tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8535833613343533564.post1673067807971056803..comments2024-03-13T23:42:41.022-07:00Comments on We Are Controlling Transmission: Spotlight on "The Guests"John Scolerihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15830334036783163702noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8535833613343533564.post-3677032515804178062023-06-25T10:25:00.924-07:002023-06-25T10:25:00.924-07:00If only I knew early enough that David Schow had p...If only I knew early enough that David Schow had planned to publish another "Outer Limits at" edition I would have tweeted him my requests for new material. Locations: Have you ever wondered where some episodes were filmed? I think Schow had mentioned that most of the interior shots were done inside what was called Metromedia Square, a large building where Brady Bunch episodes were also filmed. Sadly, it was torn down to build a private school. But what of the exterior shots? Actually, lots of those were also done indoors-on the Paramount soundstage, and huge place where much of Star Trek was done. But what about the real outdoor action, like that night scene in "Keeper" showing Janet Lane's house before Ikar appears inside and the closing and opening scenes of the aerial shot of that building. Laurel Canyon? Or the exterior locations and shots of the house in "Guests". And I've also always wanted to know why the sound quality of Outer Limits was considerably poorer than that of "Stoney Burke", the show Leslie Stevens had produced the year prior. If you have the ShoutFactory DVD set of that show, Frontiere's music has WAY more dynamics than what you'll ever hear on any of the Outer Limits DVDs-or even the Kino BD edition. Why was this? Greghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12007548640789388359noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8535833613343533564.post-89033293793474443992019-01-24T05:50:25.184-08:002019-01-24T05:50:25.184-08:00As to voices in the burial ground. A few words fro...As to voices in the burial ground. A few words from one man, the last two words are "animal upstairs". Is it true that they were looking at shooting the shots for the animal scene upstairs? The initial two words seem like "creeping thing" yet are not exactly that. The words may really be a name of somebody. Can any other person hear it out and tell?Capital onehttps://www.getmyoffersonline.com/getmyoffers-capital-one/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8535833613343533564.post-89197559610644611292019-01-22T20:27:58.346-08:002019-01-22T20:27:58.346-08:00One of my favorite Outer Limits episode. The blac...One of my favorite Outer Limits episode. The black and white jagged angles and darks and lights did remind me a lot of German Expressionism as John Kenneth Muir suggests. The dark, pitiless abyss of the house (as the brain of the inquisitive, yet merciless creature) certainly does conjure images of 1920's German filmmaking. Still, insert elements of humanity in the form of Wade and Tess's love for each other and willingness to self-sacrifice and one has the most powerful elements of the overall theme. The cruelty of Ethel Latimer, narcissism of Florinda Patten, and the detached humor of Randall Latimer all fade away with the monstrosity of the alien presence in the end, when Wade Norton realizes what is truly important. Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08715933810025349198noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8535833613343533564.post-47646455335732558702017-09-03T01:05:47.230-07:002017-09-03T01:05:47.230-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.john kenrickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00710666533854296630noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8535833613343533564.post-50048905264399486652012-12-12T20:41:42.686-08:002012-12-12T20:41:42.686-08:00I'm glad someone has commented on the voices i...I'm glad someone has commented on the voices in the cemetary, even though I'm still as unsure of what's being said as I was before. I'd like to listen again, though.<br /><br />I have my own version of a "Thought it was a movie; caught it as a rerun," which is Forms of Things Unknown. I saw the murder scene late one night, and assuned it was a spooky MOVIE. Grantnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8535833613343533564.post-62434904079425895312012-04-02T00:23:54.837-07:002012-04-02T00:23:54.837-07:00Regarding the voices in the cemetery. Several word...Regarding the voices in the cemetery. Several words from one man, the last two words are "creature upstairs". Were they talking about shooting the shots for the creature scene upstairs? The first two words sound like "crawling thing" but are not quite that. The words may actually be a name of someone. Can anyone else listen to it and tell?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8535833613343533564.post-28505183608159517362012-02-24T12:48:48.979-08:002012-02-24T12:48:48.979-08:00I had some visions of this episode from when I was...I had some visions of this episode from when I was a child in the 70's, but I had thought it was a movie. I asked elsewhere and was told it was OL The Guests. I verified the response was correct. I must have caught a rerun - couldn't have seen it in 64. Anyway, a long mystery solved.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8535833613343533564.post-68336020761023975172011-02-10T08:47:19.315-08:002011-02-10T08:47:19.315-08:00Hello everyone,
