Theater Five - My Log - Charlie

[Charlie]

640803 - Show #1 - Hit and Run

This will be my first review of this show that I did not know existed until today. I've just listened to my first program - the first program in this series.

A gangster is leaving town for a few days and tells his lawyer to look after his younger brother while he is gone.

The brother is a good-for-nothing twerp that strong-arms people and takes advantage of situations.

Following the departure of his brother and after pushing the lawyer around a bit, he goes out on the town and meets a girl that is too young to be in the bar where he finds her.

Once she is in his car, he tries to impress her and drives too fast - resulting in a fatal accident.

[Charlie]

This program is reminiscent of a Twilight Zone episode that had a similar theme.

I hear some voices that would later be heard on CBSRMT and the acting is good but the one thing that drives me nuts is when adults try to portray children. It just doesn't come off as believable.

Other than that, I enjoyed listening to this program and the length of these programs (around 20 minutes) is good when you want to hear a whole program and don't have time for an hour-long episode.

A father, mother and two children are living underground inside their nuclear fallout shelter.

They stored enough food to last six months with the belief that at the worst they would be able to exit the shelter after three months.

But, after four months inside, their remote sensors still indicate that the level of radioactivity outside is far too high to open the door and they speculate about what kind of bomb hit them to cause this.

To make matters worse, they have apparently suffered a fuel leak which will cause their generator to fail soon - meaning that their supply of air, and their lives may soon come to an end.

[Charlie]

As part of the developing space program, an officer is sent to a remote outpost to join the group already there that is working on making contact with outer-space.

They listen for incoming signals and blast a laser beam out into space in an attempt to communicate with aliens.

On one attempt, they seem to have success when a more code-like series of beeps comes back.

Following that, strange things start to happen.

One observation in the program is that in a few years they will send a man to the moon. True. In five years they indeed would.

[Charlie]

A widowed woman wakes up sure that her dead husband returned the night before.

She calls her married daughter over to her house and tells her that in the middle of the night his car pulled into the garage, he came in the house, rummaged through the refrigerator, crested the stairs, then she called out to him and he left.

Her daughter disagrees and reminds her mother that the man is dead and has been for a year and a half.

This doesn't solve the problem - at least not at once.

[Charlie]

A lady goes to an escort agency to hire a date for one evening.

She needs a guy just about the right size and weight - and with good teeth.

Her motives are not pure though. She and her husband have something sinister in mind.

It's a question of whether or not they can pull it off.

More voices that would later be staples on CBSRMT can be heard in this episode.

[Charlie]

When a high school student accidentally leaves a notebook on a teachers desk, he looks inside of it to find out who it belongs to.

He discovers who it belongs to but it leads him to much more.

He quickly finds out that a worldwide group of students are planning a revolution to usher in a communistic "peace and love" type of world.

[Executive]

If the previous story listed "Rebellion Next Week" sounded familiar, that's because it was Theater Five's first remake....of the SUSPENSE episode "Juvenile Rebellion", which was produced and first aired three years earlier in 1961.

[Charlie]

An aging actor (presumably on the stage in New York) travels to California where his nephew directs television shows.

The older man is having memory trouble which has caused his work to dry up.

When he arrives in California all he can find for work is a television commercial and even that goes sour when he can't remember the lines correctly.

Out of money, he feels that his only hope for work is through connections with his nephew.

He is invited to his nephews home for a social function, but when he arrives, he is badgered by a large dog.

[Charlie]

A young man sits on the top of a building ready to jump off.

His father has tried to mold him into something of his own making and his girlfriend has let him know that if he plans on being married to her that there better be plenty of money available.

After a very bad day he's wound up at the building's top ready to end it all.

A police officer is also present and he wants to help find a solution.

But, a crowd has gathered below - and for the sake of entertainment, they would like to see the young man jump. They are chanting, urging him to do it.

[Charlie]

A producer on Broadway has decided that a melodrama is just the thing he needs for a hit show and he is looking for a script.

Many have been submitted to him but he hasn't taken the time to read them carefully because he is not expecting anything great from someone that is not a big name writer.

As he is preparing to leave his office to meet a friend for a drink, a young lady barges in with a story to tell him but he is not really interested in listening.

This is not a boring program. It's the best one in this series that I have heard so far and it doesn't drag at all. Good program!

[Charlie]

A couple awaken one morning to find that a stranger is asleep in their guest room.

Caught off guard and somewhat angry, they wake him up to find out who he is and why he is there.

When he wakes, he calls them both by name and tries to pit them against each other by suggesting that one of them invited him into their home.

Good program! Elspeth Eric appears in this program to give it a CBSRMT sound.

[Charlie]

This is another exceptional program with familiar CBSRMT voices. Listening to this program makes me wonder why I never heard of this program until recently.

A security guard from a large apartment complex takes a resident to the police station after receiving a complaint about his behavior.

It was reported that he was behaving in the manner of a "peeping tom" and the guard quickly apprehended him - although the man denies that he was doing anything wrong.

When he takes him to the police station, the officers are busy with other tasks and they tell the guard to take the man into a room and wait for a few minutes while they get caught up.

The guard protests but they tell him that the man is still in his custody until they book him so he will just have to wait with him for a few minutes.

The two of them go into the room to wait and this gives the man a chance to tell the guard a story.

Good acting. Good story. I enjoyed this program.

[Charlie]

Sometime in the future, the development of robots has progressed to the point that they are hard to distinguish from humans.

Because of the possible implications of this the government agency that manufactures them is regulated and monitored.

The first rule in robot making is that they must be designed so that they cannot harm humans.

On this day, two government investigators visit the robot producing facility to ask some questions, and to inform the civil servant in charge that the man who knows the most about the robots is missing.

I am really surprised at the quality of the acting in this series. It seems an obscure series but it's quite impressive.

[Charlie]

Another entertaining program. Not many words need to be said to properly review this program. It held my interest throughout.

A woman starts receiving frightening telephone calls in the middle of the night from a man who seems to be sexually harassing her.

Her roommate is engaged to be married soon and she and her boyfriend offer moral support while the telephone calls take their toll on the woman's emotional well-being.

[Charlie]

Listen to this program and CBSRMT episode 750910 - The Ideas Of March (http://www.cbsrmt.info/macabre/showpost.php?p=33258&postcount=133) back to back. They are not exactly the same, but have the same sort of plot.

Both programs are good.

A woman, her husband and young son move from Manhattan to a small town some distance from the city.

She has premonitions that their young son will die - and he does.

Soon after, she has the same feeling that her husband will be killed in a train crash on his way home from work.

She tries to stop him from boarding the train.

[Charlie]

I've felt before when listening to hour-long programs that maybe there was just too much time and not enough program. Maybe a show was a good idea but filler was added to get it up to time.

This is a case of the opposite; Too much story - too little time.

However, it is a good program.

Scott Douglas is a government intelligence agent.

He is accused of wrongdoing on foreign soil and brought back to New York in custody.

The problem is, at about the same time, he also shows up at his apartment where his wife is waiting for him.

