Robert Vaughn plays a college chemist named Dr. Frank Cordell, who one day is experimenting in a chamber with test tubes when one of them breaks, and though wearing a gas mask, it doesn't seem to work, as Dr. Cordell falls unconscious, later concluding that he discovered an unknown gas that he is unable to locate again, despite many dedicated attempts. Even worse, Cordell seems to have unknowingly developed a murderous side whenever he hears the sound of bells, causing him to black out and murder college coeds. Can he find an antidote in time, before the police catch him? Good performance by Vaughn is the highlight of this familiar but effective episode, with many tragic overtones .
10 Reviews
This Cordell rings a bell
melvelvit-130 May 2008
Warning: Spoilers
Doctor Frank Cordell (Robert Vaughn), a scientist conducting government experiments in a college laboratory, concocts an explosive gas that he accidentally inhales which causes him to have violent blackouts whenever he hears a bell.
This scary tale is a sci-fi reworking of John Brahm's HANGOVER SQUARE and has Doctor Cordell going into the same mysterious, murderous fugue states as George Harvey Bone. He starts out by mangling his pet parakeet but soon graduates to co-eds and does horrible things to their corpses -one detective asks, "Did you see the body? I wish I didn't." Cordell keeps every bell that drives him nuts as a fetish and it all ends (where else?) in the school's library bell tower. There's a nighttime campus pep rally where the demented doc follows a female student ringing a bell into the woods to do godknows what after killing her and I sat bolt upright -not because I expected Cordell to throw the girl's body on the bonfire the way Bone did but because I vividly remembered that scene from my childhood -it terrified me! I was seven when the episode aired and this spine-tingling deja vu nostalgia-burst was priceless! The good doctor also stalks and kills a young student (Marlo Thomas) after freaking out over her tinkling bell earrings and this scenario was done before in 1953's 3-D PHANTOM OF THE RUE MORGUE starring Karl Malden, Patricia Medina, and Merv Griffin (!).
This scary tale is a sci-fi reworking of John Brahm's HANGOVER SQUARE and has Doctor Cordell going into the same mysterious, murderous fugue states as George Harvey Bone. He starts out by mangling his pet parakeet but soon graduates to co-eds and does horrible things to their corpses -one detective asks, "Did you see the body? I wish I didn't." Cordell keeps every bell that drives him nuts as a fetish and it all ends (where else?) in the school's library bell tower. There's a nighttime campus pep rally where the demented doc follows a female student ringing a bell into the woods to do godknows what after killing her and I sat bolt upright -not because I expected Cordell to throw the girl's body on the bonfire the way Bone did but because I vividly remembered that scene from my childhood -it terrified me! I was seven when the episode aired and this spine-tingling deja vu nostalgia-burst was priceless! The good doctor also stalks and kills a young student (Marlo Thomas) after freaking out over her tinkling bell earrings and this scenario was done before in 1953's 3-D PHANTOM OF THE RUE MORGUE starring Karl Malden, Patricia Medina, and Merv Griffin (!).
Depraved by the Bell
LCShackley8 March 2016
Warning: Spoilers
This is a strange mixture of the SF "mad scientist" trope with a serial killer story. Dr. Cordell is trying to find an antidote for nerve gas, but ends up creating a new gas that permeates his protective mask. Will he turn into a monster? Grow to be 50 feet tall? No - the only result is that he goes nuts when he hears bells ring. The first victim is his landlady's parakeet, and the trouble escalates from there.
We're left for awhile wondering how a mysterious gas can cause "tintinnabulophobia," but then the resident doctor takes it to the ridiculous limit with his explanation: the gas could alter the chemistry of a man's brain. So if, perhaps, when he was a child, he was tormented by an older sibling using a toy bell, the change in chemistry coupled with the "trigger" sound of a bell causes these old memories to come flooding back, followed by homicidal rage. I kid you not. Tortured by a toy bell.
This is one of prolific THRILLER contributor Donald Sanford's only original scripts, and it's a mish-mash of clichés from a variety of genres. Robert Vaughn handles his Jekyll/Hyde role well, and there's a lovely twisted tribute to VERTIGO at the end. But the highlight for us baby boomers is the opportunity to watch Napoleon Solo murder "That Girl," Marlo Thomas.
We're left for awhile wondering how a mysterious gas can cause "tintinnabulophobia," but then the resident doctor takes it to the ridiculous limit with his explanation: the gas could alter the chemistry of a man's brain. So if, perhaps, when he was a child, he was tormented by an older sibling using a toy bell, the change in chemistry coupled with the "trigger" sound of a bell causes these old memories to come flooding back, followed by homicidal rage. I kid you not. Tortured by a toy bell.
This is one of prolific THRILLER contributor Donald Sanford's only original scripts, and it's a mish-mash of clichés from a variety of genres. Robert Vaughn handles his Jekyll/Hyde role well, and there's a lovely twisted tribute to VERTIGO at the end. But the highlight for us baby boomers is the opportunity to watch Napoleon Solo murder "That Girl," Marlo Thomas.
