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
As an anthology show, each episode had a self-contained plot. Every episode started with a brief bit of narration that mentioned the show's sponsor(s).
An inventor is on trial for killing a professor for five-thousand dollars. In his defence, the inventor claims that the professor paid him the five-thousand dollars use his invention to help the professor open a metal door in a remote mountain, behind which sits a machine that has been recording every tremour on Earth for a million years. The inventor notices something that the professor didn’t: that a part of the machine is broadcasting the data into space. The inventor surmises that an alien intelligence has been monitoring Earth so that, if Earthlings were to even invent a hydrogen bomb, they would know we’re a threat and would attack. The jury does not believe the inventor’s tale, but almost immediately after they announce their guilty verdict, Earth is attacked by the alien intelligence.
Sponsor: Jacques Kreisler.
2
2
"Blunder"
Teleplay by: Charles O'Neill From an original play by: Philip Wylie
August10,1951(1951-08-10)
Exists
A nuclear engineer in a remote area is about to begin operation of an experimental nuclear reactor involving bismuth which he has learned from a scientific journal that new research shows is fissile under certain conditions. Because of heavy censorship in such information he is not aware of the full article in the journal which warns against using the type of reactor he is about to put up and running as it will literally destroy the Earth. He stubbornly refuses to speak to who he assumes are small minded people who are trying to plead him not to put his reactor online, and now they are in a desperate race to get to him in his remote location and stop him before he blows up the Earth. They fail to reach him in time.
A young girl whose intelligence is beyond measure is recruited by the U.S. military to aid in the development of a bomb whose destructive force dwarfs that of the hydrogen bomb—which she does. It is soon revealed that her mental acuity is so pronounced that she can control other people’s actions through telepathic “suggestion” and see patterns in apparently-random phenomena sufficient to determine the future. The military wants to harness this ability to foretell attacks against the U.S., and while she confirms that an attack is imminent, she refuses to say who will attack because she knows that the U.S.’s response would be to engage in a preëmptive attack, which would merely result in a responsive attack and escalation. The girl reveals that there are only twenty people worldwide with her degree of intelligence, and that, after the coming world war, only 150 million will survive, including all twenty of the savants, who will then go about rebuilding the world. Because the military is unable to get her to reveal the date of the attack if the identity of the attacker, they resort to injecting her with a truth serum. The one scientist in the party refuses to apply the injection, not only because he respects her autonomy, but because it could have deleterious effects on her intelligence. The military proceeds with the injection despite his objections. Under the influence, she reveals a small range of dates on which the attack might occur, and that she was the only person in the room who would survive, but nothing more.&nbdp; After a couple of minutes, who intelligence rapidly declines to the level of an average girl her age; she no longer has the knowledge the military seeks, and won’t regain it in time for the military to be able to exploit her. For now, she is a normal, scared child; she cries and begs for her mom.
4
4
"The Woman at Land's End"
Unknown
August24,1951(1951-08-24)
Missing
5
5
"The Last Man on Earth"
Fredric Brown
August31,1951(1951-08-31)
Missing
6
6
"Errand Boy"
William Tenn
September7,1951(1951-09-07)
Missing
7
7
"The Monsters"
Robert Sheckley
September14,1951(1951-09-14)
Missing
8
8
"The Dark Angel"
Story by: Lewis Padgett Teleplay by: Alvin Sapinsley
September28,1951(1951-09-28)
Exists
Tim Hathaway is explaining to a man why he shot his wife. It all started five years earlier. Joanne Hathaway broke her rib, as confirmed by her X-ray scan. Two days later, her new X-ray scan confirmed that her ribs were fully healed with no sign of fracture. Alarmed, her doctor compares her then-current X-ray scans to those from two years prior, and discovered that her heart had grown smaller and that her appendix had disappeared—despite the last of an appendectomy; he confided his findings in her husband. When Tim approached his wife regarding the findings, she explained that she was changing, becoming much more intelligent, and had even gained telekinetic abilities. She explained that she would soon outgrow him, and that it would be best if she left him before things changed more. He did not see his wife again for a year, when he discovered that she was working at a lab in Berkley, where she had developed a new scientific process. At first, she tells him she will not return to him, but later relents and says she will get her coat. She enters a closet; a minute later, Tim looks in the closet but Joanne is not there. He does not see her again until this night at a bar. She says she does not love him and that she will soon be a ruler. The bartender overhears her, so she kills him with her mind. Tim realizes that she is no longer human and no longer has any compassion for humans, which is why—as he explains to the man—he had to shoot her. The man then reveals that she is not dead, that she cannot die, that he is the man for whom she was waiting in the bar, that he is like her, and that they will rule together; he then kills Tim with his mind.
