Ron (Robert Pratt) and Jake (Lou Antonio) sell fish on the pier during the day and at night, Ron visits Hyacinth (Lesly Anne Warren), a woman who refuses to see him when the sun is up. She also fears crossing running water, but as the barge she lives on is in a slowly draining canal, she promises to visit soon. Ron already has a girlfriend, Phyllis (Brooke Bundy), who goes into the barge and watches her competition go to sleep in a coffin. She barely escapes with her life. Jake, however, soon falls for her and both men are willing to give their lives to this gorgeous supernatural being.

“Death On a Barge” was directed by Leonard Nimoy and was one of his first directing jobs, as he had a one-year contract with Universal to act and direct whatever he could find. Working in the low budget of Night Gallery, he had to shoot a story that’s set at night — literally on the show Night Gallery — day-for-night. He also had to deal with the Universal tour constantly driving by and the drivers yelling while he was trying to film.

This episode was written by Halsted Welles and is based on the short story “The Cana;” by Everil Worrell.  Worrell spent most of her life working for the U.S. Department of Treasury and wrote for pulps like Weird Tales.