Lost Sci-Fi Anthologies That Deserve a Revival

[@RerunZone]

😘 Subscribe: kzbin.info/door/mlylW9FwdEi4eVElFLkPuw 📺 Support the Channel: kzbin.infojoin

[@charleswatts3078]

Thriller with Boris Karloff- gave me major goosebumps so did one step beyond

[@brettrobson5739]

Arguably better than Hitchcock Presents in terms of consistent quality.

[@born2bbald12]

You made an excellent observation: back in the 1940-50s these stories depended on excellent writing with few "special" effects. My wife and I did a fun survey of the "best movies", by year starting with 1940. We observed that by about mid-1980s we found few movies worth watching. By then Hollywood depended more on visual entertainment rather than great story telling. The were some exceptions like Star Trek the Next Generation and Star Wars. Those old shows/movies were edifying where some of the stuff of today is weak entertainment.

[@greyhawk4898]

My wife made similar observations just the other day when I asked her if seen a movie. She flatly stated there are vew movies from the 80s that are worth watching, they are mostly special effects and little story

[@terencemorales7894]

I always loved the Night Gallery -- great actors from film and tv lending their considerable talents to wonderful and effective scripts.

[@slactweak]

I went to college in the Fall of '71. Our Dorm was a 12 Story High Rise that was Coed. Even number floors were women, odd number floors were men. I lived on the Ninth floor and a bunch of us guys made friends with a group of the girls, and the RA's, on the Sixth floor. Every Wednesday night, we would all troop down stairs and occupy one of the Sixth floor's TV lounges, along with the ladies, and watch Night Gallery. Great times, those.

[@gilgarcia3008]

I remember our twelve inch TV in the Fifties, and then my dad got a 19 inch. It wasn’t until 1966 until we got our first 25 inch color TV.

[@57RickH]

Darkroom (ABC, 1981) hosted by James Coburn is another one but only lasted a few episodes. It was hit or miss quality-wise but the first episode had Claude Akins, June Lockhart and Dub Taylor ("Uncle George") in one of the better ones. Then there was the NBC late 70s series produced by Quinn Martin. I forget the name of the series but the best episode of it that I remember well was called "Force of Evil" and starred Lloyd Bridges, Eve Plumb. That was a pretty good one.

[@tamaraclaw]

@57RickH the QM show was "Tales of the Unexpected"...not to be confused with the British show of the same name, sometimes titled "Roald Dahl's Tales of the Unexpected"

[@ChrisCooling]

great mention of Out There! Another obscure one is 'Way Out from 1961 hosted by Roald Dahl with makeup effects by Dick Smith. Inspired Rick Baker to go into makeup effects.

[@josephmatthews9866]

FOOTNOTE: in the live broadcast of TALES OF TOMORROW episode FRANKENSTEIN, reputedly the actor Lon Chaney was nearly drunk in the scenes of his roaming around the castle set !!

[@Bargle5]

USA's Night Flight weekend program schedule ran Tales of Tomorrow and The Outer Limits and some other SF fare from the 50s. I remember seeing The Dune Roller on it. Not an anthology, but they also ran Tom Corbett: Space Cadet.

[@Vates104]

Every one of these shows deserve to be cleaned up and rerun. One Step Beyond, especially needs to be restored. It lasted only three years but every episode is worthy of being watched again and again.

[@TripleBerg]

One Step Beyond did that controversial episode on mushrooms with experts. It wasn’t shown in reruns for many years due to the subject matter.

[@tamaraclaw]

The Crystal Egg was written by H.G. Wells & the Dune Roller was written by J.C. May..Bradbury and Clarke were starting their litterary careers in the 1950s, I believe, but I'd have to check

[@ncblee]

Clarke was 40's (see his intro to George O. Smith's "The Complete Venus Equilateral". "The Crystal Egg". incidentally, was a sort of adjunct to "The War of the Worlds", the titular egg being a televisual device of the Martians, presumably sent for spying out the land pre-invasion.

[@tamaraclaw]

@ncblee yes, I read that the Crystal Egg had a connection to War of the Worlds. Thanks for the info on Clarke

[@ramonepedgio5964]

Would've been nice to include Circle of Fear.

