Your favorite CBSRMT actor / actress?

[Texas]

There've been some good ones, including those who've gone onto movies (Mercedes McCambridge, or at least her voice) and television (Mason Adams, Jerry Stiller).

However, here are some ones I enjoy:

[b:1272594197]Norman Rose[/b:1272594197] - Used to hear him on (Folger's?) coffee commercials. He had a radio voice, but could make himself believable as a rich Virginia plantation owner / industrialist with something to hide (The Raft), an archaeologist (Yesterday's Giant) or a drifter who used to be co-owner of a small charter boat company (The Laughing Maiden).

[b:1272594197]Paul Hecht[/b:1272594197] - Always aristocratic sounding (as a doctor in "The Captain of the Polestar" or "Premature Burial"), he sounded slightly more out of character on lesser roles (Jimmy Valentine's gamble) but I always enjoy his work.

[b:1272594197]Ralph Bell[/b:1272594197] - An well used voice on RMT, who like Rose could sound equally at home as an aristocrat or an everyman. Enjoyed hearing him try to be both an Irish cop and a mafiosi in "The other side of the coin".

Runner up:

[b:1272594197]Robert Dryden[/b:1272594197] - An oft-used voice again (The priest on "The horror within", the main character in "The vampire plant")...his voice sounded always like that of an older man (like most of the aforementioned) but he always brought an interesting touch to the programs I've heard him on.

[CusBlues]

My favorite was always Fred Gwynn. I remember hearing his voice for the first time on CBSRMT and instantly recognizing it from The Munsters. I just listened to one with him recently. It was called The Man with X-Ray Eyes. He played a country sheriff.

I also liked Robert Dryden. His voice was unique. I believe he was the butler in one I recently listened to called A Cup of Bitter Chocolate.

[UNTIL NEXT TIME]

It's a tie between Ralph Bell and Robert Dryden. I'll often look up their names in the episode guide and then pick the episode on that basis. Bell is terrific for conveying strain and stress as a story builds in tension. It seems he is the choice for characters who start normal ( rational and or unaffected ) and then falls apart. His performance in "Under Grave Suspicion" esp. memorable. Dryden's voice is simply fun to listen to. He does often play an old foggie--and often a crazy one. His performance in "The Walls Of Jericho" memorable....one of the first. As a runner up, though he was not in a large number of episodes, the old "Inner Sanctum" into voice of Arnold Moss. He sounds corrupt!
_UNTIL NEXT TIME

[dave]

fred gwynn has to be my favorite so far. i remember him from when i was huddled under the covers as a boy listening.
i've noticed that cbsrmt seems to use quite a few sctors with full rich voices. i always find myself thinking " that guy has a great radio voice" it's a shame these same actors only seem to reach character actor statis on the silver screen.

[mpcp1]

Howdy,

No Im not sure, but I could swear that one of the episodes I listened to recently had Betty White (Rose from Golden Girls). She's not one of my favorites, but if it was her then my hearing isn't failing me. It was the episode with a group of peolpe getting stuck in a cave.

I was wondering which ep. Jerry Stiller appeared on?

Regards,

Matt

[vgarci]

Matt,
Jerry Stiller appeared in:
The Frontiers Of Fear 08/13/74

[hoss6901]

I always have liked Fred Qwynne, and Mercedes McCambridge. She seems to always be nervous and you can tell from listening to her!
There are others I like but do not necessarily know their names.

[NAtlantis]

[b:529a877227][size=18:529a877227]W[/size:529a877227][/b:529a877227]hile there are many actors I really enjoyed in the CBS Radio Mystery Theatre cast lists over the years. The ones that really stand out for me as the greatest and the ones that define the flavor of show for me were:

#1: Fred Gwynne (e.g. Gate 27, 1/21/82)
#2: Larry Haines (e.g. Golden Time, 11/9/81)
#3: Paul Hecht (e.g. The Chess Master, 5/28/82)
#4: Robert Dryden (e.g. The Witches Almanac, 5/26/75)

smile.gif

John (NAtlantis)

[dave]

i never thought much about kim hunter before. i can only remember seeing her in the planet of the apes movies. it must be difficult to act with all that makeup on. i heard her on the pharoh's curse and one other show i can't think of right now and thought she was quite good.

[Ross]

Fred Gwynne
Marian Seldes

- Ross

[Fizzlestix]

hi all! great topic. I also think Fred Gwyne (sp?) was terrific, but mainly because I know him from so many visual roles.

