"One Steo Beyond Collection"-Passport DVD Release 2/7/06 Question? (1 Viewer)

[Chas_Michael]

Hello all!
Does anyone have the episode listing of the upcoming Passport Video release of "One Step Beyond"? Also, a link to the website? Thanks!

 

[Bob Hug]

I haven't seen any specific episode listings but it will be 20 episodes spread across five DVDs. Passport Video issues a lot of public domain material and I strongly suspect that their collection will consist of episodes previously issued by other companies specializing in public domain material like Alpha Video and Delta Entertainment, both of which have issued 48 and 49 OSB episodes, respectively. The best looking collection issued to date of OSB episodes is VCI Entertainment's 2-DVD, 12-episode set which contains several episodes not seen on other collections. I'd love to see better transfers of episodes from this series, but I'd really be surprised if they'll come from Passport Video.

 

[Chas_Michael]

I have all the available OSB DVD's The mention of Charles Bronson seems to indicate that there may be other unissued episodes on this collection. We need a listing!

 

[todd s]

This show gives me headaches....Not from the content. But, from the fact that their are so many releases and none of them are complete or that good. Their was a decent release about a year ago from VCI that seemed pretty good. But, it was only a collection of episodes.

 

[AndyMcKinney]

Are these PD collections like the Hillbillies ones, with opening credits cut out, etc.?

Any OSB releases with all of the original opening and end credits still intact?

Also, do any of them have the original series title Alcoa Presents instead of the syndicated One Step Beyond?

 

[JeffT.]

"Have you ever been certain the telephone would ring within the next ten seconds? Or have you ever walked down a street and had the feeling you knew what lay beyond the unturned corner? Then you've had a brief encounter with the unknown. A small step beyond. Now take a giant one!"--John Newland's opening pretitle narrative for ONE STEP BEYOND.

"Producers Merwin Gerard and Collier Young were my friends, and we had done other shows together. We came up with idea of doing a program called Fantasy, a series that would highlight fantasy one week, horror the next, science fiction the next, and so on. But all those things had been done before, so we decided to focus on psychic phenomena instead. There were so many sources to call on for stories, and we had Larry Marcus, a formidable writer, and I would direct the episodes. The stories had to be real, and there had to be proof, either anecdotal or published. Of course, we got some letters from people who said I was the Anti-Christ for pursuing this kind of thing. Ivan Klapper was our consultant, and it was just as the narration said. We shot on the MGM lot. And we had access to their vast costume department, which meant that we could do period pieces. We had good actors, good movement and good dialogue. We had four cameras, and the benefit of vast experience. It was the best production I ever worked on, period. It was the best time I had working in this industry, and it was the most creative and satisfying atmosphere in my life, both personally and professionally."--John Newland.

ONE STEP BEYOND aka ALCOA PRESENTS ONE STEP BEYOND (ABC 1959-61) is now under the ownership of Paramount Pictures-Viacom Internation Television which acquired the entire catalogue of former ABC Television produced tv series including THE INVADERS (ABC 1967-68) starring Roy Thinnes through its take over of the Aaron Spelling Enterprises television library.

Unlike THE INVADERS, Paramount Pictures now has this (vintage) supernatural tv anthology hosted by the late John Newland (November 23rd, 1917 - January 10th, 2000) available for tv syndication so a DVD release would have to come from Paramount...or be licensed by this company which currently seems to have a myriad of other tv shows in mind right now.

This is another tv rarity much like SCIENCE FICTION THEATRE (Syndicated 1955-57) that should be made available in a quality DVD collection particulary in the light of its respectable reputaton and with the widespread, enthusiastic interest in physic phenomena, the supernatural and the paramormal. These were not stories taken from the realm of the imagination but from everyday unexplained occurrences that happened to ordinary people encompassing all walks of life down through the ages.

But what are the chances of this ever happening?! It's certainly not benefiting anyone just sitting in the studio film vaults that's for sure.

This is precisely where the prominent online DVD information services should help mount a compaign to (hopefully) influence the major distribution companies (particularly) like Paramount Pictures in commercially accessing their extensive tv libraries to the public.

We don't need anymore (tiresome) STAR TREK franchise DVD collections (ie. STAR TREK THE ANIMATED SERIES) but we do need more (substantial) releases of infinitely superior shows like ONE STEP BEYOND.



Jeff T.

 

[Bob Hug]

Virtually all of the episodes issued by the various public domain releasing companies use syndication prints, which are often pretty battered looking. Of nearly 60 episodes that are circulating on various labels, I've seen maybe two or three, at most, with the "Alcoa Presents" title, and that includes the set from VCI Entertainment which, IMHO, is the best of the bunch. OSB episodes have even turned up on some "dollar DVDs."