Yes, there are suddenly two identical people and this is a big problem.

[Charlie]

This program was not as good as the past few (in my opinion) - yet it was not boring. It didn't hook me the way that some of these have though.

The audio quality of this episode was not very good which made it harder to listen to but it seemed to get a bit better as the program went on.

A female reporter wants to do a story on intelligence gatherers.

She spends a day with a spy in the Mediterranean region who goes out of his way to note that his work is nothing like what happens in movies.

Yet, the somewhat boring day does manage to turn eventful before it is over.

Kind of a stretch to believe this one. And, with a title like "Caller At Midnight"... boy, that has potential.

[Charlie]

Two doctors working on developing an LSD-like mind-altering drug offer an author the chance to try their latest version of it.

He does, and bad things happen.

This was probably cutting-edge stuff for 1964.

[Charlie]

Matthew Dillard was a successful businessman who became known as the author of award-winning novels late in his life.

On the day of this adventure it has been one year since his death and those who now collect the money produced by his estate are getting ready to attend a memorial service in his honor.

As they do, a man arrives at his home wanting to visit him - not knowing that he is dead.

He says he is an old friend of Mr. Dillard, and is greatly surprised and distressed to learn that he is dead.

The events of this entire episode all take place within just a couple of hours or less.

Interesting.

[Charlie]

A man returns to his apartment (apparently in New York) after a three week vacation in New Jersey.

There are problems immediately upon his return; The elevator operator acts like he's seen the man as recently as that morning, the eight-day clock in his apartment is running, and there is unspoiled milk in his refrigerator.

He also gets phone calls from people he doesn't know - but, they seem to know him.

Good program!

[Charlie]

Two astronauts are going into space for the first spacewalk.

One is a veteran of the space program while the younger man is going on his first trip, and he is the one that will perform the spacewalk.

They have dinner the evening before the blast-off and the older man starts to show signs of mental problems.

[Charlie]

A crew has been hired to demolish an old ornate mansion.

The man that is to run the crane that will swing the wrecking ball is opposed right away as he feels that something beautiful will be destroyed.

When he swings the ball the first time, he hears a scream.

[Charlie]

An astronaut is going to be sent into orbit "father out then we've ever been before."

All goes well as he lifts off and enters orbit.

As he converses on the radio with ground control he goes silent mid-sentence and they suddenly lose their tracking on the capsule.

Then, seconds later, he just appears in the room with them on the ground.

He's disoriented but says he has been "somewhere" and has a "message for all of mankind." But, he just can't get it out of his mouth before he passes out.

*** SPOILER ALERT ***

In my reviews, I don't normally tell anymore much more about a program that what you will learn in the first couple of minutes of listening as I don't want to ruin the listening experience for anyone reading my reviews.

This program compels me to violate that rule this time.

When he awakens, he doesn't remember anything that happened, or how he ended up back on the ground - minus the space capsule.

As no one can explain this and it leaves everyone dumbfounded, they do the dumbest thing they can possibly think of in search of a solution, they prepare another rocket as quickly as they can and launch him back into space.

Just a reminder for anyone that is confused reading my reviews - opinion is in red italics, while the actual program review is in black normal text.

[Charlie]

A heroin addict has lost his connection and is in bad need of a fix.

He barges into the office of a doctor that is working late in his office - not knowing that the man is a psychiatrist and doesn't have drugs in his office.

Things will take an unexpected turn when another man knocks on the doctor's door.

Good program!

[Charlie]

WOW! This is one impressive program packed into 20 minutes.

This is as weird as anything I've ever heard on CBSRMT! Plus, it features a number of familiar CBSRMT voices.

If you're looking for what has to be a signature episode of this series, look no further.

A proper review of this show is simple;

A young man with a reputation for telling tall tales grows up in a dysfunctional home with a drunken father, an enabling mother, and a very strange uncle.

Their worlds collide as this episode unfolds.

That's the review but this one has to be heard. If you've never heard this series, download this program!

Notable quote from this program with the young man (Alfie) speaking of the United States; "They don't care so much over there what you do - so long as you don't upset anybody by what you say while you're doing it."

And this was 1964? Amazing!

[Charlie]

This is a powerful program. It amazes me how much this series communicates in such a short time.

Living in a run down section of Manhattan, an older couple argue bitterly late at night while a young girl screams in terror not far outside their home.

The gentleman wants to call the police and also to go outside and help her.

His wife berates him continuously while telling him to mind his own business and stay out of other people's problems. While the girl screams, she ignores the sound completely.

Notable quote from this program: "They look like beer barrels with hair."

It's amazing how many people are just like what you will hear in this program.

[Charlie]

A man is released from his job so that it can be given to a computer.

As he is given two months severance pay, he doesn't tell his wife, and struggles to find a job.

I'm sure that this theme was repeated on a CBSRMT program but I cannot recall which one at this time.

The audio quality on this program is very poor making this one nearly un-listenable.

[Charlie]

"Incident at..."

Those two simple words can say a lot. It tells us that something happened, and we are going to have the pleasure (we hope) of examining the "incident" - which must have been, if it is the basis for a radio adventure, interesting at the very least.

Without a doubt, some sort of mystery is in the offing.

This is another good program.

As I listen to this series, I am surprised at the quality, and surprised that it lasted only one year.

My opinion, so far, is that it is a shame this series did not achieve CBSRMT status.

A man owns a diner on a remote stretch of Arizona highway.

His clientèle consists of truck drivers who must traverse the long straight highway - which has no intersecting roads for many miles.

Things are not going so well.

He has too many bills, business isn't great, and his grandson lays near death in the small living quarters behind the restaurant.

This program begins when a sheriff's deputy comes in late one evening to inform him that there has been a fatality accident about 20 miles down the highway.

Shortly after that, a problematic customer arrives, and other events occur to further complicate his situation to bring things to a boiling point.

Good stuff!

[Charlie]

A female Communist agent is given an award in her home country for turning in her own father for prohibited activities. It seems the man was listening to forbidden broadcasts on the radio.

Shortly after, she is given an assignment to travel to the United States with her nine-year-old daughter to conduct a mission against the U.S.

She says she has dreamed of helping destroy America all of her life.

She and her daughter arrive in the U.S. but customs authorities have a tip that someone on the flight is a foreign agent so they conduct an inspection of all of the passengers.

Good program - with the exception of an adult attempting to portray a child.

[Charlie]

It's the first journey from Earth to the Moon and the astronaut crew consists of two men and a woman.

They arrive only to find that the Moon is inhabited - by invisible beings.

This is much different than what would be found on the Moon five years later.

[Charlie]

A pair of brothers run a toy company. They have a staff of people working for them, including another younger brother.

One of them suspects that someone is stealing their product designs so he bugs one man's office phone.

Then, more bugging occurs and soon it spirals out of control.

[Charlie]

A small town is dominated by a minister who interprets the Bible to suit his own purposes. No one dares offer any differing viewpoints to his.

