( man ) There is nothing wrong with your television set.
Do not attempt to adjust the picture.
We are controlling transmission .
lf we wish to make it louder, we will bring up the volume.
lf we wish to make it softer, we will tune it to a whisper.
We will control the horizontal.
We will control the vertical.
We can roll the image, make it flutter.
We can change the focus to a soft blur or sharpen it to crystal clarity.
For the next hour, sit quietly and we will control all you see and hear.
We repeat, there is nothing wrong with your television set.
You are about to participate in a great adventure.
You are about to experience the awe and mystery which reaches from the inner mind to The Outer Limits.
(whirring buzzing ) KXKVI is located on highway 601 , just six miles south of Cotterfield, where the supermarkets meet the people, serving all of Los Feliz County in sunny southern Cal.
KXKVI is brought to you good people at 1 820, 1-8-2-0, on your radio dial.
Your top-ten tunes are brought to you by your boy Buddy.
Number six, "Come Rock With Me" , an up and swinging vocal offering by the High-Lifers.
The shoe-store spots, Barney's Drive-in , and the news and weather is on top.
- Carol, tell Alan to come in here quick.
- What's wrong? Look at that dial.
That needle just dropped about ten points.
- What is it? - The power output.
We're broadcasting on just about half.
Go on , babe.
Go get him.
- I can 't .
- What do you mean , you can 't ? - He knows about it.
- How could he? lt just happened.
He's in the transmitter shed.
Are you telling me he cut down the power? On purpose? That's against the law.
These people pay us to cover an area of 200 miles.
We guarantee them over a million audience.
All right, he's stealing power.
- Stealing power? - He has been for weeks.
He steals equipment too.
Transistors, condensers.
We've got bills up to here.
We can 't let him let everything go to pot.
Tell him if he doesn 't boost us back on the air, we're gonna have our contracts ripped up.
- He won 't open the door.
- Phone him.
(rings) Come, I want you to see something.
- He said to come over.
- He's picked up a programme from Telstar.
I'll go humour him.
Before he knows it, he's gonna be cleaned up and ready to go.
Or I'll k*ll him.
This is Gene Buddy Maxwell bringing you your Saturday dance parade.
( knocking ) ( knocking ) Come in .
- (whirring buzzing ) - Close the door, please.
Carol, look.
- What is it? - I thought it was static but it isn 't .
- Static? - Listen .
Hydrogen radio waves coming in at 21 centimetres.
Except that high-pitched tone.
I don 't know what that is.
It puts my teeth on edge.
I fed it through the TV monitor to get a visual analysis.
- What good is it? - It's coming from out there.
- Out where? - Space.
- Just space? - Haven 't been able to pinpoint it yet.
lt's taken a lot of power to get this much.
You cut the station down about half.
Well, l can 't help that.
Well, you know we could lose our sponsors.
This is more important.
More important than drive-in commercials? More important than paying the bills? The bills will be paid.
Carol l want you to see what l've done.
Alan , do you even care anything about your own family? Sure.
Look.
That's a three-dimensional TV scanner.
lt shows the image in three dimensions.
Height, width, depth.
And it shows the sound you just heard in three dimensions.
By scanning it three ways, l'm able to give it solidity.
- Solid static.
- lt's formed out of microwaves.
Alan , l know that it makes you angry when l ask you questions like this but what good is it? Well, it's interesting.
You have spent thousands of dollars on transistors and circuits and cathode ray You're just bleeding electricity out of that transmitter until there is nothing left of KXKVl but just a feeble beep, and all you can say is it's interesting? Carol, it's more than interesting.
lt's important.
Every important change in the world for the last 30 years has come out of research in microwaves: radar, television , even the H-b*mb.
But what makes you think that you can discover anything? Who are you? Nobody.
Nobody at all.
But the secrets of the universe don 't mind.
They reveal themselves to nobodies who care.
lsaac Newton was a nobody.
Michael Faraday was a bookbinder's apprentice.
Yes, but now they have big laboratories that work on all those things.
The big laboratories spend millions of dollars.
They work slowly and surely.
And they get results but not the breakthroughs.
Those come from the human mind, not the laboratory.
Call 'em inspiration .
Call 'em intuition .
Maybe blind luck.
Maybe it's God saying, " Now's the time.
" Well, l'm sorry, Alan , but l don 't like it.
Because every day it takes you away from me more and more until l hardly know you .
You have friends who love you , want to honour you .
We want to see you and be with you .
