Wikipedia

The Outer Limits(1963 TV series)

The Outer Limitsis an American television series that was broadcast onABCfrom September 16, 1963, to January 16, 1965, at 7:30 PM Eastern Time on Mondays. It is often compared toThe Twilight Zone,but with a greater emphasis onscience fictionstories (rather than stories offantasyor thesupernatural). It is ananthologyof self-contained episodes, sometimes withplot twistsat their ends.

The Outer Limits
Genre
Created byLeslie Stevens
Narrated byVic Perrin(Control Voice)
Opening themeDominic Frontiere(1963–64)
Harry Lubin(1964–65)
Country of originUnited States
No.of seasons2
No.of episodes49(list of episodes)
Production
Executive producerLeslie Stevens
ProducersJoseph Stefano(1963–64)
Ben Brady(1964–65)
CinematographyConrad Hall,John M. Nickolaus,Kenneth Peach
Running time51 minutes
Production companiesDaystar Productions
Villa DiStefano Productions
United Artists Television
Original release
NetworkABC
ReleaseSeptember 16, 1963(1963-09-16)–
January 16, 1965(1965-01-16)

In 1997, the episode "The Zanti Misfits"was ranked #98 on TV Guide's 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time.[1]

It wasrevived in 1995,until its cancellation in 2002.

In April 2019, a newrevivalwas stated to be in development at a premium cable network.[2]

Overview

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Introduction

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Each show began with either acold openor a preview clip, followed by a narration over visuals of anoscilloscope.Using an Orwellian theme of taking over your television, the earliest version of the narration was:

There is nothing wrong with your television set. Do not attempt to adjust the picture. We are controlling transmission. If we wish to make it louder, we will bring up the volume. If we wish to make it softer, we will tune it to a whisper. We will control the horizontal. We will control the vertical. We can roll the image, make it flutter.[3]We can change the focus to a soft blur, or sharpen it to crystal clarity. For the next hour, sit quietly and we will control all that you see and hear. We repeat: There is nothing wrong with your television set. You are about to participate in a great adventure. You are about to experience the awe and mystery which reaches from the inner mind to... The Outer Limits.

A similar but shorter monologue caps each episode:

We now return control of your television set to you, until next week at this same time, when the Control Voice will take you to... The Outer Limits.

Later episodes used one of two shortened versions of the introduction. The first few episodes began simply with thetitle screenfollowed by the narration and no cold open or preview clip. The Control Voice was performed by actorVic Perrin.

Production

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James ShigetaandJohn Anderson(in Ebonite costume) in the episode"Nightmare"(1963)

The Outer Limitswas originally broadcast on the American television networkABC(1963–65). 49 episodes were produced. It was one of many series influenced byThe Twilight ZoneandScience Fiction Theatre,though it ultimately proved influential in its own right. In the unaired pilot, it was calledPlease Stand By,but ABC rejected that title. Series creatorLeslie Stevensretitled itThe Outer Limits.With a few changes, the pilot aired as the premiere episode, "The Galaxy Being."

Writers included creator Stevens andJoseph Stefano(screenwriter of the filmPsycho), who was the Season 1 producer and creative guiding force, and who wrote more of the series' episodes than anyone. FutureOscar-winningscreenwriter Robert Towne (Chinatown) wrote "The Chameleon,"the final Season 1 episode. A pair of Season 2 episodes,"Soldier"and"Demon with a Glass Hand,"were written byHarlan Ellison.The latter won a Writers' Guild Award.

Writer Joseph Stefano was recruited in a late night phone call from Leslie Stevens; the two men had known each other for years. Stevens met him with composer/producer Dominic Frontiere and pitched the series to him asking him to come on as a writer and producer. Stefano, who had never produced before, felt reassured by Associate Producer Robert Justman to support him as Justman had experience in TV.[4]

Season 1 combined science fiction and horror, while Season 2 was more focused on 'hard science fiction' stories, dropping the recurring "scary monster" motif of Season 1. Each episode in Season 1 was to have a monster or creature as a critical part of the story line in avillain of the weekformat. Season 1 writer and producer Joseph Stefano believed this element was necessary to provide fear, suspense, or at least a center for plot development. This kind of story element became known as "the bear." This device was, however, mostly dropped in Season 2 after Stefano left.

