I suppose this is a kind of review but, as it’s not a specific film or book, I thought it probably deserved to be here rather than the ‘Reviews’ board.
So what am I havering on about? Precisely what the title says – Tales Of Tomorrow. Quite frankly, I stumbled across this DVD during one of my periodic forays for something unusual and (hopefully) interesting.
So What is it? It is a series made in the early fifties by the American Broadcasting Corporation and in conjunction with the Science Fiction League of America. The DVD in question covers series one (I don’t actually know how many seasons there were of this) and consist of a collection of 30 minute plays for television. They are all Science Fiction in nature. Here’s a couple of examples: A murder trial that ends with the discovery of a one million-year-old machine and its purpose. A tale of how censorship can work against us in a catastrophic fashion.
Despite the age of this stuff (black and white, poor quality sound) they are still thought provoking pieces of entertainment, which stand up to the test of time quite well. Sure, some of the speculative science is out of date but that is more than made up for by the general mindset of some of the scenarios on show here. It is a time of Cold War Paranoia and it really shows here. Combine with this the fact that the 30 minute slots are interspersed by messages from sponsors and advertisements and what you have is a nice little peek into American TV entertainment fifties style.
This show was the televisual precursor of things like The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits and it stands quite well when compared against these two fine sixties shows.
So if you fancy something a little different that provides a chance to ponder or if you fancy a peek at how US TV used to be, this is definitely worth a look.
Available on Region 1 only.
Keep Watching The Skies!
So what am I havering on about? Precisely what the title says – Tales Of Tomorrow. Quite frankly, I stumbled across this DVD during one of my periodic forays for something unusual and (hopefully) interesting.
So What is it? It is a series made in the early fifties by the American Broadcasting Corporation and in conjunction with the Science Fiction League of America. The DVD in question covers series one (I don’t actually know how many seasons there were of this) and consist of a collection of 30 minute plays for television. They are all Science Fiction in nature. Here’s a couple of examples: A murder trial that ends with the discovery of a one million-year-old machine and its purpose. A tale of how censorship can work against us in a catastrophic fashion.
Despite the age of this stuff (black and white, poor quality sound) they are still thought provoking pieces of entertainment, which stand up to the test of time quite well. Sure, some of the speculative science is out of date but that is more than made up for by the general mindset of some of the scenarios on show here. It is a time of Cold War Paranoia and it really shows here. Combine with this the fact that the 30 minute slots are interspersed by messages from sponsors and advertisements and what you have is a nice little peek into American TV entertainment fifties style.
This show was the televisual precursor of things like The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits and it stands quite well when compared against these two fine sixties shows.
So if you fancy something a little different that provides a chance to ponder or if you fancy a peek at how US TV used to be, this is definitely worth a look.
Available on Region 1 only.
Keep Watching The Skies!
