Amazing Stories
Genre	Anthology
Created by	Steven Spielberg (uncredited)
Developed by	Steven Spielberg, Joshua Brand, John Falsey
Directed by	Various
Theme music composer	John Williams
Country of origin	United States
Language(s)	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	45
Production
Executive producer(s)	Steven Spielberg
Broadcast
Original channel	NBC
Original run	September 29, 1985 – April 10, 1987
Chronology
Related shows	Family Dog

Amazing Stories is a television anthology series created by Steven Spielberg. It ran on NBC from 1985 to 1987. It was somwehat erratically screened in Britain by BBC1 and BBC2 - billed in the Radio Times as "Steven Spielberg's Amazing Stories" - with episodes airing at any time from early on Sunday morning to weekday evenings to very late at night; it later received a more coherent run on Sci-Fi. Each episode featured an independent story, similar to programs as The Twilight Zone. Unlike that program, however, it did not have a regular host.

Although nominated for 12 Emmy Awards (resulting in five wins), it was not a hit and the network did not renew it after the two-year contract expired.

One of the first-season installments, "The Amazing Falsworth", brought writer Mick Garris an Edgar Award for Best Episode in a TV Series.

The show was licensed to use the name of Amazing Stories, the first science fiction magazine.^[1]

Contents 1 Home video/DVD/reruns 2 Episodes 2.1 Season One (1985-1986) 2.2 Season Two (1986-1987) 2.3 Soundtrack 3 Spin-off 4 See also 5 References 6 External links

[edit] Home video/DVD/reruns

A selection of the original series episodes were released in the VHS format in 1993; these were titled "Book One" through "Book Five" in the US. In Japan and Europe episodes were cut together as movies and released in 8 volumes during the late 80s, early 90s. A 3-tape VHS (PAL) set was released in the UK in 2001.

The Complete First Season (DVD) was released on July 18, 2006 in the US. The second season of the series has not been released on DVD in the US as of yet, but is available in Japan (Region 2, NTSC) and was released there on July, 8th 2009. The full series was also released on DVD in Germany (Region 2, PAL) with both english and german dubbed audio as 11 single DVDs or a boxset containing all episodes, which was released on November 20, 2009.

Three of the episodes (The Mission, Mummy Daddy and Go to the Head of the Class) were packaged together as an anthology film and released theatrically in Australia on September 17, 1987. It later appeared on LaserDisc in Japan as "Amazing Stories: The Movie" shortly afterwards.

As of 2006, the SciFi channel in the United States showed episodes on an irregular schedule. The MoviePlex channel also shows the series as a collection of "movies," which are blocks of three episodes.

NetFlix currently offers both seasons of Amazing Stories in streaming video. You can stream the video directly to your PC, Xbox 360 and/or the Roku instant entertainment system. Additionally, Season One is also available on DVD for rent via mail.

[edit] Episodes

The series list below is annotated with the Book numbers as they appeared in the US release on VHS; the Japanese LaserDisc and UK VHS (PAL) releases are indicated with volume numbers. Note that Vol. 7 and 8 are switched for the UK VHS release:

[edit] Season One (1985-1986)

#	Title	Director	Airdate	US VHS LaserDisc	Japan LaserDisc Europe VHS
1x01	"Ghost Train"	Steven Spielberg	September 29, 1985		Vol. 2
1x02	"The Main Attraction"	Matthew Robbins	October 6, 1985		Vol. 4
1x03	"Alamo Jobe"	Michael D. Moore	October 20, 1985
1x04	"Mummy Daddy"	William Dear	October 27, 1985		Vol. 1
1x05	"The Mission"	Steven Spielberg	November 3, 1985	Book One	Vol. 1
1x06	"The Amazing Falsworth"	Peter Hyams	November 3, 1985	Book Three	Vol. 2
1x07	"Fine Tuning"	Bob Balaban	November 10, 1985	Book Five	Vol. 7
1x08	"Mr. Magic"	Donald Petrie	November 17, 1985	Book Four	Vol. 6
1x09	"Guilt Trip"	Burt Reynolds	December 1, 1985
1x10	"Remote Control Man"	Bob Clark	December 8, 1985
1x11	"Santa '85" a.k.a "One Amazing Night"	Phil Joanou	December 15, 1985		Vol. 8
1x12	"Vanessa in the Garden"	Clint Eastwood	December 29, 1985
1x13	"The Sitter"	Joan Darling	January 5, 1986
1x14	"No Day at the Beach"	Lesli Linka Glatter	January 12, 1986	Book Three
1x15	"One For the Road"	Thomas Carter	January 19, 1986
1x16	"Gather Ye Acorns"	Norman Reynolds	February 2, 1986
1x17	"Boo!"	Joe Dante	February 16, 1986
1x18	"Dorothy and Ben"	Thomas Carter	March 2, 1986		Vol. 4
1x19	"Mirror, Mirror"	Martin Scorsese	March 9, 1986	Book Four	Vol. 6
1x20	"Secret Cinema"	Paul Bartel	April 6, 1986
1x21	"Hell Toupee"	Irvin Kershner	April 13, 1986
1x22	"The Doll"	Phil Joanou	May 4, 1986		Vol. 5
1x23	"One For the Books"	Lesli Linka Glatter	May 11, 1986		3-tape-set
1x24	"Grandpa's Ghost"	Timothy Hutton	May 25, 1986

