One Step Beyond (TV Series) The Captain's Guests (1959) User Reviews

Is it a case of paranormal, or a case of possession?

[tinman19602003 · 8/10 · 21 July 2006]

In The Captain's Guests (ep. 1-19) We have an overworked older man who takes his wife on a vacation trip. They stay in a house which was built by a sea captain, whose portrait hangs in the house.

After a time, the husband begins to accuse his wife of infidelity, but strangely, he insists on calling her by a different name. As time passes he begins acting more and more strangely. Is he possessed? Director John Newland calls to our attention that this is a true story. The transfer quality of this public domain work is better than average but still could be a lot better. A pity the original copyright holder dropped the ball on renewing their claim. The efforts by the public domain market monkeys have not done much for the quality of the transfer. (Big sigh).

Flip side of Dead Part Of The House

[3rdrowleft · 8/10 · 18 November 2010]

In my review of Dead Part Of The House, I pointed out how the episode belied its title and was actually benign. Here we have the opposite. The word "Guests" is intended ironically. An architect seeking escape from NYC to better concentrate on his work, moves with his wife to the New England coast. Finding a house he likes, he seeks out the realtor, who places prohibitive terms in hopes of dissuading the transaction. But the man is set on this house and accepts said terms. It turns out the house was owned by a sadistic sea captain whose crew mutinied and keel-hauled him and whose paranoia caused him to suspect his wife of infidelity and, presumably kill her. In short order, the new owner becomes possessed by the spirit of the captain.

Robert Webber, one of my personal favorite actors, handles the possession scenes well, avoiding histrionics that sometimes mar this series. The program loses credibility when a physical transformation occurs, but that is the fault of the script and director, not the actor. Jon Lormer, a serviceable supporting player, who rarely had the opportunity to perform in a role with any substance, has some nice moments as the realtor. The rest of the cast perform capably in non-demanding roles.

New England Coast

[AaronCapenBanner · 7/10 · 14 April 2015]

Robert Webber & Nancy Hadley play Andy & Ellen Courtney, a married couple who move into a reputedly haunted home on the coast of New England. They don't believe such tales, but the locals do, who are unsurprised when it does indeed appear the home is haunted by its former owner, a bitter old sea captain named Clausen who seems to be gaining possession of Andy, and is changing his personality to his own, endangering their lives when the captain's murderous ways threaten to return... Nicely atmospheric episode has a fine setting and story, with good local flavor, although some inadequate makeup at the fiery climax almost ruins things!

A haunted house story from Charles Beaumont that wants for a deft touch

[J. Spurlin · 11 January 2007]

A sadistic sea captain from the nineteenth century haunts a New England home and poisons the lives of a married couple (Robert Webber and Nancy Hadley) after taking possession of the husband's mind.

These haunted house stories require a deft touch to prevent them from being ludicrous; and a deft touch is just what this episode lacks. Charles Beaumont's script seems workable enough; and the actors seem competent. But little things here and there provoke eye-rolling and laughter instead of chills. Robert Webber launches too quickly into his gruff captain voice. Nancy Hadley finds a diary in the attic and awkwardly reads out loud from it. Little things betray the producers' lack of time and money. The couple is introduced in a long shot and it takes at least a minute before we get a good look at them.

You can't blame this show's faults on age. "The Twilight Zone" is still fresh and original long after its elements have become over familiar. I think part of the blame lies with this series' serious attempts to argue for the paranormal, which "Twilight Zone" never did. This shackles the writers to pseudo-realism and prevents their imaginations from taking flight.

"I wouldn't fool with it."

[classicsoncall · 6/10 · 28 January 2015]

Well this is no 'Ghost and Mrs. Muir' story. The salty sea captain Michael Clawson presented here was an unfriendly sort who's crew disliked him so much they mutinied and keelhauled him. Retired from the sea, he eventually became deranged when he suspected his wife was cheating on him. Andrew (Robert Webber) and Ellen Courtney (Nancy Hadley) rent the Clawson home against the advice of a local realtor, and their ghastly 'One Step Beyond' begins as the demonic spirit of Clawson begins to take over Andy's persona and he turns into the modern day reincarnation of the nasty seaman. Wife Ellen suspects something like this must be going on, and summons her husband's business partner to come up and offer some consolation and advice.

