One Step Beyond Message from Clara (1959–1961) Online

Message From Clara is a minimalist, tightly wound half-hour of One Step Beyond, a series that dealt with the paranormal, a rather broad category under which I think it's fair to say automatic writing neatly fits. It tells the tale of a night school teacher of what we'd now call ESL, whom a homely east European butcher takes a liking to, and the consequences of his interest in her.

Our first sense that something is wrong with this picture comes early, when the teacher, while writing on a blackboard, begins to inexplicably start writing in a language she does not know. She becomes acquainted with her student, finds herself uneasy in his presence, is incapable of signing her name to a traffic ticket, after which she spends a few hours in the hospital. Events come to a head when the teacher, while on the phone with her student's landlady, comes to learn what the words mean, as they come from Clara, a now deceased woman from the old country with whom her student was in love.

As One Step Beyonds go, this is a high end episode. Its low budget works in its favor; and the intense, heartfelt performances of its lead players, Barbara Baxley and Robert Ellenstein, help enormously. As was usually the case in this series someone or something was up to no good. There was an air of heightened realism to this episode, and most in the series, that made its "horror moments", while no big deal by today's standards, deeply unsettling. One has to be patient with old shows like this. They deliver the goods, but do so in a manner wholly different from how television series are made today. If one is willing to give them a chance, accept the black and white photography, the often drab, generic sets, shows such as this can be richly rewarding.

Barbara Baxley stars as Miss Morrison, who teaches English in a night class to adult immigrants hoping to become citizens. One of her students named Mr. Tomachek(played by Robert Ellenstein) is smitten by her, and gives her a cameo brooch to show his affection. She reluctantly accepts, but then strangely finds herself writing a language on the chalkboard she never learned, though Tomachek recognizes as his own language, as it seems a deceased woman named Clara is desperately trying to communicate to her through the brooch, and to warn of imminent danger... Good episode contains interesting story turns and performances.

I write Klara's name with a 'K' in my summary line because that's the way she signed her picture. This is another episode of "One Step Beyond" in which the participants and the viewer receive a message from the other side as it were, from someone who has already passed on. As the story opens, one feels some sympathy for the disabled but determined student Tomachek (Robert Ellenstein) as he explains his admiration for English teacher Lois Morrison (Barbara Baxley). She accepts his offer of a brooch against her initial judgment when she sees how upset it made him to turn it down at first. As the story progresses, it appears as if someone or something is taking over her psyche, leading to a virtual breakdown during which a brief hospitalization occurs. Eventually, the 'psychic writing' phenomenon she experiences results in a life saving moment, as Klara's message from the grave warns Miss Morrison that 'He will kill you just like he killed me'. As close calls come, this one takes you right to the edge whether one accepts the story or not.

**SPOILERS** It's when English teacher Lois Morrison, Barbara Baxley, accepts a charm form her grateful student Mr. Tomachek, Robert Ellenstein, who attends her class for non-English speaking immigrants that something strange happened to her. As Lois started writing English on her school room blackboard It came out in an entirely different language! A language that Lois didn't know or couldn't read! It was a shocked down to his socks Mr. Tomachek who realized what Lois was writing and that made him make a hasty retreat from her school room. It's as if Mr. Tomachek saw a ghost from the past in what Lois unknowingly wrote! The ghost of Clara the woman whom Mr. Tomachek was madly in love with back in the old country who died five years ago!

It becomes apparent to Lois that she somehow tapped into the world beyond and was contacted by Clara through Mr. Tomachek's charm but what exactly did Clara want so desperately to tell her? Was it a massage that she wanted her to relay to her lover Mr. Tomachek of was it in fact a massage to Lois herself! The fact that Mr. Tomachek is so secretive about what his dead lover Clara is trying to say makes you wounder if it has something to do with Mr. Tomachek himself! Something he does't want anyone to know about!

***SPOILER*** Based according to host John Newland on a true story in the mystery of automatic writing Clara did in fact want to get a message through to Lois. Not realizing what the massage was Lois took for granted that it had something to do with Clara's lover Mr. Tomachek. Lois was in fact half right! The massage to her was about ,not for, Mr. Tomachek! It was about his past and why he was so desperate in hiding it! And what was the real reason behind Clara's death which Mr. Tomachek was so determined to keep Lois from finding out!

After reluctantly accepting a cameo pin from visually disabled admirer Robert Ellenstein (as Tomachek), English teacher Barbara Baxley (as Lois Morrison) begins writing in tongues - that is, she uncontrollably scrawls messages on her chalkboard; and, they seem to be in a foreign language. The immigrant man who gave Ms. Baxley the pin says the writing matches that of his dearly departed "Clara" who has been dead five years. At first, Baxley is hysterical when she needs to write. Later, she becomes interested in what "Clara" is trying to communicate. And, she should be… In closing, "our guide into the world of the unknown" John Newland reveals more about what he calls "psychic writing." Bamf!

*** Message from Clara (11/10/59) John Newland ~ Barbara Baxley, Robert Ellenstein, Don Keefer, John Newland