Aired on ABC from mid '64 through mid '65, this multiple-genre series had a unique slick Sixties feel to it that illustrates why the demise of Suspense only two years earlier is generally considered to mark the end of the Old Time Radio era. The racy, 'Peter Gunn'-like theme music was hardly standard, the pace of the storytelling was quicker and no attempt was made to attract household names in starring roles. However, given the schedule - shows aired almost daily - the production values remained respectably high. 257 episodes were produced, a few dozen of which fall within the parameters of this site. Episodes averaged 20 minutes in length.
Currently this archive contains plotlines for 27 episodes
A House of Cards
Episode:
Genre: War/ Dystopian Future
Available for Listening Booth: N
A family holed up in a bomb shelter after
a nuclear attack is confronted with a failing generator and someone or something
trying to dig their in.
A Llittle Piece of Candle
Episode:
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Three miners trapped in the dark after a cave-in receive some unexpected 'rescuers'.
The Big Freeze
Episode:
Genre: Super Science
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Diagnosed with a fatal heart condition, a man agrees to be cryogenically frozen - but there is a little matter of murder to be taken care of first.
The City Manager
Episode: 17
Genre: Dystopian Future
Available for Listening Booth: Y
A tyrannical mayor in the future goes to
any length to ensure the progress of his city, no matter what the consequences
to its citizens. Only one man, his old political rival, stands in his way, and
is as equally determined.
Deedle Deedle Dumpling, My Son X-1
Episode:
Genre: Aliens
Available for Listening Booth: Y
A father is convinced that ET's have 'colonized' his newborn son.
Reviews:
2.5/4 Stars. Dad's a little upset in this one. Too unreasonable
with the boy? A peculiar, half-laughable, half-intriguing idea is played
for all its worth and yet, despite being taken so far, it mostly works. Brisk
script, tech level 10 "science" (fantasy), better than fair
performances, a predictable ending...No classic but a fun listen. - RC
The Eye of Kali
Episode: 17
Genre: Occult
Available for Listening Booth: N
Two jewel thieves take aim at the Eye of Kali, but the museum's tough security measures are the least of their worries.....
Reviews:
2.5/4 Stars. This one gets intense once or twice. The story sucks
you in. Who doesn't like a gem theft caper? Credible enough details.
Brisk script; decent performance by the lead. A dash of mythological
lore, a measure of creepiness, and a fairly satisfactory ending. B-list
but not bad. -RC
First Encounter
Episode: 17
Genre: Space Exploration/Aliens
Available for Listening Booth: N
The first astronauts on the Moon run into invisible aliens.
Reviews:
2/4 Stars. There is no science here, especially considering what was
actually known about space and the moon in the 1960's, but as space stories go
it's kind of fun as long as you don't mind a dozen pulp cliches whizzing by.
You've read, seen or heard all of this before. - RC
The Homecoming
Episode: 17
Genre: Ghosts
Available for Listening Booth: N
An elderly woman is convinced the noises coming from downstairs are those of her husband returning from a long trip. If so, he has come a long way indeed - he's been dead for some time.
Incident at Apogee
Episode: 17
Genre: Space Exploration
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Jealousy between two astronauts over one's wife threatens an orbital mission.
Incident at Shadow Valley
Episode:
Genre: Supernatural
Available for Listening Booth: N
A disagreeable customer harasses the late night
patrons of a lonely truck stop , ridiculing their fears of dying.
In the Absence of All Intelligent
Life
Episode:
Genre: Space Exploration/Aliens
Available for Listening Booth: Y
An expedition to an alien planet discovers the ruins of a lost civilization.
See also 'The Planet Zevius' (Mysterious Traveler) & 'Report from a Dead Planet' ( Suspense )
It's a Work of Art
Episode:
Genre: Super Science
Available for Listening Booth: Y
A group of top scientists are gathered at a remote laboratory by a renowned colleague to oversee the assembly of 'the Machine', a masterpiece of engineering genius. But just what is it that the damn thing is supposed to do?
Reviews:
2.5/4 Stars. A kind of fable worthy of The Twilight Zone,
if T-Zone ever had a real budget, or Hitchhiker's Guide to the
Galaxy if it was played strictly for laughs. The analogies are
just interesting enough to keep you seated. Ah, but will the ending keep
you sated? Welllll... -RC
The Last Land Rush
Episode:
Genre: Dystopian Future
Available for Listening Booth: Y
In an overcrowded future, the government runs a contest to hand out the last available plots of land - the median of a superhighway - to whomever can survive crossing it and manage to hold on to their plot for 24 hours against all comers.
Lorna is a Strange Child
Episode:
Genre: Supernatural
Available for Listening Booth: Y
A school teacher becomes increasingly concerned about the welfare of an enigmatic girl in his class, but all his efforts to meet her parents spark abject terror in her.
Molecule Masquerade
Episode:
Genre: Super Science
Available for Listening Booth: N
Scott Douglas returns home one night to discover he is guilty of a murder committed halfway around the world.
A remake of the 2000 Plus episode ' 'The Other Man'
The Neighbour
Episode:
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: Y
The Powells are increasingly suspicious of their enigmatic new neighbour, who apparently has no face.
The Noon Star
Episode:
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: N
The appearance in a small religious community of a strange boy who claims he can see the stars even at midday inspires a wave of fear and suspicion. But when they drive the boy and his adopted parents out, the stars start disappearing as well...
