Controlled Experiment

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“Controlled Experiment”
The Outer Limits episode
Episode no. Season 1
Episode 16
Written by Leslie Stevens
Directed by Leslie Stevens
Guest stars Barry Morse
Carroll O’Connor
Grace Lee Whitney
Photographed by John M. Nickolaus
Production no. 6
Original airdate January 13, 1964
Episode chronology
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"The Mice" "Don’t Open Till Doomsday"
List of The Outer Limits episodes

"Controlled Experiment" is an episode of the original The Outer Limits television show. It first aired on 13 January 1964, during the first season.

Contents

[edit] Introduction

A martian controller is assigned to investigate the phenomenon of murder on Earth.

[edit] Opening Narration

"Who has not seen the dark corners of great cities, whose small and shabby creatures wander without purpose in the secret corners of the night? Without purpose? There are those whose purpose reaches far beyond our wildest dreams."

[edit] Plot

Martians are dispatched to Earth to investigate the concept of "Murder". Using a machine that can speed up time, slow it down, or stop it altogether, they review the same murder scene over and over, until something breaks.

[edit] Closing Narration

"Who knows? Perhaps the alteration of one small event may someday bring about the end of the world. But that someday is a long way off, and until then there is a good life to be lived in the here and now."

[edit] Trivia

  • This episode was shot as a pilot for a proposed series starring Carroll O'Connor and Barry Morse as two Martians sent to Earth to examine human life and experiences. CBS instead opted for the series My Favorite Martian with Ray Walston and Bill Bixby.
  • The episode makes considerable use of repeated footage. As the alien observers view events several times over the same footage is played forward and backward. This meant that less original footage than usual needed to be shot for the episode, thus reducing its budget.

[edit] Cast

[edit] External links