It was based on an ABC Movie-of-the-Week, starring Stephanie Powers and someone else (much older-and-chubbier than Gary Collins) as Dr. Rhodes.My mother got me hooked on it because she was into that stuff, back then. Went to a discussion group called the Philosophers' Forum. And, as I was starting to read science fiction a lot, I instantly "dug it" (to use the parlance of the times)! My favorite episode was entitled "Burn, Witch, Burn." In it, Rhodes' Uncle Michael is being haunted by what he thinks is the ghost of a witch burned at the stake by order of his Puritan ancestor. But, as the spirit resembles a modern-day (circa 1972) local girl, the latter winds up being put on trial for murder when the uncle is literally scared to death! Rhodes puts her under regressive hypnosis, right there in the courtroom, and discovers the truth. That the "witch" was falsely-accused. And, that she "willed" all her collateral descendants to avenge her death, by killing all of the Puritan judge's descendants! In other words: a sort of disembodied post-hypnotic suggestion. Rhodes, of course, deprograms the girl, and she resumes a normal life.I loved this episode so much, I later ordered the novelized teleplay through Arrow Book Club News.* Sadly, however, the original hour-long episodes have been butchered into 30-minute fillers for NIGHT GALLERY re-runs. Ah, well! At least, I have my memories. And, fond ones, they are.*How many of you are old enough to remember that little scholastic organization?

Created by writer Anthony Lawrence, after the 1971 TV movie "Sweet, Sweet Rachel", and supervised during the first season (the first thirteen episodes) as an executive story consultant, the framework of "The Sixth Sense" is detective story but with wild macabre elements throughout the ESP phantasmagoria: delirious visions, hallucinations, apparitions, delusions, nightmares, mind transfers, memories from strangers, premonitions. As in the tradition of the private eye helped by his secretary, Dr. Michael Rhodes is supported by assistant librarian Nancy Murphy who only stays during the first seven episodes. The show's first ambition is to introduce to the audience the paranormal by rational and scientifical means and therefore, Dr. Rhodes plays the edifying and idealistic College professor who encounters hostility and skepticism. Too rigid and anecdotal to turn into a success, "The Sixth Sense" displays good episodes as "The House That Cried Murder", "Lady, Lady, Take My Life" (featuring a psychic lynch mob), "Once Upon a Chilling". Actually, "The Sixth Sense" is the second attempt to spread the ESP genre, after the 1959 anthology "One Step Beyond"--hosted and directed by John Newland; Newland participated in three "Sixth Sense" episodes: "Dear, Joan, We're Going to Scare You to Death", "Through a Flame, Darkly" and "And Scream by the Light of the Moon, the Moon"--, but with a regular conventional character and an early 1970's psychedelic film-making style. Many directors from other Universal fantastic shows worked on "The Sixth Sense": John Badham, Jeff Corey, Daniel Haller and Barry Shear from "Night Gallery" and Allen Barron from "Kolchak, The Night Stalker".

I was just reading the previous comments about this show that no one saw it, or no one remembers it, but I sure do. I was a kid at the time, but having older sisters, I was made to watch some of the oddest things, Twilight Zone and Night Gallery among them, and distinctly remember watching The Sixth Sense. I can't recall any of the stories, though. I'm thinking that it was from this program that the new cable series The Dead Zone is pulling some of its power. I know, The Dead Zone is based on a book, but you still have to wonder. The thing that I remember most about the show was the name of Dr. Rhodes. I had a horseback riding accident in a small Utah town when I was 10 (1974), and the doctor's name was... Dr. Rhodes. Injured and creeped out all at the same time. No wonder I'm warped. ;)

I recall watching many episodes from this unique series and am disappointed it does not yet seem to be available for purchase. I'd always wondered if the last name of the ESP investigator (Dr. Rhodes) was a play on words in that it matches the first two letters of the famous ESP Researcher of Duke University, JB Rhine.Each episode had its own challenge, with the good doctor having just enough manifested ESP ability to lead him along the trail of intrigue (remember those zoom-in close-ups of his eyes or ears, denoting his detecting psychic information pertaining to the case?)I hadn't quite realized the other viewer's comments that at least some of the episodes apparently were repackaged in Serling's Night Gallery series, although I do recall at least one Sixth Sense episode appearing in a Night Gallery feature, yes.One particular episode of intrigue involved master psychics seated around a table, with starry emblems floating or displayed about the darkened room, attempting to outwit Dr. Rhodes in his pursuit of their misuse of said abilities.I think Gary Collins did a plausible job of taking the acting role seriously for this series, and would be delighted to obtain a copy of the entire series. Hopefully the original prints are still intact and available for said purpose?