CBS Radio Mystery Theater



In the 1950s the old time Radio Dramas gradually died out, with Television taking over. The era (in the USA) is generally considered to have ended with the last network radio dramas Suspense and Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar on September 30, 1962.

However, this didn't prevent there from being nostalgia years later... which eventually led to a brief revival of radio drama in The Seventies. The longest-lasting series of this revival was the CBS Radio Mystery Theater, which lasted from 1974 through 1982. It was created by Himan Brown, radio veteran from shows like Inner Sanctum, and narrated by E. G. Marshall for most of its run, with Tammy Grimes in the last year. Himan Brown narrated a brief rebroadcast in 1998. Of course there is now nostalgia for the series.

The series was a one hour program, with commercials between three acts. It had a variety of genres, though it leaned towards suspense and horror. A total of 1,399 episodes were produced. The series hasn't been released officially in any form, but it was widely recorded by fans and there are no Missing Episodes. Needless to say, it remains a popular choice for unofficial distribution in digital format.

This series is an example of:
 * Dramatic Hour Long
 * Genre Anthology
 * Radio Drama

Tropes include:
 * Public Domain Character (necessary because the show was very low budget)
 * Two Decades Behind (in this case for The Fifties)