Demon with a Glass Hand

I'm the eldest son of the Assistant to the Producer of this episode of The Outer Limits. It is in my opinion one of the best episodes he was involved in (the last year of production). The show aired Saturday night on ABC. On the Monday morning following the show, the phone in the producer's office rang and my father answered it. The voice identified himself as Ray Bradbury and asked to speak to Ben Brady the producer. My father at first thought it was a joke. It wasn't. Ray Bradbury told Ben Brady that he had watched the show on Saturday night and wanted him to know how much he enjoyed it. Not a bad sci-fi recommend I would think. Harlon Ellison (writer) also called Ben Brady and demanded his name be removed from "that piece of S***!" My father said Ben calmed him down, a little.

Please remember when you watch the original (B&W)Outer Limits that the budget was very limited $100k an episode I think. And that was for everything. So the aliens in this episode wore bathing caps and the "set" was the old Bradbury building in downtown LA. Shot the entire thing in one night. At least the run around the stairs, elevator scenes. For what it was and when it was done, it pretty good.

People occasionally ask,"do you know where the glass hand is?" I do not. I doubt it exists today. Most props are made in multiples, I would imagine there was more than one, and based on the budget limitations of the time, probably returned to a pop rental company. One more piece of trivia - the 1964 season of Outer Limits was shot at what was then called The Executive Producers Studio on Sunset Blvd. That is the original location where Al Jolson's The Jazz Singer (the first talking motion picture)was shot, and they had preserved the original stage he used. The studio has gone through several changes of ownership/function, its now called Sunset Bronson Studios. I had many a good craft services meal there (Dad hated to cook.)

An astonishing episode. I've seen dozens of Outer Limits eps and really had no idea one could be as intriguing, profound, and even tragic as this. I've now watched it a second time and the plot was as gripping as the first, plus a lot of details stand in clearer relief now. It certainly doesn't lack for atmosphere either!

No need to belabor the details of the narrative (others have completed that task) but in my view this ep redeems the entire series. It's made with the quality and care one normally associates with motion pictures, and the storyline and theme stand the test of time quite well, unlike so much sci-fi and fantasy-fi from the era.

A pleasant surprise, highly recommended.

PS: Don't read any spoilers!

I met Robert Culp in 2010 at the Palm Springs Film Noir Festival. He had white hair, but was still unmistakable.

He was having dinner and was rather angry I interrupted. I said, "Mr. Culp. please forgive me for interrupting you dinner, but this is probably the only chance I'll have to get an autograph." I guess my humble tone of voice was enough to calm his anger. I didn't mention "I Spy," or "Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice," which everyone thought would make him a star. I said "the one thing I've never forgotten was your performance in "The Demon With A Glad Hand." He replied "Oh, yes." Then he looked up at me rather pensively--thinking I was going to start a long conversation. I had already been told not to do that. I said "Thank you Mr. Culp, I love your work," and walked away. He evidently had a short fuse and I wasn't going to provoke a scene. Ten stars for "The Demon" and ten stars for the man.

Robert Culp with an oddball hand is chased by oddball villains.

Please don't "not useful" me for saying this, but for decades I hated this hour! The look of the guys in masks, the hand, some story elements, it just turned me off!!!!!!!!!! But now I love it!!

I will never know why some Limits shows require added screenings before they really grow on you??

Yes, I agree with the other posters, this is a knockout and one of the best episodes of the series. Too bad the writer was not totally pleased with the end product, but who cares, I love it, and so do most others. Perhaps the best thing Robert Culp ever did.

I beg you to remember that this was written when most TV fans thought of science fiction as Buck Rogers or Flash Gorgon. The ideas and concepts were way ahead of their time for TV. Today we laugh at the special effects and Cosme's but also remember that TOL was made on a very tight budget. lighting effects and camera angles were used with he music to try and add the confused feeling that Trent and Consuelo were enduring. All in all it worked by 60's standards.

You can poke holes or take exception to certain issues that were not addressed but hey, they only had an hour (about 48 minutes without commercials). All in all I feel this is one of the most ingenious and in some ways eerie plots in early TV scifi. It has rightfully earned its place in the hearts of scifi fans.