The Outer Limits

The Outer Limits TV show, 1963-1965, 3 stars

Into the Outer

An analysis of the iconic sci-fi show

Exclusive to MeierMovies, August 6, 2022

There is nothing wrong with your computer or mobile device. Do not attempt to adjust the picture. I am controlling transmission. For the next few minutes, sit quietly and I will control all that you see and hear. 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.

Over the course of two memorable seasons and 49 hour-long episodes from September 1963 to January 1965, The Outer Limits lived up to its name by pushing science-fiction television to and beyond its existing boundaries. It boldly went where no man, or at least no American television show, had gone before – more than a year before Star Trek claimed the same. Though The Outer Limits was most influenced by The Twilight Zone (1959-1964), the show’s strongest ties lie not with Rod Serling but with Gene Roddenberry. (Even some of The Outer Limits’ monster costumes were reused by Star Trek, as were some actors: William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy and James Doohan.)

But The Outer Limits stands alone in the annals of American television as a unique mix of straight sci-fi, sci-fi horror and occasional fantasy. The show was much more pure sci-fi-based than The Twilight Zone, and its opening and closing monologues took themselves so seriously – making pronouncements about the very nature of man and his place in the universe – that they sometimes sounded more like Ed Wood than Serling. Indeed, rewatching every episode today (as I did when preparing this article), I was struck by how most episodes proffered ideas both big and smart, but too often were presented in ways that turned them small and dumb.

That doesn’t mean today’s audiences won’t enjoy the series, as even the worst episodes have a B-movie charm. And the best ones are among the smartest sci-fi ever televised, inspiring generations of writers, directors and fans. And that is the show’s ultimate legacy: its influence, rather than its production quality. Comparing it to its suspense contemporaries, The Outer Limits (3 stars on 0-5 scale) was a step below Alfred Hitchcock Presents and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour (4 stars), which was a step below The Twilight Zone (5 stars). Still, each show was quite different and can still be appreciated as unique moments in American culture. (To compare programs, see my previous articles on Alfred Hitchcock Presents and The Alfred Hitchcock Hour and The Twilight Zone.)

The Outer Limits was created by Leslie Stevens, who served as executive producer, but Joseph Stefano (who penned the screenplay for Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho) was the creative force. He not only produced the first season and wrote or co-wrote 11 episodes, but he wrote what he referred to as the show’s canon or bible. At the time, this was a fairly new concept, meant to guide the anthology show’s other writers, who were tasked with creating new tales and characters (or occasionally adapting previous works) each week that would be fresh but still have a consistent feel.

One consistency, at least in the first season, was the “bear,” a phrase coined by Stevens and adopted by Stefano to describe the hook: a character, creature or prop that would pull the audience in and, more often than not, try to scare them. Unfortunately, toward the end of season one, the bear acquired mange, often becoming overused and laughable, especially during the opening “tease,” which previewed (and often ruined) a moment in the episode you were about to see. There is a limit, after all, to how many times one can be spooked by an actor in bad makeup and a rubber costume. (Even Stefano admits, in the interview featured on the DVD of the final episode of season two: “Our effects are not that great.”)

Tiring of the bear, ABC executives took creative control away from Stefano for season two, replacing him with producer Ben Brady. On paper, that might have been a good decision, and, admittedly, some of season two seems a bit smarter. But its episodes often lack the bite of season one. For this or other reasons, season two was much shorter: 17 episodes compared to 32 in season one.

Despite his demotion, Stefano was the one who always grasped the show’s essence. In the aforementioned interview, he discussed how The Outer Limits required the writers and audience to “go into the darkness of yourself.” He also described his three M’s: mystery, magic and majesty. Most episodes didn’t quite reach those lofty goals, but the fact that we’re still talking about and watching the show almost 60 years later speaks volumes.

“The Outer Limits really spoke to people,” Stefano said. “It wasn’t there just to entertain them.”

