Way Out 1961
Way Out was a 1961 fantasy and science fiction television anthology series hosted by writer Roald Dahl. The macabre 25-minute shows were introduced by Dahl's dry delivery of a brief introductory monologue, sometimes explaining a method of murdering a spouse without getting caught. The taped series began because CBS suddenly needed a replacement for a Jackie Gleason talk show that network executives were about to cancel, and producer David Susskind contacted Dahl to help mount a show quickly. The series was paired by the network with the similar The Twilight Zone for Friday evening broadcasts, running from March through July 1961 at 9:30 p.m. Eastern time, under the primary sponsorship of Liggett & Myers. Writers included Philip H. Reisman, Jr. and Sumner Locke Elliott. The premiere episode, "William and Mary", adapted from a Roald Dahl short story, told of a wife getting revenge on her husband. In "Dissolve to Black", an actress cast as a murder victim at a television studio goes through a rehearsal, but the drama merges with reality as she finds herself trapped on the show's near-deserted set. Other dramas offered startling imagery: a snake slithering up a carpeted staircase inside a suburban home, a disembodied brain in a jar, a headless woman strapped to an electric chair, with a light bulb in place of her head and half of a man's face erased.
- Released: 1961-03-31
- Runtime: 25 minutes
- Genre: Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
- Stars:
- Director:
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1. William and Mary 1961-03-31
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2. The Down Car 1961-04-07
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3. The Sisters 1961-04-14
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4. Button, Button 1961-04-28
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5. I Heard You Calling Me 1961-05-05
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6. The Croaker 1961-05-12
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7. False Face 1961-05-26
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8. Dissolve to Black 1961-06-02
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9. Death Wish 1961-06-09
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10. The Overnight Case 1961-06-16
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11. Hush, Hush 1961-06-23
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12. Side Show 1961-06-30
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13. Soft Focus 1961-07-07
