Nightfall
Season 12, Episode 07
July 15, 2024
Two stories of psychological terror and darknes
Re-Imagined Radio samples a radio story and a series connected by the same name. NIGHTFALL. Both promote engaging radio storytelling with psychological terror and darkness.
Access the episode script
Background
Radio storytelling at two different levels, with the same name. "Nightfall" is an episode of the Dimension X radio series. Nightfall is a radio series of its own. Both provide stories of psychological terror and darkness.
"Nightfall" an episode of the Dimension X series
April 8, 1950 to September 29, 1951
National Broadcasting Company (NBC)
Anthology/episodic/serial radio series
30-minute episodes
50 episodes produced, 50 survive
Despite its short life span, April 1950 to September 1951, Dimension X pioneered science fiction radio storytelling, according to James Widner and Meade Frierson, "using imagination to experience whatever is being talked about, read or acted out" (8). In doing this work, Dimension X provided the essential radio storytelling DNA for X Minus One, perhaps the most acclaimed science fiction anthology radio series ever broadcast. Re-Imagined Radio offered tributes to both Dimension X and X Minus One. Our tribute to Dimension X was broadcast in November 2023. Our tribute to X Minus One was broadcast in June 2021.
Fifty episodes of Dimension X were broadcast on NBC network stations, April 8, 1950 to September 29, 1951. Each episode offered, "Stories in time and space . . . transcribed in future tense."
The last episode of the series was "Nightfall," an adaptation of an original story by Isaac Asimov, first published in Astounding Science Fiction, September 1941.
John Campbell, editor of Astounding Science Fiction, asked Asimov to write a story for
publication after discussing with him this quote from the opening paragraph of Chapter 1 of
Nature, a book-length essay by Ralph Waldo Emerson, published in 1836 . . .
If the stars should appear one night in a thousand years, how would men believe and adore, and
preserve for many generations the remembrance of the city of God! (Emerson)
As written by Asimov, "Nightfall" is a story about Lagash, a world with six suns. These six suns keep the planet in perpetual sunlight. However, every 2,500 years, nightfall occurs when the suns align in such a way that a moon, normally unseen in the constant daylight, obscures the one sun in the sky. The total lunar eclipse of the sun brings extended darkness to Lagash, and the opportunity to see stars. Evidence of primitive civilizations suggests each was destroyed during a lunar eclipse. But definitive records don't exist. Now, an eclipse is approaching and scientists are worried what might happen during nightfall.
"Nightfall" was the last episode of the Dimension X series, broadcast September 29, 1951.
Credits
Ernest Kinoy, writer, adaptor of original short story by Issac Asimov
Lyle Sudrow as Theremon
Cameron Prud'homme as Aton the astronomer
John McGovern as Sheerin the psychologist
Norman Rose as Host
Albert Bermen as musical director
Staats Cotsworth
Joe Boland
Resources
"Nightfall,"
the short story, available at Internet Archive
Emerson, Ralph Waldo. Nature. Boston, James Monroe and Company, 1836, p. 9.
Jerry Haendiges Vintage Radio Logs for Dimension X
High quality episodes of Dimension X at Internet Archives
Works Cited
Widner, James F. and Meade Frierson, III. Science Fiction on Radio: A Revised Look at 1950-1975. AFAB, 1996.
Nightfall the radio series anthology series
July 4, 1980 to June 24, 1983
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)
Anthology/eposodic/serial radio series
30-minute episodes
100 episodes produced, 100 survive
Nightfall was a radio series heard on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation across Canada, from July 4, 1980 to June 24, 1983. Episodes of Nightfall offered a mix of original tales and adaptations of both classic and obscure short stories. Episodes were primarily supernatural and/or horror, but some featured stories in the science fiction, mystery, fantasy, and human drama genres. The Nightfall series was very popular on CBC.
Nightfall episodes began with an announcer saying
In the dream, you are falling . . . lost in the listening distance as darkness . . . locks in . . .
Sound effect: A long scream of man falling far below.
Announcer: Nightfall!
(Intense electronic music sting!)
Nightfall ran for three seasons, with episodes produced in Toronto (74), Vancouver (9), Edmonton (7), Montreal (4), Halifax (3), Calgary (1), St. Johns (1), and Clack Sound Studios, New York City (1). The producer was Bill Howell.
"The Porch Light" (broadcast February 26, 1982, second season), written by Randy Brown, is a solid example of the ghost story genre. A couple rent a remote country house not knowing its history. One night, during a snow storm, a stranger arrives. Then weird events begin. While the poltergeist conceit is not new, the writing, acting, and production make "The Porch Light" an excellent, tense, and scary radio story.
So what? Nightfall, like CBS Radio Mystery Theater, demonstrates that high-quality radio storytelling can be produced and enjoyed even after the so-called Golden Age of Radio has passed.
Interested to listen to more radio series like Nightfall? Try Beyond Midnight, a South African radio show from the 1950s.
Credits
Randy Brown, Writer
Announcers
The host for the first two seasons, known as "Luther Kranst," was really Henry Ramer, a well known
Canadian actor. The third season host was "Frederick Hende," in reality Bill Reiter, a popular Canadian
disc jockey.
Executive Producer, Director, and series creator was Bill Howell. Don Kowalchuk replaced Howell in the
third season when production was moved to Vancouver.
Writers included first-time and veteran, screen and stage talents like Tim Wynne-Jones, Max Ferguson,
Laurence Gough, Arthur Samuels, Nika Rylski, Warren Graves, Paul Bettis, and Silver Donald Cameron.
Actors included Chris Wiggins, Gerard Parkes, Neil Dainard, August Schellenberg, Budd Knapp, Colin Fox,
David Calderisi, Elva Mai Hoover, John Stocker, David Ferry, and Kate Reid.
Resources
Corcelli, John. Nightfall, History of Canadian Broadcasting, Canadian Communications Foundation, October 2007.
Complete Nightfall episodes available at Internet Archive
Nightfall. Jerry Haendiges Vintage Radio Logs.
OTR Plot Spot features plot summaries and reviews for episodes of Nightfall
Production
Contents
"The Porch Light," an episode of Nightfall, a popular Canadian radio anthology series, February 26, 1982
"Nightfall, " the final episode of Dimension X, September 29, 1951
Credits
Written, Produced, and Hosted by John F. Barber
Sound Design, Music, and Post Production by Marc Rose
Promotional Graphics by Holly Slocum
Significance
Radio storytelling at two different levels, with the same name.
"Nightfall," is the title of the final episode of Dimension X. The precursor of X Minus One. The famous science fiction series.
Nightfall is also the name of a radio anthology series produced and broadcast in Canada. Episodes were primarily supernatural and/or horror. We feature an episode called "The Porch Light."
Producer's Notes
We don't receive a lot of comments about our work with Re-Imagined Radio. That makes this one even more special.
"It's 1h45 [1:45 AM?] where I live and this matches exactly the vibe I was searching for.
— YouTube subscriber @die5timesbp
"This is [These are?] my all time favorite stories.
YouTube subscriber @cassandraunheeded"
Thanks for listening. Glad you like the episode.
— John F. Barber
Promotion
Press
Read the
press release→
Graphics
