CBS Radio Mystery Theater (Restoration)

0643 - Wuthering Heights (4/29/1977) Written by Elizabeth Pennell. Directed by Himan Brown. Adaptation of a story by Emily Bronte. Cast: Paul Hecht; Bryna Raeburn; Russell Horton; Roberta Maxwell; Lloyd Battista. A prodigal son returns to his family's homestead hellbent on seizing control from the relatives that mistreated him during his youth.

0642 - The Second Chance Lady (4/28/1977) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Marian Seldes; Teri Keane; Mandel Kramer; William Griffis. A door-to-door cosmetics saleswoman tries to stay alive after unwittingly stumbling onto a bank robber's lair.

0641 - The Adventure of the Red-Headed League (4/26/1977) Written by Murray Burnett. Directed by Himan Brown. Adaptation of a story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Cast: Kevin McCarthy; Court Benson; Robert Dryden; Ian Martin. Sherlock Holmes aids a friend who's been swindled by a group of red-headed men and in doing so uncovers a much larger scheme.

0640 - Bound East for Haiti (4/25/1977) Written by Roy Winsor. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Mason Adams; Fred Gwynne; Ian Martin; Evie Juster. The first mate aboard a tramp steamer attempts to curse his captain with black magic in an effort to claim his girlfriend.

0639 - The Prisoner of Zenda (4/22/1977) Written by Robert Newman. Directed by Himan Brown. Adaptation of a story by Anthony Hope. Cast: Howard Ross; Evie Juster; Lloyd Battista; Leon Janney; Dan Ocko. A new king's coronation is disrupted when he is drugged by his brother and replaced by a distant relative who bears a close resemblance to the new monarch. This episode includes AI-generated content.

0638 - Come Away Death (4/21/1977) Written by Ian Martin. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Norman Rose; William Griffis; Marian Seldes; Joan Shay; Ian Martin. An old lawyer swaps jobs with The Grim Reaper in an effort to forestall his passing.

0637 - The Book of Abaca (4/19/1977) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Alan Swift; Robert Dryden; Court Benson; Bryna Raeburn; Himan Brown (uncredited). The captain of a doomed oil freighter gives his chief engineer the ship's log book which reveals the many violations of the ship's owner. CBSRMT Trivia: Himan Brown is uncredited as the doctor in act 3.

0636 - A House Divided (4/18/1977) Written by Arnold Moss. Directed by Himan Brown. Adaptation of a story by Sophocles. Cast: Joan Lovejoy; Larry Haines; Rosemary Rice; Russell Horton; Earl Hammond. A man returns from four years of Army service to seek revenge for the murder of his district attorney father.

0635 - Borderline Case (4/15/1977) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Merry Flersheim; Bryna Raeburn; Ken Harvey; Russell Horton; Ray Owens. The clairvoyant young daughter of a town sheriff learns about an old woman's smoky-gray pearl, the Star of Dehli, and its history.

0634 - The Phantom House (4/14/1977) Written by Ian Martin. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Marian Seldes; Mason Adams; Morgan Fairchild; Ann Pitoniak; Ian Martin. While summering in turn-of-the-century rural Virginia, a young girl is haunted by the image of a house destroyed more than 50 years before.

0633 - Man-Sized in Marble (4/12/1977) Written by Ian Martin. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Paul Hecht; Roberta Maxwell; Frances Sternhagen; Fred Gwynne. An American on an extended working holiday in the British Isles discovers they're linked to a prophetic local legend centered around a blasphemous act in a cursed church.

0632 - The Meteorite (4/11/1977) Written by Roy Winsor. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: John Beal; Marian Seldes; Joe Silver; Evie Juster; Russell Horton. A meteorite that crashed into a farm field is claimed by a college professor, who discovers upon examination that it's much more than it appears to be.

0631 - Blood, Thunder, and a Woman in Green (4/8/1977) Written by Fletcher Markle. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Mandel Kramer; Jackson Beck; Patricia Elliott; Robert Dryden; William Griffis. In the 1940s, a private detective stumbles into a murder investigation when his tabloid photographer friend is brutally slain over a controversial photo he captured.

0630 - The High Priest (4/7/1977) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Robert Dryden; Bryna Raeburn; Ian Martin; William Griffis. A swindler tries to convince an art appraiser into declaring that his counterfeit painting is a million-dollar genuine article.

0629 - The Sensitive (4/5/1977) Written by Elspeth Eric. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Gordon Gould; Teri Keane; Marian Haley; Ralph Bell; Nat Polen. An occult-averse skeptic joins in on a séance with his wife and his boss, and soon realizes that he can manifest spirits into the physical world.

0628 - So Shall Ye Reap (4/4/1977) Written by Arnold Moss. Directed by Himan Brown. Adaptation of a story by Sophocles. Cast: Russell Horton; John Beal; Teri Keane; Ann Pitoniak; Arnold Moss. A small town in 1850s New Mexico suffers a curse that includes children dying and women becoming barren. The town's mayor desperately seeks a solution but in doing so discovers an unspeakable horror from his past.

0627 - You Bet Your Life (4/1/1977) Written by Ian Martin. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Paul Hecht; Morgan Fairchild; Earl Hammond; Ray Owens. An expectant father and gambling addict swears off his addiction after a big loss but is back to playing the ponies after he loses his job.

0626 - Death is Blue (3/31/1977) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Frances Sternhagen; Marian Seldes; Bryna Raeburn; Ralph Bell; Ian Martin; Himan Brown (uncredited). Edward Bascomb hires private eye Julia Hoffman to look into the playboy financé of his unattractive sister. CBSRMT Trivia: Himan Brown is uncredited as Jerry (on the phone) in act 2.

0625 - The Coldest Killer (3/29/1977) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Joan Lovejoy; Bob Readick; Lloyd Battista; Joan Shay; Gilbert Mack. Completely enamored with each other, a faithless wife and her husband's business partner scheme to dispatch the two hindrances to their affair.

0624 - The Warriors from Loanda (3/28/1977) Written by Roy Winsor. Directed by Himan Brown. Adaptation of a story by Joseph Conrad. Cast: Robert Dryden; William Griffis; Joe Silver; Joan Arless. Heat, humidity, and disease take their toll on two unscrupulous ivory hunters after they're stranded in an isolated African jungle.

0623 - A Study in Scarlet (3/25/1977) Written by Murray Burnett. Directed by Himan Brown. Adaptation of a story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Cast: Kevin McCarthy; Mary Jane Higby; Court Benson; Earl Hammond; Ian Martin. An adaptation of the Arthur Conan Doyle novel that first paired Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson on a murder case involving a valuable engagement ring and a mysterious word scrawled in blood.

0622 - The Gift of Doom (3/24/1977) Written by Arnold Moss. Directed by Himan Brown. Adaptation of a story by Euripides. Cast: Kim Hunter; Mason Adams; Arnold Moss; Russell Horton; Bryna Raeburn. The ancient Greek tragedy Medea is the inspiration for this episode set during the Klondike Gold Rush, where a snowbound prospector is saved by, falls for, and later desires to be rid of an indigenous witch whose magical touch has the power to heal — or kill.

0621 - The Imposter (3/22/1977) Written by Elspeth Eric. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Norman Rose; Don Scardino; Bryna Raeburn; Ann Pitoniak. A woman with no previous theatrical experience writes a full-length play with the assistance of an actor who's been dead for 50 years.

0620 - The Eighth Deadly Sin (3/21/1977) Written by Ian Martin. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Patricia Elliott; Larry Haines; Ian Martin. A famous writer falls in love with a seductive actress with a taste for adventure; but the relationship becomes strained when she risks her life and fortune in a high-stakes gamble.

