My Top 10 Favorite Episodes Of The Outer Limits
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- čas přidán 27. 05. 2024
- (I actually uploaded another version of this video less than a day ago, but I had to go back, fix a thing or two, and upload the fixed version. This is why proofreading is so important, my friends.)
Anyway, this time I'm spotlighting another great anthology series, The Outer Limits. Enjoy as I count down my personal favorite episodes of this sci-fi classic from the 1960's.
#top10 #theouterlimits #outerlimits #anthology #favorite #episodes #scifi
No matter how many times these episodes are shown, I always watch. These shows were way ahead of their time, and today's television cannot compare. These programs made you use your mind, think and ask the question, could this be possible?
Anyone that grew up to see this series will HAVE to agree...this was the BEST sci fi series of all time!
Couldn’t agree more Rich!
Agreed 📼
I do too. Profound; nothing else compares.
Yeah
Stephen King called it the best show of it's kind.
I still shudder at the episode "Wolf 359".....(I'm now 67) My older sister tried to scare me that same night I watched it. She snuck into my room, put a sheet over her head and waited until I was drifting off to sleep when she sprang it on me! I screamed loud enough that the neighbors thought I was getting murdered. She got a beating for it! Ahhhhh.....the 60's!
Hilarious story !! Thanks ! 😄😄😄😄
"My older sister tried to scare me" you say, I say you're lucky she didn't make you forget all about having legs and a bladder... and no 'try' about it from what I read(but I'm a year younger than you are.)
O.B.I.T. is my #1
#2 is nightmare
#3 the man with a glass hand.
Robert Culp was a great actor. Architects of Fear. The Man with the Glass Hand. I loved him on I Spy. Just a wonderful actor.
Demon with the Glass Hand. And Corpus Earthling, at no extra charge to you.
And do not forget "Corpus Earthling", I best recall that episode when I first watched the series back then when I was 9. I remembered Robert Culp for that episode for my first impression as an outstanding good actor. "Architects of Fear" is my favourite episode.
I agree, great actor. I liked him in the greatest american hero. He is just always good.
@@DANTHETUBEMAN a few years back, I watched Greatest American Hero and realized that he MADE that show; his character was so well played and the chemistry between him, William Katz and Connie Selleca was so excellent, as good as Shatner, Nimoy and Kelley, IMHO.
@@varanid9 yes he was the glue, he always brought something to the part.
"The Demon With This Glass Hand," was, is, and will always be may favourite from this series. "The Man Who Was Never Born," is without doubt, the saddest. I always cry/
I always thought The Man Who was Never Born" *must* have been THE major inspiration to Jim Cameron/The Terminator films.. The first time I saw the episode (in the late 90's) my initial reaction was, "well the Terminator films "had" to be based on it...: The concept of going back in time to kill someone to keep a nightmarish future from occurring---that IS exactly what "Never Born" was all about---and the Terminator franchise, too, obviously. The first 20 minutes of the episode are a master class in episodic sci-fi writing. (It gets a little schmaltzy after that, but I enjoy the whole episode, especially the ironic twist ending.) Good memories!
Agreed on both.
The Galaxy Being was pretty cool, too......
Demon is SO GOOD even with the villain's horrible outfits :p Culp was perfect, my #1 ep.
@@schmoborama I always thought that Robert Culp, when playing a serious part vs. going for comedy ("The Greatest American Hero" ....), had the benefit of his additional insight as he was also a prolific Screenwriter and occasional Director. Demon is certainly one of his finest performances.
The 2 part Inheritors episodes were my favorites. Outstanding acting and writing were hallmarks of this program. Truly belongs in the Golden Age of television!
I couldn't agree more !
@@4absentfriends Steve Inhat's speech at the end of The Inheritors was Fantastic. One of the hallmarks of this series was that the "Aliens" or alien influence was often benevolent, and that the "Monster" was actually a Human element ... for example, the Alien in the Bellero Shield.
@@pastateconstablesoffice It's "Ihnat." I think Ihnat was actually a bit irritated with the authors of The Outer Limits Companion for making the same mistake.
I'd love to see this remade as a movie, if it could be done in a similar spirit to the original. And I wonder how many have considered the seriously creepy part of the plot, amounting to the kidnapping of those kids, though apparently for noble purposes. Maybe a movie, or a series based on this episode as the opening of a longer story, could go further by handling the kidnapping element.
Yes, “Demon With The Glass Hand” was also my favorite! What a great story! And I liked Robert Culp’s cat-like moves, but that ending was something else! It pulled the rug from under me!
I absolutely cannot believe that you had "The Sixth Finger" as just a runner up! - It will ALWAYS be the greatest written and acted episode of Outer Limits in my opinion. David Macallum (who would go on to fame in "The Man from Uncle" ) was incredible in this role. His character read like a Shakespearean play.
Fun fact: the shooting script actually ran a little short, and so they added a scene in which McCallum's character plays the piano and then comments about how little humanity creates that is truly lasting. It was written at the last minute (and not by the original screenwriter), yet is one of the more memorable scenes in the episode, with elegant dialogue that blends seamlessly with the rest of the script.
Agree...'The Sixth Finger' was certainly one of the best.
No he had it as #1 he mentioned runners up before, between 1 & 2 .
Absolutely correct! THE BEST episode by far
My all time favorite ...
Boy, you sure hit on my favorites. I saw these way back when they originally aired. I was supposed to be doing my homework but was fascinated by the Outer Limits. As others have mentioned, I was more than frightened by several of these episodes. The combination of the story, the great acting, the moody black & white, and the music all worked perfectly. I still can't stand bugs after watching the Zanti - oops spoiler alert.
