
Dimension X - Mars Is Heaven - 01/07/1951
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Narrator
Adventures in time and space transcribed in future tense
Dr. Horst
dimension.
Narrator
When the first space rocket lands on Mars, what will we find? Will we be welcomed with open arms? Or will the Martians treat us as invaders? Only one thing is certain. Someday a giant metal ship will take off from Earth to travel through the black velocities, the silent gulfs of space, to descend at last into the darkness of the upper Martian atmospheres. And on that day, man will finally know the answers. The day we first land on Mars.
Radio Announcer
Now hear this. Now hear this. Approaching critical deceleration. Fasten gravity suits. Stand by the land.
Captain John Black
Mr. Lustig, what do you make of the terrain?
Lieutenant Lustig
There seems to be a heavy ground miss, Captain. We won't be able to use our
Captain John Black
infrared lights and we'll have to come in on radar.
Lieutenant Lustig
Wasn't that a little risky, sir, landing in the dark?
Captain John Black
I'd rather run the danger of a blind landing, Lieutenant, than come in without
Lieutenant Hingston
the COVID of darkness.
Captain John Black
Remember, we don't know what kind of reception is waiting for us down there.
Radio Announcer
Air speed 500. Altitude now 4000.
Lieutenant Hingston
Bridge to engine room.
Captain John Black
Standby for deceleration.
Engineer
Engine room, aye.
Captain John Black
Fire forward tubes one and three.
Engineer
Aye.
Captain John Black
Skids down.
Lieutenant Lustig
Skids check.
Radio Announcer
Altitude 504. 353 Apple Point.
Captain John Black
Now. All right, let's set her down.
Lieutenant Johnny
Look out.
Captain John Black
Cut the power. Masters, pipe battle stations.
Radio Announcer
Aye, sir.
Captain John Black
I'll secure it, sir. Well, we're on Mars. April 20, 1987. 4:33, Granny's time. Enter that in the log, Masters.
Radio Announcer
I see.
Captain John Black
Well, gentlemen, it's less than two hours till dawn. Soon as it's light, we'll send out a landing party. Masters, get me an all over hookup.
Radio Announcer
All set, Captain.
Captain John Black
Now hear this. Now hear this.
Lieutenant Hingston
All right, men, the smoking lamp is lit.
Captain John Black
We're 17 men on an alien world, and it's up to us whether we ever get home again. Next few hours should tell the story. And I want instant obedience to all commands. I'll court martial the first man who doesn't jump to when he's ordered. And one other thing. We may be on Mars, but this is still a United States Naval vessel. Officers will conduct a personal and weapons
Lieutenant Hingston
inspection in one hour. That's all.
Lieutenant Lustig
Inspection, captain.
Lieutenant Hingston
Now, Mr. Lustig, we've got an hour and A half to sweat out before
Captain John Black
we find out what's outside that airlock.
Lieutenant Hingston
I'd rather have a man worried about his stripes. About what's waiting outside on Mars.
Radio Announcer
Now hear this. Landing party report to forward airlock. Captain Black, Lieutenant Hingston, Lieutenant Lustig and Dr. Horst. Report immediately to forward airlock. It is now landing time minus five.
Lieutenant Lustig
Sounds like they're paging us, Hangston. You ready, Dr. Horst?
Captain John Black
Yes.
Dr. Horst
Ready as I will ever be.
Crew Member
Oh, come on.
Lieutenant Hingston
Let's report to the airlock.
Lieutenant Lustig
400 to go. Where's the captain?
Dr. Horst
Who knows? What difference does it make?
Lieutenant Lustig
Just want to get it over with, that's all. Has anybody got a cigarette?
Dr. Horst
I think you're smoking too much, Lieutenant Plastic. Are you nervous? Lay off, will you, Horst? Wondering what's hidden outside underneath that ground mist. Very unusual, planet, Mars.
Engineer
Why?
Dr. Horst
It has an atmosphere. Wonderful thing, an atmosphere. Where you find one, you find life.
Crew Member
You mean Martians?
Lieutenant Lustig
What do you think they'll look like?
Dr. Horst
Who knows? Intelligent life can take many forms.
Crew Member
You mean they may have green skins and eyes on stalks or something?
Dr. Horst
Comic book conception is possible.
Narrator/Producer
Or they may have developed to a
Dr. Horst
point that is far beyond us. Perhaps they have a science that can produce weapons far more dangerous than our atomic missiles.
