If I were forced to hazard a guess as to which episode of "The Outer Limits" was the absolute favorite amongst viewers, I would say that it was episode #14..."The Zanti Misfits," which premiered on 12/30/63. Not that this would be MY personal pick--for me, that would be "Corpus Earthling," with "The Invisibles" being a close second. I have always had a huge liking for "The Zanti Misfits," of course, and indeed, any "OL" fan or any fan of science fiction in general really would have a hard time resisting this classic outing. In a recent "TV Guide" survey of the "100 Greatest TV Episodes of All Time," "The Zanti Misfits" placed at a very respectable Number 98, an indication of its impact upon generations of viewers. Still, I have long felt that this episode's appeal lies mainly in its oh-so-memorable creatures rather than in any inherent qualities of the episode itself. Last night's rerererererewatch, for me, has served to upgrade my opinion of this beloved ep, although I am still not ready to place it on my personal Top 10 "Limits" list.
In this episode, an historian named Stephen Grave (played by Michael Tolan) arrives at the ghost town of Morgue, California. He is there to record for posterity a truly epochal event. The rulers of the planet Zanti have forcefully coerced the U.S. government to set aside a cordoned-off section of desert to be used as a penal colony of sorts for some of their condemned criminals. The tiny spaceship lands (I've always thought that this ship should have been a bit larger), and all seems to be going well, until psycho bank robber Ben Garth (Bruce Dern, here at the very beginning of his most impressive career) uses his automobile to crash through one of the perimeter gates, killing a sentry in the process. Garth is accompanied by a runaway wife, Lisa, who is portrayed by Olive Deering and who many may recall from her roles in such films as "Caged" (1950) and the 1956 version of "The Ten Commandments" (playing Moses' sister Miriam). The couple's intrusion into the forbidden area leads to the emergence of the Regent of the Zantis, and thus, we get to see one of the alien race for the first time: antlike (actually, they look something like the Cootie bugs of the popular 1949 game), foot-long, goggle-eyed, small-toothed, and whiskered (!) little demons who emit a horrendous buzzing sound whenever they appear. Garth is killed by the Regent (how is never quite adequately explained; do the Zantis bite their victims with their teensy choppers, or inject a poison, or merely scare their victims to death?), and Lisa is pursued through the desert by the Regent afterward (not the most suspenseful chase in screen history, as these Zantis are hardly what you'd call fast moving; I had a water bug in my apartment once that moved around 20 times more rapidly). Ultimately, the Zanti prisoners escape and engage in a pitched battle with the forces of the U.S. Army back in Morgue, leading to one ironic twist ending, indeed.
To be fair, the look of those darn Zantis is so very unique, so imaginative, that they are absolutely unforgettable; truly, one of the greatest alien creations in a series that provided the viewer with so very many. They are brought to life with winning stop-motion animation, and the four Zantis who we see in close-up look fantastically convincing. That said, however, it must also be reported that this episode also sports some of the LEAST convincing FX in the series' 1 1/2-season run. I am thinking especially of the scenes toward the end, where we see the Zantis climbing down a wall and engaged in battle. In these scenes, the stop-motion technique apparently could not be utilized, and so we witness what looks for all the world like little toys being pulled around on a wire. The sight of the Zanti spaceship coming in for a landing in the desert also looks extremely unconvincing...almost like something out of "Plan 9." Another disappointing element of the film is that most of the characters are undeveloped, especially Ben Garth, who only gets around five minutes' worth of dialogue before he is dispatched. Still, as I say, the episode has much to offer. It is never better, strangely enough, than in its early scenes, in which we see the soldiers nervously awaiting the Zantis' arrival and listening to their very strange communications coming from space. Character actor Robert F. Simon is very fine as the commanding general in charge, while someone named Claude Woolman offers terrific support as a very nervous major. Joesph Stefano's script is an interesting and mordant one, replete with that twist ending, while director Leonard Horn (who had previously helmed the "OL" classic "The Man Who Was Never Born" and would soon direct another first-season "OL" ep, "The Children of Spider County") provides us with some interesting close-ups and oddly angled camera setups, such as that POV shot from within the Zanti spaceship as Garth tries to peer inside. A good part of this episode was filmed at the Vasquez Rocks area outside of L.A., where, in another three years or so, somebody named James T. Kirk would engage in pitched battle with another grotesque life-form, the Gorn. And this ep features the best use of a woman screaming the name "Ben!!!!" in screen history...other than, of course, Katharine Ross in the 1967 classic "The Graduate." In all, a truly memorable if not particularly top-grade "Outer Limits" hour, but one that is deservedly beloved and remembered for those darn Zanti misfits. If only they weren't so nasty, I feel they would make for some pretty cool pets....
