Doomsday Minus One (28 Feb. 1967)

The aliens plan to explode an anti-matter bomb in Utah during a nuclear test.

Director:

Paul Wendkos

Writers:

Louis Vittes, Larry Cohen (creator)

Stars:

Roy Thinnes, William Windom, Andrew Duggan

Cast

Episode cast overview:
Roy Thinnes	...	David Vincent
William Windom	...	Major Rick Graves
Andrew Duggan	...	General Theodore Beaumont
Wesley Addy	...	Tomkins
Robert Osterloh	...	Carl Wyeth
Lee Farr	...	Justice Department Agent
Tom Palmer	...	Charlie Spence
Lew Brown	...	Non Com in Charge
K.L. Smith	...	Guard #1
Rick Murray	...	Parking Attendant
Don Kennedy	...	Guard #2
David Armstrong	...	M.P. (as Dave Armstrong)

Storyline

At an army base in Utah, Major Rick Graves worries about an upcoming nuclear test. Graves's friend, Charles Spence, believes that a three-month-old crater, supposedly caused by a meteor, was in reality created by an alien spaceship. He also believes that Carl Wyeth, an engineer on the base, has met with the aliens. Spence has Graves call in David Vincent to investigate. Meanwhile, Graves voices his fears to his superior, General Beaumont. But Beaumont is colluding with the aliens, who have plans to explode an anti-matter bomb that will kill millions of people.

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Plot Keywords:

alien | utah | anti matter | nuclear test | crater | 

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Genres:

Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Details

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 February 1967 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Samuel Goldwyn Studios - 7200 Santa Monica Boulevard, West Hollywood, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Quinn Martin Productions (QM), American Broadcasting Company (ABC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

Near the beginning of the show, as David Vincent and Major Graves stand talking on the edge of Graylock Crater, the shadow of a boom microphone can be seen in several shots behind them on the left side of the screen.

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Quotes

Narrator: [Epilog Narration] The earth turns on its axis, unaware of the disaster that never happened. And David Vincent goes forward again, very much aware that a far greater disaster can lie ahead - the final disaster, wrought by the Invader.

User Reviews

Tense and explosive episode!

Excellent, thrilling and fast-moving episode. Essentially, the story of a general who is tricked into helping the aliens set-up an anti-matter bomb which will cause the earth to shift off its axis. The idea being that the blame will fall on a conventional nuclear text explosion that is due to happen at the same time causing (so the general thinks) an end to the danger of nuclear war. Of course there's a more sinister outcome intended but the episode does not really make it clear what that is (unless I've missed something) … A very good episode marred slightly by the rather conventional small explosion when the anti-matter bomb actually goes off (it seems to be suggested that the earth-tilting effects of this device are only felt when it's placed a few metres under ground, but that's rather difficult to swallow when you see the resulting small explosion!).