A machinist with a heart problem and a banker embezzling funds from his employer are on a "One Step Beyond" collision course in this story. While at his work station, Alex Peters (Frank Maxwell) suffers a stroke and after being examined by the company doctor, is deemed no longer fit to work. However, during his stroke Alex has a distinct and unwavering vision that he will die that very same evening. Across town, Ellen Chambers (Roberta Haynes) has a nightmare in which her husband (Ralph Nelson) dies if he goes to work and she's unable to convince him to take the day off. He might have obliged if he didn't get a call from his bank indicating that an auditor is on the way. Since he'd been cooking the books to cover his tracks, George is compelled to show up for work to keep the examiner at bay. There are enough hints offered in the story to figure out how this one will end. The irony of course is that both men's deaths were fulfilled by separate nightmarish visions, with the time and place of their demise inextricably bound together by what - fate?, destiny?, or an off kilter case of lightning striking in the same place twice?
5 Reviews
Twice Struck
AaronCapenBanner15 April 2015
Bleak entry about the star-crossed fates of two men in a bank: the first is a bank employee named George Chambers(played by Frank Maxwell) whose wife Ellen(played by Roberta Haynes) has had a psychic vision of his death that day, but George must go to his job for urgent reasons... the second man named Alex Peters(played by Ralph Nelson) has just received a terminal diagnosis and is determined to provide for his crippled daughter, but cannot get insurance or a trust fund, so instead takes a most unfortunate course of action that day at the bank... Host John Newland provides no answers for the sad outcome, but then sometimes bad things just happen...
A Below Par Episode For This Series
theowinthrop3 October 2006
Warning: Spoilers
I have usually said that the best episodes of ONE STEP BEYOND were able to hold the attention of the viewer even if the viewer was skeptical about the subject matter. This particular episode actually was below average - the subject matter did not live up to the build up, despite the tragedy at the conclusion.
Alex Peters (Frank Maxwell) has a crippled daughter named Carolyn, and is concerned when he realizes he hasn't long to live. He tries to set up a trust fund for the daughter, but lacks the funds. So, in desperation he decides he has to rob the bank.
George Chambers (Ralph Nelson) is married to Ellen (Roberta Haynes). George and Ellen live quite well. He has a job at the bank. Then Ellen gives him some news she forgot to tell him that there is going to be a bank examiner coming in a few days. George collapses in fear - it seems he has been living better than he should on his salary because he is embezzling money. So George runs to the bank to repair the books as best as he can.
So two lines of fate are drawn to that branch of the bank. George gets there first, and starts repairing the books as best as he can. But then Alex shows up and holds up the bank. Of course, by doing that Alex is making George's attempts at repair less and less plausible: once the robbery occurs a full audit will be needed to see what was stolen, and the defalcation will really be glaring. So George tries to stop the robbery. Alex shoots and kills George, but this enables a guard to shoot and kill Alex.
Here's the weakness though. Newland's epilogue asks why did the forces of the universe cause two men to end each other's lives. But that's just it - they didn't end each other's lives. There was no mutual killing here. George was not armed - he was shot by Alex. But another person shot Alex. Unless that third person's story was as twisted as these two you can't make a case of the forces of the universe causing mutual destruction.
Alex Peters (Frank Maxwell) has a crippled daughter named Carolyn, and is concerned when he realizes he hasn't long to live. He tries to set up a trust fund for the daughter, but lacks the funds. So, in desperation he decides he has to rob the bank.
George Chambers (Ralph Nelson) is married to Ellen (Roberta Haynes). George and Ellen live quite well. He has a job at the bank. Then Ellen gives him some news she forgot to tell him that there is going to be a bank examiner coming in a few days. George collapses in fear - it seems he has been living better than he should on his salary because he is embezzling money. So George runs to the bank to repair the books as best as he can.
