THE OUTER LIMITS - Creation Of A Sci-Fi Classic !!

[darnthatdreamx]

The music was a major factor in the creepiness of The Outer Limits. As a 12 year old I was crushed when Outer Limits was cancelled after a mere 1 1/2 years. Absolutely could not understand it. What could they possibly have been thinking?

[Arctific]

I really class these as Scientific morality plays in the same core construction as Greek Tragedy. Horrific outcomes inside a fickle Universe where Chaos is the norm.

As a Fundamentalist, I loved them all.

[repelghosts]

No its just so great to hear from these younger writers as there are so many ideas ,yet untapped...as out tech changes,financial markets,socio-political...etc.­etc.

[repelghosts]

No Terry, I wrote the time travel episode which was filmed in Vancouver,Canada...I am so very pleased that you enjoyed it...but I cannot share the sum I was paid for the submission.

Check with your local writer`s network guild.

all best!

G

[insideanswer82]

I taped episodes from this marathon at a friends house in 1990 or 91. used to watch these in re-runs in the 70s on KTTV 11 in SoCal. Hadn't seen these in about 15yrs when TNT brought these back. Great memories.

[OneEyedJack1970]

Cosmic discombobulation... that's what it's all about.

[spacepatrolman]

@OneEyedJack1970 there was this girl that was working in a health food store when she wasnt there anymore I asked the boss he said she gets all discombobulated if someone says a curse word so she quit she couldnt deal witht the public too well

[JGray85]

they dont make them like this no more

[pacific707]

Robert Culp performed in 3 different and excellent episodes.  He often added his own ideas into each script. Conrad Hall created amazing atmospheres with his cinemetography. Joseph Stefano was way ahead of his time. These shows freaked me out, in a good way when I was a kid. I was terrified of this show but I watched it religiously. I was only 3 years old.

[terransage]

When I was a kid, I lived and breathed this show. The kids in our neighborhood would play-act the episodes after seeing them. (It was a weird neighborhood, but at least we had good taste.)

[electronfun]

One of THE best sci-fi series ever. Absolutely top notch.

[filmvideogamesbooks]

people always talk about the twilight zone, but they never talk about the outer limits

[waverly2468]

What episode is that at 7:24? I didn't know that Harlan Ellison looks like Ed Byrnnes.

[towringer]

@waverly2468 At 7:24 that is "A Feasability Study"

[pacific707]

@towringer One of the best episodes, ever!  "Drive down the street! Or I'll touch you!"

[MoonCrashed]

Although I love both equally now, as a kid, watching this on old VHS cassettes, I always preferred The Outer limits to Twilight Zone.

[Hypsan]

One Step Beyond is readily available on DVD. Has been for a couple of years now.  Inexpensive too! I own a couple different releases of it. Check out Amazon.

[hulaqte]

i wished they have the "One Step Beyond" on DVD

[Eddiesix]

The Outer Limits was thirty years ahead of it's time...you don't seen quality stories and scripts like this now... Long live The Outer Limits!!

[Tauptu]

@Eddiesix Hopefully the success of the new Doctor Who will show that these types of shows have an audience.

[robharding1957]

@Eddiesix what a timeless classic this is,, even now its years ahead of any other sci fi,in 63 l was 6 but lucky for me l had very liberated parents,,and im so glad i did,,

[spacepatrolman]

@Eddiesix in the book cult tv they have a chapter on the outer limits they say it keeps looking better with time that book came out in the 1980s and they explain some of the special effects like the galaxy beings rubber suit that they used the negative film [in this documentary ansara says us and them that became an anti war song by pink floyd on dark side of the moon the biggest album in history

[jimwalsh2001]

They got Harlan Ellison...cool!

[twixcookie]

Good science fiction always had to fight to find its place.

Most people didn't like shows like this, which amazed me.

They would have rather watched Bewitched or other mindless dribble.

[shorts818]

Outer Limits is cool. Although it's funny how they'd include a monster whether it belonged in a story or not.

[freestuffffff]

Man, this is such self-congratulatory hype. The special effects were always laughable. the acting horribly over-the-top, the stories tedious, the music repetitive and cliche. Overwrought kitsch all in all. Couldn't hold a candle to the far superior "Twilight Zone," where many of the same actors were allowed to shine.

[chomsky88]

I've got the first season on DVD and the creepiness of the series had nothing to do with the monsters(who look horribly fake by today's standards)--it still gets under your skin with odd camera angles, wide angle lenses, fantastic black and white cinematography, literate scripts and great acting. There are a few duds in the mix, but considering they used to do 36 52 minute episodes a year(less advertising in those days) the output was rather phenomenal.

[spacepatrolman]

Ellison won his lawsuit he gets his name on the credits and a piece of the terminator for plagarising the soldier outer limits episode [ they should have known better he won a hugo award ] .

[OrmEmber]

Leslie Stevens was a visionary, just like Gene Roddenbury; and both men were let down by the networks they worked for. Too bad; we'll never know what more they would have created!

[Shawnster65]

Networks are all the same-all about money.

The studio heads thought they'd cash

in on the B-movie mentality with the monsters (the monster is the bad guy and the Earth will conquer them.)

In reality, the creatures were intelligent, thinking beings coming to warn us that mankind is, and always will be, the new kid on the block.

And in doing so, the OL will always be the "thinking man's" sci-fi show, and the greatest contribution to serious sci-fi.

