THE OUTER LIMITS / "The Sixth Finger" Season 1 Episode 5 - 1963

This is my last Halloween Countdown Treat this year... In our story, a scientist experimenting with speeding up human evolution hires an uneducated, but bright, young man from the nearby Welsh mining town. He proves a devoted lab assistant, but, not content to stick to animal subjects, his evolution is sped up and he becomes a super genius with six fingers and a huge cranium. But with these powers, what might he be able to do with them?

This classic TV episode stars David (THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.) McCallum, Jill (THE MUTATIONS) Haworth, Edward (OUR MAN FLINT) Mulhare, Nora (KITTEN WITH A WHIP) Marlowe, Robert (ALLIGATOR) Doyle and Constance (MR. SARDONICUS) Cavendish.

Here's Professor Mathers in his lab, he's working on a machine that can increase or decrease the evolution timeline in animals...

The Professor needs a lab assistant so Cathy brings him Gwyllim, a young mine worker who was just fired from his job. After a few questions, the Professor hires him as his assistant.

Gwyllim's intrigued by Darwin, the Professor's little ape. He can fix electronic equipment among other things, that is, after being evolved by Mathers.

Here's Gwyllim, all cleaned up and in his official lab assistant garb. He has convinced the Professor to let him try out the machine, he wants to be evolved. So, after his time in the chamber, Gwyllim exits a new person, he has evolved 40,000 years into the future! At this point, Gwyllim can read minds!

He suddenly has an urge to acquire knowledge and goes on a book reading binge, he comes across some sheet music and it isn't long before he's a pro at playing the harpsichord...

David's father was first violinist for the London Philharmonic, and his mother was a cellist. David was originally headed for a career in music, playing oboe, studying briefly at the Royal Academy of Music. However, he left that for the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

When the Professor goes to see Gwyllim the next day, the man from the future has evolved yet again! This time, he says that he's from a million years in the future!! And, he has six freakin' fingers instead of five!!!

Mrs. Ives, the Professor's house maid, catches a glance of Gwyllim in his new state and screams out. Mathers comes to see what the problem is and finds the woman on the floor. Gwyllim says that she had to be stopped, that she would have gone into town to spill the beans... So, he stopped her heart. It's never good when the main character kills someone!

Then, it happens again, Gwyllim has evolved even further. After going into the woods, he has an encounter with some motorcycle police, and injuring one of them. Gwyllim has an epiphany where he denounces violence, and so goes back to the lab.

Cathy goes to the lab and finds Gwyllim there, he wants her to push him into infinity so that he can explore the universe as a pure energy being!! That's weird, that's what I want to do too!

But, Cathy pulls the lever backwards instead!..

Here's a great sequence as Gwyllim morphs back to himself, but, she goes too far and he's a caveman! She corrects the timeline and he's back to his old self...

After he exit's the chamber, he notices a tear on Cathy's cheek, he touches the tear and realizes what love and caring is about, then, drops dead! I told you about main characters that murder!.. Well, it'll be interesting to see what Eegah!! has in store for us on Wednesday for our very last post for Halloween Countdown!.. Happy Halloween Ever'bloody!!

BEWITCHED - "Trick Or Treat" (1965)

This Saturday Night Countdown To Halloween Special is Season 02, Episode 07 of  the awesome TV show "Bewitched!"

It was an episode called "Trick Or Treat" and it aired on October 28, 1965.

Somebody has delivered some Halloween stuff to the Stephens' household that Samantha and Endora find quite insulting and disturbing, witch's costumes!

It all might seem like a joke, but there are some pretty serious overtones here about stereotypes and prejudice!

The sun goes down and the trick or treaters come out!

Hanging around outside, Endora confronts these kids, so the one that says he's a wizard puts a spell on her and poof.................

........She turns into a tree! It freaks the kid out pretty good!

Endora is always mad at Darrin, but she's extra pissed tonight because she wanted Samantha to come to the big Witch's celebration at the volcano, but Sam wouldn't go because she wants to stay home with her husband on Halloween!

So Endora turns herself into an innocent young gypsy costumed trick or treater! If this bratty looking little girl looks familiar to you, it's because it's Maureen McCormick also known as Marcia Brady on "The Brady Bunch!"