[edit] Season Two (1986-1987)

#	Title	Director	Airdate	US VHS LaserDisc	Japan LaserDisc Europe VHS
2x01	"The Wedding Ring"	Danny DeVito	September 22, 1986	Book One	Vol. 2
2x02	"Miscalculation"	Tom Holland	September 29, 1986		Vol. 3 3-tape-set
2x03	"Magic Saturday"	Robert Markowitz	October 6, 1986		Vol. 8
2x04	"Welcome to My Nightmare"	Todd Holland	October 13, 1986
2x05	"You Gotta Believe Me"	Kevin Reynolds	October 20, 1986		Vol. 8
2x06	"The Greibble"	Joe Dante	November 3, 1986		Vol. 3 3-tape-set
2x07	"Life on Death Row"	Mick Garris	November 10, 1986	Book Three	Vol. 5
2x08	"Go to the Head of the Class"	Robert Zemeckis	November 21, 1986	Book Two	Vol. 1 3-tape-set
2x09	"Thanksgiving"	Todd Holland	November 24, 1986		Vol. 5
2x10	"The Pumpkin Competition"	Norman Reynolds	December 1, 1986	Book Five	Vol. 7 3-tape-set
2x11	"What If...?"	Joan Darling	December 8, 1986
2x12	"The Eternal Mind"	J. Michael Riva	December 29, 1986
2x13	"Lane Change "	Ken Kwapis	January 12, 1987		3-tape-set
2x14	"Blue Man Down"	Paul Michael Glaser	January 19, 1987	Book Four	Vol. 6
2x15	"The 21 Inch Sun"	Nick Castle	February 2, 1987		Vol. 8
2x16	"The Family Dog"	Brad Bird	February 16, 1987	Book Two	Vol. 4 3-tape-set
2x17	"Gershwin's Trunk"	Paul Bartel	March 13, 1987		3-tape-set
2x18	"Such Interesting Neighbors"	Graham Baker	March 20, 1987		3-tape-set
2x19	"Without Diana"	Lesli Linka Glatter	March 27, 1987	Book Five	Vol. 7
2x20	"Moving Day"	Robert Stevens	April 3, 1987		Vol. 3
2x21	"Miss Stardust"	Tobe Hooper	April 10, 1987

[edit] Soundtrack

In 1999 Varese Sarabande released a CD containing a rerecording of the scores for the episodes "The Mission" and "Dorothy and Ben" John Williams and Georges Delerue respectively) plus Williams's opening and closing themes, performed by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra conducted by John Debney.

In 2006-2007, Intrada released three volumes of original music from the series, covering the impressive lineup of composers who worked on it and featuring all of the most noteworthy scores (with the exception of Danny Elfman and Steve Bartek's "The Family Dog," because the masters could not be found - a brief suite is on Music for a Darkened Theatre: Vol. 2, however).

Other than Williams, Bruce Broughton is the only composer to be represented on all three volumes. The running times below indicate the cumulative time for each score rather than the time of each track.

