The actors playing Patty's parents in this episode are actor/director Sean Penn's real-life parents, the late Leo Penn (d. 1998) -- later a director of various classic TV shows such as Star Trek, I Spy, Cagney & Lacey, and Kojak -- and Eileen Ryan, who later played Steve Martin's mom in Parenthood and has been featured in a couple of Sean's films. The elder Penn was blacklisted in the 50's for refusing to out friends and colleagues to HUAC. I like hos this episode refers to those witch-hunting days, the Penns playing the kind of narrow-minded yahoos who made Leo's life miserable.

Alcoa Presents: One Step Beyond.
Season 2, episode 14.
Original air date: 22 December 1959.
A farm girl`s parents are terrified when their daughter reveals that she can read minds. But a priest knows that her gifts can save two young lives.
Cast: John Newland (Host), Patty McCormack (Emmy Horvath), Robert Emhardt (Priest), Eileen Ryan (Mrs. Horvath), Leo Penn (Jed Horvath), Deena Gerard (Jill Riley), Jimmy Baird (Captain Riley`s son), William Greene (Captain Riley), Pedro Regas (Juan Orriba), Preston Hanson (Doctor) and Charlott Knight (Housekeeper).
From IMDB.

The Starlet of this little tale is none other than Patty McCormack of Kathy O', The Bad Seed & 'The Ropers' fame.

Oh brother, as a yout this Patty McCormack really did it for me.... As I seem to remember, I Tink she was in a few episodes of 'I Remember Mama' also.

In this show she is about 13 or 14 attempting to be 12....(She IS a little tall an' most assuredly too many perfect teeth for a 12-year-old)... Farm girl, you know how it is; they always look older anyway. She portrays the pretty dismay with a great pout and eventually the happy-happy that she also does so easily.

Love to get a copy of Kathy O' for the Christmas Collection.

We've seen Patty as a very little cutie, then as about a 10 year old in 'The Bad Seed', then about a 12 year old in Kathy O' and here as an adolescent. It's difficult to associate the Patricia McCormack adult to the pre-adult works but it truly IS the same person. Growing up DOES change one.

An Who is the lost boy on the mysterious islet?... None other than a slightly older than we were used to Jimmy Baird.... PeeWee, Joey's sidekick of Saturday morning Fury.... and brother to Sharon Baird, Mousekteer (sp?). What's he doing here on One Step Beyond? Staying employed - That's what.

Plot line... Well a little oblique venture into the supernatural an' back... But that's what One Step Beyond does anyway.

Great to see again those that were a part of my own yesteryear even if from afar on the other side of the picture tube.

Noah 8-?