The one actor that stands out as my favorite in this series, has to be MASON ADAMS. He's done so much outstanding work in his career, that even his voice has become synonymous with Easter. He was the actor who did all of the voiceovers for Cadbury's Egg commercials. hehe

Best wishes to all,

Fizz

[dave]

i used to get mason adams and e.g. marshall mixed up when i was a child.

i still think mr adams would have been a good replacement for E. G. Marshall.

tho i've only heard Ms. Grimes one one or two episodes a long time ago.

[dnagle]

In the years after RMT went off the air, I always associated the show with the voice of Robert Dryden, which I remembered very clearly. So he is one of my favorites. Fred Gwynne did an excellent job in the series, as with everything he did. If you haven't already, check out "Peter Peter, Pumpkin Eater" (780102) as being one of his best (and very good audio). I don't know how many shows Jadda Rowland was in, but her voice has it for me... sort of an alluring vulnerability. She stars along with Robert Dryden in "The Red Frisbee" (760116), a drama I remembered clearly from the original broadcast.

[brian1984_2001]

None of the actors stood out for me in the past. It has taken me awhile to learn who they are. Now, I can identify most of the men, but only a couple women.

[Lagavulin]

I have a hard time picking a favourite (canadian spelling smile.gif
I really enjoy Fred Gwynne (interesting Biography on him on A&E last month...

I have a hard time with Mercedes McCambridge, I don't always find her convincing in her rolls - that breathless gravelly whining voice was never convincing to me as a drop dead gorgeous strawberry blond bombshell... I did find her quite effective as the voice of Pazuzu in the Exorcist.

hehe
cheers
miles

[newzoo]

I would have to say my favorite actor is Larry Haines.

[mllprncss]

They were [b:f0519441a4]all [/b:f0519441a4]terrific to me and could play roles so convincingly that they had me mesmerized completely.

If I had to choose a couple, for me, I'd have to say my very, very favorite (hands down) was Paul Hecht. His voice was very sophisticated, could convincingly do any dialect, and was actually a soothing and comforting voice at times. I sometimes got his voice confused with Tony Roberts, another favorite of mine.

As far as the women are concerned, Marian Seldes and Roberta Maxwell stand out in my mind. They were always "real" to me.

[walterk9,II]

I probably shouldn't post this without the episode's title in front of me, but John Lithgow was excellent in the show about a lunar prison. It might've been called "The Bubble", or maybe "Prisoner of Machines". In it, rebellious prisoners are exiled to deep space, trapped in a transparent bubble for months. They return from this exile as shattered wrecks with broken minds. Lithgow, as leader of the prisoners, gives a great performance, palpably conveying a sense of sweaty desperation.

I always like the "Taster's Choice Guy", too. Norman Rose, isn't it?

And did I read somewhere that a very young Sara Jessica Parker has a role in some episode?

Anyone know?

[doublex]

Ralph Bell was always good as he had a kind of irasicible edge to his voice no matter what his character was- he is particularly good in "The Rat". He also did the voiceover for Mylanta commercials.

[Kizer Sosay]

I really enjoy Larry Haines. When his characters get nervous, confused or afraid, he fumbles and stumbles, hems and haws with the best. I can really feel his emotions. I also really like Ralph Bell's voice, very distinctive, especially when he plays a high-brow character.

When first listening I really didn't know who any of the actors were, except for recognizing Mason Adams (I keep expecting him to say, "With a name like Smuckers, it's got to be good") and Fred Gwynn.

Mercedes McCambridge has an awesome voice, but like someone else said, I can't picture her as a young hottie, she's best in the mature, throaty roles. Evie Juster did a good job with the young, girlie voices. Morgan Fairchild was much better than one might expect... a paradox to the "great face for radio" theory. One of the few people portraying younger characters that was actually young.

I do remember the Lithgow episode #1051, excellent. He also appeared in 9 others. Also, SJ Parker was a kid in 0649/770517 The Child's Cat Paw.

The mousetrap searchable database lets you find episodes by actor or writer:

http://cbsrmt.mousetrap.net/RMTdb/index.php

[Chris Conlon]

I'm surprised to see that in all these replies no one has mentioned my own favorite RMT performer, Leon Janney. He may not have been the greatest or most diverse actor in the world, but his voice had a marvelous quality--he could play a kindly country doctor or a thoroughly evil cannibal equally effectively. The only other actor I can think of with that down-home manner which could be either friendly or monstrous (or both, in the same story) would be Andy Griffith.