0619 - Little Green Death (3/18/1977) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Kim Hunter; Bob Dryden; Carol Teitel; Nat Polen; Himan Brown (uncredited). A hot-shot big-city lawyer is called on to defend a small-town bookstore owner accused of murder. CBSRMT Trivia: Himan Brown is uncredited as the bridge painter in act 3.

0618 - Jobo (3/17/1977) Written by Henry Slesar. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Earl Hammond; William Griffis; Russell Horton; Evie Juster; Jackson Beck. An archeologist and his daughter investigate why a slow-witted farmhand would be considered heir to the gods of Easter Island.

0617 - The Shining Man (3/15/1977) Written by Ian Martin. Directed by Himan Brown. Adaptation of a story by E. and H. Heron. Cast: Bob Kaliban; Morgan Fairchild; Ralph Bell; Ian Martin. After relocating to Scotland for new employment, a young couple call on their parapsychologist uncle to investigate why the windows of their new house mysteriously glow at night.

0616 - Look Backward Sometimes (3/14/1977) Written by Ian Martin. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Roberta Maxwell; Russell Horton; Earl Hammond; Kristoffer Tabori; Martha Greenhouse. A tennis pro flees for Europe after a fight with her husband, but her character-judging skills come in handy as she and her fellow plane passengers try to survive after their plane crashes.

0615 - Till Death Do Us Part (3/11/1977) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Tammy Grimes; Evie Juster; Ian Martin. A spinster becomes romantically entangled with her boss but when she learns he promised never to leave his wife, she hatches a plan to end that setup.

0614 - The Pleading Voice (3/10/1977) Written by Roy Winsor. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Corrine Orr; William Griffis; Gordon Gould; Robert Dryden; Bryna Raeburn. A teenager recuperating from illness hears a voice begging to be let into a ruined building.

0613 - The Sign of the Four (3/8/1977) Written by Murray Burnett. Directed by Himan Brown. Adaptation of a story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Cast: Kevin McCarthy; Court Benson; Jackson Beck; Earl Hammond; Joan Shay. A case of missing pearls leads Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson to a secret society that plagues its former members long after they break from the pact.

0612 - Beyond the Barrier (3/7/1977) Written by Stella Moss. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Russell Horton; Arnold Moss; William Griffis; Evie Juster. After he is gravely injured in a car accident, a young research scientist has an out-of-body experience that reacquaints him with the people who greatly impacted his life. CBSRMT Trivia: Writer Stella Moss is the wife of Arnold Moss.

0611 - Answer Me (3/4/1977) Written by Elspeth Eric. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Larry Haines; Joan Lovejoy; Rosemary Rice; Dan Ocko. Distraught over his wife's death, a failed writer chucks it all and sets out for Mexico on foot. Along the way, he encounters a mother and daughter who share a strange bond.

0610 - The Overcoat (3/3/1977) Written by Ian Martin. Directed by Himan Brown. Adaptation of a story by Nikolay Vasilyevich Gogol. Cast: Hans Conried; Bryna Raeburn; Ian Martin; Bob Dryden; Leon Janney. An underpaid Russian government clerk devotes his monetary savings to purchasing a tailor-made coat.

0609 - The Hound of the Baskervilles (3/1/1977) Written by Murray Burnett. Directed by Himan Brown. Adaptation of a story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Cast: Kevin McCarthy; Lloyd Battista; Carol Teitel; Robert Dryden; Court Benson. An adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle's famous novel that finds Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson investigating murder and ghostly legend at a Devon estate.

0608 - The Light That Failed (2/28/1977) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Adaptation of a story by Rudyard Kipling. Cast: Tony Roberts; Mason Adams; Bryna Raeburn; Jackson Beck. A painter and war correspondent aims to amass a fortune to win over the woman he loves.

0607 - Legend of Phoenix Hill (2/25/1977) Written by Ian Martin. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Howard DaSilva; Bob Kaliban; Evie Juster; Ian Martin. An archeologist takes his adopted son on an expedition to China that is besieged by setbacks.

0606 - Last Judgment (2/24/1977) Written by Roy Winsor. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Carmen Matthews; Teri Keane; Norman Rose; Nat Polen; Michael Wager. A young nurse becomes live-in caregiver to her father-in-law, but her world is shaken when she unwittingly learns how and why he's being haunted by dreams of his past.

0605 - Jane Eyre (2/22/1977) Written by Elizabeth Pennell. Directed by Himan Brown. Adaptation of a story by Charlotte Bronte. Cast: Patricia Elliott; Arnold Moss; Lloyd Battista; Ann Pitoniak; Himan Brown (uncredited). An adaptation of Charlotte Bronte's classic tale of love and loss in 19th century England, where a governess falls for the lord of the manner, and then makes a new life for herself when she discovers he is married. CBSRMT Trivia: Himan Brown is uncredited as the minister in act 2.

0604 - Orient Express (2/21/1977) Written by Ian Martin. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Marian Seldes; Mandel Kramer; Hans Conried; Leon Janney; Earl Hammond. An estranged couple are reunited and are caught up in international intrigue on the legendary train bound for Czechoslovakia.

0603 - A Heart of Gold (2/18/1977) Written by Bob Juhren. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Frances Sternhagen; Bill Griffis; Russell Horton; Ann Sheppard; Himan Brown (uncredited). An evil, greedy, and murderous woman fulfills a desire to imprint her portrait on gold coins but the stamped image is more indicative of her vainglorious character. CBSRMT Trivia: Himan Brown is uncredited as Joey in act 2.

0602 - If Mischief Follow (2/17/1977) Written by Ian Martin. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Ann Williams; Gordon Gould; Ralph Bell; Bryna Raeburn; Bob Readick. Just as a doctor is ready to announce her engagement to a colleague, her supposedly-dead first husband reappears.

0601 - The Star Killers (2/15/1977) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Mercedes McCambridge; Norman Rose; Court Benson; Judith Light. A top nuclear researcher recounts for her therapist how she fell in love with a supposed space alien and was ultimately convicted of his murder.

0600 - Stamped for Death (2/14/1977) Written by Elizabeth Pennell. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Lloyd Battista; Robert Dryden; Russell Horton; Ann Pitoniak. Two greedy brothers inherit their late father's priceless stamp collection; when they lose it in a fire, they try to swindle their elderly aunt and uncle out of theirs.

0599 - Masquerade (2/11/1977) Written by Ian Martin. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Paul Hecht; Marian Seldes; Ian Martin; Earl Hammond. The disappearance of a valuable set of pearls at a masquerade ball throws a singer and her boyfriend into a case of espionage.

0598 - The Recluse (2/10/1977) Written by Roy Winsor. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Tony Roberts; Patricia Elliott; Frances Sternhagen; Court Benson. A man inherits a family inn from his grandmother, and with it a trove of familial secrets.

0597 - The Aurora Group (2/8/1977) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Larry Haines; Ann Williams; Bryna Raeburn; Joe DeSantis; Leon Janney. A quarter with a mint mark nine years into the future is only the first peculiar thing Zachary Eberhardt notices while realizing a mysterious business organization is impacting his life.

0596 - I Pronounce You Dead (2/7/1977) Written by Elspeth Eric. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Morgan Fairchild; Mary Jane Higby; Bob Kaliban; Russell Horton. Teenage angst leads a girl to witchcraft and a fear that she has killed her family. Defects: Occasional static.

0595 - The Ripple Effect (2/4/1977) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Les Tremayne; Robert Dryden; Martha Greenhouse; Earl Hammond; Bryna Raeburn. A politician attempts to recover several scandalous love letters from a bitter ex-mistress, unwittingly setting off a chain of events that may ruin several lives as well as his own.