Lieutenant Lustig
You think we may have to fight our way out.
Dr. Horst
After all, we are invaders.
Radio Announcer
Now, here. There's landing time minus 2. Landing time.
Crew Member
All right, all right, we heard this. I know what I'd like to find outside that airlock.
Lieutenant Hingston
Good old Illinois.
Crew Member
Ever been there, Lustig?
Lieutenant Lustig
Only Chicago.
Lieutenant Hingston
You ought to see my hometown.
Crew Member
Green lawns, big white houses.
Lieutenant Lustig
Sounds like my hometown.
Crew Member
My grandmother used to have one of those iron deers on the lawn. Every Halloween, we'd paint another color. One time we painted it black and white like a Holstein cow.
Lieutenant Lustig
Where does your family live, Horst?
Dr. Horst
I have no family. When I was a child, they were gassed to death in the Dachau concentration camp.
Lieutenant Hingston
That's tough.
Dr. Horst
Oh, it has its equipment advantages. I have no ties on Earth. Nothing to lose. Now I imagine I'm the only one on board who is free to enjoy our present peculiar position.
Lieutenant Hingston
All right, Lustig, you can button it up now.
Lieutenant Lustig
Aye, sir.
Lieutenant Hingston
Now, gentlemen, in one minute, we'll be the first men to set foot on Mars. Quite an honor, eh?
Dr. Horst
As long as the medals are not awarded posthumously.
Lieutenant Hingston
Still uneasy, Dr. Horst?
Dr. Horst
Captain Black? I've been uneasy ever since I can remember. On Earth and on Mars.
Lieutenant Hingston
Now, 30 seconds. Give me the intercom phone, Lusty Masters. Aye, sir.
Captain John Black
Battle stations will be manned till we return. If we're not back in two hours,
Lieutenant Hingston
I want no rescue parties in a
Captain John Black
blast off and save the ship.
Lieutenant Hingston
You understand? Aye, sir. All right, gentlemen, five seconds. Four, three, two, one. Lustig, open the outer airlock.
Crew Member
Fresh air.
Lieutenant Hingston
Let's go.
Lieutenant Lustig
Hold it now.
Lieutenant Hingston
It's too dark to move fast.
Dr. Horst
Quiet, isn't it?
Lieutenant Lustig
Not even a wind.
Lieutenant Hingston
You can't see anything through this ground, miss.
Dr. Horst
Quiet.
Lieutenant Hingston
We don't know what's out here. Come on.
Lieutenant Lustig
What the.
Lieutenant Hingston
Quiet. Captain, I. I could swear that sounded like a rooster. I don't hear it anymore.
Dr. Horst
A very unlikely sound. A rooster crowing on Mars.
Lieutenant Hingston
Kingston. Aye, sir. Set that machine gun 25 yards to the flank. We'll stay here till the ground mist lifts. Aye, aye, sir. What do you make of the ground, Orson?
Dr. Horst
Grass. Plain grass. You can see some large foliage there where the mists thinned on.
Captain John Black
Kingston.
Lieutenant Johnny
Hold your fire.
Engineer
You fool.
Lieutenant Lustig
I hit it again.
Lieutenant Hingston
What?
Crew Member
Some kind of wild animal.
Engineer
I hit it.
Lieutenant Hingston
I could see the tracers, but it's still standing. Come on, Horst.
Lieutenant Lustig
Doctor. Doctor, where are you?
Dr. Horst
Up ahead, admiring the wild animal.
Captain John Black
Careful, Horst. Wait for us.
Dr. Horst
Don't worry, Captain. It's an iron deer. A lawn ornament.
Lieutenant Hingston
That's impossible.
Dr. Horst
It's hollow. Interesting, isn't it? A whitewashed Victorian iron deer sitting on a lawn in the middle of Mars.
Lieutenant Hingston
I don't understand.
Dr. Horst
Look around. The mist's lifting. Captain, look there. A house.
Crew Member
A regular old fashioned house on Mars.
Grandma
Good Lord.
Lieutenant Hingston
I haven't seen carved scrolls and gingerbread like that in years. Look at that port swing. Geranios. There.
Crew Member
I told you it was a rooster, Captain.
Lieutenant Hingston
Give me the glasses, Lustig. I want to take a look through that front window. What? There's an upright piano, some sheet music on it.
