T5#168 Point of Impact

Episode number: 168

Network broadcast date: Wednesday, March 24, 1965
Point of Impact
Genre: Space-age drama
Author: Michael A. Hanu
Production number: 169
Production date: Tuesday, March 2, 1965
Director: Warren Somerville
Producer: not announced

Plotline: It’s the nightmare scenario: a rival country has launched a nuclear rocket and it’s heading our way. We follow the commanding officer as he races to stop a holocaust, pressure building with every second until the shocking conclusion.

Listen: https://archive.org/details/T5project/Theater+Five+650324+168+Point+of+Impact.flac

Cast: Joan Lovejoy, Ralph Camargo, Robert Dryden, Stan Watt, Larry Robinson

Notes:

Hanu was a writer for Voice of America; it is possible he was encouraged by William N. Robson to pursue this effort since Robson was at VOA at the time

T5#167 The Hazelton Story

Episode number: 167

Network broadcast date: Tuesday, March 23, 1965
The Hazelton Story
Genre: Topical melodrama
Author: Richard McCracken
Production number: 170
Production date: Wednesday, March 3, 1965
Director: Ted Bell
Producer: Ted Bell

Plotline: Aunt Alison, the 84-year-old matriarch of the Hazelton empire calls a rare board meeting for the family business, only to have a stroke in the middle of it. Now that she’s bedridden and catatonic, her family stops the fawning and starts the back-stabbing, but her young niece suspects Aunt Alison may be more aware than she appears…

Listen: https://archive.org/details/T5project/Theater+Five+650323+167+The+Hazelton+Story.flac

Cast: Ethel Remey, Maurice Tarplin, Jim Campbell, Rosemary Rice, David Kerman, Laura Stuart

Notes:

No opening tease

T5#166 Bad News for Mrs. Bristol

Episode number: 166

Network broadcast date: Monday, March 22, 1965
Bad News for Mrs. Bristol
Genre: Psychological drama
Author: Albert G. Miller
Production number: 168
Production date: Monday, March 1, 1965
Director: William Gately
Producer: not announced

Plotline: When a young bride is told her husband of three months is actually an escapee from a mental hospital who murdered his first wife, she has to decide whether to believe the police and help bring him in, or trust the man she loves and go on the run with him.

Listen: https://archive.org/details/T5project/Theater+Five+650322+166+Bad+News+for+Mrs+Bristol.flac

Cast: Anne Houston, Jackson Beck, Ed Zimmerman, Sam Raskyn

Notes:

No opening tease

T5#165 They Call Me Howie

Episode number: 165

Network broadcast date: Friday, March 19, 1965
They Call Me Howie
Genre: Ghost
Author: Hal Hackady
Production number: 166
Production date: Thursday, February 25, 1965
Director: Warren Somerville
Producer: not announced

Plotline: Shortly after his family moves into a charming Connecticut farmhouse, 8-year-old Howie starts claiming his name is Cotton Merriweather and he’s a soldier from the 18th century. The more his parents dig into local history, the more his obscure names and historical details check out. Is their son possessed?

Listen: https://archive.org/details/T5project/Theater+Five+650319+165+They+Call+Me+Howie.flac

Cast: Elliott Reid, Evie Juster, Stan Watt, Susan Melvin

Notes:

In some newspaper listings, the title is "They Call Me Howy"; No opening tease

T5#164 If the Spirit Moves You

Episode number: 164

Network broadcast date: Thursday, March 18, 1965
If the Spirit Moves You
Genre: Mystery
Author: Marquita Fisher
Production number: 167
Production date: Friday, February 26, 1965
Director: Ted Bell
Producer: Ted Bell

Plotline: A man is being haunted by the ghost of his old boss. Even worse? The ghost has a pile of work for him and harsher deadlines than he gave when he was alive.

Listen: https://archive.org/details/T5project/Theater+Five+650318+164+If+the+Spirit+Moves+You.flac

Cast: Court Benson, Jim Dukas, Grace Matthews, Robert Dryden

 

T5#163 Across the River to Grandfather's House

Episode number: 163

Network broadcast date: Wednesday, March 17, 1965
Across the River to Grandfather's House
Genre: Adventure
Author: Robert Cenedella
Production number: 164
Production date: Friday, February 26, 1965
Director: Warren Somerville
Producer: Warren Somerville

Plotline: For the last 5 years, three eccentric cousins keep each other prisoner in their grandfather’s house, obsessively going over the facts of his murder, advancing theories and accusations to figure out whodunnit. It’s gone well beyond the point of absurdity and that’s before Cousin Dan arrives at their door.

