I remember listening to this, and many other epsiodes, with my dad when I was a boy. Thanks for bringing back so many fond memories.

I remember laying in bed at night at age 8 to 15 listening to these stories ! I could not wait till the next night to get in bed and hear the next episode! It brings back so many fond memories! Thanks for being part of my wonderful childhood!

Good story! It had the perfect mix of mystery, thriller, and creepiness.

A man and his wife rent a nice cottage owned by an elderly woman for a ridiculously low monthly fee. They notice a distinct smell and mouse-like noises coming from within the walls. Their sudden weight loss cannot be explained by a physician.

The lowdown: A young couple moves into a cottage that's affordable for their budget as the husband is an aspiring career man with his company. They find a cottage that fits their ideas of a nice place and the landlord is a nice old lady (Mrs. Sagamore). While everything seems pleasant at first, it doesn't take long (like the first night perhaps) and strange things start happening (like little noises in the night). That coupled with word from the grapevine that the Sagamore cottage is...ummmm...strange, and soon the young couple aren't at such ease anymore. They try to figure out some of the odd things that the old lady does (like host huge parties and there's no cars in the driveway of her house...that's adjacent to them). When they find out that they may become victims of one of the old lady's gruesome hobbies, will it be too late?

Upon moving into a cottage owned by the seemingly harmless Ms. Sagamore, a couple become aware of strange scratching noises in the wall and the husband's micro-recorder picks up tiny little voices coming from somewhere in the house. Could there be a connection between these strange happenings and all the little china dolls Ms. Sagamore has on display in her house? This is one of those episodes that has stayed in my memory since I first heard it as a child. A weird story with a good cast. Genre: Occult

A young couple rent a cabin adjacent to an old estate inhabited by an old women with an affinity for China dolls. She plans to add to her collection soon.

A couple rent a comfortable and well equipped cottage from an eccentric old woman and her housekeeper for a bargain price. Once settled, they hear squeeks from the baseboards and get a cat to chase out the critters living in the walls, yet all the cat can find are straw voodoo dolls. At the same time, they become concerned about their loss of weight and seek medical advise as to the cause. An excellent episode

Love this episode! Very creepy. Another wonderfully executed production-- you really "feel" the locale and "smell' that unmistakable order of straw. The slowly building mystery of why the protaganists are losing weight and the true source of the "little squeaks" in the wall are perfectly paced and built upon. RMT at its best-- a supernatural horror with a truly frightening ending. Also, I love E.G.'s "cute" little observation at the end. "I do hope somebody remembers to feed poor Tiger-- he hasn't had a thing-- since Roy! " hee hee hee

YEAH! Man, that one had me guessing all the way! A great show!!

This was one of my favorite RMT's. The ending was well executed and actually surprised me as I didn't think the bad guys would win. I love RMT in general but I particularly enjoy the episodes that deal with the supernatural.

While listening, you could feel the race against time. Although Mrs. Sagamore won the battle, you would think that Roys friend would win the war, but I really enjoyed that she was planning on making him her Louis XIII and adding him to her collection! Good show!

Really a scary story that keeps your attention the whole way. Too bad they didnt get out of the cottage in time!

Very well done. I enjoyed this one thouroughly! Reply With Quote

Very well done. I enjoyed this one thouroughly!

The first gut reaction I had after hearing several lines of this episode was: "This sounds like another 'The Summer People' (another RMT episode with a bunch of old people scheming up fiendish, supernatural plots against younger people whom they select)." The last such reaction I had (about the time when the boss comes in to check on what's happened to his friend and the friend's wife) was the thought: "Man, I'd love to have the CIA agents come in and bust these old women and burn that cottage to the ground like I heard they did to the bad guys at the end of the movie 'Clear and present danger' "... :!: (I know I shouldn't harbor the desire for vengeance...it's a little of that "Star Sapphire effect". Some genuine justice for these old female curmudgeons was long overdue, though.) There've been some other voodoun episodes on the RMT that I can recall...some bad (I think the zombie-based "The walking corpse" could fit in here), some fair to middlin' or even better ("The Doll", "Bound East for Haiti"). I'd say this one was at the "even better" category or above, because I didn't expect the supernatural twists that emerged. To borrow from another RMT title: "That Hamlet was a good boy"...great choice for a show, guy.