A young boy appears in the town and appears to have a case of amnesia, in that he doesn't know where he lives.

However, he has one unusual trait - he can see the stars in the sky in the daytime.

Not only that, but he can name all of them, the constellation that they are in, and even how many degrees they are one from another.

It doesn't take the preacher long to determine that this boy indicates the presence of evil in the town.

The main negative here is adults acting the parts of children. It's not believable.

[Charlie]

A doctor is approached by a woman who introduces herself as his brother's girlfriend.

His brother is a criminal. He's been shot during the commission of a crime and is in need of medical care.

She wants to doctor to come to the aid of his brother but he wants nothing to do with him.

[Charlie]

Whoops! I got out of order accidentally and I will not be able to fix it until I get to the end of the show so I will go ahead and post this review for now.

A couple with a daughter in college have become foster parents to a baby.

They have had him since shortly after his birth and he is now 10 months old.

The adoption agency has called to tell them that there is a young couple that would like to adopt the baby - but the man is not ready to let go.

A sad program, and sad to think that it was the end for this fine series as well.

[Executive]

Whoops! I got out of order accidentally and I will not be able to fix it until I get to the end of the show so I will go ahead and post this review for now.
That's OK, Charlie. This is an anthology series, so there's no requirement to listen to them / post your reviews in order by original airdate. Just enjoy the show!

Sorry to have interrupted your log. Please continue, because I like your mini reviews. :)

[Charlie]

A gangster is released from prison after 30 years.

He's determined to put the gang back together and to take revenge on the man that testified against him.

Although, he doesn't seem to grasp that all of these men are now in their 60's and 70's and no longer lead the kind of lives they did at the time he went into prison.

[Charlie]

An astronaut launched from Cape Kennedy on a mission - but it's been about three weeks now and he has not returned. At least that's the way things seem.

A news reporter is starting to ask questions in an effort to get to the bottom of what is going on.

[Charlie]

Make no assumptions as you listen.

A radio reporter is on the scene of an observatory where scientists have received a transmission from outer-space that they are trying ti interpret.

They think it may be the first ever message received from another world. It's what they have been listening for.

[Charlie]

Not to be confused with the 1980's Charles Bronson movie of the same name...

It's strange that I should listen to this program today after a conversation I had yesterday.

A drug raid occurred around our area in the last couple of days and over 20 people were arrested for trafficking in drugs.

Most of us react with disdain for these people, hope they get put in jail, and want to rid our society of this kind of thing.

But, that's not how it works.

If you think about it, a lot of people depend on crime to make their living; Criminals, police officers, lawyers, judges, and all of their office staff and support people and businesses make their living because of crime.

If it didn't happen, these people would need to look for jobs.

When there is a drug raid, several lawyers can charge the taxpayers $100 per hour (or more) to represent these drug dealers in court. That's worth thousands and thousands of dollars.

They'll cut a deal (usually) and soon the drug dealers will be back on the street selling them again and the next time the cops scoop them back up, everybody in the system is back on the gravy train for another go-around.

Most of the names I saw in the newspaper, were the same ones that I saw last time this happened. They'll each get fined $500 while the taxpayers pay $5000 to defend them in court.

All that happens is a cycle in which money is transferred and then everything goes back to the way it was before, so the process can repeat again sometime soon.

So, these people don't want crime to stop - they just don't want it to happen to them.

If you stopped crime, these people would be pretty mad that you stepped in the way of the system that pays then their wages.

This program is a great example of that.

A researcher has developed a drug that seems to turn the criminal mind around.

He demonstrates how giving a dose of it can mellow out even the most hardened people.

The city council of the town decides to treat the drinking water with it in order to bring crime to an end.

But, those that make their living from crime (crooks, lawyers, police, etc.) warn him that they won't tolerate it.

[Charlie]

In response to an ad in the newspaper advertising a "Grenotte", a couple make a trek in a thunderstorm to a house located some distance from them.

Apparently, Grenotte was a famous artist whose works are becoming expensive - but an elderly man who needs money is offering to sell one for $75.

Strange program with a couple of twists and turns.

[Charlie]

A group of researchers is conducting experiments to try and determine whether or not they can communicate with dolphins. Specifically, they want to know whether or not they can talk directly with them.

One man in the group seems to be able to actually talk to them, but no one else believes him.

This is about the goofiest one in this series that I have heard so far. It's a stretch.

[Charlie]

The district attorney has just lost an important murder case.

A small group of vigilantes round up the acquitted man and offer the D.A. a chance at a different kind of trial.

[Charlie]

Here's a good program...

A rich man dies.

On his death bed he left some very specific instructions for his young wife to follow over the three days following his burial.

It seems that the men in his family have some unusual medical issues.

[Charlie]

A television producer constantly looks for people to appear on his show where people try to stump a panel of celebrities as to the identity of people.

He spots a man in a park whose name we learn is John Hansen.

Rather than being a victim of bad luck, the man lives in the park as a vagrant because that is where he found peace.

The television producer tries to get him to walk away from his life in the park in order to appear on TV.

[Charlie]

Here's another catch! This is a creative program. So many drama programs use similar themes and this is a new one for me.

A college professor has conducted a research program for the past year in which he gathered data on other participating faculty members. He fed the data into a computer which used it to forecast their every move.

At the outset of the program, the consequences of this lead to the deaths of two people.

[Charlie]

A man crashes a truck through the Berlin Wall to gain his freedom from the East.

Some months later, and with the proper documentation in hand, he convinces his young girlfriend from the West to cross the border with him.

He says he just wants to visit for a couple of hours.

[Charlie]

Wow, this one is different!

The Last Land Rush: Sometime in the future (apparently) land is at a premium. People have even taken to living in domed cities in the Arctic. The government has decided that it will give away the median strips between highways using the old "stake your land" method.

At the given time, you must stake your claim and hold it for 24 hours.

It doesn't much matter if you have to kill people or whatever, you just have to hold on to it for 24 hours.

Sounds like a great opportunity - for all kinds of things.

[Charlie]

A woman answers a letter from a man asking her to meet him at a small hotel. She's not sure why she's doing it but does it anyway.

As soon as she gets there she decides she doesn't like, or understand, what is going on and she wants to leave.

The man and two others that are there won't let her and seem only to speak to her cryptically.

*** POSSIBLE SPOILER COMMENTS BELOW ***

This certainly started out piquing my interest as we are kept in the dark as to what this is all about and the plot continues to build with no explanation to the listener.

Then, at the end, when we are ready for the big finish, the plot doses off.

5 stars for the first 19 minutes, one star for the last two.

[Charlie]

An American fugitive has taken haven in (what appears to be) a Central American country.

The country has no extradition treaty but one is about to come into effect.

A U.S. Federal Agent and the fugitive's lawyer are both present trying to get the situation to play out to their advantage.

[Charlie]

A rich boy contracts two hooligans to stage a kidnapping in order to get his mother to pay attention to him.

Sometimes things don't go as planned though.

