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Episodes
Disc 1: “Soldier”, “Cold Hands, Warm Heart”, “Behold Eck!”,
“Expanding Human”, “Demon With A Glass Hand”, “Cry Of Silence”
Episodes
Disc 2: “The Invisible Enemy”, “Wolf 359”, “I, Robot”, “The
Inheritors – Part I”, “The Inheritors – Part II”, “Keeper Of The
Purple Twilight”
Episodes Disc 3: “The Duplicate Man”, “Counterweight”, “The Brain Of Colonel Barham”, “The Premonition”, “The Probe”
Stars:
Lloyd Nolan, Michael Ansara, Tim O’Connor, William Shatner, Geraldine Brooks,
Lloyd Gough, Malachi Throne, Dean Harens, Skip Homier, Keith Andes, James Doohan,
Robert Culp, Eddie Albert, June Havoc, Patrick O’Neal, Sara Shane, Leonard
Nimoy, Robert Duvall, Donald Harron, James Shigeta, Robert Weber, Ron Randell,
Constance Towers, Michael Constantine, Jacqueline Scott, Grant Williams,
Elizabeth Perry, Anthony Eilsey, Dewey Martin, Mary Murphy, Mark Richman, Peggy
Ann Garner, and Ron Hayes
Writers:
Harlan Ellison, Dan Ullman, John Mantley, William R. Cox, Frances Cockrell,
Robert C. Dennis, Louis Charbonneau, Jerry Sohl, Seeleg Lester, Richard Landau,
Robert C. Dennis, Eando Binder, Sam Neuman, Ed Adamson, Milton Krims, Stephen
Lord, Clifford Simak, Milton Krims, Sam Roeca, and Ib Melchior
Directors:
Gerd Oswald, Charles Haas, Byron Haskin, Laslo Benedek, Leon Benson, James
Goldstone, Paul Stanley, and Felix Feist
Executive
Producer: Leslie Stevens
Feature
length: 14 hours and 30 minutes
Languages:
English Monaural Sound
Subtitles:
English Closed Captions
Packaging:
Three-Disc Alpha Keep Case
Chapter
Stops: 5 Per Episode
Sound:
Monaural Sound
Year
of Television Broadcast: 1964-1965/DVD Release: 2003
Home
Video Distributor: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Home Entertainment
MPAA
Rating: Not Rated
Reviewer:
Mark A. Rivera
The
second season of the original series of “The Outer Limits” appears to have
been marred with a combination of production problems due to a low budget and
yet some of the most memorable episodes from the entire series are a part of the
series’ second season. It is a testament to the power of good storytelling to
capture the imagination of the viewers despite whatever limitations in the
budget to create less hokey costumes and whatnot. While “The Twilight Zone”
may prove to be the more memorable series, “The Twilight Zone” has never
been able duplicate the success it had with the original series, especially when
compared to “The Outer Limits.” Both attempts to revive “The Twilight
Zone” on network television did not last longer than one season while “The
Outer Limits” enjoyed a new series, complete with episodes inspired by the
original series for six seasons. The first five seasons aired on Showtime while
the sixth season aired on The Sci-Fi Channel. The series proved popular in
broadcast network syndication as well. Among the biggest differences between
“The Outer Limits” and “The Twilight Zone” was that “The Outer
Limits” tended to be more pure sci-fi while “The Twilight Zone” I think
tended to be more of a series of morality tales or fables. Some were eerie while
others were comedic, but despite the fact that “The Twilight Zone” still
airs in marathons on The Sci-Fi Channel, I still do not consider it to be as
“Sci-Fi” as “The Outer Limits.” Just look at some of the programs The
Sci-Fi Channel airs and I think it is obvious that not everything they show can
be classified as Sci-Fi, but with the general public’s hunger for anything
fantastic multi-genre programming on television has become something akin a
refreshing drink in a broadcast wasteland.
Among
the noteworthy episodes included in this second season set are “Demon With A
Glass Hand,” which won a Writer’s Guild Of America Award and was the
inspiration for numerous science fiction theatrical releases and “Soldier.”
Noteworthy Author Harlan Ellison wrote both episodes. “Behold Eck!” was
inspired by the classic Edwin Abbott novel “Flatland,” which has
two-dimensional beings caught in the third dimension. “I’ Robot” features
Leonard Nimoy as a news reporter who covers the trial of a robot accused of
murdering it’s creator. This episode was remade for the new series with Nimoy
returning as well. The second
season also features appearances by Michael Ansara, William Shatner, James
Doohan, Robert Culp, Eddie Albert, Adam West, and Robert Duvall.
All
17-second season episodes are spread across three DVD-14 discs in their original
black and white (1.33:1) broadcast aspect ratios, which carry a nice grayscale
with little anomalies to speak aside from the occasional scratch or fleck on the
source print used for the transfer. A clear two-channel English Monaural
Soundtrack is included along with optional English Closed Captions for the
hearing impaired. The soundtrack is free of any analogue background noise and
crackling. There is an insert containing episode information and scene selection
listings within the three-disc DVD keep case.
The
interactive menus are well rendered and easy to navigate. Now that MGM has
released the entire original series of “The Outer Limits” to DVD, I hope
they will consider presenting complete season sets of the new series in 2004.
“The Outer Limits: The Original Series: The Entire Second Season On DVD” is
available now at retailers on and offline from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Home
Entertainment.
©
Copyright 2003 By Mark A. Rivera
All Rights Reserved.
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