Volume 1 (2006)

CD1:

Amazing Stories Main Title - John Williams (1:02)

Ghost Train - John Williams (15:45)

Alamo Jobe - James Horner (10:01)

Gather Ye Acorns - Bruce Broughton (18:37)

The Doll - Georges Delerue (10:09)

The Amazing Falsworth - Billy Goldenberg (8:47)

CD2:

Amazing Stories Bumper #1 - John Williams (:04)

Moving Day - David Shire (13:41)

Without Diana - Georges Delerue (12:39)

Mummy, Daddy - Danny Elfman & Steve Bartek (13:26)

Vanessa In The Garden - Lennie Niehaus (13:23)

Welcome To My Nightmare - Bruce Broughton (16:04)

Amazing Stories End Credits - John Williams (:29)

Amblin Logo - John Williams (:15)

Volume Two (2006)

CD 1:

Amazing Stories Main Title ­Alternate #1 - John Williams (1:03)

Boo! - Jerry Goldsmith (12:13)

What If...? - Billy Goldenberg (12:32)

Dorothy And Ben - Georges Delerue (10:10)

The Main Attraction - Craig Safan (12:09)

Such Interesting Neighbors - David Newman (17:13)

Thanksgiving - Bruce Broughton (12:14)

CD 2:

Amazing Stories Bumper #2 - John Williams (:04)

Hell Toupee - David Shire (13:41)

One For The Road - Johnny Mandel (8:40)

The Remote Control Man - Arthur B. Rubinstein (12:53)

The Greibble - John Addison (15:43)

No Day At The Beach - Leonard Rosenman (11:04)

Santa ’85 - Thomas Newman (13:05)

Amazing Stories End Credits - John Williams (:29)

Amblin Logo (Christmas Version) - John Williams (:15)

Volume Three (2007)

CD 1:

Amazing Stories Main Title ­Alternate #2 - John Williams (1:03)

Go To The Head Of The Class - Alan Silvestri (26:58)

The Wedding Ring - Craig Safan (12:51)

Mirror, Mirror - Michael Kamen (24:56)

Mr. Magic - Bruce Broughton (12:50)

CD 2:

Amazing Stories Bumper #1 - John Williams (:04)

Secret Cinema - Billy Goldenberg (7:56)

Life On Death Row - Fred Steiner (13:57)

The Pumpkin Competition - John Addison (14:29)

Grandpa's Ghost - Pat Metheny (11:06)

The Mission - John Williams (29:55)

Amazing Stories End Credits - John Williams (:29)

Amblin Logo (Alternate) - John Williams (:15)

[edit] Spin-off

One episode of the show, "The Family Dog", was spun off into its own series. Six years after Amazing Stories finished its run, Family Dog ran on CBS for ten episodes before being pulled off the schedule.

[edit] See also

Several video movies were released consisting of two or more episodes from the series. They include:

• Amazing Stories: Book One
• Amazing Stories: Book Two
• Amazing Stories: The Movie

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Amazing Stories at the Internet Movie Database
• Amazing Stories at TV.com
• In-depth review of Amazing Stories episode starring Christopher Lloyd, with screencaps

v • d • e Steven Spielberg productions 1970s/1980s I Wanna Hold Your Hand (1978) · Used Cars (1980) · Continental Divide (1981) · E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) · Poltergeist (1982) · Gremlins (1984) · Back to the Future (1985) · The Goonies (1985) · Young Sherlock Holmes (1985) · An American Tail (1986) · The Money Pit (1986) · *batteries not included (1987) · Harry and the Hendersons (1987; uncredited) · Innerspace (1987) · Three O'Clock High (1987; uncredited) · The Land Before Time (1988) · Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) · Back to the Future Part II (1989) · Dad (1989) 1990s Arachnophobia (1990) · Back to the Future Part III (1990) · Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990) · Joe Versus the Volcano (1990) · An American Tail: Fievel Goes West (1991) · Cape Fear (1991) · We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story (1993) · The Flintstones (1994) · Casper (1995) · Balto (1995) · Twister (1996) · Men in Black (1997) · Deep Impact (1998) · The Mask of Zorro (1998) · The Last Days (1998) · The Prince of Egypt (1998; uncredited) · The Haunting (1999; uncredited) 2000s Evolution (2001; uncredited) · Jurassic Park III (2001) · Shrek (2001; uncredited) · Men in Black II (2002) · The Legend of Zorro (2005) · Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) · Monster House (2006) · Flags of Our Fathers (2006) · Letters from Iwo Jima (2006) · Disturbia (2007; uncredited) · Transformers (2007) · Eagle Eye (2008) · Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) Television Amazing Stories (1985–1987) · Tiny Toon Adventures (1990–1992) · A Wish for Wings That Work (1991) · Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation (1992) · Family Dog (1993) · seaQuest DSV (1993–1995) · Animaniacs (1993–1998) · ER (1994) · Pinky and the Brain / Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain (1995–1999) · Freakazoid! (1995–1997) · Toonsylvania (1998–1999) · Band of Brothers (2001) · Taken (2002) · Into the West (2005) · On the Lot (2007) · United States of Tara (2009) · The Pacific (2010) Games Boom Blox (2008) · Boom Blox Bash Party (2009) Short films Tummy Trouble (1989; played with Honey, I Shrunk the Kids) · Roller Coaster Rabbit (1990; played with Dick Tracy) · Trail Mix-Up (1993; played with A Far Off Place) · I'm Mad (1994; played with Thumbelina)