Mistakenly, I introduced my son to The Outer Limits with the Zanti Misfits, and he, now in his twenties, STILL refuses to watch any other episodes. It's a brilliant, well-produced series. I feel it stands up today, and the things it discusses should be discussed, even now.
This whole show was done on the cheap. That being said, every dollar got on to the screen. The raw talent on display is astounding, then and now.
Acting, writing, directing, photography, all of it, the top of their game. This is what the the best sci-fi does, it burrows into your brain and changes who you are for the better.
Had many nightmares over many years after watching "The Guests". One of the best psychological horror episodes of all time!
What a great series. My favorite was Hundred Days of the Dragon. But then again they were all my favorite. Because of this show I enjoyed a 32 years career in the sciences. They were very cerebral stories and always had a moral. I loved that show I was 7 when it first aired.
That early episode was different with no monsters except human ones . It was more of a political enemy .
Dang! I've been meaning to watch this show for years, but I'm moving it to the front burner. In this best-of video I spotted Cliff Robertson, Robert Duvall, Sally Kellerman, Robert Culp, and Arlene (T'Pring) Martel, and a lot of faces were familiar from other shows of the era. Thanks for a great video!
I saw everyone of these episodes. I was in the 10th grade and my friends would come over and we would watch The Outer Limits. It was a great show.
They'll never make them like that again - sad to say ! 😢
Friends like those too... sad to say also.@@michaellaplant9543
I was a kid when this show hit the TV. It scared the crap out of me. I know now it was the last real artwork to ever appear on television.
Zanti Misfits scared me right down to my 10 year old socks.
@@petercrowl9467 But of course, we didn't turn the TV set off & pick up the Golden Book version of The Three Little Pigs to get our minds off of it!!
Well, there WAS, "The Prisoner" 4 years later!
The outer limits was 10 time's more scary than the twilight zone, I watched this show my whole childhood and know everyone of them very well.
i always liked the outer limits better because it was an hour long as opposed the the 30 minute Twilight Zone
I'm not sure many people thought that the aim of THE TWILIGHT ZONE was to be scary per se, altho certain episodes had very frightening moments and concepts. I don't think anyone who dug into the series's individual approaches a little deeper would compare these two different series as being more or less the same thing, since the only real links between them was that they both were early-ish black and white tv shows that dealt with fantastic elements. But how they presented and used aspects of the fantastic were quite different and unique to each of the shows. (well, this is a perspective I may have since I've bee involved in researching these and other shows like this and knew a couple of the writers. .)
@@RSEFX very true my friend.
Your comment was 10 time’s more sleep inducing than others I’ve read on this app my whole time and I don’t wanna know you at all.
@@jimmyjennings4089 Thanks. I didn't mean to sound dismissive, tho i can see ho w it might come across that way.
Great Show and I never get tired of viewing this imaginative tv of the 60’s
My favorite was the Architects of Fear. The faux alien was considered too frightening for prime time TV. So the final minutes where you actually see the alien were broadcast after the 11:00 news when children wouldn’t be up. What a great and intelligently written sci-fi TV show.
One of the most interesting, enriching, thoughtful shows ever created. A perfect match with other programs like The Twilight Zone, One step Beyond, Star Trek & others. A time when TV actually challenge the audience to think & imagine the possibilities. How times have changed. Today’s TV is a embarrassment..& insulting to our intelligence.
Couldn’t agree more!
I, for one am glad I gave up commercial TV 12-15 years ago.
I do not miss it.
You summed it up perfectly.
I was about 6 when "the Galaxy Being" premiered. It scared the hell out of me. I was afraid that thing might be looking at me through the window.
Same here at about 7yo. I closed all the drapes & blinds in any room I was in for a few nights.
Yep, me too. That guy with no mouth scared the living crap out of me. I was ten,.
I was four--and transfixed by the Being, lol.
As a kid, I was worried that it might come through our TV to get us!! ;-)
Another great series and even before "The Twilight Zone" was the show "One Step Beyond" which was based on true stories.
Very strange and worth checking out! ;-)
@@USCG.Brennan Maybe that's what inspired the author of Poltergeist
I grew up with the series and remember the ending of THE BELEROSE SHIELD as incredibly frightening. Thanks for the memories!
Yea, The thought of being trapped inside of that shield forever was very frightening,
Also Sally Kellerman was in an old episode of Star Trek,
Where no man has gone before.
@@twist7799 And the sad thing was that after it was gone she was insane, and still believed she was trapped in it forever.
But I NEVER want to see the ep "NIGHTMARE" again....horrible scenes of torture and that distorted sound....aagh....
"Where No Man Has Gone Before" was actually the second pilot for ST:TOS (very unusual for a second pilot to be made), funded by Lucille Ball and which sold the show to NBC.
I found The Outer Limits much scarier in general than Twilight Zone when watching these back in the sixties.
Charlie Sierra absolutely 👍
I agree with you. The Outer Limits was more than scary. It was down right frightening. Until this day. It still scares me.
You're right. Wish they could have done more seasons.
I found that the old television series called Thriller with Boris Karloff was the scariest of all!!
@@lupepeters3255 Thank you. I will have to check it out again!
18:34 My favorite is Inheritors. The metallurgist was Ivan Dixon who went on to play Kinchlow in Hogan's Heroes and the plant manager he worked with in this episode was portrayed by Leon Askin, who went onto play General Burkhalter in Hogan's Heroes.
Agreed, and I think "Demon w/ Glass Hand" is No. 2.
There were a couple episodes with Hogan's Heroes actors in it. Richard Dawson was in at least one episode. Same for the guy that played Major Hochstetter.
@@RedVynil Hogan's had a great cast.
The Zanti scared the livin’ sh*t out of me! Incredible episode.