Dr. Horst
Lustig.
Lieutenant Hingston
It's beautiful.
Dr. Horst
Ohio.
Lieutenant Lustig
Beautiful Ohio? That can't be.
Lieutenant Hingston
Look here, Horst. Do you think that civilizations of two planets could be identical?
Dr. Horst
I don't know. That specific variety of geraniums is only 50 years old on Earth.
Lieutenant Hingston
Is it logical they should develop in Mars? How about that port swing? That piano. And beautiful Ohio. No, it's impossible.
Lieutenant Lustig
Captain Black. This looks like the town I was born in.
Lieutenant Hingston
Well, it looks like my hometown too.
Lieutenant Lustig
I've thought of something, sir. It's the only solution. Maybe we're not the first ship to
Dr. Horst
reach Mars from Earth.
Lieutenant Lustig
That's the only answer.
Lieutenant Hingston
That's impossibleistic. There have been space travel. It couldn't be secret. Do you have any idea what ships cost? What industrial power is needed? There's got to be some logical reason.
Dr. Horst
Captain. I think Perhaps we might find out. A light just went on in that house.
Lieutenant Hingston
Kingston, cover that door with a machine gun. Come on, Horst, ring that doorbell. There's got to be a scientific answer to all this.
Dr. Horst
There's something moving in there.
Lieutenant Hingston
Stand back. Horst, give me a clear shot. Maybe a Martian.
Local Woman
Can I help you?
Lieutenant Hingston
We. We were looking.
Local Woman
Well, if you're selling anything, it's much too early.
Captain John Black
No, no, wait.
Lieutenant Hingston
Wait a minute.
Narrator/Producer
What.
Lieutenant Hingston
What town is it?
Local Woman
What do you mean? Are you census patriots?
Dr. Horst
No, we're strangers here. We want to know how this town got here.
Local Woman
Is this a game?
Dr. Horst
No, no, it's not a game. We are from Earth.
Local Woman
From where?
Dr. Horst
From Earth.
Local Woman
Do you mean out of the ground? Are you sure you're feeling well, madam?
Lieutenant Hingston
We came in a flying ship across space.
Captain John Black
We're from the third planet.
Lieutenant Hingston
This is. This is Mars now, do you understand? Mars.
Local Woman
You go away now, you hear? I'll call my husband from upstairs and he'll chase you and I'll go on.
Dr. Horst
This is Mars, isn't it?
Local Woman
This is Green Lake, Wisconsin, in the United States of America, bounded on the east by the Atlantic and on the west by the Pacific. Now, now, now, go away. Goodbye.
Lieutenant Hingston
Horace, do you suppose it's really possible.
Captain John Black
I've got to find out more about
Lieutenant Hingston
this
Local Woman
for the last time. Now go away.
Lieutenant Hingston
Pardon me, madam. What year is this year?
Local Woman
1928, of course. Oh, for goodness sake.
Lieutenant Hingston
You hear that, Horst? And we know it's 1987, and we know it's Mars. Is it possible that we got fouled up, made some tremendous blunder and circled
Dr. Horst
around and landed back on Earth in 1928?
Lieutenant Hingston
Maybe. Some switch in time or dimension. Could we have shifted somehow and gone backward in time? Horst, it won't hold water. It's not logical. We've checked every mile we went. Past the moon and out into space. We're on Mars.
Lieutenant Lustig
Find out anything, Captain?
Lieutenant Hingston
No. We're going back to the ship till I figure out some logical explanation for all this. Lustig, out at point.
Lieutenant Lustig
Aye, sir.
Lieutenant Hingston
Hingston, in the rear.
Captain John Black
Keep that gun in half
Lieutenant Hingston
course. There's got to be some cold, logical solution.
Dr. Horst
Captain. Captain.
Lieutenant Hingston
What?
Dr. Horst
That house down the street.
Lieutenant Lustig
The white one with the green shutters.
Lieutenant Hingston
Lustig, what's the matter? I never thought.
Lieutenant Lustig
I never thought.
Lieutenant Johnny
Thank God. Thank God. Lustig. Lustig, come back here.
Dr. Horst
He's running for that house.
Captain John Black
Crazy fool.
Lieutenant Lustig
After him. Quick.
Lieutenant Johnny
Lustig, stop. Come down off of that porch. Grandpa.
Lieutenant Hingston
Grandpa.
