ming easily on reel to reel tape. I also suspect that science iction fans were maybe a bit more technology savvy than other radio listeners and had the equipment to record the shows. X Minus One is readily available on the web. For a list of all the programs with brief plot summaries, check out [www.otrsite.com] and click on the “vintage radio logs” link to see a list of over 500 old time radio program logs including X Minus One. My favorite site for streaming any old time radio program is [www.archive.org]. Type in “X Minus One” in the search option and you will quickly be led to the program. You can listen to them online or download the programs for free. So, what should you listen to? Good question. I think most of the programs are good. Occasional misires were often written in house by staff writers. The best programs tend to be adaptations of short stories from the pulps.
colony appoints an oficial criminal to impress visiting Earth dignitaries in this satire. 6. “A Pail of Air” by Fritz Leiber (3/28/56). Maybe my favorite episode. A family survives on a frozen barren Earth orbiting a dark star far from the sun. 7. “The Defenders” by Philip K. Dick (5/22/56). Survivors of an endless nuclear war with the Russians receive a message from surface robots. Later became the novel The Penultimate Truth. 8. “The Last Martian” by Fredric Brown (8/7/56). A reporter investigates a man in a bar who claims to be a Martian. 9. “Discovery of Morniel Mathaway” by William Tenn (4/17/57). Future historian time travels to past to meet the most famous artist in history with comic results. 10. “Target One” by Frederik Pohl (12/26/57). Scientist time travels back before the atomic war.
Here are ten episodes to get you started:
Picking just these episodes was really hard, because I love almost all of them. But check out the show for yourself. Close your eyes and travel back in time for a glimpse of how the future used to be.
1. “Knock” by Fredric Brown (5/22/55). The last man on Earth hears a knock on his door. 2. “Child’s Play” by William Tenn (10/20/55). Chilling tale of a man who accidentally receives a package from the future. 3. “To the Future” by Ray Bradbury (12/14/55). A husband and wife claim to be time travelers. 4. “Time and Time Again” by H. Beam Piper (1/11/56). The mind of a soldier in a future nuclear war is transported into the past. 5. “Skulking Permit” by Robert Sheckley (2/15/56). Utopian Earth
* * * *
Pete Wood is an attorney who lives in Raleigh with his wife. His lifelong love of science iction began with the original Star Trek, the short stories of Ray Bradbury, and, of course, old time radio. His short story “Future Imperfect” recently appeared in Ray Gun Revival, and he is proud to be back in Bull Spec, after his short story “Almost a Good Day to Go Outside” appeared in issue #1. Charles Stegall, a retired WPTF radio engineer, provided additional technical information for the article.
53