Loved the Zanti Misfits episode
It made me afraid of ants!
Thanks for posting this video. I was eleven years old when this series first appeared, and every episode was uttering intriguing to me. Though i didn't fully grasp the essence of this series, the underlying appeal was that it was truly "adult" writing that made it so successful, along with appearances by actors of less notoriety at the time who would go on to become great actors. Absolutely super TV and so innovative. Much of today's SciFi is cheapened by an abundance of effects and misses the true story-telling beauty that makes viewing immensely more enjoyable. Best Rgds.
I watched The Zanti Misfits when I was a little kid and those Zanti absolutely terrified me.
You damn right
It terrified my big sister too, but i just laughed my A$$ off but it was so funny to me.
Orlor Me too!!
@Dave Smith - Well, when you're seeing this shit when you're 5 years old, it's some scary shit.
I never looked at ants or bugs the same way again after that.
Although I was obsessed with The Outer Limits as a 7 year old in 1963 because of the monster factor, the human interest aspect of the plots didn't interest me all. But when I got into Sci-Fi literature Harlan Ellison was one of my faves, along wit Philip K. Dick & other progenitors of cyberpunk. Reruns of the show were few & far between, if not non-existent, at that time. But then MGM released VHS versions in the 80s & TNT started showing it on weekends in the early 90s. Now I have the complete collection in digital format on an external hard drive.
And "Demon" is one of my faves as an 'adult'. This inspired me to dig it up & binge out on some classic TV.
Thanks for this vid, dude.
Fuck hi tech, I lived through this shit. loved it, die shitters die.
Saw "Demon With a Glass Hand" on its original airing when I was all of seven. Scared the hell out of me. Didn't see it again until sometime in the early 80's. Definitely my favorite.
I saw it when it first aired when I was about ten. About four years later, my dad decided to show me the Bradbury Building. I knew nothing about it, but when we entered and saw those wrought-iron elevator shafts and marble stairs, I immediately recognized it as 'that building! In The Outer Limits!' My dad had no idea what I was talking about.
Yep, my favorite as well. Should be a movie.
Cabaret Voltaire did an interesting song about this episode ... " Soulenoid (Scream At The Right Time)". From the cd "Plasticity" ...
I agree, "Demon With the Glass Hand" is my favorite.
Same here.
I have to go with "The Inheritors"
A great two part episode about the hope and benevolence of an alien world.
A very clever plot of aliens
utilizing a small group of humans against their own will that ultimately led to an act of charity gifted to the least among us. Superb acting and a score designed to pull on our heartstrings.
BRILLIANT!
Hearing the music from this episode still chokes me up a little. Amazing work.
My second choice. A great one!
This was one of my faves also ...
@@MG-chaotic I have this episode on VHS tape from decades ago. I play every few years.
It kinda feels like a Spielberg film.
“It Crawled Out Of The Woodwork” and “Don’t Open Till Doomsday” are right up there as well. But we’ll be here all day rating these episodes...they’re all great! My favorites tend to be the ones with Robert Culp.
Well. They're not _all_ great. But this was a show that aimed for a high standard of literate writing, strong acting, and expert directing, and achieved those standards surprisingly often.
I couldn't agree more ! Thanks.
Those are my two favorites!
Nice job bringing attention to this iconic show.
I appreciate that most of your favorites were written by my father, Joseph Stefano, also the first season producer and the man that set the tone for the show.
My father wove his passion for gothic horror and morality tales in and around the si fi genre, creating stories that still resonate today.
Everyone, keep your eyes peeled for a special book coming out next year thru Gauntlet press, that will feature th twelve episodes written by Joseph Stefano.
All my best to our wonderful fans,
Dominic Stefano
Great show your dad would be proud how well the ideas of the show have stood the test of time.
Thanks Richard! I appreciate your nice comment.
Best,
Dominic
Wow, Joseph Stefano's son!? I have to ask you, did anyone ever write an autobiography on your father. I have always been fascinated with what was going on with him. I heard he was in therapy during the time he was creating these great scripts. I love his line from Psycho "You know what I think? I think that we're all in our private traps --- clamped in them. And none of us can ever get out. We -- scratch and claw, but only at the air -- only at each other. And for all of it, we never budge an inch." Now compare that to the episode "Fun and Games" where Nick Adams starts going back into his past (I don't have the full quote handy, but) he's going on about how when he was a kid some of the other kids put him in a cage or something and he got scared but the grownups got him out I guess, and he ends with "But you know what I think sometimes. I think they never got me out." And then there is the final scene from Bellero Shield, where Judith Bellero (played with perfection by Sally Kellerman) says "It will always be here. Nothing will ever remove it. Nothing, nothing will ever remove it..." There is this theme of being trapped, so I am going, what is it with Joe Stefano? He feels trapped. Why? I kind of want to read a biography on him to hear some story, like Alfred Hitchcock had that story of where, when he was a little kid, he did something his parents didn't approve of. So they had him put in a jail cell just to sort of give him a clue that he was bad. And I think they told him "this is what we do to bad little boys" or something like that. And that seemed to influence him and his movies for the rest of his life.
Thanks quazgaa,
My father had his demons and he wrote from the heart, so that thread that runs thru his stories is part of his personal truth.
Keep an eye out for a movie planned for production called Psycho Analysis, written by my father, about his experience with Hitch during the writing of Psycho and in conjunction with his five day a week psychotherapy.
All my best,
Dominic Stefano
I quite literally adored almost all of your father’s Outer Limits/Science Fiction Repertoire, specifically: The Chameleon, Feasibility Study,
Moonstone, The Invisibles, Don't Open Till Doomsday, The Zanti Misfits, & Nightmare; not to mention all the other scripts he doctored,
whether he took credit for them or not. Keeping in mind also, how the over-all quality of the entire First Season was attributable to him.
