Buy One Step Beyond on DVD
One Step Beyond: Collector’s Set
January 20, 1959 – July 4, 1961
(97) 1/2 hour episodes (3 seasons)
in B&W on ABC
Created by: Merwin Gerard
Produced by: World Television Programming, Inc.
CAST
The only regular cast in this anthology show was the host
John Newland (he directed the series and wrote many of the episodes)
Following is a list of guest stars that appeared whose names you may recognize:
- Warren Beatty
- Robert Blake
- Charles Bronson
- Mike Connors
- Cloris Leachman
- Christopher Lee
- Ross Martin
- Yvette Mimieux
- Elizabeth Montgomery
- Pernell Roberts
- Beverly Washburn
Opening Theme
“Fear”
Composed by: Harry Lubin
Opening Narration
“Have you ever been certain the telephone would ring within the next ten seconds? Or have you ever walked down a strange street before and had the feeling you knew what laid beyond the unturned corner? Yes? Then you’ve had a brief encounter with the world of the unknown … a small step beyond. Now take a giant one.”
Or another version went like this:
“I hardly know what to tell you about the next half hour. Except it was reported as true by those to whom it happened. It has been investigated and no one as yet has been able to explain it or disprove it. Have your ever had the feeling that you knew what someone was going to say just before they said it or have you ever walked into a strange room and had the sensation that you’ve been there before? Well. if you have, you’ve taken a small step beyond. Now watch a giant step.”
STORYLINE
This program was the great granddaddy of them all. Before Twilight Zone (by a few months) orOuter Limits there was this anthology type sci-fi series.
Probably the biggest difference in this show was that it claimed to be based on real events and true stories so you didn’t get any of the far fetched time travel plots aliens or monsters that some of the later shows seemed to thrive on.
The series dealt with paranormal events and seemingly unexplainable situations and then gave the viewer the choice of believing the shows explanation or not. Each week you were presented with an entirely different cast and a new set of circumstances to ponder.
What made One Step Beyond scarier than the rest of the genre was the very realism that it aspired to. The events that you were watching on the screen were real…..or were they?
Video Clip of One Step Beyond
Passings
John Newland died in 2000 of a stroke, he was 82 years old
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TRIVIA: To examine wether or not hallucinogenic’s would enhance your psychic abilities John Newland actually traveled to Mexico. He found a local shaman who provided him with several magic mushrooms which he ingested on film. This was the only documentary style show that they ever did and it was not surprisingly not included in any of the packaged episodes that were sold on VHS or DVD. |