Captain John Black
Lustig.
Lieutenant Johnny
What the devil do you think you're crocking? Grandma and Grandpa? It is you Lusty.
Dr. Horst
What's going on here?
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Grandma
Why, it's been so many years.
Dr. Horst
How you've grown, boy.
Lieutenant Hingston
Oh, it's so good to see you, Lieutenant Rustic.
Lieutenant Johnny
Oh.
Lieutenant Lustig
Oh, Captain. Grandma, I want you to meet my friends. This is Captain Black. Captain, I want you to meet my grand folks.
Grandma
Howdy. Any friends of Albert's is friends of ours.
Lieutenant Johnny
How long you been here, Grandma?
Mom
Oh, good.
Local Woman
Many years.
Mom
Ever since we died.
Lieutenant Hingston
Ever since you what?
Lieutenant Lustig
Yes, sir. They've been dead 30 years.
Captain John Black
What?
Lieutenant Hingston
You mean to tell me that Mars is heaven?
Grandma
Nonsense. No. All we know is here. We're alive again. And who are we to question God's infinite ways?
Lieutenant Hingston
Hi, Lustig. We're going back to the ship.
Lieutenant Lustig
But Captain, I want to talk to my grandson.
Lieutenant Hingston
Lieutenant Lustig, I don't like any part of this. You'll come back with us. I have to club you and carry you.
Lieutenant Lustig
Yeah, but sir, they're my.
Lieutenant Hingston
Heaven only knows what they've run up against. Back of the ship.
Captain John Black
First. Look at that crowd around the ship.
Dr. Horst
Looks like we're being welcomed with a celebration.
Captain John Black
Celebration? They've abandoned ship. Every port is open. No guards at all.
Lieutenant Johnny
You. You.
Captain John Black
Masters.
Radio Announcer
Hiya, Captain.
Lieutenant Johnny
Meet my old dad.
Radio Announcer
Dad, that's Captain Black. And he's not a bad guy for
Captain John Black
an office of all the. Hingston.
Lieutenant Johnny
Oh, what?
Lieutenant Hingston
Sir?
Captain John Black
Bring that man back. Use force if you have to.
Lieutenant Hingston
Excuse me, sir.
Captain John Black
There's my uncle George Hingston.
Lieutenant Johnny
I'll be right back, Captain. Uncle George. Uncle George.
Captain John Black
What the devil is he?
Lieutenant Lustig
Understand, sir. They've all found friends and relatives.
Lieutenant Johnny
They're all here.
Lieutenant Lustig
He's right, Captain.
Dr. Horst
I've counted. The whole crew is out on the crop.
Captain John Black
But I gave orders. Definite orders.
Lieutenant Lustig
You don't understand, Captain.
Captain John Black
I understand mutiny. I don't care how many relatives show up. I'll have discipline.
Lieutenant Johnny
Johnny.
Grandma
Johnny, you old son of a God.
Lieutenant Hingston
Edward. Edward, it's you.
Captain John Black
It can't be.
Grandma
Of course it is. Johnny, you old son of a guy.
Lieutenant Hingston
Ed. Edward. Dr. Horst, this is my.
Captain John Black
My brother, Edward.
Lieutenant Hingston
How do you do? Hello. It's. It's wonderful to see you, Edward.
Captain John Black
Look, I've got to get back to my ship.
Grandma
Hey, I almost forgot. Mom's waiting at home.
Dr. Horst
Mom and dad, too.
Lieutenant Hingston
Mom, dad are alive. Excuse me, Horst.
Captain John Black
Then you're real.
Grandma
Then don't I feel real? How's that, huh?
Captain John Black
Ed.
Grandma
Ed, we've got lunch for you. Johnny, Mom's making corn fritters.
Captain John Black
Corn?
Lieutenant Hingston
Dr. Horst, haven't you found anybody?
Dr. Horst
No, Captain. I have nobody.
Captain John Black
Then you come on home with me, right, A.D. sure.
Lieutenant Hingston
You bet. Horst, you wouldn't believe it, but it's
Captain John Black
been 35 years since I had Mom's corn fritters.
Lieutenant Hingston
By George, 35 years.
Mom
And there's plenty more in the kitchen, so don't hold back. Johnny. You too, Dr. Horst.
Engineer
Well, Johnny, you're still in the Navy, huh?
Captain John Black
That's right, dad. I'm in command of the ship.