Much later I discovered how his writing wasn’t just restricted to the science fiction/fantasy genre alone; ‘The ‘Black Orchid’ & ‘Two Bits’
both left a lasting impression on me. So imagine my surprise upon discovering how both stories were authored by him. Even ‘Blackout’
which clearly harkens back to his Hitchcock days, was an intriguing story. The film isn’t available now days & I’m eager to view it again.
But what ultimately stands-out is how Gene Roddenbury recommended Joseph Stefano to NBC: to assume production of Star Trek’s
Third/Final Season,.. and why not? According to David Schow & Jeffrey Frentzen, he shadowed your father most of that First Season;
he therefore knew who to cheery-pick - (from the talent your father cultivated), while knocking-off his concepts; for the new franchise.
Admittedly everyone knows all this by now; yet I believe it was noticeable back then, while it was actually unfolding,.. I was only 13
when The Outer Limits premiered & 16 when Star Trek began. This is why I was originally unable to warm-up to the latter. Take for
instance Season Two’s Premiere Episode: ‘Cold Hands, Warm Heart’; William Shatner’s an Astronaut for: Project ‘Vulcan’ no less!
I could never forgave Star Trek for succeeding where Outer Limits failed; since the latter was so clearly derivative of the former.
We need a Outer Limits Marathon on television Halloween day the perfect time
Leroy Fisher.
Good idea Leroy, in England though we won't be able to party at Halloween this year because of covid-19.
I remember seeing the one with David MacCallum as the guy they transformed into a future man when I was a kid then later he was in the Man From UNCLE.
I noticed there that Martin Landau's father was Commisioner Gordon from the 60s Batman.
Season 1, Episode 5 - "The Sixth Finger". David McCallum was also in Season 1, Episode 32 - "The Forms Of Things Unknown". He was one of the rare stars that made more than one appearance in the series. Martin Landau was another.
@@Nacho-Mamma Thanks. Must watch those again.
@@colinp2238
No problem. "The Outer Limits" may have premiered in the 1960's, and only lasted 2 seasons. But, it was such an amazing, powerful, thought provoking series with many wonderfully cringe worthy moments. And, it still stands up even today.
Now, I don't know about you, but I have one absolute favorite episode. Season 2, Episodes 10 & 11 "The Inheritors". It is an emotional rollercoaster, stretched out over 2 weeks & 2 episodes.
If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it.
Yup--Neil Hamilton (Commissioner Gordon).
the one with Martin Laundau and Commisioner Gordon was "The Bellero Shield"
Cool coming across this post. Outer Limits... one of only a couple of my favorite, visionary, iconic sci-fi presentations which have stuck with me my entire life, first getting excited about it when it first aired in 1963. For me, it would be hard to pin down a favorite, though your top 10 certain reflects mine closely.
However, comparing the the original to that trashy remake from the 1990s is like comparing fine wine to Kool-Aid, or a healthy, tasty home cooked meal to a bag of junk food from a hamburger joint: no comparison.
One exception to your rule: The episode where those time travelers kill the would-be mass murderers IN ADVANCE makes for a compelling ep....And that story was never on the original OL....
Best sci fi show of all time. So much greatness about it, especially the music..
Great vid! It's hard to believe that this awesome TV series only had two seasons!
Wow! I didn't realize that there were only 2 seasons. I was in grade school then. These were great shows. The mostly MESS that's on T.V. now. SHEESH!!!
It certainly made a lasting impression for 2 seasons.
I was so bummed as a kid when I heard OL was off the air suddenly. Then 1 Step Beyond went south.
Thanks for a fine look at a show considered 2nd fiddle to Twilight Zone, but nonetheless a great sci-fi series. My fav Outer Limits episode -- one which influenced the 11-year-old me quite a bit -- had Carroll O'Connor as a charming, very un-Archie alien coming to Earth to freeze time in order to stop a murder. It was a spellbinding concept skillfully done and it highlighted O'Connor's versatility -- modern day viewers would never know it's him if they don't see the credits. And there's a line that cracked me up at age 11 and still does -- though he has frozen time, O'Connor's character can roam the venue of the impending murder. He examines the contents of a person's wallet, reporting back his home planet, "It has several certificates inside, each with the picture of a woman." (George Washington)
Don't forget his costar alien, Barry Morse.
Great Series Critique! I hold dear "The Outer Limits", I recall smelling my Moms cooking from the living room, as I sat on the floor in awe watching many of the episodes from this show. The closing theme sometimes brings a sentimental tear to my eyes.
This is the best sci-fi anthology series of all time.
I loved this show
I loved it, but Twilight Zone was equal I Think.
Watched every episode when I was a kid. They were all scary, some more than others. Loved every minute of it.
This scared the hell out of me as a kid i loved watching it
The opening sequence, Vic Perrin’s “control voice,” and Dominic Frontiere’s score is was enough to make me sit quietly, and explore The Outer Limits.
The first season only had the music of Dominic Frontiere. But the second season music by Harry Lubin is just as classic.
Dominic Frontiere's music was used in various episodes of another 1960's TV classic! " The Invaders!"
Another guy who did some Outer Limits voice-overs was Robert Johnson. Fun fact: Johnson also did the "tape voice" on the Mission: Impossible series.
@@philcarpenter242 I think he did some voice work on Star Trek too.
He has a great voice like Doug rain as HAL.
the man who was never born also had the most amazing soundtrack, as many of them did. 6th finger definitely should have made top ten. btw you can watch all these on amazon prime
If you feel like spending $, yes you can.
However, these are also on www.dailymotion.com
All you have to do is type in 1963 Outer Limits tv series & viola!!