So two lines of fate are drawn to that branch of the bank. George gets there first, and starts repairing the books as best as he can. But then Alex shows up and holds up the bank. Of course, by doing that Alex is making George's attempts at repair less and less plausible: once the robbery occurs a full audit will be needed to see what was stolen, and the defalcation will really be glaring. So George tries to stop the robbery. Alex shoots and kills George, but this enables a guard to shoot and kill Alex.
Here's the weakness though. Newland's epilogue asks why did the forces of the universe cause two men to end each other's lives. But that's just it - they didn't end each other's lives. There was no mutual killing here. George was not armed - he was shot by Alex. But another person shot Alex. Unless that third person's story was as twisted as these two you can't make a case of the forces of the universe causing mutual destruction.
Mystery tale without the mystery.
Goingbegging26 September 2021
At the rough end of town, a factory worker is suddenly paralysed and has to be dragged away from his lathe. When he recovers, he has a strong premonition that he will die before the day is out, and goes to the bank to set-up a trust fund for his only daughter, apparently quite (ludicrously) unaware how much it would cost. Watching so many banknotes and valuables being wheeled around the floor, he decides he must steal the necessary funds, and returns home for his revolver.
At the smart end of town, a banker is woken by his wife, who has had a nightmare that he will die if he goes into work that day. To please her, he promises to stay home, but a call from the bank alerts him that the auditor is calling in earlier than expected, and he rushes over to hide the evidence that he has had his hand in the till.
We can't reveal more, but our host, the suave John Newland, hands out his usual guff about fate linking our destinies, perhaps hoping that the title 'Forked Lightning', accompanied by suitable thunderflashes across the night sky, will distract our attention from the faulty logic. For there is no mystery here. We are watching nothing more than a story of two people's paths crossing by chance, and on another level a morality tale reminding us that you can't get something for nothing.
At the smart end of town, a banker is woken by his wife, who has had a nightmare that he will die if he goes into work that day. To please her, he promises to stay home, but a call from the bank alerts him that the auditor is calling in earlier than expected, and he rushes over to hide the evidence that he has had his hand in the till.
We can't reveal more, but our host, the suave John Newland, hands out his usual guff about fate linking our destinies, perhaps hoping that the title 'Forked Lightning', accompanied by suitable thunderflashes across the night sky, will distract our attention from the faulty logic. For there is no mystery here. We are watching nothing more than a story of two people's paths crossing by chance, and on another level a morality tale reminding us that you can't get something for nothing.
A Twist of Fate
wes-connors14 March 2010
A "Forked Lightning" thunderstorm psychically links welder Frank Maxwell (as Alex Peters) and banker Ralph Nelson (as George Chambers). Mr. Maxwell has a minor stroke, along with having a premonition of his own death. "I'll be dead by tonight," he says. Meanwhile, Mr. Nelson's shapely wife, Roberta Haynes (as Ellen), relates a visionary nightmare wherein she sees Nelson dead on the floor of his bank. "I saw you dead," she says. Nelson agrees to stay away from the workplace. But, later, he is called there on emergency.
In her small screen debut, beautiful young Candy Moore (as Carolyn) plays widower Maxwell's crippled daughter. Later, she played Lucille Ball's pretty teenage daughter ("Chris" on "The Lucy Show"). Very charming, Ms. Moore is immediately ready for her close-up. Despite some obvious effort, with the Maxwell and Moore story being especially appealing, this episode ends up an being silly.
***** Forked Lightning (11/17/59) John Newland ~ Frank Maxwell, Ralph Nelson, Roberta Haynes, Candy Moore
In her small screen debut, beautiful young Candy Moore (as Carolyn) plays widower Maxwell's crippled daughter. Later, she played Lucille Ball's pretty teenage daughter ("Chris" on "The Lucy Show"). Very charming, Ms. Moore is immediately ready for her close-up. Despite some obvious effort, with the Maxwell and Moore story being especially appealing, this episode ends up an being silly.
***** Forked Lightning (11/17/59) John Newland ~ Frank Maxwell, Ralph Nelson, Roberta Haynes, Candy Moore
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