MUSEUM OF TELEVISION & RADIO, THE: WILLIAM S. PALEY TELEVISION FESTIVAL 2000: THE OUTER LIMITS {LONG VERSION}

Summary

One in a series of evenings and special screenings presented as part of The Museum of Television & Radio's William S. Paley Television Festival in Los Angeles. Held this year at the Directors Guild of America Theatre Complex, the festival celebrates the excellence and diversity of American television, and is dedicated to television's creative community. This evening honors the science-fiction anthology series "The Outer Limits." Museum television curator Ron Simon begins by introducing the following panelists: director of photography Conrad Hall, assistant director Robert Justman, actor Martin Landau, writer and story editor Louis Morheim, author David Schow, and executive producer and writer Joseph Stefano. Next, Stefano presents clips from three episodes of "The Outer Limits" -- the pilot, "Please Stand By," broadcast as "The Galaxy Being" (1963); "The Man Who Was Never Born" (1963); and "Demon With a Glass Hand" (1964) -- followed by the entire episode of "The Forms of Things Unknown."

Ron Simon returns to the stage with the panelists. The panelists then discuss the following subjects, among others: Stefano's involvement with "The Outer Limits" through Leslie Stevens; the great meeting of creative minds during the seriesÕ short run; Hall's connection with Stevens and Daystar Productions through the series "Stoney Burke"; Stevens' wide network of associates and his expansive vision; StefanoÕs script-writing skills, which dispelled any reservations that the production crew initially felt about him as a substitute producer; the vision that Morheim and Stevens shared of a series in which drama and storytelling led the elements of science fiction; the dark and mysterious mood that Stefano contributed to the program through his writing and stage directions; LandauÕs long friendship with Stefano and the serendipitous casting that brought both him and actress Shirley Knight to the program; Hall and Landau's recent collaboration on a portion of the film "Sleepy Hollow"; and the way in which Schow came to develop his book, "The Outer Limits: The Official Companion." Next, panelists answer audience questions, leading to a discussion of the following topics, among others: Stevens' previous career as a playwright; the reasons for the series' name change from "Please Stand By" to "The Outer Limits"; changes in production style from the early days of television to the present day; differences between the original series and the new version of "The Outer Limits"; conflicts that the producers experienced regularly with the broadcast standards department concerning the controversial content of episodes such as "Feasibility Study" and "The Architects of Fear"; the unforseen difficulties in the casting of the episode "The Forms of Things Unknown"; the original scores produced by composer Dominic Frontiere; the effort of the series' writers to combine an uplifting message with chilling science-fiction stories; the last-minute cancellation of another pilot, "The Haunted," on which the panelists collaborated; the general budget of the program; and Hall's reasons for leaving television work for film. (This tape includes the episode "The Forms of Things Unknown," which is part of the Museum's collection and may also be viewed separately. See T:59555 for summary.)

Details

• NETWORK: Paley
• DATE: March 10, 2000 Friday 7:00 PM
• RUNNING TIME: 1:13:16
• COLOR/B&W: Color
• CATALOG ID: T:59674
• GENRE: Seminars
• SUBJECT HEADING: N/A
• SERIES RUN: N/A
• COMMERCIALS: N/A

CREDITS

• Ron Simon … Moderator
• Conrad Hall … Panelist
• Robert Justman … Panelist
• Martin Landau … Panelist
• Louis Morheim … Panelist
• David Schow … Panelist
• Joseph Stefano … Panelist
• Dominic Frontiere
• Shirley Knight
• Leslie Stevens