0594 - The Cat is Dead (2/2/1977) Written by Ian Martin. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Marian Seldes; Ian Martin; Court Benson. Returning to France for an old friend's funeral, a married couple reminisce the first time they met in that country, when the wife was a member of the French Resistance and the husband was an American soldier.

0593 - A Casual Affair (1/31/1977) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Mason Adams; Evie Juster; Robert Dryden; Himan Brown (uncredited). While traveling for business, Richard Pomeroy meets a woman at a restaurant and begins an affair with her. Soon, however, he is blackmailed into a dangerous situation. CBSRMT Trivia: Himan Brown is uncredited in act 2 as the voice on the phone and in act 3 as the man in the raincoat.

0592 - My Fair Lady-Killer (1/28/1977) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Michael Tolan; Bryna Raeburn; Joan Shay; Ian Martin; Bill Griffis. A police detective investigates a series of deaths involving promiscuous women, but is puzzled when evidence points to the one person who doesn't fit the criminal profilers' description.

0591 - The White Wolf (1/26/1977) Written by Ian Martin. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Norman Rose; Kristoffer Tabori; Jada Rowland; Ann Sheppard; Paul Tripp. A werewolf stalks a family living in the remote wilderness; despite the mystery surrounding the creature, the children have strong suspicions as to who it really is.

0590 - License to Kill (1/24/1977) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Tony Roberts; Fred Gwynne; Marian Seldes; Robert Maxwell. Defensive end Billy Chapman loses his spot on the football team. But with his wife facing a difficult (and expensive) medical crisis, Billy asks the coach for another shot. CBSRMT Trivia: "License to Kill" is the same title of two Mystery Theater episodes (Episode 590: 1/24/77) and (Episode 403: 12/26/75).

0589 - Happy Death Day (1/21/1977) Written by Ian Martin. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Marian Seldes; Mandel Kramer; Carol Teitel; Ken Harvey. An obese woman seeks help from a renowned psychologist to explain her recurring nightmares of being pushed to her death by a faceless man.

0588 - A Woman in Red (1/19/1977) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Robert L. Green; Evie Juster; Robert Dryden; Bryna Raeburn; Earl Hammond; Himan Brown (uncredited). A famous painting is stolen by an unlikely thief, one who has specific long-term plans for the work of art. CBSRMT Trivia: Himan Brown is uncredited as the policeman in act 2.

0587 - Son of Satan (1/17/1977) Written by Elspeth Eric. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Gordon Gould; Joan Lovejoy; Ralph Bell. A couple rekindle acquaintances with an old friend who's joined a devil-worshiping cult, going so far as to entrust him to babysit their infant son.

0586 - Jimmy Valentine's Gamble (1/16/1977) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Adaptation of a story by O. Henry. Cast: Robert Dryden; Paul Hecht; Catherine Byers; Court Benson; Ken Harvey. Ready to crack safes again (after serving prison time for doing so), Jimmy Valentine has a change of heart when a banker's daughter steals his heart. But Jimmy must reuse his old skills when a crisis forces him to perform one last job.

0585 - Cherchez La Femme (1/15/1977) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Adaptation of a story by O. Henry. Cast: Robert Dryden; Bryna Raeburn; Ian Martin; Bill Griffis; Himan Brown (uncredited). A French Quarter restaurateur hires O. Henry to track down the $25,000 she entrusted to a long-time customer who unexpectedly died. CBSRMT Trivia: Himan Brown is uncredited as the jeweler in act 2.

0584 - A Departmental Case (1/14/1977) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Adaptation of a story by O. Henry. Cast: Robert Dryden; Joe Silver; Teri Keane; Carol Teitel; Earl Hammond. * In Austin, Texas, O. Henry learns why an insurance commissioner tracked down and killed a wife-beating, bank-robbing desperado and how the killer and the victim weren't all that different.

0583 - Don't Die Without Me (1/13/1977) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Adaptation of a story by O. Henry. Cast: Robert Dryden; Marian Seldes; Joan Shay; Russell Horton. O. Henry curiously observes a police investigation of two people who appeared to have committed suicide in the same room of a seedy boarding house. E.G. Marshall makes a mistake in his narration at the end of act 2.

0582 - Tobin's Palm (1/12/1977) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Adaptation of a story by O. Henry. Cast: Robert Dryden; Fred Gwynne; Jack Grimes; Marian Seldes; Gilbert Mack. An adaptation of the O. Henry story finds the titular character having his palm read in order to help find his missing fiancée. Instead, the fortune teller sends him on an amusing series of misadventures.

0581 - The Passing of Black Eagle (1/11/1977) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Adaptation of a story by O. Henry. Cast: Robert Dryden; Larry Haines; Evie Juster; Paul Tripp; Earl Hammond. A panhandler has two personalities: When drunk, he's a meek, easygoing beggar; when sober, he's a fearsome, grandiose, train-robber.

0580 - Two Renegades (1/10/1977) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Adaptation of a story by O. Henry. Cast: Robert Dryden; Ralph Bell; Bryna Raeburn; Leon Janney; Ian Martin. A case of mistaken identity turns a con artist into a Panamanian army general; his incompetence attracts the interest of Panama's enemies. CBSRMT Trivia: To celebrate the start of their fourth year, Mystery Theater presents seven consecutive adaptations of stories by O. Henry.

0579 - Conquest of Fear (1/7/1977) Written by Ian Martin. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Tammy Grimes; Rosemary Rice; Ian Martin; Sam Gray. In Spain, a desperado abducts a famous actress who convinces him to leave behind his life of crime and return to a previous career that made him famous — bullfighting.

0578 - The Man from Ultra (1/6/1977) Written by Alfred Bester. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Court Benson; Robert Burr; Mandel Kramer; Roberta Maxwell. An interstellar traveler who can't comprehend love inadvertently ruins the mind of a talented but mentally fragile artist.

0577 - This Breed is Doomed (1/4/1977) Written by Ian Martin. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Howard DaSilva; Bryna Raeburn; Ian Martin; Gilbert Mack. A con man tricks a small town's residents and takes away a piece of baggage known as irony.

0576 - Whose Little Girl Are You? (1/3/1977) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Marian Seldes; Russell Horton; Bill Griffis. A tennis star recounts how she lost her stellar backhand shot and other events that put her into a pill-induced, suicidal, manic-depressive state.

0575 - Tomorrow's Murder (12/31/1976) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Robert Dryden; Evie Juster; Court Benson; Earl Hammond. Stressed sales manager Harold K. Starbright becomes even more anxious when he is shown a cemetery tombstone that displays his future death date.

0574 - Your Move, Mr. Ellers (12/30/1976) Written by Roy Winsor. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Jack Grimes; Bobby Readick; Roger DeKoven; Jackson Beck. Fondness for the game of chess figures into an insurance investigator's look into who may have stolen priceless gems from a jeweler's shop.

0573 - The Artist (12/28/1976) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Adaptation of a story by Guy de Maupassant. Cast: Michael Wager; Patricia Elliott; Court Benson; Ann Pitoniak. Nebbish businessman Marc Harrison becomes enthralled by a knife-throwing performer and his assistant.

0572 - The Mark of Cain (12/27/1976) Written by Ian Martin. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Ralph Bell; Marian Seldes; Ian Martin; Bob Kaliban. A cattle baron hires a gunslinger with a unique mark in his hair and a dark past in his soul; his arrival arouses love in the rancher's daughter, but also anger in her betrothed. Defects: Poor audio quality.

0571 - The Magus (12/25/1976) Written by Elspeth Eric. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Fred Gwynne; Jada Rowland; Carol Teitel; Russell Horton. A practitioner of the black arts charms a young servant girl.

0570 - Double Zero (12/23/1976) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Robert Dryden; Bill Griffis; Earl Hammond; Bryna Raeburn; Joan Shay. Police work a case of a murdered private eye whose wallet contained five $20 bills, each bearing two zeroes written in red ink.

