The Oblong Box - Edgar Allen Poe - CBS Radio Mystery Theater

"The Oblong Box" is a short story by American writer Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1844, about a sea voyage and a mysterious box.

CBS Radio Mystery Theater (a.k.a. Radio Mystery Theater and Mystery Theater, sometimes abbreviated as CBSRMT) is a radio drama series created by Himan Brown that was broadcast on CBS Radio Network affiliates from 1974 to 1982, and later in the early 2000s was repeated by the NPR satellite feed.

The format was similar to that of classic old time radio shows like The Mysterious Traveler and The Whistler, in that the episodes were introduced by host E. G. Marshall who provided pithy wisdom and commentary throughout. Unlike the hosts of those earlier programs, Marshall is fully mortal, merely someone whose heightened insight and erudition plunge the listener into the world of the macabre (in a manner similar to that of "The Man in Black" on yet another old time radio program, Suspense).

As with Himan Brown's prior Inner Sanctum Mysteries, each episode of CBS Radio Mystery Theater opened and closed with the ominous sound of a creaking crypt door, accompanied by Marshall's disturbing utterance, "Come in!… Welcome. I'm E. G. Marshall." This was followed by one of Marshall's other catchphrases, usually either "The sound of suspense" or "The fear you can hear." At the conclusion, the door would swing shut, preceded by Marshall's classic sign-off, "Until next time, pleasant… dreams?" Marshall hosted the program from January 1974 until February 1982, when actress Tammy Grimes took over for the series' final season, maintaining the format.

CBSRMT was broadcast each weeknight, at first with a new program each night. Later in the run, three or four episodes were new originals each week, and the remainder repeats. There were 1,399 original episodes. The total number of broadcasts, including repeats, was 2,969. Each episode was allotted a full hour of airtime, but after commercials and newscasts, episodes typically ran for around 45 minutes.

When repeats of the show were broadcast in the early 2000s, Himan Brown re-recorded E.G. Marshall's original host segments.

Episode 199

Chesterton Radio
Works of G.K. Chesterton and Friends
Plus Drama, Comedy, Mystery, Science Fiction, Big Bands and more
True - Good - Beautiful
The Soundtrack for your Chesterton Day!

Do you enjoy the variety on Chesterton Radio?
Like, Share and Subscribe to be notified of our new shows

Discover new Chesterton Radio shows in our Playlists!
http://CBSRMT.ChestertonRadio.com
http://Plays.ChestertonRadio.com
http://Listen.ChestertonRadio.com
http://Player.ChestertonRadio.com
http://Chesterton.ChestertonRadio.com
http://Orthodoxy.ChestertonRadio.com
http://EverlastingMan.ChestertonRadio.com
http://Eugenics.ChestertonRadio.com
http://Distributism.ChestertonRadio.com
http://FatherBrown.ChestertonRadio.com
http://Freedom.ChestertonRadio.com
http://1984.ChestertonRadio.com
http://Jukebox.ChestertonRadio.com

Follow us on Social Media
https://mstdn.social/@ChestertonRadio
https://www.gab.com/chestertonradio

Please consider supporting us.
https://www.patreon.com/ChestertonRadio

Visit the Chesterton Radio Shop
http://Shop.ChestertonRadio.com