CBS Mystery Theater
CBS Mystery Theater was a general radio drama series which ran for nearly 1400 episodes from 1974-1982 on the CBS network. It specialised, unsurprisingly, in the mystery genre, but did include a fair bit of fantasy, SF and the supernatural. The show was created by Hilman Brown and hosted by E. G. Marshall. Collected here are some of the SF and fantasy episodes, including those with only a slight inclination towards the genre, such as the supernatural. Some episodes are omitted due to poor audio quality.
Please note that the episode numbers given below are merely the order in which the episodes are thought to have been broadcast — they are not the actual episode numbers.
Please note that the episode numbers given below are merely the order in which the episodes are thought to have been broadcast — they are not the actual episode numbers.
Episode 64: The Boy Wonder
A schoolteacher and a gangster team up to find a child who has vanished from the face of the Earth — a child whose friends may have dreamed up inventions worth millions, and who himself may be a genius — but it seems the boy does not want to be found. First broadcast: 6 April 1976. Original Story by Alfred Bester. Cast: William Redfield, Robert Dryden, Ken Harvey, Martha Greenhouse, Dan Ocko. |
Episode 65: Strange Passenger
An idealistic lawyer is invited by aliens to undergo training to become a national leader, in order to advance their plans for the bloodless conquest of Earth. First broadcast: 15 April 1976. Original Story by Roy Winsor. Cast: Nat Polen, Bob Kaliban, Evie Juster, Ian Martin, Frank Behrens. |
Episode 67: Future Eye
An investigator is sent back in time one thousand years, to 1976, in order to retrieve a databank containing the last thousand years of history, which has been mistakenly sent into the past. First broadcast: 19 July 1976. Original Story by Alfred Bester. Cast: Tony Roberts, Evie Juster, Court Benson, Catherine Butterfield, William Redfield. |
Episode 70: The Man Who Could Work Miracles
A mild-mannered bank clerk has to be careful what he wishes for, when he discovers he can work miracles. First broadcast: 26 August 1976. Original Story by H. G. Wells (adapted by Arnold Moss). Cast: Arnold Moss, William Redfield, Marianne Haley, Russell Horton. |
Episode 74: City of The Dead
An expedition to one of the deepest parts of the oceans finds a strange civilisation of fish-people living on the sea bed. First broadcast: 4 November 1976. Original Story by H. G. Wells (adapted by Arnold Moss). Cast: Earl Hammond, Kristoffer Tabori, Court Benson, Catherine Byers. |
Episode 79: The Star Killers
A nuclear scientist is accused of murdering her husband, but she insists he was an alien, killed by his colleagues for betraying their plot to take over the world. First broadcast: 15 February 1977. Original Story by Sam Dann. Cast: Mercedes McCambridge, Norman Rose, Court Benson, Judith Light. |