"Tales of Tomorrow" had two strikes against it. First, it aired on ABC--which, at the time, was a struggling second-tier network. Second, unlike most TV shows, it had a tough time keeping sponsors. Combined, both problems meant very, very low budgets for the show and sometimes it was painfully obvious. "The Crystal Egg" was set in England--and this created a problem due to the costs. So, the London streets are obviously painted and look a bit crummy--even by 1951 standards. But the worst problem was the darn organ music which made it sound like an old time radio program. Sometimes, this wasn't so bad, but in "The Crystal Egg" it was very annoying and distracted from the plot.
As for the plot, it's a strange story from H.G. Wells. It seems that a certain curio shop has a crystal egg in the window and a customer is REALLY interested in buying it--so interested that the owners assume this cheap trinket is really quite valuable. So, instead of selling it, they stall the guy and have the professor (Thomas Mitchell) examine it. What its strange secret is and how it impacts on the professor is something you'll just have to see for yourself.
The plot is original but also seems dated and silly. This, combined with the cheapness, undo what was otherwise a decent performance by Mitchell and a great paranoid ending. Not bad but it doesn't quite hit the mark.
As for the plot, it's a strange story from H.G. Wells. It seems that a certain curio shop has a crystal egg in the window and a customer is REALLY interested in buying it--so interested that the owners assume this cheap trinket is really quite valuable. So, instead of selling it, they stall the guy and have the professor (Thomas Mitchell) examine it. What its strange secret is and how it impacts on the professor is something you'll just have to see for yourself.
The plot is original but also seems dated and silly. This, combined with the cheapness, undo what was otherwise a decent performance by Mitchell and a great paranoid ending. Not bad but it doesn't quite hit the mark.