0569 - The Lone Survivor (12/21/1976) Written by Ian Martin. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Russell Horton; Ian Martin; Bryna Raeburn; Ken Harvey. A plane crash at sea has one survivor, who cannot remember who he is. A police detective, an airline executive, and a doctor work to find out the man's identity.

0568 - Date of Death (12/20/1976) Written by Elspeth Eric. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Larry Haines; Norman Rose; Joan Copeland; Evie Juster. * A hypochondriac begins to worry when his doctor tells him he has an aortic aneurism. But fear is later fused with anger when the doctor later denies ever giving him the diagnosis.

0567 - A Quiet Evening at Home (12/17/1976) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Tammy Grimes; Robert Dryden; Leon Janney; Earl Hammond. After witnessing a murder at a train station, an unhappily married woman is hesitant to testify lest her reason for being there be revealed.

0566 - The Doctor's Evidence (12/16/1976) Written by Roy Winsor. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Frances Sternhagen; Tony Roberts; Ralph Bell; Guy Sorel; Catherine Butterfield. Telepathy plays into a story of an unfaithful husband whose wife dies in an accidental fall but her son suspects murder.

0565 - The Smoking Pistol (12/14/1976) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Howard DaSilva; Ann Pitoniak; Rosemary Rice; Bob Kaliban. A cop's son (an undercover detective) is murdered and a suspect is found with the weapon; the cop thinks it's an open-and-shut case, but doubts enter his mind when the suspect's mother (who claims her son didn't pull the trigger) begs him to investigate further.

0564 - Hit Me Again (12/13/1976) Written by Ian Martin. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Paul Hecht; Patricia Elliott; Jackson Beck; Ian Martin. Much to his wife's distress, a financial planner ditches his job for a new career as a professional gambler, where he applies his experience in actuarial science to counting cards in blackjack.

0563 - Identity Crisis (12/10/1976) Written by Fielden Farrington. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Gordon Gould; Ann Williams; Bryna Raeburn; Robert Dryden; Joe Silver. A brain transplant weighs heavily on the doctor performing it, the wives of the donor and the recipient and the corrupt contractors who want to make sure the surviving brain (that of a state senator) stays quiet.

0562 - Nobody Dies (12/9/1976) Written by Elspeth Eric. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Teri Keane; Ann Sheppard; Jack Grimes; Morgan Fairchild. * A young mother becomes housekeeper for a well-to-do pregnant widow. As their children grow they develop a relationship.

0561 - Enough Rope (12/7/1976) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Russell Horton; Robert Dryden; Evie Juster. A swindler is saved from a hangman's noose by a woman claiming to be his guardian angel.

0560 - Child of the Sea (12/6/1976) Written by Bob Juhren. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Tony Roberts; Evie Juster; Bryna Raeburn; Earl Hammond. A man on an ocean swim has his life saved by a beautiful woman.

0559 - Child of Misfortune (12/3/1976) Written by Ian Martin. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Norman Rose; Jada Rowland; Joan Copeland; Court Benson. The life of a pathologist, and his wife, is upended when a teenage girl moves in after tragic circumstances.

0558 - How to Kill Rudy (12/2/1976) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Paul Hecht; Patricia Elliott; Ian Martin; Ralph Bell. Rudy Slaymaker discovers that his favorite detective novelist writes tales that predict true crimes. But Rudy must take preemptive action when he discovers the author's first book is about his own future.

0557 - Now You See Them, Now You Don't (11/30/1976) Written by Alfred Bester. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Robert Dryden; Leon Janney; Ian Martin; Martha Greenhouse; Earl Hammond. During World War V (2175 A.D.), a doctor is tasked to find out why combat shock patients in a military hospital are suddenly disappearing.

0556 - The Man Who Couldn't Get Arrested (11/29/1976) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Fred Gwynne; Joan Shay; Bill Griffis; Court Benson. Parallel realities collide when a Wall Street broker can't determine whether his wife is alive or has been murdered.

0555 - Blood Will Tell (11/26/1976) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Mason Adams; Bryna Raeburn; Evie Juster; Ken Harvey. * For life insurance purposes, Norman Claymore must disclose to his employer's personnel department how his father died.

0554 - M-U-R-D-E-R (11/25/1976) Written by Fielden Farrington. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Larry Haines; Ralph Bell; Teri Keane; Marian Seldes; Marian Haley. After his business partner walks off with their company's funds and commits suicide, Max Picket plays on a Ouija board with his wife and their friends. What the planchette spells out agitates Max.

0553 - The Awakening (11/23/1976) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Kim Hunter; Leon Janney; Bryna Raeburn; Earl Hammond. A police detective investigates a psychiatrist's murder, with the only clue being an audio tape of the murderer's conversation with the victim.

0552 - Meeting by Chance (11/22/1976) Written by Elspeth Eric. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Marian Seldes; Mandel Kramer; Bobby Readick. * Two strangers caught in a rainstorm seek shelter in a well-kept house whose only occupant is a blind cat.

0551 - A Question of Identity (11/12/1976) Written by Murray Burnett. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Joan Lovejoy; Robert Dryden; Joe Silver; Ian Martin. Hillary Cummings is kidnapped, not for the typical reasons. It all comes down to a matter of identity. CBSRMT Trivia: "A Question of Identity" is the same title of two Mystery Theater episodes (Episode 551: 11/12/76) and (Episode 731: 10/28/77). Defects: Poor audio quality.

0550 - Strikeforce (11/11/1976) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Michael Wager; Patricia Elliott; Mary Jane Higby; Court Benson; Gilbert Mack. A doctor begins to question everything he's believed about his late birth father (who went missing during the war) when he spots a corpse in the morgue, on which was tattooed the emblem of his father's military regiment.

0549 - The Colony (11/9/1976) Written by Fielden Farrington. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Tony Roberts; Morgan Fairchild; Frances Sternhagen; Jackson Beck; Guy Sorel. After spotting a UFO, a vacationing couple reports their sighting to the sheriff in a sleepy New Hampshire town after which they find themselves in jail.

0548 - The Graveyard (11/8/1976) Written by Elspeth Eric. Directed by Himan Brown. Adaptation of a story by Guy de Maupassant. Cast: Norman Rose; Jada Rowland; Ralph Bell; Evie Juster; Guy Sorel. A man mourning for the woman he dedicated his life to learns the truth about her death in a hard way.

0547 - The Secret Chamber (11/5/1976) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Ian Martin; Marian Seldes; Joan Shay; Leon Janney. A realtor tells of how a woman who, after losing her lover in war, disappeared and returned as a ghost to a house that dates back to Revolutionary times.

0546 - City of the Dead (11/4/1976) Written by Arnold Moss. Directed by Himan Brown. Adaptation of a story by H. G. Wells. Cast: Kristoffer Tabori; Earl Hammond; Court Benson; Catherine Byers. * Two late-19th century marine biologists explore a five-mile-deep Caribbean Ocean trough, where they encounter a strange civilization of hostile, man-like creatures.

0545 - The Queen of Cats (10/31/1976) Written by Ian Martin. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Tammy Grimes; Joe Silver; Jack Grimes; Betsy Beard. A woman (and possible witch) is suspected of using her 63 cats to stalk and murder children in a small town. CBSRMT Trivia: This is the only episode with Tammy Grimes and Jack Grimes; however, they are not related.

0544 - Witches' Sabbath (10/30/1976) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Larry Haines; Leon Janney; Marian Haley; Evie Juster; Robert Dryden; Himan Brown (uncredited). Two beautiful women invite Perry Harnishfeger for a night of fun. But the women are actually witches who introduce Perry to the Prince of Darkness. CBSRMT Trivia: Himan Brown is uncredited as Joe in act 3.

