TV EDITOR HOWARD PEARSON New mystery-suspense radio series rr1/20260912_121143

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## HEADING: TV EDITOR HOWARD PEARSON New mystery-suspense radio series
Although most network
radio drama series were bur-
ied in the early 1950's, CBS
plans to start a new radio se-
ries early in January.
It will be called CBS Radio
Mystery Theater and will be
presented on KSL in Utah at
8:06 each night, beginning Jan.
6. Sam Cook Digges, president
of CBS Radio, indicated during
a telephone interview that the
new project is so important
and the network is spending so
much money on it that it
might bankrupt the network if
it fails.
"But we don't intend to
fail," said Digges. "For one
thing, our executive producer
is Himan Brown, whose ca-
reer in radio goes from the
Goldbergs to such later, once-
a-week shows as Grand Cen-
tral Station and Inner Sanc-
tum.
"We are not going to run old
recordings of shows from the
past," both Digges and Brown
declared. "We intend to do
1974 versions of the classics as
well as new shows."
"The dramas will be of mys-
tery and suspense, each com-
plete within itself. All will fea-
ture newly-written scripts,
prepared specifically for this
series. We are due to rewrite
such classics as 'Tell Tale
Heart,' and 'Turn of the
Screw,' and some top perform-
ers have indicated they will
appear on our shows." Agnes
Sam C. Digges, CBS
radio president.
Himan Brown to
produce radio drama.
E. G. Marshall to
host radio series.
tional because I have been
shown that a network is will-
ing to give radio drama anoth-
er try. Each show starts with
the sound of a creaking door
to give the series a nostalgic
aspect like Inner Sanctum.
"After that, everything is
new. The host is E. G. Mar-
shall. It will be an open show
for all the fresh, proven and
unproven talent we can find.
We won't have a staff of writ-
ers or a stock acting compa-
ny. We will be open as far as
talent and other aspects are
concerned.
"We will use the newest spe-
cial effects techniques. We
also have brand new methods
of recording and acting, so we
have no reason to use old
programs."
Oddly. Digges maintains
that "radio is a lot more visu-
al than television. I say this
because every listener sees
the picture in his own way and
this stimulates imaginations."
He maintains also that peo-
ple have forgotten how to
listen, but the drama should
restore this faculty.
Digges predicted that if the
new project is a success "it
will be followed by other new
shows. A prestigious playhouse
on Sunday; drama for chil-
dren, new soap operas and
other things that have been
missing."