Tales of Tomorrow

Tales of Tomorrow is an American anthology science fiction series that was performed and broadcast live on ABC from 1951 to 1953. The series covered such stories as Frankenstein starring Lon Chaney Jr., 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea starring Thomas Mitchell as Captain Nemo, and many others.

Tales of Tomorrow
Genre
Directed by
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes85
Production
Running time25 minutes
Release
Original networkABC
Original releaseAugust 3, 1951 (1951-08-03) 
June 12, 1953 (1953-06-12)

Cast

Besides Chaney and Mitchell, the show featured such performers as Boris Karloff, James Dean, Brian Keith, Lee J. Cobb, Eva Gabor, Veronica Lake, Rod Steiger, Bruce Cabot, Franchot Tone, Louis Hector, Gene Lockhart, Walter Abel, Cloris Leachman, Leslie Nielsen, Joanne Woodward and Paul Newman. The series had many similarities to the later Twilight Zone which also covered one of the same stories, "What You Need". In total it ran for eighty-five 30-minute episodes. It was called “the best science-fiction fare on TV today” by Paul Fairman, editor of If.[1]

Production

The idea for this science fiction television series was developed by Theodore Sturgeon and Mort Abrahams, and presented under the auspices of the Science Fiction League of America. This entity, not to be confused with the Science Fiction League, may have been a creation of the producers; author Robert Heinlein was contacted in 1951 by Sturgeon and Abrahams about their plan to "put together a league of s-f authors to write television screenplays for a new proposed TV series, Tomorrow is Yours (the original title of the show)."[2] A deal was struck with Richard Gordon and George Foley, giving the producers of the show first choice of any of the 2,000 short stories and 13 novels by the various members of the League.

Tales of Tomorrow was the first dramatized showcase for several authors, including Arthur C. Clarke.[3] Other early science fiction writers whose work was reflected in the series included Fredric Brown ("The Last Man on Earth" and "Age of Peril"), Philip Wylie ("Blunder"), C. M. Kornbluth ("The Little Black Bag") and Stanley G. Weinbaum ("The Miraculous Serum"). The show was intended for adults; at the time, most science fiction productions were targeted to children.[4] The producers wanted to blend mystery and science fiction, and to emphasize fast pacing and suspense.[5]

Episodes

Series overview

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
143August 3, 1951 (1951-08-03)August 8, 1952 (1952-08-08)
242August 22, 1952 (1952-08-22)June 12, 1953 (1953-06-12)