0543 - The Unborn (10/29/1976) Written by Ian Martin. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Mercedes McCambridge; Robert Dryden; Bob Kaliban. Newly widowed Duchess Margo Baranya longs to a return to her youth. The devilish financier she's been having a dalliance with is gradually granting that wish.

0542 - Absolute Zero (10/28/1976) Written by Ian Martin. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Jada Rowland; Russell Horton; Ian Martin; Bryna Raeburn; Court Benson. Linda Russell feels guilt for not being at her mother's bedside when she died.

0541 - The Deathly White Man (10/27/1976) Written by Ian Martin. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Betsy Palmer; Russell Horton; Bryna Raeburn; Ian Martin. A woman takes a caretaker job in a remote castle, where the lord and lady of the house are haunted by a seemingly ghostly image and a dark family secret.

0540 - Somebody Stop Me! Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Howard DaSilva; Larry Haines; Bryna Raeburn; Evie Juster. Unattractive cop Bert turns mass murderer when he kills the women who turn down his sincere offers for dates.

0539 - To Hang by the Neck (10/21/1976) Written by Ian Martin. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Marian Seldes; Bob Kaliban; Ann Pitoniak; Martha Greenhouse; Bill Griffis. With the Civil War concluded, Becky Pryor returns to a Texas ranch and, with a Northerner ranch hand's help, tries to determine if, one year earlier, friend Carrie Conway's death by hanging (on the eve of her wedding) was suicide or foul play.

0538 - The Mission of Atropos (10/19/1976) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Mason Adams; Joan Lovejoy; Jackson Beck; Joan Shay; Robert Maxwell. A reporter investigates the death of a chemical plant's physician, who had uncovered two mysterious fatalities at her factory, which the doctor suspected were related to an illegal substance produced at the factory.

0537 - Killer's Appointment (10/18/1976) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Marian Seldes; Michael Wager; Bryna Raeburn; Bill Griffis. Lydia Prentiss loves her boyfriend so much that she takes the rap for his crimes of assault and theft against his employer. But then he abandons her while she is in prison.

0536 - A Point in Time (10/15/1976) Written by Mary Jane Higby. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Paul Hecht; Russell Horton; Teri Keane; Court Benson. Two men on a hiking expedition encounter a strange New Mexico town that appears stuck in the 1920s.

0535 - The Living Corpse (10/14/1976) Written by Ian Martin. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Hurd Hatfield; Patricia Elliott; Ian Martin; Joan Shay. A sober member of Philadelphia society has long hidden a wilder double life; his fun-loving girlfriend wants him to end the secrecy and recommends that he murder his ailing mother.

0534 - The God Killers (10/12/1976) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Tammy Grimes; Earl Hammond; Leon Janney; Ken Harvey. A secretary is accused of murdering her boss, an author of violent crime fiction. She insists she's innocent, pinning the blame on one of the author's most sinister characters who, she claims, will verify her story in person.

0533 - My Wife Doesn't Understand Me (10/11/1976) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Robert Dryden; Teri Keane; Rosemary Rice. Dissatisfied with his marriage and career, a research scientist finds solace in the arms of his new secretary who has more than love on her mind.

0532 - The Tortured Twins (10/8/1976) Written by Ian Martin. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Marian Seldes; Paul Hecht. After love at first sight, Adam Duncan marries stage actress Joyce Adams. But Adam realizes he married the wrong Adams sister when he meets Joyce's twin.

0531 - Pool of Fear (10/7/1976) Written by Fielden Farrington. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Morgan Fairchild; William Redfield; Ann Sheppard; Nat Polen. For a $10,000 fee, Beth Stillwell talks ex-con Matt Brewster into posing as her fiancé and drowning the stepmother she contempts.

0530 - Private Stock (10/5/1976) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Ian Martin; Catherine Byers; Earl Hammond; Russell Horton. Despite clear evidence, police captain Jim Turner can't bring to arrest his daughter, Ginnie, for a rock star's murder.

0529 - The Midas Touch (10/4/1976) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Bobby Morse; Bryna Raeburn; Robert Dryden; Jackson Beck. Con artist Jim Pangborn and his sidekick successfully swindle a balding bank president into buying a "magic hair restorer."

0528 - The Clairvoyant (10/1/1976) Written by Elspeth Eric. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Tammy Grimes; Marian Seldes; Patricia Elliott; Ian Martin; Paul Hecht. Clairvoyant Madame Sonya recalls how, on the eve of World War II, she read a happy future for an American woman, but a horrifying one for her British fiancé and his father.

0527 - Not for Sale (9/30/1976) Written by Fielden Farrington. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Rosemary Murphy; Gordon Gould; Court Benson; Jack Grimes. After she inherits her late uncle Milo's antique shop (where he was murdered during a robbery attempt) and the building that houses it, Milo's ghost advises Faye Colfax not to sell the property to the man who lives above the shop.

0526 - One Girl in a Million (9/28/1976) Written by Alfred Bester. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Michael Tolan; Ralph Bell; Evie Juster; Leon Janney; Russell Horton. Alfred Bester adapts his short story "Time is the Traitor" for this futuristic tale about a rock-star business consultant with twin psychological desires.

0525 - The Ghostly Private Eye (9/27/1976) Written by Ian Martin. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Larry Haines; Paul Hecht; Betty Winkler; Guy Sorel; Ian Martin. Psychic detective Flaxman Low investigates a manor in Surrey that its owner believes is cursed by a violent poltergeist. CBSRMT Trivia: Appearing in this episode are Paul Hecht and Larry Haines whose real name is Larry Hecht. They are not related.

0524 - Queen of the Deadly Night (9/24/1976) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Marian Seldes; Arnold Moss; Bryna Raeburn; Bob Kaliban; Court Benson. After a woman in the Dark Ages sees her husband killed on their wedding night, his apparition appears to advise her that she's destined to become Queen of the Khazars provided she passes a crucial test.

0523 - Don't Play with Matches (9/23/1976) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Mandel Kramer; Joan Shay; Earl Hammond; Gilbert Mack; Himan Brown (uncredited). Thanks to fire chief Delbert Casseroll's prevention program, fire calls in Caswell Corners have become almost non-existent. CBSRMT Trivia: Himan Brown is uncredited near the beginning of act 3.

0522 - The Rainbow Man (9/21/1976) Written by Ian Martin. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Ralph Bell; Jada Rowland; Robert Dryden; Russell Horton. An Old West con artist helps a man who lost his fortune to a cardshark.

0521 - A Very Dear Ghost Indeed (9/20/1976) Written by Ian Martin. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Russell Horton; Patricia Elliott; Court Benson; Ian Martin; Earl Hammond. Thanks to a washed-out bridge, a father and daughter traveling to Ireland in the late 19th century are waylaid at an old castle.

0520 - To Whom It May Concern (9/17/1976) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Marian Seldes; Ian Martin; Bryna Raeburn; Bob Dryden; Earl Hammond. Rebecca Randolph Owen has mysteriously avoided death more than several times and discovers those escapes from the Angel of Death's clutches have come with a personal price.

0519 - Dr. Peterson's Pills (9/16/1976) Written by Fielden Farrington. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Leon Janney; Rosemary Murphy; Joe Silver; Catherine Byers. In his 25 years as a doctor in small-town Maine, Emery Peterson has possessed just about every type of cure-all for his patients.

0518 - Journey to Jerusalem (9/14/1976) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Vincent Guardenia; Joan Shay; Evie Juster; William Redfield; Himan Brown (uncredited). Elwood longs to be young again and be appreciated for his personality and not his business success. CBSRMT Trivia: Himan Brown is uncredited as Cardigan, head of plant security in act 1.