Two Season 1 episodes without a "bear" are "The Forms of Things Unknown"and"Controlled Experiment,"the first of which was shot in a dual format as science fiction forThe Outer Limitsand as athrillerfor a pilot for an unmade series,The Unknown.ActorBarry Morse,who starred in "Controlled Experiment," states that it was made as a pilot for an unrealized science fiction/comedy series. It was the only comedic episode ofThe Outer Limits.[5]

Earlier Season 1 episodes with no "bear" were "The Hundred Days of the Dragon"and"The Borderland,"made before the" bear "convention was established. Season 2 episodeswitha "bear" are "Keeper of the Purple Twilight,""The Duplicate Man,"and"The Probe.""Bears "appear near the conclusion of the Season 2 episodes"Counterweight,""The Invisible Enemy,"and"Cold Hands, Warm Heart."The" bear "in"The Architects of Fear,"the monstrously altered Allen Leighton, was judged by some of ABC's local affiliate stations to be so frightening that they broadcast a black screen during the" Thetan's "appearances, effectively censoring most of the show's last act. In other parts of the United States, the" Thetan "footage was tape-delayed until after the 11pm/10c news. In others, it was not shown at all.

The series was shot at KTTV (Metromedia Square) on sound stage # 2. Season 1 had music byDominic Frontiere,who doubled as Production Executive; Season 2 featured music byHarry Lubin,with a variation of hisFeartheme forOne Step Beyondbeing heard over the end titles.[citation needed]

Cinematography

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The program sometimes made use of techniques (lighting, camerawork, even make-up) associated withfilm noirorGerman Expressionism(see for example, "Corpus Earthling"). Credit for this is often given to the cinematographerConrad Hall,who later won three Academy Awards for his work inmotion pictures.However, Hall worked only on alternate episodes of thisTV seriesduring the first two-thirds of the first season. The program's other cinematographers includedJohn M. NickolausandKenneth Peach.

Special effects

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Season 1's monsters and creatures, and most props, were developed by a loose-knit group under the name Project Unlimited, whose members includedWah Chang,Gene WarrenandJim Danforth.Makeup effects were byFred B. PhillipsandJohn Chambers.

The season 2 episodeWolf 359featured a "bear" consisting of a piece of latex rubber, eight wooden tongue depressors and a styrofoam ball. These items were attached to a mime's hands and shot against a black background.

Characters and models

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Many of the creatures that appeared inOuter Limitsepisodes were sold as models and action figures in the 1990s and 2000s. Limited-editions model kits, to be assembled and painted by the purchaser, were issued by Dimensional Designs. A smaller set of out-of-the-box action figures were sold in larger quantity by Sideshow Toys. The former produced a model kit of The Megasoid from "The Duplicate Man,"[6]and both created a figure of Gwyllm as an evolved man from "The Sixth Finger."[7]

Reception and reputation

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The series earned a loyal audience in its first season. Some viewers were reported to take TV sets with them if they had to be away from home, so they wouldn't miss an episode. However, the second season fared rather poorly in theNielsen ratingsafter moving from Monday to Saturday night, where it competed withJackie Gleason.Producer Joseph Stefano chose to leave the show after the first year; he realized that competing with the more popular Gleason would kill his show (proven by its cancellation midway through the second season). However, the series retained a following for many years after its original broadcast. Many decades later, horror writerStephen Kingdescribed it as one of the best programs of its type to run on network TV.

Originally scheduled to air on November 25, 1963, the episode "Nightmare"was delayed until December 2 due to television coverage of thestate funeralof PresidentJohn F. Kennedy.

