"Tales of Tomorrow" (1951-1953)

[Cat's Cradle]

Thank you for the starting the thread, Victoria! It's inspired me to finally begin watching the series; I'd heard of this one since I was a child, but they were never shown as late-night re-runs in my era, as Twilight Zone was, and has been.
There are so many wonderful things about the series; it's amazing to see modern science fiction presented for the masses, at a time when it wasn't accessible to many beyond young adults with their magazines, and adolescents with their comic books (I'm not talking about Wells and Verne and older SF, but the more modern writers who came out of the pulps, or were inspired by them, in the 1920s and 1930s). Wasn't the first SF story-compilation book only published in 1949 or so? And the first novel in book form in the early 50s? And Tales of Tomorrow started in 1951. This show must have confused the heck out of many parents, whose enthusiastic children forced them to watch (the host seems bemused, often, by the descriptions of the stories he gives out at the beginning of each episode).
And it's wonderful to see so many familiar actors...many of them are character actors I'd never be able to name, but these are hired as the leads in the series (must have been what the show could afford), and it's such a nostalgic rush to see these very familiar faces in starring roles.
The special effects are charming, both for the Flash Gordon-like feel to so many of them, but also it's very nice to see how hard the effects department worked to try to make interesting sets and sci-fi hardware, on what must have been the very definition of a shoestring budget. And sometimes the effects were remarkably effective; in The Children's Room, there is a scene where the male lead is looking for the room in the library where his son gets his mysterious books; he is standing, bemused, in front of a marble wall, and suddenly the wall dissolves and is replaced by a doorway into the children's room. It's all done with light, and mesh surfaces, I believe, but it really startled me the first time the dissolve occurred..it seemed very real, and exciting.
I'm watching these on YouTube, and one of my favorites things about the watching the episodes there is that they include the original commercials that were aired along with the shows. I wish I could buy just about everything they advertised back then! (I love old adverts.)
Well, I've gone on long enough. I'll mention that virtually everything about the series now seems remarkably dated (and the stories seem not very sophisticated), but they must have been groundbreaking at the time, and the datedness of the episodes and their presentation really is what makes them so charming. I love this series.

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

Thanks for the comments. I might mention that a very young Adrienne Corri (of A Clockwork Orange fame) appears in some of the commercials.

"Flight Overdue" is another original story. Veronica Lake (with short dark hair instead of her famous golden peek-a-boo tresses) stars as a famous aviatrix who disappeared four years before our story begins. (The resemblance to the fate of Amelia Earhart seems intentional.) Her husband (and presumed widower) has remarried. The tale begins as strange, indecipherable radio signals are picked up from an unknown source. In flashback we learn that the aviatrix often left her husband alone to go off with some unknown older man for some mysterious purpose. Not until the very end do we find out what happened.

This is a so-so story, whose speculative content (only revealed at the end) will seem outdated to modern viewers. No special effects of any kind are required.

Flight Overdue : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

"Time to Go" is another original story. A woman gets an invitation to become a depositor at a most unusual bank. It doesn't accept money; instead it takes the time you save by being quick and efficient, and promises to give it back to you with interest, thus extending your life. Of course, it's a good idea to read the fine print . . .

This episode is similar to another "weird little shop" fantasy that you might see on The Twilight Zone. The science fiction element, completely unnecessary to the story, is that the time is being used by aliens a million light-years (!) from Earth. Ignore that, and you have a reasonably enjoyable little chiller with no special effects required.

Time to Go : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

"Plague From Space," according to IMDB, credits its story to Harry Guth.

Harry Guth - IMDb

I can't find anything about such an author, but there was a Henry Guth who published a small number of stories in the SF pulps.

Henry Guth - Summary Bibliography

If this is the right author, it seems possible, just from the title, that this episode is based on "Doom Ship," published in Super Science Stories, November 1950. I have no real evidence for this.

Publication Listing

In any case, this episode deals with the commander of an Air Force base, hitting the bottle hard, who deals with the arrival of a small spaceship. Aboard is a humanoid alien, seemingly deathly ill. The disease spreads to the inhabitants of the base, and the commander has to make a desperate decision.

