50's tv version of The Crystal Egg!

[Bayne]

[glow=red,2,300]This morning I recieved this email:[/glow]

Hi:

I haven't read "The Martian Telescope" all the way through yet, but the beginning bears a striking resemblance to a teleplay I've seen:


TALES OF TOMORROW: "The Crystal Egg"
1952 USA (TV Series Episode-24 min)

Esteemed science Professor Frederick Vanech (Thomas Mitchell) is the Chairman of the Physics Department at Cambridge University. When he discovers that he is able to view the forbidding landscape of Mars through a unique crystal egg, nobody believes him. When the egg disappears, Professor Vanech pleads with a friend to print his article in a science journal to let the world know about his theory of the Martian's sinister use of the egg to spy on Earth.

Originally telecast live on ABC Television Network February 29, 1952.


This is available on DVD -- you might want to check it out.

:-J

Gerry Williams
The Mars Movie Guide
MarsMovieGuide.com

__
"Living on Earth is expensive, but it includes a free trip around the sun."

[McTodd]

Ooh, interesting!

I found this: www.scifilm.org/tv/tomorrow/tomorrow1-9.html

And in the great tradition on this board of catering for those who can't be arsed to click on the link, here's the text! ;D

Directed by Charles S. Dubin. Adapted from a story by H.G. Wells by Mel Goldberg. Starring: Thomas Mitchell, Edgar Stehli, Josephine Brown, Sally Gracie, Gage Clark

Curio shop owner Mr. Cave entertains a mysterious visitor who is obsessively interested in buying a large crystal egg sitting in the window of Cave's shop. The egg is pretty, but nothing out of the ordinary. Yet the stranger is willing to pay a large amount of money for it. The cagey Cave declines to part with the egg and calls his learned friend, Prof. Vaneck, to examine the object. At first, Vaneck is unimpressed but then, subjecting the egg to the scrutiny of his scientific instruments,he is amazed to see a bleak, alien landscape inside the egg! Vaneck realizes that he is looking at the surface of the planet Mars...and then he also realizes that HE is being watched!

The crystal egg is a surveillance device planted by the Martians. The mysterious stranger soon shows he is willing to kill to gain possession of the egg. The fate of the world may lie in Vaneck's hands!


Having not read the original H.G. Wells tale upon which this is based, I can't say how faithful it is to the original. But it certainly shows many of Wells's trademarks.
Great character actor Thomas Mitchell plays Vaneck, who goes in a short time from a bored academic with a student mistress to a hunted man. The whole episode is full of dread and menace...and the brief appearance of the strange Martian is very memorable indeed.

This is a very, very early example of television drama and as such, it seems crude and amateurish in many ways. It resembles more of a filmed stage play. But the story, though somewhat predictable, is compelling and Mitchell's performance makes it stand out.

"Leeuwanhoek was mad! Galileo was mad! All who see first are mad! And then the world sees with them and they become heroes!" — Prof. Vaneck

Of course, if you do click on the link, you'll see the Egg...

[Bayne]

[glow=red,2,300]Now we just have to find out how to get hold of it. The distributer is/was apparently Movie Classics/Television Classics in Solana
Beach, CA. Item No. 57319.

Anyone find any place online selling it?
[/glow]

[lanceradvanced]

Bayne said:

[glow=red,2,300]Now we just have to find out how to get hold of it. The distributer is/was apparently Movie Classics/Television Classics in Solana
Beach, CA. Item No. 57319.

Anyone find any place online selling it?
[/glow]

Here's a Season 1 Collection...
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0002NRRRE

... and "The Mystery of the Crystal Orb" as well..
www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005LQ22

[Bayne]

[glow=red,2,300]Cool, I just bought the 3 ep DVD containing the crystal egg episode from ebay for a couple of bucks

Anyone know anything about the mystery of the crystal orb? It says 2002...?
[/glow]

[Lensman]

If anyone wants to read "The Crystal Egg," it can be found at the link below. It's quite short.

etext.lib.virginia.edu/etcbin/browse-mixed-new?id=WelCrys&tag=public&images=images/modeng&data=/texts/english/modeng/parsed