Tales of Tomorrow

Tales of Tomorrow
Genre	Anthology Science Fiction
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	85
Production
Running time	25 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel	ABC
Picture format	4:3 Black and White
Audio format	Monaural
Original run	August 3, 1951 – June 12, 1953

Tales of Tomorrow is an American anthology science fiction series that was performed and broadcast live^[1] 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 featuring such performers as Boris Karloff, Brian Keith, Lee J. Cobb, Rod Steiger, Bruce Cabot, Franchot Tone, Gene Lockhart, Walter Abel, Leslie Nielsen, 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.

Production [edit]

The idea for this science fiction television series was developed by Theodore Sturgeon and Mort Abrahamson, together with the membership of the Science Fiction League of America. The original title was planned as Tomorrow is Yours.^[2] 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 Science Fiction League. The show was intended for adults; at the time, most science fiction productions were targeted to children.^[3] The producers wanted to blend mystery and science fiction, and emphasize fast pacing and suspense.^[4] It was the first dramatized showcase for several authors, including Arthur C. Clarke.^[5]

Broadcast history [edit]

Radio series [edit]

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–April 9th 1953.^[6] Unlike the TV version, scripts were adapted from stories appearing in Galaxy Science Fiction;^[7] the contemporary series Dimension X has 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.^[8] The TV version was canceled shortly afterward. 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".^[8][9]

Public domain episodes [edit]

Many of the television episodes, and 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.

See also [edit]

• Captain Video and His Video Rangers, first science fiction adventure series in United States television, aimed at juvenile audiences.
• Out There, an 1951 anthology series.
• The Outer Limits, an 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 3 years later.
• Space Patrol, another science fiction adventure series that was being produced at the same time, also for juvenile audiences.

References [edit]

External links [edit]

• Tales of Tomorrow at the Internet Movie Database
• Episode 1 of the television series- Verdict from Space; 40 others is available for free download at the Internet Archive [more]
• 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.
• Tales of Tomorrow - radio show plot summaries.