Episode guide revision date: April 7, 2026
Compiled by Loren Heisey
https://innermind.com/myguides/
Series notes
The Veil is an anthology television series of tales that were allegedly based upon real-life reports of supernatural happenings and unexplained events. Boris Karloff hosted the series and also acted in all but one episode. Most episodes begin and end with Karloff standing in front of a roaring Gothic fireplace where he gives this introduction:
Good evening. Tonight I'm going to tell you another strange and unusual story of the unexplainable which lies behind The Veil
Hal Roach Studios produced The Veil intending to make 39 episodes for the series. However because of studio financial issues and other problems the studio was shutdown in April 1959 with 11 episodes completed. Another episode was acquired to make a total of 12 episodes. These episodes were not run on television and remained stored in a vault for many years.
Ten of the twelve The Veil were compiled into three movies which were broadcast on independent stations starting in the fall of 1978.
| Movie | Episodes |
| The Veil | The Crystal Ball, The Doctors, Summer Heat, Vision of Crime |
| Jack the Ripper | Summer Heat, Genesis, Food on the Table, Jack the Ripper |
| Destination Nightmare | Destination Nightmare, The Return of Madam Vernoy, Girl on the Road, Peggy |
At some point The Veil episodes were shown on public domain cable stations under Chiller Theatre with some episodes renamed. Ten episodes were released on VHS home video in the late 1990s and on DVD in the 2000s. In 2008 Timeless Media Group came out with a two-DVD box set with all 12 episodes. It was called Tales of the Unexplained from behind The Veil.
All 12 episodes were released on Blu-ray by Iconoscope in 2026. This release features newly scanned and restored in 4K from 16mm and 35mm original archival elements. It also has optional English SDH subtitles and some bonus features.
The book Scripts From the Crypt (No. 7) The Veil edited by Tom Weaver has lots of information about the show.
Guide notes
Credits are as listed in the DVD release. There are no airdates because the series did not air when it was made. This also means there is no airdate order of the episodes so the order of the episodes varies. This guide uses the Timeless Media DVD order. The Veil versions of the episodes did not have on screen episode titles so these vary. This guide uses episode titles from the Timeless Media DVD packaging with a.k.a. for titles from scripts or other sources. Alternate titles are listed in episode notes. Things not in the on screen credits are in brackets.
Production credits
Produced by: Frank P. Bibas, Jerry Stagg, Ben Fox
Executive Producer: Hal Roach, Jr.
Associate Producer: Sidney Morse, Jerry D. Lewis
Production Supervisor: E.H. Goldstein, Sidney Van Keuren
Director of Photography: Howard Schwartz, Paul Ivano, Stephen Dade B.S.C.
Production Coordinator: William Sterling, E.H. Goldstein
Music: Leon Klatzkin, Edwin Astley
Created by: Frank P. Bibas
A Hal Roach Studios Production
Westrex Recording System
Episodes
1. The Vestris
Production number: 9067
Filmed: January 2, 3, 6 and 7, 1958
| Directed by | Arthur Hiller |
| Teleplay by | David Evans |
| Special Guest Star | Boris Karloff [as Dr. Pierre] |
| With | Torin Thatcher as Capt. Robert Norrich |
| Rita Lynn as Mary Norrich |
Cast
| William Lloyd | Thomas G. Duggan |
| Robbins | Ben Wright |
| 1st Seaman | Ashley Cowan |
| 2nd Seaman | Patrick O'Moore |
Synopsis: Mary Norrich embarks on her first voyage with her sea captain husband's ship. She has a vision of a ghostly apparition who tries to warn her of impending danger. Mary can't convince her husband or the other crew members that something is amiss.
Notes: This episode serves as the pilot for The Veil. It was made for the Telephone Time TV program and aired on February 25, 1958. For The Veil the opening and closing segments with host Dr. Frank Baxter were replaced with ones done by Boris Karloff. These segments were not in the castle setting but with Boris Karloff standing in front of a rather plain background. The credits were also redone. The Telephone Time version of the episode has the episode title in the credits, Telephone Time advertisements, and a preview for the next Telephone Time episode. The Timeless Media DVD has the Telephone Time version of this episode while the Iconoscope Blu-ray has both versions.
2. Girl on the Road
Production number: 9212
Filmed: October 27, 28, and 29, 1958
| Directed by | George Waggner |
| Teleplay by | George Waggner |
Cast
| Morgan Debs | Boris Karloff |
| John Prescott | Tod Andrews |
| Lila Kirby | Eve Brent |
| Bartender | Jack Lomas |
| Chauffeur | Kelly Thordsen |
| Sheriff | Rusty Lane |
| Garage Attendant | Pitt Herbert |
| Mrs. Kirby | Claudia Bryar |
Synopsis: A motorist finds a beautiful, young woman stranded by the side of the road. He determines her car ran out of gas and drives her to town to get gas and have a drink. When someone calls out the name Morgan Debs, the girl panics and leaves, but promises the man she will meet with him later and tell him who Morgan Debs is. Will they meet and why do the townspeople not want to talk about the girl?
