One Step Beyond 

Produced at the same time as the more well-known The Twilight Zone (1959), this series fed the nation's growing interest in paranormal suspense in a different way. Rather than creating ... See full summary »

Creator:

Merwin Gerard

Stars:

John Newland, Robert Douglas, Olan Soule

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
John Newland	...	Himself - Host 96 episodes, 1959-1961

Storyline

Produced at the same time as the more well-known The Twilight Zone (1959), this series fed the nation's growing interest in paranormal suspense in a different way. Rather than creating fictional stories with supernatural twists and turns, this program sought out "real" stories of the supernatural, including ghosts, disappearances, monsters, et cetera, and re-creating them for each episode. No solutions to these mysteries were ever found, and viewers could only scratch their heads and wonder, "what if it's real?"

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Plot Keywords:

supernatural power | ghost | hosted television series | telepathy | precognition | 

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Taglines:

"What you are about to see is a matter of human record. Explain it: we cannot. Disprove it: we cannot. We simply invite you to explore with us the amazing world of the Unknown ... to take that One Step ... Beyond."

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 January 1959 (USA)

Also Known As:

Alcoa Presents

Box Office

Budget:

$40,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

ABC Films,Joseph L. Schenck Enterprises

Technical Specs

Runtime:

25 min (96 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Through an oversight, Worldvision didn't renew the copyrights on most episodes of this series when they expired in the late 1980s, and they thus fell into the public domain. Since royalties didn't have to be paid to Worldvision, the result was a revival of the series on UHF and cable television and on VHS and DVD. Since well-worn syndication prints were and are typically used by those media, the results often leave something to be desired, quality-wise.

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Quotes

John Newland: [episode introduction] What you are about to see is a matter of human record. Explain it: we cannot. Disprove it: we cannot. We simply invite you to explore with us the amazing world of the Unknown... to take that One Step... Beyond.

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Alternate Versions

When this was run on network television (ABC), it was titled "Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond." The 16mm television syndication prints carry the title of simply "One Step Beyond."

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Connections

Featured in Television: The First Fifty Years (1999)

User Reviews

One step beyond box set

Anyone who has ever had a chance to see any of the original episodes of One Step Beyond has truly experienced great television, the way it should be even today in our so called "state of the art" world.

It really doesn't take a whole lot to make a great, convincing program. The mood and music and stories behind each episode is disturbing even now. My hubby found a 2 CD box set of the series that only cost us $5.00! But what great episodes they are. I would really like to own all of the series, if they are still available.

Once again, One Step Beyond was real television. Forget about the new reality shows of today. I'll gladly take one step beyond back to the way real great t.v. shows were meant to be.