The Orson Welles Show would have been Citizen Kane director's answer to anthology TV series like Alfred Hitchcock Presents and The Twilight Zone. The show never made it past the pilot, however, leaving us with just one brilliant episode about an endocrinologist and an apparent fountain of youth.


The pilot episode, "The Fountain of Youth," aired on NBC's Colgate Theater in 1958. Based on the short story "Youth From Vienna" by John Collier, "The Fountain of Youth" makes good use of Welles' experimental storytelling style, but the wicked tale at its heart is the real star. An endocrinologist researching a way to extend youth falls in love with a Broadway star, but during the three years they spend apart, she takes up with a vain tennis player. But when the couple learns that their scientist friend has unlocked the secret of youth, they come to him hoping he can keep them young. That's when he makes and intriguing (and rather evil) offer.

Dangerous Minds has more information about the pilot episode, but be sure to give it a watch. It's a shame this wasn't turned into a full series.


[Dangerous Minds via MetaFilter]