Running from 1951 to 1953, Tales of Tomorrow was one of the first Science Fiction anthology TV shows, and it was recorded live.
Featuring such stories as Frankenstein and The Little Black Bag, the show was firmly rooted in the classic science fiction of its era.
And we have Ted Sturgeon to thank for it!
A short-lived authors organization and predecessor to SFWA, the Science Fiction League of America, contracted to give the show first dibs on original stories by its members. Episodes, 83 in all, were often based on short stories by Arthur C. Clarke, Stanley G. Weinbaum, Frederic Brown, Phillip Wylie and C. M. Kornbluth.
DVDs of two volumes can still be purchased, and many of the episodes are available to watch on Youtube. An episode list can be found here.
Its very first episode – Verdict from Space – features ancient cave-hidden computers, a death-sentence trial and a glimpse of future things to come.
(Note: These episodes are multi-generations from the original Kinescopes. If you have the ability to brighten your screen, you might want to do that before watching.)
