Cosmic Striptease by Harlan Ellison

Name: Cosmic Striptease
Author: Harlan Ellison

Mars, having mastered the Resonating Magnetic Field, contacts Earth after decades of failed rocket attempts to breach the planet's Electro-Magnetic Field, broadcasting a voice understandable to every listener simultaneously and offering to "elevate" humanity through what becomes a world-spanning sky-projected television spectacle. The Martians, self-described as morally and technologically superior beings with no concept of war, announce the "Big Show," a serialized pageant depicting thirty-five thousand years of Martian civilization, to be beamed directly onto Earth's atmosphere as a three-dimensional, all-encompassing screen with no receivers needed. NBC and CBS secure exclusive rights to the accompanying commercials, and sponsors scramble for airtime, treating the momentous first contact as a business opportunity. The story follows Roy Mallory, a young TV producer newly placed in charge of coordinating the broadcast, and Edith Miller, the beautiful secretary loaned to him by network executive Herman Fendler, whose flirtatious, sparring rapport frames the human reaction to the unfolding events. Watching from a studio rooftop with Fendler, they see the first Martian appear nude and unashamed, followed by a Martian wedding ceremony conducted entirely in the nude, culminating in the newlywed couple consummating their marriage on camera before the assembled audience. Fendler and Edith are scandalized while Roy is amused and increasingly intrigued, arguing that the Martians' openness reflects an Edenic, unfallen innocence rather than obscenity. The broadcast cannot be switched off or censored since Earth has no control over the Martian transmission, and it continues nightly, next depicting an unflinching, detailed portrayal of childbirth, including a moralizing companion segment showing what the birth would have looked like had the mother been an alcoholic—which devastates a beer sponsor's business overnight. Public reaction fractures: some viewers, including doctors and temperance advocates, praise the show's honesty and its lessons; others, including sponsors and censors, are horrified. The FCC yanks the network's broadcast license, and Fendler and his staff, including Roy and Edith, lose their jobs as a direct consequence of the fallout. Undeterred, Roy starts his own production company and rehires Edith as his secretary, pitching a bold new sponsor for continued coverage of the Big Show: Sunbathing Magazine, betting that the ongoing cultural shock will only boost its circulation. The gamble pays off spectacularly. Over the following weeks the broadcast's influence spreads through society with startling speed: nudist "sunbathing" clubs proliferate, teenagers form similar groups (with one arrest in Sandusky, Ohio, dismissed by sympathetic parents and police as harmless), and eventually even the League of Decency approaches Roy to sponsor programming, reasoning that if the trend cannot be stopped it should be joined. Public nudity, once shocking, gradually becomes unremarkable as the Martian broadcasts normalize it across Earth's population. The story closes on Roy and Edith, now working together nightly on the rooftop watching subsequent installments of the Martian pageant—including an elaborate nude ballet—with Roy's initial outrage and Edith's earlier modesty steadily eroding under the broadcast's influence. When Edith finally joins him on the roof completely nude herself, unbothered and citing the Martians' evident moral authority as justification, Roy is initially indignant but quickly succumbs, and the two embrace romantically. The narrative ends with a wry suggestion that humanity, through Mars's provocative and unintentionally liberating "striptease" pageant, has taken a genuine evolutionary step toward a new, unashamed Eden—one driven less by the Martians' advanced science than by their casual dismantling of Earth's inherited sexual repression.

By Harlan Ellison · First published 1957 · Genre: Science Fiction, Satire, Soft Science Fiction · 7,252 words

First lines

_A picture is worth a thousand words -- especially if they're Martian words and nobody can understand them. So Mars put on a spectacular for Earth, using the skies as a TV screen. This proved the superiority of their science. But their morals -- Wow! _

What this Textopian page supports

Cosmic Striptease is listed on Textopian as a short story by Harlan Ellison, dated 1957 CE.

This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.

Work type: Short story
Author: Harlan Ellison
Date: 1957 CE
Language: English
Genres: Science Fiction, Satire, Soft Science Fiction, First Contact, Social Commentary
Length: 7,252 words
Structure: 1 section, 190 paragraphs
Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)

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Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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Discussion starters

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Genres

Science Fiction — Core premise involves first contact with advanced Martian civilization, futuristic technology including the Resonating Magnetic Field concept, and space exploration attempts demonstrating classic SF foundations.
Satire — Heavy mockery throughout of television networks, advertising sponsors, FCC regulation, corporate culture, and societal hysteria over nudity demonstrates satirical intent as primary literary vehicle.
Soft Science Fiction — Emphasizes sociological and cultural impact of alien contact rather than technical or hard scientific detail, focusing on how society adapts to Martian influence.
First Contact — Central plot revolves entirely around humanity's first communication and broadcast interaction with an alien civilization and their attempt to educate Earth.