The Sixth Finger (14 Oct. 1963)

A scientist experimenting with speeding up human evolution, hires on uneducated, but bright Gwyllim, from the nearby Welsh mining town. He proves a devoted lab assistant, but not content to... See full summary »

Director:

James Goldstone

Writer:

Ellis St. Joseph

Stars:

David McCallum, Jill Haworth, Edward Mulhare

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
David McCallum	...	Gwyllim Griffiths
Jill Haworth	...	Cathy Evans
Edward Mulhare	...	Professor Mathers
Nora Marlowe	...	Mrs. Ives
Robert Doyle	...	Wilt Morgan
Constance Cavendish	...	Gert 'the Bread' Evans
George Pelling	...	Policeman

Storyline

A scientist experimenting with speeding up human evolution, hires on uneducated, but bright Gwyllim, from the nearby Welsh mining town. He proves a devoted lab assistant, but not content to stick to animal subjects, Gwyllim speeds up his own evolution, becoming a super genius with 6 fingers and a huge cranium. With such mental powers does the rebellious, former coal miner acquire equivalent wisdom and maturity too ?

---

Genres:

Fantasy | Horror | Sci-Fi | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

---

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 October 1963 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Daystar Productions, Villa Di Stefano, United Artists Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

51 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

The movements made by Wilt Morgan when he plays the concertina do not match the music we hear.

---

Quotes

Control Voice: [Closing Narration] An experiment too soon, too swift, and yet, may we not still hope to discover a method by which within one generation the whole human race could be rendered intelligent, beyond hatred, or revenge, or the desire for power? Is that not, after all, the ultimate goal of evolution?

---

Connections

Featured in Men in Suits (2012)

User Reviews

Just what does The Sixth Finger mean? Well, for a start, new gloves.

The Outer Limits continues its run of cautionary tales (after the darkness of the classic episode "The Architects Of Fear" and the almost equally enjoyable "The Man With The Power") with this episode all about how dangerous it might be to evolve to a state of much higher intelligence without keeping emotions in check.

Edward Mulhare is Professor Mathers, the man who ends up taking a man from the local mining community (Gwyllim Griffiths, played by David McCallum) and using him in an experiment. Professor Mathers has a chamber that contains the key to all evolution, from the primordial past to the far-flung future, and he puts Gwyllim in there to find out what state man can advance to. Unfortunately, Gwyllim's increased intelligence doesn't remove his feelings of resentment for the community around him.

Directed by James Goldstone and written by Ellis St. Joseph, this is another top notch episode of the show despite some elements (the changing appearance of McCallum, for example) that may provoke unintentional giggles. It's an interesting look at the central character but it's also an interesting look at the human race and where it stands just now, in the grand scheme of evolution.

The acting, however, is a very mixed bad. McCallum does well, despite the make-up applied all over him, and so does Edward Mulhare. There's also Jill Haworth, a sweet and lovely young woman playing the sweet and lovely Cathy Evans. But Robert Doyle isn't that great and Constance Cavendish deserves a prize for one of the most mangled accents I've ever heard. The funniest thing about it is that it's clear what accent she's aiming for . . . . . . . . but she never gets it right.

Not as good as the best episodes that the show could produce but still an interesting and entertaining watch, that horrible accent aside.