 

[todd s]

Jeff, thanks for the info. I now plan on holding off on that new set coming. Hopefully, Paramount will release this show uncut sometime soon.

 

[Michael Alden]

Unfortunately they will say the market has been saturated by all of the PD releases. I was involved in trying to do a book on the series in the early 90s. I sat down and did interviews with John Newland, Merwin Gerard, Larry Marcus and Don Mankiewicz. This was around the time that Worldvision had let the shows fall into PD. When I alerted Gerard, he had no idea. I'm not sure but he probably contacted Worldvision, which resulted in the last 13 shows being renewed.

There are just too many people out there (read these boards), who won't pay good money for a quality release when they can buy cheap, inferior copies at Crapmart. If Paramount ever did release them, it would be with the new opens and closings they put on them when they ran them on SciFi in the early 90s. Because if you modify something, you can then copyright this new version, which is what they did. They would never put out the original versions that fell into public domain.

 

[Chas_Michael]

I found a listing for the upcoming(2/7/06)One Step Beyond box set.
Does anyone have a listing of the other 2 sets? VCI (2 DVD Set)& Delta(12 Volumes)so we can list duplicate episodes?


The One Step Beyond Collection
Disc One 99 MIN.

THE DARK ROOM - Stars Cloris Leachman (Twilight Zone, Mary Tyler Moore Show) as a photographer who thinks she's seeing homicidal ghosts in her Parisian home. Originally aired 2/10/59

EPILOGUE - Stars Julie Adams (Creature From the Black Lagoon) as the wife of a recovering alcoholic who must rise to the occasion when her son falls down a well. Originally aired 2/24/59

THE AERIALIST - Stars Mike Connors (Mannix) as a trapeze artist who argues with his father - just before they begin their death-defying performance. Originally aired 4/28/59.

THE ECHO - Stars Ross Martin (Twilight Zone, Wild Wild West) as a man who is acquitted of murdering his wife - but then goes mad. Originally aired 6/2/59.

Disc Two 92 MIN

DELUSION - Stars Suzanne Pleshette (The Birds, The Bob Newhart Show) as a woman who desperately needs a blood transfusion - from a man who's afraid to give blood. Originally aired 9/15/59.

MESSAGE FROM CLARA - Stars Barbara Baxley (Twilight Zone, Alfred Hitchcock Presents). A schoolteacher suddenly begins writing on the blackboard in a foreign language. Originally aired 11/10/59.

THE OPEN WINDOW - Stars Louise Fletcher (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest) as an artist's model who appears to be continually committing suicide! Originally aired 11/13/59.

FORKED LIGHTNING - Stars Ralph Nelson (directed Twilight Zone, Requiem for a Heavyweight). Two complete strangers have premonitions about their deaths. Originally aired 11/17/59.


Disc Three 100 MIN

DEAD RINGER - Stars Grant Williams (The Incredible Shrinking Man). A newlywed blames a series of orphanage fires on her evil twin. Originally aired 12/1/59.

THE STONE CUTTER - Stars Joe Mantell (Marty, Twilight Zone, Alfred Hitchcock Presents). Strange occurrences befall a man who carves tombstones for a living. Originally aired 12/8/59.

MAKE ME NOT A WITCH - Stars Patty McCormick (The Bad Seed). A young farm girl suddenly finds that she's able to read people's minds. Originally aired 12/22/59.

CALL FROM TOMORROW - Stars Arthur Franz (Invaders from Mars). An actress is haunted by the cries of her dead daughter. Originally aired 1/26/60.



Disc Four 100 MIN

VANISHING POINT - Stars Edward Binns (Twilight Zone, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Thriller). A man searches for his missing wife. Originally aired 2/23/60.

THE HAUNTING - Stars Veronica Cartwright (Twilight Zone, The Witches of Eastwick). At his wedding, the groom murders the best man. Originally aired 3/8/60.

THE CLOWN - Stars Yvette Mimieux (The Time Machine). A mute clown comes to the aid of a lovely damsel in distress who is married to an extremely abusive man. Originally aired 3/22/60.

GYPSY - Stars Robert Blake (Our Gang, In Cold Blood, Baretta). A man behind bars has a bizarre experience with the supernatural. Originally aired 5/17/60.

Disc Five 101 MIN

THE PETER HURKOS STORY (pt. 1) - Stars John Banner (Hogan's Heroes, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Thriller, Superman). During World War II, a man comes out of a coma and discovers he has ESP. Originally aired 4/19/60.

THE PETER HURKOS STORY (pt. 2) Stars the real Peter Hurkos! He uses his ESP to help the police solve a murder when evidence is not in evidence. Originally aired 4/26/60.

TONIGHT AT 12:17 - Stars Peggy Ann Garner (A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Alfred Hitchcock Presents). A pregnant woman experiences a premonition in which she witnesses a plane crash. Originally aired 12/6/60.