v • d • e Steven Spielberg filmography 1970s The Sugarland Express (1974) · Jaws (1975) · Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) · 1941 (1979) 1980s Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) · E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) · Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) · The Color Purple (1985) · Empire of the Sun (1987) · Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989) · Always (1989) 1990s Hook (1991) · Jurassic Park (1993) · Schindler's List (1993) · The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) · Amistad (1997) · Saving Private Ryan (1998) 2000s A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) · Minority Report (2002) · Catch Me If You Can (2002)  · The Terminal (2004) · War of the Worlds (2005) · Munich (2005) · Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) 2010s The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn (2011) Future projects Lincoln (2011) · Interstellar (TBA) · The 39 Clues (TBA) · Oldboy (TBA) · Chocky (TBA) · Pirate Latitudes (TBA) Production credits I Wanna Hold Your Hand (1978) · Used Cars (1980) · Continental Divide (1981) · Poltergeist (1982) · E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) · Gremlins (1984) · Back to the Future (1985) · The Goonies (1985) · Young Sherlock Holmes (1985) · The Color Purple (1985) · An American Tail (1986) · The Money Pit (1986) · *batteries not included (1987) · Harry and the Hendersons (1987; uncredited) · Innerspace (1987) · Empire of the Sun (1987) · Three O'Clock High (1987; uncredited) · The Land Before Time (1988) · Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) · Back to the Future Part II (1989) · Always (1989) · Dad (1989) · Arachnophobia (1990) · Back to the Future Part III (1990) · Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990) · Joe Versus the Volcano (1990) · An American Tail: Fievel Goes West (1991) · Cape Fear (1991) · We're Back! A Dinosaur's Story (1993) · Schindler's List (1993) · The Flintstones (1994) · Casper (1995) · Balto (1995) · Twister (1996) · Men in Black (1997) · Amistad (1997) · Deep Impact (1998) · The Mask of Zorro (1998) · Saving Private Ryan (1998) · The Last Days (1998) · The Prince of Egypt (1998; uncredited) · The Haunting (1999; uncredited)  · Evolution (2001; uncredited) · A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) · Jurassic Park III (2001) · Shrek (2001; uncredited) · Men in Black II (2002) · Catch Me If You Can (2002) · The Terminal (2004) · The Legend of Zorro (2005) · Memoirs of a Geisha (2005) · Munich (2005) · Monster House (2006) · Flags of Our Fathers (2006) · Letters from Iwo Jima (2006) · Disturbia (2007; uncredited) · Transformers (2007) · Eagle Eye (2008) · Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) · The Lovely Bones (2009) · Hereafter (2010) · The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn (2011) Television Night Gallery (1970) · Amazing Stories (1985–1987) · Tiny Toon Adventures (1990–1992) · A Wish for Wings That Work (1991) · Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation (1992) · Family Dog (1993) · seaQuest DSV (1993–1995) · Animaniacs (1993–1998) · ER (1994) · Pinky and the Brain / Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain (1995–1999) · Freakazoid! (1995–1997) · Toonsylvania (1998–1999) · Band of Brothers (2001) · Taken (2002) · Into the West (2005) · On the Lot (2007) · United States of Tara (2009) · The Pacific (2010) Games Boom Blox (2008) · Boom Blox Bash Party (2009) Short films Tummy Trouble (1989; played with Honey, I Shrunk the Kids) · Roller Coaster Rabbit (1990; played with Dick Tracy) · Trail Mix-Up (1993; played with A Far Off Place) · I'm Mad (1994; played with Thumbelina) See also Firelight (1964) · Amblin' (1968) · Duel (1971) · Kick The Can (1983) Filmography · Amblin Entertainment · DreamWorks · USC Shoah Foundation Institute for Visual History and Education