Granted, there's long ads you can't turn off but still.
I saw some years ago, a special on The Outer Limits, and was impressed by how one scene was filmed: when Martin Landau's character is running through the woods, and the camera angle is low and up, it was said the cameraman was on a board that was pulled along through the woods. Or maybe on a low camera dolly. It was long enough ago that I forget details.
The Premonition
I liked your video. Well done! I would just add, as a old geezer sci fi fan who saw probably every episode as it was broadcast, The Premonition remains as my favorite.
And well it should....
Thoroughly enjoyed. I remember the series as a boy. Good job.
That was very well done. Thank you. I indeed will check out those episodes. I really enjoyed the series in my younger days.
Great video and overview. In "The Inheritors" - Steve Ihnat (Lt. Minns) and Robert Duval (Dr. Ballard) have an epic speech and exchange at the end. The scene is very emotional, affecting how we look at handicapped children or anyone with special needs.
I'll always remember Steve Ihnat as Captain Garth of Izar, hero of Axanar on Star Trek, even if he blew up Yvonne Craig.
@@JAMESLEVEE Ihnat from Copetown, Ontario hamlet. Went to 'Westdale High School' (Wall Of Fame)Hamilton, Ontario(between Buffalo and Toronto).
My favorite of the series as well. And here's the thing: It's AMAZING that no one seems to talk about: Lt Minns lures these children away, and KIDNAPS them.
The episode never really goes into the kidnapping aspect of it, except for a couple of lines that Ballard uses toward the end, when he's rebuking Minns. No effort is spared to stop Minns and his team, but that is true long before they have any inkling that children are involved. If you wanted to do a remake, you could go into the reactions of those left behind. You could also do a sequel, with those kids, those PRE-PUBESCENT, newly HEALTHY, mixed-gender kids, on that ship. O.M.F.G. The mind reels at the possibilities. But no, the new series did a remake, and gave us the biggest piece of STANK in the whole bunch.
@@ronaldgarrison8478 Remakes and sequels usually look like a good idea on paper. But the public decides later. The 1960s OUTER LIMITS is in an Epic class or an "ELEMENT" of its own. Joseph Stefano, the writers and talent team pulled together a classic miracle. I like your ideas for a followup on "The Inheritors." I can relate more to the Renaldo character who was the tech wiz and designed the anti-grav engine and the impenetrable force field generator. (I have a bit of an emotional side too.)
You also might enjoy the 1960s series, "The Prisoner" with Patrick McGoohan. With a background of "The Village," it is an allegory to maintaining one's independence and dignity. Take care!
@@Bippy55 Thanks. I've heard good things about The Prisoner. I'll keep it in mind to check out at some point.
My all time favorite sci-fi TV series!!! (with the possible exception of Patrick McGoohan's "The Prisoner," which may or may not qualify as sci-fi). Intelligent scripts and great acting. 2 things I most love about the OL series: 1) the gorgeous b&w cinematography (by Conrad Hall and Kenneth Peach), and 2) the wonderful music (by Dominic Frontiere and Harry Lubin). A few of my personal faves: "Keeper of the Purple Twilight" - "O.B.I.T." - "The Borderland" - "The Human Factor" - "The Forms of Things Unknown" - "The Production and Decay of Strange Particles" (you GOTTA love that title!) - "The Guests" - "Controlled Experiment" (the only humorous episode) - "The Sixth Finger" - "It Crawled Out Of The Woodwork" (that shapeless energy monster scared the $&#@ out of me when I was a kid!)
The Prisoner was a classic British spy or ex-spy thriller series which, I believe, ended too soon.
One of my favorite Outer Limits original episodes was The Production and Decay of Strange Particles.
HARLAN ELLISON WAS A BRILLANT WRITER, I COMPARE HIM TO H G WELLS . HE WROTE STAR TREKS " CITY ON THE EDGE OF FOREVER " WHICH IS STILL MY FAVORITE . I BELIEVE HE WON A HUGO AWARD FOR THAT EPISODE
Yes, 1968 I think.
@@crankychris2 1967. The version of ‘City’ that won the Hugo was the one that aired on NBC, as opposed to the teleplay that Harlan originally wrote. That script won the Writer’s Guild award for Best Teleplay, as did ‘Demon With a Glass Hand’ a couple of years earlier.
"IT CRAWLED OUT OF THE WOODWORK" been watching this show since it was origanally broadcast
I was eight years old when that episode aired. I was terrified by the energy monster. My dad had a vacuum cleaner like the one in "It Crawled Out of the Woodwork" and I would never go near it after watching that episode of The Outer Limits.
@@frazzledude It frightened me as well.
That was the first one I saw and has always been my favorite; the plot itself was kind of mundane, but the energy monster was SO COOL LOOKING!! Excellent effects for the time!
I think the visual effects were especially effective. The show always had an insufficient budget, but that didn't hinder this episode.
This episode & ‘The Guests’ were two of the more creepier episodes!
Thank you! I have the series and love to re-watch it from time to time. Excellent choices...some of your faves are my faves, too!
"Don't Open Til Doomsday" would be on my list.
Besides being Ellison's story, "Demon With A Glass Hand" benefits from the direction of the legendary Byron Haskin, who also directed several other episodes in your top 10.
He also directed George Pal's outstanding "War of the Worlds".
@@stephengorin5131 As well as the equally good, yet underappreciated, _The Power._
@@MCP2012 Yes. Forgot about that one. Thank you!
@@MCP2012 I haven't seen THE POWER in many years. I wonder if I can track down a copy somewhere? Thanks for the reminder.
My god, I lived through these episodes on tv, Thank you so very much for allowing me to see these again.
