Down here in Dallas, channel 133 is the local Me-TV affiliate. Me-TV specializes in showing old TV shows from the 50s, 60s, and 70s. The network sells itself as a nostalgic refuge for people who are several decades older than me, a place where they can go to escape from Seth McFarlane cartoons and Maury Povich conducted DNA tests.
But you know what?
I like Me-TV and I’m glad that it exists. It probably has something to do with me being a history nerd at heart. I love the chance to see what the world was once like. Add to that, some very good shows were produced in the 50s and 60s. Just because a lot of us weren’t there to experience them firsthand doesn’t mean that we can’t appreciate them in rerun syndication.
Case in point: Thriller.
Thriller aired for two seasons in the early 60s. It was an anthology series, in the tradition ofThe Twilight Zone. Whereas The Twilight Zone was hosted by Rod Serling, Thriller was hosted by horror icon Boris Karloff, who always introduced the macabre material with a bemused gleam in his eyes.
The Devil’s Ticket was the 29th episode of Thriller and it originally aired on April 18th, 1961. It’s an effectively creepy little story about an artist (MacDonald Carey) who sells his soul to the Devil. It was directed by Jules Bricken and written by Robert Bloch.
Through the Shattered Lens 
Technicolor, HD, 3D, CGI and other high-tech special effects, , multi-million dollar budgets, Dolby, explicit violence – worthless without a good story. And this was a good story. Add good acting and good direction, and the perfect host, and you have all you need for a satisfying bit of horror fun.
Really like these old spooky shows. They make me feel nostalgic, too, and I hadn’t even been born when they were made. Some things have been gained with the advancement of television and cinema, but some things have definitely been lost.
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