[Charlie]

The "Youth Party" has taken control of the government and mandatory retirement age is 41. At that point you are a senior citizen.

The mayor (of New York apparently) is 21 and the leader of the opposition is 18.

They are confident that they know everything and old folks (41 and over) are not needed.

[Charlie]

This program is almost disturbing. I guess this is pretty cutting edge stuff for 1964.

A woman is mentally tortured by her mother, as well as a group of neighborhood children.

The children are mean from outside, while her mother does her dirty work from within.

All of this will have drastic consequences when several neighborhood dogs are poisoned.

This one is pretty rugged.

[Charlie]

A group of travelers find a naked man unconscious in the roadway. They stand around trying to decide what to do - or not do.

Soon, they learn that there has been a prison break nearby.

Very interesting. Again, a cutting edge presentation by Theater Five.

[Charlie]

A young lady runs away from home in order to escape her father.

She meets a man on the train heading for "the city" who wants to help her.

[Charlie]

A young lady with a fear of flying is seated next to a man on a flight from New York to Los Angeles.

She quickly learns that he is a pessimist who actually hopes the plane will crash to end his sad journey on Earth.

As the flight progresses, the passengers learn that there is a problem with the aircraft.

They also learn that one among them wants the plane to crash.

[Charlie]

This is a good one! It's hard to review the program and not give away too much about it. You'll just have to listen to it.

Excellent story!

A man is injured in his basement by a business associate who has been invited to dinner - by the swing of a golf club.

It strikes a glancing blow against his head and he wakes up in the hospital the next morning not knowing what happened.

But, one interesting thing when he wakes up - he can read the minds of people with whom he comes in contact with.

This very quickly leads him to learn some things he did not know.

One of the best!

[Charlie]

It's wartime and Captain Gamble is a tyrant who commands a merchant ship that goes down.

The crew rows in a lifeboat until they reach an island.

When they arrive there, their clothes are ruined and the natives weave them new garments of white cotton - except the captain. He is a big man and they do not have enough white cloth to make his uniform. All that is available is orange cloth.

When he puts the new suit on, more than his clothes have changed.

[Charlie]

A woman hires a private detective because she thinks her husband is cheating on her.

But, when he spends one afternoon investigating, he learns something totally different.

When he presents his findings to her, she dismisses him.

[Charlie]

A man has spent his career working for a company, very diligently following orders and performing his job at the highest level possible.

His is summoned by the president of the company and told that there is a problem at a place where the company is working with radioactive material.

It's imperative that someone is sent there that is qualified to investigate and take steps to solve the problem.

It is a dangerous job but he volunteers.

But, it's not him that the president of the company wants to take the risk - it's his 24 year old son who has achieved a reputation through the university of being a brilliant mind in that field.

The man is told by his superior to bring his son to the company's headquarters the next morning.

He is presented with a very difficult decision to make.

[Charlie]

This episode takes place in real time. There are no lapses in time.

A woman's husband is not nice to her at all. He has no interest in her feelings.

She has talent as a hat designer and wants to open a shop. He dismisses it as utter foolishness.

The police are involved in a nearby high-speed pursuit as the couple discuss their situation.

It makes for an interesting mix.

[Charlie]

A young man's car breaks down as he passes through a small (Vermont?) town.

He is immediately believed to be a hometown boy that left five years earlier and has not been seen since - despite his protests that he has never been in the area in his life.

He takes a room in the local hotel while waiting for his car to be repaired.

There, he is called on by the father of the young man that he looks so much like.

This is a touching story and to be presented in only 20 minutes is a testament to the quality of this program.

[Charlie]

A Las Vegas air-traffic controller owes a $6,000 gambling debt.

The regional manager for the syndicate is trying to collect but he has a similar problem himself, in that he's behind in payments to his superiors in New York.

In the same way that he is trying to collect debts, they are trying to collect from him.

During the course of trying to collect from the air-traffic controller, the syndicate manager comes up with an idea that could get them both out of trouble.

Then again...

[Charlie]

A high school teacher returns home one night to find one of his students (and also a neighbor) standing in the street screaming.

He rushes to her aid to try to calm her down or render any assistance that he can.

She is hysterical as it seems that someone has accosted her and her dress is torn.

As he tries to ask her what happened, suddenly another student (her boyfriend) appears.

Instantly, she begins to accuse the teacher of attacking her.

Needless to say, his life quickly spirals downhill.

[Charlie]

A man lives as a virtual slave to his domineering wife. She keeps him working both at his job and at home.

Around the time of his 65th birthday she decides that a day off work for him is to be spent cleaning the attic. It's already clean but it's part of her maintaining control over him.

While he's cleaning, he finds a book stowed away in the attic that he's never noticed before. It has some potions and spells in it.

He reads while he pushes a broom so she can hear downstairs that he is working.

One particular potion tells him to rid himself of the source of his problems before drinking it.

So, he goes downstairs, kills his wife, then makes and drinks the potion.

Suddenly, life has changed.

This one is worth a listen.

[Charlie]

A Pennsylvania school teacher on sabbatical for a semester takes a 90-day around-the-world cruise.

When she arrives back in New York, she goes to the travel agency to complain.

Everything was fine on the cruise. Her only complaint is that when she crossed the International Date Line she lost a day. Her cruise was, in fact, 89 days long and she would like a refund for the lost day.

The entire episode takes place inside the travel agency.

What seems initially like a trivial program ends up giving the listener something to think about. This is, yet again, an example of the quality of this program; The ability to elicit emotion in such a short time.

[Charlie]

Two men and a woman are out of work. They had been actors in many "B movies" for a studio that folded.

They were involved in churning out crime dramas in which they usually portrayed kidnappers. Of course, they were always caught at the end of the movie.

One of them believes that he learned so much from those experiences that he knows every mistake that would cause someone to get caught if they were actually conducting a kidnapping.

He invites the other two to join in the plan to extort money from a rich man by kidnapping his daughter.

Things never go as planned.

[Charlie]

A man has a bitter argument with his wife and she drives away from their home.

Shortly thereafter, she is killed in an automobile accident.

As a result of her death, the man believes himself guilty of murder and tries to get the district attorney to charge him with a crime.

After an analysis of the events leading to her death, he is told that is was an unfortunate accident and that he is not guilty of a crime.

But, he refuses to accept that.

[Charlie]

This is a "Marilyn Monroe" type of story.

Melinda Madison is a movie star with a load of problems and a lack of happiness.

[Charlie]

These programs aired in 1964 - well before the time that everyone had a credit card in their pocket. Obviously, the writer of the program could see that in the future a credit-rating would be something that would become all-important in people's lives.

This is also a program that looks into the future and what makes it more interesting, is that we are there.

At the outset of the program the head of the credit bureau introduces himself and tells us that he is the "most important man in town". He is more important than any politician because he controls the flow of money.

A family needs a new refrigerator and they apply for the needed credit.

Disastrous results await when the credit agency makes an error.

One thing that they apparently did not foresee in 1964 was the advent of computers because in the future, punch-cards and paper records are still in use.

