"Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond" Premonition (1959)

Director:

John Newland

Writer:

Paul David (writer)

TV Series:

"Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond" (1959)

Original Air Date:

10 March 1959 (Season 1, Episode 8)

Genre:

Drama | Fantasy | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Plot:

A young girl has a terrible vision of herself being killed by a chandelier falling on her from the ceiling of her home's ballroom...

Plot Keywords:

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

Cast

John Newland	...	Himself - Host
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Claire Corelli	...	Marie
David Garcia	...	George
Percy Helton	...	Ed Matthews
Thomas Browne Henry	...	Doctor Parsons
Paul Langton	...	Mr. Garrick
Pamela Lincoln	...	Older Lisa Garrick
Julie Payne	...	Louise
Beverly Washburn	...	Lisa Garrick
David Whorf	...	Evan
Skip Young	...	Martin

Runtime:

30 min

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Company:

Joseph M. Schenck Enterprises

A Twisty Premonition - Do we only see part of the picture?

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

In the best episodes of ONE STEP BEYOND the story had a twist in it that came out of left field - like the end of a story by O Henry or Guy De Mauppasant. Such was the case with this episode, which dealt with foreseeing a horrible tragedy. Not the Titanic or the San Francisco Earthquake this time, but a simple domestic tragedy.

Paul Langton (Leslie Harrington on PEYTON PLACE) is a wealthy man, Mr. Garrick, who has moved into a new mansion. His only child is a daughter Lisa (Julie Payne) who feels distinctly uncomfortable in the new house - she particularly feels odd in one room, which is the subject of several nightmares. The room has an immense glass chandelier, and in the nightmare, while at a party under the chandelier, Lisa dreams it falls crashing down on her, killing her.

Gradually she reveals her fears to her father, and he is determined to show this is just nerves (they've moved into this new, large house, and she is unused to it). He finally arranges (despite her protests) to get her into the room, and they both stand under the chandelier. And instead of falling, the chandelier stays attached to the ceiling. Lisa tests it, and nothing happens. She's ecstatic, and smiling she admits to her father her fears were all needless! SPOILER COMING UP: The episode seems to end in a rejection of the spirit of the show - which is pushing the existence of these psychic and occult events that we barely understand, but which (supposedly) are documented. We see Lisa at a later date, now a mother (played by Pamela Lincoln). There is a big family party going on, and she is out on the mansion's balcony when we hear a cracking noise, followed by a girl's hideous scream, and a crash. Lisa's daughter (and namesake, "Lisa" was underneath the chandelier, and was just crushed to death by it!! The episode was marvelous dealing with the hidden views of life that are supposedly revealed to us in our dreams. But it also shows that the future, if revealed, may not be as easy to decipher than we think. The situation is handled without any tricks (and quite well, because of that), and the conclusion hits like a lightning bolt. One can say one can't escape one's fate, but the issue becomes, "whose fate is being discussed?" Very nicely done episode here.