Well, l don 't have time for that sort of thing now.
You don 't have time for friends and everyday life, but you have all the time in the world for a cloud of static? l'm sorry.
Don 't ask me to appreciate it, because l can 't .
( Carol) lt's cold.
lt sounds like sleet and snow, and it looks like electricity frozen .
l just l don 't like it.
l'm sorry.
Do you Do you happen to remember that half the town is turning out to honour you tonight? - Tonight? - Yes, it's a testimonial dinner.
They have a scroll and a plaque.
- And you can 't disappoint them.
-No.
l'll try not to let 'em down .
Alan , you've known about it for months.
You can 't hurt people.
You just can 't .
No, l don 't wanna hurt people.
Does that mean that you'll get dressed and you'll be ready on time? - Yeah, yes.
- Thank you very much.
(droning ) (droning increases in pitch ) (continuous high -pitched whine ) Who are you? Can you hear me? Can you see me? Where are you? Solar system.
Sun .
Mercury.
Venus.
Earth.
l am transmitting from Earth.
Where are you transmitting from? Outside the solar system? My antenna is centred on the edge of the constellation Pegasus.
Are you beyond? Do you understand? How can l communicate with you? Words? Numbers? Mathematics? Can you translate your binary pulses .
.
into my computer? Try to form your thoughts .
.
into word patterns using binary system.
My computer can translate your pulses .
.
into my language.
(computerised voice ) Who are you? My name is Alan Maxwell.
l am transmitting from a station on the third planet in the solar system: Earth.
( voice ) Are you receiving dimensional image? l am scanning the microwaves coming from somewhere beyond the constellation of Pegasus.
Hold chart.
Hold image.
Universe.
Point.
Move point to east.
Third quadrant.
Move north.
Stop.
That is transmission point.
- The great spiral Andromeda? - Yes.
Transmission northwest quadrant.
Star system with three-one satellites.
- Solar system? - Three-one satellites.
- 31 planets? - Yes, three-one planets.
Do you see me? Very dim.
You are in room.
Electronic room.
Do not increase your power.
Galaxy forbid contact of planets beyond central system.
We're both breaking the rules.
l'm not allowed to use the station for research.
l am not allowed to use equipment for exploration .
Do you have a name? Numbers, not name, and yours four-dimension numbers.
Answer question .
What is below eye? - Below eyes? - Holes in face.
Nose Mouth.
- Why? - Smell.
Eat.
Speak.
Smell? Eat? To talk? Explain .
Smell: molecules float through air to olfactory lobes.
Eat? Carbon cycle.
Plants, animals, H20.
- Talk? - Communication .
ls that why mouth always moving? - You hear me, don 't you? - Yes.
- Do you have life? -Not the same.
You are carbon cycle.
We are nitrogen cycle.
Where you are do you have death? Repeat.
We have end of being.
We stop moving, stop breathing.
No thoughts.
Nothing.
We call it death.
Death is property of carbon cycle in three dimension .
No death in our dimension .
Electromagnetic waves go on to infinity.
- Do my brain waves go on ? - Yes.
What about wars? Do you have wars? Repeat.
Battles.
Atom bombs.
Radiation fallout? Forbidden .
Reason we are not allowed to contact you .
You are danger to other galaxies.
What about God? Do you have a god? Explain .
An all-powerful being.
A force underlying everything.
Electromagnetic forces underlying all.
No, l mean an intelligent force God.
Electromagnetic force intelligent.
Matter, space, time: all the same.
All the same? Different names.
lnfinity.
lnfinity is God.
God infinity.
All the same.
All the same.
- You look great, Carol.
- Thank you , sir.
- Your voice sounds in good working order.
- l use lemon and honey.
l brought some albums.
Would you check 'em? - Take 'em to Gene.
He's waiting for you .
- OK.
l'll see you later.
Alan ? - What? - Ready to go? -No.
l can 't .
- What do you mean ? Something has happened.
l've got to write a report.
But you promised.
l'm all dressed up.
Gene's waiting.
We even hired a relief announcer.
lt doesn 't matter, Carol.
l've made a discovery.
- l don 't wanna hear.
- Come and see.
l don 't wanna see.
l just l just want my husband.
And l want him here, now, in this world, tonight.
We can 't keep the mayor and his wife waiting any longer.
One evening.
One hour is not gonna make any difference.
lt might make all the difference.
l'm not going to ask you to choose between me and whatever that is ooca use would prooao y ose l'm going to force you to accept the honour due an outstanding member of the community.
l'm going to tell everyone you invited them here.
