CBS Mystery Theater eps 1-20

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.

Episode 1: The Return of The Moresbys

Has a murdered woman been reincarnated as a cat to torment her killer?

First broadcast: 7 January 1974.
Original Story by Henry Slesar.
Cast: Patrick O'Neal, Marian Seldes, Nick Pryor, Dan Ocko.

Episode 2: The Bullet

A soldier, killed by a bullet meant for his buddy, returns to Earth to claim his life back.

First broadcast: 8 January 1974.
Original Story by Sam Dann.
Cast: Larry Haines, Evie Juster, Ralph Bell, Martin Newman, Leon Janney, Dan Ocko.

Episode 3: I Warn You Three Times

A woman's husband steps out of the car to clean the rear window and vanishes. Could a witch be involved?

First broadcast: 12 January 1974.
Original Story by Sam Dann.
Cast: Joan Lorring, Mason Adams, Tom Keena, Sam Grey, Alan Manson.

Episode 4: A Very Old Man

An old man cures the sick with his miraculous healing powers.

First broadcast: 22 January 1974.
Original Story by Elspeth Eric.
Cast: Santos Ortega, Norman Rose, Bryna Raeburn, William Redfield.

Episode 5: Time And Again

A clockmaker comes across a mysterious clock that can give him an additional hour of life twice a day, but it demands a price… in blood!

First broadcast: 27 January 1974.
Original Story by Ian Martin.
Cast: Ian Martin, John Beal, Grace Matthews, Bryna Raeburn.

Episode 6: The Sign of The Beast

A woman on an archaeological dig is punished by The Beast Godess for taking an offering from a jungle temple.

First broadcast: 3 February 1974.
Original Story by Sam Dann.
Cast: Lois Smith, Paul McGrath, Tom Keena, Dan Ocko.

Episode 7: The Walking Corpse

A recently married couple have to contend with zombies when they get caught up in a military coup on a Caribbean island.

First broadcast: 17 February 1974.
Original Story by Ian Martin.
Cast: Ian Martin, Tony Roberts, Jackson Beck, Suzanne Grossman, Vinette Carroll, Bob Kaliban.

Episode 8: The Walls of Jericho

A put-upon manservant at a gentlemen's club finds he can bring characters from his imagination to life — with unfortunate consequences.

First broadcast: 21 February 1974.
Original Story by Elspeth Eric.
Cast: Robert Dryden, Mary Jane Higby, Ian Martin, Ralph Bell, Guy Sorel, Sidney Walker.

Episode 9: The Horla

A writer believes he is possessed by a supernatural entity.

First broadcast: 22 February 1974.
Original Story by Guy de Maupassant.
Cast: Paul Hecht, Bryna Raeburn, Dan Ocko, Robert Dryden.

Episode 10: Out of Sight

The flight of America's first female astronaut is hijacked by aliens.

First broadcast: 2 March 1974.
Original Story by Ian Martin.
Cast: Julia Meade, Sidney Walker, Jack Grimes, Ira Lewis.

Episode 11: This Will Kill You

A critic receives a death curse when he gives an author's book on demonology a bad review.

First broadcast: 4 March 1974.
Original Story by Murray Burnett.
Cast: Larry Haines, Norman Rose, Evie Juster, Roger De Koven, Gilbert Mack.

Episode 12: The Sending

A university professor uses an ancient Roman mirror and black magic to steal his students' souls in order to prolong his wife's life.

First broadcast: 6 March 1974.
Original Story by Robert Newman.
Cast: Mandel Kramer, Marian Seldes, Tony Roberts, Beth Howard.

Episode 13: The Creature From The Swamp

A game warden rescues a woman from drowning in a swamp. She warns him to beware of 'The Swamp Man', but is it the Swamp Man he should be afraid of?

First broadcast: 7 March 1974.
Original Story by Ian Martin.
Cast: Ian Martin, Jack Grimes, Joan Lorring, Leon Janney, Robert Dryden.

Episode 14: Die! You're On Magic Camera

A photographer acquires a camera which can take pictures of future events.

First broadcast: 3 April 1974.
Original Story by Murray Burnett.
Cast: Nick Pryor, Teri Keane, Joan Lovejoy, Joseph Julian, William Redfield.

Episode 15: Sunset To Sunrise

A woman recounts how her dead mother became a suspected vampire.

First broadcast: 25 April 1974.
Original Story by Elspeth Eric.
Cast: Marian Seldes, Bryna Raeburn, William Johnstone, William Redfield.

Episode 16: All Living Things Must Die

An unhappy housewife wishes her husband was dead, and gets her wish — with a little help from her houseplants.

First broadcast: 29 April 1974.
Original Story by Elspeth Eric.
Cast: Mercedes McCambridge, Larry Haines, Ralph Bell.

Episode 17: The Venus d'Ille

An indebted gambler, about to marry for money, places his ring on a statue of Venus and finds himself engaged to the godess, on pain of death.

First broadcast: 30 April 1974.
Original Story by Prosper Mérimée.
Cast: Norman Rose, Joan Lovejoy, Evie Juster, Dan Ocko, Robert Dryden.

Episode 18: Dracula

Adaptation of Bram Stoker's classic vampire tale.

First broadcast: 2 May 1974.
Original Story by Bram Stoker.
Cast: Mercedes McCambridge, Paul Hecht, Stefan Schnabel, Michael Wager, Marian Seldes.

Episode 19: The Forever Man

An elderly millionaire offers to swap bodies with a younger man in exchange for a fortune.

First broadcast: 15 May 1974.
Original Story by Sam Dann.
Cast: Paul Hecht, Bryna Raeburn, Dan Ocko, William Redfield, Leon Janney.

Episode 20: The Crack In The Wall

A bereaved couple hear their dead daughter calling to them through a crack in the wall — a crack which refuses to be repaired.

First broadcast: 20 May 1974.
Original Story by Sidney Slon.
Cast: Ann Costello, Celeste Holm, Robert Dryden, Robert Maxwell, Wesley Addy.