I used to listen this E.G. Marshall-hosted radio drama on a handheld Coke-bottle-shaped radio when I was a kid in the ’70s. WSB Radio broadcast it. (Yes, there was a time when AM radio wasn’t just political blow-hards 24/7.) Mystery Theater was a revival of radio drama in the age of TV. I fell in love with it. Thanks to a friend who gave me several DVDs worth of episodes on mp3, I’ve been listening again.
I like this episode. I know it’s dated: we no longer live in the Cold War era, and most of us don’t fear nuclear annihilation (although we fear plenty of other things). And it’s heavy-handed (the way these Twilight Zone-ish sci-fi stories tend to be) as it knocks the listener over the head with its message of love. But more than anything it speaks to our deep and persistent longing for God.
(I regret that the original commercials were edited out. That’s the best part!)