THE LAST ROUND - Stars Charles Bronson (Death Wish, Twilight Zone, Alfred Hitchcock Presents). A washed-up boxer is aided by a dead boxer's ghost. Originally aired 1/10/61.

TRT: 492 MIN

 

[Bob Hug]

From Amazon.com . . . .

Delta

Volume 1:
NIGHT OF APRIL 14
THE DARK ROOM
EPILOGUE
THE DREAM
THE DEAD PART OF THE HOUSE

Volume 2:
THE LOVERS
VANISHING POINT
THE MASK
THE HAUNTING

Volume 3:
THE VISION
THE DEVIL’S LAUGHTER
THE RETURN OF MITCHELL CAMPION
THE SECRET

Volume 4:
I SAW YOU TOMORROW
THE PETER HURKOS STORY - PT.1
THE PETER HURKOS STORY - PT.2
DELIA

Volume 5:
THE AERIALIST
THE CAPTAIN’S GUESTS
ECHO
FRONT RUNNER

Volume 6:
GYPSY
GOODBYE GRANDPA
ANNIVERSARY OF A MURDER
MOMENT OF HATE

Volume 7:
THE RIDDLE
DELUSION
ORDEAL ON LOCUST STREET
THE OPEN WINDOW

Volume 8:
TO KNOW THE END
THE TRAP
TONIGHT AT 12:17
WHERE ARE THEY?

Volume 9:
MESSAGE FROM CLARA
FORKED LIGHTNING
DEAD FINGER
THE STONE CUTTER

Volume 10:
LEGACY OF LOVE
RENDEZVOUS
THE EXECUTIONER
THE LAST ROUND

Volume 11:
MAKE ME NOT A WITCH
THE HAND
EARTHQUAKE
CALL FROM TOMORROW

Volume 12:
DEAD MAN’S TALE
PERSON UNKNOWN
NIGHT OF DECISION
MIDNIGHT

Note that the episode “Midnight” is not a true OSB episode, but rather an episode from an early TV anthology series “Stars over Hollywood” that somehow had an OSB title card slapped on it.

VCI

Disc #1 - Delusion
Disc #1 - Ordeal On Locust Street
Disc #1 - Brainwave
Disc #1 - Doomsday
Disc #1 - The Inheritance
Disc #1 - The Explorer

Disc #2 - The Clown
Disc #2 - Delia
Disc #2 - House of The Dead
Disc #2 - Tidalwave
Disc #2 - Anniversary of A Murder
Disc #2 - To Know The End

 

[JeffT.]

I concur with the popular consensus being voiced here that for now the VCI ENTERTAINMENT 2-disc edition of ONE STEP BEYOND (ABC 1959-61) is by far the best possible collection...until Paramount Pictures Home Entertaiment hopefully comes out with something even better.

The 12 episodes included are:

Disc 1

"Delusion" (15/09/1959)
"Ordeal on Locust Street" (22/09/1959)
"Brainwave" (06/10/1959)
"Doomsday" (13/10/1959)
"The Inheritence" (27/10/1959)
"The Explorer" (15/03/1960)

Disc 2

"The Clown" (22/03/1960)
"Delia" (03/05/1960)
"House of the Dead" (07/06/1960)
"Tidalwave" (30/08/1960)
"Anniversary of a Murder" (27/09/1960)
"To Know the End" (01/11/1960)

This initial collection was referred to as being "volume one" but regrettably no subsequent editions were ever issued since its release back in July 23rd, 2003.

Thanks for the additional background information Michael. Let's just hope that Paramount Pictures-Viacom International Television also maintains the original print negatives of the series with the actual ONE STEP BEYOND titles intact.

Jeff T.

 

[Tom.W]

I hope so too, Jeff, although if Michael is correct about Paramount's copyrighting the new version, that doesn't bode well for a release of the original. Those versions that aired on SciFi in the late 90's were terrible, with colorized, jazzed up intros and closing credits. I'd rather see VCI release more volumes of cleaned up PD episodes than the new ones.

I have the VCI and Delta releases and there are at least a few with the Alcoa Presents titles. On the whole, the Delta release was ok, considering both quality and quantity.

 

[Jo_C]

A little update for you all...OSB is now under the underlying control of CBS/Paramount Television. As you may know by now, Viacom (Paramount Pictures' parent) and CBS split at the beginning of this year. Paramount's TV division is now at CBS, and the CBS/Paramount Television division was formally announced as of 1/19.

But, of course, OSB is now public domain, so if you're seeking this on DVD, search at thy own risk.

By the way, I'm sure at one time or another we've all taken that one giant steo for mankind.

P.S. you misspelled "Step"!