Way Out
Encyclopedia
'Way Out was a 1961 fantasy and science fiction
television anthology series hosted by writer Roald Dahl
. The macabre 25-minute shows were introduced by Dahl's dry delivery of a brief introductory monologue, sometimes explaining a method of murdering a spouse without getting caught.
The taped series began because CBS
suddenly needed a replacement for a short-lived Jackie Gleason
talk show
that network executives were going to cancel, and producer David Susskind
contacted Dahl to help mount a show quickly. The series was paired by the network with the similar The Twilight Zone
for Friday evening broadcasts, running from March through July 1961 at 9:30 p.m. Eastern time, under the primary sponsorship of Liggett & Myers (L&M
cigarettes). Writers included Philip H. Reisman, Jr. and Sumner Locke Elliott
.
The premiere episode, William and Mary, adapted from a Roald Dahl short story, told of a wife getting revenge on her husband.
In Dissolve to Black, an actress (Kathleen Widdoes
) cast as a murder victim at a television studio goes through a rehearsal, but the drama merges with reality as she finds herself trapped on the show's near-deserted set. Other dramas offered startling imagery: a snake slithering up a carpeted staircase inside a suburban home, a disembodied brain in a jar (William and Mary), a headless woman strapped to an electric chair, with a light bulb in place of her head (Side Show) and half of a man's face erased (Soft Focus).
Other actors on the series included Martin Balsam
, Michael Conrad
, Mildred Dunnock
, Murray Hamilton
, Martin Huston
, Mark Lenard
, Kevin McCarthy
, Barry Morse
, Richard Thomas
, Doris Roberts
, and Fritz Weaver
.
Critical notices at the time were extremely good, especially for Dahl's comedic commentaries. While the series garnered high ratings in urban areas, it fared poorly in the hinterlands and was canceled after 14 episodes.
The show was one of the last weekly dramatic television series produced in New York City
. Only five episodes have ever turned up on [bootleg] videocassettes and none on DVD, but the entire run is available for viewing at The Paley Center for Media in New York
and Los Angeles
. The episodes are owned by Susskind's estate.
Dahl later hosted an anthology series called Tales of the Unexpected
on British television beginning in 1979.
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0500767/, 31 March 1961 (written by Roald Dahl
)
Episode 2: The Down Car, 7 April 1961
Episode 3: The Sisters, 14 April 1961
Episode 4: Button, Button, 28 April 1961
Episode 5: I Heard You Calling Me, 5 May 1961
Episode 6: The Croaker, 12 May 1961
Episode 7: False Face, 26 May 1961 (written by Larry Cohen
)
Episode 8: Dissolve to Black, 2 June 1961
Episode 9: Death Wish, 9 June 1961
Episode 10: The Overnight Case, 16 June 1961
Episode 11: Hush-Hush, 23 June 1961
Episode 12: Side Show, 30 June 1961 (written by Elliott Baker
)
Episode 13: Soft Focus, 7 July 1961
Episode 14: 20/20, 14 July 1961
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
television anthology series hosted by writer Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl was a British novelist, short story writer, fighter pilot and screenwriter.Born in Wales to Norwegian parents, he served in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, in which he became a flying ace and intelligence agent, rising to the rank of Wing Commander...
. The macabre 25-minute shows were introduced by Dahl's dry delivery of a brief introductory monologue, sometimes explaining a method of murdering a spouse without getting caught.
The taped series began because CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
suddenly needed a replacement for a short-lived Jackie Gleason
You're in the Picture
You're in the Picture is an American television game show that aired on CBS for only one episode on Friday, January 20, 1961 at 9:30pm, the evening of the Inauguration of John F. Kennedy....
talk show
Talk show
A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
that network executives were going to cancel, and producer David Susskind
David Susskind
David Susskind was a producer of TV, movies, and stage plays and also a pioneer TV talk show host.-Personal:...
contacted Dahl to help mount a show quickly. The series was paired by the network with the similar The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone is an American television anthology series created by Rod Serling. Each episode is a mixture of self-contained drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist...
for Friday evening broadcasts, running from March through July 1961 at 9:30 p.m. Eastern time, under the primary sponsorship of Liggett & Myers (L&M
L&M
Created by the company Liggett & Myers in 1953, L&M is a brand of cigarettes produced by Altria Group, Inc. . "L&M" is one of the earliest, perhaps the earliest brand to have a filter that was not a one sided filter...
cigarettes). Writers included Philip H. Reisman, Jr. and Sumner Locke Elliott
Sumner Locke Elliott
Sumner Locke Elliott was an Australian novelist.-Biography:Elliott was born in Sydney to the writer Helena Sumner Locke and the journalist Henry Logan Elliott. His mother died of eclampsia one day after his birth...
.
The premiere episode, William and Mary, adapted from a Roald Dahl short story, told of a wife getting revenge on her husband.
In Dissolve to Black, an actress (Kathleen Widdoes
Kathleen Widdoes
-Life and career:Widdoes was born in Wilmington, Delaware, the daughter of Bernice and Eugene Widdoes. Widdoes moved to New York City to pursue stage work and studied at the Sorbonne in Paris under a Fulbright scholarship. From 1964 to 1972 she was married to well known actor Richard Jordan, with...