Trent's girlfriend also played Spock's wife on Star Trek "Amok Time"
Yep! And the bank robber in The Zanti Misfits was a young Bruce Dern.
And was on Twilight Zone’s creepy “22” episode, another TZ episode and a Columbo episode. A real doll.
@@JAMESLEVEE - Which leads me to think of 'Silent Running.'
Arlene Martell. She did Twilight Zone, too.
@@chereecargill355 And an episode of Banacek.
Vic Perrin did all of the intros and outdros in one or two days!
He was quoted as stating that he just had a gift for sounding authoritarian, even though he had NO IDEA what the speeches related to!!
WHO asked yah?! Just kidding evion. Lol.
Imagine being his kids and being told to go to bed by that voice. After mom vacuumed.
This is one of the more entertaining videos I’ve seen in awhile, on you tube. Thank you!
Thank YOU. That's quite a compliment!
So many great episodes, and I can't dispute anyone's picks. I still have my favorites, but one episode that has moved up high on my list is "O.B.I.T." -- way ahead of its time. I've come to really appreciate Jeff Corey and Harry Townes these days. Corey was an extremely versatile actor (as Luke Benson in Superman's "The Unknown People", as Plasus in Star Trek's "Cloud Minders", as Sgt. Singer in a Gomer Pyle episode, and in the "OBIT" episode as Byron Lomax. Seems like I remember him in an Untouchables episode as well, and I'm sure there are plenty of others).
Corey is also outstanding in the excellent John Frankenheimer film, "Seconds".
The photography in that episode is outstanding, especially the set lighting. The blobs of light on the wall behind Corey during the alien's closing soliloquoy is almost avant- garde!
And that early masive desktop looking computer with its CRT monitor on the O.R.B.I.T episode was innovative for its time too!. Just like Lt Uhuras blue tooth device she had used in her ear, while at the comm controls on the USS Enterprise too. And these props was early to mid 60's sci-fi ideas it seems.
One of my favorite episodes also. Harry Townes acting impressed me as well. When he admits he secretly watched the O.B.I.T. screen, admitting “ I lied” it struck me as so honest and genuine. As usual Dominic F.s music was fantastic at a cinematic level.
Harry Townes was also in Star Trek.TOS S1's "Return of the Archons". He played Reger, who takes in the landing party on Beta III.
“Don’t open till doomsday” is one of my favorites
That's definitely a good one. Easily one of the most delightfully weird episodes.
TheAdorkableRJ huge the outer limits fan loved the nightmare episode it’s one of my favorites 🙃
and Miriam Hopkins !!
@Silvio Manuel The crew working on that episode named the monster "Turdo".
I remember that scared the he'll out of me as a kid.
Agree with about 75% of your picks. Great selection. Stellar writing on TOL and way ahead of its time.
No love for IT CRAWLED OUT OF THE WOODWORK? Cthulhu in a vacuum cleaner? Gave me nightmares.
No love for your opinion but I sleep well.
I think that cloud of smoke and the panic and fear on the actors faces scared me most definitely. Yeah that was a bizarre story.
This one and "Production And Decay Of Strange Particles" (which also had Leonard Nimoy in it) were the ones that gave me the most nightmares.
#6 The man who was never born; someone going back in time to prevent a mother from giving birth to a son who would grow up and destroy mankind, that's the script for the Terminator.
@Rusty Shackleford Spock, to Bones, about Kirk: “He knows.”
The son was a liberator and hero in Terminator. Not a villain.
I'll put in a vote for "The Production and Decay of Strange Particles."
This episode took several viewings over the years for me to actually enjoy it! (Strange Particles)
"The Man Who Was Never Born" is my favorite. Now I will have to watch all of these again. Thanks for this video!
My #1 would waver between Galaxy Being & It Crawled Out of the Woodwork. When it was broadcast The Outer Limits was the best TV had to offer. The Zanti were great too😷🏴🇨🇦
Robert Duval when he and I both had hair. You really revived bits of memories from my childhood. Better times! Thank you!
When you are very young THE ZANTI MISFITS seem to stand out.
The opening episode was fantastic. I was hooked. One of my favorites is one seldom mentioned. The only comedic episode in the series. Remember Archie Bunker and the detective from the fugitive? And the blond yeoman from Star Trek. Funny show.
It was a wonderful series. Loved every episode. Good times.
It was a very good example of one of those shows that series often have to do, with limited budget and time. Typically, these are flashback episodes. Here, a lot of screen time is gained by replaying the same scene, with a lot of time operating their time machine in between.
Controlled Experiment
Martians maintain inconspicuous monitors on Earth. The Martian agent Deimos is contacted by Phobos One, a researcher who wants to investigate the concept of "murder". Using a machine that can manipulate time, they review the same murder scene over and over again. Phobos One, however, is unable to resist the opportunity to tamper with time. Episode star Barry Morse says that this was a pilot for a proposed science-fiction comedy series that was subsequently broadcast as an Outer Limits episode. It is the only comedy episode of The Outer Limits.
When I was a young child, my sister and I would here the ever familiar "RINGING" sound at the beginning of the show and RUN to our bedroom and turn on "Red Skelton" with the volume loud enough to drown out the living room! As an adult I have grown to love this show for it's thought provoking messages.
- Yes, diferent age groups would respond differently to this new stimuli.
- Although todays jaded youth may find it just boring.
When this show came on during the 70s late show I was young my mom or dad would send me to the tv to fix it but I couldn't and they giggled guffawed when I tried. Yeah I was gullible then.....
The Outer Limits gave us some of the most memorable creatures in Sci/Fi history, and are almost as iconic as the creations of Ray Harryhausen, who will forever be the reigning master of "Stop Motion" animation & monster maker! The only exception would have to be the original Universal Studio's 1931 "Frankenstein" Boris Karloff Creature created by Jack Pierce. That is hands down the most beautiful makeup design in cinematic history.
