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 | |
|---|---|
 Series title card | |
| Genre | |
| Directed by |
|
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 85 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 25 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | ABC |
| Picture format | 4:3 Black and White |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original release | August 3, 1951 – June 12, 1953 |
Featured cast members
Besides Chaney and Mitchell, the show featured such performers as Boris Karloff, James Dean, Brian Keith, Lee J. Cobb, Veronica Lake, Rod Steiger, Bruce Cabot, Franchot Tone, Louis Hector, Gene Lockhart, Walter Abel, Cloris Leachman, Leslie Nielsen, 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, together with the membership of the Science Fiction League of America.[2] The original title was planned as Tomorrow is Yours.[3] 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.[4] 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.[5] The producers wanted to blend mystery and science fiction, and emphasize fast pacing and suspense.[6]
Broadcast history
For the first few months, Tales of Tomorrow alternated the 9:30 to 10pm ET timeslot with Versatile Varieties, which had its last broadcast on December 14, 1951.
| Season | Time Slot |
|---|---|
| 1 (1951-1952) | Friday at 9:30 pm |
| 2 (1952-1953) |
Episode list
Season 1: 1951–52
| Nº | Ep | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | "Verdict from Space" | August 3, 1951 |
| 2 | 2 | "Blunder" | August 10, 1951 |
| 3 | 3 | "A Child Is Crying" | August 17, 1951 |
| 4 | 4 | "The Woman at Land's End" | August 24, 1951 |
| 5 | 5 | "The Last Man on Earth" | August 31, 1951 |
| 6 | 6 | "Errand Boy" | September 7, 1951 |
| 7 | 7 | "The Monsters" | September 14, 1951 |
| 8 | 8 | "The Dark Angel" | September 28, 1951 |
| 9 | 9 | "The Crystal Egg" | October 12, 1951 |
| 10 | 10 | "Test Flight" | October 26, 1951 |
| 11 | 11 | "The Search for the Flying Saucer" | November 9, 1951 |
| 12 | 12 | "Enemy Unknown" | November 23, 1951 |
| 13 | 13 | "Sneak Attack" | December 7, 1951 |
| 14 | 14 | "The Invader" | December 21, 1951 |
| 15 | 15 | "The Dune Roller" | January 4, 1952 |
| 16 | 16 | "Frankenstein" | January 18, 1952 |
| 17 | 17 | "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: The Chase" | January 25, 1952 |
| 18 | 18 | "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: The Escape" | February 1, 1952 |
| 19 | 19 | "What You Need" | February 8, 1952 |
| 20 | 20 | "Age of Peril" | February 15, 1952 |
| 21 | 21 | "Memento" | February 22, 1952 |
| 22 | 22 | "The Children's Room" | February 29, 1952 |
| 23 | 23 | "Bound Together" | March 7, 1952 |
| 24 | 24 | "The Diamond Lens" | March 14, 1952 |
| 25 | 25 | "The Fisherman's Wife" | March 21, 1952 |
| 26 | 26 | "Flight Overdue" | March 28, 1952 |
| 27 | 27 | "And a Little Child" | April 4, 1952 |
| 28 | 28 | "Sleep No More" | April 11, 1952 |
| 29 | 29 | "Time to Go" | April 18, 1952 |
| 30 | 30 | "Plague from Space" | April 25, 1952 |
| 31 | 31 | "Red Dust" | May 2, 1952 |
| 32 | 32 | "The Golden Ingot" | May 9, 1952 |
| 33 | 33 | "Black Planet" | May 16, 1952 |
| 34 | 34 | "World of Water" | May 23, 1952 |
| 35 | 35 | "Little Black Bag" | May 30, 1952 |
| 36 | 36 | "The Exile" | June 6, 1952 |
| 37 | 37 | "All the Time in the World" | June 13, 1952 |
| 38 | 38 | "The Miraculous Serum" | June 20, 1952 |
| 39 | 39 | "Appointment on Mars" | June 27, 1952 |
| 40 | 40 | "The Duplicates" | July 4, 1952 |
| 41 | 41 | "Ahead of His Time" | July 18, 1952 |
| 42 | 42 | "Sudden Darkness" | August 1, 1952 |
| 43 | 43 | "Ice from Space" | August 8, 1952 |
Season 2: 1952–53
| Nº | Ep | Title | Original air date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 44 | 1 | "A Bird in Hand" | August 22, 1952 |
| 45 | 2 | "Thanks" | August 29, 1952 |
| 46 | 3 | "The Seeing Eye Surgeon" | September 5, 1952 |
| 47 | 4 | "The Cocoon" | September 12, 1952 |
| 48 | 5 | "The Chase" | September 19, 1952 |
| 49 | 6 | "Youth on Tap" | September 26, 1952 |
| 50 | 7 | "Substance X" | October 3, 1952 |
| 51 | 8 | "The Horn" | October 10, 1952 |
| 52 | 9 | "Double Trouble" | October 17, 1952 |
| 53 | 10 | "Many Happy Returns" | October 24, 1952 |
| 54 | 11 | "The Tomb of King Tarus" | October 31, 1952 |
