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1963-1965
There is nothing wrong with your television set. Do not attempt to adjust the picture. We are controlling transmission. If we wish to make it louder, we will bring up the volume. If we wish to make it softer, we will tune it to a whisper. We can reduce the focus to a soft blur, or sharpen it to crystal clarity. We will control the horizontal. We will control the vertical. For the next hour, sit quietly and we will control all that you see and hear. You are about to experience the awe and mystery which reaches from the inner mind to... The Outer Limits." — Opening narration – The Control Voice – 1960s The Outer Limits originally ran from 1963 to 1965 on the U.S. broadcast network ABC, and a total of 49 episodes. It was created by Leslie Stevens and was one of the many series ostensibly influenced by The Twilight Zone and Science Fiction Theatre, though it was ultimately influential in its own right.
Like The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits had an opening and closing narration to almost every episode -- known as the "Control Voice" (vocal artist Vic Perrin) -- and distinctive music, in this case by Dominic Frontiere. The dramatic thrust of the two shows was different. The Twilight Zone made frequent use of irony, in which the chief character would achieve his goal, but not in the manner desired. The Outer Limits was often straight action, but also delved into deep philosophical problems within the context of a sci-fi setting. Many of the stories dwelled on the triumph of the human spirit, often in a confrontation with some dark or existential force from within or without (hence the "...mystery which reaches from the inner mind to... The Outer Limits" from the opening narration). The program sometimes made use of techniques (lighting, camerawork, even makeup) associated with film noir or German Expressionism (see for example, Corpus Earthling), and a number of episodes were noteworthy for their sheer eeriness. This is largely due to the early work of cinematographer Conrad Hall, who would go on to win three Academy Awards (and many more nominations) for his work in film. A few of the monsters reappeared in Gene Roddenberry's 1960s Star Trek show. A feathered creature was modified to appear as a zoo animal in the background of the first pilot of Star Trek; a prop head from "Fun and Games" was used to make a Talosian appear as a vicious creature. The moving carpet beast in "The Probe" later was used as the "Horta", and operated by the same actor (Janos Prohaska). The process used to make pointed ears for David McCallum in "The Sixth Finger" was reused in Star Trek as well. In fact Gene Roddenberry paid a lot of attention to what the Outer Limits team was doing at the time, and he was often present in their studios. Later he hired several Outer Limits alumni for the production of Star Trek. (Source: The Outer Limits Official Companion, Schow & Frentzen, page 361.)
1995-2002
After an aborted attempt to bring back The Outer Limits during the early eighties, it was finally reborn in 1995. The success of television science fiction such as Star Trek sequels and Babylon 5 and anthology shows such as Tales from the Crypt convinced the rights-holders, MGM, to revive it. A deal was made with Trilogy Productions, the company behind such cinema hits as Backdraft and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, and the show would run on the pay-tv channel Showtime. The episodes appeared in syndication the following season (the same arrangement as MGM/Showtime series Stargate SG-1 and Poltergeist: The Legacy). It continued on Showtime until 2001, when the U.S. Sci Fi channel quietly took over production. It remained in production until 2002 before finally being cancelled, after a total of 154 episodes — far more than the original incarnation of the show. In the revived show, the Control Voice was supplied by Kevin Conway. The new series was freed from the "monster of the week" mandate that had plagued the original series from its inception; while there were plenty of aliens and monsters, the "bear" could just as easily be a specific scientific concept and its effect on humanity. Some episodes illustrating this difference include "Dark Rain" (biochemical warfare causes world-wide sterility), "Final Exam" (discovery of practical cold fusion power), and "A Stitch in Time" (a time traveler tinkers with history). The series was filmed in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Many actors featured in the show are familiar faces from other successful science fiction TV series shot in the Vancouver area.
Stories by Harlan Ellison, A.E. van Vogt, Eando Binder, Larry Niven, Richard Matheson, George R.R. Martin, Stephen King and James Patrick Kelly were adapted for the new series with varying degrees of success. Some of the original series' episodes were remade as well. The revived series contained more violent and sexual content (including occasional female nudity in the Showtime episodes that was edited out for syndication) than the original, including open-ended storylines. In every season there is a clip show that connects the plots of several of the show's episodes (see "The Voice of Reason" for an example). At each commercial interval, the Control Voice can be heard saying "The Outer Limits...please stand by". The voice also repeats this phrase upon return from the television ads. The series is now aired in reruns on the Sci-Fi Channel but with a minor alteration--the phrase "please stand by" has been omitted from the opening dialog. The surreal images from the opening are mostly the work of Jerry Uelsmann. DVD releasesThe original seriesThe Outer Limits - The Original Series, Volume 1, comprising all 32 episodes of the first season, was released on September 3, 2002. The Outer Limits - The Original Series, Volume 2, containing the 17 episodes of the shortened second season, was released the following year. The modern seriesSeveral DVD anthologies have been released: Sex & Science Fiction, Aliens Among Us, Death and Beyond, Fantastic Androids and Robots, Mutation and Transformation, Time Travel and Infinity. On November 1, 2005, MGM released Season One of the New Outer Limits on DVD. Season Two will be released sometime in 2007. References
See also
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