This is one of my favorite episodes!

Thank You Sir, For creating this great show! What are your other favorites??

I remember I used to listen to this when I lived at MN when I was young

I'm glad I'm not this guy's wife!!

Interesting view of reincarnation that involves a soul (and presumably memories) being transplanted upon death to an adult animal, rather than one in the process of being born or conceived. Crime drama with questioned supernatural happenings.

This was a really fun listen, kind of a black comedy of sorts about a guy whose wife is into the concept of reincarnation as an animal. She decides to draw up a will giving almost all of her wealth to the leader of a sect that preaches such beliefs. That, of course, send hubby into a tizzy, and he does what most husbands in such a predicament on a horror/mystery show would do. But he doesn't figure on the consequences. Plus, there's a six-minute Jan. 7, 1974 newcast, complete with sports. If you can find it online (and it's there), I'm pretty sure you wouldn't be disappointed.

I listened to these shows when I was in junior high and high school with a radio under the covers pressed to my ears. Loved these shows and it is great to beable to hear them again. Thanks!

This one starts out a little slow, but the ending is definitely worth sticking around for!

This is classic CBS Mystery Theater. For 1974, the story is grizzly. The murder seeps with carnal anger and hatred. Fantastic ending. I noticed that Himan Brown, CBSMT creator, commented that this was one of his favorite episodes. It was a classic!

I, too, as a teenager in the 70's, spent many night anticipating and enjoying the Mystery Theatre dramas. A great way to let your imagination unfurl.

Me too. AM transistor radio under my pillow against my ear listening to these shows. I love the commercials as much as the shows. Seems like the 70's required everything be sung to be sold. Funniest one is how to drink your Budweiser. Wow times have changed. I do find one common thread in many of these programs. There sure were a lot of wife killer stories in the 70's. sheesh rough decade for rich gals - at least when it comes to radio mysteries. :-))

You know, Mystery Theater, like the other old time radio mystery shows, have a common theme with classic movies. Unlike today's movies, classic movies and radio mysteries made you use your imagination to visualize things and figure out plots. Unfortunately, today, everything is " dumbed down ".

This is one of my favorite RMT memories. The show involved some rich guy (with "eyes so blue they were almost silver") with a wife named "Oona", whom he hatched a plot to kill. Problem (apart from being a murderer) for him was...after he killed her he found out she believed in reincarnation. He spent the rest of his program running for his life from all sorts of creatures whom he suspected were his wife coming to seek revenge. At the end of the program, he died somehow. Later on, one of his friends, or house servants, saw a cat catching a mouse to eat and remarked in horror, "Did you see that mouse? It's eyes were so blue that they were almost...silver."

Justice prevails over greed. A fun story with revenge and supernatural lines. Ok recording.

Another Henry Slesar penned mystery, The Return of the Moresbys which I would characterize as a little weak coming out of the box with your second episode, trying to capture new listeners. The plot was rather unoriginal, but believable; however I thought the acting was magnificent. The only unconvincing job was the voice of Dr Singh who moved in and out of his Indian accent. I really liked the first person narration of Richard Moresby, reminiscent of the detective serials of years earlier. This episode had you wondering what it would be like if you had a rather weak sense of moral duty and resposibility.....how low would you go. Great line near the end of the show when Moresby comments, "I tried to be one with the universe. And when that didn't work, I tried being one with a bottle of scotch." There was an edge of your seat climactic ending and a rather ironic twist in the final seconds that more than salvaged this second episode.

A man's rich wife gets involved in a religious cult that believes in reincarnation - that souls are reincarnated into small animals to be exact. She decides to leave her $10 million fortune to the cult and none of it to her husband. As you would expect, this presents a few problems for her husband. Interestingly, (since this is the 2nd CBSRMT program) at the end, E.G. Marshall mentions that you are listening to the "reincarnation of radio drama" and "we hope you'll keep us alive."

A man kills his wife after he finds out she gave all their money away. He is sure she has come back to life as cat to torment him.

A man kills his wife after he finds out she gave all their money away. He is sure she has come back to life as cat to torment him. This episode embodies much of what CBSRMT would encompass in the coming year. Our introduction to CBSRMT mainstays MArian Seldes and Leon Janny who both shine. Recommended

Story of a wife who believes in reincarnation in animal form, married to a man more interested in her money than her mortal soul. While he wins the first round in ‘our’ world, the wife has the last laugh. Quote of the episode: I went home and tried being one with the universe, and when that didn’t work, I tried being one with a bottle of scotch. - Richard Morseby

Normally I love everything Henry Slesar but this one is a bit dull. I thought I figured out exactly what was going to happen the minute the wife reveals her beliefs but thought surely there will be some neat little twist. Alas, the plot proceeds exactly as you think it will up to the predictable, karmic ending. Not terrible, but there are far better Slesar scripts out there.

