Tales of Tomorrow: The Crystal Egg

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And our first show of 2011 is...

Tales of Tomorrow: The Crystal Egg

Originally broadcast on ABC on Friday, October 12, 1951 at 9:30 PM

Plot: An academic professor becomes obsessed with what he sees inside of a crystal egg.

Analysis: Finally, we got a good one here! This is a very tight suspenseful script with one real good jump moment before the act break. True, it seems none of these sci-fi tales can have a happy ending, but where the story takes us is interesting, plus the staging rarely leaving one location and one character helps to heighten the feeling of claustrophobia and paranoia.

Also of note is the first “name” on Tales of Tomorrow so far, Thomas Mitchell. He has a lot of television work ahead of him that I will be covering, so I’ll leave just the bare thumbnail sketch here. Mitchell was a very talented actor who achieved the triple crown of acting, winning an Oscar, an Emmy and a Tony. Trained as a Shakespearean actor, he began work in Hollywood in 1923. By this point, in 1951, he had racked up a series of memorable roles in Stagecoach, Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, Gone With the Wind and, in the role he may be best remembered for, as Uncle Billy in It’s A Wonderful Life. He already had a Best Supporting Actor Oscar under his belt by the time he was on Tales of Tomorrow, so this was no small ‘get’ for the show. His performance here as the professor whose whole life is brought to a standstill by the egg is wonderful to watch, seeing a smart cultured man just slowly going to pieces because he cannot solve the puzzle and when he finally does, no one believes him.

As to the show itself, like other Tales of Tomorrow, there are problems with shadowing and we actually have a fault in the film where we lose the picture in the middle of a commercial, but it returns in time for the second act of the show. Nothing that ruins the show, but these are still some small faults to be aware of.

The Bottom Line: Well, with a character actor of such pedigree in the title role and a story that I found interesting, even if the end was a bit predictable, how can I not recommend this one? Not the greatest show I have ever seen, to be sure, but consider this an advisory to check out if you can. I think you will find it well worth the effort.

The Crystal Egg is one of twelve episodes on Tales of Tomorrow: Collection Two (http://www.amazon.com/Tales-Tomorrow-Col....3581521 &sr=1-3). It’s not too expensive, generally going for between 10 and 15 dollars depending on where you look.

Next time, more Cisco Kid. And once again, Happy New Year to everyone!