"It's all a matter of chemistry..., brain chemistry."
classicsoncall1 February 2012
Warning: Spoilers
One of my favorite things about these old TV series is seeing who turns up in them. By the time this episode of 'Thriller' aired, Robert Vaughn had a slew of TV guest spots spanning his early career, on his way to a star turn as Napoleon Solo in 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E.'. Perhaps a bigger surprise in this story was catching Marlo Thomas in one of her earliest guest appearances as the student who got lost on her way to the library. Too bad for her character, but at least her demise was done off screen.
This one had an interesting premise. A college lab scientist (Vaughn) accidentally discovers a new kind of gas and is overcome by it's fumes during a failed experiment. Afterwards, the effects of the fumes cause him to have a violent reaction to the sound of bells, from the little tinkly kind to the huge one in the bell tower on campus. The visual effects of Dr. Cordell's contorted face as he goes berserk over the bell sounds is actually quite well done and kind of unique for the era. I don't recall anything similar coming out of the same period.
I wouldn't be surprised if the story was inspired in part by Hitchcock's "Vertigo" with the final scene where Lois Walker (Kathleen Crowley) tries to help Dr. Cordell. Taking place at the top of the bell tower, Vaughn's character fails to stop the huge chime from tolling out his own death knell. Personally, I wondered why he didn't run the other way, instead he winds up a real dead ringer.
This one had an interesting premise. A college lab scientist (Vaughn) accidentally discovers a new kind of gas and is overcome by it's fumes during a failed experiment. Afterwards, the effects of the fumes cause him to have a violent reaction to the sound of bells, from the little tinkly kind to the huge one in the bell tower on campus. The visual effects of Dr. Cordell's contorted face as he goes berserk over the bell sounds is actually quite well done and kind of unique for the era. I don't recall anything similar coming out of the same period.
I wouldn't be surprised if the story was inspired in part by Hitchcock's "Vertigo" with the final scene where Lois Walker (Kathleen Crowley) tries to help Dr. Cordell. Taking place at the top of the bell tower, Vaughn's character fails to stop the huge chime from tolling out his own death knell. Personally, I wondered why he didn't run the other way, instead he winds up a real dead ringer.
Isn't it a gas? Well, not really.
mark.waltz14 October 2019
Warning: Spoilers
I can see why some reviewers consider Robert Vaughan's performance to be over the top, but I think that the script is the weakest element of this overly scientific and convoluted episode. It appears that his experiments with mysterious gasses affect scientist Vaughan's mind as he turns into a vicious killer every time he hears a bell, and rather than break into "slowly I turned...", he makes bizarre faces that make it appear that he's having muscle spasms of some kind.
Of course while trying to hide out, he ends up in a church send him into psychotic convulsions when dozens of bells go off at the same time. Kathleen Crowley, as his fiancee and partner, tries desperately to help him, risking her life in the process. It's a fairly enjoyable episode that's occasionally thrilling but somehow dull. Marlo Thomas plays a small role.
Of course while trying to hide out, he ends up in a church send him into psychotic convulsions when dozens of bells go off at the same time. Kathleen Crowley, as his fiancee and partner, tries desperately to help him, risking her life in the process. It's a fairly enjoyable episode that's occasionally thrilling but somehow dull. Marlo Thomas plays a small role.
So-so thriller
preppy-323 June 2018
Dr. Frank Cordell (Robert Vaughn) is experimenting with some unknown gas. By mistake he gets a whiff of it. He passes out but wakes up fine. Unfortunately the gas (some how) has a side effect--it makes him go into a murderous rage whenever he hears bells!
Middling episode of the "Thriller" TV series/ The plot is ridiculous and plods along slowly. Also Vaughn gives a rare bad performance. The only bright spots are a good performance by Kathleen Crowley and a small bit by then unknown Marlo Thomas. Also there's a hilarious ending that's supposed to be horrific. This can be skipped.
Middling episode of the "Thriller" TV series/ The plot is ridiculous and plods along slowly. Also Vaughn gives a rare bad performance. The only bright spots are a good performance by Kathleen Crowley and a small bit by then unknown Marlo Thomas. Also there's a hilarious ending that's supposed to be horrific. This can be skipped.
The Pavlovian tale of Dr. Cordell and Mr. Hyde.
planktonrules21 October 2018
Dr. Cordell (Robert Vaughn) is working in his chemistry lab when he is accidentally exposed to a dangerous chemical that almost kills him. When he awakens, he has a weird new outlook on life...and when he hears a bell, he becomes a homicidal maniac! Soon he's killing little birds and Marlo Thomas! If this idea sounds kinda dumb...well, you're right.
The quality of the episodes of "Thriller" varies tremendously. A few episodes are brilliant...most are, at best, adequate...and "The Ordeal of Dr. Cordell" is NOT among the brilliant shows in the series. The basic premise is pretty dumb and Vaughn's overacting when he hears a bell is unintentionally funny...making the episode anything but thrilling. It's easy to skip this one....and you'd be doing yourself a favor!