Comparison toThe Twilight Zone

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LikeThe Twilight Zone,The Outer Limitshad an opening and closing narration in almost every episode. Both shows were unusually philosophical for science fiction anthology series, but differed in style.The Twilight Zonestories were often like parables, employing whimsy (such as theBuster Keatontime-travel episode "Once Upon a Time"), irony, or extraordinary problem-solving situations (such as the episode"The Arrival").The Outer Limitswas usually a straight action-and-suspense show which often had the human spirit in confrontation with dark existential forces from within or without, such as in the alien abduction episode "A Feasibility Study"or the alien possession story"The Invisibles."The Outer Limitswas also known for the moody, textured look of many episodes (especially those directed byByron HaskinorGerd Oswald,or photographed byConrad Hall) whereasThe Twilight Zonetended to be shot more conventionally.

There is common ground between some of the shows' episodes. AsDavid J. SchowandJeffrey Frentzen,authors ofThe Outer Limits: The Official Companion,have noted, severalOuter Limitsepisodes are often misremembered by casual fans asTwilight Zoneepisodes—notably, "problem-solving" episodes such as "Fun and Games" and "The Premonition."[8]

Legacy

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Influence onStar Trek

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A few of the monsters fromThe Outer Limitsreappeared inGene Roddenberry'sStar Trekseries later in the 1960s. The moving microbe beast in "The Probe"was modified and used as the 'Horta' in "The Devil in the Dark,"operated by the same actor,Janos Prohaska.The "ion storm" from "The Mutant"(a projector beam shining through a container containing glitter in liquid suspension) became the transporter effect inStar Trek.The black mask from "The Duplicate Man"was used by the character Dr. Leighton in"The Conscience of the King."The Megasoid from" The Duplicate Man "and the Empyrean from" Second Chance "(1964) were briefly seen near Captain Christopher Pike in other cages in theStar Trekpilot "The Cage."The process used to make pointed ears forDavid McCallumin "The Sixth Finger"was reused inStar Trektoo.

Lead actors who later appeared inStar Trek's regular cast includedLeonard Nimoy,who appeared in twoOuter Limitsepisodes ( "Production and Decay of Strange Particles"and"I, Robot"); andWilliam Shatner,who appeared in the episode "Cold Hands, Warm Heart"as an astronaut working on a Project Vulcan. Other actors who subsequently appeared onStar TrekwereGrace Lee Whitney(episode "Controlled Experiment") andJames Doohan(episode "Expanding Human"). Roddenberry was often present inThe Outer Limits'studios, and hired several of its staff, includingRobert JustmanandWah Chang,forStar Trek.[9]Michael Ansara,who appeared in theOuter Limitsepisode "Soldier,"guest-starred as Klingon commander Kang in the original and spin-offStar Trekseries.Arlene Martel,who appeared in theOuter Limitsepisode "Demon with a Glass Hand,"guest-starred as Spock's Vulcan bride, T'Pring, in theStar Trekoriginal series episode "Amok Time."Joseph Ruskin,who appeared with Nimoy in "Production and Decay of Strange Particles,"later went on to play Galt, the lead Thrall in the Star Trek Season 2 episode"The Gamesters of Triskelion."

Lawsuit on behalf of Harlan Ellison

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Harlan Ellisoncontended that inspiration forJames Cameron'sThe Terminator(1984) came in part from Ellison's work onThe Outer Limits.Orion Picturesconceded the influence, and Ellison was awarded money and an end-credits mention inThe Terminator,stating the creators' wish of "acknowledgement to the works of Harlan Ellison." Cameron was against Orion's decision and was told that if he did not agree with the settlement, they would have Cameron pay for any damages if Orion lost Ellison's suit. Cameron replied that he "had no choice but to agree with the settlement. There was a gag order as well."[10]

