The problems of a mentally troubled woman are unresolved.

I love the series and remember it fondly as a kid. Been listening to every episode in sequence, and got my 9 year old listening too. That said, not a big fan of this particular episode. its vapid Elspeth Eric tripe voiced by Mercedes McCambrige smoker over the top melodrama. Not a strong episode.

I agree one of the worst episodes. Not a big fan of the show and cast

totally agree, I couldn't even get through the whole episode. I'm not a Mercedes McCambrige fan, I understand that Orson Welles loved her and she can sound like Judy Garland at times, but I just don't get the attraction. Not a voice for radio

I remember listening to this series as a kid back in the 1970s. Use to come on around 11:30/12:00 midnight and some them scared the bejesus out of me! I like this episode, too. Ms. McCambridge was the voice of the demon coming out of Linda Blair in The Exorcist!

Ms. McCambridge and Ms. Eric: what a combo! McCambridge sounded like she was having so much fun!

I feel sorry for the folks who feel the need to make themselves feel superior by criticizing CBSRMT eps as though they were performances of Shakespeare plays. CBSRMT is about having fun. People who whinge about "...vapid Elspeth Eric tripe voiced by..." and similar have already missed the point, and the value, of the Mystery Theater. I feel sorry for them.

I think you're missing the point. The reason people criticize some lame episodes is because CBSRMT is such a quality program in general and the audience expects a certain standard of quality. Naturally there is a kind of disappointment when the episodes aren't up to the usual standards. It's kind of a "they can do better than that" feeling.

Freaky! This is my first time on here and I'm loving it already. Those sound effects were fantastic. I used to listen to this on the way out to the clubs, it must have been back in the late 70's?

I truly feel sorry for people that can't handle when something they like gets criticized. They get defensive and take it as some kind of personal attack. It seems that these people don't understand the Constitution and the right to free speech. These people are traitors to the American ideal. I feel sorry for them.

I rate this episode ★★★☆☆ for AVERAGE. The thing about Elspeth Eric, is that she wrote terrific episodes like #0736-THE THERAPEUTIC CAT, but also wrote horrible ones like #0236-THE STUFF OF DREAMS. This particular mystery story of hers was 50/50. Good title, bad shocking surprises. Good intro, bad climax. Good set of characters, bad character development. The suspenseful music was terrific, adding music from THE TWILIGHT ZONE series was a nice touch. The sound effects, however, needed more. There were the sounds of the ocean waves, sea gulls, howling wind, doors, footsteps, telephone, rock stones, cups clinking, and a ship horn. And all that happened in ACT-1 and ACT-2. Hardly any sounds played during the 3rd ACT. In our Host’s Prologue, E.G. Marshall begins with the topic of the imperishable human soul. In ACT-1, he spoke with methodical words, followed by ships and the Ocean of Life: “First a look, then a voice, then darkness, then silence.” In ACT-2, he quoted the Polish writer Joseph Conrad from his TYPHOON novella: “The sea never changes and its works, for all the talk of men, are wrapped in mystery." In ACT-3, Joseph Conrad again, only from his FALK book: “I have known the sea too long to believe in its respect for decency.” In his Epilogue, E.G. Marshall finishes the episode off with a quote by the Roman poet Catullus: “Forever brother hail and farewell” followed by making his own farewell to the CBSRMT fans. E.G. Marshall had interesting quotes to go with the mystery story, but he needed more narrations to describe the circumstances of our characters rather than quoting writers & poets. And finally, our cast: Mercedes McCambridge (as Katherine Gunther), Ralph Bell (as Larry/John/the Doctor), Teri Keane (as Harriet Denim), and Ian Martin (as Casper Royce and Katherine’s Father). Great performance from our leading lady Mercedes McCambridge who sounded like she was having fun for playing a character with emotional pain. The other performers, however, didn’t express enough emotion into their dialect. For those that are fans of Mercedes Cambridge, check this episode out. But also, listen to the mystery stories written by Elspeth Eric that are more mystifying like #0167-THE BLACK ROOM, #0417-THE RED FRISBEE, and #1288-THE SAND CASTLE. Until next time…pleasant dreams. =0]

@Russell, I thought I would comment on some of the episodes you mentioned. Actually I thought that THE THERAPEUTIC CAT was terrible because the cat turned into a witch, and THE STUFF OF DREAMS was pretty good, until the young man turns into a demon at the end, lol! THE BLACK ROOM was a fantastic episode, and not Elspeth Eric's usual writing style. It was one of the best, thanks to the performance of Larry Haines, who carried the whole episode. THE RED FRISBEE and THE SAND CASTLE are almost the same story, and I liked the former better than the latter. THE SAND CASTLE felt more like a rewrite of THE RED FRISBEE more than anything else.

I was listening to this episode on Internet radio, and somehow I knew this must be Elspeth Eric's writing, just by her style. I came here just to see, and sure enough, lol! :D It is the usual psychological drama and strange dialogue where people are discussing each other's psych problems, so that is how I always know that Elspeth Eric wrote it, even before I check, lol! :D As for the acting, I'm sorry to say that Mercedes McCambridge's acting is really terrible! Some of her episodes are tolerable, but when she is bad, she is really BAD as an actress. (For some reason I like her anyway. I guess it's because she's so different and unique, lol!)

This play is exactly what I’ve come to expect from Elspeth Eric.