This is one of my favorite frightening episodes!

I've never forgotten the name Granville! This one always gave me the willies. It's one of the best!

This is my absolute favorite episode of CBS mysteries!! Excellent acting and story!

Great episode. 5 stars all the way.

A young couple finds a vacation at an attractive price. While on this vacation, they realize they are in jeopardy.

Sometimes individual episodes define CBSRMT for people. You see it all the time when people post about an episode they remember just as vividly as the day they first heard it. Or, perhaps they are looking for a memorable program that they heard some 30+ years ago. This is one of those programs - one of the best. A young couple is searching for a summer retreat - a place to relax and work on their projects. She is an artist and he a writer. They spot an ad for a bed and breakfast in a newspaper and contact the proprietor. She has some unusual requirements of her guests and must call on them in the city to meet them before agreeing to host them or give them directions to the town of Granville. She approves of them and the day comes that they drive to the quaint little town. There seem to be no signs on the main road to the town and following the directions they are given leads them to the town only by driving down a path through a field. When they arrive, several other things about the town seem curious and unusual. Thus begins the adventure.

Jane and Mike Slater, a young couple, leave their hectic city lives to take a summer home in a sleepy little town called Granville. The residents of the town are friendly...maybe a little TOO friendly for it soon becomes apparent that they don't intend to let the Slaters leave Granville...ever. A really superb episode that grabs you and keeps you guessing in the tradition of The Twilight Zone. Genre: Suspense

A young, artistic couple search for a small, remote town in which to pursue their crafts during the summer. They find Granville --- a place that is VERY hard to find and even harder to leave.

a couple respond to an ad for a summer vacation but find it odd that they must be interviewed first. Despite their initial misgivings they decide to spend their holiday in the little town. The people there seem to have found the secret to eternal youth, and the couple’s suitability seems to be connected with that secret.

A great, creepy build up that would probably have been better if they had never quite revealed what happens. But it's still a nice little episode. The actors playing the villagers do the folksy, ingratiating, too good to be true routine very well.

Watch out for the summer people! Wonderful story and great acting. Five stars!!

This was an enjoyable episode. It had a Stephen King feel to it, for me. I was also reminded of a show I saw at the Drive-In as a kid called Motel Hell, where the guests were fattened up and later served up as entre's. The production was presented in such a way that one easily pictures it in the mind's eye. Nice choice for this weeks episode. I suppose over the age of 23, the meat is a little tough and chewy.

I recently reviewed this program. This is one of those "defining episodes" that really showcases what CBSRMT was (is). There are certain episodes that you would want to let a person listen to if you were trying to show them what CBSRMT is all about - the kind of mystery, suspense, and terror that filled the airwaves when this show was on the air. With 1399 programs, not all of them are going to be memorable but we've seen on these website many times where someone is trying to identify a program that they heard 30 years ago and are looking for it because the details have stuck in their head all these years. This program is one of those. Sometimes I can zero in on a detail or two in a program that really adds to the experience for me. In this program what was particularly interesting to me was the few moments of dialog about the road to the town; They see the small sign and then look to the left and see only ruts through a field. Is that the road? As a listener, at once I am interested based on this. What is down that road? Why is it only a path? I love it. That kind of stuff is what makes it for me. And the ending - what other kind of ending could there be for a program like this? Would it have been better if the cops showed up and saved everyone? Of course not.

I am not sure that this episode defines CBSRMT as a series because most of the episodes weren't that creepy, so it isn't a good example of a typical storyline. In fact, if you played this episode for a newcomer, it would scare them off and they wouldn't want to hear the rest of series, unless they happen to love creepy stories, (and not everyone does).

Yeah, I've never heard that one before! GREAT EPISODE! Like Charlie says, this would be a good example to play for someone who has never heard the show before. Fantastic.

One of the Best I would echo the above comments about this episode being one of the shows I would play for someone who has never heard the series. It is fun and the "bad" ending helps make it memorable. This show represents RMT at its best; and I never really caught that part about the rutted path.

I love this episode. I agree about the ending. There are a few shows where the ending is unsatisfying in my opinion, but this one is perfect. One of the many great ones!

perhaps the most maddening (but it still perhaps made the program "work" even more) part about this...we never fully got the connection how the guests who disappeared helped the villagers perpetuate their youth, or at least their earthly life. This is also the only RMT episode I recall involving a pro basketball player.