Listen: https://archive.org/details/T5project/Theater+Five+650317+163+Across+the+River+to+Grandfather's+House.flac

Cast: Alan Bunce, James Monks, Alice Ghostley, Court Benson

Notes:

No opening tease

T5#162 Any Port in a Storm

Episode number: 162

Network broadcast date: Tuesday, March 16, 1965
Any Port in a Storm
Genre: Fantasy
Author: Don Lamb
Production number: 165
Production date: Wednesday, February 24, 1965
Director: Warren Somerville
Producer: Warren Somerville

Plotline: Shipwrecked honeymooners wash up on an deserted island only to discover it’s Bikini Atoll — a government testing site for hydrogen bombs!

Listen: https://archive.org/details/T5project/Theater+Five+650316+162+Any+Port+in+A+Storm.flac

Cast: Betsy von Furstenberg, George Petrie, Ethel Remey, John Griggs

Notes:

Lamb was active in Off-Broadway and regional theater as a stage and production manager, and as a supporting actor. He was also an aspiring playwright in those venues. He was a stage manager for the 1970-1971 Broadway productions of Frank Merriwell and Harvey, the latter starring Jimmy Stewart and Helen Hayes; show theme does not start until after the 2:00 mark

T5#161 Divorce American Style

Episode number: 161

Network broadcast date: Monday, March 15, 1965
Divorce American Style
Genre: Human interest drama
Author: Nick Cosentino
Production number: 163
Production date: Monday, February 22, 1965
Director: Ted Bell
Producer: Ted Bell

Plotline: Follows the ups, downs, absurdities and tragedies of one couple’s acrimonious divorce.

Listen: https://archive.org/details/T5project/Theater+Five+650315+161+Divorce+American+Style.flac

Cast: George Petrie, Evie Juster, Vicki Vola, Alan Oppenheimer

Notes:

No opening tease

T5#160 The Janitor

Episode number: 160

Network broadcast date: Friday, March 12, 1965
The Janitor
Genre: Drama
Author: Fielden Farrington
Production number: 158
Production date: Monday, February 15, 1965
Director: Ted Bell
Producer: Ted Bell

Plotline: When a kindly school custodian brings a little girl into the boiler room to fix her backpack, he sets off a wave of hysteria that soon takes over the entire school.

Listen: https://archive.org/details/T5project/Theater+Five+650312+160+The+Janitor.flac

Cast: Frederick O'Neal, Court Benson, Grace Matthews, Susan Melvin, Joseph Bell

T5#159 Publish or Perish

Episode number: 159

Network broadcast date: Thursday, March 11, 1965
Publish or Perish
Genre: Topical drama
Author: Raphael David Blau
Production number: 160
Production date: Thursday, February 18, 1965
Director: Ted Bell
Producer: Ted Bell

Plotline: If a college professor wants to keep his job, he needs to publish an original piece of research. Shouldn’t be too hard since he’s been extorting free work from a brilliant ex-con for years.

Listen: https://archive.org/details/T5project/Theater+Five+650311+159+Publish+or+Perish.flac

Cast: George Petrie, John Seymour, Fran Carlon, Ralph Bell, Laura Stuart

Notes:

No opening tease

T5#158 Broken Image

Episode number: 158

Network broadcast date: Wednesday, March 10, 1965
Broken Image
Genre: Contemporary
Author: Raphael David Blau
Production number: 159
Production date: Tuesday, February 16, 1965
Director: Warren Somerville
Producer: Warren Somerville

Plotline: A Nobel Prize-winning scientist tracks his wayward son to a rundown tenement where he discovers things are even worse than he feared.

Listen: https://archive.org/details/T5project/Theater+Five+650310+158+Broken+Image.flac

Cast: Santos Ortega, Bernard Grant, Ethel Everett

Notes:

Variety of this date reports Theater Five is in more than 90 markets; No opening tease

T5#157 Just for Kicks

Episode number: 157

Network broadcast date: Tuesday, March 9, 1965
Just for Kicks
Genre: Human interest
Author: Ian Martin
Production number: 156
Production date: Thursday, February 11, 1965
Director: Ted Bell
Producer: Ted Bell

Plotline: A gang of bored teenagers carjack a popular recording artist and take him on a terrifying joyride.