In this episode, an historian named Stephen Grave (played by Michael Tolan) arrives at the ghost town of Morgue, California. He is there to record for posterity a truly epochal event. The rulers of the planet Zanti have forcefully coerced the U.S. government to set aside a cordoned-off section of desert to be used as a penal colony of sorts for some of their condemned criminals. The tiny spaceship lands (I've always thought that this ship should have been a bit larger), and all seems to be going well, until psycho bank robber Ben Garth (Bruce Dern, here at the very beginning of his most impressive career) uses his automobile to crash through one of the perimeter gates, killing a sentry in the process. Garth is accompanied by a runaway wife, Lisa, who is portrayed by Olive Deering and who many may recall from her roles in such films as "Caged" (1950) and the 1956 version of "The Ten Commandments" (playing Moses' sister Miriam). The couple's intrusion into the forbidden area leads to the emergence of the Regent of the Zantis, and thus, we get to see one of the alien race for the first time: antlike (actually, they look something like the Cootie bugs of the popular 1949 game), foot-long, goggle-eyed, small-toothed, and whiskered (!) little demons who emit a horrendous buzzing sound whenever they appear. Garth is killed by the Regent (how is never quite adequately explained; do the Zantis bite their victims with their teensy choppers, or inject a poison, or merely scare their victims to death?), and Lisa is pursued through the desert by the Regent afterward (not the most suspenseful chase in screen history, as these Zantis are hardly what you'd call fast moving; I had a water bug in my apartment once that moved around 20 times more rapidly). Ultimately, the Zanti prisoners escape and engage in a pitched battle with the forces of the U.S. Army back in Morgue, leading to one ironic twist ending, indeed.
To be fair, the look of those darn Zantis is so very unique, so imaginative, that they are absolutely unforgettable; truly, one of the greatest alien creations in a series that provided the viewer with so very many. They are brought to life with winning stop-motion animation, and the four Zantis who we see in close-up look fantastically convincing. That said, however, it must also be reported that this episode also sports some of the LEAST convincing FX in the series' 1 1/2-season run. I am thinking especially of the scenes toward the end, where we see the Zantis climbing down a wall and engaged in battle. In these scenes, the stop-motion technique apparently could not be utilized, and so we witness what looks for all the world like little toys being pulled around on a wire. The sight of the Zanti spaceship coming in for a landing in the desert also looks extremely unconvincing...almost like something out of "Plan 9." Another disappointing element of the film is that most of the characters are undeveloped, especially Ben Garth, who only gets around five minutes' worth of dialogue before he is dispatched. Still, as I say, the episode has much to offer. It is never better, strangely enough, than in its early scenes, in which we see the soldiers nervously awaiting the Zantis' arrival and listening to their very strange communications coming from space. Character actor Robert F. Simon is very fine as the commanding general in charge, while someone named Claude Woolman offers terrific support as a very nervous major. Joesph Stefano's script is an interesting and mordant one, replete with that twist ending, while director Leonard Horn (who had previously helmed the "OL" classic "The Man Who Was Never Born" and would soon direct another first-season "OL" ep, "The Children of Spider County") provides us with some interesting close-ups and oddly angled camera setups, such as that POV shot from within the Zanti spaceship as Garth tries to peer inside. A good part of this episode was filmed at the Vasquez Rocks area outside of L.A., where, in another three years or so, somebody named James T. Kirk would engage in pitched battle with another grotesque life-form, the Gorn. And this ep features the best use of a woman screaming the name "Ben!!!!" in screen history...other than, of course, Katharine Ross in the 1967 classic "The Graduate." In all, a truly memorable if not particularly top-grade "Outer Limits" hour, but one that is deservedly beloved and remembered for those darn Zanti misfits. If only they weren't so nasty, I feel they would make for some pretty cool pets....
