Night Gallery - Eyes

I can see why Eyes will continue to be a curio just for its “fun facts” background. The casting of Joan Crawford at the very end of her career, a young Steven Spielberg hired to direct, and Rod Serling introducing the tale next to a self portrait of Crawford in the darkened gallery. It even has a pitiable Tom Bosley as a down-on-his-luck gambler needing $9000 dollars so he can pay off a bookie and survive. Barry Sullivan as the talented veteran surgeon with a secret regarding an affair that ended with the lover dying while getting an abortion, his mistake exploited by Crawford’s “idle rich” Claudia Menlo so he’ll perform an experimental eye surgery which would afford her eleven or twelve hours of sight. So Bosley would give up his eyes/sight to Crawford for the money, and Crawford would get to finally see something, anything. The episode allowed Spielberg to shoot Crawford stumbling around in her penthouse in the dark due to a blackout (the irony of the episode), shattered glass to emphasize Crawford’s fall out of a window, the juxtaposition of Bosley and Crawford’s faces as their eyes meet to illustrate their exchange, and this multi-edited set piece as Crawford explodes on Sullivan over gaining sight and what she’d get to have because of it. Of course Spielberg knew to get close-ups of Crawford and she, sure enough, bulges her eyes, barks, and cuts Sullivan to the quick because she wants sight and will tarnish him in order to get it. Sullivan lays in sarcasm and laments Crawford’s ruthless nature, pointedly taking her to task for ruining a life in order to secure temporary sight. I think you can tell that this was a showcase for Spielberg’s talents while Crawford gets top billing in this Night Gallery story, part of a trifecta of tales for the pilot. She’s unapologetic as the selfish and obsessive Claudia while Sullivan caves because he needs to retain his standing in his profession and marriage. Bosley talks about what he has seen and how he’ll probably end up slitting his throat after the surgery renders him a blind man. Crawford capitalizes on the frailties of others and is served fitting punishment for her actions against them. A proper send off if I must say so myself.