0517 - The Tell-Tale Corpse (9/13/1976) Written by Fielden Farrington. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Catherine Byers; Earl Hammond; Court Benson; Guy Sorel. Just out of prison, Ernie and Sid visit the aunt of a deceased fellow prisoner, who can help open a chest that contains $100,000.

0516 - A Magical Place (9/10/1976) Written by Elspeth Eric. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Marian Seldes; William Redfield; Anne Seymour. A middle-aged couple find the house they rented as newlyweds, and rent it again in an aim to rekindle their marriage and recapture the joys of their youth. CBSRMT Trivia: The Poem recited by Tim to Eleanor in this episode is from "Hymn of Empedocles" by Matthew Arnold.

0515 - A Two-Bit Fortune (9/9/1976) Written by Ian Martin. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Paul Hecht; Morgan Fairchild; Ian Martin; Leon Janney. Auto mechanic Mike Wilson comes to the aid of a bum who claims to be the billionaire businessman Stanford Spruce. Mike doesn't believe him until he learns that he's the sole heir of Spruce's entire fortune.

0514 - Killer's Helper (9/7/1976) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Michael Wager; Joan Lovejoy; Robert Dryden; Evie Juster. John Masters has neglected his wife, Margaret, for so long that when he invites newly promoted protégé Marty Carroway home for dinner, Margaret asks Marty to not only start an affair with her, but to kill John and take his place as head of the company.

0513 - Graven Image (9/6/1976) Written by Bob Juhren. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Jack Grimes; Robert Dryden; Hetty Galen. Jodie Barnes is a talented singer on the county fair circuit when he meets talent agent Craig Herbert. Their partnership makes Jodie a national star but a frightful product that bears Jodie's likeness proves all too much.

0512 - The Magic Cay (9/2/1976) Written by Ian Martin. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Paul Hecht; Marian Seldes; Leon Janney; Ian Martin. Tom Reynolds leaves behind his wife, children, and boring job and, upon the advice of a psychiatrist friend, takes a two-week vacation on a remote Caribbean island.

0511 - The Night Shift (8/30/1976) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Howard DaSilva; Bryna Raeburn; William Griffis; Earl Hammond. Eddie O'Brian loathes working 9-hour shifts each day as a bus driver until he is assigned a brand new bus.

0510 - The Man Who Could Work Miracles (8/26/1976) Written by Arnold Moss. Directed by Himan Brown. Adaptation of a story by H. G. Wells. Cast: William Redfield; Marian Haley; Russell Horton; Arnold Moss. This adaptation of H. G. Wells' short story chronicles a man who realizes he can alter fortunes and make wishes reality out of sheer will.

0509 - The Train Stops (8/23/1976) Written by Elspeth Eric. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Norman Rose; Jada Rowland; Ann Sheppard; Gene Francis. A small-town doctor's daughter falls in love with a mysterious man who comes to town on the same train every week and continues to do so even after the town loses its spot on the train schedule.

0508 - The Golden People (8/19/1976) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: William Redfield; Marian Seldes; Bryna Raeburn; Evie Juster. * Richard Paradon has the looks, charm, and smarts to make money in an unsavory way — by bilking beautiful, wealthy women out of theirs. CBSRMT Trivia: William Redfield died two days before this episode aired. He was 49 years old. Redfield acted in 82 episodes. His last appearance will be in episode #531, "Pool of Fear" (10/7/76).

0507 - Your Grade is A (8/16/1976) Written by Roy Winsor. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Bob Kaliban; Ralph Bell; Joan Shay; Joe Silver. The wife of a creative writing student is found dead of carbon monoxide poisoning; was her death accidental, suicide or foul play?

0506 - The Haliday Prediction (8/12/1976) Written by Fielden Farrington. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Tony Roberts; Morgan Fairchild; Robert Dryden; Ian Martin. Cash Haliday fills his weekly newspaper column on crime and corruption with predictions that come true. Cash's talent could be a case of uncanny insight, ESP, or just wishing things into reality.

0505 - Overnight to Freedom (8/9/1976) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: William Redfield; Robert Dryden; Earl Hammond; Mandel Kramer; Rosemary Rice. An American POW escapes his captors and tries to reach a French Underground contact.

0504 - Lovers and Killers (8/5/1976) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Robert Dryden; Russell Horton; Marian Seldes; Evie Juster; Robert Maxwell. The fate of a lothario accused of murdering his lover's husband rests in the hands of a jury in particular David Miller (Juror #2), who didn't want to fulfill his civic duty.

0503 - Every Dog Has His Day (8/2/1976) Written by Ian Martin. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Court Benson; Russell Horton; Morgan Fairchild; Ian Martin. As his sons argue over who should receive his estate, and his lawyer's daughter ponders which of the two she's truly in love with, an ailing millionaire has only two faithful servants by his side — his butler, Chadsworth, and his dog, Whiskey.

0502 - Shotgun Wedding (7/29/1976) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Jack Grimes; Patricia Elliott; Leon Janney; William Griffis. Gus Virko sets colleague Charley Demerest up with his daughter. Despite Charley's apprehension, it's a perfect romantic match that soon turns into a nightmare.

0501 - The Brain Without Mercy (7/26/1976) Written by Ian Martin. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Norman Rose; Bryna Raeburn; Leon Janney; Ian Martin. Dr. Werner Diethardt finds a severely injured skyjacker who made off with $2 million and removes the crook's brain, so that it can tell him where he hid the loot.

0500 - The Men with the Magic Fingers (7/22/1976) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Mason Adams; Marian Seldes; Catherine Byers; Earl Hammond. A carnival owner at the turn of the century creates a lifelike doll, Leonora, that can predict customers' futures.

0499 - Future Eye (7/19/1976) Written by Alfred Bester. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Tony Roberts; Evie Juster; Court Benson; William Redfield; Catherine Butterfield. An investigator from the future is sent back to the present day to retrieve a data bank, no bigger than a matchbox, that holds a chronology of time up until the year 2976. Defects: Background noise.

0498 - The Last Trip of Charter Boat Sally (7/15/1976) Written by Roy Winsor. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Mandel Kramer; Teri Keane; Robert Dryden; Russell Horton. The captain of a tugboat-turned-fishing charter is implicated by a scheming woman and her beach-bum boyfriend for the murder of the woman's husband.

0497 - Blood Red Roses (7/12/1976) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Robert Dryden; Bryna Raeburn; Arnold Moss; William Redfield; Bob Kaliban. His son's death at the hands of mobsters shakes the usually pacifist beliefs of Nick Birko.

0496 - Loser Takes All (7/1/1976) Written by Ian Martin. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Patricia Elliott; Paul Hecht; Ian Martin; Nat Polen. Theatrical agent Jake Alexander takes a professional and personal interest in Delphi Carr, whom Jake considers the world's most beautiful woman.

0495 - Forty-Five Minutes to Murder (6/28/1976) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Larry Haines; Leon Janney; Court Benson; Sam Gray; Joan Shay. A years-long business feud ends with a peace offering from chemical company associate Jim Raglan to vice-president Emmet Martindale: A bottle of cognac laced with poison.

0494 - Child of Fate (6/24/1976) Written by Elspeth Eric. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Jada Rowland; Ann Williams; Guy Sorel; Ken Harvey. Ignored by her busy father and invalid mother, Halcyon Trent created an imaginary friend named Gerald. When Halcyon makes new, real friendships Gerald becomes really, and dangerously, jealous.

0493 - Checkmate (6/21/1976) Written by Ian Martin. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Marian Haley; Robert Dryden; Court Benson; Bryna Raeburn. A rookie police detective and her crotchety veteran partner encounter an apartment building full of peculiar suspects while investigating the murder of a genius chess player's friend and frequent opponent.