) cast as a murder victim at a television studio goes through a rehearsal, but the drama merges with reality as she finds herself trapped on the show's near-deserted set. Other dramas offered startling imagery: a snake slithering up a carpeted staircase inside a suburban home, a disembodied brain in a jar (William and Mary), a headless woman strapped to an electric chair, with a light bulb in place of her head (Side Show) and half of a man's face erased (Soft Focus).
Other actors on the series included Martin Balsam
Martin Balsam
Martin Henry Balsam was an American actor. He is known for his Oscar-winning role as "Arnold Burns" in A Thousand Clowns and his role as "Detective Milton Arbogast" in Psycho.- Early life :...
, Michael Conrad
Michael Conrad
Michael Conrad was an American television actor.-Career:Conrad had a long acting career in television from the 1950s to the 1980s...
, Mildred Dunnock
Mildred Dunnock
Mildred Dunnock was an American theater, film and television actress.- Early life :Born in Baltimore, Maryland and graduated from Western Senior High School, Dunnock was a school teacher who did not start acting until she was in her early thirties...
, Murray Hamilton
Murray Hamilton
Murray Hamilton was an American stage, screen, and television actor who appeared in such memorable films as The Hustler, The Graduate and Jaws.-Early life:...
, Martin Huston
Martin Huston
Martin W. Huston, also known as Marty Huston , was an American actor of primarily television and stage....
, Mark Lenard
Mark Lenard
Mark Lenard was an American actor, primarily in television.-Biography:Lenard was born Leonard Rosenson in Chicago, Illinois, the son of a Russian Jewish immigrant, Abraham, and his wife, Bessie...
, Kevin McCarthy
Kevin McCarthy (actor)
Kevin McCarthy was an American stage, film, and television actor, who appeared in over two hundred television and film roles. For his role in the 1951 film version of Death of a Salesman, he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and won a Golden Globe Award for New Star of...
, Barry Morse
Barry Morse
Herbert "Barry" Morse was an Anglo-Canadian actor of stage, screen, and radio best known for his roles in the ABC television series The Fugitive and the British sci-fi drama Space: 1999...
, Richard Thomas
Richard Thomas (actor)
Richard Earl Thomas is an American actor, best known for his role as budding author John-Boy Walton in the CBS drama The Waltons.- Early life :Thomas was born Richard Earl Thomas in New York,...
, Doris Roberts
Doris Roberts
Doris Roberts is an American character actress of film, stage and television. She has received five Emmy Awards. She began her career in 1952, and may be best-known as Marie Barone on Everybody Loves Raymond from 1996–2005....
, and Fritz Weaver
Fritz Weaver
Fritz William Weaver is an American actor and voice actor.-Life and career:Weaver was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the son of Elsa W. and John Carson Weaver. His mother was of Italian descent and his father was a social worker from Pittsburgh. Weaver attended Peabody High School...
.
Critical notices at the time were extremely good, especially for Dahl's comedic commentaries. While the series garnered high ratings in urban areas, it fared poorly in the hinterlands and was canceled after 14 episodes.
The show was one of the last weekly dramatic television series produced in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. Only five episodes have ever turned up on [bootleg] videocassettes and none on DVD, but the entire run is available for viewing at The Paley Center for Media in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
and Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. The episodes are owned by Susskind's estate.
Dahl later hosted an anthology series called Tales of the Unexpected
Tales of the Unexpected (TV series)
Tales of the Unexpected is a British television series originally aired between 1979 and 1988, made by Anglia Television for ITV. Filming began in 1978.The series was an anthology of different tales...
on British television beginning in 1979.
Episode list
Episode 1: William and MaryWilliam and Mary (short story)
"William and Mary" is a short story by Roald Dahl, included in his 1960 collection Kiss Kiss. It was later adapted into episodes of Way Out and Tales of the Unexpected.-Plot summary:...
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0500767/, 31 March 1961 (written by Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl was a British novelist, short story writer, fighter pilot and screenwriter.Born in Wales to Norwegian parents, he served in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, in which he became a flying ace and intelligence agent, rising to the rank of Wing Commander...
)
Episode 2: The Down Car, 7 April 1961
Episode 3: The Sisters, 14 April 1961
Episode 4: Button, Button, 28 April 1961
Episode 5: I Heard You Calling Me, 5 May 1961
Episode 6: The Croaker, 12 May 1961
Episode 7: False Face, 26 May 1961 (written by Larry Cohen
Larry Cohen
Lawrence G. "Larry" Cohen is an American film producer, director, and screenwriter. He is best known as a B-Movie auteur of horror and science fiction films - often containing a police procedural element - during 1970s and 1980s...
)
Episode 8: Dissolve to Black, 2 June 1961
Episode 9: Death Wish, 9 June 1961
Episode 10: The Overnight Case, 16 June 1961
Episode 11: Hush-Hush, 23 June 1961
Episode 12: Side Show, 30 June 1961 (written by Elliott Baker
Elliott Baker
Elliott Baker , born Elliot Joseph Cohen, was a screenwriter and novelist.Baker was born in Buffalo, New York, and graduated from Indiana University. He was the author of the comic novel A Fine Madness, which was published in 1964 by G.P. Putnam's Sons...
)
Episode 13: Soft Focus, 7 July 1961
Episode 14: 20/20, 14 July 1961
External links
- Filmfax: Way Out
- IMDb: Way Out
- TV.com: Way Out
- Tales of the Unexpected in the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- Roald Dahl Books & Writers page