Set aboard a battleship in the Pacific during World War II, this episode stars George Grizzard as Harris, a pharmacist's mate who has taken to the bottle after learning of his beloved brother's death in battle. Despite his declared loss of faith, he is called upon to save the life of his disapproving commander(played by Whit Bissell) who is critically wounded in an attack, and Harris must operate, and his only help is the radio voice of another doctor located on a nearby ship, which proves to be providential for them both in more ways than one... Good cast and story in effective war-themed tale that would have been at home on "The Twilight Zone".
5 Reviews
Predictable but good.
planktonrules15 April 2014
George Grizzard stars in this installment of "One Step Beyond". It's set during WWII and Grizzard plays Harris--a pharmacist's mate in the Navy who is a drunk. His drinking got him thrown in a makeshift brig and he's been drinking ever since his brother was killed in the war--and Harris blames himself for this.
During the course of the show, the Captain (Whit Bissell) is severely injured and will die unless someone does surgery on him. However, there is no doctor (perhaps he was also killed in the attack on the ship) and Harris is the closest thing they've got to a doctor. He is a screw-up but the crew has no choice, so they patch him through by radio to a doctor on another ship (Raymond Bailey) and they talk him through the surgery. But, since this is a show about the supernatural, there is naturally going to be a twist. While I predicted this twist early on in the show, it was enjoyable overall. Plus the show was improved by having these very familiar and enjoyable TV actors, as Bissell, Grizzard and Baily are old faces most will remember.
During the course of the show, the Captain (Whit Bissell) is severely injured and will die unless someone does surgery on him. However, there is no doctor (perhaps he was also killed in the attack on the ship) and Harris is the closest thing they've got to a doctor. He is a screw-up but the crew has no choice, so they patch him through by radio to a doctor on another ship (Raymond Bailey) and they talk him through the surgery. But, since this is a show about the supernatural, there is naturally going to be a twist. While I predicted this twist early on in the show, it was enjoyable overall. Plus the show was improved by having these very familiar and enjoyable TV actors, as Bissell, Grizzard and Baily are old faces most will remember.
Voices in the machine
sol121825 April 2011
Warning: Spoilers
***SPOILERS*** Having deep guilt feelings about his kid brothers death in the war pharmacist 1st mate Harris, George Gizzard, has crawled into a bottle of booze and refused to come out even if it means his being court martial-ed and thrown in the brig for life for not obeying orders during wartime. It was Harris who played on his brothers sense of patriotism, after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, who talked him, who was a life long pacifist, into joining the US Navy where he ended up getting killed when his ship went under from from a direct hit by a Jap torpedo.
With a Japanses air attack on his ship Harris' commanding officer Capt. Will Fielding, Whit Bissel, is seriously wounder by flying shrapnel and will bleed to death if he doesn't receive immediate medical attention. With Harris being ordered to operate on the dying Capt. Felding he's helped thorough the ship's radio in his operation by the captain of the far off US heavy cruiser Athena Clyd Madison, Raymond Bailey, who's also a doctor of traumatic surgery.
Doing the best he can with at the far away USS Athena Capt. Madison giving him instructions via the ship's navel radio Harris is just about to successfully complete his operation on Capt. Felding when the radio suddenly went dead! With both time and Capt. Felding's life running out Capt. Madison's voice came through on the ships's telecon and directed the by now almost exhausted Harris to extract the piece of shrapnel from Captain Feilding's neck thus saving his life!
***SPOILERS*** The odd thing about all this is that the ship, the USS Athena, that Captain Madison was on was struck by Japanese naval gunfire and sank with all hands on deck including Captain Madison just 10 minutes earlier before he somehow contacted Harris in what to do in saving Captain Felding's life!
Did somehow from beyond the watery grave that he was in did Captain Madison's disembodied voice get in touch with Harris to help him save Captain Felding? And if so how did he do it with his ships radio, that at the time was at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, no longer operational?
With a Japanses air attack on his ship Harris' commanding officer Capt. Will Fielding, Whit Bissel, is seriously wounder by flying shrapnel and will bleed to death if he doesn't receive immediate medical attention. With Harris being ordered to operate on the dying Capt. Felding he's helped thorough the ship's radio in his operation by the captain of the far off US heavy cruiser Athena Clyd Madison, Raymond Bailey, who's also a doctor of traumatic surgery.