This was an interesting episode, with an unexpected revelation about the nature of the alien, and a powerful conclusion.

Plague from Space : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

"Red Dust" is credited to a play by SF writer Theodore R. Cogswell. I don't have any other information about the play.

A starship is returning from Alpha Centauri, where the ruins of an advanced civilization were found. Two men, who had refused anti-radiation shots, died on the planet. The survivors find out that the red dust on the planet is actually made up of deadly living organisms, and only by continuing to receive anti-radiation shots will they survive for ten or fifteen years more, and no longer. They have to decide what to do as they approach Earth . . .

This episode is surprisingly similar to the previous one, with its biological menace and bleak conclusion.

Red Dust : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

"The Golden Ingot" is loosely based on the story of the same name by the Irish-American author Fitz James O'Brien, who was killed in the American Civil War.

Fitzjames O'Brien's short story: The Golden Ingot

Both versions deal with a fellow who claims to be able to transform base metals into gold. The television adaptation (by Max Ehrlich, known for "The Apple" episode of Star Trek, as well as the novel The Reincarnation of Peter Proud and the screenplay for its film adaptation) not only changes the setting from 19th century New York City to 20th century Antwerp, it takes the story's twist ending and reveals it early, only to end with a completely different twist.

The Golden Ingot : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

"World of Water" seems to be another original story. It's credited to two people, and somebody else is credited with adapting it, but I can find no information about those two folks, so I assume they just wrote an outline for the television series.

In any case, this story involves a scientist who is emotionally unstable. (Understandably so; we find out that he spent from 1940 to 1945 in a concentration camp.) Things get worse when the sexy but vulgar young waitress he's mad about (familiar character actress Nita Talbot, stealing the show) turns down his absurd proposal of marriage. Then he gets another piece of bad news and finally cracks. That might not be so bad, if he hadn't discovered a substance that dissolves all solids . . .

This episode is notable for the fact that it's oddly open-ended. We never do find out if the mad scientist will be stopped or if the world is doomed.

World of Water : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

"The Little Black Bag" is based on the famous story of the same name by C. M. Kornbluth.

The Little Black Bag, by C. M. Kornbluth

It was later adapted into an episode of the British anthology series Out of the Unknown (only part of which now exists) and as one segment of the American anthology series Night Gallery. All three adaptations seem to be only moderately faithful to the story. (I have not seen the incomplete British version, but research reveals it to be similar to the other two.) In particular, the central gimmick of the medical bag from the future is not given Kornbluth's cynical explanation for why it can work miracles almost by itself. In the future, persons of low intelligence have greatly outbred those with higher intelligence, so the few "smart" people have to create super-advanced gizmos that the others can use. In this future, a "doctor" is far less intelligent than the technician who creates his bag.

All versions of the story involve an alcoholic ex-doctor who finds the bag, accidentally sent back in time. All feature a greedy partner of the doctor. The British version is closest to the original, in the form of a selfish young woman. Tales of Tomorrow changes this to the doctor's shrewish wife, and Night Gallery made an even greater change, with the partner taking the form of a fellow male alcoholic. The British version and Night Gallery keep the story's gruesome conclusion, while Tales of Tomorrow tones this down a bit.

Little Black Bag : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive

 

[BAYLOR]

"The Little Black Bag" is based on the famous story of the same name by C. M. Kornbluth.

The Little Black Bag, by C. M. Kornbluth

It was later adapted into an episode of the British anthology series Out of the Unknown (only part of which now exists) and as one segment of the American anthology series Night Gallery. All three adaptations seem to be only moderately faithful to the story. (I have not seen the incomplete British version, but research reveals it to be similar to the other two.) In particular, the central gimmick of the medical bag from the future is not given Kornbluth's cynical explanation for why it can work miracles almost by itself. In the future, persons of low intelligence have greatly outbred those with higher intelligence, so the few "smart" people have to create super-advanced gizmos that the others can use. In this future, a "doctor" is far less intelligent than the technician who creates his bag.

