OL Episode #5 – The Sixth Finger

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OL Episode #5 – The Sixth Finger

Postby Lunkenstein on January 31st, 2006, 6:10 pm

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Original Airdate: October 14, 1963

Ah yes, here’s a very famous entry, a fan favorite and a great one at that. David McCallum stars as Gwyllm Griffiths, an ex-miner who is transformed into the man of the future thanks to Professor Mathers, played by Edward Mulhare. Another well written piece with an intense performance from McCallum. Like many OL’s, the acting and casting are major pluses. And this episode features superb makeup. The various stages of development are stunningly crafted and effective. Still looks great, even by today’s standards. McCallum’s final transition was one of the coolest entries in the original Outer Limits bubble gum card series of the 60’s. It was one we all hoped to get when purchasing the packs back then. I wonder... could I still have some of those lurking in an old shoe box somewhere? Hmm, some day I’ll look for em.

Viewing this ep today, the premise may seem a bit simple (if not fantastic), but the production remains fascinating. Maybe Darwin the monkey doesn’t necessarily hold up well, though his presence doesn’t hamper anything. When Gwyllm comes out of the shadows in his last stage, it’s a classic scene and simply says THIS IS WHAT OL IS ABOUT. Also way cool is when he KA-POWS the Professor through the air and back to the wall with a blinding thought. I feel that David really shines in the final scene. The drained look on his face speaks much, and at the same time makes you wonder how it could possibly feel to go from that kind of intellect back to his original state. How could anyone accept that scenario? A truly mind-blowing journey.

David McCallum returned in ep “The Forms of Things Unknown”. And of course played Illya Kuryakin in “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.” [Man, it’s been decades since I’ve seen any of those]. He also played in an ep from the New Outer Limits. Ironically, it was a remake of an old Outer Limits which he was not in, “A Feasibility Study”. A personal sidenote: I got to see David perform in a play in Philadelphia back around 1974. It was really cool. My old girlfriend kept thinking Illya, while I kept picturing Gwyllm.

I now return control of the posting to you. Is this series great or what?


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