A man and his wife rent a nice cottage owned by an elderly woman for a ridiculously low monthly fee. They notice a distinct smell and mouse-like noises coming from within the walls. Their sudden weight loss cannot be explained by a physician but Bob Juhren clears things up quite nicely. I liked this program because we need a few where the sympathetic characters meet their demise. It keeps us on our toes. I also liked how the suspense built from act to act and I was very appreciative of the cat sound effects. I've heard a few other CBSRMT programs where a cat was involved and the sound effect was atrocious. This was pretty realistic. Finally, I got a kick out of the fact that Mrs. Sagamore was being kind in letting Margaretta perform chores.

I chose this episode not because it is a necessarily one of the greatest dramatically but I found the whole idea intriguing and fun. This is one of the shows I clearly remember hearing as a kid, listening to my radio in my bedroom after lights out on a school night. The night I heard it, I fell asleep and never got to find out what happened to the couple. I remembered it for years and finally found someone on the net who knew the name of the episode. (As an aside, it's nice to ocassionally come across a CBSRMT show where the couple actually get along -- neither is cheating on, fighting, or trying to kill the other!

This was one of the first episodes I downloaded and listened to. I love this type of episode. The suspense built wonderfully around the squeaky sounds and the mysterious landlord. It packed a lot of plot into forty minutes. Again, one of the best shows ever and an excellent choice for show!

fantastic pick!!! i LOVED it!! This is the type of episode that I really enjoy. The hints at the problems, the occasional clue, the building sense of impending danger, and then, BANG: the resolution and a quick end. At the end, I couldn\'t help but think of the classic horror film, \"The Fly\". The tiny spider with the human head squeeking out, \"helllllp meeeeee!\" hehehe LOVED IT

I just wanna say that I saw that movie u spoke of.....just 2 make sure the facts r straight.....it was a FLY with a human head.

You know I keep hearing things in the wall of my apartment (probably the neighbors), and my cat did find a straw man recently... nahhh couldn't be. Anyway really good show gave it a 4. I remember listening to this one as a kid. I could not sleep too well that night, I kept hearing things in the walls. But then again I lived in a Victorian I was bound to hear something, Could have been my dog snoring laying next to me too. Thanks for the scare memories.

Just reading ur comment & there seems 2 be a certain eeriness 2 old Victorian houses. They seem 2 be the setting 4 a lot of paranormal stories. If u get the chance, check out a movie called The Changeling with the late George C. Scott if u wanna c a humdinger of an old Victorian house.

So why is it that the people in the story who have been shrunk don't run out into the middle of the room to get someone's attention? Why be satisfied with just making mouse-like sounds that no one can hear? At the end of the story, why doesn't the protagonist try to get his freind's attention visually? Are they afraid of the cat? Just wondering? I love the actress who plays Ms. Sagamore. She has just the right sort of grandmotherly voice that makes her evil actions all the more frightening. Bad guys are rarely interesting if they are obviously evil. It's much more interesting to have an antagonist who seems oblivious to the fact that what they are doing is wrong.

your right why the heck did he not come out (before they got the cat). I know my cat if it is smaller than him and moves on the ground it is bound to be pounced upon and attacked. So my question is why did the cat not kill the little man and carry his corpse in his mouth to his masters like other cats do with mice and birds? My cats in all day so he only does that with the stuffed toys, of course the day my cat brings over a shrunk man corpse is the day I am outta these apartments.

Nothing like a good old-fashioned gothic horror tale! This one had all the elements. The sound effects were very good - I'm paying more attention to these after reading comments about some of the other Shows of the Week - and especially creepy music. EG Marshall's final comment before wrapping up - about feeding the cat - put this one over the top for me. And now ... something pretty cool. Back in the '70's, I listened to the series for several months before deciding to write down all the episodes I could remember (and thereafter). I wrote down titles, then a list of shows for which I had no title - had dozed off for part of the show, etc. I had looked back at this list several times in the decades since. One of the untitled ones, I had written "don't go in the ballroom". When I saw the title of this show, I had a strange feeling ... any title of fiction involving a cottage, mansion etc. often suggests a tale of the supernatural. Along with "The Laughing Maiden" several weeks back, this week's show has really taken me back. Yet another good show.

Finally got to hearing this one and boy, it was one of those that really hit the whole "mystery theater" thing on the head. I really enjoyed it, and just when I thought it was becoming predictable, the twist came along and made excellent sense. Very good choice! I gave this one a 4.9 out of 5 for making me smile through the whole show.

Losing weight sounded good, to a point!!

I was 10 yrs old and this episode scared the bejeezus out of me! glad to find it again: it holds up as a clever and tight narrative, well-acted and staged.

