Set in a New Mexico cavalry outpost in 1869, this episode stars Elizabeth Montgomery as Lillie, a beautiful but cold-hearted young woman, and daughter of a general, who callously leads on two different Lieutenant's who are smitten with her. She devises a plan to have one(named Fairchild) sent away on a risky mission, where he'll either be promoted or killed, in the meantime she goes to the dance with the other man(named Buchanan), but her plan backfires when Fairchild is killed in action, but at the ball, his ghost appears to have his promised dance with her, which everyone is powerless to stop... Effective ghost story with Montgomery in particular quite good.
5 Reviews
Liz's Dance of Death
bkoganbing30 August 2006
Warning: Spoilers
One Step Beyond had the misfortune of coming up against The Twilight Zone with it's similar nature at the same time on television. But they had some classic episodes that purportedly were based on true incidents involving the paranormal.
One of the freakiest and scariest ones involved a pre-Bewitched Elizabeth Montgomery on a cavalry post where she's got two young officers all hot and bothered over here. You saw some of the same elements in She Wore a Yellow Ribbon with Joanne Dru. But Joanne never put John Agar and Harry Carey, Jr. through what Liz does.
She flirts back and forth between these two guys. One of them gets sent on a mission and says he will be back though for a post dance like one that was held in Fort Apache.
Of course our friend on the mission gets killed and by now the second of her courters has gotten his fill of her flirtatious ways.
What happens at that dance still gives me nightmares over 30 years after seeing the episode. The ghost of the first suitor comes back and takes her in his arms for a waltz. When the dance if over, she's dead and the ghost goes back to his rest.
A lot of the One Step Beyond stories were like this one, some involving well known people. But this one I remember best and if the Sci-Fi channel runs these shows, I guarantee you this one will chill you right down to the marrow.
One of the freakiest and scariest ones involved a pre-Bewitched Elizabeth Montgomery on a cavalry post where she's got two young officers all hot and bothered over here. You saw some of the same elements in She Wore a Yellow Ribbon with Joanne Dru. But Joanne never put John Agar and Harry Carey, Jr. through what Liz does.
She flirts back and forth between these two guys. One of them gets sent on a mission and says he will be back though for a post dance like one that was held in Fort Apache.
Of course our friend on the mission gets killed and by now the second of her courters has gotten his fill of her flirtatious ways.
What happens at that dance still gives me nightmares over 30 years after seeing the episode. The ghost of the first suitor comes back and takes her in his arms for a waltz. When the dance if over, she's dead and the ghost goes back to his rest.
A lot of the One Step Beyond stories were like this one, some involving well known people. But this one I remember best and if the Sci-Fi channel runs these shows, I guarantee you this one will chill you right down to the marrow.
"Are you engaged for the last dance?"
Goingbegging14 November 2021
The only unmarried woman in a remote desert cavalry post - and it has to be the colonel's mischievous daughter Lillie, who doesn't seem to mind being outnumbered by besotted young officers one bit.
Lillie is engaged to a patient, faithful lieutenant (Eustace), but when a new beau (Henry) arrives on the camp, she finds she has managed to accept an invitation to the Saturday night dance from both of them, and needs some way to dispose of Eustace. Her scheme is shockingly cynical and treacherous. First she lies to Eustace that her father won't let her marry a mere lieutenant, and that he'll need to grab his first chance to distinguish himself in the field. Then she lies to her father that Eustace is eager to go out on patrol, and that she's had to talk him out of it. This irritates the colonel, who tells her to leave operations to the military, especially as he's just picked up reports of trouble, and must send out a patrol that very evening.
Just as she had planned, Eustace is duly sent off, with enough time only to say good-bye and ask her to promise him the last dance. Through the night, she seems to hear his voice outside the window, but there's no-one there, and she goes out to investigate. The patrol has returned, but they report Eustace killed. When Henry embraces her, she feels uneasy hearing him repeat exactly the same endearments she used to hear from Eustace. But we can't reveal his final intrusion into her life from the spirit world...
Elizabeth Montgomery is well-cast as Lillie, coquettish but cold-hearted and manipulative underneath, quite beyond the control of her chaperone-stepmother. Our familiar host John Newland assures us smoothly that this is based on a true story - sort-of.
Yeah, well.
