Sixty years ago today, "The Outer Limits" debuted on ABC.

[John1956PA]

The debut episode was "The Galaxy Being." I was watching. As a seven year old, I was frightened when the eerie creature literally took the screen.

Cliff Robertson portrayed the brilliant radio engineer who invented the 3-D monitor with audio. The son of a U. S. Supreme Court justice portrayed the creature in some scenes. William O. Douglas, Jr., donned a rubber suit coated with fluorescent paint. The effect was terrifying to me.

[yonder]

1. Fridays were always fun in grade school:

Looking forward to the weekend AND
getting to stay up late to watch Outer Limits and Creature Features.

[John1956PA]

2. In the last year of "The Outer Limits" (1963) the series was broadcast on Saturday evenings.

In the first season, the 1963 series was broadcast on Tuesday evenings. In the 1990s, the new version of "The Outer Limits" was broadcast on CBS on Saturday nights at 11:30 PM.

[yonder]

10. Would've been 1965 thereabouts. 11pm'ish after the local news

Fridays for sure though. Perhaps rebroadcast or syndicated?

The later version didn't have quite the same appeal for me — being all grown up and skepti/cynical.

[John1956PA]

11. Sure. Rebroadcasts were common. I also like the first season better.

Rebroadcasts and delayed broadcasts did occur.

Also, as for my preference for the first season, I will add that I like the theme for the first season better than that of the second season.

The series ended with the episode "The Probe." It was suspenseful, thoughtful and poignant, and it did not present images of any scary-looking aliens, although that was the idea which the episode conjured.

[PSPS]

3. Fictional radio station KXKVI

The exteriors and some interiors were filmed at the real transmitter tower located on Briarcrest Peak in Beverly Hills. Back then, it was used for radio station KCBH but it's now KYSR.

[Rhiannon12866]

4. I was a kid, too, and the only episode I remember seeing was one involving Custer's last stand

Scary stuff!

[John1956PA]

9. There is a 1963 "Twlight Zone" ep. wherein US Army tank soldiers are transported back to 1876.

They arrive (without their tank) at Little Big Horn just before the battle begins. The episode ends by showing their names on the memorial dedicated to the cavalrymen who died in the battle.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_7th_Is_Made_Up_of_Phantoms

[NBachers]

5. Yep, I remember being transfixed by The Galaxy Being in the debut of The Outer Limits.

[nuxvomica]

6. I was seven also

That episode creeped me out, but deliciously so. I loved scary stuff at that age. A later episode called "The Architects of Fear" really haunted me though. Robert Culp agreed to be transformed into an alien creature with a big head and long arms in a scheme to unite humanity against a common foe.

[cloudbase]

7. My favorite episode was "The Voyage Hoome" featuring a young Michael Dorn.

[justaprogressive]

8. Boy did they get letters!

"The Galaxy Being" scared so many people they had to tone the series back down...

too bad!

[bif]

12. I used to be so scared

I would sit at the opposite end of our family room with my ears covered, and peaking at the tv during the opening credits. What a great show. I bought the complete series on DVD and started rewatching it. Way ahead of its time, IMO.