Plot: What’s it about?
The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, Night Gallery, Tales From the Darkside, and One Step Beyond. All examples of anthology shows on television, each with a darker, more sci/fi edge to their content. These are all well known, some more famous than others of course, but none were the first series of the kind. Before those shows were on the airwaves, back in 1951, a series called Tales of Tomorrow was on the scene. The late 50s would see a boom in shows of this kind, but this was one of the first to hit the networks. Tales of Tomorrow has a sci/fi focus, but that isn’t a concern, as the stories are often well crafted and effective. Image has issued a collection of episodes from the first season, but not the entire season. This is a disappointment, as we’d all rather have complete series and if not that, at least the episodes released in proper order. Instead, we have a mishmash of episodes from the debut season, in no real order to mention. A total of thirteen episodes can be found here, spread across two dual layered discs. I hope to see more of Tales of Tomorrow soon, but in proper complete season releases.
I do love sci/fi and horror anthology shows, I’ve seen all of The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits, plus lesser known programs like The Veil and One Step Beyond. I’d only seen a few episodes here and there of Tales of Tomorrow however, so I was pleased to see Image release a collection of episodes. The series ran for eighty-four episodes, over what one assumes to be two seasons, from 1951-53. So two collections should have covered the entire run, but no such luck, as Image’s first release packs a lackluster thirteen episodes. Even so, it is cool to be able to see the show again, as it is a well crafted series. The show had some excellent writers, who conjured some great sci/fi stories and made each episode worthwhile. Some were better than others, of course, but of the ones I’ve seen, all the episodes are solid at worst. That is impressive, since television was only five yeard old when the show debuted and sci/fi was starting to take off, so Tales of Tomorrow was a landmark in some ways. The casts are superb also, with such folks as Paul Newman, Jack Warden, Lee J. Cobb, Veronica Lake, Lon Chaney, Jr. and countless others in roles. This might not be as good as The Twilight Zone, but it is a well made, worthwhile series. So this release is recommended, but let’s hope Image supplies more episodes in the next batch.
Video: How does it look?
The episodes are presented in full frame, as intended. This series is over fifty years old, so I didn’t hold much hope for these episodes. After all, time can take an immense toll and I knew better than to expect a restoration effort. The prints all look about the same, with some variance, but not that much. All prints have some grain, but the main issue is debris, as all the episodes display a lot of marks and nicks. Not enough to lessen the experience, but at the worst instances, the debris can be a slight distraction. I found sharpness to be decent, but some softness is evident and detail is never that great. No issues with contrast however, as black levels are consistent and for the age of the elements, I think these episodes look passable.
Audio: How does it sound?
The audio is basic mono, the kind of soundtrack you’d expect from a television series made in 1951. The elements have signs of wear and tear, but are in passable condition and are never worn to the point of distraction. So yes, you’ll hear some pops and hiss at times, but these flaws are never that intense and never distract. The dialogue has a clean sound, though on the thin side now and again, but not often. So a few lines get muffled in some episodes, but on the whole, vocals have a solid overall presence. No worries with music or sound effects either, as these elements come across well too, as well as mono of this vintage allows. All in all, more than decent soundtracks, when you consider the age of the material involved.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This release includes no bonus materials.