I really enjoyed it. I think the entire third act is just a fun, roller-coaster ride of thrills. I also think the music "beds" of the third act are extremely effective. (especially when the snake slithers from one phone cord to another (remember those?)). And, as I mentioned before, this exchange is quite entertaining. "AHHHHHHHHH!!!!" (Scream from the kitchen) "What was that?" (Richard Moresby) "I would suppose... it was Cook, Sir." (Parker) The whole idea of the snake eavesdropping was quite creepy. This was RMT's first venture into the supernatural and I think one of their most effective. Until Next Time...............

I think the entire third act is just a fun, roller-coaster ride of thrills. I also think the music "beds" of the third act are extremely effective. (especially when the snake slithers from one phone cord to another (remember those?)). And, as I mentioned before, this exchange is quite entertaining. "AHHHHHHHHH!!!!" (Scream from the kitchen) "What was that?" (Richard Moresby) "I would suppose... it was Cook, Sir." (Parker) The whole idea of the snake eavesdropping was quite creepy. This was RMT's first venture into the supernatural and I think one of their most effective. Until Next Time...............

This one's a stinker!!! It is predictable and Patrick O'neal always sounds like he is half asleep or drunk in his roles. The wife is a dippy doofus!!

Listened to this one again and while it isn't one of my favorites; I would rate it a little better than I orginally did. Why a rich woman like Oona wouldn't know right off the bat that the guy she met on the beach was a fortune hunter-especially when she mentioned her chauffeur(sp?)!! I still find Patrick O'Neal's voice grating(I always have) and that's probably why I rated it so badly at first. The sitar music was a little overdone at times. Oona would have been better off if she had married Dr. Singh. Then again.... It should have been a rat not a mouse at the end. Don't you think? It would better represent Mr. Moresby as he was in life.

I was 10 years old when this first aired. I still remember laying in bed listening to it. The plot is a bit predictable, but it brings back great memories nonetheless. As an aside, Himan Brown died in 2010.

I agree with Andy's comment near the top - amazing how reincarnation can happen with memories into the body of an adult animal. I also agree that Patrick O'Neal always sounded like he was slightly inebriated. Still, it was just a story and a fun one to listen to.

I was under 10 in the 70s. I used to lie in bed at night with my dad and listen to mystery theater. He took the boys in the family to sporting events but I got to curl up with him and fall asleep listening to these stories. Now that he's gone it's a precious memory. And since I always fell asleep I can listen to them now and not know the ending!

Robin, I was deeply touched reading your comment about CBSRMT and memories of your Dad. My little brother and I listened to RMT, too. And now I listen with my grandson.

Heard it for the first time curled up in the back seat of my parents VW bug. We were on our way to see my Grandma and then a family reunion in Illinois, on I-70. (It was a chilly night that night for August 1974.) I came to find out the episode was "The forever man". My parents, both theatre teachers (one in college, my Dad (his students included John Goodman and Tess Harper), the other high school, my Mom) grew up with old time radio and thought it didn't measure up to the shows they'd known. Didn't know what this was and didn't hear it again until October 1978, when I heard a broadcast of what I learned was "The return of the Moresbys". (I only heard the part after she'd been reincarnated, which interestingly made it even more spooky.) Hooked

I want to thank all involved with making these available...I am home bound; and this has been such a great help with coping. Wonderful folks.

I definitely agree with you on that David! So grateful for these amazing old radio shows!

I rate this episode ★★★★★ for EXCELLENT. The writings of Henry Slesar for CBSRMT is like the writings of Charles Beaumont for THE TWILIGHT ZONE. And the reason why I say that, is because the writing is so good, it keeps you on the edge of your seat for it combines the Drama-Mystery with the Fantasy-Mystery. In fact, this episode reminds of the 77th Episode of THE TWILIGHT ZONE called "The Jungle" where the main character goes through this superstitious journey and believes that there are animals out to kill him for his evil deeds. The sound effects were "killer" in this and had the right bits in each act. The sounds of the typewriter, the footsteps, the ocean beach, the Hindustani music from the Sitar instrument, clinking of the tableware, pages of the will being torn apart, the engine of the jaguar running, dog barking, car screeching, rotary phone, window glass broken from a sparrow, the shower running, door knocking, the phone ringing, seagulls, superstitious noise from the cellar, cat screeching, gun trigger pulled, and the mouse squeaking at the very end: PERFECT! And I couldn't get enough of the music in this. There were dramatic tunes in ACT-1, the theme of "killer intentions" in ACT-2, and the best part of all; the JAWS-like theme at the 30-minute 33-second mark in ACT-3 where the villain becomes very paranoid. The music from that point on became horrific! As for E.G. Marshall for being Host in the 2nd episode of the series, outstanding! In his Prologue, he says, "Come in. Welcome to the sound of suspense. The fear you can hear." And that's exactly what we had in this story! In ACT-1, he brought us into the story in a flash. in ACT-2, the reluctant murderer has been created and ponders if his victim has returned. In ACT-3, the Cat & Mouse game has ended. And in his Epilogue, he asks us fans do we believe in reincarnation; especially in Radio Theatre. Very Rod Serling-like in this. And of course, there's our magnificent cast: Patrick O'Neal (as the villainous Richard Morseby), Marian Seldes (as the spiritual Una Morseby, Rachel, and Cook (who you can hear that character scream only once at the 29-minute 54-second mark)), Nick Pryor (as Mr. Prouty & Parker), and Dan Ocko (as Dr. Sing & Max the Newspaper Chief). After listening to so many CBSRMT episodes, I've decided to put Marian Seldes on my list of Top 5 favorite CBSRMT actresses! Who are the other 4 you might ask? That's a mystery for another time. If you're a newcomer or an old fan of the series, this is one episode that you must listen to in the dark. Enjoy! =0>