The quality of the episodes of "Thriller" varies tremendously. A few episodes are brilliant...most are, at best, adequate...and "The Ordeal of Dr. Cordell" is NOT among the brilliant shows in the series. The basic premise is pretty dumb and Vaughn's overacting when he hears a bell is unintentionally funny...making the episode anything but thrilling. It's easy to skip this one....and you'd be doing yourself a favor!
Poor Robert Vaughan
Hitchcoc16 November 2016
Warning: Spoilers
This is basically a one dimensional story. A research scientist has an accident in a test chamber, and from that time on, he can't bear the sound of bells. They lead him to psychotic incidents. There are issues with the story because to make such a tale interesting, there has to be some chance for the guy. After he kills a young woman who has tinkly earrings, he is aware of this horror. But it doesn't matter because there is nothing to be done. He simply wallows in the awfulness of his situation. The woman he loves tries to help him. It's sort of like the old Wolf Man movies where poor Lawrence Talbot is stuck with turning into a wolf whenever the moon is full. Anyway, this is one of the weaker episodes in the series.
Mediocre, but Robert Vaughn makes it watchable
henri sauvage21 December 2016
Warning: Spoilers
If you've ever seen the movie "Hangover Square", you'll find this episode of "Thriller" strangely familiar. They even use the same aural cue -- a ringing bell -- to trigger the protagonist's psychotic blackouts, and the same sort of camera tricks to show he's about to have one of his nasty spells.
Unfortunately, the 50+ minute running time of a TV show doesn't give the story the time the feature movie had to make the title character sympathetic. In fact, Vaughn's 'Dr. Cordell' comes across as something of an idiot as well as a jerk: After the first murder, he had to have strongly suspected he was the perpetrator when he found that he'd kept one of the victim's earrings. Yet not only did he not turn himself in to the police, but he insists on working alone in the lab with his fiancé, at the same time he must be aware there's a chance that at any moment, without warning, he could become a maniacal killer. It's even more gob-smacking that he doesn't appear at all concerned that he might have one of his fits while working with the components of nerve gas. On a crowded college campus.
Rather negligent of him, if you ask me. And considering that the items he keeps from his three victims are all *bells*, but despite this blindingly obvious hint, he decides to have one last meet-up with his lady friend in a church -- which he knows has a bell tower -- it seems pretty obvious that that unknown gas to which he was exposed significantly lowered his I.Q., too.
Unless you're a Robert Vaughn fan, there's really not much to recommend this episode. Definitely one of the weakest entries in the series.
Unfortunately, the 50+ minute running time of a TV show doesn't give the story the time the feature movie had to make the title character sympathetic. In fact, Vaughn's 'Dr. Cordell' comes across as something of an idiot as well as a jerk: After the first murder, he had to have strongly suspected he was the perpetrator when he found that he'd kept one of the victim's earrings. Yet not only did he not turn himself in to the police, but he insists on working alone in the lab with his fiancé, at the same time he must be aware there's a chance that at any moment, without warning, he could become a maniacal killer. It's even more gob-smacking that he doesn't appear at all concerned that he might have one of his fits while working with the components of nerve gas. On a crowded college campus.
Rather negligent of him, if you ask me. And considering that the items he keeps from his three victims are all *bells*, but despite this blindingly obvious hint, he decides to have one last meet-up with his lady friend in a church -- which he knows has a bell tower -- it seems pretty obvious that that unknown gas to which he was exposed significantly lowered his I.Q., too.
Unless you're a Robert Vaughn fan, there's really not much to recommend this episode. Definitely one of the weakest entries in the series.
Every time a bell rings, a coed becomes an angel
kevinolzak26 December 2021
"The Ordeal of Dr. Cordell" stars Robert Vaughn as research scientist Frank Cordell, assisted by fiancee Lois Walker (Kathleen Crowley), who comes unglued after an experiment backfires, his gas mask unable to protect him from an explosive dose in a freak accident. At first he registers no pulse, but an injection of adrenaline from university employer Dr. Brauner (Robert Ellenstein) restores him to normal consciousness, except for the tinkle of even the smallest bell, amplified to such an extent that he is compulsively driven to kill, from an innocent little caged parakeet to not one but two unlucky campus coeds. Unaware of his actions during these raging blackouts, he soon finds evidence of his crimes in his jacket pocket, yet loses sympathy with the viewer by his failure to confess and insistence on recreating the gas to find a cure for his brain's chemical imbalance. John Brahm's "Hangover Square" covered this territory better with Laird Cregar, here we have Donald S. Sanford contributing one of his numerous scripts, the sole episode directed by veteran Laslo Benedek. William Castle's 1972 GHOST STORY episode "Elegy for a Vampire" cast future Barney Miller Hal Linden as a similarly tortured campus professor responsible for his share of coed corpses. Robert Vaughn is perhaps the wrong actor for this part, only the 4th TV role for a young Marlo Thomas (THAT GIRL), and the first credit for Aron Kincaid under his real name Norm Williams, later a Beach Party staple in "The Ghost in the Invisible Bikini" and Larry Buchanan's "Creature of Destruction."
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