Ray made art with stop motion... beats c.g.i. to me
@@illuminotme4261
Apples and oranges…..
A lot of great actors, scripts, and direction on display here.
The Inheritors was my favorite episode. It showed a decent race of aliens that didn't want to conquer the Earth. They just wanted to help the helpless of Earth to repopulate their own planet. In away it showed how unfeeling we humans can be toward our own disabled.
Yes, The Inheritors was great. Steve Inhat did a incredible job.
They weren't the helpless. They were ... but that would be a spoiler for the most poignant part of the episode.
The Zanti Misfits gave me nightmares for months. A must see to see the Zantis. Chills.
O.B.I.T is my favorite...great story line and rich in the eerie music score that made Outer Limits so special!
You are sooooooooooo right. Topical even today. And you can't beat Jeff Corey as guest star.
Very well presented, giving away none of the endings. However, "The Inheritors" was by far the best, if not the best TV show period. Superb acting, superb ending.
The Architects of Fear is still a dark and disturbing story.
rip robert culp
I'm watching it right now for the first time. What a great episode.
Kind of like Trump doing what he's doing now......
@@josephcontreras8930 Good God, there is more to the world than your loathing for a politician.
Your opinion is dark and disturbing, knobert!
Mid late 1970s worked at Griffith Observatory. Forty Ackerman (Mr Science Fiction) lived just below Griffith. Met him at a LA sci Con & was given his phone # to visit and view is amazing science fiction collection.
The model of the US Capital building with a small Alien flying saucer from the film; EARTH vs the FLYING SAUCERS & a pit 3 ZENTI misfits criiters.
Thank You Mr. Ackerman.
All I know about Griffith observatory is beging of terminator, mention in la confidential,and numerous 80s cop/action shows and others being filmed around it. Is it a real telescope observatory???
@@josephcontreras8930 Check out REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE with James Dean, shot at Griffith Observatory.
@@josephcontreras8930 Yes...it is a real observatory. A friend of mine is a docent there and a telescope operator at the Mount Wilson observatory. The last time I went there was for a documentary viewing on the late space artist Chesley Bonestell (the Griffith has some rare artwork of his). An episode of "Star Trek: Voyager" was also partially filmed there ("Future's End, Part 1").
The Ebonite interrogator in the episode "Nightmare" was played by character actor John Anderson. He wasn't well known by name, but his face and voice were very familiar. He made guest appearances in just about every dramatic TV series of the 1960s, including several episodes of "The Twilight Zone". For example, he was the pilot in the famous "Odyssey of Flight 33" and the spokesman in "The Old Man in the Cave".
"Nightmare" was remade in 1998 for the revived "Outer Limits" series, but I think it's inferior to the much less expensively produced original episode. It's available on Amazon Prime, so take a look and compare the newer to the older. (Spoiler: the writers of the new version don't quite understand irony.)
John Anderson, a fine actor.
Was this the same John "Oscar Goldman" Anderson ( 6 million $ man) whose son ( I think?) Richard Dean Anderson ended up playing Macguyver? I also remember him being in a Guy Williams Zorro episode
As I recall, he was the Douwd in the Star Trek TNG episode The Survivors.
@@eventsotherthingswithchris9019 No, that's Richard Anderson, who's not related to Richard Dean Anderson.
Recently I talked to a friend of mine about the OL, and he said had nightmares about the Mutant for a long time after he saw it (the guy with the bulging eyes). I was four and five years old during the original run of the Outer Limits. It scared the hell out of me, but I couldn't get enough of it....
The guy with the bulging eyes became famous within Sam Peckinpah's retinue of actors. The next year he had a significant role in Major Dundee.
@@paulkudish3017 Warren Oates. I had to look it up, lol, but I definitely recognize him from movies. He was pretty menacing as the mutant...
@@ClearTheRubble7 Oates managed to be alternately malevolent and sympathetic....all the while having his eyes concealed, by two laughable-looking "poached eggs" ! Quite a performance, in my book. Thanks.
Warren Oates was a regular on OL creator Leslie Stevens prior series STONEY BURKE, with Jack Lord.
He played "Sargeant Hulka" in "Stripes" and "Captain Braddock" in "Blue Thunder" (one of his last roles...released posthumously).
I still have Zanti Misfit nightmares.
I think Steven Moffat referenced the Zanti. In the Doctor Who version of 'The Christmas Carol', there is mention of spiders with baby faces that only live in the back of wardrobes. I had an instant flashback.
It's the first episode I think about anytime The Outer Limits comes to mind.
The Zanti misfits was one of my all.tme favorite episodes. Those ant bodies with those human looking faces are. Classic.
They made a model of the Zanti's. One of which needs a dusting off, on my mantle. ;)
I couldn't look at them after the first glimpse!
One of my favorites was "Fun and Games" with Nick Adams.
That episode got me interested in boomerangs at that time.
The man who was never born should be number 1 just based on martin landau's performance alone
My favorite episode was, "The Inheritors" with Steve Ihnat. Steve was a GREAT character actor.
Ah, yes. LORD Garth to you!
Too bad he died so young.
Canadian, went to 'Westdale High School', Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Lived in nearby village of Copetown.
Outside of this, I've only ever seen him in one episode of I Dream Of Jeanie!
It was a double episode story. So twice the enjoyment. Except the ending was not as amazing, to me, but still one of my favourites.
God this show scared the crap out of me when I was a kid.
But what made this show really work was it’s noir styling coupled with the Cold War climate of the early 60’s.
I believe the episode
“The Invisibles” sums it up best.
