I remember watching these old episodes of THE OUTER LIMITS in syndication on late night television in the early 1970's, almost a decade after their original network run. By then their special effects were cheesy and badly dated, although they still could give you the creeps if you were a kid; seeing them now in the era of CGI, they appear positively archaic.
But there are some things about this show that more than stand the test of time: the stories, the ideas they attempted to convey, and the superior acting. In FUN AND GAMES, a pair of earthlings are coerced by a supposedly advanced alien civilization into a duel to the death on another planet (whose atmosphere resembles prehistoric earth) with a duo of creatures from a planet where everyone wears monster masks. The kicker is that the loser's home world is destroyed.
The humans are played by Nick Adams and Nancy Malone, and it is their interaction that drives the story: he is a former prize fighter, now a petty crook; she is a divorcée and a "cheerleader." Strangers at the beginning, they must find a way to cooperate and triumph against a savage foe (who uses a nasty looking razor sharp boomerang to kill) on an equally hostile planet. She is optimistic and hopeful, while he is self centered and bitter, and could care less if the whole human race is wiped out. You know from the get go how this story will unfold and resolve itself. But THE OUTER LIMITS never tied everything up in a neat happy bow at the end, it often went for the ironic twist and FUN AND GAMES is no exception.
A couple of things stand out when seeing this episode in the 21st century: the first being the evil glee with which the silhouetted alien emcee torments the game's participants. He claims his civilization has advanced to the point where they are done with war and plundering, yet the sadistic nature of their entertainment does not suggests an enlightened culture so much as a society ruled by a ruthless aristocracy intent upon keeping the majority population occupied with their fun and games.
Then there are the certain things that point out the passage of time since 1964, especially the scene where the cop simply shoots the lock off the door and enters the apartment without once mentioning a warrant.
Finally there is the terrific acting, not only by Nancy Malone (whatever happened to her?), but especially by Nick Adams, one of the movie and TV's great tough short guys. Watch his monologue where he recounts getting locked in a cage on a trip to the zoo when his character was a kid and you'll see why so many of us were fans. He was gone too soon and it is so sad that he is all but forgotten today.
One of the great joys of watching old shows like THE OUTER LIMITS on DVD or online today is to finally see them in their crystal clear glory after having to watch them for years on old snowy rabbit eared TV sets. And don't let anyone be put off by black and white, shows like this were meant to be made that way.
But there are some things about this show that more than stand the test of time: the stories, the ideas they attempted to convey, and the superior acting. In FUN AND GAMES, a pair of earthlings are coerced by a supposedly advanced alien civilization into a duel to the death on another planet (whose atmosphere resembles prehistoric earth) with a duo of creatures from a planet where everyone wears monster masks. The kicker is that the loser's home world is destroyed.
The humans are played by Nick Adams and Nancy Malone, and it is their interaction that drives the story: he is a former prize fighter, now a petty crook; she is a divorcée and a "cheerleader." Strangers at the beginning, they must find a way to cooperate and triumph against a savage foe (who uses a nasty looking razor sharp boomerang to kill) on an equally hostile planet. She is optimistic and hopeful, while he is self centered and bitter, and could care less if the whole human race is wiped out. You know from the get go how this story will unfold and resolve itself. But THE OUTER LIMITS never tied everything up in a neat happy bow at the end, it often went for the ironic twist and FUN AND GAMES is no exception.
A couple of things stand out when seeing this episode in the 21st century: the first being the evil glee with which the silhouetted alien emcee torments the game's participants. He claims his civilization has advanced to the point where they are done with war and plundering, yet the sadistic nature of their entertainment does not suggests an enlightened culture so much as a society ruled by a ruthless aristocracy intent upon keeping the majority population occupied with their fun and games.
Then there are the certain things that point out the passage of time since 1964, especially the scene where the cop simply shoots the lock off the door and enters the apartment without once mentioning a warrant.
Finally there is the terrific acting, not only by Nancy Malone (whatever happened to her?), but especially by Nick Adams, one of the movie and TV's great tough short guys. Watch his monologue where he recounts getting locked in a cage on a trip to the zoo when his character was a kid and you'll see why so many of us were fans. He was gone too soon and it is so sad that he is all but forgotten today.
One of the great joys of watching old shows like THE OUTER LIMITS on DVD or online today is to finally see them in their crystal clear glory after having to watch them for years on old snowy rabbit eared TV sets. And don't let anyone be put off by black and white, shows like this were meant to be made that way.
