I have a new-found respect for these early episodes from this seminal sci-fi series, this one in particular. It stars Robert Allen and Ann Loring with nine other actors, for a total of eleven cast members for this one, wow! Charles O'Neil wrote the teleplay from a story by Philip Wylie, directed by Leonard Valenta.
In the story, a scientist is working on a new kind of nuclear reactor that he hopes will provide unlimited energy for all people in the future. Or, it could destroy the world since no one before him has ever been able to create a detonation with the element he's about to use. Scientists around the world are concerned that he has made a flaw in his calculations and they all try to contact him before he proceeds with his plan... Will he?.. Or, won't he? That is the question!!
Except for in some of the early episodes, I don't remember seeing this card for The Science-Fiction League Of America. Forry's probably in there somewhere.
It starts with this observatory lecturer talking about what the Earth would look like from Venus if it blew up in some kind of 'what if'' scenario?! Get ready for a rocky ride!
Don't make me say it!
Carl Everson, with the help from his wife Ann, is just hours away from starting up his new nuclear reactor built over a deposit of an atomic element that has never been used, but he's convinced that it will work and he'll create free energy for the world.
When a friend tries to contact him on the radio to tell him about his miscalculations brought to attention by other scientists, Carl just hangs up on him, he doesn't want to hear it!
In fact, one scientist wrote an article about the danger and had it published in Carl's favorite journal, but Carl refuses to read the article, why should he, it will change nothing, he's going through with the plan...
When these two scientists in England read to article in the journal, they board a flight to the arctic, because they have to stop Carl from proceeding with his potential world disaster.
Even the scientist in New Jersey that wrote the article tries to get through to Carl, and of course, to no avail.
The two guys from England get to the radio operator's shack but he doesn't want to bother Carl again. But at gunpoint, one of the men forces him to try again. There's no answer so the guy on the right boards an airplane to parachute in on Carl. He must be stopped!
Back at the ranch, Carl and Ann are celebrating the event that's about to happen...
But Ann is scared to death about the fact that Carl holds the world hostage with his new energy producing device, there's a chance that a disaster like no other could happen.
From the airplane, the guy tries to get ahold of Carl, no dice, so he gets ready to parachute out of the plane over Carl's place.
The message is even being spread over the radio but Ann turns it off because she heard a sad song, there's one minute left before...
Carl pushes the switch up...
And pushes the plunger down!!..
OH... MY... EFFING... GOD!!!..
Then, all other places feel the tremble just before...
The world blows itself sky high!! It was nice knowing you..
The observatory lecturer says that this could not happen in real life, you know, the people in charge would never be so derelict in their duties! Great episode!!
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