0492 - Pension Plan (6/17/1976) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Norman Rose; Ann Pitoniak; Leon Janney; William Redfield. * On the eve of his retirement, a purchasing manager discovers that a career of being honest and straightforward has left him with no financial reward whatsoever.

0491 - The Unthinkable (6/14/1976) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Larry Haines; Teri Keane; Russell Horton; Robert Maxwell. While wife Roxanne lands a job as a bank manager's assistant. Her out-of-work husband does housework until he learns from an equally down-on-his-luck architect information that could be profitable for both.

0490 - Free the Beast (6/10/1976) Written by Ralph Goodman. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Paul Hecht; Marian Seldes; Joan Lovejoy; Ian Martin. A freak accident that claims the life of an insane asylum inmate leads to an investigation centering on the horrifying familial secrets surrounding another inmate who's been having clandestine conversations with an unseen visitor.

0489 - The Corpse That Would Not Die (6/7/1976) Written by Arnold Moss. Directed by Himan Brown. Adaptation of a story by Emile Zola. Cast: Patricia Elliott; William Redfield; Mary Jane Higby; Roger DeKoven; Arnold Moss. A man murders his best friend so that he can marry his wife, but their relationship begins to erode by the weight of their sins.

0488 - Blue Justice (6/3/1976) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Leon Janney; Jackson Beck; Evie Juster; Robert Dryden. A corrupt assistant prosecutor in a totalitarian state convicts, for capital murder, a man he knew was innocent.

0487 - Ghost Town (5/31/1976) Written by Ian Martin. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Lois Nettleton; Ralph Bell; Ian Martin; Nat Polen; Russell Horton. A man who has escaped from a mental institution carjacks a schoolteacher and orders her to drive to a deserted Death Valley town to find an old relative.

0486 - Demon Lover (5/27/1976) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Mandel Kramer; Marian Seldes; Bryna Raeburn; Earl Hammond. A college professor finds himself the unwilling object of a colleague's obsessive, and violent, romantic advances.

0485 - A Mexican Standoff (5/24/1976) Written by Ian Martin. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Joe Silver; Catherine Byers; Robert Dryden; Sam Gray. After small-town Nebraska mailman George Adams is honored as "Mr. Good Citizen USA," he and his wife are invited to an all-expenses-paid trip to Mexico City.

0484 - The Walking Dead (5/20/1976) Written by Alfred Bester. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Paul Hecht; Rosemary Rice; Jack Grimes; Joan Shay; Gilbert Mack. On a planet where crime is unknown, an organically-constructed android servant becomes tired of his work and goes on a deadly spree of violence.

0483 - Blind Witness (5/17/1976) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Patricia Elliott; Carmen Matthews; Leon Janney; Bryna Raeburn; Earl Hammond. Police, and the assailant, are on the hunt to find a blind woman who unknowingly witnessed the murder of a pharmacist.

0482 - The Secret Sharer (5/13/1976) Written by Elizabeth Pennell. Directed by Himan Brown. Adaptation of a story by Joseph Conrad. Cast: Norman Rose; Mandel Kramer; William Redfield; Court Benson. An adaptation of Joseph Conrad's short story about a fugitive, his alter ego, and the ship captain who accommodates them both.

0481 - The Ghost of San Juan Hill (5/10/1976) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Jack Grimes; Marian Haley; William Redfield; Bryna Raeburn; Ian Martin. A couple's wedding plans are disrupted by the bride's deceased husband, who had supposedly perished while charging up San Juan Hill in the Spanish–American War.

0480 - What A Change in Hilda (5/6/1976) Written by Bob Juhren. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Lois Nettleton; Robert L. Green; Bryna Raeburn; Nat Polen; Himan Brown (uncredited). * Impressed by its results on her untalented friend (who is now a top concert singer), Hilda Turner starts seeing a doctor who claims anyone can attain their heart's desire solely through meditation. The charge for the service is only $100 but in the long run, the results are more than what Hilda bargained for. CBSRMT Trivia: Himan Brown is uncredited and appears at the end of act 3.

0479 - The Cornstarch Killer (5/3/1976) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Robert Dryden; Marian Seldes; Earl Hammond. Police are baffled by a series of murders; the perpetrator appears to be a virtuous woman who can bring the wrath of God down on anyone who approaches her with impure intentions.

0478 - Two Plus Two Equals Death (4/29/1976) Written by Alfred Bester. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Marian Seldes; William Redfield; Robert Dryden; Sam Gray. Peter Gerard takes his father's place in a traveling circus act and falls in love with one of the show's ballerinas who, unfortunately for Peter, has a cruel identical twin sister.

0477 - The Three Elders of Lifeboat Landing (4/26/1976) Written by Roy Winsor. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Mason Adams; Ann Sheppard; Mandel Kramer; Robert Phelps; Guy Sorel. A New York hamlet seems to be an idyllic place (clean air, no crime, etc.) but as an inquiring reporter soon finds out, anyone who disturbs such bliss, in any way, must pay a steep price.

0476 - The Serpent of the Nile (4/25/1976) Written by Ian Martin. Directed by Himan Brown. Adaptation of a story by William Shakespeare. Cast: Kevin McCarthy; Lois Nettleton; Carol Teitel; Robert Dryden; Russell Horton; Paul Hecht. This is a retelling of Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra in which a Roman politician is beguiled by the queen of Egypt.

0475 - The Prince of Evil (4/24/1976) Written by Ian Martin. Directed by Himan Brown. Adaptation of a story by William Shakespeare. Cast: Howard DaSilva; Evie Juster; Court Benson; Hetty Galen; Earl Hammond; Ian Martin. A man with loads of charm proceeds with his bloody ascension to the throne in this vivid retelling of Shakespeare's Richard III.

0474 - Long Live the King is Dead (4/23/1976) Written by Ian Martin. Directed by Himan Brown. Adaptation of a story by William Shakespeare. Cast: Tony Roberts; Ian Martin; Arnold Moss; Evie Juster; Bob Kaliban. A retelling of Shakespeare's Hamlet, in which an heir to the Danish throne seeks revenge after his murderous uncle claims the crown.

0473 - The Green Eyed Monster (4/22/1976) Written by Ian Martin. Directed by Himan Brown. Adaptation of a story by William Shakespeare. Cast: Arnold Moss; Marian Seldes; Joan Arless; Court Benson; Ralph Bell; Ian Martin. Misplaced jealousy and blind rage drive a military commander to commit the ultimate betrayal against his beloved wife in this adaptation of Shakespeare's Othello.

0472 - The Love Song of Death (4/21/1976) Written by Ian Martin. Directed by Himan Brown. Adaptation of a story by William Shakespeare. Cast: Kristoffer Tabori; Morgan Fairchild; Joan Shay; Bob Kaliban; Guy Sorel; Earl Hammond. An adaptation of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, a tale of star-crossed lovers in the middle of a blood feud between their families.

0471 - The Assassination (4/20/1976) Written by Ian Martin. Directed by Himan Brown. Adaptation of a story by William Shakespeare. Cast: Norman Rose; Robert Dryden; Joan Shay; Russell Horton; Ian Martin. Adapted from Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, this episode chronicles Caesar's final victories, his murder, and its aftermath.

0470 - Murder Most Foul (4/19/1976) Written by Ian Martin. Directed by Himan Brown. Adaptation of a story by William Shakespeare. Cast: Kevin McCarthy; Carol Teitel; William Redfield; Court Benson; Russell Horton. Scottish warriors Macbeth and Banquo encounter a trio of witches who make a series of chilling prophecies. CBSRMT Trivia: This episode is the first of seven consecutive adaptations of Shakespeare plays written by Ian Martin for Mystery Theater. The titles of the episodes are taken from a line in the play.