Engineer
We're an old Navy family, Dr. Horst. All three of our boys in the service.
Captain John Black
Ed was the best pilot in the Pacific.
Lieutenant Hingston
What didn't happen, Ed? Oh, what's the difference?
Narrator/Producer
I'm here now.
Mom
You know, it's almost perfect. All we're missing is your brother, Will. Then the whole family could be together.
Captain John Black
Well, it won't be long, Mom. Will's in charge of the XR54.
Lieutenant Hingston
That's the next rocket coming out to Mars.
Engineer
Well, little Will, when does he leave, Johnny?
Captain John Black
Takeoff's scheduled for September.
Lieutenant Hingston
But it depends on what we report. There's no question about that. Now, Christmas together again. That'll be something, huh?
Engineer
Yes, sir. Well, this calls for celebration.
Grandma
How about a little of the old
Engineer
dandelion wine, eh, Johnny?
Mom
Now, Father, don't you go giving Johnny too much wine.
Engineer
He's a big boy now.
Captain John Black
Mother.
Engineer
Well, sir, isn't everything just fine? Just fine.
Grandma
The candlelights are gleaming on the banks of the Wallach far away.
Lieutenant Johnny
Play another song. Sure.
Mom
Well, Dr. Horace, what do you think of my little family?
Dr. Horst
Very nice.
Mom
You know, I can't understand why you didn't find any folks here, Dr. Horst. It's just a shame everybody else is so happy.
Dr. Horst
I never remembered my family, Mrs. Black? All I know is they were gassed at Dachau during the Second World War. When I was liberated. I was in a delirium three months. I cannot remember anything before then. The psychiatric phenomenon.
Mom
That's terrible. Isn't there anything anybody can do?
Dr. Horst
I don't want to remember. Oh, I haven't had a pleasant life. I prefer to be free of emotional entanglements. They interfere with a scientific approach.
Mom
I'm sorry, Dr. Horst.
Captain John Black
I'll get it.
Lieutenant Hingston
Hey, that's our ring.
Captain John Black
Long and free shorts. I remember that.
Mom
Well, maybe we better call it a night. You must be getting tired, Johnny.
Dr. Horst
I better be going back to the ship.
Engineer
Oh, nonsense. You stay the night.
Lieutenant Hingston
We insist.
Mom
I just couldn't rest thinking of you all alone on that ship.
Dr. Horst
I'd be all right. Well, good night.
Narrator/Producer
Wait a minute, Dr. Horst.
Grandma
That phone message was for you.
Dr. Horst
Me?
Lieutenant Hingston
Yeah, that's right.
Grandma
A message from Anna.
Dr. Horst
Anna? I don't remember any Anna.
Grandma
She asked if you were better.
Mom
Perhaps she's someone you knew at Dachau.
Engineer
She said she's coming over here first
Grandma
thing in the morning.
Lieutenant Hingston
So you'll have to stay over. Yes. Well, that settles it then. You stay here, Horst. You can bunk with me in my old room.
Engineer
Oh, but Johnny, we thought you'd like
Lieutenant Hingston
to be with Edward so you could
Mom
talk the way you used to.
Lieutenant Hingston
Well, we can't put Dr. Horst on the daybed. I think we better share the room tonight. There'll be plenty of time for talking, Ed. I guess so.
Captain John Black
Well, I suppose I better drop back the ship. You know, Ed.
Lieutenant Hingston
Security check.
Mom
Why do you have to do that here?
Lieutenant Hingston
Well, I don't know. There's no good reason, I guess. Well, I suppose we skip it tonight.
Grandma
Sure.
Captain John Black
Good night, everybody.
Mom
Oh, it's good to have you home, Johnny.
Lieutenant Hingston
It's good to be home, Mom.
Dr. Horst
Captain Black, are you asleep?
Lieutenant Hingston
No, no, I just been thinking about what we were expecting. Green skinned Martians with eyes on stalks. All the time it was only mom and dad and Edward waiting. It's funny what tricks your imagination can play on you. Yeah, I guess Mars is heaven. Horst.
Grandma
Hmm?
Dr. Horst
I've been thinking about Martians too. Captain. Just suppose. Suppose there were Martians and they saw us land. Suppose they thought of us as invaders. What would be the best weapon they could use against our atom bomb?
Lieutenant Hingston
I don't see what you're getting at.
