Amazing Stories

Spielburg is truly one of our cinematic giants and were so lucky to have him. I remember that he said that he based Raiders Of The Lost Ark on all those cliffhanger movie serials that he saw as a kid. He is like a person with the mind of a genius and the heart of a child. Amazing Stories was his contribution to television and this series has been unfairly forgotten. It should have run longer and I am glad some of the episodes are out on video. It was imaginative and daring just like the movies Speilburg directed. It told different stories every week and used some of our finest actors in the roles. The one that touched my heart the most was one about a man who was a soldier in World War II and came home resented by his little girl. She wandered off in the woods during a picnic and was lost forever. Years later, when the old man's wife is on her deathbed, he hears a knock at the door and he opens it to see his little girl. She has come for her mother and takes her away. This was one of the most moving stories that I have ever seen and it almost brings tears to my eyes thinking of it even now. Some episodes were dramatic and some were funny but the point is that all were masterful and original. Fred Allen once said "No wonder they call tv a medium, nothing on it is ever well done". I think even Fred would have loved Amazing Stories.

When this show premiered Spielberg was at the top of his game/fame. He was a director(Jaws, Raiders, ET) and executive producer(Gremlins, Back to the Future). Amazing Stories was a big event series. It had a million dollar per episode budget(quite high for the 80s), state of the art title credits and many famous faces(especially behind the camera). It didn't even need to show its worth in the first season, it was locked in for two seasons. Alas it was mostly a dud, and was nowhere near as good storywise as the original Twilight Zone or Outer Limits.

There was no equivalent of "To Serve Man" or "Nightmare at 20 000 Feet" in Amazing Stories. No "Zanti Misfits" or "Architects of Fear." Stories that you could watch once and probably remember well, and be able to relay to someone else in a few sentences and still be entertaining because the idea was good.

The best live action episode was in my opinion, "Mummy, Daddy." It had energy, humor and clever ending, which was improvised, and if it had followed the script as originally written(concluding in the hospital) would have been a dud as well.

"Family Dog" also stood out.

I remember "the Main Attraction," "The Mission" (mainly for the cartoony ending), "Gather Ye Acorns," "Miscalculations," "Mirror, Mirror" and "Go to the Head of the Class."

But beyond some fancy special effects and occasional laugh, the stories just don't hold up.

Doing a memorable anthology show is hard, but the cheaper Tales From the Darkside was locked into the horror genre and didn't do so badly.

The most memorable thing about it was in fact the opening credits, and as others have said, the series never lived up to the concept. It was probably held to a higher standard because of Spielberg's film history at the time, but for the small screen, he was no Rod Serling.

Amazing Stories was a TV series created by The master Steven Spielberg.It was made in the years 1985-1987.Every time there was a different story and different actors.Amazing Stories was a great fantasy show that kept you interested from the beginning to the end.Very often it had some famous actors so it was nice to watch who were the stars each time.Watch this show if you want to see something interesting.

The epsiode I remember from this show is probably the one that everyone who watched rememebers most. This one is "Go to The Head of the Class." I was probably 10 or 11 when I first saw it and enjoyed watching it with my older brother and sister. It is packed with moments that make you jump. Now that I am older, I enjoy when it comes on TV and still jump at the shocks. Christopher Lloyd is brilliant as the cruel teacher. The way he says Mr. Braaaand and Miss Simpson will always be a standout. The kids do well also. The music by Alan Silvestri is fantastic and chilling. This is a scary episode, but a lot of fun! So don't lose your head and catch it next time it comes on cable.

Some "amazing stories" were actually just rehashes of old ideas, but some, such as "The Mission", were superbly written, directed, and are worth seeking out. To add to their appeal, some top-notch actors are involved to bring an extra dimension to the story. Worth seeing.