Happy Halloween! Or, if you don't celebrate, happy Tuesday! I have something I hope you will consider a special treat today. I added Franchot's opening and closing segments of Witchcraft to Youtube.
Witchcraft was intended to be a weekly anthology show, much like Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits, with a horror and witchcraft theme. Franchot was to host this series, but the pilot episode "The Doll in Brambles" never aired and so this unique television opportunity never came to pass. I've seen the dates 1958 and 1961 attached to this pilot, but, to me, Franchot looks much younger here than he did in those years. I feel like there is no way this was shot in 1961, because this is a 1950-1955ish looking Franchot here. It's possible it was 1958, but even that seems a little too late, compared to photos of Franchot in that year.
Franchot is a perfect fit as host of this series and it's too bad this did not become a regular hosting gig for him. He has the elegance, intelligence, and perfect, shall we say, tone to be a trusted host that you return to each week for another night of entertainment. The actual story (which Franchot does not act in) is about a grandmother witch who tortures her granddaughter and has threatened to curse the granddaughter's fiancée should they proceed with a wedding. Although the main story is not quite on par with a Twilight Zone story, it is still entertaining and matches a lot of the anthology shows of the time.
Without further hesitation, here's a clip of Franchot hosting Witchcraft. Enjoy! If anyone has more concrete details about this anthology, the actual date, why it didn't air, or any information at all, I'd love to know more.
This was so entertaining. So sad it didn't get picked up. Monsieur Tone is excellent!
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