I'm a teetotaler, but: "I went home and tried to be 'one with the universe'. When that didn't work, I tried to be 'one with a bottle of scotch'."

I also love this episode. In reading some of the comments on the page where this post is linked say that it was one of Himan Browns favorites as well. I love the cynical and irritable attitude of the husband in act one. When he says "I am not sure I want to come back as an animal!" I laughed out loud it is so well acted! The story holds my attention the whole time and the interactions of Mr Moresby and Parker we also amusing... grumpy old Moresby! This is one of the classic episodes as far as I am concerned and if you have never heard it I would highly suggest it!

I'd first heard the mystery theatre as a 14 year old kid riding in the back of my parent's VW beetle to Illinois (episode: "The forever man") but after that didn't hear it at all until 4 years later when I caught the mid-second act of another episode and was hooked. Which episode? THIS one.

I'd first heard the mystery theatre as a 14 year old kid riding in the back of my parent's VW beetle to Illinois (episode: "The forever man") but after that didn't hear it at all until 4 years later when I caught the mid-second act of another episode and was hooked. Which episode? THIS one. BTW, even though I didn't know the full story I had fun with it. My Mom was a high school drama teacher who had some great kids in her class. I remember telling them about this and in future conversations we'd say: "Could one of them have been...UNA?!?!"

Another favorite episode.

Another favorite episode.

I was just a kid listening from 11:00 pm to 12:00 am on Sunday nights, but I've never forgotten these. Especially the series on Pompei and Akhenatan. Bless you for bringing these back!

Great episode!

I want to thank all involved with making these available...I am home bound; and this has been such a great help with coping. Wonderful folks.

I most definitely agree with you David, very grateful for these ole radio shows!!

BTW, Marian Seldes (who we lost last year) ROCKED.

I used to listen to this with my brother on our parents radio/record console back in 1975-76. Loved it then, love it now.

Did I miss something? Did he die to pass his soul to the rat? Thought he was in hospital with a bust leg and bullet to the hip ?

Thank you so much for allowing everyone to listen to these episodes. Brings me back to me as a teenager listening to them with my Dad, who passed away 8 years ago.

I remember hearing this episode from WBBM, west side Chicago. Under the covers with a transistor shoved into my ear cause it was WAY past my bed time!

I loved listening in the early 80's while in high school...

I chuckled at the seagulls with "raking claws".

Interesting story, I don't remember this one as a kid but also, if you check the newspaper, sadly there are even cases today where wealthy benefactors get hooked by possible charlatans and their cults. But, in this case, it appears it was true!!!

Great episode!

"I went home and I tried to be one with the universe. And when that didn't work, I tried being one with a bottle of scotch." I tried to like this story but couldn't quite get into it. The first episode, "The Old Ones Are Hard to Kill" I couldn't get into at all. This one at least held my attention. With the third one, "The Bullet" (the first starring Larry Haines), I think they found their groove with writing, acting and special effects.

I liked the first one although the poor guy's coughing got to me after a while, but the early stories felt like they were still trying to find their groove.

I liked "Return of the Morsbeys" because it was really well done and the acting was good. Agnes Moorehead was fantastic in "The Old Ones Are Hard to Kill" and she changed her voice so well that I didn't even recognize her, until later when I found out she played the part, lol! Also, the "coughing man" was quite authentic as someone who was supposed to have pneumonia. He portrayed the illness quite well, imo. (I had a bad case of pneumonia once so I know, lol!)

I thought one of the better mystery theater episodes. Yes, one probably knew where it was headed but it was so well acted it didn’t matter. Interestingly Patrick O’Neil who in this episode had a fear of cats, it reminded me of the night gallery episode where he had a fear of spiders. One of the better night gallery episodes As for Marian Seldes, if you want to get a look at her, google the rifle man episode titled the vision. Where she is Mark McCain‘s mother and Lucas’ dead wife appearing in a dream or vision if you like.

I have listened to all 1,399 episodes and now am listening to them again and reviewing them. This one is OK. It is not great, it is not poor. The actors in this one did a good job and I liked the story, but is was just OK.

Really enjoyed this episode, talk about payback! I would listen to a whole new series of these on radio if they were to do them. It's better than TV.

Loved Marian Seldes in this episode. Patrick O'Neill was outstanding in one of my favorite episodes from 1974

TY for this episode.

My favorite things are the news and commercials. The crazy glue warning really cracked me up...lol...