Sherry Chandler » The Sixth Finger
The Sixth Finger
Exhausted with serious literary pursuits, last night I indulged in a generous glass of merlot and episode 5 of The Outer Limits. “The Sixth Finger” aired October 1963. It “starred” David McCallum. I had such a crush on him, and he starts out pretty cute here as the Welsh miner whose encounter with the requisite mad scientist turns him into this egghead of the future. Script by Ellis St. Joseph (a pseudonym if ever I saw one) was good for laughs and, while I understand the domed forehead, what is the evolutionary need for Spock ears and a bulbous nose?
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4 Comments
1. Charlie H replies at 26th April 2008, 7:39 pm :
All the better to hear you with, my child.
2. sherry replies at 27th April 2008, 12:14 pm :
Watching this episode, Charlie, made me question whether the science fiction writers of the sixties were as ignorant and frightened of the implications of evolution as any contemporary creationist. The mad scientist kept going on about how evolution was about perfecting the species and my son kept shouting out the television, “No it isn’t you, dodo head. It’s about survival.
All in all, a lively evening.
But Poppysmatus reminds me that it isn’t fair to judge all science fiction by this one fairly mediocre t.v. episode.
3. Tommy replies at 28th April 2008, 9:12 am :
As they say:
Evolution does not work that way!!
And those Spock ears are there for cooling the brain, you know. Sure, it has increased surface area, but the volume increases as the cube of the area, so he’s gotta have lots of blood there to feed all those curious little neurons.
That, and in the sixties it seems all the graphic artists thought fiveheads were sexy.
4. sherry replies at 29th April 2008, 6:16 pm :
Graphic artists of the sixties, Tommy, didn’t know squat about sexy if they didn’t think David McCallum’s was just fine the way nature made it.
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