Notes: For some airings this episode was retitled Lookout Point.
3. Food on the Table a.k.a. No Food on the Table
Production number: 9209
Filmed: November 19, 20, and 21, 1958
| Directed by | Frank P. Bibas |
| Teleplay by | Jack Jacobs |
Cast
| Captain Elwood | Boris Karloff |
| Ruth Elwood | Kay Stewart |
| Captain Barney | Tudor Owen |
| Calvin Logan | Russ Bender |
| Bessie | Eleanor Luckey |
| [Member of Mariners' Club] | [Steve Carruthers (uncredited)] |
| [Betsy] | [Anne Helm (uncredited)] |
Synopsis: A captain returns from a sea voyage to a wife he does not love. He saves her life after she is bitten by a snake. He almost immediately regrets having done so, as he learns that a woman who is smitten with him has been recently widowed and has inherited a large sum of money. He plots his wife's murder so he will be able to marry the rich woman.
Notes: For some airings this episode was retitled The Gloucester Captain. This most likely is because the episode introduction mentioned this story was from a report in the files of the Gloucester Historical Society.
4. The Doctors a.k.a. The Doctor
Production number: 9207
Filmed: October 29, 30, and 31, 1958
| Directed by | George Waggner |
| Teleplay by | David Evans |
Cast
| Dr. Carlo Marcabienti | Boris Karloff |
| Dr. Angelo Marcabienti | Tony Travis |
| Maria | Argentina Brunetti |
| Mother Bianchi | Elvira Curci |
| Father Bianchi | Ernest Sarracino |
| Guiseppe | Bruno Della Santina |
| Toni | Domenick Delgarde |
| Grandmother | Inez Palange |
| Neighbor | Dominica Hauser |
| Francesca | Laurie Perreau |
Synopsis: A doctor returns home to the small Italian village he grew up in to convince his elderly father, also a doctor, to retire and move to the city to live with him. When the elder doctor is called to the home of a patient, the son goes to a home with a deathly ill child, but the family won't allow the son to operate until the "real" doctor arrives.
Notes: For some airings this episode was retitled The Medieval Healer. A draft script had the title The Medical Consultant.
5. The Crystal Ball a.k.a. Truth in the Crystal Ball
Production number: 9203
Filmed: December 3, 4, and 5, 1958
| Directed by | Herbert L. Strock |
| Teleplay by | Robert Joseph |
Cast
| Andre Giraud | Boris Karloff |
| Edmond Valier | Booth Colman |
| Marie [Montcour] | Roxane Berard |
| [Charles] Montcour | Leonard Penn |
| Philippe Jussard | Albert Carrier |
Synopsis: A flighty French girl leaves her lover, a young writer, to marry his rich boss. As a parting gift, she gives him an ornamental crystal ball. What the jilted husband sees in the crystal ball is not what the girl had intended.
Notes: Production notes called this episode Truth in a Crystal Ball. This was the last episode filmed in 1958 before the show went on hiatus until February 1959
6. Vision of Crime
Production number: 9205
Filmed: November 17, 18, and 19, 1958
| Directed by | Herbert L. Strock |
| Teleplay by | Fred Schiller |
Cast
| Sgt. Willmore | Boris Karloff |
| George Bosworth | Robert Hardy |
| Julie Westcott | Jennifer Raine |
| Constable Hawton | Patrick Macnee |
| Mrs. Clink | Betty Fairfax |
| Albert Ketch | Terence DeMarney |
| The Captain | Donald Lawton |
| The Scotsman | Kendrick Huxham |
Synopsis: While on a boat trip to Paris, a man has a vision in which he sees his brother murdered. He returns to England to discover that his brother has been killed. The man knows the prime suspect isn't the murderer but will he be able to ferret out the killer without mentioning his vision and seeming like a nut-case?.
Notes: For some airings this episode was retitled The Murder That Never Happened.
7. Genesis a.k.a. A Chapter of Genesis
Production number: 9210
Filmed: October 15, 16, and 17, 1958
| Directed by | George Waggner |
| Teleplay by | Sidney Morse |
Cast
| Jonas Atterbury | Boris Karloff |
| Emma Haney | Katherine Squire |
| James Haney | Peter Miller |
| John Haney, Jr. | Lee Far |
| John Haney, Sr. | Charles Meredith |
| Judge Davis | Morris Ankrum |
| Blue | Thomas Henry |
Synopsis: The two sons of a dying farmer quarrel over the old man's will. A message from beyond the grave points the elder son to the story of Esau and Jacob in the book of Genesis. Will the elder son be able to find the documents that will allow him to keep the younger son from selling the family farm?
