Ordeal on Locust Street

Unusual episode concerns the plight of the Parish Family, who frequently squabble amongst themselves because of the condition of Mrs. Parish's son Jason, who is suffering from an unknown disfigurement that leaves him resembling a scaly fish-man. Desperate, they contact a noted hypnotist named Brown(played by David Lewis) who claims that he can cure Jason by utilizing his untapped mind force, which can psychically heal his appearance, making him appear normal, though of course Mr. Parish remains skeptical, until the surprise reveal at the end... Though contains lots of talk without much action, this still retains viewer interest throughout.

The Parish family are hiding a secret, one they keep locked away, their son, Jason, who suffers from a rare skin condition. The family all have different views on what to do. Mrs Parish calls in Dr Edward Brown to help, a Doctor who was struck off.

It's an episode that looks and feels very different, you have to credit it for originality. When you think of the 1950's you think of all of those monster movies, Jason is presented as so much more, he's a sympathetic character, not just a monster locked in a room.

If you're like me, you'd have been waiting for the big reveal, that moment where we finally get to see Jason, I think that was the big disappointment for me.

We're not given a time frame, but in appearance it looks like it's set in The Victorian era, so in that instance it looks very good, and it's therefore easy to understand how and why hypnotherapy is hardly mainstream.

They could have gone a little further with this one, but it was pretty good.

6/10.

In a way, yes, it announces ELEPHANT MAN, and not only, because there were several films such as for instance Peter Bodganovich's MASK; actually social dramas, psychological dramas to be more accurate. Such tales are sometimes hard to watch because disturbing, painful for most audiences. It is moving for sure and the mesmerizing, eerie element emphasizes the powerful side of the message. It is an above average episode, that brings something new in the TV series dedicated to fantasy and unexplained - paranormal - tales. However, the resolution may seem too simple, it could have been more "sophisticated", because here it seems to have been made too quickly, only to finish the story. But I highly recommend this episode, despite this small flaw.

In what looks like it could be the early 1900s, Boston mother Augusta Dabney (as Margaret Parish) frets over son "Jason" who suffers from a horrifying condition - he is s a scaly half-human, half-fish "Creature from the Black Lagoon" who must be kept hidden from public view. Mostly, "Jason" stays in his locked room, and reads. Too bad shapely sister Suzanne Lloyd (as Anna) doesn't keep an eye on beau James Kirkwood Jr. (as Danny), because Mr. Kirkwood sees "Jason" through a window, and heads for the hills.

Desperate, Ms. Dabney contacts Irish parapsychologist David Lewis (as Edward Brown), despite the misgivings of doubting husband Bart Burns (as George Parish). With a great cast and intriguing story, this is an enjoyable episode of "One Step Beyond". James Kirkwood Jr. and Gary Campbell have rare appearances. As it is set in the past, host John Newland's scripted pronouncements about the story's accuracy are relatively unobtrusive. The main weakness in plot concerns the fishy use of hypnosis as a cure.

***** Ordeal on Locust Street (9/22/59) John Newland ~ Augusta Dabney, David Lewis, Suzanne Lloyd, Bart Burns