Wow, well I will chime in and agree, this is def one of the best ones! Years later, a somewhat similar tale "Tourist Trap" would be broadcast on CBSRMT, also one of the best ones!

Tony Roberts was featured in several episodes involving couples thrown into crazy circumstances including "The Colony" and "Hickory, Dickory, Doom." A number of episodes had "bad" endings which were fitting, such as the case here. What exactly were the people eating at that barbecue anyway? Was it...

There are lots of "Sleepy Little Village" episodes on RMT, some better than others, but I have to agree this is one of the best. In spite of the hints, I didn't see where it was going until it was already there. :) Definitely 5 stars for both the writing and the acting.

That was absolutely THE best episode I've heard yet. So creepy! Fantastic story with a perfect ending. Well done!

Wow, this one was creepy, chilling, and totally frustrating for the listener! I kept "riding" along with the young couple, hoping like the dickens they would get the h*** outta Granville.

I remembered RMT when i was very young in the mid 70's I wasnt able to listen every night. I first heard it in the car on the way home from church... later in the late 90's when i got on the internet I looked for old time radio on Napster I found 5 or 6 episodes Soon as i heard the creaking door I knew I had found it.

That's one of my favorite episodes! For those interested in both a counterpoint and the inspiration for this, here is "Terror at the Red Wolf Inn", which I'm pretty sure inspired the writing of this episode. This was one of a series of C-movies I remember which must have had a $300 per market media buy (I only saw them advertised once in a span of weeks, and they were always in late night, after the evening news), and the tag line for this movie was: "At the Red Wolf Inn, they'll be glad to have you". These films would have been borderline-X not for sex but violence and gore*, so this shows how far (down) we've come. The RMT plays were frequently created not only in response to current events but also TV shows and movies of that era. *Bruce Dern was in one such movie of these (not "Red Wolf Inn") and he later said he was ashamed to have had to do something (only pretend) that he did in that movie.

This CBSRMT episode reminds of THE TWILIGHT ZONE episode called "Stopover In A Quiet Town" where the 2 main characters are trapped in a peaceful place and don't know how to escape. Same idea, different endings. One word to describe the Climax at the 39-minute 22-second mark: ENTERTAINING. One word to describe the Resolution at the 41-minute 48-second mark: WOW!!! I did not see that coming. Bravo to Bob Juhren on his writing. E.G. Marshall was nearly perfect on his commentaries. In his Epilogue, he said, "…another menu of Suspense, Mystery, and Horror." ACT-1 had Suspense, ACT-2 had Mystery, and ACT-3 had Horror. In his Prologue, however, he said, "Your landlord in this mansion of terror." Good choice of words, but not for this particular episode since it doesn't take place in a mansion. It takes place in the town of Granville, Population: 210, where there are no kids, no teenagers, no senior citizens, and no pets. "Your storyteller in this town of terror," would be the right intro. The sound effects of the doorbell, birds chirping, construction working, large crowd, the music band, barn door unlocked, dialing & ringing from the rotary phone, and the tea cups clinking were good contributions to this tale. The music in ACT-1 sounded casual, ACT-2 had music where the mystery was building up, and the music at the very end of ACT-3 was shocking. But it felt like it needed more suspenseful tunes. Suspenseful like the tunes in #1245-THE JUDGE'S HOUSE and #0573-THE ARTIST. But more importantly, I give a round of applause to our cast: Tony Roberts (as Mike Slater the news writer), Jennifer Harmon (as Jane Slater the painter), Grace Matthews (as the 79 year old Martha Williams), Leon Janney (as Ned Broker and Stu Henry), and William Redfield (as Tim Egan the basketball player). One word to describe the talent of these actors & actresses: SPLENDID. I recommend this episode to every CBSRMT fan that enjoys a good shocking ending.

Bruce Dern was in one such movie of these (not "Red Wolf Inn") and he later said he was ashamed to have had to do something (only pretend) that he did in that movie. Won't name the movie...the quote's out there.

Great review! This is one of my favorite episodes for all of the reasons that you mentioned.

For those interested in both a counterpoint and the inspiration for this, here is "Terror at the Red Wolf Inn", which I'm pretty sure inspired the writing of this episode. This was one of a series of C-movies I remember which must have had a $300 per market media buy (I only saw them advertised once in a span of weeks, and they were always in late night, after the evening news), and the tag line for this movie was: "At the Red Wolf Inn, they'll be glad to have you". These films would have been borderline-X not for sex but violence and gore*, so this shows how far (down) we've come. The RMT plays were frequently created not only in response to current events but also TV shows and movies of that era

Definitely a good episode and it has the supernatural to it, even if only in the background. Early on they mention that they are actually older than they say they are. Makes you wonder exactly how old they really are. I would think life would become boring in a small town like that after too many years.

