X Minus One: The Man In The Moon

Count down for blast off. X minus 5, minus 4, minus 3, minus 2, X minus 1, fire. From the far horizons of the unknown come 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 would-be worlds. The National Broadcasting Company presents... Minus! Minus! One! One! Tonight's story, The Man in the Moon. Attention!

Attention! This is the Federal Bureau of Missing Persons calling all local agencies. Attention! This is a coded report nationwide, missing since nine o'clock this morning the following persons, Smiggly, Jonathan, five feet eight inches tall, brown hair, brown eyes, mastoid scar behind right ear, last seen wearing blue top coat and tan cap, wanted by loss and

hello get off this wavelength this is a restricted band. Hello, hello earth. Oh whoever you are you're on a coated wavelength. Tune out, this frequency is reserved for the Federal Bureau of Missing Persons. Hello earth, this is the moon calling earth.

Hello earth. Guys, loony. Chicken transmission. Jake, there's Charlie in the code room. Some crackpot is on our frequency. I heard him Charlie. I've got CQ trying to trace a source now. We should have a triangulation any second.

Well hurry it up. We'll use some hammers in for a good step fine by the FCC. Yeah, now to take his license away. Here comes Lenny with the direction of fiction. Right. Thank you. What's this?

This is impossible. What's going on down there? How about it? Get that ham out of my kilosycles. Now listen Charlie, unless this is a gag, that interference is being beamed from 240,000 miles away. Aw, now Jake, you know there ain't no such thing as 240,000 miles away.

Yes, there is, Charlie, straight up. Oh, no, wait a minute. Charlie, that signal is coming from the moon. Are you nuts? Somebody might be bouncing it like a radar signal. Radar on this frequency. Where'd you study basic radio?

Talis and Flathead, you asked for a fix. I gave the best fix our instruments confined. Take it or leave it. Somebody on the moon is calling the Bureau of Missing Persons. Thank you. Thank you.

What's the sweat, Charlie? Shouldn't you be broadcasting? Listen, Mr. Timkin. You know I'm a sober citizen, right? There are ones that have I broadcast with the smell of alcohol on my breath, right? Right. In all your 12 years here at the Bureau, did I once ever...

What's the matter, Charlie? We're picking up a message on our wavelength. Did you report to the FCC? I ain't got the nerve. Oh, what's wrong? You'll scream when you hear this, Mr. Timkin. You'll jump right out the window, but...

We are getting an SOS from the moon. Well, that's it. He started on voice and switched to Mars. The signal repeats sounds like a phonograph record or automatic sender of some sort. What's it say?

Let's see here. Can you read me help Otterburn? Will contact when moon is in phase? Let's have that again. Can you read me help Otterburn? Will contact when moon is in phase? Otterburn? That sounds like a name.

Otterburn. Otterburn. Wait a minute. Something registered? Crednidius Otterburn. Only jumping to hold the bat. Hey, where are you going? Hey wait a minute! What are you gonna tell him? We just got to seek you from the man in the moon?

That's exactly what I am gonna tell him, Tati! Hey! This... just too much for me. I should have started it. Uh, let me have O'Brien on city desk. O'Brien? O'Brien? Seamus. Charlie Starbuck down at the missing person's bureau. You want a hot one? No kidding, this will cost you a beer, okay?

Alright, shoot, noodle brain. I'll stay on your wavelength for 30 seconds. Okay. We just got a radio message from the moon. from the moon. Call me back when you're sober. Okay, Seamus, if you don't know a story when you see one out.

I'll sing you the name of a good psychiatrist. So long, Arson Welles. How do you like that? You don't believe me? Otterburn, Mr. Wade. Now, does that name ring a bell? The old man with a photographic memory, Henry.

What about Otterburn? Cornelius Otterburn, atomic physicist, reported missing from his home in Baltimore on June 5, Baltimore on June 5, 1945, just five years ago, vanished completely. Are you trying to tell me you really think there's something to this man of the moon business?

Henry, I'm surprised at you. This is some crack pop trying to jam the airwaves. This is the name, Otter Bernice, so unusual. So are a lot of names. Look, and I have a theory that...