The best way to watch the show today is on DVD. You can purchase the discs, but I suggest viewing them on Netflix DVDs. (Yes, Netflix still offers that service.) But I don’t suggest watching all 49 episodes unless you’re a completist. Instead, I offer my top 10, below. I also present a list of the best directors, performers and cinematographer.

Other than the top 10, I didn’t restrict each list to a certain number. The people listed are simply the ones who rose above the rest. And I mean no disrespect to the women; the show, as was the standard at the time, gave most roles to men, leaving fewer females to choose when presenting accolades.

For a discussion of each episode, click the Wikipedia links.

 

Best Episodes
1. Season 2, Episode 10: The Inheritors, Part I
Season 2, Episode 11: The Inheritors, Part II
3. Season 1, Episode 16: Controlled Experiment
4. Season 1, Episode 7: O.B.I.T.
5. Season 1, Episode 32: The Forms of Things Unknown
6. Season 1, Episode 3: The Architects of Fear
7. Season 1, Episode 20: The Ballero Shield
8. Season 2, Episode 5: Demon with a Glass Hand
9. Season 2, Episode 16: The Premonition
10. Season 1, Episode 1: The Galaxy Being

Best Directors
1. James Goldstone, Season 2, Episodes 10 and 11: The Inheritors, Parts I and II
2. Gerd Oswald, Season 1, Episode 32: The Forms of Things Unknown

Best Actors
1. Robert Duvall as Adam Ballard in Season 2, Episodes 10 and 11: The Inheritors, Parts I and II
2. Cliff Robertson as Allan Maxwell in Season 1, Episode 1: The Galaxy Being
3. Carroll O’Connor as Deimos in Season 1, Episode 16: Controlled Experiment
4. Don Gordon as Agent Spain in Season 1, Episode 19: The Invisibles
5. Robert Duvall as Louis Mace in Season 1, Episode 31: The Chameleon
6. Martin Landau as Richard Ballero in Season 1, Episode 20: The Ballero Shield
7. Macdonald Carey as Roy Benjamin in Season 1, Episode 28: The Special One
8. Robert Culp as Trent in Season 2, Episode 5: Demon with a Glass Hand

Best Actresses
1. Sally Kellerman as Judith Ballero in Season 1, Episode 20: The Ballero Shield
2. Jacqueline Scott as Carol Maxwell in Season 1, Episode 1: The Galaxy Being
3. Vera Miles as Kassia Paine in Season 1, Episode 32: The Forms of Things Unknown
4. Gale Kobe as Janet Lane in Season 2, Episode 12: Keeper of the Purple Twilight
5. Joanna Frank as Regina in Season 1, Episode 18: ZZZZZ
6. Arlene Martel as Conseulo in Season 2, Episode 5: Demon with a Glass Hand

Best Supporting Actors
1. Steve Ihnat as Lt. Mims in Season 2, Episodes 10 and 11: The Inheritors, Parts I and II
2. David McCallum as Tone Hobart in Season 1, Episode 32: The Forms of Things Unknown
3. Jeff Corey as Byron Lomax in Season 1, Episode 7: O.B.I.T.
4. Ed Asner as Sgt. Siroleo in Season 1, Episode 11: It Crawled Out of the Woodwork
5. James Frawley as Pvt. Robert Renaldo in Season 2, Episodes 10 and 11: The Inheritors, Parts I and II
6. Ivan Dixon as Sgt. James Conover in Season 2, Episodes 10 and 11: The Inheritors, Parts I and II
7. Leonard Nimoy as Judson Ellis in Season 2, Episode 9: I, Robot

Best Supporting Actresses
1. Geraldine Brooks as Yvette Leighton in Season 1, Episode 3: The Architects of Fear
2. Nellie Burt as Ethel Latimer in Season 1, Episode 26: The Guests
3. Barbara Rush as Leonora Edmond in Season 1, Episode 32: The Forms of Things Unknown

Best Cinematographer
Conrad Hall for Season 1, Episode 32: The Forms of Things Unknown

 

 I now return control of your computer or mobile device to you …

 

© 2022 MeierMovies, LLC