When you think of Dr Jekyll, you might think of RL Stevenson's classic novel. Or that old movie with a very young Angela Lansbury screaming her 'ead 'orf. Or James Nesbitt mugging at the camera while the luscious Gina Bellman takes everybody by surprise. All good things. This little 1955 TV version of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde has a couple of things to recommend it, though: it's nicely spooky, and the script was written by Gore Vidal for a series called Climax!. This is worth a chuckle, at least, particularly if you're familiar with the works of Gore Vidal.

Gore Vidal was infamous: in the late 1940s and throughout the 1950s, he was one of that generation's rising stars as a novelist, easily as good as Heminway et al. However, his outspoken sexual attitude made stuffy people choke. Major newspapers refused to review his books after all that gay romance in The City and the Pillar. Vidal shrugged and kept on – he was here, he was queer, and they could just get over it. We are grateful for this courageous writer, and forgive him his faults, which are many: he was an insufferable snob, a tireless self-promoter, and politically opinionated. We don't care; anybody who can make William F Buckley lose his cool on national TV like that deserves our applause.

Because the mainstream elite wouldn't review his novels, and Vidal needed to earn a living, in the 50s and 60s he turned to Hollywood. In addition to penning this Climax! episode – the series was prestigious, and includes the Peter Lorre version of Casino Royale   – Vidal is the fella who put the 'homoerotic subtext' into Ben Hur. Much to the disgust of Charlton Heston. As we said before, Vidal made all the right enemies, it would seem.

This Jekyll/Hyde film stars Michael Rennie, who does an admirable job. Rennie is well-known to science fiction fans. Remember Klaatu and the historic first contact? 'Nuff said. You're in the hands of professionals here, so click and enjoy!