CBS Radio Mystery Theater - EP. 21-25
Description: Tales of the Sonic Voyage presents
CBS Radio Mystery Theater Marathon — Episodes 21–25
Our October journey through CBS Radio Mystery Theater continues with five more stories from the program’s first month on the air. This time, we enter a world of difficult choices, unsettling bargains, imagination that becomes dangerously convincing, and voices that refuse to leave their listener alone.
Settle into your favorite chair, turn down the lights if you like, and let the radio supply the doorway. Your imagination can take care of what waits beyond it.
Created, produced, and directed by Himan Brown, CBS Radio Mystery Theater premiered on January 6, 1974.
It brought the traditions of dramatic radio to listeners living in an age when television had long since become the center of home entertainment. Brown understood that a voice, a carefully placed sound, and a moment of silence could still hold an audience.
The series eventually produced 1,399 original episodes during its run from 1974 through 1982.
For these early broadcasts, E. G. Marshall serves as our host. His measured delivery gives each story a welcoming beginning while suggesting that we ought to be a little cautious about accepting the invitation. The familiar creaking door establishes the atmosphere, and his introductions and closing reflections give the proceedings the feeling of a conversation with someone who knows rather more about human nature than he is immediately willing to tell us.
These five episodes originally aired on consecutive days, January 26–30, 1974. Hearing them together lets us spend a little longer inside that opening season, when the program was establishing its identity. Crime, psychological tension, fantasy, and supernatural possibilities all have a place here. Sometimes the disturbing element comes from something impossible; sometimes it comes from a very recognizable human desire.
The actors do much of that work through changes in tone, hesitation, and the relationships they establish with one another. We hear the characters before we know whether to trust them, and the absence of a visible face leaves room for our own interpretation. A room can become as large or as confined as the story needs, while an ordinary conversation can acquire an entirely different meaning as we listen.
That is part of the pleasure of returning to radio drama. Each listener creates a slightly different version of the same scene. The script and performances give us the circumstances, but the faces, surroundings, and shadows develop in our own minds. These recordings also preserve the sound of a particular period in broadcasting, connecting new listeners with the experience of following a continuing radio series.
This marathon keeps the episodes in their original sequence. You can follow our journey from the beginning or join us here without needing to catch up on a continuing plot. Each story stands on its own, with a fresh situation and a new invitation to wonder what will happen next.
Host and Production
E. G. Marshall — Host and narrator
Himan Brown — Creator, producer, and director
Episode List
21 — The Ring of Truth
Originally broadcast January 26, 1974
Written by Henry Slesar
Cast: Agnes Moorehead, Mandel Kramer, Santos Ortega, Ian Martin, and Dan Ocko
22 — Time and Again
Originally broadcast January 27, 1974
Written by Ian Martin
Cast: John Beal, Grace Matthews, Bryna Raeburn, and Ian Martin
23 — Three Women
Originally broadcast January 28, 1974
Written by Elspeth Eric
Cast: Ruth Ford, Roger DeKoven, George Petrie, Elspeth Eric, and Joan Loring
24 — The Man Who Heard Voices
Originally broadcast January 29, 1974
Written by Sam Dann
Cast: Larry Haines, Suzanne Grossman, Augusta Dabney, and Leon Janney
25 — Mother Love
Originally broadcast January 30, 1974
Written by Bob Juhren
Cast: Joan Hackett, Vinette Carroll, Mason Adams, Leon Janney, Evie Juster, and Roger DeKoven
Thank you for spending part of your October with Tales of the Sonic Voyage. If you enjoy these marathons, please like, subscribe, leave a comment, and share them with someone who appreciates a good mystery.
Let me know which episode stayed with you, or whether you remember hearing the series during its original run. Keep listening, keep exploring, and help share the stories. Until our next gathering, pleasant dreams. Close description
CBS Radio Mystery Theater Marathon — Episodes 21–25
Our October journey through CBS Radio Mystery Theater continues with five more stories from the program’s first month on the air. This time, we enter a world of difficult choices, unsettling bargains, imagination that becomes dangerously convincing, and voices that refuse to leave their listener alone.
Settle into your favorite chair, turn down the lights if you like, and let the radio supply the doorway. Your imagination can take care of what waits beyond it.
Created, produced, and directed by Himan Brown, CBS Radio Mystery Theater premiered on January 6, 1974.
It brought the traditions of dramatic radio to listeners living in an age when television had long since become the center of home entertainment. Brown understood that a voice, a carefully placed sound, and a moment of silence could still hold an audience.
The series eventually produced 1,399 original episodes during its run from 1974 through 1982.
For these early broadcasts, E. G. Marshall serves as our host. His measured delivery gives each story a welcoming beginning while suggesting that we ought to be a little cautious about accepting the invitation. The familiar creaking door establishes the atmosphere, and his introductions and closing reflections give the proceedings the feeling of a conversation with someone who knows rather more about human nature than he is immediately willing to tell us.
These five episodes originally aired on consecutive days, January 26–30, 1974. Hearing them together lets us spend a little longer inside that opening season, when the program was establishing its identity. Crime, psychological tension, fantasy, and supernatural possibilities all have a place here. Sometimes the disturbing element comes from something impossible; sometimes it comes from a very recognizable human desire.
The actors do much of that work through changes in tone, hesitation, and the relationships they establish with one another. We hear the characters before we know whether to trust them, and the absence of a visible face leaves room for our own interpretation. A room can become as large or as confined as the story needs, while an ordinary conversation can acquire an entirely different meaning as we listen.
That is part of the pleasure of returning to radio drama. Each listener creates a slightly different version of the same scene. The script and performances give us the circumstances, but the faces, surroundings, and shadows develop in our own minds. These recordings also preserve the sound of a particular period in broadcasting, connecting new listeners with the experience of following a continuing radio series.
This marathon keeps the episodes in their original sequence. You can follow our journey from the beginning or join us here without needing to catch up on a continuing plot. Each story stands on its own, with a fresh situation and a new invitation to wonder what will happen next.
Host and Production
E. G. Marshall — Host and narrator
Himan Brown — Creator, producer, and director
Episode List
21 — The Ring of Truth
Originally broadcast January 26, 1974
Written by Henry Slesar
Cast: Agnes Moorehead, Mandel Kramer, Santos Ortega, Ian Martin, and Dan Ocko
22 — Time and Again
Originally broadcast January 27, 1974
Written by Ian Martin
Cast: John Beal, Grace Matthews, Bryna Raeburn, and Ian Martin
23 — Three Women
Originally broadcast January 28, 1974
Written by Elspeth Eric
Cast: Ruth Ford, Roger DeKoven, George Petrie, Elspeth Eric, and Joan Loring
24 — The Man Who Heard Voices
Originally broadcast January 29, 1974
Written by Sam Dann
Cast: Larry Haines, Suzanne Grossman, Augusta Dabney, and Leon Janney
25 — Mother Love
Originally broadcast January 30, 1974
Written by Bob Juhren
Cast: Joan Hackett, Vinette Carroll, Mason Adams, Leon Janney, Evie Juster, and Roger DeKoven
Thank you for spending part of your October with Tales of the Sonic Voyage. If you enjoy these marathons, please like, subscribe, leave a comment, and share them with someone who appreciates a good mystery.
Let me know which episode stayed with you, or whether you remember hearing the series during its original run. Keep listening, keep exploring, and help share the stories. Until our next gathering, pleasant dreams. Close description