[@PaulHFleming]

I agree it would definitely fit category 😊

[@glennso47]

Way Out with Roald Dahl 1963 . It was video taped so it looked more realistic than a filmed show. It was only on for a few episodes.

[@Blakeneyd]

“Shows that respected their audiences’ intelligence”. Wow, that must have been nice. There are things about the present that I really enjoy. But it would be lovely to wake up in a time when tv depended on storytelling and character. And HBO wasn’t even a dream.

[@TWE-w1r]

Thanks for the hard work that goes into these kinds of vids, killer research skills. I see the original 1950's TV version of Flash Gordon as such a series, rather than as a serial like the Cinema version, in that each show tended to involve some new sci-fi core element, such as life forms based on metal, or time bombs sent through time from the future.

[@ghw7192]

I was 7 when Science Fiction Theater began and it was a favorite. I would love to be able to watch One Step Beyond again and would love to have some of the Night Gallery paintings! Great episode!.

[@joestrike8537]

One Step Beyond episodes are all over here on You Tube. (Also its 1970s attempt at a revival, "The Next Step Beyond," which couldn't quite recreate the original series' intriguing stories and production quality.

[@paulforder591]

Enjoyed your comments on forgotten sci-fi, fantasy, and supernatural series of the 1950s--60s. Yes, the scripts were better-written back then. Thanks for posting, Rich. Keep 'em coming! 😁 🙃👽🤖🪐🪐🌌🌌

[@roncaruso931]

Tales of Tommow is running here in NJ on MeTV or Antenna TV. Science Fiction Theater I remember as a very young kid. One Step Beyond scared the crap out of me.

[@ferreirj123]

I watch Tales of Tomorrow, Science Fiction Theatre, One Step Beyond every Saturday night on the Nostalgia Network - NOST

[@lisaboban]

I'd never heard of NOST. Thanks for the tip!

[@riverbender9898]

Loved them all and agree they would be great vehicles today. Thanks.

[@ritadavis2959]

Love everything you show us and would love to see most of these again. Thanks for the memories.💜🎗

[@greyhawk4898]

No I totally disagree on the idea of rebooting any of the good shows, today's garbage just ruins them. But I'd love to see them back on the air. I share the shows I grew up on with my granddaughters and they love them. Currently 5 and 6 year old and still prefer "good tv" ( their words) over what they see elsewhere

[@BritInvLvr]

Hard to believe that One Step Beyond only lasted a couple of years. I love that show, along with The Outer Limits.

[@Vates104]

It lasted three years and 97 episodes.

[@alvincash3230]

I remember in the early 1980's seeing "Tales of Tomorrow" in the middle of the night on some fledgling cable station. I really enjoyed it.

[@TripleBerg]

I don’t remember Tales of Tomorrow but that was daring doing it live. Even better that they used stories from top authors of the day.

[@paulwilkins8273]

Great review. Some I'd never heard of, even though I was a preteen in this era, because you might not be able to get all three (yes, three) channels clearly in every town. Oh, the minutes fussing with rabbit ear antennas, or even climbing up on the roof to try to redirect the antenna for a special broadcast you wanted to see. Thanks.

[@ProfessorEchoMedia]

LIGHTS OUT, a very early American anthology series, could also be included. Same for Brian Clemens’ early 70’s THRILLER (not the earlier U.S. Karloff series) from the UK. Both are very cool and nicely done.

[@martinarcher1503]

thanks so much for this! Great work!

[@antonnym214]

Suspense and Lights Out come to mind.

[@Laceykat66]

Journey to the Unknown was also one of the few British series that had a first run on Network television in the U.S. This not only widened its viewership but probably led to its short life as American networks have traditionally shied away from intellectual shows. Had it been a British production initially it might have had a smaller budget but would have lasted far longer. I still remember the episode of the man who fell in love with the mannequin.

[@TripleBerg]

Outer Limits left a lasting legacy though, like Twilight Zone, it is fairly well known.

[@PaulHFleming]

There was a revival series of One Step Beyond in early 1970s. John Newland was the host for it. But, the stories were not up to standards of Original series

[@TheBlindDyslexic]

They'd muck it up. Tales of Tomorrow would have been great if they'd brought back between the '70s-90s. Where it would have kept its flare.