Also, instant approval was not envisioned as it still takes a week to get approval for a purchase.

[Executive]

1964 was just a few years before my time, but I know that credit cards were quite common even then. I once saw a Donna Reed show rerun from that period, in which Donna gets a credit card. And although computers were not yet in people's homes, they were being widely used both in business and the military. No doubt people were optomistic about the future of computers...except for those employees who discovered that automation was beginning to cause the loss of certain jobs in the early 1960s. :)

[Charlie]

This story is set in Laval, Quebec.

An American is visiting and falls ill with a fever.

I was a little confused about how but...

Somehow, he ends up in the care of two sisters who live in a foreboding, spooky, isolated mansion.

Confused about the goings on at the mansion, he "escapes" on his first night there.

He falls into the hands of a local prison and they are not sure what to do with him.

Good program but I was confused a couple of times. I believe it all came together at the end though.

[Kurt Wayne]

THANK YOU FOR THIS, CHARLIE!

A couple of years ago I saw a web site which listed these programs, and I saw how many CBSRMT alumni were in them, and saw some of the plotlines.

If this wasn't the RMT's "older, shorter brother" I don't know what was. ("The Twilight Zone" was the Daddy. Old time radio dramas of the 30s and 40s were the Mama of the RMT.)

And you were right: "Sorry to let you go" would be remade later by the RMT, with the great Mandel Kramer in the title role.

One thing...was the background music as good as the RMT/TWZ, Charlie?

[Charlie]

Kurt,

The theme music is very "60's." You would just have to give it a listen.

A man who is rich and about 60 years old has beaten time.

He owns a fleet of airplanes that can fly faster than the movement of the sun. So, he flies west day and night and makes occasional stops but gets moving again before the sun catches him.

It's kept him looking 30 years old for about 30 years.

But, one day he is involved in a traffic accident on his way back to the airport.

[Charlie]

Set in Mexico, a famous contemporary painter gives a "gift" to a young couple.

While they are away on their honeymoon, he paints a mural on a wall in their home.

This brings them a great deal of unwanted notoriety.

Things go from bad to worse when the painter dies and suddenly the public clamors for all of his works - including the house.

I found this program slightly annoying due to the constant screaming and wailing. It was also somewhat confusing and I actually had to listen to the complete program twice to get a grasp on what was going on.

[Charlie]

Here's another program in this series that I would rank among the best that I've heard so far. It kept me very tuned in and on the edge of my seat. It's also another case where it seemed like so much more happened than would be possible in 20 minutes.

Two young men are friends. One is a young lawyer off to a successful start. The other is a businessman who has achieved success.

Both are married, each with a young child, and live in a small Ohio town where they belong to the local country club and live the American dream.

One day, the businessman calls on his lawyer friend, and to his astonishment tells him that he is simply going to walk away from everything - his wife, his son, his business, his home - everything, and simply drop out.

Although the his friend tries to talk him out of it, he agrees to make sure that the business, house, and money, all end up in his wife's name so she can raise their son and not have to worry about anything.

Then, he disappears never to be seen again.

Some 20 years later, the man's wife comes to the lawyer and tells him that their son is about to graduate from college and that she wants to know if the lawyer can find her husband to see if he is interested in coming back so the son will have a father to attend his graduation.

The lawyer agrees to look for the man.

This leads to very interesting developments.

Don't miss this program! I enjoyed listening to it, and the ending, which was not predictable (at least to me).

[Charlie]

A man awakens one night to check on his young son in his crib only to observe that aliens have landed outside the window and are inside the bedroom performing some sort of procedure on his son.

The man believes that they have gutted him and replaced his insides with machinery.

Still with me?

At the time, he tries to relate this to his wife and others, and is committed to a time to a mental facility.

Fast forward 17 years.

When the son is in high school, the father once again starts to relate to his wife what he saw due to the son's behavior.

She doesn't believe him and threatens to have him committed again.

But, the man knows that something is wrong with his son.

It's interesting to note that this episode contains an American Cancer Society anti-smoking P.S.A. that is just about as "in your face" as the types of campaigns that we hear today - and this was 1964! Too bad more people haven't listened to the message.

[Charlie]

It's a large mid-western city with a city manager who considers himself forward-thinking, and a single member of the city council who disagrees with his every move that are pitted against each other in this episode.

The city manager makes move after move to take the city toward what he considers "efficiency" and the councilor who he considers a "demagogue" opposes every action.

It will eventually come to a head.

[Charlie]

A elderly judge is married to a much younger lady.

He likes to read while she likes to have a good time.

She hires a hit-man to do away with him as she is his sole benefactor.

The hit-man arrives but the judge is a quick thinker.

[Charlie]

This one is "very CBSRMT" in style.

Three miners are trapped in a caved in mine.

While trapped, they have an encounter with some other miners who are also trapped, but they don't know them.

They are not in the same room but they can talk to them through a hole.

You'll just have to listen. It's a good program.

[Charlie]

A man and woman pull off an armored car robbery by throwing a bomb at the rear of the truck and killing two guards. They then retrieve a bag of money and flee to a low-rent hotel.

Their intention is to lay low for a time at the hotel and then to slip out of town rich and live the easy life.

However, when they check into the hotel, it is only a short time before they are beset by a series of disconcerting events.

Another good program.

[Charlie]

A man tracks down his former partner is a gold mining operation who left him for dead in the desert.

His intentions are to kill him.

It's an interesting presentation to listen to, but there's not really much to the story.

[Charlie]

Two men, one of who has lost his mind, live inside a West Virginia mine following nuclear war.

In the evenings they sit outside the entrance and try to communicate with each other and one tires to analyze what is going on around them.

This program is a little confusing and not for everyone.

[Charlie]

A man is found dead in a hotel room and the police do not know who he is.

So, they use the newspaper to get people to come forward.

Two women do. They were both married to him.

[Charlie]

A suburban neighborhood is shaken when an unusual neighbor moves in.

It seems he has no face and the lights are on inside his house 24 hours per day. Furthermore, when approached by neighbors to welcome him, he doesn't come to the door.

[Charlie]

A woman awakens to find out that she is someone else. She knows who she is supposed to be, where she lives and who her husband is.

But, she doesn't know where she is, who the people are around her, or the name that people are calling her by.

She seems to have assumed the identity of someone else.

A ticking clock throughout this episode is so annoying that it almost makes the program unlistenable.

[Charlie]

Two Wisconsin school teachers travel to France.

One of them is an annual visitor as she has friends who are a count and countess. Each year she travels to visit them and present them with gifts.

The other is on her first visit and is traveling as a companion to her friend.

When they arrive, the count and countess are quickly offended when the companion (Helen) strikes up a friendship with the valet at the hotel in which they are staying.

This one is pretty good.

[Charlie]

A young lady tries to contact a lawyer but he is not at his office and the person staffing the office seems to have no information when he will return or if he ever will.

She offers a cryptic message to the employee who cannot even assure her that he can pass it along.

But, she is persistent.