Overall the story has an intriguing premise but once Andy becomes the old sea captain he takes it a little too far over the top. Hauling out a shotgun to take on a bunny rabbit in the back yard seemed just a bit bizarre to me, and when he waved it at partner Bill (Thomas Coley) I didn't know what to expect. Accidentally setting the house on fire while turning into Captain Clawson was the icing on the cake for this viewer, although it turned out to be just what the doctor might have ordered. Once the house is engulfed in flames, Andy's back to his old self again. I don't know how they explained it to the real estate agent.

A Shadow Play

[wes-connors · 4/10 · 4 July 2009]

New England's coastline is full of 200-year-old haunted houses, but second honeymooners Robert Webber and Nancy Hadley (as Andrew and Ellen Courtney) seem oblivious to the fact. They decide to rent a house, despite the unfriendly-looking portrait hanging inside, of previous owner "Michael Clawson" (1860-1902). Locals warn the couple about the place, but they pay them no heed. While Ms. Hadley rummages through an old trunk, Mr. Webber seems momentarily possessed by a malicious entity. Webber says he won't let the "dark and spooky" bother him. Meanwhile, Hadley finds the diary of the man in the portrait, and notices her husband acting more and more like the cruel old sea captain. Is Webber becoming possessed by the spirit of "Michael Clawson"?

**** The Captain's Guests (5/26/59) Charles Beaumont ~ Robert Webber, Nancy Hadley, Thomas Coley

It's not an entirely satisfactory explanation but it's he best that we can come up with!

[kapelusznik18 · 5/10 · 13 April 2014]

***SPOILERS*** Renting out this house on the New England coast Andrew Countney, Robert Webber, felt it was his home away from home where he can do his work as an architect in total peace & quite away from the big city dog eat dog noise and madness. Little did Andrew realize that the house was hunted by this club foot crazy captain Clawson who died raving mad at the turn of the twentieth century.

It didn't take long for the crazed lunatic, Captain Clawson, to take over Andrew's body and make him as crazy as he once was. And with that he made his wife Ellen's, Nancy Hadley, life a living hell on earth. The by now deranged Andrew Countney started to accuse his sweet loyal and loving wife Ellen, whom he refereed to as Eltist, of having a affair behind his back with his best friend and business partner Bill Oker, Thomas Coey,whom he called Gideon.

The poor man went so crazy that after injuring his foot, like the club foot captain Crawson, he went out in the woods killing all the wildlife in the area to keep himself busy. This insanity on Andrew's part was leading him to soon almost commit murder on both his wife and business partner, Ellen & Bill, in accusing them to be having an romantic affair which in fact they didn't.

****SPOILERS**** Turning into the crazed Captain Clawson himself Andrew goes completely berserk and in an act of sheer madness sets the house, his dream house, on fire which in the end frees him from the madness that had afflicted him ever since he moved into it. Now both normal and himself again Andrew together with Ellen and Bill move back to New York City where things are a lot more saner then they were in the crazy house they they spent the last few weeks at.

One Step Beyond didn't have it completely right.

[michaeltscott-15982 · 31 January 2018]

The story maybe factual but the show adds their version. The portrait looks many decades more than 40. 1860-1902 means he died at 41 or 42. The painting done well before after he retired as a Capt. and built the house. He looks closer to 68-80.

The Captain's Guests

[Prismark10 · 5/10 · 13 January 2022]

An architect Andrew Courtney (Robert Webber) and his wife decide to rent a house in the New England coastline.

The estate agent in the small town is uneasy and reluctant to rent the house with them. Despite the high rental, Andrew taks the house.

The house has a portrait of the former owner, crusty Captain Crawson. His own crew once mutinied and keelhauled him.

Clawson was deranged and soon Andrew seems to be possessed by Clawson's portrait. He limps, starts talking in the local accent and then suspects his wife of having an affair with his business partner.

It is a bit of an old chestnut, a man being possessed in an old haunted house. I was surprised that the business partner just walked out of the house leaving Andrew's wife at her husband mercy, violent temper and gun.

Webber gives a good performance. Not sure I was onside with John Newland's explanation.