Looking for a TV episode of a black and white science fiction series (I believe it was a TV series, not a feature film) involving some US secret agent or pilot recently implanted with some experimental probe by government scientists. This implant in his temple flashed, I think to prepare him for some highly classified mission. He was not allowed to think a certain thought to avoid a consequence of some kind (death perhaps). Later he regrets volunteering for the mission, but is unable to have this implant removed, and warns other volunteers the danger of this procedure. At the end, another operative is revealed to have volunteered for the same mission, implanted with the same probe. Been a long time since watching this episode as a child, and the name of the series has been bugging me for a long time. It’s not from The Twilight Zone or The Outer Limits, I’ve seen every episode of both.
So roughly what year are you thinking? Early 1960s? Late 1950s?
I don’t know, I was only about eight years old at the time. It could have been a rerun of a fifties show, or a current release of a sixties episode. Thanks for the reply.
Moderator Action
Welcome to the SDMB, The Squire Of Gothos.
Since this is about an artistic work (a TV show in this case), it belongs in Cafe Society. I will move this for you.
Moving thread from General Questions to Cafe Society.
What year was it when you were 8?
A black and white episode of a show meaning that it was sometime in the 1950’s or early 1960’s. I was 8 in 1970 if that matters.
Well, it puts an upper boundary on our search…
In 1970, you might have seen it on a black and white tv even if the show was in color.
The actors, cinematography, script all pointed to a production dated in my original request that I was sure would have been from The Outer Limits as we watched a lot of those episodes in reruns at that time. But seeing them again on DVD, an episode I’m looking for was not found on that show. Awesome post, tho’
Is the other operative a woman?
All the leads were men as I recall. TY.
How about Search Control? Those guys had all kinds of implants.
Sorry I didn’t have anything more useful.
Here’s a link to the Wiki page which has a brief description of each episode: Searching - Wikipedia
How about “The Invaders” The Invaders - Wikipedia - There was an episode with brain implants called “The Possessed”
It sounds like the episode of the original Outer Limits entitled “The Man with the Power”. It starred Donald Pleasance and originally broadcast October 7, 1963. I saw it when it first came out, and now have it on DVD.
IT bears similarity to the 1950s science fiction film Forbidden Planet
As I said, I recently watched all episodes of The Outer Limits and the scene I’m looking for wasn’t the one you cited.
Just a few weeks ago I also watched the first season of The Invaders, although the episode “The Possessed” you’ve mentioned is from season two, there are no Internet photos of that episode that ring a bell to me. And The Invaders was likely a little too late (it being in colour) for what I recall as a B&W episode shot no later than the early sixties.
The TV adventure Search is worth checking out, but I somehow think it may be too late for what I’m looking for. Although we only had a black-and-white TV at the time, I was watching the episode I’m referring to in the late sixties or early seventies, but the style of the actors was more dated to the fifties or early sixties.
Thanks for the replies nonetheless.
There was another program around the same time as TZ and OL called One Step Beyond. Maybe it was an episode from that series.
Yea, someone from IMDB told be about One Step Beyond. I’ll be checking that as well, I did browse every episode synopsis, but I couldn’t see one that fit my search. But worth looking into if I can find (and afford) them on DVD. Thanks.
“One Step Beyond” didn’t involve any aliens. It was based on supposedly real accounts of paranormal happenings or predictions, premonitions and dreams that came true.
There was also “Science Fiction Theater”, but my memories and impressions of it is that your story isn’t the kind that would be on the series. But who knows? Science Fiction Theatre (TV Series 1955–1957) - IMDb
I have only seen a few episodes of the following series, so I can’t say if your show was in one of them.
Tales of Tomorrow Tales of Tomorrow (TV Series 1951–1953) - IMDb
Lights Out Lights Out (TV Series 1946–1952) - IMDb
It’s not impossible that it could be one of those three TV shows. I read the episode synopsis of all of them and none of them rang a bell. I’ll have to find them on DVD and take the time to watch. But I don’t recall the opening credits when originally watching them when I was a boy in the seventies. Thanks for the help.