[@rogermooretibbetts5310]

'Out There' notwithstanding (obviously),, i have every one of these marvellous shows on some form of physical media except from 'Out of the Unknown' where most of the episodes wee wiped. Such a lot of quality tv lost forever due to stupid people alas.

[@JeffHokie]

they didn't think anyone would care. tv was considered disposable back then.

[@Mark723]

There is one episode of "The Night Gallery" which has left me scarred to this day. How about "The Sixth Sense" - I don't think it lasted more than one season, or left an indelible mark on the world of television. I enjoyed it nonetheless. Thanks for this - very enjoyable walk down memory lane. Excuse me, though...I need to book an emergency session with my therapist.

[@monterrang1]

"There is one episode of "The Night Gallery" which has left me scarred to this day." lemme guess: the caterpillar

[@Mark723]

@@monterrang1 That was certainly a chilling episode; however, for me it was The Cemetery, because growing up I lived a stone's throw from a cemetery, and had a morbid fear/fascination of cemeteries. Even to this day, they give me the heebie jeebies. It was years before I could bring myself to even look in the direction of the cemetery near my home after watching that episode.

[@robertveith6383]

​@@monterrang1 -- It was not a caterpillar. It was an earwig.

[@lesnyk255]

@@Mark723 The TZ episode "Eye of the Beholder" had that effect on me. I was about 10 when it first aired. A teaser for the show ran during the day, showing those faces in a series of shock cuts. I was so horrified I couldn't even look away - I was quite literally paralyzed with fright. Fortunately (perhaps), my parents never let me stay up late enough to see the show; but I did start watching once it went into syndication. I was about 15 when I finally saw that episode - and even at that age, I felt a little residual quiver of terror, like an electric shock, when they removed the bandages and we saw the doctors' faces. I've got the entire series on DVD now, and have laid that particular demon to rest - but it's taken the better part of a lifetime!

[@joestrike8537]

@@lesnyk255 my mom could always predict the TZ's "twist" endings. I could never figure out how she did it until I realized the twists were so obvious, you could see them coming a mile away.

[@denisestover2416]

In Tales of Tomorrow's Frankenstein Lon Chaney Jr was drunk!

[@VanLat7]

Looks like and Seems that the Mushrooms episode from One Step Beyond, served as an inspiration for Paddy Chayesfky to write his novel Altered States which was turned into a movie years after

[@Primus54]

I could be way off base, but I would love to see some creative producer try an anthology series blending the best aspects of The Twilight Zone, One Step Beyond, and Alfred Hitchcock Presents… and film it in black & white with a distinctive use of the techniques made famous in the noir genre… the creative use of shadows & lighting.

[@TheDunc1]

Revivals would be great. I would like to see the original shows as well.

[@debramorra7237]

Thanks!!

[@dawg065]

Radio anthologies Such as Light out(i have this on cd) Inner sanctum.

[@ronm6585]

Thank you.

[@saleconomos473]

Who is the actor at 11:13?

[@roberttelarket4934]

You left out The Invaders with Roy Thinness(still alive). I don’t believe in extraterrestrial life of any sort then when I watched it or now but I loved the program. It was very much like The Fugutive.

[@robertveith6383]

Be open to believing in extraterrestrial life. Think about the unexplained U.F.O. encounters, particularly with the military.

[@roberttelarket4934]

@@robertveith6383: Hogwash, hogwash, hogwash!!!

[@JeffHokie]

Yeah, I got a spoonful of water from the ocean and determined there is no life.

[@roberttelarket4934]

@@JeffHokie: You fall into the trap of believing the experts too easily. This has nothing to do with ocean water. I’ll be the first to say that I love math, chemistry and physics but I won’t let that sway me readily to things like extraterrestrials!!! The worst trash I very seldom watched was the X-Files should be called Trash Files!!!

[@JeffHokie]

@@roberttelarket4934 thousands of exo planets yet no chance of life. really?

[@kayb9979]

"The Crystal Egg" (at least the only story I know by that title" was written by H G Wells.

[@barrysargent]

Just to mention an Australian American co production The Evil Touch made in the 1970s.

