Lights Out TV Show.

The TV show called "Lights Out".

Welcome back to the 1950s Science Fiction Podcast. Today, I want to talk about the early days of TV and a show called Lights Out. It was a TV version of a popular radio show from the 1930s. I recently published an article about it on my Vocal. media profile page. If you're interested, please take a look. I have almost 60 stories on various topics related to science fiction, podcasts, and popular culture. To find my profile, go to Vocal. media and search for Edward German in the author's section. You can also find a link on the podcast platform. Thank you for listening.

The TV show aired as four separate episodes in 1949, which were special broadcasts of the series. However, it didn't become a regular program until later. Fred Cole produced the TV series and he also produced other live TV shows during the 50s, such as Playhouse 90 and the Goodyear Playhouse. Back then, during the early days of TV, most broadcasts were live. During the early part of the 50s, TV programs were not videotaped but rather shot on movie film with a camera in front of the TV monitor, a process known as Kinescope. The method of videotaping didn't come until later.

The TV series Lights Out had a good run of about three seasons and received decent ratings during its time. However, it faced stiff competition from the classic sitcom I Love Lucy, which consistently outperformed it in the ratings. Nonetheless, the show featured a talented cast including Boris Karloff, Vincent Price, and a young Leslie Nielsen, among others.

The opening sequence of the show aimed to create a surreal atmosphere. It started with a head without a body, narrating the episode. Just before the show began, the head would blow out a candle and command "Lights Out", after which the screen would go dark. The narrator, Frank Gallop, was an experienced radio announcer who began his career in the 1930s after quitting his job in investment banking. He later moved on to become an announcer on television. During a live monologue for the show, it was reported that the sleeve of his dark shirt caught fire. However, he remained in character and moved his hand slowly to extinguish the fire without breaking character.

The Light Out TV show's first season is available for viewing on Tubi.com. However, the other seasons are not yet available. I have watched the first two episodes of the first season, and they were both very good shows. The first episode, titled "Beware of that Woman," tells the story of a woman who hires a college professor to help her get rid of a poltergeist in her house. The professor is skeptical and doesn't believe in the paranormal. She invites him to stay at her home for one evening, and strange things start happening. Later, he consults with a colleague and discovers some interesting things about the woman. The episode stars Verona Lake, a popular actress during the 1940s.

Thank you for listening to this special episode of the 1950s Science Fiction Podcast. I hope you enjoyed it. I plan to create more brief episodes on the topic of 50s sci-fi, as well as related movies and TV shows. I invite you to check out my Vocal Media article on the Light Out Radio show, which I'm sure you'll find interesting. I'll be working on another show and will release it on the feed as soon as possible. As always, feel free to follow me on social media and provide feedback on the show. You can find me on Instagram as X_username_1 and my handle is sutterbug1681. I also have a website on WordPress, the1950ssciencefictionpodcast.wordpress.com. Thank you again for listening, and I hope to hear from you soon.

Once again thanks for listening.