"Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond" (1959) TV series 1959-1961

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Creator:

Merwin Gerard

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3

Release Date:

20 January 1959 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

"What you are about to see is a matter of human record. Explain it: we cannot. Disprove it: we cannot. We simply invite you to explore with us the amazing world of the Unknown ... to take that One Step ... Beyond."

Plot:

Produced at the same time as the more well-known Twilight Zone, this series fed the nation's growing...

Plot Keywords:

Supernatural | Ghost | Occult | Company Sponsor Name In Title | Telepathy

Cast

John Newland

...

Himself - Host (95 episodes, 1959-1961)

Also Known As:

Alcoa Presents (USA) (alternative title)
One Step Beyond (USA) (syndication title)

Runtime:

25 min (96 episodes)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

USA:Approved | Australia:PG

Company:

ABC Films

Trivia:

Through an oversight, Worldvision didn't renew the copyrights on most episodes of this series when they expired in the late 1980s, and they thus fell into the public domain. Since royalties didn't have to be paid to Worldvision, the result was a revival of the series on UHF and cable television and on VHS and DVD. Since well-worn syndication prints were and are typically used by those media, the results often leave something to be desired, quality-wise.

Quotes:

John Newland: [episode introduction] What you are about to see is a matter of human record. Explain it: we cannot. Disprove it: we cannot. We simply invite you to explore with us the amazing world of the Unknown... to take that One Step... Beyond.

Movie Connections:

Followed by "The Next Step Beyond" (1978)

Better, but let's not forget.

One commenter offered the proposition that "The Twilight Zone" was not a very good show and "One Step Beyond" was much better. There is truth to the latter statement. Step was a truly wonderful show, and I might add, MUCH freakier and scarier to a little kid. "The Burning Girl" episode killed me. And the one they did about the San Francisco earthquake was awesome. Suffice it to say that I spent a few nights awake wondering about this stuff. Unlike the Twilight Zone, Step featured stories that were somewhat based in fact, or at least believable to people who believe. But I have to take the original poster to task. He made it sound as if Twilight Zone sucked. I can assure you, it did not.

These shows aired when television was still in it's infancy. As was the writing, the directing, the acting and all that goes with it. In both cases, there were experiments. Nobody knew how it would turn out. But one thing is certain. BOTH shows helped to create the sci-fi dramas we accept as so commonplace today. There was NOTHING commonplace about the "Willoughby" episode of the Twilight Zone. Nor was there anything commonplace about the Burning Girl episode of One Step Beyond. They were both wonderful shows that broke ground for the future. That being said, when are the One Step Beyond episodes coming back for viewing? I sure miss them.