The Odyssey of # 14
Episode:
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: N
A reporter investigating the disappearance of
an astronaut on an orbital mission runs into bureaucratic runarounds and a
strange mystery.
See also 'Re-Entry' (Suspense)
Reviews:
2/4 Stars. Cape Kennedy... This is the kind of blast off I like.
Short
and noisy. So-so story that, to its credit, moves along interestingly.
A few plot dodges. No science --and the weird science sound effects
don't help the, er, illusion of science sometimes. And then, whoops, it's
over. Wha' happen? -RC
Outside Time
Episode:
Genre: Space Exploration
Available for Listening Booth: Y
An astronaut in orbit disappears from the radar track, then reappears in Mission Control - five minutes later, and babbling nonsense.
Reviews:
1.5/4 Stars. After some conventional 50's-movie rocket launch mucky
muck, unfortunately, only a so-so story unfolds. Sound effects help and hurt
here. The clicking of the "monstrous clock" IS annoying, heh. Performances
are standardish. The script is wordy. Less said, the better. Pass,
I guess. - RC
Point of Impact
Episode:
Genre: Aliens
Available for Listening Booth: Y
An inbound alien missile causes panic at a remote military installation.
The Rebellion Next Week
Episode:
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: N
A retelling of the Suspense episode listed below. Super-intelligent children plan a massive takeover of the world - can one adult stop them?
See also 'The Juvenile Rebellion' (Suspense) & 'Star Bright' (X Minus One)
The Scream
Episode: 17
Genre: Supernatural
Available for Listening Booth: Y
A demolition crew boss is skeptical of one of his wreckers who is convinced he hears the condemned building howl in pain when the wrecking ball hits.
Reviews:
3/4 Stars. This well-meant, imaginative story is rather drawn out and,
well, somewhat difficult to buy into, but a nifty script, excellent
performances, great ambience from scene to scene and sound effects that assist
credibility elevate the episode to above average worthiness. I stayed
hooked.- RC
Second Chance
Episode:
Genre: Occult
Available for Listening Booth: N
A henpecked husband approaching 65 decides he's had enough; he murders his wife, then employs a spell to reverse his aging back to 25 so he can choose a more suitable spouse.
Subject 428 A
Episode:
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: N
A scientist claims he can predict with
unfailing accuracy the behavior of any test subject - but can he foresee his own
murder at one of his subject's hands?
The Talkers
Episode:
Genre: War/ Dystopian Future
Available for Listening Booth: N
Following a nuclear holocaust, two survivors crawl out from the rubble and reminisce about the old days, until one starts to mutate into a giant bug.
Reviews:
3/4 Stars. A dang peculiar "story." Lights Out meets
William Burroughs (or My Dinner With Andre)? Well, much more of the former
than the latter, but the stream of consciousness isn't bad. The
conversation is interesting, and the mush-mouthed fellow is a fun character.
Ambient sound effects in this episode are good and combine to create an
suitably strange soundscape.
Actually, there isn't much of a story here, but The Talkers is worth listening
to. This one's a personal favorite, though I don't rate it exceptional.
-RC
Terror From Beyond
Episode:
Genre: Aliens
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Excitement over a radio link to an intelligent alien source soon degenerates into terror when the alien uses it to invade a scientist's mind.
A remake of 'Terror Out of Space' (Murder at Midnight)
Reviews:
2.5/4 Stars. The overly melodramatic performances would kill this
episode except that the actors are so obviously "into it" and they do
convey excitement right to the finish. Given the depth of the writing
--ankle deep, the efforts of the actors make the show about as good as it could
be. As always, the Theater 5 music is a little trippy. "Hip"
television bongo jazz for a science fiction story? It's all wrong but you
get used to it. In fact, it's kind of fun here. Like 60's Star Trek
or something. Among other things, the "hollow voice" processing
for the alien's voice (and the stolid, stoic delivery by the actor) dates the
show even before its time. Gotta say, Murder At Midnight's 'Terror Out of
Space' is way more fun. - RC
The Wandering Spaceman
Episode:
Genre: Space Exploration/ Supernatural
Available for Listening Booth: Y
A bartender on a space station cannot stop his daughter from falling for an enigmatic space jockey whose similarity to the captain of the legendary Flying Dutchman is more than just coincidence.
We Are All Alone
Episode:
Genre: Aliens
Available for Listening Booth: Y
Intelligent signals from space send shockwaves across the world.
Reviews:
3.5/4 Stars. A radio signal from "far beyond the universe?"
I think the writer meant the galaxy, and there's more guessed-at science
too (a modicum of research at the time would have cleared most of this up
as well as providing even more interesting, and enduring, explanations), but it
doesn't much matter. If you can roll with it, suspension of disbelief is
possible because this is a good story that is carried off well. -RC
Wonderful Stamps from El Dorado
Episode:
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: N
Light-hearted romp about stamps issued by Federated States of El Dorado, which have the ability to mail anything - or anyone- anywhere at supersonic speed.
World Enough and Time
Episode:
Genre:
Available for Listening Booth: N
A man who has managed to avoid aging by constantly traveling west to stay ahead
of the international dateline faces a serious crisis when a car accident
threatens to delay his flight.