Lillie is engaged to a patient, faithful lieutenant (Eustace), but when a new beau (Henry) arrives on the camp, she finds she has managed to accept an invitation to the Saturday night dance from both of them, and needs some way to dispose of Eustace. Her scheme is shockingly cynical and treacherous. First she lies to Eustace that her father won't let her marry a mere lieutenant, and that he'll need to grab his first chance to distinguish himself in the field. Then she lies to her father that Eustace is eager to go out on patrol, and that she's had to talk him out of it. This irritates the colonel, who tells her to leave operations to the military, especially as he's just picked up reports of trouble, and must send out a patrol that very evening.
Just as she had planned, Eustace is duly sent off, with enough time only to say good-bye and ask her to promise him the last dance. Through the night, she seems to hear his voice outside the window, but there's no-one there, and she goes out to investigate. The patrol has returned, but they report Eustace killed. When Henry embraces her, she feels uneasy hearing him repeat exactly the same endearments she used to hear from Eustace. But we can't reveal his final intrusion into her life from the spirit world...
Elizabeth Montgomery is well-cast as Lillie, coquettish but cold-hearted and manipulative underneath, quite beyond the control of her chaperone-stepmother. Our familiar host John Newland assures us smoothly that this is based on a true story - sort-of.
Yeah, well.
A Genuinely Scary Ghost Story
OldNYTV4 March 2013
Warning: Spoilers
There is not anything I do not like about this episode. It is a genuinely spooky little ghost story that can unnerve you if viewed alone, late at night with the lights out.
At a post Civil War cavalry fort in New Mexico, the commander's daughter Lily, played beautifully by a pre-Bewitched Elizabeth Montgomery, carelessly dangles two officers who are sweet on her. Lily is quite callous and quite cold on the inside who cares only about what is best for her and as a result treats both men childishly and carelessly. This wicked young lady makes up her mind as to who she prefers and treacherously sets it up to have one of the officers "disposed" of by having her father send him on a dangerous mission. Lo and behold, this young officer meets his end but it certainly isn't the last time he will "see" Lilly.
Creepy stuff here. Overall, the acting is fine and the set up, ie, how Lily plays both officers off of one another may take some time to get going but once the viewer learns that LT. Fairchild has not made it back from his mission, well, that's when the spooky stuff really kicks into high gear. The ending will send shivers up your spine. Probably the best episode of the series and certainly my favorite. This is the third consecutive top notch, memorable episode to start off the third season of One Step Beyond following on the heels of the spine tingling "Anniversary Of A Murder" and the tense, suspenseful "Tidal Wave" which kicked off the third season. View all three episodes back to back and you will be in for 90 minutes of tense, spooky entertainment.
At a post Civil War cavalry fort in New Mexico, the commander's daughter Lily, played beautifully by a pre-Bewitched Elizabeth Montgomery, carelessly dangles two officers who are sweet on her. Lily is quite callous and quite cold on the inside who cares only about what is best for her and as a result treats both men childishly and carelessly. This wicked young lady makes up her mind as to who she prefers and treacherously sets it up to have one of the officers "disposed" of by having her father send him on a dangerous mission. Lo and behold, this young officer meets his end but it certainly isn't the last time he will "see" Lilly.
Creepy stuff here. Overall, the acting is fine and the set up, ie, how Lily plays both officers off of one another may take some time to get going but once the viewer learns that LT. Fairchild has not made it back from his mission, well, that's when the spooky stuff really kicks into high gear. The ending will send shivers up your spine. Probably the best episode of the series and certainly my favorite. This is the third consecutive top notch, memorable episode to start off the third season of One Step Beyond following on the heels of the spine tingling "Anniversary Of A Murder" and the tense, suspenseful "Tidal Wave" which kicked off the third season. View all three episodes back to back and you will be in for 90 minutes of tense, spooky entertainment.
Haunting
denise-882-13902319 January 2021
I have yet to see a decent version of this; just on YouTube from, I guess, a well worn VHS recording. However it does not matter, as this is a truly haunting tale.
Elizabeth Montgomery's portrayal of this manipulative, spoilt and immature woman is excellent as is Robert Sampson's lovelorn cavalry officer; one's heart breaks for him.
Elizabeth Montgomery's portrayal of this manipulative, spoilt and immature woman is excellent as is Robert Sampson's lovelorn cavalry officer; one's heart breaks for him.
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