A man enters a shop and asks to purchase a crystal egg. Charles Cave, the shopkeeper, sees how desperately the man wishes to buy the egg and tells him it will be £5.00. The man doesn’t have that much on him and says he will return with the remainder. Cave, wondering why someone would pay so much for a crystal egg, takes it to Professor Frederick Vaneck to find out whether there is anything special about it. The egg really catches Vaneck’s attention when it starts glowing. Vaneck studies it all night, discovering that it contains the landscape of Mars within it, and even a Martian lifeform. Cave returns and takes the egg before Vaneck can appeal to him otherwise. Before Vaneck sees Cave again, Cave is murdered in an alleyway; there is no mention by the police of the egg being found with the body. No one believes Vaneck about the egg, yet he remains convinced that Martians use it to vigilantly watch Earth. As he records on vinyl a plea for people to find the crystal egg before it is too late, he is shot, and someone (or something) breaks the vinyl record into pieces.
A rich tycoon sinks millions of dollars into a project to build a manned interplanetary spaceship. He wants to be the first man in space! One problem: an engine has never been designed powerful enough to get a ship into space. So, he offers a handsome reward to anyone who can design such an engine. One man does; his engine works by means of magnetism. He isn’t all too interested in the money, however; his primary interest is that he be on the flight; the tycoon agrees. Months go by, and the tycoon—and his company’s shareholders—grow restless. On the day the spaceship is to take off, a representative of the shareholders—believing the ship will not work—demands that the tycoon stop the project; the tycoon refuses, and boards the ship with the engineer. After the ship makes it into space, the tycoon tells the engineer to return to Earth; they had proved that the ship works, and would be sure to visit Mars in the near future. The engineer says that they are going to Mars now, and that there is no way for the tycoon to stop the trip. The engineer didn’t care that they would both be rich and famous-his only concern was getting home to Mars.
Sponsor: Kreisler.
11
11
"The Search for the Flying Saucer"
Mel Goldberg
November9,1951(1951-11-09)
Exists
Vic is a Lieutenant in the Air Corps who has been grounded for reporting sightings of flying saucers. Posing as a reporter, he’s come to an American town called Las Palmas, from whence many reports of flying saucers have come. Everyone refuses to talk to him about them, though—everyone save for “Crazy John,” who says he knows where the saucers land and the cave in which they are hidden; he says that the people who know about the saucers are, one by one, being mysteriously killed. Ginny, who’s running the inn at which Vic and “Crazy John” are both staying, says that all of the stories of flying saucers coming out of Las Palmas have the same source (“Crazy John”). Ginny and Vic quickly fall in love with one another, despite having known each other for an extremely short time. Ginny tries unsuccessfully to convince Vic not to go to the caves with “Crazy John.” After Vic leaves, Ginny talks with a man about how they should never have come to this planet, that people like Vic would keep coming, keep searching relentlessly for the truth; she says that they can’t kill Vic like the others because, then, the military would come to investigate. The man tells her that they have to leave in a half hour. Privately, Ginny cries, saying to herself that she didn’t come to this planet to fall in love, and now she has to leave her love behind.
Sponsor: Kreisler.
