ONE STEP BEYOND (1959-1961)
Slingshot

The black and white half hour television series " One Step Beyond ", which aired on the ABC network from 1959 to 1961, presented allegedly true stories of the paranormal throughout history. Like " The Twilight Zone ", which premiered six months later in '59 on CBS, many actors who would eventually become very well known often starred in these eerie, sometimes scary, always entertaining tales.

When I first heard that episodes of the show were being released on DVD on a budget label-Slingshot--I feared the worst. However, when the disc did show up I was immediately impressed by the packaging; a clear hard plastic case with a colorful cover inside, informative liner notes, and a blurb on the cover stating "...sources provided by National Film Museum" (Is there really such a museum?).

The six shows on the disc all originate from GOOD, not GREAT, prints. The blacks look a little too black, but other than that the picture and (mono) sound quality are fine and the NTSC region free disc plays without a glitch.

The only disappointment is that the five shows-- "Night of Decision," "Make Me Not A Witch," "Vanishing Point," "Moment of Hate" and "The Riddle"-- are hardly the cream of the series and aside from Patty McCormick and Robert Emhardt, there aren't any familiar stars to be seen. Slingshot calls this "volume one," so maybe they'll do more, and if so, I hope we get some of the more memorable episodes.

If you're a fan of "OSB" like I am, don't be put off by the budget label status, pick it up. Trust me, I wouldn't lie to you. (Pat Tierney)

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