Spacemens Luck

 

Where Tom Corbett, Captain Video, CMDR Corry and Other Spacemen Still Live

Dimension X

This episode is one of Ray Bradbury’s Martian Chronicles. The story begins in 1987 when the first astronauts from Earth aboard the spaceship XR-57 and a 17 Man crew have just landed on Mars. The landing party leaves the ship into a fog and the first thing they hear after emerging from their ship is the crowing of a rooster. Then they find an old fashioned lawn ornament in the shape of an iron deer sitting in the yard of a regular old fashioned house complete with a porch swing. As the fog clears the crew are shocked to discover a Rockwellian 1920′s small town, eerily similar to those they left on Earth.

Peering through the first house’s window they see a piano complete with sheet music. Their confusion becomes even greater when a little old lady answers the door bell. When they explain that they are from Earth the lady replies “you mean out of the ground?” Captain Black insists they are from earth and that this is Mars she replies insistently that this is Green Acres, Wisconsin in the United States of America in 1928.

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The Captain decides to go back to the ship when Lieutenant Bostick sees his grandparents who had died 30 years before. Captain Black asks is “Mars Heaven?” The grandfather replies no. All they know is they died and ended up here. Crew members soon discover old friends and deceased relatives in the town. Those who had been ordered to stay behind and guard the spaceship XR-57 abandon their posts in order to join the reunions and festivities. Members of the crew split up to spend the night in the homes of their lost comrades and relatives.

Before they can leave the landing party starts pairing up with various relatives. The Captain then discovers his brother Edward who ushers him home to see Mom and Dad. Every crew member has someone there to greet them except the ship’s Doctor, Dr. Horace who goes home with the Captain.

At Captain Blacks child hood we find the Captain’s Mom and Dad and an old girlfriend. There are happy greetings and one of Mom’s memorable dinners. That evening the Captain in his old bedroom and Dr. Horace discuss the events of the day. The Captain is bewildered but the Dr. is concerned, very concerned.

To learn the fate of the crew of the Spaceship XR-7 you can listen to Dimension X Episode 14 Mars Is Heaven below. Or I want to know how the story ends.

Review:
Science Fiction at it’s best. You will love this story. Probably the most imaginative and original plotting in Bradbury’s much acclaimed The Martian Chronicles.

If even one member of the crew had stopped to think for a second, the whole thing would have fallen apart. Of course the we wouldn’t of had a great story to hear.

The Dimension X episode Mars is Heaven was one of the first shows to be recorded on tape. This technique was so new that this one show had to be re-recorded 3 times because the engineer kept erasing the tape while editing it.

A popular story for radio, two separate versions were produced for Dimension X (July 7, 1950 & January 7, 1951). Other versions of this story also appeared on an episode of Escape (June 2, 1950), Think (1953), X Minus One (May 8, 1955) and Future Tense (July, 1976).

Other Ray Bradbury Martian Chronicle’s stories heard on Dimension X were The Martian Chronicles Episode aired on 20 08-18-50 and The Martian Death March Episode 34 aired on 01-14-51.

There was also a 1979 NBC three part TV miniseries “The Martian Chronicles” adaptation in partnership with the BBC with a total running time of just over four hours.

Broadcast Date: 50-07-07

Cast:
Captain John Black – Wendell Holmes
Ship’s Doctor Dr. Horasce – Peter Kapell

Other Credits:
Written By: Ray Bradbury
Publication Source: Planet Stories, Fall 1948, original Title The Third Expedition
Adapted for Radio: Ernest Kinoy
Produced By: William Welch or Van Woodward
Directed By: Edward King
Music By: Albert Berman
Engineer: Bill Chambers or Don Abbott
Announcer: Norman Rose
Commercial: None
Promotion: None

Space Age Gizmos:

Space Ships/Ports/Stations This Episode:
Spaceship XR-57

Listen below to Dimension X Episode 14 Mars Is Heaven:

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