I was afraid I've heard. Henry, you always have a theory. Let's see, what was it last year? Oh yes, that people disappear in occupational psych. But it's true. Please, Henry, I'm a busy man. Expect me to believe that this Otter Bernice sitting up on the moon, sending out shortwave messages he might be on earth bouncing the messages off the moon but who's to

say he isn't on the moon? Henry is chief of this bureau i have my hands full trying to coordinate reports from 48 states on alaska i have no time to include the moon but mr wait out henry mr wait out time busy yes oh here take this folder of reports for the dead file yes and no more nonsense a henry

yes i appreciate that you have a very dull job filing old missing persons reports and i appreciate that you take an act of interest in the affairs of the bureau But no more nonsense, eh?

No, sir. No more nonsense. Er, pardon me. Hmm? You are Mr. Henrik Timken. That's my name. Limit me, Jefferson Fylo, scientific feature writer. How do you do? Well, are you in your favor, man? Not exactly. I write as a hobby.

Occasionally the papers give me leads on an assignment. If I may have a moment of your time... Certainly, just sit down my desk over here. Thank you. My, that's quite a stack of papers. Filing.

I'm the records custodian of the bureau 12 years and never misplaced a record. Magnificent. I admire the precise mind. Mr. Timkin, of course. Now Mr. Timkin, Mr. Bryan, the editor of the Starlage, said I might drop by and investigate a rumor.

Only a rumor, mind you, that a message from the moon. Well, we aren't certain it's from the moon. It may be a bounce. They have bounced radar waves off the moon, you know. Yes, I know.

I wrote the first newspaper article on it. I'd be interested to read it. I must have a copy in my book. I don't bother. I insist. Oh, yes. There you are. I'll leave it on your desk. Thank you very much. Now about this message from the moon, Mr. Timgan. Now We don't know for sure as I said, but I believe that this message wherever it originates is from Cornelius honorburne. The physicist.

What do you know him? I once wrote an article on his contribution to nuclear mechanics a brilliant man out of it. years ahead of his contemporaries. Well, whoever is sending those signals, if he isn't on the moon, is at least using the moon as a sounding board, bouncing the signal.

But why, Mr. Timkin? Why? Well, if you will come here tomorrow night at 8, Mr. Fylo, we may learn the answer to that question. I've arranged with Charlie our radio man to let me use the equipment.

May I consider this an invitation? You certainly may. Very well, sir. Until tomorrow night then. Goodbye, Mr. Fylo. Hmm, let's see now, Aiken, Ambulage, Abramson, Ronald, Ache. That's funny. Now where did this list of names come from?

Paul Aron's, Astro-Mathematician, Robert Simons, Electronic Engineer, Carl Parker, mining specialist. Well this must have got mixed up with the papers on my desk by accident. Thank you and your list of names. Good morning Charlie.

I was a toucan. See we made the papers. Oh. And how? And as the chief steamed up about it, he really gave me what for it. What did the paper say? Oh, mostly ha ha. Here's a hero. Listen.

Man on the moon contacts, missing persons bureau, missing atomic scientists, sitting on the moon, say bureau experts, et cetera, et cetera. What a penny. No wonder Mr. Wade is hopping. Say about tonight, Mr. Tinkin.

I don't know. Now you promised you would give me a key to the radio room. Yeah, but I didn't expect. I'll take full responsibility with Mr. Wade. At the time for the morning broadcast, we got quite a list today.

Well, mind if I listen a while, we may hear autoburn. Why? Self-conscious. Just stick around. Yes. Attention. Attention. This is the Federal Missing Persons Bureau calling all local agencies nationwide. This is a coded broadcast.

Following persons are missing. Aaron's Dr. Paul five feet five brown hair brown eyes scar on left side of chin thick glasses Aaron's occupation astromathematician missing six o'clock this morning being sought by Bel Air Police.

Charlie, repeat Dr. Paul Aaron off a second hold it. A delay one minute. Listen Mr. Timkin it's okay to stay but you can interrupt this. This is important. Did you say Dr. Aaron's was reported missing this morning?