12
12
"Enemy Unknown"
Theodore Sturgeon
November23,1951(1951-11-23)
Missing
13
13
"Sneak Attack"
Story by: Russell V. Ritchey Teleplay by: Mel Goldberg
December7,1951(1951-12-07)
Exists
In 1960, American soldier, Major Ray Clinton, awakens in a hospital in a foreign country—one of the countries at which the United States had been at war fifteen years earlier—and told that he sustained five bullets in the legs and cannot walk. Doctor Maroff tells him that the only reason he is alive is that her government thinks he’s one of its own operatives and is only pretending to be an American. He convinces her he really is American, and she divulges that her government is working on a weapon to bring his country to its knees—a weapon only a few rooms away. Meanwhile, in the United States, a fleet of foreign aircraft with American markings, guided by robots, land in airfields all across the country; the U.S. government knows not from where they came. The U.S. government tries to gain entry into one of the aircraft, and sets off an explosion that levels Denver. After, the foreign government gives the U.S. government four hours to surrender; otherwise, the U.S. will be levelled by the newly-developed heterodyne bombs implanted in each of the aircraft. Major Clinton radios a message to his government that he will stop the bombs. Doctor Maroff helps him get to the room, and he does exactly that. The episode ends with the U.S. president saying, “Yes, it’s retired now, time to answer still another sneak attack—1941, 1960–when does it end? When will they realize that we’ve tasted liberty, and prefer death to life on our knees? When will they realize that we want only peace and freedom?”
Sponsor: Kreisler.
14
14
"The Invader"
Robert Foshko & Mort Zarcoff
December21,1951(1951-12-21)
Exists
It’s 1952, and a small crew, led by Doctor Burroughs, are on a vessel collecting scientific specimens and studying a deadly gas. Burroughs’s son, Roy, is aboard, but Burroughs does not respect his son. One night, they see what they believe to be a meteor—until they see it zig and zag. It lands in the water. The official diver is already two days past his contract, and refuses to go down. Old Burroughs, despite his weakened condition, says he will go down, but Roy volunteers to go in his stead. Roy gains his father’s respect. When Roy returns, he seems confused and disoriented—and strangely cold to his fiancée, Laura (played by Eva Gabor). Roy tells Burroughs that it really was just a meteor, and the apparent zigzagging was an optical illusion. After, one by one, Roy kills everyone onboard save for Burroughs, and reveals to Burroughs that his real name is Chloro, and that Burroughs was correct to think it was a spaceship; the real Roy was dead. Chloro’s agenda is to get to the mainland and report back to his people, who will then colonize Earth and kill all of the humans, who are inferior beings. Burroughs thwarts this plot by releasing the poisonous gas, killing them both.
Sponsor: Kreisler.
15
15
"The Dune Roller"
Story by: Julian C. May Teleplay by: Charles O'Neill
January4,1952(1952-01-04)
Exists
A biologist and a physicist are collecting samples of an exotic mineral that no one has before discovered. The mineral has bizarre qualities, like rapidly heating from being tapped a few times, or like fusing with other stones of the same mineral; after the fusing, the rock that results is more massive than the two constituent stones. A friend of the two scientists phone them late one night to report a strange light on the lake and that he’s coming to their cottage for the night; on his way, the friend—who has a couple stones of the mineral in his pocket—is pursued and killed by the source of the light. The scientists hypothesize that there might be a giant, burning-hot, rolling rock made of the exotic mineral that is attracted to other pieces of the same mineral, and that this rock poses a threat to anyone with the mineral in her or his pocket. So, they use some pieces of the mineral to bait the big, rolling rock, and when it arrives, they blow it to pieces with dynamite. They leave, sure the threat is now neutralized; the viewing audience, however, sees the pieces quickly begin refusing to one another.
16
16
"Frankenstein"
Mary Shelley
January18,1952(1952-01-18)
Exists, no closing credits
Victor Frankenstein has built an artificial man (played by Lon Chaney Jr.) out of human parts and, with currents of electricity, brings this creature to life. The creature escapes the lab and wanders around the castle inadvertently terrorizing its inhabitants, even killing a maid. When it grabs the butler, Frankenstein distracts it with some fire, allowing the butler to shoot it six times. The creature falls through a window, and Frankenstein believes it dead—until the castle’s inhabitants hear it again. Frankenstein’s wife, Elizabeth, and boy named William help lore the creature back to Frankenstein’s lab by singing together, where Frankenstein uses more electricity to unmake the life he made.
