Science Fiction Theatre

Science Fiction Theater was one of my favorites when I was a kid. (Sea Hunt, also from Ivan Tors and Ziv, with Lloyd Bridges, was another) I, born in 1950, remember hurrying home from school to see the show. I'm not sure what year this was--late '50s probably--it must already have been in reruns, being on in the afternoon. My mom wasn't thrilled that my brother and I watched it--science fiction was inherently not to be trusted--but it was good enough that she tolerated it in preference to things like the forbidden "Wednesdayville"--on, not surprisingly, only on Wednesday afternoon, showing Three Stooges shorts--and frankly, I preferred it myself. Much more better to a kid interested in sciences. I remember the intros with Truman Bradley--I can almost conjure up his face, but not quite--and, though I remember most of the shows mentioned by other writers, the one I remember especially was about a young mammoth found in the permafrost, thawed and revived, and what this led to for the animal and the people involved with it. I remember Truman Bradley's intro to that show, taking a fish frozen in ice, dropping it in water, and, when the ice melted--just a few seconds--the fish swimming away. That was the sort of thing that fascinated me.

Long before the Twilight Zone and the Outer Limits there was Science Fiction Theater. I haven't seen this wonderful TV show in 40-45 years but it still fires my imagination and possibly my nightmares. Every Friday night my 8-10 year-old's heart would begin to race as the show opened with its dramatic theme music and the camera's eye scanning the working apparatus in a "real" scientist's lab: microscope, oscilloscope, bubbling titration beakers,test tubes, and something like a radar unit. Finally the camera would settle on Truman Bradley who would introduce the episode with his resonating voice. Oh the heroes of my spent boyhood, John Wayne, Roy Rogers, Clayton Moore, Fess Parker, and Truman Bradley! I would love to see some of the old episodes—or maybe not. Would it be a disillusioning experience? Probably. By today's special-effect standards, the episodes would no doubt have a cheesy aspect to them. But I'd sure love to find out. I hope the show is still out there, somewhere. Anyway, a 2-disk DVD set of the best episodes would be about right.

This terrific, imaginative sci-fi anthology TV series was the first intelligent, dramatic sci-fi anthology series made for television, and lasted two seasons, 1955-1957. It was produced by legendary sci-fi and nature film producer Ivan Tors, for Bernard Ziv, of ZIV-TV Productions, and featured well-written half-hour episodes, many based on sci-fi short stories from sci-fi pulp magazines of the 1940s and 1950s; what it lacked in visual effects was often made up for by fine writing, acting, production values and direction. Host Truman Bradley was perfect to announce each eerie story of the week, as well as add a few words at the end of each program on how science could solve a mystery. Underrated by today's standards, this was one of TV's finest dramatic series of the 1950s, featuring many famous B-movie stars in fascinating roles. Highly recommended!

I was only about 6 or 7 years old when I first watched Science Fiction Theater. Even my folks watched it. It is a fantastic series, and found where I might purchase it, but I don't know if I want to put out $80.00 or not for the two seasons! I sat on the edge of my seat every time it showed, totally enthralled with every episode. True, it wasn't always fiction, but even when the episodes didn't exactly fit with the Science Fiction Theater genre, it still provided an engaging show. For even then, much of the science fiction was still based on some simple fact. I would recommend anyone interested in the old SF series programs, Science Fiction Theater is one. Don't forget Commando Cody.

A 225 mph super-hurricane--a stone that froze ancient, terrified voices from Pompeii--the odd new neighbors from next door who vanished one night during an electrical storm!---What an impact these stories had on a 9 yr. old kid! I never forgot them. What a blast to be able to see these shows again. Thank you, Mr. Bradley for making them resonate for all these years!

And what thought-provoking titles, too! And then of course, there was that theme music---!!