He directed the legendary movie star Joan Crawford in a story about a rich and self-absorbed blind woman who pays a desperate man for his eyes.

The twist? She will only have sight for twenty-four hours and gets her temporary vision during the New York City blackout of 1965. The twenty-one year old Spielberg directed with unusual flair, especially for his age, which would serve him well in later years.

The pilot was picked up for a series and ran from 1970-1973. Ninety-one stories were filmed, and they aired first in one-hour segments and then down to a half- hour in its final season. Spielberg returned to direct Make Me Laugh, about a comedian willing to pay any price to make people enjoy his humor...a wish that is granted by a genie.

He directed another thriller aptly called Duel in 1971. The teleplay was written by Richard Matheson from his short story that appeared in Playboy of all places! Dennis Weaver played a traveling salesman menaced on a lonely highway by a faceless driver in a tanker truck.

Elements of this very suspenseful film can be found in countless pictures such as Race With the Devil, The Car, Road Games, The Hitcher, and even the more recent Breakdown. Spielberg accomplished an amazing feat with this film...he made a truck as scary as any movie monster that had come before.

It can almost be seen as a dress rehearsal for JAWS four years later, which was simply another variation of the story. Duel was so good it actually received a theatrical release outside of the United States, with some added footage. To this day, it plays at various festivals throughout America as well.