Notes: For some airings this episode was retitled Where There's a Will. Was also called Two Sons.
8. Destination Nightmare
Production number: 9222
Filmed: February 9, 10, and 11, 1959
| Directed by | Paul Landres |
| Teleplay by | Ellis Marcus |
Cast
| Pete [Wade] Sr. | Boris Karloff |
| Pete [Wade] Jr. | Ron Hagerthy |
| Bill Tighe | Myron Healey |
| Wally [Huffner] | Roy Engel |
Synopsis: A young man, badgered by his father to work in his aviation company, sees a vision of a man while on a routine air-flight. The vision tells him to go to a certain location and he does...in a trance. He is stopped by his copilot before their plane crashes. He is haunted by the vision and is determined to find out if it was his imagination or something else.
Notes: For some airings this episode was retitled Heading 135. The introduction for this episode was not in the castle setting but in an office setting. The credits had a curtain-ish background.
9. Summer Heat
Production number: 9204
Filmed: October 13, 14, and 15, 1958
| Directed by | George Waggner |
| Teleplay by | Rik Vollaerts |
Cast
| Dr. Mason | Boris Karloff |
| Edward Paige | Harry Bartell |
| Lt. Davis | Paul Bryar |
| Sgt. Fenton | Ray Montgomery |
| Ralph Kerwin | Gene Collins |
| Blonde Woman | Vici Raaf |
| Elizabeth Foley | Gretchen Thomas |
| Mrs. Rebus | Connie Van |
| Dr. Dragstedt | Robert Griffin |
Synopsis: A man witnesses a robbery and murder in the apartment across the street from his own. When the police are called, it is discovered that the apartment is empty. Has he seen what he thinks he has seen? Are we dealing with the past, the present or the future?
Notes: For some airings this episode was retitled Grip of the Sun.
10. The Return of Madam Vernoy a.k.a. The Return of Mme. Vernoy
Production number: 9206
Filmed: December 1, 2, and 3, 1958
| Directed by | Herbert L. Strock |
| Teleplay by | Stanley H. Silverman |
Cast
| [Professor] Charles Goncourt | Boris Karloff |
| Santha Naidu | Lee Torrance |
| Armand Vernoy | Jean Del Val |
| Mme. Naidu | Iphigenie Castiglioni |
| Krishna Vernoy | George Hamilton |
| Rama Mukerjee | Julius Johnson |
Synopsis: In August of 1927, Madame Sita Vernoy dies in a small town in India, leaving a grieving husband and a newborn son. One year and ten days later, Santha Naidu is born in Delhi who slowly begins to remember her previous life as Madame Vernoy. When she grows to maturity, these memories are instrumental in changing the life of her former life widowed husband and the son who is now one year older than herself.
Notes: For some airings this episode was retitled Girl From Delhi.
11. Jack the Ripper
| Directed by | David MacDonald |
| Screenplay by | Michael Plant |
The Cast In order of their appearance
| Walter | Niall MacGinnis |
| Judith | Dorothy Alison |
| Constable | Robert Brown |
| Fat Woman | Mai Bacon |
| Inspector | Clifford Evans |
| Warden | Robert Brooks-Turner |
| Mrs. Willowden | Nora Swinburne |
| Dr. Hatherley | Charles Carson |
Synopsis: A clairvoyant, in dreams and visions, sees a series of grisly murders in London's Whitechapel district. But his knowledge of the details of the crimes makes him a suspect in the eyes of the police.
Notes: This is the only episode of the 11 which does not feature Boris Karloff in a character role, and the only one to be shot in England rather than Hollywood. Karloff's introduction was filmed in Hollywood and added later
12. Peggy a.k.a. Whatever Happened to Peggy
Production number: 9219
Filmed: February 11, 12, and 13, 1959
| Directed by | Herbert L. Strock |
| Teleplay by | Stanley H. Silverman |
Cast
| Ira Perry | Boris Karloff |
| Ruth Cooper | Denise Alexander |
| Dr. Madison | Whit Bissell |
| Martha Perry | Olive Blakeney |
| Ellie Cooper | Frances O'Farrell |
| nurse | Shirley Mitchell |
Synopsis: Ellie Cooper and her teenage daughter, Ruth, visit the town here Ellie grew up. Soon after they arrive Ruth starts to be possessed by the tormented soul of another young girl.
Notes: For some airings this episode was retitled Invisible Ghost. Like Destination Nightmare, the introduction for this episode was in an office setting rather then the castle setting. This episode was the last to be filmed before production of the series was permanently shut down. None of the media releases of this episode have complete end credits for this episode. The introduction credits have a different background than other episodes.
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