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

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Creator:

Merwin Gerard

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3

Release Date:

20 January 1959 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy | 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 | Anthology | Company Sponsor Name In Title | Occult

Cast

John Newland

...

Himself - Host (79 episodes, 1959-1961)

Also Known As:

"Alcoa Presents" (USA)
"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

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)

The most Frightening television series ever !!!!

I am a connoisseur of "horror" movies/series, and have seen them all since the 1950s, but One Step Beyond remains the scariest of all the series. The only one that came close was Boris Karloffs'-Thriller! John Newlands' beginning monologue reels you in, to have you gripping the arms of your chair during the story, too scared out of your wits to even move, then having the story ending to Mr.Newlands epilogue to further heighten your anxiety of being too fearful to go to sleep!! Unlike..Twilight Zone, Hitchcock, Night Gallery,Tales from the Crypt, Outer Limits and X-Files which ALL have humorous episodes which discount their "scare-quotient", and leaves you disappointed....however "O.S.B."satisfies the most discriminating of "scary-movie" tastes !!! O.S.B never had one "hokey" episode that would tickle your funny bone and that is what makes for excellent scare tactics. I wish they had this series on DVD !!!