Radio Recap: 2000 Plus

2000 Plus was one of the first science fiction radio programs developed for an older audience. It debuted over Mutual on March 15, 1950, almost a month before the better-known Dimension X premiered on NBC. That these two shows launched within a month of each other shows how science fiction's reputation was growing by leaps and bounds at the dawn of the 1950s.

And yet, 2000 Plus has remained under-the-radar in old-time radio fan circles. Growing up, my local radio station only played one episode of 2000 Plus in their lineup - a drama called "Worlds Apart." As I gained more knowledge of old-time radio I went looking for more information on the series, but found it lacking. Circa 1998, the internet had only a couple of episodes of 2000 Plus and it didn't appear in any of the radio logs I used for research. My assumption was that 2000 Plus was a very short-lived program that lasted perhaps 3 months or so.

As it happens, more information about 2000 Plus has come to light and the series actually ran from March 1950 until August 1953! And yet, although it's believed about 92 episodes were produced we only have 16 currently circulating - and of them, some are a bit chopped-up, missing intros or outros (although the dramas are complete). The show's obscurity is no doubt due to originating on Mutual as that network's programming - particularly in the 1950s - is elusive compared to the bigger networks (note that we have every single episode of Dimension X and in great sound quality).

2000 Plus originated under the guidance of producer Sherman H. Dreyer. Dreyer's earlier credits for Mutual included the 1944-1945 series the Human Adventure and the 1946-1947 series Exploring the Unknown. Although both of these show titles sound like they belong to a science fiction anthology show, they were actually concerned with real science - about explaining advances in science to the layman (which dovetails neatly with some science fiction magazines of the day). And even then, there were exceptions - for Christmas, Exploring the Unknown ran a science fiction comedy-drama called "Chuckle Charlie and the Christmas Cloud" starring Morey Amsterdam. Clearly even then, Dreyer had an interest in bringing such programming to the airwaves.

It's impossible to talk about 2000 Plus without comparing it to Dimension X, especially since old-time radio fans are much more familiar with the latter series. Dimension X had the benefit of adapting works by big name science fiction authors such as Ray Bradbury, Robert A. Heinlein and Isaac Asimov. 2000 Plus had... a lot of uncredited authors thanks to the clipped nature of surviving episodes mixed with some wholly unremembered authors. Then too, Mutual didn't draw from the same talent pool as NBC (although they had some decent players such as Luis Van Rooten and Joseph Julian) nor did they have sound effects as accomplished as what the major networks could achieve.

The writing on 2000 Plus was frequently very juvenile; the episode I noted above, "Worlds Apart," is pretty much a kid-friendly science fiction adventure tale where the whole drama is just a big misunderstanding. Stories on the surviving episodes tend to involve mad scientists and malevolent alien invaders. Other episodes, such as "Brooklyn Brain" (the story of a Brooklyn man who becomes very smart thanks to an experiment) are played for laughs. Every episode is set beyond the year 2000, so there are frequently casual references to people piloting their jet cars. It may not have had any talent from Amazing Stories magazine but it certainly feels akin to that magazine.

And yet, there are episodes of 2000 Plus that strike me as being something unique, something special. The episode "A Veteran Comes Home" tells the tale of a veteran who has been fighting on Mars returning to Earth and struggling with adjusting to everyday life after his hellish experiences. It's essentially a PTSD story using a science fiction backdrop to set up a story that was familiar to post-World War II audiences. "A Veteran Comes Home" is a quiet, human drama that just happens to have a science fiction setting. For that episode alone, I think the fan who seeks out the series won't be disappointed.

You can hear the 16 circulating 2000 Plus episodes on YouTube through this playlist created by the Old-Time Radio Researchers Group.

Post-script: Because it seems every other post I write about old-time radio leads me to Suspense, I have to bring up that series, too; in 1962, Suspense's final year, the show used a lot of scripts from older shows including at least one instance where they recreated a lost 2000 Plus story called "the Doom Machine." You can listen to the episode right here as another example of what 2000 Plus was like.