The Halloween TV Countdown Begins -- "Star Trek"

As a television programmer it was always a little annoying to have holiday episodes in the run of a series. They inevitably end up being run at the wrong times, though I always tried to hold them until appropriate moments and play them as much in season as possible. Nowadays we don't have to worry about any of that -- we can enjoy them at the perfect time!

This year The Flaming Nose TV Blog is bringing you a variety of recommended Halloween TV viewing choices, starting today. Halloween is next Sunday, so we've got a nice array up our sleeves for you!

First on deck is original Star Trek and its second season episode "Catspaw" with guest stars Antoinette Bower and Theo Marcuse. This is the one where Kirk, Spock and McCoy end up in a spooky medieval castle complete with menacing black cat, three keening witches, a glamorous female sorceress, a diabolical wizard and a gloomy dungeon. The dialogue even references "Halloween" and "trick or treat" at one point, and the original airdate for the episode was October 27, 1967. You can't get much more perfect than that, but it plays well at any time, too.



It's a fun episode, with some good moments between the leads and a great performance from veteran Hollywood character actor Theo Marcuse. He often turned up on our favorite shows like The Wild Wild West, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Batman, The Time Tunnel, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea and so many other terrific movies and TV shows. Sadly, Marcuse died in a car accident just a month after this episode aired, at the far too young age of 47. His female accomplice in "Catspaw" was the lovely Antoinette Bower, also a mainstay of series television in programs like Mission: Impossible, Mannix, The Thorn Birds and so many others.

You can watch "Catspaw" on Hulu or on other sites, and it's also up on YouTube.

Boo! -- and join us tomorrow for another great Halloween TV viewing choice!