[Misterioso]

The summer of 1997 will be remembered fondly thanks to TNT acquiring the cable rights that year to not only the original "Outer Limits" but the new "Twilight Zone". I was in my early teens at the time and watching anthology series was one of my main hobbies, I remember HBO had just canceled "Tales from the Crypt" and replaced it with "Perversions of Science" and Showtime was two seasons into the new "Outer Limits". Good times, great memories.

[djkst35]

TNT actually began airing the original "Outer Limits" in August 1991. The series only aired four or five times per year as part of the Saturday night monster vision marathons. Nine episodes would be shown in nine hours (Saturday, 8pm - Sunday 6am). I know this because it's how I first discovered the show and would stay up all night recording the episodes. It used to be very painful having to wait months for the next TNT marathon. Now we have DVD players! Thank goodness. ;)

[Misterioso]

I was unaware of this, I wish I knew at the time; who would have thought in 1991 that we would be able to own this series through the DVD medium?

[gardenvarietypenis]

naaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh, it was better when we had to wait. certain shows lose their specialness when you have unlimited access.

[slagit]

Damn good show or at least to me it is! Also I feel it gets better with time. It has a dark, creepy gothic mood to it along with the scifi/horror elements. A classic show in my book.

[only257]

same here it is a shame that scifi shows now a days don't have good story lines what a shame!

[88poppies]

hey, does anyone know of an episode of OL (or it may have been a movie) about an alien that had long claws and would poke out cows eyeballs and was afraid of light?

that scared the poo outta me when i was seven!

[Blackupskirt]

@88poppies

hi, I do remember this movie, but I don't know what it's called. What I do remember is there are these aliens looking sorta like octopus with big eyes floating in this farmers field and a cow with horns pokes an alien in the eye and blood runs out. Yeah, that was spooky alright.

[88poppies]

@Blackupskirt ---- I just found a clip- it's called Invasion of the Saucer Men.

And it still creeps me out even though it's super cheesy and fake!

[Blackupskirt]

@88poppies

That's it, that's the one, yeah a creepy one at that and all that.

I think I saw it on "the big show". Do you remember ? It was on channel 12 for an hour and a half. After the first hour there was a half hour break for Walter Cronkite's news.

[rascal211]

Demon with A Glass Hand was an amazing episode. Action packed throughout and a great storyline.

[74sodapop]

Which was the Outer Limits where every one was still and frozen.What was the episode called?

[Beamshipcaptain]

That was a 2nd season time-travel episode called PREMONITION. Not one of the best episodes.

[Krylogenic]

So true and now there is no storyline and nothing that can really scare you anymore, its the way it was done with suspense and imagination. They truly were the outer limits and the moral scripts were in many shows in the 60s it might have had an effect on our subconscience nothing like it today, suspense like Hitchcock just the best!!!

[Fendude]

It amazes me that back then with shoe string budgets and hokey sets that they STILL managed to pull off some of the best stories ever made. Shows like "The Outer Limits", "Twilight Zone" & "Star Trek (TOS)" are rare gems, and todays directors with their fancy computer generated eye candy PALE in comparison when it comes to pure storyline... BTW Harlan Ellison's "Soldier" is credited by James Cameron as the inspiration for "Terminator".

[1nikky401]

This post iss kinda random but I remeber when I was like 5 or 6 watching some show with this human and two robots (I think) and thye would view these supe rold movies and talk about them..The guys were in space...I remeber a ep where the guys where watching a movie about a witch and one of the aliens said

"Get your flamethrowers out,get your stick of juicy fruit"

If ANY knows what show this is please tell me the name because it was so long ago....

Thanks!

[MBava67]

Mystery Science Theater 3000

[1nikky401]

Thanks

but I found out what it was

Still thanks :P

[gb42760ad1972]

Great post. I love OL. Whatever happened to Monstervision on TNT? They don't do it anymore, do they?

[dragster58]

NOTHING like the original OL!!!! :)

[jason75]

I watched them all in the 70's ah it takes me back, i was howling

[drunkenpeter99]

Never mind, I've figured it out:

"The Man Who Was Never Born"

"Nightmare"

"Don't Open Till Doomsday"

"The Bellero Shield"

"A Feasibility Study"

"The Chameleon"

"Soldier"

"Demon With a Glass Hand"

"I, Robot"

[drunkenpeter99]

I'm curious. Which nine episodes did they show?

[dufusbug]

I stayed up ALL night and recorded this on VHS back in the early 90's and STILL watch all those old episodes that scared the bee-jeezes out of me and my twin brother....even when the series first ran!

(the Chameleon and The Man who was never Born are my favorite episodes)

[drunkenpeter99]

You know, I've just realized something I suspected for a while. I may like "The Outer Limits" a little better than "The Twilight Zone" because it was more science fiction than "Zone" which didn't feel like science fiction to me anyway.

[lpentis]

Prepare the chamber!

Those aliens still give me the creeps.

And the music! Made it all the more creepy.

[djkst35]

Thanks for posting. TNT did some wonderful interviews for their "Outer Limits" marathons back in the early 1990s. I looked forward to these marathons and still have them on VHS. It's too bad these interviews weren't included as bonus materials on the recently released DVD.

[Brazosman]

This scared the pee-waddle out of me when I was a kid. Like the guy said, "Imagination" was so much a part of this series and the messages they left us with were just GOOD writing.

I actually feel sorry for today's kids who watch so much computer animation, but have such poor stories.