FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Interview with Artist
Tom Wright
About the Paintings of
Rod Serling's Night Gallery
And the Upcoming Season Two DVD
On the Internet Radio Show
TV Time Machine
www.tvtimemachine.com
October 20, 2008 - Artist and director Tom Wright (
NCIS, One Tree Hill) talks about creating the paintings for Rod Serling's
Night Gallery and his participation in Universal Home Entertainment's upcoming Season Two DVD release of the classic TV series, on the Internet radio show
TV Time Machine (http://www.tvtimemachine.com), hosted by TV historian Jim Benson.
In the early 1970's, artist Tom Wright was commissioned by
Night Gallery producer Jack Laird to paint all of the canvases for the series. From the beginning, Wright's bizarre and horrific creations captured the imagination of television viewers-a fascination that continues to this day. Dozens of Mr. Wright's paintings will be featured with his audio commentary on Universal's upcoming DVD release of Rod Serling's
Night Gallery: Season Two.
"It's incredible," says Wright. "People still come up to me and say 'are you the one who did those paintings?' It was really interesting to do the DVD. It's an interactive thing - people will pick the painting they like, punch in on it, and my commentary will come up. Universal said they were really happy with what was happening with this feature, so I'm anxious to see the finished product."
On
TV Time Machine, Tom Wright talks about working with
Night Gallery creator Rod Serling, his step-by-step process creating his works of art, and other behind-the-scenes anecdotes. Mr. Wright also discusses individual episode canvases including Midnight Never Ends, The Doll, A Feast of Blood, and The Caterpillar.
In addition to his work as artist creating over 100 paintings for Rod Serling's
Night Gallery, Tom Wright is an accomplished television director helming such shows as
NCIS, Bones, One Tree Hill, CSI, The X-Files, and
Millennium. A graduate of Chouinard Art Institute, Mr. Wright served as illustrator and makeup designer on such classic films as Alfred Hitchcock's
Topaz and Robert Wise' s
The Andromeda Strain, as well as the Emmy-nominated Night Gallery episode, Pickman's Model.
TV Time Machine is a unique Internet radio show that explores classic TV and its influence over the past five decades. Beyond nostalgia,
TV Time Machine spotlights TV's impact on our culture and society, and explores how present-day television and its movers and shakers have been - and are still - influenced by the stories, programs, and characters of television's past.
TV Time Machine host Jim Benson has interviewed a multitude of legendary TV celebrities, authors and experts of all stripes on his radio program, covering shows ranging from
Mr. Ed to
Meet the Press and topics such as Technology on TV and TV's Turning Points. A TV historian for over twenty-five years, Mr. Benson has contributed to dozens of TV productions - including a recent appearance on
Penn & Teller's Bullshit!, and is a Historical Consultant on Universal Studios' DVD release of Rod Serling's
Night Gallery: Season Two. He is the co-author, with Scott Skelton, of the book
Rod Serling's Night Gallery: An After-Hours Tour, published by Syracuse University Press.
