2000 Plus
2000 Plus was an American SF radio anthology series that ran on the Mutual Broadcasting System network from March 15, 1950, to January 2, 1952. It was arguably the first adult science fiction series on radio, airing around one month prior to the better known Dimension X. The series was the creation of Sherman H. Dryer, who scripted and produced the series with Robert Weenolsen. Just under a hundred episodes were produced, but sadly only sixteen survive (an episode titled 'The Doom Machine' is thought to exist, but does not appear to be in public circulation). All the episodes were based on original scripts, unlike subsequent anthology series such as Dimension X and X Minus One, which frequently adapted pre-existing stories.
Please note that the episode numbers given below are merely the order in which the episodes are thought to have been broadcast — they are not the actual episode numbers.
Please note that the episode numbers given below are merely the order in which the episodes are thought to have been broadcast — they are not the actual episode numbers.
Episode 2: When The Machines Went Mad
In a robot controlled future, a small group of human revolutionaries battle to destroy the Master Mechanical Brain and free humanity from slavery. The introduction to this episode is missing. First broadcast: 26 April 1950. Original Story by Donald Stapleton. Cast: Ken Williams, Charlotte Manson, Arnold Robertson, Joseph Julian, Hester Sondergaard. |
Episode 3: When The Worlds Met
Martians contact Earth via thought waves and send a ship to make first contact, but is humanity ready to meet the visitors? First broadcast: 3 May 1950. Original Story by Judith and David Bublick. Cast: Ken Williams, Luis Van Rooten, Lon Clark, Amzie Strickland, Gilbert Mack, Frank Ferrin, Sandy Fickert. |
Episode 6: The Brooklyn Brain
Joe Martin volunteers for an experiment in instant learning, hoping that his new-found cultural knowledge will help persuade his girlfriend to marry him. First broadcast: 21 June 1950. Original Story by Unknown. Cast: Mercer McLeod, William Keene, Bryna Raeburn, Gilbert Mack. |
Episode 8: A Veteran Comes Home
Returning to Earth after five years fighting on Mars, a war veteran struggles to adjust to a peaceful family life whilst suffering flashbacks to the war. First broadcast: 5 July 1950. Original Story by Unknown. Cast: Lon Clark, William Griffis, Joan Shea, Helen Shea, Charles Smith. |
Episode 9: The Flying Saucers
The head of a top-secret missile base learns a shocking truth when he is abducted by aliens who have been buzzing the base in their flying saucers. First broadcast: 23 August 1950. Original Story by Pierre Gerson. Cast: Ralph Bell, Luis Van Rooten, Bryna Raeburn, Ken Williams. |
Episode 11: The Green Thing
Using his newly-invented dream machine, a psychiatrist in a sanitarium discovers that multiple patients are having the same dream of… The Green Thing! First broadcast: 27 September 1950. Original Story by Edgar Marvin. Cast: Henry Morell, Hester Sondergaard, John Griggs, Joseph Julian, Lon Clark, Gilbert Mack. |
Episode 13: Worlds Apart
Disabled by an encounter with a comet, the passengers and crew of the first spaceship to Neptune are relieved to be rescued and returned to the spaceport. Unfortunately, they are arrested on arrival, and no one seems to have heard of ‘Chicago’ or the ‘USA’… First broadcast: 29 November 1950. Original Story by Unknown. Cast: Ralph Bell, William Griffis, Gregory Morton. |
Episode 14: The Rocket And The Skull
A US airforce officer, vital to the country’s first Moon shot, suffers a fractured skull in a plane crash. Following an operation, the metal plate used to repair his skull starts to pick up strange messages to Mars. Meanwhile, Eastern Alliance spies are plotting to sabotage the space mission. First broadcast: 10 October 1951. Original Story by Unknown. Cast: Arnold Robertson, William Griffis, Gregory Morton, Nat Polen, Merrill Joels. |