Thank you for this. It was 'The Outer Limits' that opened my mind to the incredible scope of the creative thought processes available to us all. I missed most of these episodes at the time - 'The Guests' is the one I do recall watching. Your presentation is excellent and I thank you very much indeed for it.
Thank you very much for the compliment!
I still hunt for and read classic sci fi/horror stories and comics reissues ie ec comics from the 90s dc horror comics old marvel stories creepy eerie mags to bide my quarantine time in the bunker with the tv and vcr and DVD player. Maybe I should do a CZcams show and read from my immense story collection and call it stories from the bunker.
@@TheAdorkableRJ 🦖
Although I'm not really interested in watching this TV series I am really impressed with how you presented and described them here. Keep up the good work, thanks.
Thanks!
@@TheAdorkableRJ makes me want to watch them again. Especially some of your favs that weren’t my favs!
I remember that the eyes of the monster in "The Architects of Fear" were blacked out by our black bar. The network thought it was too frightening.
LOL
I remember that too.
The alien in " The architects of fear" was blacked out by the network. They saw it as too scary for TV. However the rest of the episode was viewable.
Nightmare is a war game between Earth and planet Ebon. Ebon accidently sent a bomb to Earth, so to make up for it, they staged a war game.
They played it on my station! I remember the 'Thetan' and had nightmares for a few nights afterwards
Also, one of its very best eps is "Zzzz", primarily because of how stunningly acted the main character is (it seems hard to believe it was made in the early '60s) and how well written her relationship with the scientist is, though the premise is more fantasy than sci-fi.
I love any episode of The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits where man ends up really being the "monster" of the episode.
Never on these various top OL lists but Nick Adams scream of pain and facial expressions before dying (temporally) in episode Fun And Games always sent shivers down my spine, stunning.
That episode was loosely based on Frederic Brown's 1944 short story "Arena", as was the eponymous STTOS episode.
The episode that has stayed with me all these years is The Premonition. Not as scary as others, but very memorable. I can still picture the girl on her tricycle, frozen in time.
Jainie......
@@RonaldVaughan Played by Emma Tyson 🙂
The Outer Limits is a show that you had to think for yourself, not being in color, and with thoughtful plots. Many of the shows, like the movies, involved 'wiser' aliens coming to Earth only to lecture us. So it was with the 1st episode with Cliff Robertson. The best episode was the rendition of 'Beauty and the Beast', only with Martin Landau as a time traveler trying to change the past/future. A moving story.
"There is nothing wrong with your television set"
@@billolsen4360 There damn better well not have been! Not with TOL coming on! 😊👍🏻
@@charlestaylor253 Amen!
Good list. This series was so good. I remember it came on every Sunday afternoon and left me in a strange mood for the rest of the day.
Now THIS was a scary show. I still remember the episode about the camera that SUCKS people inside.
You mean DON'T OPEN 'TILL DOOMSDAY"? Yeah,yuck!!
But there's ANOTHER OL ep about a creepy house....only this house is an ILLUSION...."The Guests". (Wonder why the character "Norton" was allowed to escape?)
I was a kid back then. The Outer Limits scared the "you know what" outta me back in the day. It truly affected my psyche probably making me the person I am today.
My chore for the day was after dinner to empty the trash. That meant leave the house and go outside. . .in the dark. Those days, if I forgot, before I failed to empty the trash BEFORE the show came on, I had to empty it afterwards. How many times did I either miss the trash can with my toss, slip and fall in the snow running back into the house.
The Outer Limits were classics.
@Rob M Cool interesting thanks for sharing.
Great selections from a great series. I especially remember Nightmare scaring the shit outta me when I was 10.Like the movie The Day the Earth Stood Still, Outer Limits often showed the aliens/monsters as being ultimately more civilized than the humans, unusual in 60s scifi. The Nightmare episode featured a young Martin Sheen, vivid characters, evocative minimalistic sets, and thought provoking ideas. Great stuff. I have every episode on my hard drive and still enjoy them after all these years. The remake in the Nineties, despite better special effects, lacked the original's content and writing. Try to catch the documentary about one of the main writers Harlan Ellison called Jagged Dreams. Interesting, brilliant guy who lived in one of the coolest houses I've ever seen.
It's all about the WRITING.
Yup- Writers included creator Stevens and Joseph Stefano (screenwriter of the film Psycho), who was the Season 1 producer and creative guiding force, and who wrote more of the series' episodes than anyone. Future Oscar-winning screenwriter Robert Towne (Chinatown) wrote "The Chameleon. And Harlan Ellison was one of the best scifi writers of his time.
I agree with "Demon WAGH" as #1, but my personal favorite is "The Inheritors", driven by two great actors - Robert Duvall & Steve Inhat (who most today have never heard of).
Inhat was never out of work, appearing in dozens of movies and TV shows of the era including Star Trek TOS ("Garth" in "Whom Gods Destroy.") It was quite shocking that he died from a heart attack at only 37.
I could figure out or understand "The Inheritors" until the third time I watched it. After which I consider it brilliant.
Also the final episode of the series with Cedric Hardwick and David McCallum (cannot recall the title at the moment) is among my top five episodes.
"Production and Decay of Strange Particles" was one of my favorites.
"it Crawled Out of the Woodwork" was a hilarious title, belying its creepy story.
As a child I found Corpus Earthling to be the most frightening. Had me screaming in bed, imagining they were coming to possess my body. But part of what made every episode unsettling was the great cinematography and odd camera angles they often used, especially the first year before most of the creative team quit the show.
Yea. That is one I can’t watch. The whole voices and turning someone around and seeing that change in their face is terrifying!
When I saw the episode "The Zante Misfits" as a young child the creatures scared me to no end.