 Cover of Dell paperback (1951) of original Heinlein's story "Universe". | |
| Genre | Science fiction |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | US |
| Language(s) | English |
| Home station | NBC |
| Announcer | Fred Collins |
| Directed by | Fred Weihe, Daniel Sutter, George Voutsas |
| Produced by | William Welch |
| Original release | April 24, 1955 (1955-4-24) – January 9, 1958 (1958-1-9) |
| No. of episodes | 126 |
X Minus One is an American half-hour science fictionradio drama series that was broadcast from April 24, 1955, to January 9, 1958, in various timeslots onNBC. Known for high production values in adapting stories from the leading American authors of the era,X Minus One has been described as one of the finest offerings of American radio drama and one of the best science fiction series in any medium.[1][2]
Initially a revival of NBC'sDimension X (1950–51), the first 15 episodes ofX Minus One were new versions ofDimension X episodes, but the remainder were adaptations by NBC staff writers, includingErnest Kinoy andGeorge Lefferts,[1] of newly published science fiction stories by leading writers in the field, includingIsaac Asimov,Ray Bradbury,Philip K. Dick,Robert A. Heinlein,Frederik Pohl andTheodore Sturgeon, along with some original scripts by Kinoy and Lefferts.
Included in the series were adaptations ofRobert Sheckley's "Skulking Permit", Bradbury's "Mars Is Heaven", Heinlein's "Universe" and "The Green Hills of Earth", Pohl's "The Tunnel under the World",J. T. McIntosh’s "Hallucination Orbit",Fritz Leiber’s "A Pail of Air", and George Lefferts' "The Parade".[3]
The program opened with announcer Fred Collins delivering the countdown, leading into the following introduction (although later shows beginning with Episode 37, were partnered withGalaxy Science Fiction rather thanAstounding Science Fiction):
Countdown for blastoff... X minus five, four, three, two, X minus one... Fire! [Rocket launch SFX] From the far horizons of the unknown come transcribed tales of new dimensions in time and space. These are stories of the future; adventures in which you'll live in a million could-be years on a thousand may-be worlds. TheNational Broadcasting Company, in cooperation withStreet & Smith, publishers ofAstounding Science Fiction presents...X Minus One.[3]
The series was canceled after the 126th broadcast on January 9, 1958. However, the early 1970s brought a wave of nostalgia forold-time radio; a new experimental episode, "The Iron Chancellor" byRobert Silverberg, was produced in 1973, but it failed to revive the series. NBC also tried broadcasting the old recordings, but their irregular once-monthly scheduling kept even devoted listeners from following the broadcasts.
The series was re-released inpodcast form beginning on June 22, 2007.[4]
In November 2008, Counter-Productions Theatre Company became the first theater company to stage three episodes, "The Parade", "A Logic Named Joe", and "Hallucination Orbit".