[Charlie]

Passengers on an ocean liner run con games on each other.

You'll just have to listen to get the flavor of this one. It's unusual.

[Charlie]

A woman's drug and alcohol induced haze causes problems - apparently.

This one is grueling.

[Charlie]

This one takes us back to the days of party-lines. If for some chance you are a youngster who does not know what that means, several houses used to share a telephone line. Each house had a phone and a number but they shared one line. If one house was using the phone, another had to wait until they got off the line to make or receive a call. This was very common during the early 1960's.

A high school girl is babysitting a young boy. He's sick but his parents have to attend a birthday dinner for his boss. They leave instructions that if he gets any sicker to call them at once and they will come right home.

The babysitter is known for having an active imagination and she tells a lie to get her some schoolmates to let her use the phone. They are already talking on the party-line.

The let her do it once but when the little boy does get sicker, she needs to call his mother. But they think she is lying again and they refuse to let her use the phone.

All the while, he gets worse and worse.

A "cry wolf" type of story, but what's really amazing is that this episode contains authentic Beatles music! Today the royalties would be astronomical!

[Charlie]

At the outset we learn that in this town the winner of the mayor's race is really the loser.

This town elects a mayor every seven years and the term limit is one.

Eventually, we learn that this town has a very unusual tradition.

Good program! I don't remember hearing this type of story before but this is a program that is more of the style of CBSRMT.

[omr]

... Eventually, we learn that this town has a very unusual tradition. ...Though credited only to episode writer Mort Golding,
this one sounds like it is based on Shirley Jackson's
1948 short story, The Lottery.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lottery

Ernest Kinoy's adaptation of The Lottery
aired on NBC Short Story in March 1951.
http://ia340912.us.archive.org/1/items/NBC_short_story/510314_04_The_Lottery.mp3

[Charlie]

Though credited only to episode writer Mort Golding,
this one sounds like it is based on Shirley Jackson's
1948 short story, The Lottery.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lottery

Ernest Kinoy's adaptation of The Lottery
aired on NBC Short Story in March 1951.
http://ia340912.us.archive.org/1/items/NBC_short_story/510314_04_The_Lottery.mp3

After reading that Wikipedia page, I agree with you. It is the same sort of tale.

Thank you for pointing that out.

Charlie

[Charlie]

A television reporter and his cameraman are victimized by sniper fire in Vietnam. The reporter is shot.

They are given aid by a young Vietnamese girl who says that she is not interested in taking sides in the war.

She is forced to make difficult choices as she tries to help the men out of the area.

[Charlie]

A private school for girls is attended primarily by the rich.

It's not a luxurious prep school, but rather a place of strict discipline that is presided over by a domineering teacher who demands rigid conformity to her various rules.

One girl in particular troubles her. She seems convinced that this girl is trying to destroy her.

A male English professor, however, tries to convince her that the girls need love just as much as discipline.

It's not a view that is shared by his colleague.

[Charlie]

A man is driving home from the grocery store when he experiences a tire blow-out.

As he tries to change the tire, some children (that live in the house in which he is stopped in front of) approach him to ask what he is doing and who he is.

Although he tries to shoo them away, they relate to him that they are unattended by adults.

He finally decides that he should check the situation out to see if they are in need of assistance.

This leads him on a very interesting and troubling adventure.

This is a good program - although, adults playing the parts of children is annoying. Give this one a listen. It's a different sort of affair.

[Charlie]

Well, here is another one that we can call "different." Perhaps some people would find this one especially good, while others would find it annoying. I found it somewhat annoying. However, I can say that it was at the least creative.

Set is Southeast Asia, American servicemen are aiding a countries fight against insurgents.

As American helicopters fly over the rebels shoot at them. The Americans shoot back.

On this day, both sides find each other with a bullet and a helicopter crashes.

A tiger is also present at the location.

[Charlie]

A series of muggings that result in the death of the victims has been occurring in a metropolitan area.

A young woman who lives in the area where the crimes have been happening is on her way home when she happens upon the police investigation of the latest of these.

At that location she is befriended by a young man who walks her home.

Yes, of course there is more to it than this.

[Charlie]

These radio programs are about 43 years old and obviously entertainment standards have changed - although I watch or listen to nothing modern.

This program seems so real that it is nearly disturbing.

A working man is having a bad day. He's on a concrete-pouring crew and he's working long hard days of overtime.

But, it's Friday and he and his wife have a tradition each Friday evening; They dine by candlelight and sip on wine as they enjoy each other's company.

Thinking about that is what gets him through the day each Friday.

But, on this Friday, a series of events will occur that will affect him for the rest of his life.

[Charlie]

They call him "Lucky" but he's more of an operator than a person of luck.

The story is set in (1960's) Alaska and Lucky has been there a year making money by looking out for number one.

He's in a big hurry with a briefcase full of money to get to Fairbanks on the train but it's stopped by snow.

So, he leaves the train on foot to try and find another way.

[Charlie]

A couple has just married and they've set out on their honeymoon. They are driving to their destination through a desert on a long and lonely highway and there seem to be no stops along the way.

Along the journey, which is already causing them a great deal of stress, they discover another car traveling the road with them.

In short order, they discover that the presence of this car cannot be construed as friendly.

This one is pretty good.

[Charlie]

A couple living in an apartment building awakens one night to loud noises in the apartment next door. It sounds like someone is tossing furniture around and wrecking the place. They assume that a violent argument is happening between the lady that lives there and her new husband. It seems that he is a military man who is known to drink heavily.

Before long, the neighbor who lives on the other side of the noisy apartment, and then the couple who live directly above it, end up in the living room of the first couple.

None of these people knew each other previously but they are getting acquainted on this night.

While the noise continues, they start to speculate and make assumptions about what is happening next door. But, nobody does anything.

As they try to figure out what to do the noise ceases and they disburse.

Then, the next day there is a knock at the door...

*** POSSIBLE SPOILERS ***

This is a good program. It's creative and keeps you hooked in as the suspense builds. But, the ending - we are left to imagine what happened. Well, I guess we know what happened. I did like listening to this one as the "mystery" factor was good.

[Charlie]

A man is having an affair.

As he waits in a train station to meet his girlfriend a bank is robbed across the street. One of the robbers ends up in the station with a briefcase full of money which he leaves in a phone booth.

The man finds it and his problems have just begun.

[Charlie]

At times, Theater Five suffers from over-production. This is an example of that. The constant noises of a shooting gallery make this program very difficult to listen to.

Two men are involved in the operation of a shooting gallery.

One man's wife and the other man are having an affair and decide that their lives would be easier if her husband ceased living.

It seems he has some insurance, and after all, at a shooting gallery accidents could happen.

But, as can be expected, things are not always what they seem to be.

[Charlie]

Sometime in the future, people can experience anything they want with a machine that grants wishes.

It seems it's the ultimate virtual reality computer.

By this time people live hundreds of years and are still working when they are several hundred years old.

If something goes wrong with you, machines will fix you. Illnesses are cured, life is long, and all fantasies are fulfilled with the machine that can grant any diversion.

