One Step Beyond Trivia Quiz

Answer: January 20, 1959

The first episode aired on January 20, 1959 and was called "The Bride Possessed." It starred Virginia Leith and Skip Homeier, and dealt with deja vu and reincarnation.

Answer: 3

The last show aired on July 4, 1961. There were a total of 97 episodes produced. Some sources say 96, but I counted them, and there are 97.

Answer: Alcoa Aluminum

Alcoa was the show's sponsor throughout its run. During its first season, the title of the show was "Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond."

Answer: John Newland

John Newland (November 23, 1917 - January 10, 2000) enjoyed a long and successful career as an actor, director and producer. He not only hosted the program, he directed all of the episodes and appeared as an actor in many of them. He was an Emmy nominee for Best Actor in 1953 for his work in "Kraft Television Theatre."

Answer: The episodes were based on true events

One thing that made "One Step Beyond" incredibly spooky is that all the episodes were based true events. Sometimes they were rather loosely based on the truth, and a lot of liberties were taken for dramatic effect, but they can still make my skin crawl.

Answer: The sinking of the Titanic

It's amazing how many people had premonitions about the Titanic sinking. Why this particular event caused so much psychic activity remains a mystery.

Answer: Peter Hurkos

Peter Hurkos (May 21, 1911 - June 1, 1988) was born in Holland. He claimed to have acquired psychic powers as a result of a head injury due to a fall from a ladder at age 30. Many people doubted his claims and denounced him as a fraud.
His powers were tested by scientists with varying results. Hurkos liked publicity and appeared on many television programs. Were his powers real, or was he merely a successful charlatan? There's evidence for both points of view.

Answer: All of these

Warren Beatty appeared in "The Visitor;" Charles Bronson in "The Last Round;" and William Shatner in "The Promise." Other then-unknown actors who appeared on the series include Elizabeth Montgomery, Yvette Mimieux, Ted Knight, Pernell Roberts and Suzanne Pleshette.

Answer: True

In the third season there was a show called "The Magic Mushroom." In it, the cast went to Mexico to interview a local witch doctor or "brujo," to investigate psilocybin mushrooms. John Newland actually ate two mushrooms and explained to the audience what he was feeling, and underwent tests to see if they improved his psychic abilities.

This was not illegal at the time; the mushrooms were not outlawed in the United States until 1971.

Answer: ABC

The show appeared on ABC. DuMont ceased broadcasting in 1956, leaving only three networks in operation: ABC, NBC, and CBS. There wasn't much variety in the days before cable! ABC stands for the American Broadcasting Corporation.