[@dinkmartini3236]

Project UFO 1978-1979

[@joestrike8537]

Produced by "Just the facts, ma'am" Jack Webb of "Dragnet" fame. The episodes, IIRC were based on actual UFO signtings from the US government's "Blue Book;" the show always made it seem like the UFO stories were true - "just the facts, ma'am," my a**s!

[@paulmoffat9306]

In the 'One Step Beyond' series, a 2 part presentation "The Peter Hurcos Story" was later disclosed to be all fake - Peter Hurcos was a con artist, who convinced the producers that his story was true.

[@TheLookingOne]

What about THE theatrical TV production -- "Chiller Theater" with Chilly Billy Cardilly?

[@Curtiz2008]

Dune Roller was not Bradbury but by Julian C. May.

[@davidgifford8112]

“The Crystal Egg” was written by H G Wells, not Arthur C Clarke and dramatised in 1952. I was only 1-minute in! Not a good start, bye bye!

[@TripleBerg]

Science Fiction Theater harkens back to a period when ‘hard’ science fiction was dominant rather than fantasy.

[@howardbeatman2820]

And the series was more "Engineering Theater" than "Science Fiction Theater".

[@JohnDrakeII-r1v]

Those shows forced you to think.

[@seanmccann8368]

Was "The Crystal Egg" not by H.G. Wells?

[@martinwilliams9866]

You missed "Out of This World"

[@STB-jh7od]

Was it just me or did Tales of Tomorrow scene have same actor who would later host "One Step Beyond"?

[@hugh007]

Yes.

[@paulwilkins8273]

How about Roald Dahl's Tales of the Unexpected.

[@GeorgeStar]

SF Theater from the mid 50s was in color???

[@robinmoore6156]

The first season was in color. The second season was in black and white to cut costs.

[@glennso47]

Superman was filmed in color even though it was only shown in black and white.

[@joestrike8537]

@@glennso47 the later seasons were in color (when the stories turned juvenile); the first season was in black & white & the stories were much more serious

[@RossDaunis]

❤

[@roberttelarket4934]

I wasn’t even a teen when One Step Beyond started but saw the reruns in the mid-1960s. I didn't like Night Gallery except for the first one with Joan Crawford as a blind old woman. It was wonderful! I haven't seen it since it came out when I was a teen and would like to know how I can watch it again!

[@robertveith6383]

There *are* other good episodes in the series.

[@roberttelarket4934]

@@robertveith6383: I sampled one after another but far less than the majority and found them uninteresting and forgetful. I stopped watching.

[@lurkerrekrul]

Tales of Tomorrow - I've seen a few episodes of this. I have a DVD from the Dollar Store with 3-4 episodes. Science Fiction Theater - I think I saw a few episodes of this many years ago, but I'm not sure. One Step Beyond - We I was quite young, my parents would sometimes let me get up at night if my father happened to bring home some fast food. One time, my mother had the TV on, showing a weird show about a boy who had a friend that nobody else had seen, and who left three-toed footprints in the ground. For MANY years, I searched for the name of this, but nobody knew what it was. One day I had the SciFi Channel on, they were showing One Step Beyond, and it was that episode! I hated that they added a cheesy CGI opening to it though. Night Gallery - I hate that this show was chopped up for syndication, and then combined with an unrelated show just to inflate the episode number. I haven't seen the rest. IT's such a shame that so many of these older shows were lost.

[@joestrike8537]

$1 Dollar Tree dvd's are great! The last time in one I bought Woody Allen's "Zelig" (my favorite of his films), and "100% Wolf," an Australian animated feature where the werewolves were good guys. I remember that pointless CGI "One Step Beyond" opening. Not sure why they added that, some of the eps might've fallen into the public domain & the Sci-Fi Channel (in addition to editing 4-5 minutes out of each episode) might've added it on to establish a new copyright for their versions. (Just a guess here, I've no idea if that was really the case - but they definitely edited out a chunk of each ep - just compare the run times of various eps here on YTube.)

[@wesleyrodgers886]

Any fans of Charles L Grant here?. 🙄🙄🙄🙄

[@joestrike8537]

Who?

[@Aethelwolf]

I liked Science Fiction Theater