One man who helped design it all wants out.

I guess this is not my kind of program.

[Charlie]

A boxer is 28 years old. In ten years of fighting he's never been considered a winner. His manager just keeps him fighting because it's a meal ticket for both of them.

But now, he's suffering from the beatings and he wants to quit.

His manager, on the other hand, has no intention of letting him quit.

[Charlie]

The population in an airport is down to four.

These four people are all trying to get to Chicago for various reasons and they are fogged in at this eastern airport.

One man is a businessman with a reputation for shady dealings. One lady is a wealthy cosmetics company founder. Both of these people are headed to business deals that can't wait.

The other two are very different.

An elderly man is headed to a watchmakers convention, and the other girl is a stripper headed to a job at a club.

As they impatiently wait a fifth person appears.

He tells them that he is a cargo pilot and has a plane at a nearby airport that can fly them to Chicago - if the price is right.

** POSSIBLE SPOILERS***

This is another good program. But, I find fault with the ending. The "hanging ending" works sometimes. I don't think it works here.

The plane has crashed, they are all dead, they realize they are dead, and then what?

They're waiting for what comes next and apparently we are too.

What was the reason for all of this and what are we supposed to take away from it?

I guess you can decide.

[Charlie]

It's 1964 and...

Charlie is a computer that is brought into a business to replace several office employees.

Understandably, the people who are slated to lose their jobs are not very happy about this.

One man is a henpecked type of person. His wife controls every aspect of his existence and he does not assert himself at work.

He's supposed to lose his job but he starts threatening bodily harm to the computer.

He's not making the threats to other people. He's actually threatening the computer.

This is pretty stupid really.

[Charlie]

A baby has been kidnapped.

A couple with a baby that has swallowed a safety pin turn up at an emergency room. Surgery is required to remove it.

The surgeon notices an resemblance between this baby and a picture of the kidnapped baby that has been printed in the newspaper.

Sounds exciting, but I'm afraid that this one is short on substance.

[Charlie]

Set in Mexico, a man is moving from the house that his family has occupied for many years. He's selling it to an American couple.

His housekeeper, however, is not at all happy about the change.

She relates a story to the buyers about a deceased family member of her employer that still roams the house looking for his finance who was killed in an accident just outside the house.

There's not much to say about this program. It's uneventful.

[Charlie]

This is a very strange program.

A man is looking for his wife and ends up in a strange psychedelic environment that he can't explain.

He's older than her and she has a wild steak but he can't figure out he got into this place or where his wife is.

He tries to reason with the people around him but he doesn't have much luck.

[Charlie]

A New York fashion designer is in financial trouble.

He finally breaks down and visits his former partner - a man who is a long-time family friend, to ask for help.

His friend gives him a check to help get him back on his feet.

There's just nothing to this program. Programs like this probably explain the demise of Theater Five. But, just when you think it's fizzled out, along come some good programs. This just isn't one of them.

[Charlie]

Driving through the Arizona desert a wealthy businessman spots a very rare and expensive 1930's automobile parked behind the shack of a local Indian.

The car is a Cord (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cord_Automobile). These were real handmade cars in the 1920's and 30's.

He can't believe it and decides that he must procure the vehicle at all cost.

Meeting resistance, he enlists the man's grandson to try and get him to sell it.

Having no luck with that method, he decides to press even harder with a different tactic.

Again, a program with not much to grab you.

[Charlie]

Ahh, after a string of duds, we find another one that shows that Theater Five was, at times, quite innovative.

A woman works for "The Corporation." She's been there about 15 years and has a good record.

It's some sort of large company and the hierarchy is such that efficiency trickles down from the top, and every level is expected to perform at the desired rate and pace. No diversions or workplace shenanigans are allowed or tolerated.

The trouble starts when this particular employee starts receiving threatening notes on her desk. She leaves her office and comes back to find that life-threatening "memos" have been left for her.

She goes to her supervisor and informs him what's happening. He, in turn, mentions it to his superior. It's not that he cares - he's just making sure he covers his bases as he sees the potential for trouble.

In fact, neither of these superiors could care less about the woman's well-being. They just want to make sure that whatever is happening is not something that will reflect badly on the company, or disrupt the workplace.

This one is good.

[Charlie]

A Russian spy has trained for four years to come to the U.S. and be dropped into society where his impressive credentials will allow him to get a job in the space program.

His obvious mission is to funnel back as much secret information as possible to his homeland.

His name is Sergei but he's now Chuck Collins, an all-American boy. He knows about baseball and American history and is all set to blend in and arouse no suspicions.

All goes as planned. He gets a job and is quickly recognized as a wonder-boy and is about to be given the opportunity to be exposed to the kind of information he seeks.

I had the outcome of this program figured out early on and discerning listeners that zero in on detail and how if will effect the story will also.

It's a good program. International intrigue neatly packaged into less than 30 minutes.

[Charlie]

This program had me very interested from the beginning. It has the "What is this all about?" feel.

A couple in their 60's makes an annual trek to a town for a get-together called "The Frolic" that attracts a number of like-minded people.

This couple stays at the same motel each year. It's a tradition for them. Some of their friends stay in other area motels.

But, this year when they roll into town they find that things are different than they usually are.

Their favorite motel has changed hands and the new owner is a young lady.

When they arrive, they find her working the front desk and they try to check in.

Things are not what they expected at the motel, and the mood quickly changes. The new owner asks a lot of questions and becomes quite rude to them.

A similar encounter with a police officer follows, and they quickly realize that they are not wanted in the town any longer.

They can't figure out why though.

I'm still not sure whether or not this was a good program - so, I'll call it "creative." It is different, and it kept the suspense level high throughout the program.

The ending.... well, you listen and decide. It's certainly worth a listen.

[Charlie]

An American living in Paris is a former intelligence operative. He had a great reputation but some incident occurred and he was not retained by the agency for which he worked.

Now, years later, he's settled in Paris and is in the antiques business.

One evening a knock at his door brings him a visit from a former colleague. The man is on the run.

Reluctantly, he lets him in to his apartment and is told a story about an international operation to get information on China's weapons program that's gone bad.

One man he was supposed to rendezvous with was apparently just killed and he now needs help and has come to this location in desperation.

It's not a bad program but it's a little short on a major hook to draw you in.

[Charlie]

She was the greatest dancer of her era but today is her 73rd birthday and she lives in a fantasy world. Carla Montaine believes that the crowds are still cheering for her and that TV stations are clamoring for her to appear.

It isn't so.

She has a health scare and needs surgery but she can't afford it.

A collection is taken up for her but she decides she doesn't like her doctor.

[Charlie]

Two mob henchmen are sent to Wyoming to retrieve a former associate who skipped out on the mob boss, apparently with some money, and bring him back to Chicago.

There, he will be dealt with by the head man. Seems he has a habit of brutally whipping people to death with a steel cable and that's what this fellow is in for.

He fled to Wyoming and went into the ranching business and is providing for his deceased brother's family.

