A grew up in Los Angeles listening to the CBS Radio Mystery Theater, hosted by E.G. Marshall. I was delighted to find a lot of web sites devoted to it (I thought I was only one who remembered it). But I have a question. IIRC, my CBS station had a variety of shows (Tuesday was comedy (new comedies, not Jack Benny re-runs or anything), Wednesday was thrillers …. Something like that). Was that all part of the “CRMT” or was the station broadcasting CRMT one day Some Other Company Radio Theater the next?
I just wanted to jump in and say I love radio dramas. Here in Montreal, CJAD 800 carries Imagination Theater on Sundays at 11 PM. Anyone familiar with it?
- s.e.
It was a spin off of CBS Radio Mystery Theater. CBSRMT became very popular and Hyman Brown (the man behind the CBSRMT) sold the idea of bringing back all of the different radio genres as he did with the general mystery format. In most areas it came on immediately after CBSRMT so it had a built in audience. CBS Radio hired a bunch of big-name hosts to do the intros and outtros. I definitely remember Vincent Price for horror programs and vaguely remember Allan Ladd handling westerns (I could be way off base on that though) briefly and then someone else coming in and each genre had its own night.
I think what killed it was that Hyman Brown did all of the writing and virtually all the directing for both CBSRMT and the following programs also. Imagine writing two hour scripts everyday and producing and directing them also.
I agree they were great shows. Most were not quite as good as CBSMT but they were good none the less.
A few years ago Public Radio tried to bring back radio drama and found it is harder than it sounds. I know this because they used a couple of my scripts and they were quite a challenge.
I loved the CBSRMT when I was a kid. I used to sneak a radio under my pillow to listen to it. Some of them scared the heck out of me.
Haj
Oh yeah. Remember how it opened? I can still hear it.
The CBS Radio Mystery Theater Presents…::sqeeeeeeek::
That sound of the squeeky door opening gave me chills.
Haj
**The CBS Radio Mystery Theater Presents…::sqeeeeeeek:: **
Go here
and click “the ominous theme music”