This one was very creepy, kept me guessing and even made me laugh out loud! Husband: Something wrong? Friend: Just an odor I’ve smelled somewhere before... (Sniff sniff) It’s straw . . . from a voodoo doll!

This one is well worth the listen! Well acted, well written, and the ending is unexpected!

I really enjoyed this one! thank you

This is a fun, creepy episode. I always love to see or listen to Carmen Matthews. She was a genuine pro. You have to suspend disbelief here, of course, but that's true of so many of these episodes. There's a whole lot going on in one episode, and a nice twist. It brought me back to when I listened faithfully, usually sneaking around to do so. in my childhood and adolescence. I think I'll listen to this one, as well as a few other choice eerie eps, for Halloween.

This was a great story to listen to. However, I did not understand why the people lost weight, but I guess you can explain it away with magic (I could understand if they were shrinking as well as losing weight). I just wonder how difficult it would be to pose the figurines before covering them with ceramic, especially at their age.

One of CMSRMT's best stories! Great story with a nice twist in the 3rd act! It really kept my interest. Well done.

Bit of a scary episode, what with a witch and people being shrunk to the size of dolls. Kind of ironic that Janet Waldo is in the cast of this episode as she was the voice of Josie on Josie and the Pussycats, and those characters were getting into weird situations with crooks and mad scientists on a weekly basis.

I rate this episode ★★★★★ for EXCELLENT. This witch story, written by Bob Juhren, is something that you cannot pass up on! Every scene got more mysterious than the last and this story would've been suitable for THE TWILIGHT ZONE or THE NIGHT GALLERY. I wish there was a sequel to this CBSRMT episode, just so we can hear the remaining characters figure a way out of the cottage. Another way to title this would be "The New Party Guests" or simply "The Doll Collection." Sound effects of the car engine, car screech, birds chirping, footsteps, doorbell ring, tableware clinking, computer beeps, the photograph, classical music, light switch, the cat meowing, rings falling off, howling wind, phone ringing, bottle of Scotch, thunder, and the music box were all delightful to hear. The music, delightful as well. Dozens of tunes that built up the suspense, superstition, intensity, and curiosity. If CBSRMT added the horror music from the 3rd Act of #1245-THE JUDGE'S HOUSE into this story when the main characters saw the figurines, that would've left listeners breathless. In our Host's Prologue, E.G. Marshall says, "Welcome to the Halls of Mystery. The corridors of terror where the impossible becomes the probable and the unexpected becomes the accepted." Now THAT is an intro! In ACT-1, he brings us into the story: Long Island, NY and mentions our 2 main characters. In ACT-2, he lists the number of problems for our cottage guests: noises in the walls, weight problems, and voodoo in the 1970's. In ACT-3, after hearing the stunning climax, E.G. Marshall points out that our antagonist's livelihood is her figurine collection. In the Epilogue, our Host mentions a Resolution to the story, especially on what to do with Tiger the Cat who needs to be fed. From Prologue to Epilogue, E.G. Marshall's narrations were outstanding to hear. And that goes the same with our talented cast: Robert Kaliban (as Roy Watson), Carmen Matthews (as Eleanor Sagamore), Janet Waldo (as Peggy Watson), Bryna Raeburn (as Margaretta & Dr. Mason), and Robert Maxwell (as Andy Carter & George Dolberts). Both male actors played their parts well. But I think the 3 actress stole the show, especially Bryna Raeburn with her termagant tone of voice. Carmen Matthews' performance was nicely done and Janet Waldo (the voice of Judy Jeston) was appealing. I highly recommend this episode to all CBSRMT fans. And if you enjoy this story by Bob Juhren, check out his other works: #0367-THE SUMMER PEOPLE, #1193-GARDEN OF THE MOON, #1245-THE JUDGE'S HOUSE, and #0957-HICKORY, DICKORY, DOOM. Until next time…pleasant dreams. =^D

One of my favorites.

I LOVE THIS ONE!!!

One of Bob Jurhen's best. It's fun to analyze episodes, but this one is just plain GREAT!!! A must listen. I actually gasped during Act 3. 5 stars out of 5 - JUROR #4

I enjoyed most all of these shows back when I was kid back in mid-1970's. CBS Radio Mystery Theater came on at 10:07pm Monday through Friday on WGPC AM 1450, Albany, GA. I hardly ever missed a show! These days, listening via internet, I usually fall asleep before the end of the episode. Not so with this particular episode. My attention was riveted all the way through the end. Just like back in the day listening in bed with the lights off on school nights and Friday night as well!

Russell, I enjoy reading your comments.