As I have written elsewhere, for me, the ninth episode of "The Outer Limits," the one called "Corpus Earthling," was the single most frightening hour that this landmark program ever created, and apparently, series producer Joseph Stefano felt the same way. This truly horrifying hour of television has been my single favorite "OL" outing for quite some time now. But if I were ever asked which of the 49 "Outer Limits" episodes was the creepiest, I would without hesitation answer "The Invisibles," which has been my second favorite ep for many years. And last night's rererererewatch has only served to confirm that belief. "The Invisibles" was episode # 19 for the series, and first shown on ABC on the evening of 2/3/64. Not surprisingly, it was put together by what is my favorite quartet of "OL" talent behind the cameras: Joseph Stefano supplied the truly nerve-wracking script, Gerd Oswald directed in typically fine fashion (his use of low-angle and close-up shots here really are things of beauty), Conrad Hall supplied the noirish cinematography, and Dominic Frontiere embellished the proceedings with another appropriately moody soundtrack. This is the same quartet that had previously helmed such "OL" masterpieces as "It Crawled Out of the Woodwork" and "Don't Open Till Doomsday," and would go on to create the flabbergastingly awesome "The Forms of Things Unknown." In "The Invisibles," the team was creating at a very high level, indeed, and they had the fortune of being supplied with one of the series' all-time best casts. The result was one truly memorable hour of television for the ages.
In the episode, three social misfits are seen being indoctrinated into a secret society known as The Invisibles. The three are Spain (remarkably well portrayed by the late Don Gordon, who would go on to appear in "OL" episode # 23, "Second Chance"), Planetta (Tony Mordente, who had co-starred in "West Side Story" as Jets member Action a few years earlier) and Castle (Chris Warfield). It is explained to them that their mission will be to go to various cities and carry out their assignments; namely, the attachment of parasitic, crablike alien beings onto the spinal cords of various government, military and industrial bigwigs! The hideous-looking aliens (which had been formed by the "coming together of sick, nameless nuclei" in the depths of space, as their instructor, Governor Hillmond, tells them) will then control their host humans, with a view of conquering mankind! Fortunately for the human race, Spain turns out to be none other than Agent 0021 for the GIA, the Government Intelligence Agency. (This last is not really a spoiler, as it is revealed within the first 10 minutes of the episode's running time.) The three are given inoculations to protect themselves from the aliens' indiscriminate attacks, but the one in Castle doesn't take, the result being a humpbacked deformity, when his inoculation is tested with one of the creatures. Ultimately, Spain is given the task of placing an alien onto the spinal column of one General Clarke, but he finds that he has some nasty surprises in store for him, leading to one harrowing ordeal, indeed.
Many people before me have remarked on this episode's similarities to the great Robert A. Heinlein novel of 1951, "The Puppet Masters," in which parasitical aliens were also placed onto the backs of "hag-ridden" government bigwigs, but it has been so long since I've read that classic book that I really can't comment on what other similarities there might be, if any. What I'd like to emphasize here is what a truly harrowing experience "The Invisibles" is. Its creepy quality is engendered not only by the crablike aliens themselves (which roar like lions, most jarringly), but by the depressing, deserted barracks backdrop in which Spain and the others get their briefing, and the incessant, pouring rain outside. The scene in which the three are tested to see if their inoculations have taken is truly hard to watch, and the entire affair has a great aura of advancing dread. As for that cast previously mentioned, it really is a superb one. Besides the actors already mentioned, we have the always hissable George MacReady as the controlled governor/instructor, and Neil Hamilton (who, two years later, would go on to famously portray Comm. Gordon in TV's "Batman") as the general; these two actors, between them, had already appeared in over 270 roles by the time 1964 rolled around, and indeed, Hamilton had been appearing in motion pictures since 1918! They both get to overact deliciously here, especially when in the throes of their alien dominance. The diminutive actor Walter Burke (who'd made such a strong impression in 1949's "All the King's Men") also gets to give a wonderfully sinister performance as a humpbacked recruiter whose inoculation had also gone very wrong, and every one of his line readings is an exercise in outre horror. In lesser roles we have Dee Hartford (one-time wife of director Howard Hawks) as the general's wife, Richard Dawson (a year before going on to portray Newkirk in "Hogan's Heroes") as her aide, and Len Lesser (yes, "Seinfeld"'s Uncle Leo himself, although he'd been appearing in films as early as 1955) as another GIA man. This terrific cast does an outstanding job at delivering Stefano's taut script. Take that script, add one of "The Outer Limits"'s most memorable alien monstrosities, throw in some moody lighting and mix in some expert direction, and the result is one truly jangling episode of television; one that a first-time viewer might find hard to believe was ever shown on network TV back when. The episode ends on a hopeful, calming note, but the after effects of this hour do not fade away very quickly...even after a 10th watch. Trust me on this one....
