Classic TV Theme: One Step Beyond + Bonus!

Long considered a poor relation to Rod Serling's Twilight Zone, 'One Step Beyond' was really a different sort of show. Every episode dramatized a real-life event so there was at least a fig leaf of reality in the stories. John Newland hosted, and involved himself in some of the episodes as actor and/or director. The show ran three seasons thanks to sponsorship from Alcoa Aluminum. The music was by Harry Lubin, known for writing library music: generic pieces designed around certain moods, emotions, or on-screen action that could be licensed out to producers and used in their programs. This was much cheaper than hiring an orchestra to record original compositions. Many prestigious shows used library music to some extent, even this show's 'rival' 'The Twilight Zone'. But the distinctive themes for 'One Step Beyond' were composed by Lubin for the series.

Here is an index of the elements on the video:

• Introduction: John Newland's brief opening comments, in most cases unspecific so they could be re-used on other episodes.
• Alcoa opening: When the show aired on network, Alcoa sponsored it and had a special opening sequence featuring, of course, aluminum.
• Syndicated opening: This brief sequence replaced the Alcoa opening when the show was rerun on local stations.
• Syndicated opening 2: Used in the last season this used different music behind the title.
• End credits; A fuller exposition of Lubin's main theme is heard here. The credits themselves are off-center because during network showings various Alcoa products were on screen above and to the side of the credits.
• BONUS: From the original soundtrack, we offer two key themes from the series. The first ('Weird') is the ethereal music heard during the show whenever a paranormal event was suspected or in evidence. The second ('Fear') is an Xpanded version of the closing credits theme. Both items are in full stereo.

Enjoy this trip into the world of 'One Step Beyond'.