Film adaptation projects

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FilmmakerKevin Smithhas stated that, before offering him the chance to writeSuperman Livesin 1996,Warner Bros.offered him two projects: a remake ofThe Architects of FearandBeetlejuice Goes Hawaiian.[11]In 2001, MGM made plans withMark VictorandMichael Graisto produce a film adaptation ofThe Outer Limits.[12]Development began a year later withGerald Di Pegoco-writing with his sons Justin and Zachary, andRupert Wainwrightdirecting.[13]A new adaptation was developed in 2010, withPatrick MeltonandMarcus Dunstanwriting andJonathan Shestackproducing.[14]On June 20, 2014,The Hollywood ReportersaidMetro-Goldwyn-Mayerwas developing a film version ofThe Outer Limitsbased on the "Demon with a Glass Hand" episode, withScott DerricksonandC. Robert Cargillwriting andMark Victorproducing.[15]On April 1, 2019,Varietyreported that anOuter Limitsreboot was in development at a premium cable network.[16]

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  • Steve Streeter publishedThe Outer Limits Newsletterfrom 1978 to 1983[17]and founded the Outer Limits Fan Club in 1978.[18]
  • In the 1995 filmHackers,protagonist Dade Murphy hacks a local TV station switching its current programing to an episode ofThe Outer Limits.
  • In the season 2 episode ofGilmore Girls"It Should've Been Lorelai" the character Luke Danes mentions the series after Lorelai mentions The Twilight Zone, noting how it was a great show that was just as eerie and of the same era.
  • The lyrics to the 2014 Hardstyle-EDM hit ''We control the sound'', by the duoW&Wand hardstyle djHeadhunterz,referencesThe Outer Limits'cold-open narration:
There's nothing wrong with your sound system, do not attempt to adjust the volume
We are now controlling transmissions
  • In the 2018 animated filmIncredibles 2,the opening scene fromThe Outer Limitsis briefly shown on a television screen. It is hinted that the film is set in the year 1963, whenThe Outer Limitsfirst aired.[19]

Episodes

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Main article:List of The Outer Limits (1963 TV series) episodes
SeasonEpisodesOriginally released
First releasedLast released
132September 16, 1963(1963-09-16)May 4, 1964(1964-05-04)
217September 19, 1964(1964-09-19)January 16, 1965(1965-01-16)

Home media

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LaserDisc release

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From 1990 to 1995, fourLaserDiscboxed sets were released. A total of twenty-nine of the forty-nine episodes were released on this format.[citation needed]

VHS release

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A "platinum" version of the MGM/UA Library brand product of the video series was released.

DVD releases

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MGM Home Entertainmenthas released both seasons ofThe Outer Limitson DVD in Region 1. In 2007, they re-released the series in three separate sets. In October 2008, MGM released a 7-disc box set featuring all 49 episodes of the series. The re-releases of Season 2 correctly claim three discs in the set on the outer packaging, whereas the individual slim cases with the DVDs inside rather confusingly claim only two.

DVD name Episodes Region 1 Release date Region 2 Release date
Season 1 32 September 3, 2002 July 11, 2005
Season 2 17 September 2, 2003 July 25, 2005
The Complete Series 49 October 21, 2008 –
  • The DVDs include a revised version of the original intro, heard over the episode menus:

There is nothing wrong with your DVD player. Do not attempt to adjust the picture. We are controlling your DVD player. We already control the horizontal and the vertical. We now control the digital. We can change the focus from a soft blur to crystal clarity. Sit quietly and we will control all that you see and hear. You are about to experience the awe and mystery which reaches from the inner mind to... The Outer Limits.

