Oboler 's films include : Sidney Lumet directed Oboler 's Broadway play , '' Night of the Auk '' , a science fiction drama about astronauts returning to Earth after the first moon landing . The play was based on Oboler 's radio play '' Rocket from Manhattan '' , which aired as part of '' Arch Oboler 's Plays '' in September 1945 . Produced by Kermit Bloomgarden , the play ran for only eight performances in December 1956 despite a cast that included Martin Brooks , Wendell Corey , Christopher Plummer , Claude Rains and Dick York . In the December 17 , 1956 issue , '' Time '' reviewed : A version of '' Night of the Auk '' aired as an episode of the anthology television series '' Play of the Week '' in 1960 . In August 2012 , Outside Inside Productions presented the first New York revival of '' Night of the Auk '' at the 16th Annual New York International Fringe Festival . Authorized by the Oboler family , this new production , directed by Adam Levi with co-direction by Kaitlyn Samuel , was a 75-minute one-act version of the original play , adapted by playwright Michael Ross Albert
New York International Fringe Festival
New York International Fringe Festival
Arch Oboler