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

Creator:

Merwin Gerard
(more)

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 | Phenomenon | Precognition | Company Sponsor Name In Title

Cast

John Newland

...

Himself - Host (95 episodes, 1959-1961)

Series Directed by
John Newland		(90 episodes, 1959-1961)

Series Writing credits
Larry Marcus		(72 episodes, 1959-1961)
Merwin Gerard		(67 episodes, 1959-1961)
Martin Benson		(14 episodes, 1961)
Don Mankiewicz		(6 episodes, 1959-1961)
Gabrielle Upton		(6 episodes, 1960)
Collier Young		(4 episodes, 1959-1961)
Derry Quinn		(4 episodes, 1961)
Catherine Turney		(3 episodes, 1959-1960)
Michael Plant		(3 episodes, 1959)
Charles Larson		(3 episodes, 1960-1961)
Jerome Gruskin		(3 episodes, 1960)
Paul David		(2 episodes, 1959-1960)
Charles Beaumont		(2 episodes, 1959)
Francis M. Cockrell		(2 episodes, 1959)
Gail Ingram		(2 episodes, 1959)
Russell Beggs		(2 episodes, 1960)
Joseph Petracca		(2 episodes, 1960)

Series Produced by
Collier Young	....	producer (77 episodes, 1959-1961)
Merwin Gerard	....	associate producer (69 episodes, 1959-1961)

Series Original Music by
Harry Lubin		(69 episodes, 1959-1961)

Series Cinematography by
Dale Deverman		(82 episodes, 1959-1961)
Brendan J. Stafford		(11 episodes, 1961)
Lionel Banes		(2 episodes, 1961)

Series Film Editing by
Henry Berman		(79 episodes, 1959-1961)
Derek Chambers		(11 episodes, 1961)
John Baxter Rogers		(2 episodes, 1959)
Spencer Reeve		(2 episodes, 1961)

Series Casting by
Jasper Russel		(23 episodes, 1959-1960)
Barry Gray		(2 episodes, 1961)

Series Art Direction by
George W. Davis		(64 episodes, 1959-1961)
William Ferrari		(41 episodes, 1959-1960)
Addison Hehr		(21 episodes, 1960-1961)
William A. Horning		(15 episodes, 1959)
Frank White		(13 episodes, 1961)
Feild M. Gray		(12 episodes, 1959-1960)
Philip Barber		(7 episodes, 1959)
Hans Peters		(2 episodes, 1959)

Series Set Decoration by
Henry Grace		(81 episodes, 1959-1961)
Jack Mills		(77 episodes, 1959-1961)
F. Keogh Gleason		(4 episodes, 1959)

Series Makeup Department
Alice Holmes	....	hair stylist / hairdresser (6 episodes, 1961)
Jim Hydes	....	makeup artist (6 episodes, 1961)
William Tuttle	....	makeup artist / makeup creator (4 episodes, 1959-1961)
Patricia McDermott	....	hair stylist (unknown episodes)

Series Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Tom McCrory	....	assistant director (33 episodes, 1959-1960)
Donald C. Klune	....	assistant director (16 episodes, 1959-1961)
Stanley Goldsmith	....	assistant director (16 episodes, 1959)
David Tomblin	....	assistant director (13 episodes, 1961)
Robert Saunders	....	assistant director (4 episodes, 1960)
Erich von Stroheim Jr.	....	assistant director (3 episodes, 1959)
Maxwell O. Henry	....	assistant director (2 episodes, 1960)
Robert H. Justman	....	assistant director (unknown episodes)
Leo M. Langlois	....	assistant director (unknown episodes)

Series Sound Department
Franklin Milton	....	recording supervisor / sound (64 episodes, 1959-1961)
John Bramall	....	sound mixer (6 episodes, 1961)
A.W. Watkins	....	sound supervisor / supervising sound editor (6 episodes, 1961)

Series Stunts
Dick Crockett	....	stunt double: Larry Gates (1 episode, 1961)
John Indrisano	....	stunt double: Charles Bronson (1 episode, 1961)

Series Camera and Electrical Department
Jack Lowin	....	camera operator (6 episodes, 1961)
Dennis Fraser	....	grip (unknown episodes)

Series Casting Department
Barry Gray	....	casting (4 episodes, 1961)

Series Costume and Wardrobe Department
Leonard Mann	....	wardrobe / costumer (7 episodes, 1959)

Series Music Department
Harry Lubin	....	music supervisor / music by / ... (13 episodes, 1959-1961)
Gilbert D. Marchant	....	music editor (8 episodes, 1960-1961)

Series Other crew
Ivan Klapper	....	special consultant / technical consultant (63 episodes, 1959-1961)
Jane Ficker	....	script supervisor (40 episodes, 1959-1961)
Peter Marriott	....	production coordinator (5 episodes, 1961)
Doris Martin	....	continuity (5 episodes, 1961)
Andrija Puharich	....	special consultant / technical consultant (3 episodes, 1960-1961)
Elizabeth Wilcox	....	script supervisor (unknown episodes)

Production Companies

• ABC Films
• Joseph L. Schenck Enterprises

Distributors

• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1959-1961) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• ABC Films (1962-1971) (worldwide) (TV) (syndication)
• Worldvision Enterprises (1971-1999) (worldwide) (TV)
• Paramount Television (1999-2006) (worldwide) (TV) (syndication)
• E-Realbiz.com (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• Navarre Entertainment (2002) (USA) (DVD)
• VCI Home Video (2003) (USA) (DVD)
• Alpha Video Distributors (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• CBS Paramount International Television (2004) (USA) (TV) (syndication)
• Reel Media International (2004) (worldwide) (all media)
• CBS Paramount Domestic Television (2006) (USA) (TV) (syndication)
• Passport Video (2006) (USA) (DVD)
• Reel Media International (2007) (worldwide) (all media)
• Alpha Video Distributors (2008) (USA) (DVD)
• Moviecraft (????) (USA) (VHS)
• Nippon Television Network Corporation (NTV) (1959) (Japan) (TV)

Other Companies

• Botany 500  Mr. Newland's clothing
• Daroff  tailoring
• MGM British Studios  filmed at (episodes 3.22-3.35)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) Studios  filmed at (episodes 1.1-3.21)

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:

Featured in Beyond Titanic (1998) (TV)

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.