All versions of the story involve an alcoholic ex-doctor who finds the bag, accidentally sent back in time. All feature a greedy partner of the doctor. The British version is closest to the original, in the form of a selfish young woman. Tales of Tomorrow changes this to the doctor's shrewish wife, and Night Gallery made an even greater change, with the partner taking the form of a fellow male alcoholic. The British version and Night Gallery keep the story's gruesome conclusion, while Tales of Tomorrow tones this down a bit.

Little Black Bag : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive

There was a third adaptation of Little Black bag? Wow ! , I didn't know that !

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

"All the Time in the World" was adapted by no less than Arthur C. Clarke from his story of the same name, which appeared in Startling Stories, July 1952. (In fact, given the nearly simultaneous appearance of the story and the television program, it's possible the story was adapted before it appeared in print, but I have no proof of this.)

"All the Time in the World" by Arthur C. Clarke, Startling Stories, July 1952 - UNZ.org

Obviously the adaptation is a close one, although the printed version is somewhat more complex. A mysterious woman visits a professional thief with an interesting proposition. She'll pay him a huge amount of money if he'll steal great art treasures from a museum. How to get past the tight security? Why, just use the special bracelet she gives him that speeds up time for him, so much so that everyone else seems frozen in place. Of course, there's a catch . . .

'Tales of Tomorrow' - All the time in the world (1952) : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive

This is a good episode, nicely acted and with a clever plot. It may remind you of the 1960's Twilight Zone episode "A Kind of a Stopwatch" and of the 1980's Twilight Zone episode "A Little Peace and Quiet."

 

[dask]

Interesting issue of Startling Stories with letters from Jim Harmon and Richard E. Geis.

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

Those old pulps are nifty.

"The Miraculous Serum" is based on the story "The Adaptive Ultimate" by Stanley G. Weinbaum (Astounding November 1935)

The Adaptive Ultimate

Adapted (!) by no less than Theodore Sturgeon, it follows the original fairly closely. A brilliant young scientist creates a serum which allows organisms to adapt to any disease or injury. He convinces an older doctor to test it on a young woman who is at death's door. Not only does it cure her completely, she also "adapts" to society by becoming a total sociopath, bent on world domination.

'Tales of Tomorrow' Miraculous serum (1952) : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive

(If you go to this link, I suggest you click on "OGG VIDEO" to watch it. The main link has sound which is very badly out of sync with the image.)

The same story was adapted a few other times for radio and television, and even into a feature film.

She Devil (1957 film) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

"Appointment on Mars" is credited to writer S. A. Lombino. This is of interest only because this is the name used by the famous novelist and crime writer Evan Hunter/Ed McBain for his earliest work. (His birth name was Salvatore Albert Lombino, but he later had it legally changed to Evan Hunter.) Is this episode possibly based on his own short story "Welcome, Martians!" which appeared in If, May 1952? I don't really know, but it seems possible.

Anyway, out story begins with three guys on Mars. This is a Mars which is less hostile to human life than, say, your average desert. No spacesuits needed, and they literally live in a tent and sleep on sleeping bags. Not to mention the fact that they carry pistols and smoke cigarettes.

These three overgrown Boy Scouts are on the red planet looking for minerals. They quickly find huge amounts of radioactive ore, and it looks like they'll be filthy rich. That's when the trouble starts . . .

Despite the laughably inadequate "Mars" seen in this episode, the story isn't bad. It may remind you of "The Monsters are Due on maple Street" from The Twilight Zone. Leslie Nielsen and Brian Keith (billed here as Robert Keith, Jr.) appear.

Appointment on Mars : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

"The Duplicates" is an original story, and a pretty silly one. Darren McGavin stars as an engineer who has been out of work for three months. He answers an ad for a mysterious job. It turns out the folks who placed the ad wanted him all the time; they even got him fired. They tell him that there's another planet that is exactly like their own. His job is to travel to the duplicate planet and poison his own double; for unclear reasons, this is necessary to save their world. The first twist in the story comes when we find out:

Spoiler

These folks are on Jupiter, and they're sending him to Earth.

