Tales of Tomorrow Vol 1

Not long ago, I had only heard about the television show Tales of Tomorrow just twice: once as a passing reference as an inspiration of Rod Serling's Twilight Zone in his PBS documentary, and once more when I saw the episode "All the Time in the World" at the Museum of TV and Radio in NYC when I visited there last August. I had always liked TZ and I was happy to see one of it's predecessors which had left the air before my parents were even born. I was not disappointed as the episode was another example of intelligently wielded suspense and science fiction, the kind of show that they just don't make any more (well UPN tried, but let's not talk about that right now). There were other available episodes, but my family and I had to leave the museum, but imagine my happiness when I heard that a DVD boxset of Tales was coming.

Tales of Tomorrow: Collection One is a series of selected episodes from the first season of televisions first sci-fi anthology series (including the one I previously mentioned); many of us are used to full season sets but after all, some episodes may no longer be accounted for. There are no extras at all except for scene selection, though somehow I doubt there could be things like deleted scenes or creator commentaries (since many of the creators are probably no longer with us).

I'm giving this collection 5 stars not because these episodes are timeless classics but because they are a rare and fascinating window into television's early history. The shows feature commercials recorded on the same film as the show, and it's also apparent that TV producers at the time weren't big advocates for reshoots as they could be called today. Actors badly flub their lines in many shows but keep on going. Lon Chaney gives a well-known and confusing scene as Frankenstein where he hefts a chair in rage, calmly puts it down, then pantomimes smashing it. My favorite is from the "Miraculous Serum" where a doctor listens for a dying woman's breathing without putting the stethoscope in his ears first. Ha!

But these stories don't deserve to be laughed at. Seeing these shows made so long ago with such clarity is one of the greater gifts of the DVD revolution and I would recommend "Tales of Tomorrow" to anyone who loves television in general. I'd love to see another installment, perhaps with a documentary. Who knows what tomorrow will bring?

Tales of Tomorrow is really the forerunner of so many popular science fiction programs that dominated sci fi's "golden age" during the late 50's thru the 60's. The ideas for series like "One Step Beyond," "Twilight Zone," and "Outer Limits" can trace their ideological and creative roots back to this series. For example, one episode, "What You Need" was also picked up by Rod Serling as a story idea. Even John Newland, host of "One Step Beyond," plays a protagonist in one of the less memorable and weaker episodes.

While it is easy to be put off by the flubs in dialogue or the flimsy and cheap sets, the series is fun to watch while the story ideas remain different, imaginative, and creative. The episodes have been restored and remastered as best as possible by Wade Williams Productions. Wade Williams and his production team was responsible for restoring such greats as "Rocketship XM" and "Destination Moon" back in the mid-80's, often finding and restoring lost (in some cases replicating long shots with extras) or damaged footage from the original print.

The episodes here are restored with their original commercials for Kreisler watch bands in their appropriate commerical breaks, and watching the epsidoes in their original and intended format is a fascinating glimpse into television history.

Thank you, Image, for releasing TALES OF TOMORROW on DVD. This first set contains 13 episodes from the first season. The quality is excellent, considering these shows were made more than a half-century ago. Some of them even include the original commercials! Menus are fine and include chapter markers within each episode. Please, Image ... release more!

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 13 reviews  3.9 out of 5 stars