0469 - Strange Passenger (4/15/1976) Written by Roy Winsor. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Nat Polen; Bob Kaliban; Evie Juster; Ian Martin; Frank Behrens. Out of work, and disenchanted with his profession anyway, a lawyer volunteers to fly off to a distant planet and receive training by aliens.

0468 - Wishes Can Be Fatal (4/13/1976) Written by Roy Winsor. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Carmen Matthews; Teri Keane; Gordon Gould; Jennifer Harmon; Russell Horton. A nursing home resident uses the mysterious power of needlepoint embroidery to torment her wicked daughter-in-law.

0467 - The Safe Judge (4/12/1976) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Patsy Bruder; Robert Dryden; Bryna Raeburn; Earl Hammond; William Redfield. An upstanding judge finds his reputation on the line when he's pressured to clear a gangster's son of drug possession charges.

0466 - Fool's Gold (4/9/1976) Written by Ian Martin. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Mason Adams; Teri Keane; Sam Gray; Court Benson. A college professor indulges his obsession for finding a dead pirate's sunknen (and heavily cursed) treasure.

0465 - Sleeping Dogs (4/8/1976) Written by Murray Burnett. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Marian Seldes; Court Benson; Guy Sorel; Robert Maxwell. Against all recommendations from his colleagues, her current husband, and the American consular, the wife of a paratrooper who lost his life in World War II ventures to Paris to search for the French Resistance fighter who betrayed her husband to Nazi forces. CBSRMT Trivia: "Sleeping Dogs" is the same title of two Mystery Theater episodes (Episode 465: 4/8/76) and (Episode 1249: 10/9/81).

0464 - The Paradise Cafe (4/7/1976) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Court Benson; Evie Juster; William Redfield; Len Gochman. A notorious tycoon confesses a heinous crime to his psychiatrist, in an effort to exorcise the murderous demon that possesses him.

0463 - The Boy Wonder (4/6/1976) Written by Alfred Bester. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: William Redfield; Robert Dryden; Ken Harvey; Martha Greenhouse; Dan Ocko. * A school principal, a lawyer, and other adults go on a mad search for Stuart Buchanan and his friends all because of the 10-year-old Stuart’s school composition.

0462 - Time Killer (4/5/1976) Written by Arnold Moss. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Mandel Kramer; Rosemary Rice; Jackson Beck; Russell Horton; Arnold Moss. Believing time is as elastic as space, a parapsychology professor transports himself to the early period of the Great Depression.

0461 - Vanity Dies Hard (4/2/1976) Written by Sidney Sloan. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Robert Dryden; Marian Seldes; Earl Hammond; Ian Martin; Mary Jane Higby. An arrogant, vengeful mystery writer thinks he's pulled off the perfect crime: He's murdered his cheating wife's lover, he's pinned her for the crime and he's helping police with the investigation.

0460 - The White Ghost (4/1/1976) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Ralph Bell; Ann Williams; Joan Shay; Earl Hammond. Donald Taylor ends his secret affair with Trudy Nelson and returns to his invalid wife. It leads to Trudy threatening to kill Donald.

0459 - The Spit and Image (3/31/1976) Written by Ian Martin. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Michael Tolan; Patricia Elliott; Ralph Bell; Earl Hammond. A retired football player is hired to serve as the stand-in for a reclusive, eccentric billionaire.

0458 - The Intruders (3/30/1976) Written by Elspeth Eric. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Lois Nettleton; Carmen Matthews; Fred Gwynne; Russell Horton. A woman is troubled by a trio of strangers in her home; they do not acknowledge her presence, leading her to believe they are ghosts.

0457 - The Saxon Curse (3/29/1976) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Adaptation of a story by Oscar Wilde. Cast: Paul Hecht; Catherine Byers; Court Benson; Guy Sorel; Himan Brown (uncredited). An arrogant aristocrat learns from a fortune teller that he will carry out the perfect murder and not get caught. CBSRMT Trivia: Himan Brown is uncredited as the "celebrated doctor" in act 3. Defects: Some background noise.

0456 - Extortion (3/26/1976) Written by Roy Winsor. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Evie Juster; Mandel Kramer; William Redfield; Joan Shay; Russell Horton. A state senator learns his wife is being blackmailed for a fatal hit-and-run accident she committed during her college days.

0455 - The Transformation of Joebee (3/25/1976) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Hans Conried; Ian Martin; Bryna Raeburn; Joe Silver. After years of pulling practical jokes, Joseph B. Jefferson mends his ways and advises two friends (and former joke targets) on a plan that could possibly be yet another prank.

0454 - Brain Drain (3/24/1976) Written by Ralph Goodman. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Paul Hecht; Robert Dryden; Staats Cotsworth; Carol Teitel. A government agent explores the disturbing deaths of noted scientists, which appear to be connected to a beautiful woman and a deranged scientist's heinous experiments.

0453 - The Covered Bridge (3/23/1976) Written by Ian Martin. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Jada Rowland; Bob Kaliban; Ian Martin; Bryna Raeburn. A bridge transports Peg, on her honeymoon with Ted, from the 1970s to the 1770s and into an arranged marriage with someone else.

0452 - Stampede (3/22/1976) Written by Ian Martin. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Kris Tabori; Fred Gwynne; Catherine Byers; Gilbert Mack; Earl Hammond. After Commanche warriors murder her husband and their beet crop and farm are destroyed by a stampede, Ellie Tate Gottenschalk joins an all-male cattle drive.

0451 - A Matter of Love and Death (3/19/1976) Written by Elspeth Eric. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Lois Nettleton; William Redfield; Marian Haley; Lloyd Battista. Helen Collins walks into a police station and confesses to an unbelieving sergeant that she has killed her celebrity husband.

0450 - The Other Side of the Coin (3/18/1976) Written by Ian Martin. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Ralph Bell; Bryna Raeburn; Bob Kaliban; Ian Martin. A supernatural accident causes an ex-police sergeant and a mob-tied con artist to swap bodies.

0449 - Crime Casts a Shadow (3/16/1976) Written by Roy Winsor. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Evie Juster; William Redfield; Jay Gregory; Ian Martin. * In need of cash, Gay Armstrong tries to sell her late mother's pearl necklace; but then she learns the pearls are fake, just as her stepfather offers her $15,000 for the necklace.

0448 - The Aliens (3/15/1976) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Paul Hecht; Mandel Kramer; Robert Dryden; Marie Cheatham. A classified US/USSR experiment draws together two secret agents (one American, one Russian), who realize that the project their governments are working on could potentially destroy mankind.

0447 - The Man Who Preyed on Widows (3/12/1976) Written by Roy Winsor. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Mason Adams; Joan Shay; Russell Horton; Jackson Beck. Despite being swindled out of her money, a widow refuses to take action against the grifter who conned her.

0446 - Pandora (3/11/1976) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Patricia Elliott; Norman Rose; Joan Lovejoy; Don Scardino. Hundreds of thousands of years in the future, a woman named Mara is condemned to death for inflicting sorrow on a hate-free, fear-free society.

0445 - I Thought I Saw A Shadow (3/10/1976) Written by Bob Juhren. Directed by Himan Brown. Cast: Nat Polen; Joan Shay; Gordon Gould; Lloyd Battista. * Scientist Dr. John Gilbert is his own test subject for an invisibility serum which only separates him from his shadow.

0444 - The Queen of Spades (3/8/1976) Written by Sam Dann. Directed by Himan Brown. Adaptation of a story by Alexander Pushkin. Cast: Michael Tolan; Ann Sheppard; Ian Martin; Bryna Raeburn; Robert Dryden. A Russian soldier pursues a wealthy countess to seek a secret at winning in faro.