[mewster]

Russell Horton, followed by Evie Juster. I've enjoyed Russell since I was a kid; I thought his voice was very expressive, even when yelling and screaming! (Hey, you should have gotten those darn Trix years ago, my friend! :wink: ) I've since turned my husband on to RMT and RAT; great for commuting, he says, and I've got him picking out the voice actors. (He likes Earl Hammond and Ian Martin. Must be a macho guy thing. LOL)
I had [i:5d34b20f79]The Twilight Zone[/i:5d34b20f79] episode with Russell on last night, when my husband came in and asked me what I was watching. I had him turn his back to the the screen and listen. "Oh, it's Ahknaton," he quipped. Made me remember why I married him.

[Berliorius]

While I'm one of the people who really enjoys Mercedes McCambridge (Never heard her in the young, hottie role...thinking more about the emotionally abused plant-lover in "All Living Things Must Die), I'm surprised no one has mentioned the most regular voice on the show: E.G.Marshall. His voice is marvelously rich. It's alternately sinister and playful. Creepy and inviting. It IS the voice of Mystery Theater.

You know, I have a handful of shows hosted by the genius behind it all, Himan Brown, but it just aint the same. E.G. is the Man!

[Fizzlestix]

One voice that pops in from time to time is John Lithgow. For me his most memorable film role will always be The World According to Garp as the former NFL linebacker surgically turned into a woman. "I had a great set of hands!" he says.

More commonly known today for his work on television's, Third Rock from the Sun, Lithgow is another one of those actors that embraced every medium, be it stage, screen, tv, or radio.

He was featured in ten RMT episodes, my personal favorite being October 8, 1980 - Portrait of an Assassin with Patricia Elliot and Robert Dryden.

[Cooter Davenport]

Which episode featured Fred Gwynne (with his family) visiting his mean Uncle's farm?

[mattpaolo]

The Tell-Tale Heart, an adaptation of Poe's classic.

I love this episode; Robert Dryden is so nasty sounding -- a real letch. He plays is perfectly; Gywnne is good, too. But Dryden steals the show...

[Dan]

I like Mason Adams and Fred Gwynne too.

If only Paul Frees did some of the voice acting that would have been great.

[Cooter Davenport]

Originally posted by mattpaolo:
The Tell-Tale Heart, an adaptation of Poe's classic.

I love this episode; Robert Dryden is so nasty sounding -- a real letch. He plays is perfectly; Gywnne is good, too. But Dryden steals the show... Fred was good as the Judge in My Cousin Vinny. I thought he almost stole that show too. I think in the tell tale heart, he was out of work and was forced to move in with his mean uncle. My other favorite was Ghost at High Noon.!

[Iceberg]

New to the forum and happy to be here. I literally grew up listening to CBSRMT on WIBW Topeka Kansas.

Favorites (and I can't believe he hasn't already been mentioned) include Alexander Scourby -- there was a reason The National Geographic Society had him narrate so many of their television and film Specials over the years. Of course Fred Gwynne, and though he wasn't, properly, a character, E.G. Marshall's voice was one-of-a-kind. He was making good money then with other projects, but Mason Adams must just have enjoyed the genre to be working for scale; the voice was distinctive.

Mercedes McCambridge was miscast several times, but she could really get into some of her roles. I also liked Roberta Maxwell and Morgan Fairchild.

'Berg

[mattpaolo]

Gotta say, Norman Rose's voice is great; as was Leon Janney. And just hearing E.G. Marshall's voice at the start of each episode brings a smile...

[Jetmek]

I must say that I thought that Mason Adams had a great "radio "voice. Fred Gwynne and Larry Haines are also tops!!

[Miss B.]

My most favorite actress would have to be Marian Seldes. Her voice is just incredible! She is followed by Bryna Raeburn. I just love how she would sound so old as one character and turn around and sound like a young, high strung woman.

As for the men, I think Robert Dryden is my favorite, followed by Mandell Kramer.

[ 11. March 2005, 09:38 PM: Message edited by: kelly7798 ]

[brian1984_2001]

I saw Marian Seldes in an episode of "Law and Order" just recently. She is a very matronly looking woman now.

I think she was also in the move "The Haunting" based on the Shirley Jackson novel. I think she played the housekeeper.

[Texas]

Brian,

Yep, that was her...weird to see her paired off at the end with Bruce Dern as the house's caretakers (?).