Season 1 (1951–52)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleWritten byOriginal air dateEpisode status
11"Verdict from Space"Theodore SturgeonAugust 3, 1951 (1951-08-03)Exists
A man is on trial for killing a scientist, but no one will believe that he didn't do it -- or what he and the scientist discovered.
22"Blunder"Teleplay by: Charles O'Neill
From an original play by: Philip Wylie
August 10, 1951 (1951-08-10)Exists
33"A Child Is Crying"Story by: John MacDonald
Teleplay by: Alvin Sapinsley
August 17, 1951 (1951-08-17)Exists
A young girl with extraordinary, almost inhuman intelligence, is recruited by the military -- who discover she can see the future.
44"The Woman at Land's End"UnknownAugust 24, 1951 (1951-08-24)Missing
55"The Last Man on Earth"UnknownAugust 31, 1951 (1951-08-31)Missing
66"Errand Boy"UnknownSeptember 7, 1951 (1951-09-07)Missing
77"The Monsters"UnknownSeptember 14, 1951 (1951-09-14)Missing
88"The Dark Angel"Story by: Lewis Padgett
Teleplay by: Alvin Sapinsley
September 28, 1951 (1951-09-28)Exists
99"The Crystal Egg"Story by: H.G. Wells
Teleplay by: Mel Goldberg
October 12, 1951 (1951-10-12)Exists
1010"Test Flight"Story by: Nelson Bond
Teleplay by: Mel Goldberg
October 26, 1951 (1951-10-26)Exists
1111"The Search for the Flying Saucer"Mel GoldbergNovember 9, 1951 (1951-11-09)Exists
1212"Enemy Unknown"UnknownNovember 23, 1951 (1951-11-23)Missing
1313"Sneak Attack"Story by: Russell V. Ritchey
Teleplay by: Mel Goldberg
December 7, 1951 (1951-12-07)Exists
1414"The Invader"Robert Foshko & Mort ZarcoffDecember 21, 1951 (1951-12-21)Exists
1515"The Dune Roller"Story by: Julian C. May
Teleplay by: Charles O'Neill
January 4, 1952 (1952-01-04)Exists
1616"Frankenstein"UnknownJanuary 18, 1952 (1952-01-18)Exists, no closing credits
1717"20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: The Chase"UnknownJanuary 25, 1952 (1952-01-25)Missing
1818"20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: The Escape"UnknownFebruary 1, 1952 (1952-02-01)Exists, no closing credits
1919"What You Need"UnknownFebruary 8, 1952 (1952-02-08)Exists, no closing credits
2020"Age of Peril"Story by: Fredric Brown
Teleplay by: A.J. Russell
February 15, 1952 (1952-02-15)Exists
2121"Memento"UnknownFebruary 22, 1952 (1952-02-22)Missing
2222"The Children's Room"Story by: Raymond F. Jones
Teleplay by: Mel Goldberg
February 29, 1952 (1952-02-29)Exists
2323"Bound Together"UnknownMarch 7, 1952 (1952-03-07)Missing
2424"Diamond Lens"UnknownMarch 14, 1952 (1952-03-14)Exists, no closing credits
2525"The Fisherman's Wife"UnknownMarch 21, 1952 (1952-03-21)Missing
2626"Flight Overdue"David Davidson
From an original idea by: Jim Lister
March 28, 1952 (1952-03-28)Exists
2727"And a Little Child"UnknownApril 4, 1952 (1952-04-04)Missing
2828"Sleep No More"UnknownApril 11, 1952 (1952-04-11)Missing
2929"Time to Go"Mann RubinApril 18, 1952 (1952-04-18)Exists
3030"Plague from Space"UnknownApril 25, 1952 (1952-04-25)Exists, no closing credits
3131"Red Dust"Teleplay by: Irving Elman
Adapted from a play by: Theodore Cogswell
May 2, 1952 (1952-05-02)Exists
3232"The Golden Ingot"UnknownMay 9, 1952 (1952-05-09)Exists, no closing credits
3333"The Black Planet"UnknownMay 16, 1952 (1952-05-16)Exists, no closing credits
3434"World of Water"Story by: M.J. Gorley & James V. McGlinchey
Teleplay by: Mann Rubin
May 23, 1952 (1952-05-23)Exists
3535"The Little Black Bag"C.M. Kornbluth
Additional dialogue: Mann Rubin
May 30, 1952 (1952-05-30)Exists
3636"The Exile"UnknownJune 6, 1952 (1952-06-06)Missing
3737"All the Time in the World"UnknownJune 13, 1952 (1952-06-13)Exists, no closing credits
An unscrupulous P.I. is given an assignment to rob an art gallery, using a device that will stop time. With Don Hanmer, Esther Ralston, and Jack Warden.
3838"The Miraculous Serum"Story by: Stanley G. Weinbaum
Teleplay by: Theodore Sturgeon
June 20, 1952 (1952-06-20)Exists
A serum which can cure animals of any disease is tried on a human subject. With Lola Albright.
3939"Appointment on Mars"S.A. LombinoJune 27, 1952 (1952-06-27)Exists
A mission to Mars finds valuable minerals, but one of the astronauts becomes increasingly paranoid. With Leslie Nielsen.
4040"The Duplicates"Richard M. Simon
Additional dialogue: Mann Rubin
July 4, 1952 (1952-07-04)Exists
A parallel world populated by duplicates of humanity is discovered, and one man is tasked with killing his duplicate to save both worlds. With Darren McGavin.
4141"Ahead of His Time"Paul TrippJuly 18, 1952 (1952-07-18)Exists
In the year 2052, a scientist tries to send a message 100 years into the past to prevent the eventual destruction of mankind. Paul Tripp, who wrote the episode, also stars.
4242"Sudden Darkness"UnknownAugust 1, 1952 (1952-08-01)Missing
4343"Ice from Space"E.H. FrankAugust 8, 1952 (1952-08-08)Exists
A block of ice retrieved from outer space seems to freeze everything it contacts. With Paul Newman in a supporting role.