I love reading these comments, as...Hello everyone,<br /><br />I love reading these comments, as you all bring new insights and vast experience to analyzing The Outer Limits, and a reading of this singular episode, "The Guests." <br /><br />Most of all, however, I am truly thrilled to have found kindred spirits who enjoy this episode as much as I do. "The Guests" isn't a "signature" or "trademark" OL episode in any traditional sense, but I believe it is one of the top 5 in the canon, as some commenters suggested yesterday. <br /><br />Between the tense heart-beat music, the clash of generations, and the surreal visuals (not to mention claustrophobic interior space...), "The Guests" really strikes on all cylinders; at least for me. I often wish more TV could be this daring, or off the beaten path.<br /><br />Thank you for all contributing your own spotlights to this one.<br /><br />best,<br />John K. MuirJohn Kenneth Muirhttp://reflectionsonfilmandtelevision.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8535833613343533564.post-71236035057353152682011-02-10T00:40:29.170-08:002011-02-10T00:40:29.170-08:00Thank you John. A very interesting analysis. So Mu...Thank you John. A very interesting analysis. So Much food for thought in this episode. I had never thought of it in it's cultural/ historical context that you point out here. It seems to mean many different things to different people. Despite the best efforts of other OL's, none seem to be able to quite dislodge The Guests as my favourite.Jim Barwisehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06621993116774388708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8535833613343533564.post-43334235605630910862011-02-09T23:33:23.035-08:002011-02-09T23:33:23.035-08:00John--
A compelling and insightful commentary. Yo...John--<br /><br />A compelling and insightful commentary. Your perspective actually helps dissect the collective brain of the folks that created this show and its main character during what historian John Margolis called "The Last Innocent Year - 1964."<br /><br />The character of Wade is something rather unusual for TOL-- a thoughtful, laid-back, sensitive sort that is remarkably free of angst, anger, and any trace of hostility. Instead, there's an ethereal, benign quality to him that I find intriguing, and Geoffrey Horne had EXACTLY the actor's temperament to bring these qualities to life. He's very much his own guy, but obviously not on a mission to tear the world apart; he "drifts" in an understated, contemplative and soulful way.<br /><br />The leather jacket, shades and vintage convertible neatly embody this inconspicuous crusader, caught, as you point out, in his own social/cultural/historic netherworld between '50's BEAT and 60's Hippie.<br />And it's his instinctive kindness towards and concern for the ancient Burt Mustin that propels him into the netherworld of the brain-mansion, where the lyrical, surreal and deliberately paced drama unfolds.<br /><br />I just watched Horne in his screen debut in "River Kwai"; he was featured in John Willis' Screen World "Promising Personalities" of 1957; too bad he never really reached his potential in films. (Incidentally, I have very few problems with the much-maligned TZ "The Gift" in which he stars, an episode whose merits FAR outweigh its liabilities, in my opinion).<br /><br />Again, thanks for a fascinating read.Lary Rapchaknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8535833613343533564.post-87745135532280225542011-02-09T18:08:25.183-08:002011-02-09T18:08:25.183-08:00A fresh, welcome perspective on an episode that re...A fresh, welcome perspective on an episode that rewards contemplation, John. You illuminate how the convergence of two distinct periods in time (and two genres, for want of a better word) gives "The Guests" its depth and at least a portion of its uneasy edge, and I understand better why this one keeps me coming back. Bravo.<br /><br /><i>The Outer Limits</i> came at an amazing time in history, and the dissatisfaction with the old and impatience for something truly new come through strong here, as they do more obliquely in "The Chameleon"; the fact that Wade isn't decked out in the network-TV version of beatnik garb gives it credibility, as DJS points out, as does his disarming earnestness and restless charm. Knowing in hindsight what was coming culturally gives his exit in the last scene an extra dimension, and its tempting to think the artists responsible had a glimmer.<br /><br />At the very least, I have to wonder if Sanford (like Stefano) was in therapy at the time -- the upstairs creature's "sessions," which the guests fear yet also look forward to, are a grotesque, near-violent amplification of the process ("Bring your brain here!"). In that way the lack of Control Voice bookends is even more apt, as if to say, "You've had your 55 minutes, go make of it what you will."