Alcoa Presents One Step Beyond
Your guide to the supernatural.
Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond is an American anthology series created by Merwin Gerard that aired on ABC from January 1959 to July 1961. The show, hosted by John Newland, presented docudramas based on documented paranormal events. It is notable for its claim that all episodes were drawn from historical records.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Anthology
- Supernatural
- Fantasy
- Science fiction
- Creator
- Merwin Gerard
- Director
- John Newland
- Theme music
- Harry Lubin
- Opening theme
- "Fear"
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
- Seasons
- 3
Facts from the source article.
Overview
Created by Merwin Gerard and produced by Collier Young, the series was hosted by John Newland, who also directed every episode. Newland served as "your guide to the supernatural" and was credited as "Our guide into the world of the unknown." The show presented tales exploring paranormal events and situations defying logical explanation, claiming each story was based on documented historical events. Unlike other anthology programs, episodes were straightforward 30-minute docudramas, though the incidents depicted were closer to popular urban legends. The program included the corporate name of sponsor Alcoa in its title during its initial run; in syndication it became simply One Step Beyond. It filled the 10 p.m. Tuesday time slot vacated by the crime show Confession. Episodes dealt with premonitions of death, disasters, ghosts, and improbable coincidences. Paula Raymond appeared in the third episode of the first season, "Emergency Only," which also featured Jocelyn Brando. Joan Fontaine and Warren Beatty played husband and wife in the episode "The Visitor."
Production
The last 13 episodes of the third season were filmed at MGM Studios in Borehamwood, England, following a suggestion by John Newland. Newland believed the change would boost the show by offering good actors, situations, and settings; Alcoa approved the move. Harry Lubin composed the music for the series, and a soundtrack album titled Music from 'One Step Beyond' was released by Decca Records in 1960. The most well-known tracks were "Weird," originally composed for a 1955 Loretta Young Show episode, and "Fear," which became the series' musical theme. The Ventures included a cover of "Fear" on their 1964 album The Ventures in Space. The second season of The Outer Limits used a variation of "Fear" for its end titles. A heavy metal cover was recorded by Fantômas on their 2001 album The Director's Cut.
Syndication
After cancellation in 1961, the series aired in off-network syndication across the United States until the early 1980s. For its re-release on the Sci-Fi Channel during the 1990s, new theme music and graphics were created, and episodes were edited from 25 to 22 minutes. Most episodes are in the public domain, but remaining copyrights belong to CBS Television Distribution, successor to previous distributors including ABC Films and Worldvision Enterprises. As of 2021, episodes are broadcast by Retro TV and available for digital streaming on Amazon Prime Video (charge per episode), FMC Movie Classics, Tubi, Amazing Classics, and YouTube. In May 2021, the UK channel Talking Pictures TV began broadcasting the series, with the first episode airing on May 11; the show continued to air periodically as of 2026.
Home media
Delta Entertainment Corporation released a collection of 33 episodes on eight region-free DVDs in 2005. In 2007, Mill Creek Entertainment released a 4-disc Region 1 DVD set titled The Very Best of One Step Beyond, containing 50 episodes with varying quality. CBS Home Entertainment released One Step Beyond - The Official 1st Season on Region 1 DVD on September 15, 2009. Film Chest Media Group released a six-disc Collector's Box on April 7, 2015, containing 70 episodes: all 22 of Season 1, 32 of Season 2's 39 episodes, and 16 of Season 3's 36 episodes, plus episode synopses. One Step Beyond was the first pre-1973 in-house ABC production to receive a DVD release from CBS/Paramount.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes of Alcoa Presents One Step Beyond are there?
Alcoa Presents One Step Beyond has 97 episodes across 3 seasons.
When did Alcoa Presents One Step Beyond first air?
Alcoa Presents One Step Beyond first aired on 20 January 1959.
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