Listen: https://archive.org/details/T5project/Theater+Five+650309+157+Just+for+Kicks.flac

Cast: Peter Fernandez, Ronald Liss, Larry Robinson, Elliott Reid, Jack Grimes

T5#156 Last Ride on the Merry Go Round

Episode number: 156

Network broadcast date: Monday, March 8, 1965
Last Ride on the Merry Go Round
Genre: Crime melodrama
Author: Leonard Sand
Production number: 157
Production date: Friday, February 12, 1965
Director: Warren Somerville
Producer: Warren Somerville

Plotline: After interviewing a death row inmate as part of a welfare investigation, a social worker becomes convinced he’s innocent and starts playing detective, determined to track down the real murderer.

Listen:  https://archive.org/details/T5project/Theater+Five+650308+156+Last+Ride+on+the+Merry+Go+Round.flac

Cast: Gertrude Warner, George Petrie, Kenneth Harvey, Maurice Tarplin, John Seymour

Notes:

No opening tease

T5#155 April Snowfall

Episode number: 155

Network broadcast date: Friday, March 5, 1965
April Snowfall
Genre: Mystery
Author: Hal Hackady
Production number: 155
Production date: Wednesday, February 10, 1965
Director: Warren Somerville
Producer: Warren Somerville

Plotline: When a fortune teller predicts a man’s wife will die violently unless he pays her $2,000, he laughs it off as a scam. But the more her predictions come true, the less he’s laughing…

Listen: https://archive.org/details/T5project/Theater+Five+650305+155+April+Snowfall.flac

Cast: Elliott Reid, Ruth Gillette, Cecil Roy, Augusta Dabney, Bryna Raeburn, Philip Houston

Notes:

Hackady was a 1950s TV writer who was also a songwriter, composing songs for Eddie Fisher and the Lennon Sisters, as well as for the theatrical play "Snoopy! Come Home!"; No opening tease

T5#154 The Land of Milk and Honey

Episode number: 154

Network broadcast date: Thursday, March 4, 1965
The Land of Milk and Honey
Genre: Fantasy
Author: Albert G. Miller
Production number: 152
Production date: Monday, February 8, 1965
Director: Ted Bell
Producer: Ted Bell

Plotline: The Land of Milk and Honey is where you go if you live a good and decent life. So how did a convicted murderer end up here?

Listen: https://archive.org/details/T5project/Theater+Five+650304+154+The+Land+of+Milk+and+Honey+(patched+open).flac

Cast: Greta Thyssen, Danny Ocko, Ivor Francis, George Lloyd

 

T5#153 Annie is Watching

Episode number: 153

Network broadcast date: Wednesday, March 3, 1965
Annie is Watching
Genre: Human interest
Author: Phyllis Coe
Production number: 154
Production date: Wednesday, February 10, 1965
Director: Ted Bell
Producer: Ted Bell

Plotline: After being fired for catching an executive cheating in his office, a cleaning lady plots her revenge.

Listen: https://archive.org/details/T5project/Theater+Five+650303+153+Annie+Is+Watching.flac

Cast: Bryna Raeburn, June Graham, Arlene Walker, Kenneth Harvey, Arthur Kohl

Notes:

No opening tease

T5#152 French Quarter

Episode number: 152

Network broadcast date: Tuesday, March 2, 1965
French Quarter
Genre: Mystery
Author: Richard McCracken
Production number: 153
Production date: Tuesday, February 9, 1965
Director: Warren Somerville
Producer: Warren Somerville

Plotline: A New Orleans shopkeeper is thrilled to get a visit from a cousin she hasn’t seen in years until it becomes clear he has ulterior motives.

