"Playhouse 90"
Alas, Babylon (1960)

Director:

Robert Stevens

Writers:

Pat Frank (novel)
David Shaw (teleplay)

TV Series:

"Playhouse 90" (1956)

Original Air Date:

3 April 1960 (Season 4, Episode 14)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Romance

Plot:

Plot Keywords:

Based On Novel | Husband Wife Relationship | Family Relationships | Male Female Relationship | Anthology

Cast

Dana Andrews	...	Mark Bragg
Robert Crawford Jr.	...	Richard (as Robert Crawford Jr.)
Judith Evelyn	...	Lavinia
Gina Gillespie	...	Laura
Don Gordon	...	Pete
Kim Hunter	...	Helen Bragg
Rita Moreno	...	Rita
Don Murray	...	Randy Bragg
Burt Reynolds	...	Ace
Barbara Rush	...	Liz
Everett Sloane	...	Dr. Gunn

Language:

English

Almost a prequel to Mad Max

April 1960... I was about to turn 13 and looking forward to high school. The black and white world view my Catholic education offered was dissolving into shades of grey. It was a year of personal renaissance-an explosion of diverse interests from zen, Tchaikovsky, architecture and TV shows like The Twilight Zone and Playhouse 90, which aired the haunting "Alas Babylon". Despite the optimistic prospects of an energetic young President, the looming complexities of the real world hit home. Nuclear annihilation was not just a very real possibility, it seemed hell bent toward probability with each evenings newscast. Alas Babylon. The details have seriously faded but I recall the title was a coded message between characters confirming the collapse of civilization. Alas Babylon might as well have been the prequel to Mad Max. My last recollection was hordes of strung out junkies destroying anything that stood between them and the nearest pharmaceuticals. It may not have had the biting wit of Dr. Strangelove or the graphic gore of The War Game but I was riveted nonetheless. I haven't a clue how it ended but I'd love to see it again if only to make sure I wasn't dreaming.