  • The episodes "The Invisible Enemy"and"Wolf 359"are erroneously listed on one DVD case ("The Outer LimitsVolume Three The Original Series Disc 1 Episodes 33–40 ") in"The Outer LimitsThe Complete Original Series Volumes 1–3. "Both episodes are actually only on Disc 2 included in the case for"The Outer LimitsVolume Three The Original Series Discs 2–3 Episodes 39–49. "

Blu-ray release

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On 27 March 2018,Kino Lorberreleased the first season on Blu-ray.[20]The 7-disc set contains the 32 episodes of the first season. The second season was released 20 November 2018, but the episode "Soldier" had audio defects. A replacement disc was sent out from Kino in April 2019.[21]

On Jun 24, 2020, Australia's Via Vision Entertainment releasedThe Outer Limits: Complete Original Series Collector's Edition11-disc Blu-ray set. It's coded for region B and comes in a hard box case with a 60-page Illustrated booklet, with essays by leadingOuter Limitsexpert and authorDavid J. Schow.[22]

See also

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Similar TV series

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References

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  1. ^"Special Collectors' Issue: 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time".TV Guide(June 28 – July 4). 1997.
  2. ^Otterson, Joe (April 1, 2019)."'The Twilight Zone' Rides TV Horror Anthology Wave ".Variety.RetrievedNovember 7,2019.
  3. ^In the 1960s, television controls enabled users to adjust the dimensions of the image, even to the point of distortion (the horizontal and vertical), and also to cause the image to "roll" vertically; this was in order to allow sets to be fine-tuned to compensate for sometimes-wide variations in reception quality in an era in which roof-installed antennas, combined with external antennas on the sets themselves, were needed to receive broadcasts. Such fine-tuning was phased out of western televisions in the 1980s and rendered obsolete with the advent of digital broadcasting.
  4. ^"The Museum of Television & Radio's William S. Paley Television Festival video, 2000".
  5. ^Barry Morse's autobiography "Pulling Faces, Making Noises: A Life on Stage, Screen & Radio," p. 196
  6. ^MegazoidArchived2009-07-21 at theWayback Machine.Dimensional Designs.
  7. ^"Outer LimitsGwylm 12-inch FigureArchived2009-07-21 at theWayback Machine.Entertainment Earth.
  8. ^David J. Schow and Jeffrey Frentzen,The Official Outer Limits Companion,Ace Books, New York, 1986, pp. 3, 350.
  9. ^The Outer Limits Official Companion,Schow & Frentzen, p. 361.
  10. ^The Futurist: The Life and Times of James Cameron(Kindle location 885)
  11. ^An Evening with Kevin Smith(DVD).Sony Pictures Home Entertainment.2002.
  12. ^Fleming, Michael (May 24, 2001)."MGM pushes 'Limits' with Victor & Grais".Variety.RetrievedMarch 30,2022.
  13. ^Fleming, Michael (August 4, 2002)."Lion reaches 'Limits' helmer".Variety.RetrievedMarch 30,2022.
  14. ^Siegel, Tatiana (August 2, 2010)."MGM reaches for 'Outer Limits'".Variety.RetrievedMarch 30,2022.
  15. ^Kit, Borys (June 20, 2014)."'The Outer Limits' Movie in the Works From MGM, Scott Derrickson (Exclusive) ".The Hollywood Reporter.Archivedfrom the original on June 21, 2014.RetrievedJune 20,2014.
  16. ^Otterson, Joe (2019-04-01)."'The Twilight Zone' Rides TV Horror Anthology Wave ".Variety.Retrieved2021-09-19.
  17. ^"Outer Limits Newsletter".The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction(3rd ed.). April 4, 2017.
  18. ^"Outer Limits Fan Club 1978 Membership Card".Internet Archive.March 5, 2021.
  19. ^Weiss, Josh (2018-06-17)."'Incredibles 2' TV References Are More Than Easter Eggs ".The Hollywood Reporter.Retrieved2024-06-03.
  20. ^"The Outer Limits (1963-64) Season 1 (32 Episodes)".kinolorber.com.Archivedfrom the original on 30 April 2018.Retrieved30 April2018.
  21. ^"The Outer Limits: Season Two Blu-ray".blu-ray.com.Archivedfrom the original on 29 March 2018.Retrieved30 April2018.
  22. ^"The Outer Limits: Complete Original Series Blu-ray".ViaVision.com.au.Retrieved23 June2021.
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