We got the report from Bellaire less than an hour ago. Are you certain, Charlie? Positive. What is this? Charlie, what's the next name on the list? Uh, let's see. Simon's Robert, engineer. What? Came in less than 20 minutes ago.

20? What's the matter with you? You look like you've seen a ghost. There's nothing, Charlie, except that last night, quite by accident, someone left the list of names on my desk, and that list included the names of those two men who were reported missing within the last hour.

What? Oh, that doesn't sound right to me. Well, it isn't right, Charlie. It seems a big question to be answered. Who would make up a list of missing persons before they were missing? Not after.

And you say this list of names was left on your desk accidentally? I believe so, Mr. Wade. You have any ideas, Henry? It's hard to say. Mr. Fylo left some papers from his briefcase. Mr. Fylo?

A science feature writer. And see, you were the leak on that story then. Yes, I'm afraid I was. I didn't think it would be treated as a laughing matter. I will deal with that later Yes, what's this file like? Well, he's a strange old duck ball think glasses tall. He walks duked over

Seems to know a great deal about scientific data, but of course being a science writer. He is there any other possibility I Believe that this is all hooked up with the broadcast from Otterburn. That seems to be a very remote possibility Well, the missing person's bureau deals in remote possibilities, Mr. Wade.

I do not require a statement of policy. Yes. What's the theory? Well, for some time now it has been my contention that in a country like ours where even the cleverest criminal can be ferreted out and located eventually, there is no such thing as a missing person.

I was afraid of that. For 12 years now, I have kept the central files where information from all over the country is channeled and recorded. I have made a private study. This is beginning to sound familiar.

I have discovered that each year literally thousands of persons vanished leaving no trace. They are never located. Where do they go? Nobody knows. And they disappear in interesting cycles. What sort of cycles? Occupations, for example.

One year we'll have a run on, say coal miners. Next year the proportion of engineers increases. And then scientists. What do you think happens Henry? I don't know Mr. Wade, but I'm beginning to suspect that somebody else has discovered the same phenomenon, even to the point perhaps of being able to predict who will turn up

among the missing next? Hello? Well, I don't know, but I would like to find out. And you think I'll to burn maybe a part of this picture? Mr. Wade, I definitely do. Henry, do you want to expect me to buy an idea like that?

Well, there's more than I, and an idea, that the two top men on this list are missing, and- Maybe so, but the rest of them aren't. Parker Watson Gibbs, why I saw Parker in the restaurant where I had lunch today.

Yes, but- And if you think I'm going to make myself a laughing stock by accepting such a crack brain Well, excuse me, yes. Hello, Wade speaking. Yes? Yes? Yes. Let's see. What name? Just a moment.

Henry, let me see that list again. Here you are. Go ahead. Let's see. I'll get back to you. I guess I owe you an apology, Henry. Sir? Harold Park, I was just reported missing. Park?

Third man on your list. Holy mack. Holy mackerel. Exactly. Henry, for a good many years now, I've ridiculed these theories of yours. I don't know. Perhaps I have underestimated you. Maybe this time you really stumbled on to something.

What do you intend to do, Mr. Wade? I don't know. I haven't thought it out yet. I was planning to listen for another broadcast tonight in the hope that Otterburn might try to contact us again. Good idea. I believe I'll join you. I also invited Mr. Fylal, the feature Oh, I'll be glad to meet him. I'm beginning to get interested in you, Mr. Philo.

Wait, you don't think... That he's mixed up in this? Yes. I don't know, Henry. But it certainly strikes me that we don't know very much about him, really. We ought to contact the police. No, Henry. I think we're better off keeping this between ourselves for the moment.

We're dealing with the unknown, and in solving an equation for the X Factor, it's often easier to limit the number of terms. Follow me? We don't know, Mr. Waite. There may be more danger in what you have discovered than you are aware of.

Let's keep it quiet. You agree? Maybe you're right, Mr. Wade. I haven't thought of the danger involved. I'm at a clock. And when Mr. Fyla was late. Well, he said he'd be here.

