Posted by : Ray Plumlee in (Dimension X)
Posted on November 8th, 2010
Listen to Dimension X Episode 26 And the Moon Be Still as Bright
Tagged Under : 1950, 1950s, Dimension X, episode, Ernest Kinoy, Mars, Martian Chronicles, Martians, Old Time Radio, OTR, Radio, Ray Bradbury, Rocket, Rocketship, sci-fi, science fiction
Dimension X
This is the story of Ray Bradbury’s Martian Chronicles and is of the Fourth Mars Expedition. The previous three Mars Expedition’s had all failed with the rocketships landing on Mars then after 24 hours of landing no further contact with them was made.
Our story of the Fourth Expedition begins as they make their landing on the surface of Mars. After landing they send out a scouting party, lead by the crew’s physician, Hathaway and assisted by archaeologist Spender, to a nearby Martian city. Meanwhile the rest of the crew remain near the ship awaiting the return of the Hathaway search party and are gathering firewood against the cold Martian evening.
Hathaway and Spender’s search party returns and reports that all of the Martians have died of chickenpox (most likely brought by one of the earlier three expeditions). In a celebratory fashion the Captain authorizes alcoholic beverages to be issued and the crew began partying and celebrating the end of the Martians.
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Not everyone celebrates as the crew becomes more boisterous and Spender becomes more concerned. Spender feels humbled by the great Martian civilization and wants the rest of the crew to act dignified. He fears that humans will demonstrate a hostile contempt for what relics and monuments the Martians left behind. Believing this Spender loses his temper when one of his crew-mates Biggs starts throwing empty wine bottles at a nearby building breaking windows. He knocks him down and a fight ensues until Captain Wilder breaks it up. When questioned by his captain, Spender replies “We’ll rip it up, rip the skin off, and change it to fit ourselves…We Earth Men have a talent for ruining big, beautiful things,” referring to Earth.
Later the entire crew heads out to the nearby Martian city where they find a haunting city-scape. The sight prompts Spender to recite a poem by Lord Byron in honor of the departed Martians:
So We’ll Go No More a-Roving:
So we’ll go no more a-roving
So late into the night,
Though the heart be still as loving,
And the moon be still as bright.
For the sword outwears its sheath,
And the soul outwears the breast,
And the heart must pause to breathe,
And love itself have rest.
Though the night was made for loving,
And the day returns too soon,
Yet we’ll go no more a-roving
By the light of the moon.
– George Gordon, Lord Byron
Finishing his poem Spender leaves the rest of the landing party to explore Martian ruins. After four days Spender returns, and encounters Bigg’s and Cherokee claiming he found a Martian. He further claims as he kills Bigg’s that he is the last Martian. Trying to convince Cherokee to go with him back into the Martian hill’s, appealing to the similarities between Martians and Cherokees, but Cherokee refuses so Spender kills him too then Spender feels ill and heads for the hills.
After the rest of the crew find Bigg’s and Cherokee’s bodies Captain Wilder organizes an armed search party. Finally finding Spender the Captain tries to capture him rather than kill him. Arranging to speak with him Captain Wilder goes alone up to where Spender is hiding and tries to reason with him. Spender wants to kill all of the crew to stop humans from settling Mars. He wants to preserve and study Martian civilization. He refuses to back down but tries to convince the Captain to join him. But the Captain refuses and Spender asks that if they manage to kill him that the Captain try to continue Spender’s mission and try to protect Mars.
To learn how this episode ends you will have to listen below. Or
I want to know how the story ends.
Note:
This show is a radio adaption of a short story from Ray Bradbury’s classic series of short stories “The Martian Chronicles.” The short story collection chronicles the colonization of Mars by humans fleeing from a troubled and eventually atomically devastated Earth, and the conflict between aboriginal Martians and the new colonists.
Other versions of this story aired on, X Minus One. See also “The Martian Death March” on Dimension X, and X Minus One.
More recently this and the other adaptations have been made for Television. In 1979 NBC aired a three-episode miniseries adaptation in partnership with the BBC with a total running time of just over four hours, titled “The Martian Chronicles”. The series starred Rock Hudson as ‘Wilder’, with Darren McGavin as ‘Parkhill’, Bernadette Peters as ‘Genevieve Selsor,’ Bernie Casey as ‘Jeff Spender’, Roddy McDowall as ‘Father Stone’, and Barry Morse as ‘Hathaway’, as well as Fritz Weaver.
From 1985 to 1992 “The Ray Bradbury Theater,” originating on HBO then later on the USA Network a Canadian-produced fantastic anthology series scripted by Ray Bradbury, ran six seasons. Included in this anthology were many of the various “Martian Chronicles” stories. Season 4, Episode 7 was “And the Moon Be Still as Bright” and aired on 19 October 1990.
Broadcast Date: 50-09-29
Cast:
– Captain Wilder: Wendell Holmes
– Jeff Spender: Alexander Scourby
– Hathaway:
– Biggs:
– Sam Parkhill:
Other Credits:
– Written By: Ray Bradbury
– Publication Source: Thrilling Wonder Stories, June 1948.
– Adapted for Radio: Ernest Kinoy
– Produced By: William Welch or Van Woodward
– Directed By: Edward King
– Music By: Albert Berman
– Engineer: Bill Chambers
– Announcer: Norman Rose
– Commercial: None
– Network: NBC
Listen below to Dimension X Episode 26 And the Moon Be Still as Bright:
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