Dr. Horst
They would want to disarm us first to wipe out all suspicion. To make us feel at home. But suppose this house isn't real. Suppose the people are Just images stolen from our own memories by Martians. Created for us by telepathy, hypnotism.
Lieutenant Hingston
That's the craziest theory I ever heard.
Dr. Horst
Maybe that's why there was no one for me. Because in all my life there is no happy memory. No real love person.
Lieutenant Hingston
How about that phone call from Anna?
Dr. Horst
Yes, Anna. I don't remember who she was, but I do now. I just remembered. When I was freed from Daho. Sick, delirious. I raved about a wonderful, kind nurse named Anna that took care of me.
Lieutenant Hingston
There you are. It's logical. She's coming to see you tomorrow.
Dr. Horst
But there was no Anna. I'd been nursed by a man. What? Anna. There's only a dream. And there's only one way they could have learned about her. By reading my subconscious mind.
Lieutenant Hingston
That's impossible.
Narrator/Producer
Harsh.
Lieutenant Hingston
Why?
Dr. Horst
The whole crew was thinking of home. Suppose the Martians read our minds?
Lieutenant Hingston
Yes. But if there are Martians.
Dr. Horst
If there are, they have us separated. Each man in a different house, sleeping. Trusting no one at the gun, I
Lieutenant Hingston
licked my pistol downstairs. You think there's something to this, Horse?
Dr. Horst
It's a. Who would suspect his own mother? His grandparents? How easy. Just a knife in the heart of each sleeping man.
Lieutenant Hingston
That's impossible. Horseman. We've got to get back to the ship. Listen.
Dr. Horst
The crickets have stopped.
Lieutenant Johnny
Come on.
Dr. Horst
We don't know when they change back to whatever they really are.
Grandma
Where are you going, John?
Lieutenant Hingston
Ed. Well, we. We wanted a drink of water, that's all. Ed.
Grandma
You're not thirsty, John? You don't want to drink? You don't want to drink?
Lieutenant Johnny
His face, it's changing. And his hands. He's a Martian. Run, Horse, run. It's my horse. Horse, where are you?
Captain John Black
Hello?
Lieutenant Johnny
Hello? Can you hear me?
Lieutenant Lustig
Earth?
Lieutenant Johnny
This is Captain John Black, the XR53, calling from Mars. I've locked myself in the ship, but they've crippled it. I can't take off or fire the guns. And they're coming for me now, the Martians. I'm all alone here. All the rest are dead. Hingston, Lustig, Dr. Horst. Poor horse, he didn't even reach the door.
Lieutenant Hingston
Listen.
Lieutenant Johnny
Listen. They're trying to break through the hall now. Edward and mom and dad and all the folks. But they're changing now. Melting and changing back into the. They're Martians. Can you understand me? Martians, not men. They made us think that Mars was heaven. And we fell into the trap. Can you hear me, Earth? You've got to stop the next rocket.
Lieutenant Hingston
Tell.
Lieutenant Johnny
Tell my brother will tell. My brother will not to come. They'll trap him too. They'll kill them all. Hello? Hello? Can you hear me? Earth, this is John Black on Mars. Hello, Earth, this is John Black on.
Narrator/Producer
Tonight, Dimension X has presented and transcribed the Ray Bradbury story Mars is Heaven, adapted for radio by Ernest Kanhoy. Featured players were Wendell Holmes as Captain Black and Peter Capell as Dr.
Dr. Horst
Horse.
Narrator/Producer
Your narrator, Norman Rose. Music by Albert Berman, engineer Bill Chambers. Dimension X is produced by Van Woodward and directed by Edward King. Robert Warren speaking in a moment.
Dr. Horst
Dimension xx. This is NBC, the national broadcasting company.
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Date: May 6, 2026
Podcast: Harold's Old Time Radio
Episode: Dimension X – Mars Is Heaven (#33)
Based on the story by: Ray Bradbury
This episode presents a dramatic radio adaptation of Ray Bradbury’s "Mars Is Heaven," aired as part of the classic sci-fi anthology Dimension X. The story follows the first Earth expedition to Mars as they discover—instead of an alien landscape—a world uncannily reminiscent of 1920s Middle America. What begins as nostalgic familiarity soon spirals into a suspenseful and unsettling mystery, exploring themes of perception, memory, and the dangers of wish fulfillment.