- Here? - lf you won 't come, l'll bring the party here.
No, you can 't , Carol.
They wouldn 't understand.
l think they'd just love to see your workshop and your experiments.
We can jam 50 people in there without breaking too much equipment.
All right, all right.
l'll be there.
lf you don 't follow in that station wagon , l'll bring everybody back and the mayor can give you your plaque while you work.
All right, l'll be there.
Oh, this needle cuts down on power once in a while.
- What'll l do? - Just leave it alone.
You wanna bring me on after this record? Yeah, yeah.
Give me a voice level.
One, two, three.
This is Eddie Phillips subbing for Gene Buddy Maxwell.
(jazz song ends) Here he comes, the slim one, Eddie Phillips.
- Great to have you on board.
- Pleasure to be here.
Eddie Phillips will substitute for the next three hours on KXKVl, your dancing station , covering Los Feliz and Cotterfield.
This is Gene Buddy Maxwell signing off for now.
Please stay tuned for Eddie Phillips' Record Review - Edward, you've got it.
- Many thanks, Gene.
My congratulations to your brother Alan on his testimonial shindig.
He's made KXKVl the beacon of the southwest.
All the Maxwell family deserve a big round of applause.
We start with a musical salute to the Maxwells, to Alan , the electronic wizard, and brother Gene Buddy Maxwell, your favourite DJ in the desert area.
Here we are with the Deuces and the Treis singing " Big Time Daddy" .
( mellow jazz ) Are you ready? - ls he coming? - Yes, or else.
- He's gonna follow us in the station wagon .
- Fine.
N co a nd oasy Same to you .
l have to go, to Cotterfield Centre.
- lf l don 't , other people will come in .
- End of transmission .
-No, keep the channel open .
- Danger.
l will keep the selectors locked.
lf your signal drifts, it will keep them centred.
- l'll be back in one hour.
- Hour? Passage of time it takes Earth to revolve one 24th of its circumference.
Do not change power level.
Don 't worry.
Your selectors are locked.
Your channel is centred.
Keep transmitting.
l'll return in one hour.
Wait for me.
( Eddie ) Thank you , Deuces and Treis.
Coming up, an all-time favourite selected by Eddie Phillips, the voice of Los Feliz.
( mellow jazz ) - l'm Eddie Phillips.
- Hello, Eddie.
Did Carol go on ? Gene drove her on in .
You're supposed to take the station wagon .
Eddie, this is the power transmitter control.
This is the output monitor.
lt's a pretty weak signal you're putting out.
Yeah, well, l blew some fuses, knocked out half the breakers.
- l doubt if you're carrying over 30 miles.
- That's exactly where l want it.
lf that needle creeps to either side, keep it where it is.
Hang on .
l'm not an engineer.
l don 't expect any trouble, but if it does move, just keep it where it is.
- Does that knob boost the power? - Yeah.
How much of a load will it take? We're tied into the substation , high-tension substation , plus generators.
l mean how far can you carry with a full load? Full-power broadcast, they'd hear you in Canada, SHF, anywhere in the world.
No wonder you blew the fuses.
Look, Eddie, don 't even touch it unless you have to.
l'll be back in about an hour.
When they're toasting you , have one on me.
Yeah.
On behalf of the young people and citizens, to you , Alan Maxwell! l've got my plaque, the mayor's happy, the party's fine.
-Nobody's gonna notice if l take off.
- l'll notice.
l've been here an hour and nobody's even said hello.
You've been away so long, nobody knows who you are.
l could pick you up after midnight.
lf you leave me, l'll leave you .
Let's get a breath of air.
lf we have to toast Alan one more time, they'll carry me out.
Hello there.
Thank you very much.
Good to see you .
Thank you .
You know, l feel pretty special, sneaking away with the brother of a guest of honour.
Well, you are special, baby.
(slow music on radio ) Cool night air.
Cool music.
And the cool lips of Gene Buddy Maxwell on your fevered brow.
l'm talking as loud as l can .
They got the power trimmed down .
Trying to save a buck on my time.
You know it.
Before l'm through, the whole country's gonna know it.
This is Eddie Phillips booming out at you from here to Canada.
Listen to how it soups up.
l'll call you back on the next record.
( volume increases) (cries of distress) You're listening to the big, big new sound on KXKVl.
This is Eddie Phillips, the voice of Los Feliz, welcoming all you new listeners .
