The Night of the Auk

"Night of the Auk", by Arch Oboler, was originally a play that flopped on Broadway, running for only 8 performances in 1956. The play's title is irrelevant to the point of meaninglessness: no auks are ever mentioned in the text. Apparently the title refers to the great auk, an extinct species of bird that was wiped out by human explorers. The action takes place aboard the first manned spaceship to the moon. William Shatner, interestingly, does NOT play the ship's commanding officer. (F Gwynplaine MacIntyre)