Podcast Summary

Podcast: Harold's Old Time Radio

Episode: Favorite Story 46-11-05 Ep021 From The Earth To The Moon
Host/Presenter: Carveth Wells (Guest), Bullocks Store Announcer
Original Radio Air Date: November 5, 1946 (Rebroadcast date: September 26, 2025)
Story by: Jules Verne, adapted for radio
Featured Cast: William Conrad as E.J. Barbicane, George Sorrell, Jeff Corey, Byron Cain, Thelma Hubbard, Don Diamond, Bill Pannell, George Barkley (announcer), True Boardman (director)

Episode Overview

This episode features a radio adaptation of Jules Verne’s classic science fiction tale From the Earth to the Moon as Carveth Wells' selected "favorite story." The story is dramatized with a mixture of the original 19th-century vision and updates reflecting mid-20th-century language and science. The narrative follows E.J. Barbicane and his companions as they embark on an ambitious project to launch a projectile to the moon, spurred on by human curiosity, scientific drive, and the spirit of exploration.

Key Discussion Points & Plot Summary

1. Opening and Framing (01:01 - 02:57)

• Carveth Wells selects From the Earth to the Moon as his "favorite story," noting its imaginative leap beyond earthly travels.
• The announcer sets the stage for a modernized adaptation of Jules Verne’s original story, highlighting Verne’s forward-thinking vision.

2. Introducing the Barbicane Project (02:57 - 07:02)

• Cerise Barbicane reflects on a poem by Walt Whitman about the stars, threading poetic wonder into the technical plot.
• E.J. Barbicane confides in his daughter Cerise about his bold plan: to build and launch a rocket toward the moon.
  • “So near that your old father can reach out and touch it. Do you think I'm crazy?” (04:00)
• Barbicane’s colleagues are skeptical:
  • “Now comes the big chance. A chance to build something instead of blowing up something.” (05:36)
• Michel Ardan, a French adventurer, calls from Paris and demands that the projectile be modified to carry a human—himself.
  • “Because I, Michel Ardan, am going inside.” (07:03)

3. Preparations and Philosophical Debates (07:20 - 10:28)

• The team discusses the technical challenges: required velocity, dangers, and the practicality of manned space flight (08:22 - 09:12).
• Michel Ardan insists on being the first man to travel between worlds, casting himself as an explorer of the “Sea of Sky.”
  • “I would be remembered as the Columbus of the interstellar space. The first man in history to bridge the vastness of the Sea of Sky.” (09:13)
• Cerise stands up for Michel's adventurous spirit, paralleling her father's own ambitions (09:44 - 10:02).

4. The Launch to the Moon (10:49 - 13:14)

• The public gathers at the launch site; technical and emotional farewells are exchanged.
  • “Come, Michel. To new frontiers.” “To new frontiers.” (12:15-12:17)
• Barbicane reveals that he, too, will join Michel on the journey (11:48-11:53).
• Tense countdown and rocket launch, with attention to scientific realism and human risk.

5. Aftermath on Earth (13:02 - 14:14)

• Those left behind reflect on the possible fates of the travelers:
  • “They’re on a one way ticket. They'll never come back.” (13:24)
  • Cerise expresses steadfast faith in their return: “But we will. If I hadn't been sure of that, I never would have encouraged them to go.” (13:45)

6. Act Two – Voyage Through Space (17:12 - 26:26)

• Barbicane and Michel face technical issues (radio loss, rationing oxygen, eating space food), contemplate the altered perception of time, and experience zero gravity.
  • “Time gets twisted out here in space, Michel. Aren't you acquainted with Einstein?” (17:49)
• They marvel at astronomical phenomena: black sky, new Earth, phases of the moon (18:47 - 19:17).
• On the ground, Cerise’s intuition continues to defy the grim facts (20:07).
• A brush with a meteor nearly destroys the rocket (22:46-23:16), and the craft is knocked off-course — raising fears it may orbit the moon forever.
  • “You and I in this rocket may become a moon.”—Barbicane (25:47)
  • “A moon of the moon.” (25:58)

7. Climax and Resolution (26:26 - 28:40)

• Scientists on Earth (Captain Nicholl and Marston) trace the projectile’s path and deduce it will fall back to Earth.
  • “The projectile is moving in an open curve...it will fall back into the Earth's atmosphere before the end of the week.” (26:53)
• Dramatic news bulletins narrate the safe recovery of the travelers from the Pacific Ocean (27:16).
• Michel Ardan narrates their accomplishment:
  • “We are qualified to speak of the moon's other face because we have seen it. We have photographed it and mapped it. We have brought this hidden world into a scorpion scope of men's knowledge.” (28:08)

8. Coda: Poetic Reflections and Reunion (28:40 - 29:30)

• The episode ends with Cerise repeating the earlier Whitman poem, now with Michel by her side, symbolizing hope, reunion, and the enduring lure of exploration.
  • “I just wandered off in the mystical moist night air. And from time to time. Yes, darling Looked up in perfect silence at the stars.” (29:03)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "A chance to build something instead of blowing up something." — E.J. Barbicane (05:36)
• "I would be remembered as the Columbus of interstellar space...The first man in history to bridge the vastness of the Sea of Sky." — Michel Ardan (09:13)
• "I've got to talk him out of this insane idea of traveling to the moon inside my projectile." — E.J. Barbicane, voicing 19th-century skepticism even amid progress (07:37)
• "Come, Michel. To new frontiers." "To new frontiers." — Barbicane and Michel, as they enter the rocket together (12:15-12:17)
• "Time gets twisted out here in space, Michel. Aren't you acquainted with Einstein?" — E.J. Barbicane, a nod to relativity and the modern updates in Verne’s tale (17:49)
• "We may be bound by Newton's law of gravity to revolve forever about the Moon, just as that moon revolves forever about the Earth." — E.J. Barbicane (25:58)
• "We are qualified to speak of the moon's other face because we have seen it." — Michel Ardan, upon their return (28:08)

Important Segment Timestamps

• 01:01 – Carveth Wells introduces his favorite story and Jules Verne.
• 02:57 – Dramatic story begins (Cerise's poem, Barbicane's plans).
• 04:38 – Barbicane's public announcement of his moon project.
• 07:02 – Michel Ardan demands a manned mission.
• 10:49 – Launch preparations and emotional farewells.
• 12:20 – Countdown and rocket launch.
• 13:24 – Realization that it may be a one-way journey.
• 17:12 – Act two: Barbicane and Michel in space.
• 22:46 – Near collision with a meteor, knocked off course.
• 25:47 – The realization they may orbit the moon indefinitely.
• 26:53 – Scientists deduce the rocket’s trajectory will bring it home.
• 27:16 – News of the rocket’s splashdown and safe recovery.
• 28:08 – Michel’s summary of their achievement.
• 28:40 – Poetic reunion of Cerise and Michel.

Tone and Style

The adaptation maintains Jules Verne’s sense of wonder and speculative optimism, blending early science fiction adventure with 1940s radio drama warmth and moral clarity. Light humor, scientific curiosity, and strong sentiment infuse the dialogue, especially between Barbicane, Cerise, and Michel. Poetic flourishes bookend the episode, underscoring the era's blend of scientific ambition and dreamy idealism.

Conclusion

This episode delivers a brisk, warmly dramatized retelling of Verne’s From the Earth to the Moon—complete with technical marvel, human adventure, brushes with peril, and an optimistic ending. Through the voices of Barbicane, Michel, and Cerise, the show celebrates the enduring spirit of exploration and the belief that, with imagination and courage, humanity might one day touch the stars.