The Outer Limits

And I think it's important to say black and white because the black and white is so crisp and so clear and really elevates the show.

The Outer Limits, an episode of The Outer Limits called Demon with a Glass Hand, written by Harlan Ellison.

All these shows, we can just call them shows generically, deal with some version of AI, right? So in 2001, we have the unknowability if Hal is alive, right? Does he have genuine emotion? Now, in the context of 2001, which is all about birth and the transformation of species, you could make the argument that he is alive, right? Because in 2001, again, spoilers for all these films.

So in 2001... we have the birth of basically a proto-human, right? So we see the creation of a creature that can use tools, right? The ape interacts with the monolith, and then it gets to use a tool.

really

interests me.

And here I want to talk about this 1964 episode of The Outer Limits, Demon with a Glass Hand.

Written by Harlan Ellison.

Don't let the boys see.

So this also bears many similarities to an episode of The Outer Limits entitled Soldier from 1964.

Did Harlan Ellison write it?

Funny you should mention that, because, uh, this one was about an individual raised by the state to be an unemotional warrior who develops feelings and love and desire to protect his new family.

But I think we see more of... kind of the relationship factor of this, of tragedy, like a Phantom of the Opera.

It almost reminded me of, oh my God, what was it? I think it was 1963, The Outer Limits.

There was an episode that kind of did the same thing, where it was, I think, days of, oh my God, I'm brain farting.

Hundred Days of the Dragon that I think really will tap into old school horror.

But just the way they produced it, things that had nothing to do with – you know, sociology and social justice and diversity and all that, just the way they filmed the show, because they needed crazy, they needed new solutions for far-out problems.

And the way you were talking about that monster suit, I mean, we'd had The Outer Limits, we'd had Twilight Zone, there had been other shows where they had, and Lost in Space.

But you had to have a mind open to finding new solutions and new ways to do that.

Now, you had to come in and before you filmed, you had to go in and get a fitting, right? I mean, they measured you.

No, first time... first time was in 78, yeah, with the band, you know, going to Irving Plaza and stuff.

So it was all exciting because, you know, we grew up with Columbo and Kojak, seeing the steam and the, you know, and Top Cat, the cartoons, you know, with the fire hydrants and, you know, and, you know, over here we have the, and growing up with all the films, you know, and, and the James Neans, and the Humphrey Bogarts, and, you know, I remember watching The Untouchables as a kid, and The Outer Limits, which was all in our American psyche, you know, it was like, that's what American was, you know, so it was very exciting to come, and, um, I think I read somewhere by somebody, you've got to be bigger.

Everything's bigger in America.

So when we came there, we rocked out more.

and there's a there's and and one and a half car lengths ahead is another ad and you're just crawling through ad after ad yeah

I just watched an episode of The Old Outer Limits, and speaking of eating goop, there was basically what was supposed to be a prisoner exchange between Earth and this other planet.

And come to find out that the alien from the other planet was actually a scientist trying to figure out if their food supplies could grow on Earth.

And it was just a bunch of goop.

Writer Harlan Ellison.

So he wrote on the Outer Limits TV series from the 60s.

He sued Cameron, claiming that he loved the film, but he thought the story plagiarized two episodes of the Outer Limits.

that he had written.

One episode was called Soldier that came out in 64, and one episode was called Demon with a Glass Hand that came out in 64.

script that's bare like and it is the terminated, that to me is plagiarism.

But taking elements from all these different things and putting them together to make a new fresh thing, I don't know, man.

Plus, The Outer Limits was probably like a half-hour TV show in the 60s.