The Parade
Original Radio Play: George Lefferts
Originally aired: 25 August 1950
This story was remade by X Minus One, and I have reviewed this version here.
Rating: * * *
Pebble in the Sky
Author: Isaac Asimov
Originally aired: 17 June 1951
Plot synopsis: In the far future, an archaeologist from the Galactic Empire arrives on Earth to prove that it is the birthplace of humanity - knowledge that has long since been lost - but instead uncovers a plot that will affect the fate of the entire galaxy. Based on a novel of the same name first published in 1950.
Favourite line: 'I'm not an anti-terrestrial, but as far as I can see, they're lazy and ignorant and generally inferior to us. I'm as liberal as the next man, but it's a fact. Once an Earthman, always an Earthman.'
Review: This episode does a reasonable job of condensing Isaac Asimov's source novel into a short radio play. Many of the elements found in the original survive into this adaptation, including a vast Galactic Empire, a radiation-contaminated Earth that has become a primitive backwater, and enforced euthanasia (to conserve resources) for everyone on Earth when they reach sixty years of age. There are hints as well of one of the themes found in many Asimov stories, that of science versus religion and superstition (see also, for example, the episode Nightfall [X Minus One version reviewed]). Many of the major characters from the novel also make an appearance, though crucially, the central one - a man from the twentieth century who is transported forward in time thousands of years to the era in which the story takes place - is absent. In some respects, though, the excision of this character may in fact improve the story, as his unwitting time travel (caused by having been near a laboratory where an accident occurs with a nuclear experiment) never made a great deal of sense in the original. An even more significant difference is the episode's conclusion, which is changed quite radically from the novel - I won't reveal what the ending is, but for those who know Asimov's work, the one used in this radio adaptation would completely disrupt the future history Asimov mapped out (concerning the rise and fall of the Galactic Empire) in many of his books. Still, it's not a bad ending, which works quite well if this is regarded as a standalone story. Even so, this is not a great episode - the novel itself, the first Asimov published, is fun, but far from his best - and it will be enjoyed mainly by those (like me) who are already Asimov fans; others may be less forgiving of the rather hurried plotting and the lack of any really clever or ingenious ideas.
Rating: * * *
Perigi's Wonderful Dolls
Original Radio Play: George Lefferts
Originally aired: 4 August 1950
The Potters of Firsk
Author: Jack Vance
Originally aired: 28 July 1950
Plot synopsis: An assistant administrator on an alien planet controlled by Earth must find a way to persuade a group of natives to stop their practice of killing people in order to extract the lime from their victims' bones to create the colourful glazes of their sacred pottery. Based on a short story first published in Astounding Science Fiction magazine, in May 1950; and later in Jack Vance's short-story collection Lost Moons, in 1982.
Favourite line: 'Tom, I'm gonna break out the atom bomb from the arms locker. You fly out there and drop it down that volcano crater. That'll teach those murdering devils a lesson they won't forget!'
Review: A thrilling, futuristic tale about … pottery! Sarcasm aside, this is actually a pretty good story. As a comment on colonialism, it has a number of fair points to make, especially in the way it depicts the leader of the human administration overseeing the alien planet's affairs as a gung-ho, blustering fool. In particular, having him suggest using an atom bomb to teach the natives a lesson is neatly satirical. At the same time, the aliens themselves come off as fairly one-dimensional, and the relationship between the human protagonist and the native girl feels a little bit too Star Trek (as in Captain Kirk's predilection for attractive female aliens). Still, a satisfying ending which, though somewhat absurd, feels appropriate in the light of the parable-style story the episode tells.
Rating: * * *
The Professor Was a Thief
Author: L. Ron Hubbard
Originally aired: 5 November 1950
Plot synopsis: In an attempt to save his job, the city editor of a New York newspaper has to prove the authenticity of a story he has printed about buildings seemingly disappearing, and his investigation leads him to a strange professor who claims responsibility. Based on a short story first published in Astounding Science Fiction magazine, in February 1940; and later in L. Ron Hubbard's short-story collection The Professor Was a Thief, in 2009.
Favourite line: 'Now, if you'd care to step down the hall into my new office, I think I can show you something make your hair stand on end. I have three missing buildings in my desk drawer!'
Review: There are occasions when thirty minutes can seem like a long time, and I very much felt this way when listening to this episode. Sometimes stories can have reasonable enough ideas at their heart, but fall down thanks to the execution, which is the case here. The first few minutes are intriguing, with the news being broken that Grant's Tomb in New York has apparently disappeared, but after this, the episode seems to spend an awful lot of time not really going anywhere. When the explanation for the disappearance is finally made apparent, it simply isn't all that interesting, and presenting the story from the perspective of a grizzled old newspaper reporter doesn't make it any more so. The episode isn't terrible, by any means, just somewhat dull.
Rating: * *
