espite remaining on the air almost as long as the original Star Trek, few modern-day fans have heard of Tales of Tomorrow. That's a shame, because without that program, shows like The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, Babylon 5 and the sundry Trek
incarnations surely would have developed in an altogether different manner. Broadcast from 1951 to 1953, Tales of Tomorrow was the first ongoing adult-oriented TV series specifically devoted to science fiction, and though barely remembered today it unquestionably set the stage for decades of thought-provoking SF drama.
The program makes its DVD debut on a new installment of Critics' Choice Video's budget-priced "Classic Television Collection." In the opening episode, Lon Chaney Jr. stars as the legendary monster in an odd revision of "Frankenstein," with the second work—"The Crystal Egg," an
adventure based on H.G. Wells' famed short story of the same name—featuring well-known character actor Thomas Mitchell. On the disc's two remaining narratives, Leslie Nielsen and his co-stars, William Redfield and Robert Keith Jr., keep a dangerous "Appointment on Mars," while Edmond Ryan and, in a small supporting role, Paul Newman, battle a chilling extraterrestrial invasion in "Ice From Space."
All four tales are from the program's initial season, with the earliest ("The Crystal Egg") airing—contrary to the Feb. 29, 1952, date indicated on the package—on Oct. 12, 1951, and the latest ("Ice From Space") premiering on Aug. 8, 1952. Other than a rudimentary menu, the compilation lacks any on-screen extras, although the back cover of the DVD case furnishes a brief history of the show and succinct synopses of the individual storylines.
Trailblazing kinescope classics
In the early 1950s, mature science fiction was a rarity on television. A few anthologies offered one-off adaptations of yarns by authors like Robert Heinlein and Nelson Bond, but it wasn't until Mort Abrahams, former producer of the children's show Tom Corbett, Space Cadet, formulated Tales of Tomorrow that the genre began to be viewed as a significant and sustainable storytelling format. The episodes on this collection present an outstanding overview of the pioneering program, revealing both the rewards and risks inherent in crafting something that, though clearly old-fashioned to contemporary eyes, was in its day truly unprecedented.
"Appointment on Mars" is a straightforward yet spellbinding adventure concerning three wildcat astronauts on the Red Planet. At the outset, their expedition is tremendously successful, but the crew's cheerful camaraderie quickly erodes, leading to a lethal and entirely unexpected conclusion. The taut tale, which depends upon honest performances rather than elaborate sets
or razzle-dazzle special effects, is a shining example of eloquent SF theater. In spite of a somewhat muddled plot, "Frankenstein" is similarly fascinating, primarily due to Chaney's bizarre actions. In what many experts considered an especially notorious incident in the annals of television, the intoxicated actor thought the broadcast was a dress rehearsal and consequently stumbled around the set mumbling and mishandling props.
The two other installments are also engaging and provocative, proving that, notwithstanding minimal budgets and the technical constraints of live TV, the still-developing medium was a worthwhile outlet for challenging science fiction. While the series is all but forgotten today, Tales of Tomorrow—Volume 1—the first of hopefully many Critics' Choice
discs devoted to the show—provides invaluable insight into this important yet frequently ignored chapter in SF television history.
