# Science Fiction Theater



## Victoria Silverwolf (Feb 7, 2016)

_Science Fiction Theater_ (1955-1957) has much higher production values than _Tales of Tomorrow_ (1951-1953.) It's filmed rather than broadcast live. Amazingly, the first season was in color! (The DVD we have has trouble with the color sometimes. Because of the nature of the originals, sometimes it looks like sepia, sometimes the color is lost entirely.)

We've watched the first of two seasons.

The stories tend to be very linear, with no twists. Only two, so far, were adapted from written stories. 

"Time Is Just a Place" was based on "Such Interesting Neighbors" by Jack Finney (Collier's, January 6, 1951.)

"Such Interesting Neighbors" by Jack Finney, Collier's Weekly, Saturday, January 6th, 1951 - UNZ.org

(You have to start reading the story, then go back to the main table of contents for this issue and get to page 45 to continue.)

The adaptation follows the basic premise -- a guy discovers that his new neighbors are from the future -- but doesn't do a whole lot with it. Admittedly, the story is pretty simple, too.

Interesting detail in the adaptation: The folks from the future have a "sonic broom" gizmo which cleans their house, and it looks and acts almost exactly like a modern Roomba automatic vacuum cleaner.

"Beyond Return" is yet another adaptation of "The Adaptive Ultimate" by Stanley G. Weinbaum, just like "The Miraculous Serum" on _Tales of Tomorrow_ and the feature film *She Devil* (1957.) It follows the story pretty closely.

The Adaptive Ultimate

Most of the original episodes tend to be rather dull. The series seems to try to be serious, without much in the way of special effects or melodrama. Each starts with the host, Truman Bradley, demonstrating some kind of science thing in a sort of Mister Wizard way, often with only a very tenuous connection to the story to come. 

Some of the science fiction concepts are interesting, such as termites that feed on rock rather than wood, or a gizmo, much like the one in the feature film *Looker*, which induces a trance in anyone within its range, essentially rendering the user invisible.

The only episode which tried to have a moral or allegorical point, as far as I can tell, was "The Long Day." This involved an experimental project to send up a rocket with a tremendously bright light. Meanwhile, some folks were plotting to kick out some undesirable new residents under cover of darkness. (The man of the house -- DeForest Kelley! -- is an ex-convict. I got the feeling that this was kind of a less controversial version of another sort of "undesirable." The fact that the neighborhood is mentioned as being "restricted" led me to speculate that the intended theme was really anti-Semitism or racism.) Anyway, the bad guys change their ways when night doesn't fall when it's supposed to. Take out the scientific explanation and you'd have a fantasy/allegory of the kind that might be seen on The Twilight Zone.

The biggest guest star so far is Vincent Price.


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## J Riff (Feb 7, 2016)

It is fairly flat stuff. I have a few of these in a folder, and everytime I go to watch 'em I don't seem to make it through.


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## clovis-man (Jun 21, 2018)

Notwithstanding the fact that this is George McFly's favorite television show, my younger son got the complete boxed set of DVDs for me on Fathers Day. I know that this may well be the dullest SF show of all time. Despite the opening shots of telescopes and whirly-gigs, Truman Bradley's soporific monologues and the horrendously mind capturing theme music have me a little stupefied.

The fun stuff is recognizing all the future stars in the various casts. For example I have been surprised to see actors ranging from Don Defore (Hazel), Warren Stevens (Forbidden Planet) to Vera Miles. That part is definitely enjoyable. That and the obviously unintended funny scenes played totally deadpan straight.


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## Al Jackson (Jul 31, 2018)

I am old enough to have watched this show real time. Lord hands down this was the dullest TV science fiction ever! It was not ever Popular Mechanics dramatized!


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