.
from here to Canada and the East (wind howling ) (static on radio ) What's he doing with that? He's fooling around with the transmitter.
l'd better tell Alan .
Something's going on down at the station .
The car radio turned to solid static.
- Solid static? - Yeah.
(fluctuating static ) - When did it start? - A couple of minutes ago.
lt's way over reach.
He said something about welcoming new listeners in Canada.
- l told him not to do it.
- Where you going? To make a telephone call.
(continuous buzz ) (engaged tone ) - lt's busy.
- He's probably taking record requests.
No, l don 't l don 't think so.
- Hey, you wanna drive up? - What? No, the phone's quicker.
lneed to tell him to cut down on that power.
- ls there any danger? - All kinds.
Check the operator.
See if it's out of order.
No, l'll call Collins over at the warehouse, ask him to run a message over.
(static buzzing ) (phone rings) No a nsswor? No, it's dead.
lt's dead.
(electronic whine ) You're going out to the station ? lt doesn 't sound like 1 820, does it? Frequency cycle.
At least the static's quietened down .
l'm going out there.
Tell Carol.
(siren wails) What happened? (screaming ) He just probably took a walk.
He'll be back.
l don 't care why he went.
Please, just leave me alone.
Come on .
- Carol, are you all right? -No, l am not.
Don 't get excited, but something has happened.
Just be calm and come with me.
(screaming ) Don 't touch us! Radiation ! No! You'll burn us! Follow me back to the transmitter! (siren wails) (excited chatter) - lt looked like a man , but it wasn 't .
- Read him the highway report.
-" lt glowed like a person made of blue light.
" - That's right.
- lt captured your brother and his wife.
- Yeah, l ran inside.
They came by me.
l tried to stop it.
Oh! They found a car smashed up in a ditch on 601 .
The hood was crushed, the wheels broken , the paint b*rned off.
And no survivors.
Put in a call to the state headquarters.
Request assistance outside the county police.
- Did your brother say anything else? - Yeah, he said, " KXKVl" .
- Those are the call letters of our station .
- Let's go.
lt's all right.
lt'll be all right.
( Carol screams) - Help me.
- Get back.
Listen , it's all right.
He looks different, but his mind is similar to us.
- Please let me go.
- He made contact out of curiosity.
We brought it here.
l've got to get it back! Now be quiet or we'll all get k*lled! (sirens wailing ) What happened? ( voice ) Waited for you .
Power came on full.
Microwave transmission caught me.
No way to stop No way to got out.
Transmission of atomic structure.
Transmission of man .
Can you get back? Too late.
They know l have broken law.
They must destroy me.
Destroy you? l am danger to my galaxy.
They will come for me.
(screams) Your people coming closer.
- Carol, take a look.
- ( voice ) No! Tell 'em it's all right! Go on ! - She's dying.
- Microwave pattern .
l can heal damage in base of neck.
- Don 't touch her! - Stop damage.
Burn with radiation .
- Cauterise? - Stop death.
Carol? Are you all right? Line up on the transmitter shed.
- Don 't fire! - Don 't sh**t! lt's my brother! Hold it! We got orders to k*ll it.
- You can 't k*ll a man .
- Get him out.
We'll let him go.
Come out! Make a run for it! We'll cover you ! No.
l'm staying right here! Now, listen to me.
lt won 't hurt you .
- You saw what it did.
lt's using him.
- Come out! This is your last chance.
- Come out! - My wife is in there.
She was wounded, but it has helped her.
lt saved her life.
There it is! Fire! Stop, or you be silenced.
You people of this planet, you must not use force.
You do not move.
l do not see you , but l receive your brain patterns.
l have told you not to use force.
Now wa rn you there are powers in the universe beyond anything you know.
There is much you have to learn .
You must explore.
You must reach out.
Go to your homes.
Go and give thought to the mysteries of the universe.
l will leave you now .
.
in peace.
- ( Alan ) What are you going to do? - Reduce the microwave intensity.
Reduce mass.
- You'll disintegrate.
- There is no death for me.
- What will happen ? - Unknown .
- Unknown .
- End of transmission .
( man ) The planet Earth is a speck of dust, remote and alone in the void.
There are powers in the universe inscrutable and profound.
Fear cannot save us.
Rage cannot help us.
We must see the stranger in a new light, the light of understanding.
And to achieve this, we must begin to understand ourselves and each other.
We now return control of your television set to you until next week at this same time when the control voice will take you to: The Outer Limits.