That's about halfway through the story. If your credulity hasn't been strained enough, there's another twist at the end.

The actors do the best they can with a goofy plot. For some reason, McGavin's has to enter his house through a window instead of a door. In another set, there's a lamp (or something like one) hanging from the ceiling which is covered with newspaper. These two odd details, no doubt the result of last minute problems in the live production, make the whole thing even goofier.

The Duplicates : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

"Ahead of His Time" is another original story. The interesting thing is that the actor who plays the main part also wrote it. Notable is the fact that the protagonist directly addresses the audience. He's a pretty ordinary guy in 1952 who happens to have invented a time machine. Meanwhile (to use that word very loosely), in the year 2052, Earth is pretty much a Utopia, with no war or poverty or disease. They do have one little problem, however. It seems that a scientific experiment that went wrong in 1952 caused a slow chain reaction that is going to make the planet too radioactive to support life.

It's a fairly clever episode. The mandatory "twist" at the end is best described as "cute."

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

"Ice From Space" is another original story. The premise is interesting. An unmanned test rocket is sent into outer space, and lands with a block of ice inside it. Not just any block of ice; this one cools down the surrounding area, and soon the miles of desert wasteland surrounding the military base are transformed into arctic wasteland . . .

Notable for featuring Paul Newman in his very first screen role.

Tales of Tomorrow - Ice from Space : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

"Seeing-Eye Surgeon" is another original story. A very important scientist needs difficult brain surgery. An odd fellow shows up and offers the surgeon a pair of glasses which allow him to detect healthy and diseased tissue.

This is an interesting, if simple, episode with a rather open-ended, almost philosophical ending.

At the very end the host tells us that the series won the first television science fiction award from Galaxy magazine, for the episodes "A Child is Crying" and "Ahead of His Time."

The Seeing Eye Surgeon : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

"Youth on Tap" (apparently also known as "Young Blood," also I have no direct evidence of that) is another original story. A trucker driver who is down on his luck -- somebody stole his truck! -- is offered one thousand dollars for a pint of his blood. Of course, there's a catch . . .

This is pretty basic Mad Scientist stuff. The Internet Archive copy is in very poor condition, visually.

Youth on Tap (aka: Young Blood) : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive

 

[Cat's Cradle]

Enjoying this a great deal, Victoria!
I recently watched, on YouTube, the episode named 'The Window'. I'd read that many people consider this their favorite show of the series. I thought it was a very brave and daring effort for its day...even today (I'm reminded of the daringness of the Black Mirror TV series). The network, advertisers, actors...it's really original, and must have seemed ground-breaking in the newish world of television of 1952. (The dialogue is somewhat stilted, but that's true of most of the episodes, I think; perhaps in part because the shows were broadcast live?)
Hope to read your review of 'The Window' one day!

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

"The Horn" is an original story. An inventor creates a musical instrument (played here by an ordinary French horn) which can take the emotions of the one who plays it and create them in the mind of the listener. But if it falls into the wrong hands . . .

A good example of how the show made use of unusual themes that required no special effects.


The Horn : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive

"Many Happy Returns" (apparently also known as "Invaders at Ground Zero," although I have no direct evidence for this) is based on "Stepson of Space" by Raymond Z. Gallun (Astonishing Stories, October 1940.) (The IMDB states that it's based on a story by Frederik Pohl, which led me on a wild goose chase. Apparently this error comes about because Pohl was the editor of Astonishing Stories. I have no link to the text.)

A young boy gets messages inside his head from "Mister White," who tells him how to build a teleportation gizmo in his basement. It seems Mister White isn't up to any good . . .

A pretty decent paranoid suspense story, with quite good acting from the kid.

Many Happy Returns (aka: Invaders at Ground Zero) : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive

I notice above that I failed to give you a link to "Ahead of His Time." Here it is.

Ahead of His Time : Free Download & Streaming : Internet Archive