboy flustered )

 

[Crothian]

oddly enough the two episodes you describe I've seen and some friends and I were talking about them justa week ago, though we thought it was Alfred Hitchcock presents.

 

[Mark]

Both right - Roald Dahl's IMDb listing

Had his own show in the late seventies (Tales of the Unexpected) and was credited with the writing (actually "story") of 7 episodes for "Alfred Hitchcock Presents" earlier in his career.

I especially remember the Gambler episode (Alfred Hitchcock Presents - Man from the South with Peter Lorre and Steve McQueen - Episode: #5.15 - 3 January 1960 *or* Tales of the Unexpected - Man from the South with Jose Ferrer and Michael Ontkean - Episode: #1 - March 24, 1979) where the bet was over if he could light his cigarette lighter ten times in a row without it misfiring. Good tension builing in that one.

The other one must be Alfred Hitchcock Presents - Lamb to the Slaughter with Barbara Bel Geddes - Episode: #3.28 - 13 April 1958 AKA Tales of the Unexpected - Lamb to the Slaughter with Susan George - Episode: #4 - April 14, 1979.

Dahl's other Alfred Hitchcock Presents episodes are -

A Dip in the Poole with Fay Wray and Keenan Wynn - Episode: #3.35 - 1 June 1958

Poison with James Donald - Episode: #4.1 - 5 October 1958

The Baby Sitter with Mary Wicke - Episode: #1.32 - 6 May 1956

Mrs. Bixby and the Colonel's Coat with Audrey Meadows - Episode: #6.1 - 27 September 1960

The Landlady with Dean Stockwell - Episode: #6.19 - 21 February 1961

 

[Crothian]

it looks like many of the ones he wrote for Hitchcock he used for his own show

 

[Keeper of Secrets]

This sounds pretty cool, actually. I had never heard of it before.