RMT meets the "X-files"...weird disappearances and a government coverup. The wonderful John Beal and Marian Seldes play an erudite New England couple whose daughter has disappeared on a hiking trip in Ecuador. Feeling helpless and frustrated as they await a letter or any kind of contact from their daughter, they go to Washington to visit the state department. Beal is fascinated by the architecture of the building, Seldes is angry with what she feels is an unresponsive bureaucracy at State, uncaring about the fate of their daughter. Both are moved to go to Ecuador after they learn that other people have disappeared climbing up the mountain (Mt. Caqueta) that their daughter wrote in her last letters that she was going to ascend. The two go to Ecuador where they meet an ambassador (played by Earl Hammond) who himself seems to be hiding something. He remembers their daughter stopping by at his office for some sort of paperwork, accompanied by a very light skinned, Scandinavian-looking man. They say they want to climb Caqueta too...he warns them not to due to the fact there are menacing, hostile Indians nearby. Beal's character says he's read up on the same tribe and that they in fact are quite friendly. Hammond's character then says he'd like to join them on their trek to do some investigation of his own, and off they go...

I rate this episode ★★★☆☆ for AVERAGE. This story, written by Percy Granger, is like a cross between the radio series of SUSPENSE and the TV series of THE X-FILES. Two thirds of this story is an adventurous Drama-Mystery and the last Act is a Fantasy-Mystery with a surprising ending. It would’ve been a nicer ending if the characters actually found their missing daughter or have the same surprising ending as Ep. #1193-GARDEN OF THE MOON. An alternate title for this would be “Where Is Jill Bledsoe?” The music was terrific, filled with tension and suspense and the tune they used at the 26-minute mark was “out of this world.” The sound effects were more supportive in the 3rd Act than ACT-1 and ACT-2. Sound effects such as the footsteps on the mountain, thunderstorm, eruption of the ground, birds chirping, telephone and the light switch in the dark room. In our Host’s Prologue, E.G. Marshall starts the show off by discussing loved ones that are lost, not to death, but to the unknown. In ACT-1, his topic is about Missing People/Presumed Dead. In ACT-2, he points out that we choose companions wisely and wonder if there is a race of people living at the top of the crater. In ACT-3, after facing the crater at Mt. Caqueta and discovering what the photograph showed, our Host discloses the whereabouts of our missing character. In the Epilogue, E.G. Marshall closes the story up with the question: “Do you know where your children are right now?” Now onto our cast: Marian Seldes (as Margaret Bledsoe), John Beal (as Don Bledsoe), and Earl Hammond (as Andy, Carl Cobb, and Raymond Hodges). Both our leading lady and leading man played a perfect married couple on a quest to find their missing daughter. I’d give Earl Hammond props that he played 3 characters, but I don’t think his first role as Andy was needed. His second role as Carl Cobb was plain. But his third role as Raymond Hodges was suitable for him. If you’re looking for adventure stories with surprising endings, check this one out. And check out other CBSRMT stories written by Percy Granger including #0764-THE LAUGHING MAIDEN, #0789-SECOND SIGHT, and #0950-THE DOMINANT PERSONALITY. Until next time…pleasant dreams. =0]

loved this one. As a kid this one would def have scared me