He strikes me as a man who keeps appointments. Look out the window. Yes. The moon is almost in direct phase. It's just an't wait much longer. Well, it's a perfect way to clear an eye for transmission.

If anybody's sending, we ought to pick it up with this equipment. You'd better switch on the set. Yes. I never realized how eerie this office could be when it was empty. I looked a light on the hall, Mr. Pilot, when it comes.

Are you getting anything? Just some foreign stuff, I think. I'm going to find some programming from Johannesburg, South End. We continue in April. That's a peculiar transmission sound. That sounds like something. See if I can work the selector.

The moon is in phase. Yes. Can you hear me? I'll try to return. Hello? Hello? Hello, uh, hello. Do you hear me? Well, I get you now. Thank God. Who are you? Can you hear me? Who are you?

This is Professor Cornelius Oliver Byrne. Hello. Go on, I hear you. Not much time. They're on to me. They've located my sending point. You hear me? Go ahead, keep talking. I've only enough oxygen for a few minutes more.

Well, where are you? I'm on the Earth side of the moon. You get that. The Earth side of the moon. of volcanic crater. Start that recorder, Mr. Wade. Go on. Explain, please. Explain, please. Closely.

There is an Earth colony on the moon. There is an Earth colony on the far side of the moon, made up of renegade scientists and criminals. Professor Ernst Hoffsman. Hoffsman. He died in an insane asylum in 1938.

Professor Ernst Hoffsman discovered nuclear rocket power in 1935. Turn his plans over to escape inmates of the asylum. They took off and set up a colony on the far side of the moon in 1938.

Go ahead, we're recording you. Each year they recruit new colonists from Earth. Save labor mostly. I was kidnapped in 1945. I know, I keep talking. You wanted me to work on atomic drive for their flying disks.

Still getting you go on Speak louder Stop Invasion Hang on Earth Someone at the window get down Are you all right?

I think so Shot smashed the transmitter and the lights It's like a natch. Have a... It was close. I got a look at him. From the description it was your Mr. Philo. We got a recording anyway.

But not the most important part of the message. Or Otterberg suffocating to death. Henry, we've got to get you out of here. He said they have agents. Philo was probably one of them. He'll be looking for you now trying to kill you.

The police! You think the police would believe a fantastic story like this? People being kidnapped to the moon as slave labor? Moon colony planning an invasion of the earth? Henry, believe me, they trap us into straight jackets before we can finish.

We've got to do something. We need time. Time to get cool. You don't think my theory was bunk then? I know it wasn't, Henry. Right now my only concern is for your safety. But we can't walk out of here.

Fylo's probably waiting. Listen, there's a service elevator that leads to the basement garage. Yeah? We can get down there. There are some delivery trucks parked there all night. You can probably get one started. Garage doors off the ramp, work from the inside.

We'll start the mechanism and make a run for it. I don't know. I think if we call the police... By the time the police get here, we'll be dead. You think, Father, we'll wait outside all night?

Come on, that's an order. Okay. But what about the recording of Otterburn's notes? We'll leave that here and in the safe in my office. They'll never get into that. Let's go. You buzz the elevator while I hide the recording.

This is the basement. Come on. Keep to the side. Yes, sir. Shh. Let's try that delivery truck over there. I'll get in. Alright, Henry. You start the mechanism to open the garage door.

Then jump on to the truck. Yes. I get ash for it. Where can we go? I have a farm outside Chevy Chase. It's private. Miles from the nearest neighbor and completely hidden by trees. We'll run for that.

Go ahead, start the door. Alright. Jump in. Cross your fingers. Anything doing?

There's a little coop behind us, Mr. Wade. It seems to be following. I'll cut up Pennsylvania Avenue. And now route one, toward Baltimore. It is following. He turned with us. Can you go faster? How much faster?

He's gaining on us. I've got an idea. Hang on, Henry. Yes. Why'd you stop? I'll go out and get right past us. Now we'll double back and go out another route. I don't see anything.

