Way Out (TV series)
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| Genre | Drama, Sci-fi |
|---|---|
| Written by |
Roald Dahl Phil Reisman, Jr. Irving Gaynor Neiman Elliott Baker Sumner Locke Elliott Larry Cohen Nicholas Pryor Robert van Scoyk Jerome Ross |
| Directed by |
Paul Bogart Marc Daniels Mel Ferber Daniel Petrie Seymour Robbie Boris Sagal William Corrigan Paul Bosner |
| Presented by | Roald Dahl |
| Starring | Various guest stars. |
| Theme music composer |
Otto Luening Vladimir Ussachevsky Tod Docksteader |
| Composer(s) | Robert Cobert |
| Country of origin | USA |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 14 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | David Susskind |
| Producer(s) | Jacqueline Babbin |
| Location(s) | New York City |
| Running time | 25 minutes. |
| Production company(s) | Talent Associates |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBS |
| Picture format | 4:3 black and white. |
| Audio format | Mono |
| Original release | 31 March – 14 July 1961 |
Way Out (note that the on-screen title begins with an apostrophe) is a 1961 fantasy and science fiction television anthology series hosted by writer Roald Dahl. The macabre, black-and-white, 25-minute shows were introduced by Dahl, his face projected in a disconcerting hall of mirrors effect, dryly delivering a brief introductory monologue, expounding on such unusual subjects as undertakers or frogs or murdering a romantic rival with ground tiger's whiskers.
The taped series began because CBS needed a replacement for a Jackie Gleason talk show that network executives were about to cancel, and producer David Susskind contacted Dahl to help mount a show quickly. The series was paired by the network with the similar The Twilight Zone for Friday evening broadcasts, running from March through July 1961 at 9:30 p.m. Eastern time. The show's primary sponsor was Liggett & Myers (L&M cigarettes). Writers included Philip H. Reisman, Jr. and Sumner Locke Elliott.
The premiere episode, "William and Mary", adapted from a Roald Dahl short story, told of a wife getting revenge on her husband.
In "Dissolve to Black", an actress (Kathleen Widdoes) cast as a murder victim at a television studio goes through a rehearsal, but the drama merges with reality as she finds herself trapped on the show's near-deserted set. Other dramas offered startling imagery: a snake slithering up a carpeted staircase inside a suburban home, a disembodied brain in a jar ("William and Mary"), a headless woman strapped to an electric chair, with a light bulb in place of her head ("Side Show") and half of a man's face erased ("Soft Focus").
Actors on the series included Martin Balsam, Michael Conrad, Mildred Dunnock, Murray Hamilton, Martin Huston, Henry Jones, Mark Lenard, Kevin McCarthy, John McGiver, Barry Morse, Richard Thomas, Doris Roberts, and Fritz Weaver.
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