Queen of Cats didn't have fake cat noises in it and it was a bit better than most of the cat episodes. The Resident was one of the worst episodes ever in my opinion. There was one about a man's wife who turned into a cat. What was it called? That is another one of my most UN-favorite episodes. Someone mentioned not liking actors mimicking cats. I was thinking about it, and there are multiple stories with a cat or cats within the storyline. Some are fairly similar. Some I can recall are: The Velvet Claws The Black Cat Kitty Queen of Cats The Resident Triptych for a Witch The Therapeutic Cat The Child's Cat Paw The Tenth Life Have I left out any episodes? Several of these have cats killing people, and some have them as "familiars" to a witch.

that episode you're thinking of is called "Cat Wife", and it was one of Arch Oboler's earlier scripts from Lights Out. It's certainly not as bad an episode as most think, and Boris Karloff does pretty good considering the premise.

See "Willard" only with cats. An evil witch uses cats to prey on children in a small town. A lawyer and a local sheriff try to corner her.

If this episode had better SOUND quality, it might have landed on the best of the dark Macabre Mysyery Theater episodes, like Star Sapphire. Also I must comment on how many episodes have elements that seem to have been POACHED BY STEPHEN KING seemingly, or may have inspired him perhaps, shall we say. The scene in this episode act 3 of seduction is awfully similar to the scene in The Shining, where a young beauty is suddenly seen as old and rotting. Search Stephen King on this site and you will see how often people say his stories have familiar Mystery Theater elements. I guess he listened carefully to Mystery Theater as a kid and was greatly inspired.

The Shining was published in 1977 so it was likely already written when this aired.

one of my favorites.

I I rate this episode ★★★★☆ for GOOD. This Fantasy-Mystery, written by Ian Martin, is good as his other bewitching tale: #0280-WITCHES' ALMANAC. The difference is that this particular horror story had what E.G. Marshall use to say, "The fear…you can hear." The storyline was great, but I found 3 things that were puzzling. ONE: When the Witch dies (SPOILER ALERT), none of the characters asked what's going to happen to her 63 cats. TWO: Why is the Witch named Sarah Taylor? It's a good name, but a better name for this particular Witch would be "Cathica" because it fits perfectly for someone who transforms into a cat and/or raises dozens of felines. And THREE: the Lawyer's fiancé in this story says it's Halloween & there's a Full Moon. SPECIAL NOTE: When this episode first aired on Halloween 1976, there was no Full Moon. The closest time the Full Moon appeared during the week of Halloween, was on October 30th, 1974 when CBSRMT aired #0143-THE IMP IN THE BOTTLE. This episode, #0545-THE QUEEN OF CATS aired again for Halloween 1978, when the New Moon appeared…but I digress. Anyway, the sound effects of the howling wind, guns firing, the cats, doors, rotary phone ringing, the Witch's ghastly transformation, beeping noises from the hospital, and the footsteps in the woods were suitable. But I think they overdid the sounds of the cats in ACT-1, it was too much of it. The music, though, had fantastic horrifying tunes that were hair-raising, goose bumping, bone-chilling in every scene! The music that was playing during the Witch's narrations would make your blood run cold, just like the music in ACT-3 from #1245-THE JUDGE'S HOUSE. In our Host's Prologue, E.G. Marshall brings up the info on October 31st & the history of Halloween. In ACT-1, he discusses shapeshifting studies. I loved his narration at the end of the Act when he said, "The nightmare has only begun. The fabric of it still in the weaving. The terror and disaster and agony not yet stitched into the tapestry." Now THAT is an eye-opening narration! In ACT-2, he brings up to speed that there's a halloween figure of monstrous and terrifying evil: Sarah Taylor the Witch. Later, he points out the musings of our main villain, which is very informative. In ACT-3, after discussing Peter Pan's Tinker Bell, he asks, "Do we believe as profoundly in the spirits of darkness and terror and total destruction?" That's a mystery we have to solve on our own. At the end of this gruesome tale for Halloween, E.G. Marshall quotes the line from the Wizard of OZ: "Ding, dong, the Witch is dead." In his Epilogue, not only he talked about the lawyer who survived in this tale, but points out that Halloween is a time of thrills & chills, but it's also a time to rejoice (All Saints' Day). Great work, E.G. Marshall. And great work to our cast: Tammy Grimes (as Sarah Taylor: the Witch), Joe Silver (as the Sheriff), Jack Grimes (as Tony Readick: the Lawyer), and Betsy Beard (as Carrie Chisolm: Tony's fiancé). Bravo to Joe Silver, Jack Grimes, and Betsy Beard, but I'd give a round of applause to Tammy Grimes who played her part WICKEDLY! Listen to her wicked narrations, but also listen at the 36-minute mark when Tammy Grimes & Jack Grimes kiss. Her voice fit the part perfectly as if she really was a sorceress that could transform into a cat. This is the type of villain that you could love to hate, but also a villain that you would want to understand and put yourself into her shoes and see how she's the hero in her dark world. This is one of the best witch stories I've heard from CBSRMT and I recommend it to everyone to listen to for the week of Halloween. Until next time…pleasant dreams. =0>

This Episode "Queen of Cats" is a Great Episode for Halloween!! Along with other dark episodes: "Man Sized Marble", "White Wolf", "Toy Death", "Ghost Grey Bat", "Tryptich for a Witch", "Carmilla", "Judges House", "The Other Soul", "Cezar Curse", "Speak of the Devil", "Mother Love", "Island Of the Lost", "Hickory Dickory Doom", " House on Chimney Pot Lane", "Coffin for the Devil", "Fall of Gentryville". A great Halloween CBS Radio Mystery Theater Playlist!!

one of my favorites.

The Queen of Cats is one of my favorite episodes.

this episode makes me think of when my parents had attained an empty nest after I went in2 the Navy basic training in latter part of 7/81 & my sister went away college l8er that same year, how they started bringing stray cats. They maxed out @ 23 cats in all but they were all nice cats that didn't go preying on children(LOL). My favorite of the 23 was a cat named Putnam whom we had a pet name of SUPERGLUE. Once u pet him he was like superglue.....he was in ur lap in about 10 seconds. Putnam was certainly a "people" cat & the largest of the cats. He was a brown Tigercat, a tabby.