I think we've lost it. Good. I think everything is going to be all right now. We can beat my farm in less than an hour. Not much longer now. Is anyone behind us? I thought I saw the blue poop again, but I was mistaken.

This place is really hot in the wilderness. We can stay here indefinitely to figure out the next route. And I just took this third route now. Where's the house up ahead? You're not going toward it.

No, I have a better idea. There's a big abandoned wheat silo on my grounds. It's down a hollow where it can't be seen except in the air. And even then the oak trees shield it.

It'll hide you out there. Now we leave the truck here. And up this scene. Come on, yes. How did you ever find this place, Mr. Wade? I've always liked seclusion. I bought it about 12 years ago.

I'm up here in the summertime to get away from the door. There's the silo. Certainly well hidden. There's a small door around the side. Come on. Careful of those bushes. Yes, it's part of seeing in the dark.

Do you suppose Fyla will find us? I assure you, Henry, Mr. Fyla will never find us here. Not in a million years. Here's the door. It's dark. Oh, my eye. I know the way. Just a few steps up.

And another door. Steel. This is an unusual silos. Double walled wood outside and steel inside. Completely fireproof. An army couldn't break it. We're inside the N.A. Shell. Careful. We're in a circular room. Stay here a moment.

I'll go outside and see if the coast is clear. In a moment your eyes will become accustomed to the darkness. I'll bring back some food and water. Don't be long, Mr. Wade. This place gives me the willies.

Just a moment. Mr. Wade. Mr. Waring, here's something. Mr. Wade. There is something. Good Lord. There's someone in here. It's locked. I don't know. I'm not alone in here. This must be a light switch.

Thank God. What are you? Outside, speaking over the intercom. There's a way there are people in here, 15 or 20 of them. They're sitting like statues, just staring at me. They won't hurt you, Andrew.

They've all been dropped. They're even more helpless than you. But who are they? They've meant me to introduce them, Andrew, since they're currently unable to introduce themselves. The gentleman seated before you, the one with the scar, is Dr. Paul Arris.

astromathematician. Next to him is Mr. Robert Simon, electronic engineer. Teams on the list. Yes, you're familiar with the rest. They've all been, shall we say, recruited, who work with Professor Horsman's group on the moon.

Moon, then you're one of them. Of course. Oh yes, there's one whose name was It's not on our list. If you'll turn around Henry, you'll recognize the direct form of your old friend Mr. Pylo.

Pylo? Pylo? But I... I thought... That he was part of the conspiracy of the country. His snooping made it necessary for us to include... He's put the man in the window, the one who fired the shot.

An agent of mine. Shit, what ship? This Pylo was camouflaged for a rocket launching platform. In a moment the roof will slide back for the rocket's take on rocket ship. In exactly 70 hours you and your companions will join Professor Otterberg.

On the moon. What? You... You can't do this to me! You see there was another name omitted in that list, which I carelessly mixed up with your paper. That about Henry Timkin. No! Oh boy, uh...

I won't pay for the hour! Missing since 8 o'clock last night, the following persons. Timken Henry age 45, high five feet eight, 165 pounds brown eyes slightly balding, occupation records custodial, repeat Timken Henry age 45, high five feet eight, 165.

In just a moment a word about next week's adventure. Tonight by transcription X minus one has brought you The Man in the Moon, an original Radio drama written by George Lefferts, featured in the cast, where Louis Van Ruten as Henry, Sanosortega as the chief, Ross Martin as Charlie, Sidney Smith as Otterburn, Bob Haig as Jake,

Joe DeSantis as Philo, and Ed Latimer as O'Brien, your announcer Fred Collins. X minus one was directed by Fred Wei and is an NBC radio network production. Now, next week, the sign on the window said, Pareji's wonderful dolls.

A woman and a child waited outside. The little girl peering eagerly through the window, and the woman glancing impatient later wristwatch, as if expecting someone who was late for an appointment. And there was nothing about Pareji's doll shop to warn them that they were waiting to keep an appointment with doom at...

X, X, X, X, X, X, X, X, X, X, X, X. Minus! 1, 1, 1, 1.