Season 2 (1952–53)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleWritten byOriginal air date
441"A Bird in Hand"UnknownAugust 22, 1952 (1952-08-22)
452"Thanks"UnknownAugust 29, 1952 (1952-08-29)
463"Seeing-Eye Surgeon"Michael BlairSeptember 5, 1952 (1952-09-05)
A surgeon is given a very special pair of glasses. With Bruce Cabot.
474"The Cocoon"UnknownSeptember 12, 1952 (1952-09-12)
485"The Chase"UnknownSeptember 19, 1952 (1952-09-19)
496"Youth on Tap"Lona Kenney
Additional dialogue by: Mann Rubin
September 26, 1952 (1952-09-26)
A young man in financial difficulty is offered $1000 for a pint of his blood -- but there's a catch. With Robert Alda and Harry Townes.
507"Substance X"Frank De FelittaOctober 3, 1952 (1952-10-03)
A woman is dispatched to figure out how a small, isolated southern town is surviving after their only sources of food are cut off. With Vicki Cummings and Will Kuluva.
518"The Horn"Alan NelsonOctober 10, 1952 (1952-10-10)
An inventor develops a musical instrument that can convey -- and dictate -- human emotions. With Franchot Tone and Stephen Elliott.
529"Double Trouble"UnknownOctober 17, 1952 (1952-10-17)
5310"Many Happy Returns"Story by: Raymond Z. Gallun
Teleplay by: David Karp
October 24, 1952 (1952-10-24)
A father discovers his young son seems to be under the influence of a man from the Moon. With Gene Raymond.
5411"The Tomb of King Tarus"UnknownOctober 31, 1952 (1952-10-31)
5512"The Window (aka The Lost Planet)"Frank De FelittaNovember 7, 1952 (1952-11-07)
In this unusual meta-episode, a science fiction melodrama ("The Lost Planet") is interrupted by an unauthorized transmission of a peculiar drama called "The Window", and the real-life crew of Tales of Tomorrow try to figure out what's happening. With Rod Steiger.
5613"The Camera"UnknownNovember 14, 1952 (1952-11-14)
5714"The Quiet Lady"UnknownNovember 21, 1952 (1952-11-21)
5815"The Invigorating Air"UnknownNovember 28, 1952 (1952-11-28)
5916"The Glacier Giant"UnknownDecember 5, 1952 (1952-12-05)
6017"The Fatal Flower"UnknownDecember 12, 1952 (1952-12-12)
6118"The Machine"UnknownDecember 19, 1952 (1952-12-19)
6219"The Bitter Storm"Armand AulicinoDecember 26, 1952 (1952-12-26)
A scientist invents a machine that can retrieve sounds from the past. With Arnold Moss, and -- in her first credited role -- Joanne Woodward.
6320"The Mask of Medusa"UnknownJanuary 2, 1953 (1953-01-02)
6421"Conqueror's Isle"UnknownJanuary 9, 1953 (1953-01-09)
6522"Discovered Heart"UnknownJanuary 16, 1953 (1953-01-16)
6623"The Picture of Dorian Gray"UnknownJanuary 23, 1953 (1953-01-23)
6724"Two Faced"UnknownJanuary 30, 1953 (1953-01-30)
6825"The Build Box"UnknownFebruary 6, 1953 (1953-02-06)
6926"Another Chance"Frank De FelittaFebruary 13, 1953 (1953-02-13)
A thief is given a chance to go back seven years and correct his mistakes, but it is harder than it seems. With Leslie Nielsen.
7027"The Great Silence"Frank De FelittaFebruary 20, 1953 (1953-02-20)
A disease that paralyzes people's vocal cords is spreading rapidly. With Burgess Meredith.
7128"Lonesome Village"UnknownFebruary 27, 1953 (1953-02-27)
7229"The Fury of the Cocoon"Frank De FelittaMarch 6, 1953 (1953-03-06)
A scientific expedition discovers a giant cocoon at the remote site of a meteorite crash. With Nancy Coleman and Peter Capell.
7330"The Squeeze Play"UnknownMarch 13, 1953 (1953-03-13)
7431"Read to Me Herr Doktor"Alvin SapinsleyMarch 20, 1953 (1953-03-20)
A professor with failing eyesight invents a robot to read books to him, to the concern of his daughter. With Everett Sloane and Mercedes McCambridge.
7532"Ghost Writer"Mann RubinMarch 27, 1953 (1953-03-27)
A writer is hired to complete horrific tales which then seem to come true. With Leslie Nielsen and Murray Matheson.
7633"Past Tense"Jack Weinstock & Willie Gilbert
Based on an idea by: Robert F. Levine
April 3, 1953 (1953-04-03)
A doctor uses a time machine to bring penicillin to the people of 1923, but finds it difficult to convince anyone of the drug's efficacy. With Boris Karloff and Robert F. Simon.
7734"Homecoming"Mann RubinApril 10, 1953 (1953-04-10)
An Air Force pilot can live only in sub-zero temperatures. With Brian Keith.
7835"The Rivals"UnknownApril 17, 1953 (1953-04-17)
7936"Please Omit Flowers"UnknownApril 24, 1953 (1953-04-24)
8037"The Evil Within"Manya StarrMay 1, 1953 (1953-05-01)
A scientist's wife inadvertently drinks a serum designed to bring out evil. With Margaret Phillips, Rod Steiger, and James Dean.
8138"The Vault"UnknownMay 8, 1953 (1953-05-08)
8239"Ink"UnknownMay 15, 1953 (1953-05-15)
8340"The Spider's Web"Frank De FelittaMay 22, 1953 (1953-05-22)
Castaways find themselves on an island inhabited by strange radiation-affected creatures.
8441"Lazarus Walks"UnknownMay 29, 1953 (1953-05-29)
A dead man comes back to life with the ability to detect lies. With Olive Deering and Joseph Wiseman.
8542"What Dreams May Come"UnknownJune 12, 1953 (1953-06-12)

