Tue 19 Mar 2013
A TV Review by Mike Tooney: TALES OF TOMORROW “All the Time in the World” (1952).
Posted by Steve under Reviews , TV Science Fiction & Fantasy[11] Comments
“All the Time in the World.” An episode of Tales of Tomorrow (ABC-TV, 1951-1953). Season 1, Episode 37 (37th of 85). First broadcast: 13 June 1952. Cast: Esther Ralston (The Collector), Don Hanmer (Henry Judson), Jack Warden (Steve), Lewis Charles (Tony), Sam Locante (Bartender), Bob Williams (Narrator). Writer: Arthur C. Clarke (story, 1951). Director: Don Medford.
In his stuffy office Henry Judson does no apparent work — which is understandable, since Henry is a mid-level criminal sometimes referred to as a fixer. Like middle management in legitimate business, Henry arranges for things to be done, usually without much personal involvement on his part. Whenever he sees an opportunity for criminal “enterprise,” he fixes things with still lower-level thugs who then do the dirty work.
But on this hot afternoon, he gets very personally involved with a strange but beautiful woman who is willing to give him a hundred thousand dollars to do a job, with another hundred thousand when he completes it.
The job? She gives him a laundry list of things to steal, which includes not only rare books but also some of the most valuable paintings in the world. Just walk in, pick them up, and walk right out. Piece of cake.
Henry’s skepticism is understandable, of course — until the woman, who insists on being called “The Collector,” shows him how it’s done.
When Henry woke up that morning he never remotely suspected that before the day was through he would be using a bracelet to break into a museum and — even more importantly — agonizing over how to spend the last few precious moments of his life.
Along the way, this story quietly raises a question: Can it be regarded as a crime if someone steals something in order to save it?
Retrovision has “All the Time in the World” archived here.
Arthur Clarke’s original story is online here. In his book, The Collected Stories of Arthur C. Clarke, he writes: “This was my first story ever to be adapted for TV — ABC, 13 June 1952. Although I worked on the script, I have absolutely no recollection of the programme, and can’t imagine how it was produced in pre-video-tape days!”
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IMDb: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0717017/
March 19th, 2013 at 3:13 pm
Always interesting to see Esther Ralston.
March 19th, 2013 at 3:45 pm
I run Retrovision where you linked. Tales of Tomorrow was recorded by kinescope, specifically an Eastman Recording Camera. You’re right. No videotape until 1956. I could write a page describing the technology, but if you poke around someone likely did a better job.
March 19th, 2013 at 9:13 pm
Out Of The Past — the blog not the movie– covers an appearance by Leonard Maltin and Jane Powell. Powell addresses her relationship with L.B. Mayer. Should be somewhat instructive to those who never knew him but cast the manager as villain. Re the extensive John Gilbert posts. The people I knew who knew him all had nice, respectful things to say.
March 21st, 2013 at 8:41 am
Kevin, great website!
March 21st, 2013 at 11:15 am
My favorite episode from this series which I have been watching over at Hulu.com every now and then is “Croaker.” Utterly bizarre with John McGiver as some kind of mad scientist/sorcerer who loves frogs and a smart aleck boy who outwits him then becomes his partner in metamorphosis.
March 21st, 2013 at 11:36 am
#5:
“Croaker” was an episode of ‘Way Out, which aired on CBS in the spring of 1961.
This was the show that was hurriedly thrown together to replace Jackie Gleason’s ad hoc talk show. It was scheduled right before Twilight Zone; David Susskind thought that Roald Dahl was the perfect choice for the host spot.
As for “Croaker”, John McGiver was indeed the frog fancier, but next time you see the show, take a close look at the bratty kid: that’s a very young Richard Thomas (later John-Boy Walton, now running the FBI on FX’s The Americans).
Now, my favorite episode of Tales Of Tomorrow is “The Lost Planet” – which turns into a different show, “The Window” about two minutes in. I have this one on an old VHS; if it’s available on Hulu (or anywhere), by all means take a look at it.
Comes to that, I also have a few ‘Way Outs on VHS, including “The Croaker”.
If any of these are on Hulu (or anywhere), I’d kinda like to know about it.
March 21st, 2013 at 2:30 pm
Mike Doran, “The Lost Planet”/”The Window” is one of the more memorable from the early days of TV. Here’s a write-up about it: http://www.fieldingsreview.com/TalesofTomorrowREVIEW.pdf
March 21st, 2013 at 3:25 pm
YouTube has complete episodes of both Tales of Tomorrow and Way Out.
March 22nd, 2013 at 11:09 am
Blimey! Another show I never heard about. We didn’t get a TV until about 1954.
March 22nd, 2013 at 11:47 pm
Darn it, there I go again. It was indeed “Way Out.” And I watched it only because Roald Dahl was the host. I’m getting everything confused in my head these days. I need more lecithin… or less wine. I went back to Hulu and I was wrong about that, too. Turns out I found all the Way Out episodes on YouTube. There are several and I’ve watched only three so far.
October 10th, 2021 at 2:14 am
Don’t understand how the whole world gets destroyed, but, then, how does Esther Ralston come from the future?? Did some people survive to have future descendants??