I watched "Appointment on Mars" with interest; I am a fan of Leslie Nielsen. I was not aware that Brian Keith was also Robert Keith, Jr. I won't comment on the fairly simple plot, but rather on the writing and staging. Not once was anything futuristic used. The only technical device was a Gieger counter and the clicking sound appeared dubbed. The rocket ship was referred to but not shown. The costumes were just overalls and what appeared to be sneakers. Even though most astronomy texts in the 50's mentioned the low temperatures and extremely thin atmosphere, the characters used no breathing devices and slept on their sleeping bags in the open. The staging was just a tent and the characters said they were on Mars. No explanation was given for why they were wearing pistols and the tent was too small for three adults. It was interesting that the dialogue referred to "Standard" as the company that supplied the money for the trip rather than the government. As with much early science fiction on television this program was woefully devoid of any real science.
Review of Tales of Tomorrow