One of the two mobsters has a habit of driving at excess speeds and this causes the two of them to become victims of a traffic accident as they near the location where they expect to find the man they are looking for.

It just happens that the man who comes upon the scene of the wreck is the man they were sent to find.

Not too bad.

[Charlie]

This story deals with the happenings at a space station that is a major stop along the planetary highway.

It is a "Flying Dutchman (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Flying_Dutchman)" sort of story.

The audio quality of this program is so poor that I can't offer a proper review.

After enduring the entire episode rasping through my earbuds, I am not able to tell much more about it than I have stated above.

This could have been a fairly good program from what I understood of it - which was in the 40 to 50% range.

A fairly long period in the middle of the episode was hard to distinguish, although the very beginning and very end were more understandable.

Good luck if you're going to listen to this one.

[Charlie]

Those of you who read my listening logs probably know that I attempt to present an un-opinionated review in black text and personal comments in red italics.

However, on this program I am unable to present the actual review as the audio quality of this mp3 is such that I simply cannot make out enough of what is happening to relate what it is about.

I did listen to the entire program (such as it is) but just can't adequately understand what I am hearing.

[Charlie]

The "Wheel" is a bicycle. I've never heard a bike called that before.

A couple has experienced the loss of a young son and his mother is having great difficulty moving on.

His bedroom remains a shrine to him and his bicycle sits in the garage unused.

Meanwhile, a neighbor boy lives in squalor with an alcoholic uncle.

Although he is a bit younger, this boy had been friends with the one who died.

The neighbor boy likes to enter the garage and admire the bike but the dead boy's mother resents him.

[Charlie]

A young woman lives with her grandmother in a rural area. They live close to a prison and a river.

At the outset of the episode, they hear the sirens wailing from the prison indicating that there has been an escape.

The grandmother hears on the radio that the man who has escaped killed two guards in the process and is armed.

Rather than lock the house and fear the convict, the young lady goes out into the woods to look for him.

She finds him and he has been injured - shot during the escape. It takes some doing, but she convinces him to return with her to her grandmother's house.

His goal is to get across the river where he has help waiting.

This is one of the more entertaining Theater Five programs as of late. It certainly has a CBSRMT feel to it.

[Charlie]

Here's another good program!

A man known to have a volatile marriage is apparently suspected by the police of killing his wife.

It would seem that she is gone - yet the police believe (and evidence suggests) that the man has not left his property for some number of hours so he must have killed her, then buried her somewhere on his property. As a result, the police are digging all over his property looking for her body.

He says that after an argument the previous night, she simply left him and their home saying he would never see her again.

The policeman in charge doesn't believe it and he's determined to root out the truth about what happened.

It's a fun listen.

One detail though that didn't make sense to me at the beginning; If the man killed his wife the previous night and then buried her in the middle of the night (as the police suggest), then jackhammering up concrete or digging up flower beds, doesn't make sense as he would not have been able to properly conceal the body into such a place in that time frame.

However, if you take the ending of the program into account, it provides a plausible explanation.

[Charlie]

A rich and reclusive couple hires a new housekeeper with the aid of their butler.

He handles their affairs and they stay inside their walled property.

The butler and new housekeeper soon fall in love and a plan is introduced whereby they will kill the other two and assume their identities.

Since they remain at the home and have no relatives, no one should ever know the difference.

But, as can be expected, there are unexpected complications.

Another good program that will give you a CBSRMT feel in under 30 minutes.

[Charlie]

A 16 year-old girl has just been released from two months of detention in a juvenile facility. She had been arrested for carrying a gun.

Her father wants whats best for her but he has a hot temper.

Her boyfriend is a young, smart-mouthed delinquent.

Upon her release she and her father return home and the boyfriend calls on the phone.

The father invites him over for a discussion.

I was glad when it was over.

[Charlie]

A rich businessman has run afoul of the law on numerous occasions - but so far, he's come out of it unscathed each time.

This time though, he's headed for trial and feels that he will likely be convicted and sent to prison for the rest of his life.

An employee who manages his personal affairs feels that he has a scheme that is just what is needed to solve this problem.

He knows a scientist that has been testing a drug that will place a person in "suspended animation" for about 72 hours. For all practical purposes, the person will appear dead after a dose of it, but should wake up in about three days and be no worse for wear.

So, the idea is to have the man take the drug, fool doctors into thinking he is dead, and be able to escape the country in a coffin.

Decent program. It is another one with a CBSRMT feel to it.

[Charlie]

Money is tight so a couple advertises a room for rent in their California home.

Eventually, a customer arrives but they are surprised to find out that he is the devil himself.

I probably overuse the word "creative" to describe programs, but this one is another one that I find to be that way. Give it a listen.

[Charlie]

This program is one of the best!

A woman (in present-day 1965) discovers that she has a problem with her telephone. It isn't working right.

So, she calls the telephone company to report the issue.

She reaches them, but, the phone company representative she reaches tells her the year is 2035, not 1965!

She doesn't believe it at first but finally realizes that it's true - she is talking to someone in the future.

I found this to be a very good program and if you're looking for a "best of" type of episode, this is a good one.

[Charlie]

A man commits a robbery and then takes refuge in a delicatessen operated by an elderly couple. The police take up positions outside in an attempt to capture the robber.

It's basically a hostage drama.

[Charlie]

A couple of newlyweds are plagued by late-night telephone calls from a woman who makes threats against them - or at least the lady of the house.

They eventually report the calls to the police.

The acting is good. It kept my attention throughout. As far as the ending.... you decide.

[Charlie]

A Connecticut waitress is visited in the diner she and her sister run by a young English sailor. She's not sure why, but she knows his name and several other things about him.

Later, she seems to find herself out of her time. She's not sure what year it is.

[Mike Hobart]

650126 - Mr. Horn's Holiday

A charming concept, though I do find it suffers from "third act" problems -- having set up this unique situation, the author has some trouble in coming up with a satisfactory resolution. But that's not unknown in any sort of drama.

[Mike Hobart]

Aug 21, 1964 "Molecule Masquerade"

I've felt before when listening to hour-long programs that maybe there was just too much time and not enough program. This is a case of the opposite; Too much story - too little time.

I completely agree. The writer has come up with a big high-concept idea but hasn't found a way to even try to resolve the question in the limited time available to him.

[Mike Hobart]

Nov 24, 1964 "Talkers" #82


"Human speech", the opening tells us, "is the music of civilized man and it is the sentimental memory of men who were once civilized."

It's always a dangerous approach to adopt, trying to deliberately mystify your audience in the opening scene, but if you stick with this, you can work out what's going on.

The first minutes are cryptic, but gradually we begin to grasp that the two voices (Donald Buka and Robert Dryden) belong to survivors of a nuclear catastrophe; they meet now and again to reminisce about the world that they once knew.

Fairly well done; the feel recalls some of the short stories from the science-fiction magazines of the period. (Anybody out there remember Galaxy, If or Worlds of Tomorrow?)