The Summer People is my favorite.

The Summer People, very scary

Great end of summer episode to listen too. Closure. It's finely below 90 degrees in Tejas.

This was a good one

‘The Summer People’ solidifies writer Bob Juhren’s position as a master of the Twilight Zone-style “reveal.” Similar to other great episodes by Juhren, ‘Garden of the Moon’ and ‘Devil’s Boutique,’ People simmers with decent dialogue and character development as it revs up a seemingly mundane story, in this case that of a young but bored married couple (played by the always fantastic Tony Roberts along with Grace Matthews) seeking a relaxing summer get-away, into a twisted and bizarre fight for life. As opposed to a similar story about a small town with something to hide in Fielden Farrington’s ‘The Colony,’ this story – as many of Juhren’s – doesn’t end well for the main characters. Jennifer Harmon plays the kindly old inn-keeper for which the listener develops a deep-seated and well-deserved hatred (similar to the antagonist character in The Colony, played by Frances Sternhagen – can you tell I love The Colony?). A slightly slow pace and obviousness to the plot caused me to give only three out of five stars to The Summer People; but definitely worth a listen – Juror #4.

A guy named Jeffrey Dahmer must have listened to this radio play when it was being aired(LOL.....sorry). Seriously though, cannibalism, which this story is about pretty much, isn't something to laugh about especially in a civilized nation. Dahmer was found beaten to death &, apparently, the prison officials where Dahmer was housed made no effort to find who was behind the beating of Dahmer. That's what came to mind after listening 2 this radio play. When I heard the village setting, Granville, I thought of a village in my home state, NY, in Washington county. Unlike the Granville in this play, u don't have 2 drive on a rutted path 2 get there & every1 of the residents ages normally. Very play though. Very suspenseful. A 9.5 on a scale of 10.

"THE SUMMER PEOPLE" is NOT my favorite episode because it's just too creepy for me! I definitely would not introduce someone to CBSRMT with this episode because it might scare them off from the rest of the series, LOL! There are plenty of really good, suspenseful episodes that would be a much better first introduction. Sensitive people might not want to give the rest of the series a chance if this was the first one they heard. I can see why this one is a classic thoughy. It's very well done, but it is still a bit much. Another story that falls into the same category is another CBSRMT episode called "A HORROR STORY" (which is even more horrifying than this one). That episode was written by Elspeth Eric, (which is surprising because she usually wrote sappy stories about daddy issues, or twisted relationships based on daddy issues, lol!) Horror was generally not her usual type of writing, but "A HORROR STORY" was definitely terrifying, and for people who like stories like this, it was even better than this one, so check it out, if you haven't already! :D (But neither one is for me, thanks.) Fortunately, there are many episodes to love in this series!

Good episode. 9 out of 10 stars. And I agree with another reviewer who listed many similarities with "Motel Hell", a campy horror film from around the same era. But this CBSRMT episode is still one of my favorites, as I like creepy stories.

Fantastic episode..one of the top ten in my book

One of the greatest, most shocking Endings ever! 😉

Does anyone know where I can get a copy of the Summer People script? I have looked at various websites and not found one.

I remember working with Freddie on C54WAY and The Munsters. Always stealing the Pudding Pops from the breakroom fridge. What a character.

I was listening to “Summer People” (1975) and I thought the story seemed very familiar. It was almost the exact same story line, with a few tweaks, as “Sleepy Village” (1975). The woman in “Summer People” was put off by the interview were as the Man in “Sleepy Village” was.

Sounding like 2;yes 2 Classicoriginal Twilight Zone episodes. Knows which one's I'm referring,too eh? Give up? Alright then,here's the answer: 1). The episode w/Bill Shatner & another actresses whom I can't think of at the present moment where there 'stranger's in a small town by an devilish oversearer, & eventually decided they had enough, & finally take off from the small town,& embark on their journey.2). The episode w/ WilliamBill Mumy,& it's entitled 'It's A Good Life';not necessarily the 2003 rebootupdated version called ' It's Still A GOOD LIFE'.

Glen Frey said it best: "You can check-out any time you like, but you can never leave" -