Wonderful, quirky episode about a lovesick girl who develops a crush on an older man who happens to be an author. She tries witchcraft in order to gain his love; but, the results are ALWAYS disastrous and she usually ends up sick or hurt. For some reason this episode reminds me of being home sick from school. Probably because of the scene where she is recovering from pneumonia and goes downstairs because she is tired of being in bed. No comment on whether I ever tried to put spells on anybody!!! 5 Stars.

Boomerang Originally aired on July 4, 1977. This American playlet is the only one in the series that I've heard which actually approaches witchcraft and Satanism with intelligence rather than resorting to anything blatantly supernatural. 16 year-old Carol (played by Anne Shepard) has a common cold. She also has what seems to be a hidden agenda. An English gentleman friend of hers in his 30s named Robin is briefly in two scenes...but only the first one with Carol, in which we learn that he may be a mentor to her. At first from their phone conversation I thought that maybe they were lovers, but the story doesn't go that route at all. Carol tends to spend her time chanting prayers akin to black magic. On a few occasions it seems that she's trying to kill herself (including a car accident), yet she not only fails each time but because of her youth, the girl heals rather quickly. Norman Rose (who plays her doctor) offers the twist at the end of the story, which completely legitimizes the going-ons throughout. For once....something of a rational explanation! There doesn't seem to be any actual magic in this story. Of course that is open to interpretation. For example, early on when Carol speaks one incantation, the thunderstorm taking place may have been a total coincidence. In any other story I'd come to the conclusion that the spell caused the storm, but in the full context of this episode it doesn't seem that way. I won't give away the ending, except that the doc comments that his patient is a terrible witch -- which at least explains why none of her attempts at spell casting work. This is probably the first episode written by Elspeth Eric that I actually liked, and the payoff makes it worthwhile.

Corinne Orr played Carol and Ann Shepard played Carol's mother.

I rate this episode ★★★★☆ for GOOD. Let’s begin with what was superb. 1st up, the cast: Corinne Orr (as Carol), Ann Shepard (as Celia), Norman Rose (as Dr. John), and Michael Wager (as Robin Grays and the Passenger). All 4 of them, hands down, magnificently stole the show together! 2nd: the sound effects of the thundering rain, rotary phone, doorbell, rain coat, howling wind, desk drawer, birds chirping, written note, tableware clinking, car engine, honking and screeching, car crash, airplane soaring, firing of the revolver, and the scraping of the chair legs. And 3rd: the music with its “charmed-like” tunes that made the storyline feel entrancing. Now comes the 2 reasons why I rated this 4 out of 5 stars. ONE: the Script. Elspeth Eric’s story of Teenage Witchcraft was more of a Drama-Mystery and less of a Fantasy-Mystery. The ending took me by surprise on what the Doctor knew about Witchcraft, but then his dialogue just faded away so the Host could speak. This episode should’ve expanded to 2-parts rather than finish the story off with travel plans and the discussion of Magic VS Science. Another way to title this episode would be “The Vulnerable Age Of Carol.” TWO: our Host’s narrations. In his Prologue, E.G. Marshall begins by telling the CBSRMT fans that this is a love story. In ACT-1, he added the meaning of “Ambivalence” to this love story. In ACT-2, reminiscing the old days back when we were 16 years old. In ACT-3, as the Doctor’s dialogue faded away, E.G. Marshall makes a brief summary that the characters went to Stockholm, find the Devil’s Bible, and the girl’s mother marries the doctor. As I said before, with a story like this, it should’ve expanded to 2-parts. In his Epilogue, E.G. Marshall mentions how to prove if a woman is a witch, but he does not bring up the topic of love. The Epilogue should’ve connected with the Prologue, but the topic went off course. This episode is still pretty good, plus it has a commercial for the Buick Skyhawk, but it would’ve been great if the storyline expanded. I do recommend this story to those that are fans of Witchcraft. And if you want to hear a better Witch story, I highly recommend #0736-THE THERAPEUTIC CAT which is also written by Elspeth Eric. Until next time…pleasant dreams. =0)

As a Wiccan I don't typically like stories which conflate witchcraft with Satanism. This one almost redeemed itself. The 70s were a different time, but Carol's mom let her go out with a 30 year old? Elpseth Eric scripts are typically love it or leave it. This is in the latter category for me.

I shouldn’t have bothered. Predictable and boring. Classic Elspeth.

I tend to like Elspeth Eric's stuff, but hated this episode. I couldn't get past how it whitewashes witchcraft and lies about history. Not for me.