CBS Radio Mystery Theater
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CBS Radio Mystery Theater (or CBSRMT) was an ambitious and sustained attempt in the 1970s to revive the great drama of old-time radio. Created by Himan Brown (who had by then become a radio legend due to his work on Inner Sanctum Mysteries, The Adventures of Nero Wolfe and other shows dating back to the 1930s), it aired on affiliate stations across the CBS Radio network. The series began its long run January 6, 1974; the final episode was broadcast December 31, 1982.
The show was broadcast nightly and ran for one hour, including news and commercials. Typically, a week consisted of three to four new episodes, with the remainder of the week filled out with reruns. There were 1,399 original episodes broadcast. The total number of broadcasts, including reruns, was 2,969.
The format was similar to that of classic old time radio shows such as The Mysterious Traveler and The Whistler, in that there is a host, E.G. Marshall, who introduced each episode and provided pithy wisdom throughout; but, unlike the hosts of those shows, Marshall is fully mortal, merely someone whose heightened insight and erudition plunge the listener into the world of the macabre.
The program was pitched, at least initially, to an audience old enough to remember classic radio. Young characters tended to have names more popular a generation earlier, such as Jack, George, Phyllis and Mary. Many scripts, especially those by Ian Martin, showed a tin ear for 1970s youth slang ("Don't let her give you no run-around, dad. She not only smokes, turns on, but she's a user!" - "The Ghost Plane"; "I think bein' around here's gonna be kicks!" - "Don't Let It Choke You"). But Radio Mystery Theater's debut coincided with America's intense 1950s nostalgia of 1973-78. Because radio mystery drama was reminiscent of that era, the program quickly developed a fan base among young listeners as well.
Each show began with the sound of a creaking door slowly opening to invite listeners in for the evening's adventure. Three descending notes from the double basses would introduce Marshall's sinister intonation of, "Come in... Welcome." A muted trumpet sting and timpani roll, then: "I'm E.G. Marshall." A low, eerie woodwind theme would follow as Marshall introduced the program. At the end of each show, Marshall would deliver his classic signoff, "... inviting you to return to our Mystery Theater for another adventure in the macabre. Until next time, pleasant ... dreams?" The door would then creak and slam shut, followed by the show's haunting theme music.
Marshall hosted the program from January, 1974, until February, 1982, when actress Tammy Grimes took over, maintaining the format.
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[edit] Scope
Despite the show's title, Brown expanded its scope beyond mysteries to include horror, science fiction, historical drama and comedy, along with seasonal dramas at Christmas. Nevertheless, as stated by Marshall at each show's finish, the show's focus was on "adventures into the macabre."
In addition to original stories, there were adaptations of classic tales by such writers as Edgar Allan Poe (seven Poe stories were adapted during a special week in January, 1975), O. Henry, Mark Twain, Ambrose Bierce, Charles Dickens and others. Later in the series Brown experimented with five-episode adaptations of novels such as Les Misérables and The Last Days of Pompeii, as well as an original five-part story about Egyptian queen Nefertiti with Tammy Grimes in the title role.
[edit] Notable performers
Prominent actors from radio and screen performed on the series. Notable regulars included Fred Gwynne, Mercedes McCambridge, Norman Rose, Joan Hackett, Morgan Fairchild, Mason Adams, Keir Dullea, John Lithgow, Tony Roberts and Howard Da Silva. Many well-known stars guested as well, including Casey Kasem ("The Headless Hessian," original broadcast September 23, 1975), Morey Amsterdam, Richard Crenna ("Ghost Plane," September 12, 1975), Jack Grimes, Tammy Grimes, Larry Haines, an elderly Margaret Hamilton ("Triptych for a Witch," October 30, 1975), Paul Hecht, Kim Hunter, Agnes Moorehead (who appeared in the very first episode, "The Old Ones Are Hard to Kill"), Jerry Orbach ("The Follower," January 25, 1975), Theo Bikel ("Just One More Day," May 29, 1975), Marian Seldes, Jerry Stiller ("The Frontiers of Fear," August 13, 1974), Roy Thinnes, a young Mandy Patinkin ("Lost Dog," the fourth show in the series, airing January 9, 1974) and a 12-year-old Sarah Jessica Parker, who appeared in "The Child Cat's Paw", which originally ran on May 17, 1977.
Actors were paid union scale at around $73.92 per show. Writers earned a flat rate of $350 per show. The production took place with assembly-line precision. Brown would meet with actors at 9:00 am for the first reading of the script. After he assigned roles, the recording began. By noon the recording of the actors was complete, and Brown handed everyone their checks. Post-production was done in the afternoon.
[edit] Awards
In 1975, CBSRMT won the prestigious Peabody Award, and in 1990 it was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame. In 1998, the still-active Brown attempted a brief revival of the series, rebroadcasting selected old episodes with his own introductions replacing Marshall's.
[edit] Continuing popularity
CBSRMT remains perennially popular with collectors to this day, with numerous websites and discussion forums. A Usenet newsgroup is devoted to trading MP3 files of episodes. Himan Brown has explored selling copies of CBSRMT shows by asking on his website [1] whether or not people would be willing to purchase original recordings of his program.
One of the most interesting aspects for some collectors of CBSRMT is that some of the shows were taped with both news and commercials embedded, which provides an illuminating insight into the period in which the show ran.
While some fans of old-time radio may judge CBSRMT as inferior to similar shows from the past, such as Inner Sanctum Mysteries, Suspense and The Mysterious Traveler, which were produced in a 30-minute format, such comparisons must take into account the sheer prodigiousness of production by Himan Brown and his players. At the rate of one show per day, it would take nearly four years to listen to each of the 1399 hour-long episodes of CBSRMT.
On May 6, 1979, Himan Brown was presented a Broadcast Preceptor Award by San Francisco State University for his contributions with the CBSRMT.
[edit] Books
In 1978, a paperback anthology with three short stories adapted from the series' radio scripts was published.
The episode "Children of Death", broadcast February 5, 1976, written by Sam Dann, served as the basis for Dann's novel, The Third Body, published in 1979 by Popular Library. Another of his stories for Mystery Theater, "Goodbye Carl Erich" from the 1975 season, was also turned into a novel by the same name, first published in 1985.
From June 3 to November 27, 1998, CBSRMT was rebroadcast over NPR, with Himan Brown replacing the opening narrations of E.G. Marshall.
In January 1999, McFarland & Company, Inc. published The CBS Radio Mystery Theater, a book documenting the history of the program, including an episode guide. Fully indexed, the 475-page book was authored by Gordon Payton and Martin Grams, Jr. It was published in both hardcover and trade paperback.
In October, 2006 a third book about Mystery Theater was published, examining the series value today in education and instruction: The CBS Radio Mystery Theater as an Educational Degree. The 180-page hardcover was published by Stahl Consolidated Manufacturing Corporation (Huntsville, Alabama).