She doesn't like any of the candy that Darrin is giving out so she tells him that she is going to put a spell on him, and he's like "right kid, take your best shot!"

Darrin and Samantha have people coming over for a little Halloween party, and suddenly Darrin has uncontrollable facial hair!

"Well....That little B.........."

That's when they find out that the little gypsy girl is actually Endora, and for some reason, she just can't remember how to undo the spell! Right!

While watching this, I got the feeling that Dick York was really enjoying himself!

He's really the shining star of this episode!

He shaves off all the excess hair on his face and hands before the guests arrive!

But then gradually, the claws and the hair start growing back, right at the wrong time!

Darrin has now gone from just overly hairy to a full blown Rasputin lookin' madman!

Pretty funny that this actually looks like a serious movie at this point!
On the left is David White as Larry Tate. David has the distinction of being in two "Twilight Zone" adventures, "A World Of Difference," and "I Sing The Body Electric!" That's Jack Collins as Jack Rogers on the right. Jack's last role was in the 1988 feature titled "The Nest," as Shakey Jake.

I love watching "Bewitched" because it's so much fun to see Samantha's reactions to all the craziness surrounding her, like here!

It's Halloween, so everybody except Samantha thinks that it's just a costume, and that Darrin is playing his character to the hilt, but he's a full-blown werewolf at this point ready to rip somebody's face off!

Imagine their surprise when he starts destroying stuff and totally chewing and ripping a pillow to shreds!

The wives are Irene (Mike Hammer, Johnny Midnight, Boston Blackie) Vernon as Mrs. Tate, and Barbara (Some Like It Hot) Drew as Mrs. Rogers.

Endora finally lifts the spell, and actually says that she's sorry, and when Darrin freaks, she changes him right back again evoking this look from Samantha!

Darrin is just happy to be himself again, and to have his Mother-In-Law gone! 

In case you ever wondered why Dick York was replaced on the show, it's because he had severely hurt his back during the filming of a movie in 1959, and was in a lot of pain most of the time. Ten years later, it finally became too much and he had to quit abruptly, never to return. After that, he was replaced by Dick Sargent, but for me at least, the chemistry was gone, and it would just never be the same.

"Smell My Feet!"

FLIP THE FROG In "The Cuckoo Murder Case" - 1930

So, we're nearing the end of our Halloween Countdown this year. Today we have another Flip The Frog cartoon from 1930, a year after the introduction of sound. This time our little hero has an adventure in a creepy old house, always an entertaining time for us viewers for sure!

Something caught my eye on the title card... It's agreed that one of the greatest scores for Warner Bros. in the early days was signing Carl Stalling on as their cartoon musical director!

Looks like something weird is going on here!..

Whoa, what the Hell, someone's got a gun, and the hammer's cocked and ready.

Of all things, the bird in the Cuckoo clock is the target! After dodging a few bullets, the last one turns around and puts a hole through the birdie, killing it...

So, the clock calls Flip, who's a detective in this one. It tells him that the poor little bird has been shot and he needs to get out to the house and investigate the crime scene.

It's a long trip as Flip forges ahead through the storm in his goofy little car.

Well, I guess the clock called the coppers too... Love that meowing cat siren!

Gung-ho Flip arrives ahead of the cops, but, as he approaches the house, an evil face appears when the lights come on! He tries to go back to his car but the wind blows him inside.

While Flip explores the place, a weight on the clock comes up and whacks him on the rear. He ends up kicking the suit of armor which then falls in pieces back on his head, it's a cartoon!

After the cops make their entrance, they shoot some foot prints that were dancing around! This part was pretty damn weird.

Then, Flip sees some strange shadows on the wall from the next room!..

So, curious Flip enters the room and finds a cloaked figure sitting there, sickle at hand. He's looking through his book of victims, it was him what shot the bird. The dark figure turns the page and there's freakin' Flip's picture! The thing rolls its sleeve up and is ready to add another victim to his list, when...

Flip runs like Hell, he has to run through a hallway full of obstacles to get to the door. He finally opens the door and dives away into the darkness, after he disappears, the cartoon ends!! Much like this post... Eegah!! is here tomorrow with another Halloween Countdown treat for the troops!