In the episode, three social misfits are seen being indoctrinated into a secret society known as The Invisibles. The three are Spain (remarkably well portrayed by the late Don Gordon, who would go on to appear in "OL" episode # 23, "Second Chance"), Planetta (Tony Mordente, who had co-starred in "West Side Story" as Jets member Action a few years earlier) and Castle (Chris Warfield). It is explained to them that their mission will be to go to various cities and carry out their assignments; namely, the attachment of parasitic, crablike alien beings onto the spinal cords of various government, military and industrial bigwigs! The hideous-looking aliens (which had been formed by the "coming together of sick, nameless nuclei" in the depths of space, as their instructor, Governor Hillmond, tells them) will then control their host humans, with a view of conquering mankind! Fortunately for the human race, Spain turns out to be none other than Agent 0021 for the GIA, the Government Intelligence Agency. (This last is not really a spoiler, as it is revealed within the first 10 minutes of the episode's running time.) The three are given inoculations to protect themselves from the aliens' indiscriminate attacks, but the one in Castle doesn't take, the result being a humpbacked deformity, when his inoculation is tested with one of the creatures. Ultimately, Spain is given the task of placing an alien onto the spinal column of one General Clarke, but he finds that he has some nasty surprises in store for him, leading to one harrowing ordeal, indeed.
Many people before me have remarked on this episode's similarities to the great Robert A. Heinlein novel of 1951, "The Puppet Masters," in which parasitical aliens were also placed onto the backs of "hag-ridden" government bigwigs, but it has been so long since I've read that classic book that I really can't comment on what other similarities there might be, if any. What I'd like to emphasize here is what a truly harrowing experience "The Invisibles" is. Its creepy quality is engendered not only by the crablike aliens themselves (which roar like lions, most jarringly), but by the depressing, deserted barracks backdrop in which Spain and the others get their briefing, and the incessant, pouring rain outside. The scene in which the three are tested to see if their inoculations have taken is truly hard to watch, and the entire affair has a great aura of advancing dread. As for that cast previously mentioned, it really is a superb one. Besides the actors already mentioned, we have the always hissable George MacReady as the controlled governor/instructor, and Neil Hamilton (who, two years later, would go on to famously portray Comm. Gordon in TV's "Batman") as the general; these two actors, between them, had already appeared in over 270 roles by the time 1964 rolled around, and indeed, Hamilton had been appearing in motion pictures since 1918! They both get to overact deliciously here, especially when in the throes of their alien dominance. The diminutive actor Walter Burke (who'd made such a strong impression in 1949's "All the King's Men") also gets to give a wonderfully sinister performance as a humpbacked recruiter whose inoculation had also gone very wrong, and every one of his line readings is an exercise in outre horror. In lesser roles we have Dee Hartford (one-time wife of director Howard Hawks) as the general's wife, Richard Dawson (a year before going on to portray Newkirk in "Hogan's Heroes") as her aide, and Len Lesser (yes, "Seinfeld"'s Uncle Leo himself, although he'd been appearing in films as early as 1955) as another GIA man. This terrific cast does an outstanding job at delivering Stefano's taut script. Take that script, add one of "The Outer Limits"'s most memorable alien monstrosities, throw in some moody lighting and mix in some expert direction, and the result is one truly jangling episode of television; one that a first-time viewer might find hard to believe was ever shown on network TV back when. The episode ends on a hopeful, calming note, but the after effects of this hour do not fade away very quickly...even after a 10th watch. Trust me on this one....