Radio series

While the television series was still being produced in 1953, ABC ran a radio show of the same name from January 1 to April 9, 1953.[6] The radio series differed from the television series in that its scripts were adapted from stories appearing in Galaxy Science Fiction.[7] Another radio series, Dimension X, had had a similar relationship with Astounding Science Fiction magazine.

The radio series was not successful. After only a few episodes, on February 26 it moved to CBS for the remainder of its 15-episode run.[8] The TV version was canceled shortly afterward (the last episode was shown on June 12, 1953). A few years after its cancellation, the radio series X Minus One (a 1955 revival of Dimension X) debuted, again adapting stories published in Galaxy. Four of the fifteen Tales of Tomorrow stories were later adapted for X Minus One. These were "The Stars Are the Styx", "The Moon Is Green", "The Girls from Earth", and "The Old Die Rich".[8][9]

Release to public domain episodes

Most of the TV episodes are in the United States public domain.[10] Additionally, five of the surviving radio series episodes are now in the public domain in the United States and available for free download at Internet Archive. Live TV episodes were captured on kinescope. Of the 85 TOT episodes produced, around 40 have been released on various DVD sets, along with another handful on VHS, which for years was the only place to find “A Child Is Crying”, one of the most memorable episodes of the series[11]

See also

References

  1. If v1#1 p. 151
  2. The Heinlein Archives, website;
  3. Arthur C. Clarke, "The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke", Preface to 'All the Time in the World' ISBN 0-575-07065-X.
  4. The Billboard (magazine), May 19, 1951, page 11
  5. The Billboard (magazine), August 18, 1951, page 9
  6. Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (Revised ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. p. 653. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3. Retrieved 2019-10-01.
  7. Science Fiction Television. By M. Keith Booker, page 5, ISBN 0-275-98164-9
  8. Tales of Tomorrow Radio: Details; Production information and review sources on the radio series Tales of Tomorrow.
  9. Full listing of all "X Minus One" episodes; at Internet Archive.
  10. "tales of Tomorrow TV". 16 November 2012. Retrieved 30 September 2018.
  11. Tales Of Tomorrow: The Inside Story on TV's 1st Sci-Fi Anthology, website;
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