Listen: https://archive.org/details/T5project/Theater+Five+650302+152+French+Quarter.flac

Cast: Claudia Morgan, Cliff Carpenter, David Kerman, Larry Haines, Guy Sorel

Notes:

No opening tease

T5#151 You Bet Your Life

Episode number: 151

Network broadcast date: Monday, March 1, 1965
You Bet Your Life
Genre: Melodrama
Author: Ian Martin
Production number: 151
Production date: Friday, February 5, 1965
Director: Ted Bell
Producer: Ted Bell

Plotline: At her wits end, a gambling addict’s wife takes matters into her own hands, tracking down the bookies and loan sharks who enable her husband.

Listen: https://archive.org/details/T5project/Theater+Five+650301+151+You+Bet+Your+Life.flac

Cast: Jack Grimes, Arlene Walker, Robert Dryden, Ron Tomme, Anne-Marie Gayer

Notes:

Used in CBSRMT 1977-04-10 with the same title; opening tease read by Fred Foy

T5#150 Little Girl, Little Girl

Episode number: 150

Network broadcast date: Friday, February 26, 1965
Little Girl, Little Girl
Genre: Psychological drama
Author: Romeo Muller
Production number: 150
Production date: Thursday, February 4, 1965
Director: Warren Somerville
Producer: Warren Somerville

Plotline: The owner of a candy store keeps to himself, convinced if he never gets close to anyone, he’ll never get hurt. But his world turns upside down when a little girl arrives at his shop and terrorizes him for her own cruel amusement.

Listen: https://archive.org/details/T5project/Theater+Five+650226+150+Little+Girl%2C+Little+Girl.flac

Cast: Arthur Anderson, Ian Martin, Linda Ross

Notes:

No opening tease

T5#149 Toby's Wonderful Egg

Episode number: 149

Network broadcast date: Thursday, February 25, 1965
Toby's Wonderful Egg
Genre: Comedy
Author: Romeo Muller
Production number: 149
Production date: Wednesday, February 3, 1965
Director: Ted Bell
Producer: Ted Bell

Plotline: The salty old sea-dogs of the Dead Boatswains Club don't believe Toby's tall tale of an encounter with a mythical sea-serpent, but just wait till they get a look at the enormous egg it left behind.

Listen: https://archive.org/details/T5project/Theater+Five+650225+149+Toby's+Wonderful+Egg.flac

Cast: John McGovern, Robert Dryden, Betty Garde, John Gibson, Arthur Anderson

Notes:

No opening tease

T5#148 The Man Who Heard Everything

Episode number: 148

Network broadcast date: Wednesday, February 24, 1965
The Man Who Heard Everything
Genre: Fantasy
Author: George Bamber
Production number: 148
Production date: Wednesday, February 3, 1965
Director: Warren Somerville
Producer: Warren Somerville

Plotline: When a man develops the ability to hear people’s thoughts, he sees a chance for fame and fortune. Before long, he’s facing misery and madness.

Listen: https://archive.org/details/T5project/Theater+Five+650224+148+The+Man+Who+Heard+Everything+LQ.flac

Cast: Norman Rose, Ralph Bell, Mary Jane Higby, Evie Juster, John Gibson

Notes:

 

T5#147 The Elevator

Episode number: 147

Network broadcast date: Tuesday, February 23, 1965
The Elevator
Genre: Melodrama
Author: Jim McGinn
Production number: 146
Production date: Monday, February 1, 1965
Director: Ted Bell
Producer: Ted Bell

Plotline: Trapped in an elevator with a psychopath, a woman fights for survival as her boyfriend and roommate race to find her.

Listen: https://archive.org/details/T5project/Theater+Five+650223+147+The+Elevator.flac

Cast: Lesley Woods, George Petrie, Corrine Orr, James Monks, Jim Campbell, Dirk Fredericks

Notes:

Extended opening tease with Foy narration, delays opening signature music

T5#146 A Tale for the Nursery

Episode number: 146
Network broadcast date: Monday, February 22, 1965
A Tale for the Nursery
Genre: Comedy
Author: Morton Golding
Production number: 147
Production date: Tuesday, February 2, 1965
Director: Warren Somerville
Producer: Warren Somerville

Plotline: To open their newest branch, a bank plans to close the nursery school currently occupying the land. Easy, right? Well, they’re about to learn an important lesson from the teacher who runs it.

Listen: https://archive.org/details/T5project/Theater+Five+650222+146+A+Tale+for+the+Nursery.flac

Cast: Fran Allison, John Griggs, Elliott Reid, George Petrie

Notes:

No opening tease