Doing the best he can with at the far away USS Athena Capt. Madison giving him instructions via the ship's navel radio Harris is just about to successfully complete his operation on Capt. Felding when the radio suddenly went dead! With both time and Capt. Felding's life running out Capt. Madison's voice came through on the ships's telecon and directed the by now almost exhausted Harris to extract the piece of shrapnel from Captain Feilding's neck thus saving his life!
***SPOILERS*** The odd thing about all this is that the ship, the USS Athena, that Captain Madison was on was struck by Japanese naval gunfire and sank with all hands on deck including Captain Madison just 10 minutes earlier before he somehow contacted Harris in what to do in saving Captain Felding's life!
Did somehow from beyond the watery grave that he was in did Captain Madison's disembodied voice get in touch with Harris to help him save Captain Felding? And if so how did he do it with his ships radio, that at the time was at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, no longer operational?
"This is tough. We're stuck. You're gonna do it."
classicsoncall30 January 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Series host John Newland states that one shouldn't look to logic or reason to explain this episode, and that's probably an understatement. This is one of those beyond-the-grave stories that takes place on a World War II battleship sitting dead in the water as Japanese strafing fire seriously wounds the captain (Whit Bissell) of the ship. The only one who can attempt an operation on the captain is a disillusioned, alcoholic seaman (George Grizzard) who's been sent to the brig for refusing to follow orders. This is a lot like asking someone to design a building because he's handy with a hammer; the rebellious Harris is a pharmacist's first mate which obviously made him eminently qualified for the job.
Harris is being guided through his ordeal by a medical surgeon (Raymond Bailey) on another ship that suddenly comes under attack. As the viewer, one can readily see where this one's going, as the doctor finishes his instructions ten minutes or so after his ship goes down with everyone aboard. Fans of The Twilight Zone will appreciate the classic irony of the twist ending here. For those inclined to say 'hogwash', well you probably have logic and reason on your side.
Harris is being guided through his ordeal by a medical surgeon (Raymond Bailey) on another ship that suddenly comes under attack. As the viewer, one can readily see where this one's going, as the doctor finishes his instructions ten minutes or so after his ship goes down with everyone aboard. Fans of The Twilight Zone will appreciate the classic irony of the twist ending here. For those inclined to say 'hogwash', well you probably have logic and reason on your side.
The Battle of the Bottle
wes-connors14 March 2010
Thrown in the brig for drunkenness, seaman George Grizzard (as Harris) is called upon to operate on his ship's Captain Whit Bissell (as Will Fielding), after Mr. Fielding is wounded in a World War II battle. Fielding suspects something was troubling the once dependable pharmacist's mate. "I got the shakes so bad I can't do this," Grizzard pleads. But, Tod Andrews (as Stacey) insists. In a nicely written supporting story, Mr. Grizzard is guilty about encouraging his kid brother to enlist.
The otherwise routine and predictable plot, from "Twilight Zone" writer Charles Beaumont, is noticeably well-suited to the "One Step Beyond" TV medium. Note how Grizzard's guilt mixes with alcohol and his brother's interest in religion (he wanted to be a missionary). "Brainwave" is also performed exceptionally well by Grizzard and the crew. Turner Classic Movies (TCM) host Bob Osborne makes a fine impression as the shell-shocked young soldier cracking during the opening battle.
****** Brainwave (10/6/59) John Newland ~ George Grizzard, Tod Andrews, Whit Bissell, Bob Osborne
The otherwise routine and predictable plot, from "Twilight Zone" writer Charles Beaumont, is noticeably well-suited to the "One Step Beyond" TV medium. Note how Grizzard's guilt mixes with alcohol and his brother's interest in religion (he wanted to be a missionary). "Brainwave" is also performed exceptionally well by Grizzard and the crew. Turner Classic Movies (TCM) host Bob Osborne makes a fine impression as the shell-shocked young soldier cracking during the opening battle.
****** Brainwave (10/6/59) John Newland ~ George Grizzard, Tod Andrews, Whit Bissell, Bob Osborne
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