| 55 | 12 | "The Window" | November 7, 1952 |
| 56 | 13 | "The Camera" | November 14, 1952 |
| 57 | 14 | "The Quiet Lady" | November 21, 1952 |
| 58 | 15 | "The Invigorating Air" | November 28, 1952 |
| 59 | 16 | "The Glacier Giant" | December 5, 1952 |
| 60 | 17 | "The Fatal Flower" | December 12, 1952 |
| 61 | 18 | "The Machine" | December 19, 1952 |
| 62 | 19 | "The Bitter Storm" | December 26, 1952 |
| 63 | 20 | "The Mask of Medusa" | January 2, 1953 |
| 64 | 21 | "Conqueror's Isle" | January 9, 1953 |
| 65 | 22 | "Discovered Heart" | January 16, 1953 |
| 66 | 23 | "The Picture of Dorian Gray" | January 23, 1953 |
| 67 | 24 | "Two Faced" | January 30, 1953 |
| 68 | 25 | "The Build Box" | February 6, 1953 |
| 69 | 26 | "Another Chance" | February 13, 1953 |
| 70 | 27 | "The Great Silence" | February 20, 1953 |
| 71 | 28 | "Lonesome Village" | February 27, 1953 |
| 72 | 29 | "The Fury of the Cocoon" | March 6, 1953 |
| 73 | 30 | "The Squeeze Play" | March 13, 1953 |
| 74 | 31 | "Read to Me Herr Doktor" | March 20, 1953 |
| 75 | 32 | "Ghost Writer" | March 27, 1953 |
| 76 | 33 | "Past Tense" | April 3, 1953 |
| 77 | 34 | "Homecoming" | April 10, 1953 |
| 78 | 35 | "The Rivals" | April 17, 1953 |
| 79 | 36 | "Please Omit Flowers" | April 24, 1953 |
| 80 | 37 | "The Evil Within" | May 1, 1953 |
| 81 | 38 | "The Vault" | May 8, 1953 |
| 82 | 39 | "Ink" | May 15, 1953 |
| 83 | 40 | "The Spider's Web" | May 22, 1953 |
| 84 | 41 | "Lazarus Walks" | May 29, 1953 |
| 85 | 42 | "What Dreams May Come" | June 12, 1953 |
Radio series
While the television version of Tales of Tomorrow was still being produced in 1953, ABC decided to try a radio version. The radio show ran from January 1 to April 9, 1953.[7] Unlike the TV version, scripts were adapted from stories appearing in Galaxy Science Fiction;[8] the contemporary series Dimension X previously 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.[9] 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, sharing a similar relationship with Galaxy Science Fiction. Four of the fifteen Tales of Tomorrow stories were later adapted for X Minus One: "The Stars Are the Styx", "The Moon Is Green", "The Girls from Earth", and "The Old Die Rich".[9][10]
Public domain episodes
Most of the TV episodes are in the United States public domain.[11] 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 one of the most memorable entries, “A Child Is Crying.”[12]
See also
- Captain Video and His Video Rangers, first science fiction adventure series in United States television. It was aimed at juvenile audiences.
- Out There, a 1951 anthology series.
- Science fiction on television, a look at the history of science fiction from various countries, and when they first appeared on television.
- Science Fiction Theatre, an anthology series released about three years later.
- Space Patrol, a science fiction adventure series that was being produced at the same time, aimed at juvenile audiences.
References
- If v1#1 p. 151
- Tales of Tomorrow at TV.com
- The Heinlein Archives, website;
- Arthur C. Clarke, "The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke", Preface to 'All the Time in the World' ISBN 0-575-07065-X.
- The Billboard (magazine), May 19, 1951, page 11
- The Billboard (magazine), August 18, 1951, page 9
- 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.
Tales of Tomorrow, science fiction anthology.
- Science Fiction Television. By M. Keith Booker, page 5, ISBN 0-275-98164-9
- Tales of Tomorrow Radio: Details; Production information and review sources on the radio series Tales of Tomorrow.
- Full listing of all "X Minus One" episodes; at Internet Archive.
- "tales of Tomorrow TV". Retrieved 30 September 2018.
- Tales Of Tomorrow: The Inside Story on TV's 1st Sci-Fi Anthology, website;
External links
- Tales of Tomorrow at IMDb
- Tales of Tomorrow is available for free download at the Internet Archive
- List of Tales of Tomorrow television episodes, and link to radio series collection on Internet Archive.
- Tales of Tomorrow: Radio collection, 5 episodes from the radio series available for free download at the Internet Archive.
- Tales of Tomorrow episode guide.
- OTR Plot Spot: Tales of Tomorrow - plot summaries and reviews.
- Tales of Tomorrow at CVTA with episode list
- Tales of Tomorrow: The Inside Story interviews with show creators