'I hope you enjoyed our story. We'll be back with you a week from today with another exciting adventure from the world of fiction and science.' --Host Truman Bradley concluding each episode of Science Fiction Theatre

Timeless Media Group's Science Fiction Theatre: The Complete Series is a tremendous discovery for lovers of classic television. This DVD set provides 78 uncut episodes of a rarely seen but entertaining 1950s half-hour anthology series. Those who remember the show from its original airings will be delighted by this quality presentation of the material, but vintage television lovers new to the show, like me, will enjoy it as well.

Airing weekly in first-run syndication from 1955-1957 Science Fiction Theatre is, as we see on screen, 'a Ziv Television Production' from Ivan Tors, who went on to create other science- and nature-influenced programs such as Sea Hunt, Daktari, and Flipper. Oddly, the first season is in color, but the second season switches to black and white -- a purely financial decision, from what I have read. I believe that, for whatever reason, the star power is a little brighter in the color installments, but I was excited to see Don DeFore in the second episode, 'Time Is Just a Place,' so I may not be the best judge of that.

Guest stars in season one include Pat O' Brien, Basil Rathbone, Howard Duff, Gene Barry, Audrey Totter, George Brent, Marie Windsor, and many more; season two relies more on a smaller core of recurring names like Bruce Bennett, Dick Foran, and Marshall Thompson. Some stars, like Vincent Price and DeForest Kelley, appear in both seasons. This series may not provide quite the same celebrity appeal as something like The Twilight Zone, but it's a story-driven effort that generally doesn't offer the same kind of colorful roles, anyway. Price, for example, is relatively subdued in his two stints.

Science Fiction Theatre's consistent point of view distinguishes it from other notable science fiction/fantasy anthologies that come to mind like One Step Beyond, The Outer Limits, and the aforementioned The Twilight Zone. The plots and actors change with each episode, but the overriding message remains the same: Advances in science continue to bring fantastic developments to our world. Instead of simply striving to amuse, amaze, or excite us with a wild story element, Theatre grounds all of its action with, if not actual science, an attempt to provide some kind of explanation based on science. So you will see characters stroking their chins and saying things like, 'Hmm, I suppose if you provided the right amount of energy with these materials, you could create such an element,' instead of the scripts just telling the audience a new element exists.

This irresistible mixture of science, both real and pseudo, and fiction, sometimes stepping right to the edge of cheesiness, begins with host Truman Bradley, who narrates, opens and closes each half-hour on camera. We always pop in on him shooting something, causing a minor explosion, or looking into some kind of device. Explaining how his little demonstration connects to the premise of what we're about to see, Bradley brings a sort of accessible gravitas to the proceedings. He's friendly and captures the sense of wonder much of America must have had for the potential of science in the 1950s, yet his voice and professional demeanor give him credibility. Even the name 'Truman Bradley' seems a perfect representation of a country looking ahead to a wide-open future while remaining cognizant of the brutal military realities of the recent past.

My favorite Bradley moments arrive at the conclusions, when he assures us that what we just saw didn't actually happen, of course...'but could it?' After a bizarre plan involving inoculations is dramatized in 'The End of Tomorrow,' Bradley reminds us that it's fictional but adds, 'Let's hope it remains so.' In the standardized tag that ends each show, after reciting the quote at the top of this review, he casually picks up what appears to be a copy of Scientific American and starts reading it.


The Cold War looms large in several episodes, usually in the form of generic references to 'spies' or 'Eastern nations.' With the help of advisers from the ranks of academia and professional scientists, Theatre does explore some dark territory. However, more often the tone of the show is one of awe, as in, just think what new possibilities and horizons open up due to progressions in, say, technology. While this anthology delivers surprises, it is not at all reliant on twist endings. It's aiming not to shock viewers, but inspire them, a perspective that makes the show seem refreshing decades later.

You'll find all kinds of subject matter in the two seasons. Time travel, alien visitation, and mind control are just a few of the more sensational topics. We see glimpses into the realms of biology, archaeology, and meteorology among many others. The show's sober tone doesn't prevent it from depicting murder, theft, and other Earthly crimes, but there isn't a lot of on-screen action. The emphasis is not on violence, but on discussion, problem-solving, and the pursuit of knowledge.

Despite its efforts to provide a veneer of realism, this isn't exactly Nova. In 'Signals from the Moon,' an Army general asks the Signal Corps to share its development that might bounce television signals off the moon, allowing a surgeon to remotely guide an operation that can save a dying diplomat. Desperate to come up with the 'million watts of power' necessary for the stunt, the general authorizes a loss of power for the entire Mid-Atlantic, saying, 'People can live for a half-hour without electricity. Our grandparents did most of their lives.' I'm not sure how credible this plan seemed even in the 1950s, but the show plays it entirely straight. 'The Human Circuit' features a burlesque dancer who may be clairvoyant, and Joyce Jameson seems to come right out of central casting in the title role -- sassy, somewhat brash, and constantly saying things like, 'You lost me there, Doc,' when given an explanation or theory. It gives the episode a comic tone despite the horrible visions she experiences.

Timeless does a good job presenting this material. Each installment I've seen clocks in at approximately 26 minutes, indicating unedited episodes. Some may be worried by the use of only 8 discs for 78 half-hour episodes, but I haven't encountered any problems with the set, and the company has already proven it can create a quality product with a high number of minutes per disc. A disclaimer at the beginning of each disc states, 'The following episodes were mastered from the best available sources.' The shows look fine, though I did see one with some rippling distortion of the picture at the lower third of the screen. In the first season, some of the title sequences and Act Two openings (each episode features two acts in its main story, with a title card and brief summary from Bradley in voice-over opening the second act) look sepia-toned or mostly drained of color. I understand why there is a disclaimer, but even the one lesser-quality episode is more than watchable, and overall the program looks its age but is in decent shape. Science Fiction Theatre certainly looks better here than in the versions I checked out online, most of which are edited and/or apparently sourced from inferior prints.

The audio is solid for a program of this vintage, which is a good thing since there are no subtitles or closed captions. The only other thing missing from the set is a booklet with descriptions and cast info for individual episodes; the inside front and back covers only give the titles. This type of project would benefit from a better guide viewers could reference.

I'm pleased that the purchase of Timeless by Shout! Factory has not ended the flow of standout DVD collections of rare shows from the label. In Science Fiction Theatre, you won't get the monsters of The Outer Limits nor the twists of The Twilight Zone, but you will get fun stories that use actual science (well, mostly) as a springboard for explorations of what might someday become reality. The singular focus on scientific potential is charming, yet the series presents a diverse array of themes and ideas, all with an optimistic, forward-thinking slant that summons a nostalgic vision of 1950s America. I look forward to enjoying the rest of this DVD collection myself, and I strongly recommend it to the ClassicFlix community.

Rick Brooks is the proprietor of Cultureshark, a blog in which he uses an often irreverent approach to express his reverence for the classics and the un-classics.