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.
A mission to Mars finds valuable minerals, but one of the astronauts becomes increasingly paranoid. With Leslie Nielsen.
40
40
"The Duplicates"
Richard M. Simon Additional dialogue: Mann Rubin
July4,1952(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.
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.
42
42
"Sudden Darkness"
Unknown
August1,1952(1952-08-01)
Missing
43
43
"Ice from Space"
E.H. Frank
August8,1952(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
Title
Written by
Original release date
Episode status
44
1
"A Bird in Hand"
Unknown
August22,1952(1952-08-22)
45
2
"Thanks"
Unknown
August29,1952(1952-08-29)
46
3
"Seeing-Eye Surgeon"
Michael Blair
September5,1952(1952-09-05)
A surgeon is given a very special pair of glasses. With Bruce Cabot.
47
4
"The Cocoon"
Unknown
September12,1952(1952-09-12)
48
5
"The Chase"
Unknown
September19,1952(1952-09-19)
49
6
"Youth on Tap"
Lona Kenney Additional dialogue by: Mann Rubin
September26,1952(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.
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.
51
8
"The Horn"
Alan Nelson
October10,1952(1952-10-10)
An inventor develops a musical instrument that can convey -- and dictate -- human emotions. With Franchot Tone and Stephen Elliott.
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.
56
13
"The Camera"
Unknown
November14,1952(1952-11-14)
57
14
"The Quiet Lady"
Unknown
November21,1952(1952-11-21)
58
15
"The Invigorating Air"
Unknown
November28,1952(1952-11-28)
59
16
"The Glacier Giant"
Unknown
December5,1952(1952-12-05)
60
17
"The Fatal Flower"
Unknown
December12,1952(1952-12-12)
61
18
"The Machine"
Unknown
December19,1952(1952-12-19)
62
19
"The Bitter Storm"
Armand Aulicino
December26,1952(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.
63
20
"The Mask of Medusa"
Unknown
January2,1953(1953-01-02)
64
21
"Conqueror's Isle"
Unknown
January9,1953(1953-01-09)
65
22
"Discovered Heart"
Unknown
January16,1953(1953-01-16)
66
23
"The Picture of Dorian Gray"
Unknown
January23,1953(1953-01-23)
67
24
"Two Faced"
Unknown
January30,1953(1953-01-30)
68
25
"The Build Box"
Unknown
February6,1953(1953-02-06)
69
26
"Another Chance"
Frank De Felitta
February13,1953(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.
70
27
"The Great Silence"
Frank De Felitta
February20,1953(1953-02-20)
A disease that paralyzes people's vocal cords is spreading rapidly. With Burgess Meredith.
71
28
"Lonesome Village"
Unknown
February27,1953(1953-02-27)
72
29
"The Fury of the Cocoon"
Frank De Felitta
March6,1953(1953-03-06)
A scientific expedition discovers a giant cocoon at the remote site of a meteorite crash. With Nancy Coleman and Peter Capell.
73
30
"The Squeeze Play"
Unknown
March13,1953(1953-03-13)
74
31
"Read to Me Herr Doktor"
Alvin Sapinsley
March20,1953(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.
Jack Weinstock & Willie Gilbert Based on an idea by: Robert F. Levine
April3,1953(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.
77
34
"Homecoming"
Mann Rubin
April10,1953(1953-04-10)
An Air Force pilot can live only in sub-zero temperatures. With Brian Keith.
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]
Surviving episodes
Most of the television episodes are in the United States public domain.[10][unreliable source?] 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. It was broadcast live and so the 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
Captain Video and His Video Rangers, first science fiction adventure series in United States television. It was aimed at juvenile audiences.
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