Dramatic Setup:
The episode opens with the crew of the rocket ship XR53 landing on Mars, unsure whether they’ll be greeted as friends or foes. The crew—led by Captain John Black—prepares for the unknown, stressing discipline and protocol.
"We're 17 men on an alien world, and it's up to us whether we ever get home again."
— Captain John Black (02:56)
Atmosphere and Apprehension:
The landing is tense and cautious, capturing cold-war era anxieties. The crew expresses their fears and expectations about Martians, imagining everything from comic-book aliens to advanced civilizations.
"Intelligent life can take many forms."
— Dr. Horst (04:50)
Dr. Horst reveals he has no family due to the Holocaust, highlighting both his freedom from emotional attachments and a sense of loneliness.
Discovery:
As the ground mist lifts, the party is stunned to find a perfectly ordinary, Earth-like town—complete with Victorian homes, a rooster crowing, and a lawn adorned with an iron deer.
"A whitewashed Victorian iron deer sitting on a lawn in the middle of Mars."
— Dr. Horst (08:35)
Recognition and Dismay:
The town seems identical to various members’ hometowns, filling them with both nostalgia and confusion.
"This looks like the town I was born in... Well, it looks like my hometown too."
— Lieutenant Lustig & Lieutenant Hingston (09:40–09:45)
The Encounter:
When the crew knocks on a door, they meet a woman who insists they’re in Green Lake, Wisconsin, in the year 1928.
"This is Green Lake, Wisconsin, in the United States of America... Now, now, go away. Goodbye."
— Local Woman (11:19)
Disorientation:
The crew debates whether they’ve landed in the wrong place, a different time, or if some Martian illusion is at work.
Shock and Joy:
Lieutenant Lustig spots his long-dead grandparents and rushes to greet them, sparking a series of similar reunions among the crew.
"How long you been here, Grandma?"
— Lieutenant Lustig (13:57)
"Ever since we died."
— Grandma (13:59)
Heaven or Trap?
The idea surfaces that Mars may actually be heaven, but not everyone is convinced.
"You mean to tell me that Mars is heaven?"
— Captain John Black (14:05)
Crew Mutiny:
The men abandon ship, compelled by their found loved ones. Dr. Horst, with no one to greet him, becomes increasingly uneasy.
Strange Night:
The captain and Dr. Horst stay with Captain Black’s "family." Horst suspects the perfection is a psychological weapon, a telepathic trap by Martians. He reasons this is why no one greeted him: he has no happy memories for the Martians to exploit.
"Suppose this house isn't real. Suppose the people are just images stolen from our own memories by Martians. Created for us by telepathy, hypnotism."
— Dr. Horst (22:10)
Chilling Realization:
They surmise each crewman is isolated and vulnerable. Suddenly, the family’s composure drops, and their forms begin to shift—revealing their true Martian identities.
"His face, it's changing. And his hands. He's a Martian. Run, Horst, run!"
— Captain Black (23:59)
Captain Black’s SOS:
The captain desperately radios Earth, realizing almost too late the entire landing was a ruse. The Martians, using their own memories, have killed the crew.
"They made us think that Mars was heaven. And we fell into the trap. Can you hear me, Earth? You've got to stop the next rocket."
— Captain John Black (24:40–24:57)
On the Allure and Power of Memory:
"We were expecting green-skinned Martians with eyes on stalks—all the time it was only Mom and Dad and Edward waiting. It's funny what tricks your imagination can play on you."
— Captain Black (21:04)
On Dr. Horst's Emotional Void:
"I never remembered my family, Mrs. Black. All I know is they were gassed at Dachau during the Second World War...I prefer to be free of emotional entanglements. They interfere with a scientific approach."
— Dr. Horst (18:46)
On the True Nature of the Trap:
"Who would suspect his own mother? His grandparents? How easy. Just a knife in the heart of each sleeping man."
— Dr. Horst (23:11)
The original performance is steeped in the haunted optimism and creeping dread of early Cold War science fiction. The dialogue swings naturally between camaraderie, nostalgia, suspicion, and existential terror, typical of Bradbury’s evocative storytelling adapted for radio.
"Mars Is Heaven" endures as a master class in psychological science fiction—using radio’s power to evoke atmosphere, suspicion, and fear. As each layer of familiarity turns to horror, the episode offers a cautionary tale about the dangers of wishful thinking and the malleability of human perception in the face of the truly unknown.