Classic Horrors Club

Adapted by | Theodore Sturgeon
From a story by | Stnley G. Weinbaum
Director | Don Medford
Air Date | June 20, 1952

In Pittsburgh, a brilliant biochemist, Dr. Scott (Richard Derr) bursts in and says he needs a human subject for his test. He’s developed a serum that will cure almost anything. His boss. Dr. Bache (Louis Hector) agrees to accommodate his request only if there’s a patient where all lifesaving measures have been exhausted. 

Of course, Carol’s (Lola Albright) life soon hangs in the balance just down the hall. When she consents and Dr. Scott gives her a shot…

She’s alive. She’s alive. 

However, doctors and scientists never give enough time to their experiments to see if they’re stable. Carol’s recovery results in the absence of a moral compass. She doesn’t know there’s anything wrong with taking $5,000 from a man coming out of the bank when she needs the money. 

Her “new adaptation” has also given her “an insatiable desire for power.”

This whole world is a ripe plum waiting to be picked. 

The two men plot to restore her to normalcy by removing the oxygen in her bedroom and replacing it with carbon dioxide. 

What at first seems like a story familiar to last week’s episode, “The Little Black Bag,” soon develops into something new. There wouldn’t be nearly as much drama, though, if Dr. Scott didn’t fall in love with Carol. It causes him to be shortsighted and forgiving when she has the potential to become a world-changing threat.

The ending is a little vague. On dark, cloudy transfers of some of these episodes, it’s tough to discern the fine details. It’s not a spoiler to say it looked like Dr. Scott went with his heart instead of his head and climbed through Carol’s window to rescue her at the last minute. However, maybe he was just looking through it. I guess it depends if you’re a hypodermic half full or half empty kind of person.

Writer | S.A. Lombino
Director | Don Medford
Air Date | June 27, 1952

The episode opens on a set different from most in the series: a campsite on Mars. Three astronauts celebrate being the first ones to see the planet, but one, Bart (William Redfield), is disappointed that it’s so… “plain.” During their exploration, they discover Uranium and Robbie (Leslie Nielsen) hears the cash register ringing. 

However, Jack (Brian Keith) soon has the first headache of his life and becomes irritable, shouting at Bart. Just as I was wondering how lucky they are to go without spacesuits and oxygen tanks… it’s sort of like the old “just because we can, should we?” question:

Is the air OK to breathe?

We’re breathing it, aren’t we?

But is it OK to breathe?

Bart soon becomes aggressive, too. Robbie seems immune and tells the boys all they need is a good night’s sleep. It’s not going to happen, though. Their paranoia keeps them awake. Then things get real and, before you know it, we’re down to two astronauts and they can’t get along, either. In fact, one of them wants to take their rocket and run, er… fly. Then there’s one astronaut. How long will he last?

As mentioned, the Mars campsite and surrounding environment are unique, giving the story a bigger scope. Just don’t look or listen too closely… when they climb over rocks, they buckle and creak. It’s great to see Brain Keith in another episode. (I forget he’s going to be in one because he’s credited as “Robert Keith Jr.”) Leslie Nielsen also returns for another of his six episodes of the series.

The ending is satisfying. Based on earlier conversation (see above), we wonder if there’s something wrong with the atmosphere. Or has exposure to uranium caused them to be become so cranky? The answer is both yes and no… maybe? Their ordeal serves a purpose and we’re not left hanging.