<br /><br />Anyway, thanks again for an insightful spotlight.Mark Holcombnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8535833613343533564.post-58138215229120737072011-02-09T17:28:45.867-08:002011-02-09T17:28:45.867-08:00I have several of John Kenneth Muir's books an...I have several of John Kenneth Muir's books and especially like the studies of such series as One Step Beyond, Doctor Who, Space 1999, Battlestar Galactica, Blake's Seven,etc. TERROR TELEVISION is a favorite of mine. <br /><br />But I especially want to draw attention to how valuable some of these "spotlights" and comments are in pointing out interesting themes. For instance, when I finished watching "The Guests", I thought it was good and an entertaining show. But thanks to spotlights like this one and the comments by all concerned, I'm rethinking my overall reaction and will have to watch this again because I now think it is more than just "good".Walker Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16089880902426182100noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8535833613343533564.post-4792548149229499642011-02-09T17:04:36.479-08:002011-02-09T17:04:36.479-08:00Deeply intuitive analysis of a fascinating and com...Deeply intuitive analysis of a fascinating and complex episode, John, one that might too easily be dismissed by the short-sighted as pointlessly simplistic. ("What's the missing factor in the equation that might assure man of a hopeful destiny? LOVE, of course! Well, DUH...!")<br /><br />You could approach this stylish tale from a number of framework standpoints and not lose its message of individualism and self-determination being paramount: The Brain is an alien solving an intriguing puzzle; or a slumbering intellect assembling the factors of one; it's a god pondering judgment; or it's a troubled human dreamer---Wade himself, or another trying on his profile---conducting a surreal self-examination born of guilt.<br /><br />The gothic framework could be interpreted in many ways without compromising the richness of the clash of generational psyches you so persuasively propose.<br /><br />A prodigious piece of associational insight, John.Ted Rypelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8535833613343533564.post-44506957619792814902011-02-09T16:54:20.077-08:002011-02-09T16:54:20.077-08:00As none other than George Carlin pointed out, if y...As none other than George Carlin pointed out, if you were hip, then beatniks were passe by 1959 ... but that cultural time-keeping doesn't account for the percolation of Beat philosophy into commercial television storytelling. This makes the "On the Road" flavor of Wade more bold for the time, when the alternative was Maynard G. Krebs. Overall, a fascinating and thought-provoking perspective on this episode — one I don't think has ever been fully addressed until now. <br /><br />Interested parties are also referred to WILD WILD WEST's "Night of the Man-Eating House," by John Kneubuhl, for a slightly different spin on the basic idea.DJSnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8535833613343533564.post-21481743514837358042011-02-09T16:11:36.355-08:002011-02-09T16:11:36.355-08:00Thank you both for commenting so thoughtfully on m...Thank you both for commenting so thoughtfully on my piece concerning "The Guests."<br /><br />Gary Gerani: It is funny to think about, isn't it? The Outer Limits arriving after the Beat Generation but before the Hippies; sort of a time of neither/nor in the Counterculture, a time of relative calm between two storms. I also agree with you that "The Guests" works well without narration, in part because the visuals are so startling. You just don't need the words here, because the images we leave "The Guests" on are so powerful.<br /><br />Larry Blaimire: Thank you for the kind words as well. I would have loved to talk with Sanford about "The Guests" and get to the bottom of the story's genesis. What was the creative process that led him to this tale of souls trapped outside of time? Direct, or as you say, a wander "through his own subconscious?" I'd love to know; but either way I'm overjoyed that he gave us such a surreal and thoughtful marriage of the literary traditions of the Gothic and Beat poets.<br /><br />All my best to you both,<br />John Kenneth MuirJohn Kenneth Muirhttp://reflectionsonfilmandtelevision.blogpost.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8535833613343533564.post-39299944150270936642011-02-09T15:02:43.237-08:002011-02-09T15:02:43.237-08:00Thanks for a very thoughtful and precise essay; a ...Thanks for a very thoughtful and precise essay; a fascinating angle on this wonderful and resonant episode. Since Sanford denied any "deep, subtle meanings" as he called it, I guess we'll never know whether he arrived at a juncture of Beat and Gothic by direct route, or by simply wandering through his own subconscious (has ever a show evoked more surreality than OL?).<br /><br />Thanks for a terrific read!Larry Blamirenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8535833613343533564.post-59137983664548268262011-02-09T14:50:20.285-08:002011-02-09T14:50:20.285-08:00Fascinating analysis, John. Interesting to note t...Fascinating analysis, John. Interesting to note that OL's looking back somewhat to the "Beat Generation" was in actually looking forward to the anti-establishment '60s Hippie movement, which was just a few years away. The Tess/"Rappacchini's Daughter" connection is also a cool insight. BTW, always felt the absence of narration worked beautifully for an episode this peculiar... peculiar even for THE OUTER LIMITS!Gary Geraninoreply@blogger.com