CBS Radio Mystery Theater (aka Radio Mystery Theater and Mystery Theater, sometimes abbreviated as CBSRMT) was a radio drama series created by Himan Brown that was broadcast on CBS affiliates from 1974 to 1982. 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 am 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' last season, maintaining the format. CBSRMT was broadcast each weeknight, with three or four episodes being new originals, and the remainder were reruns. There were 1,399 original episodes. The total number of broadcasts, including reruns, was 2,969. Each episode was allotted a full hour of airtime, but after commercials and news, episodes typically ran for about 40 minutes.

REVELATION
WRITER: John the apostle
DATE: About A.D. 95

THEORIES OF INTERPRETATION:
There have been many approaches to this book, but these can be divided into four
major systems (Broadus lists seven theories of interpretation; Tragelles lists 3):
1. Preterist theory: All of Revelation has been fulfilled in the past.
It had to do with local references in John's day. It had to do with
the days of either Nero or Domitian. The view was held by Renan
and most German scholars, also by Elliott.
2. Historical theory: Fulfillment of Revelation is going on in histo-
ry, and Revelation is the prophetic history of the church, accord-
ing to this theory.
3. Historical-spiritual theory: This theory is a refinement of the his-
torical theory and was advanced by Sir William Ramsay. It states
that the two beasts are Imperial and Provincial Rome. The point of
the book is to encourage Christians. According to this theory,
Revelation has been largely fulfilled and there are spiritual lessons
for the church today. Amillennialism, for the most part, has adopt-
ed this view. It dissipates and defeats the purpose of the book.
4. Futurist theory: This theory holds that the Book of Revelation is
primarily prophetic and yet future, especially from Revelation 4 on
to the end of the book. This is the view of all premillennialists and
is the view which we accept and present.
STRIKING FEATURES:
·
It is the only prophetic book in the New Testament (in contrast to 17
prophetic books in the Old Testament).
·
John, the writer, reaches farther back into eternity past than any
other writer in Scripture (John 1:1-3). He reaches farther on into
eternity future in the Book of Revelation.
·
Special blessing is promised the readers of this book (Revelation 1:3).
Likewise, a warning is issued to those who tamper with its contents
(Revelation 22:18, 19).
·
Revelation is not a sealed book (Revelation 22:10). Contrast Daniel
12:9. It is a revelation (apocalypse), which is an unveiling.
·
It is a series of visions, expressed in symbols.
·
This book is like a great Union Station where the great trunk lines of
background image
prophecy come in from other portions of Scripture. Revelation does
not originate but consummates. It is imperative to a right understand-
ing of the book to be able to trace each great subject of prophecy from
the first reference to the terminal. There are at least 10 great subjects
of prophecy which find their consummation here:
1. The Lord Jesus Christ (Genesis 3:15)
2. The church (Matthew 16:18)
3. The resurrection and translation of saints (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18;
1 Corinthians 15:51, 52)
4. The Great Tribulation (Deuteronomy 4:30, 31)
5. Satan and evil (Ezekiel 28:11-18)
6. The "man of sin" (Ezekiel 28:1-10)
7. The course and end of apostate Christendom (Daniel 2:31-45;
Matthew 13)
8. The beginning, course, and end of the "times of the Gentiles"
(Daniel 2:37; Luke 21:24)
9. The second coming of Christ (Jude 14, 15)
10. Israel's covenants (Genesis 12:1-3), five things promised Israel

The anthology series featured stories of mystery, terror and suspense, and its tongue-in-cheek introductions were in sharp contrast to shows like Suspense and The Whistler. The early 1940s programs opened with Raymond Edward Johnson introducing himself as, "Your host, Raymond," in a mocking sardonic voice. A spooky melodramatic organ score (played by Lew White) punctuated Raymond's many morbid jokes and playful puns. Raymond's closing was an elongated "Pleasant dreeeeaams, hmmmmm?" His tongue-in-cheek style and ghoulish relish of his own tales became the standard for many such horror narrators to follow, from fellow radio hosts like Ernest Chappell (on Wyllis Cooper's later series, Quiet, Please) and Maurice Tarplin (on The Mysterious Traveler).

In the late 1940s, CBS chairman William S. Paley, a fan of The Adventures of Philip Marlowe radio serial, asked his programming chief, Hubell Robinson, to develop a hardboiled Western series, a show about a "Philip Marlowe of the Old West." Robinson instructed his West Coast CBS Vice-President, Harry Ackerman, who had developed the Philip Marlowe series, to take on the task.

Ackerman and his scriptwriters, Mort Fine and David Friedkin, created an audition script called "Mark Dillon Goes to Gouge Eye" based on one of their Michael Shayne radio scripts, "The Crooked Wheel". Two auditions were created in 1949. The first was very much like a hardboiled detective series and starred Michael Rye (credited as Rye Billsbury) as Dillon; the second starred Straight Arrow actor Howard Culver in a more Western, lighter version of the same script. CBS liked the Culver version better, and Ackerman was told to proceed.

But there was a complication. Culver's contract as the star of Straight Arrow would not allow him to do another Western series. The project was shelved for three years, when MacDonnell and Meston discovered it creating an adult Western series of their own. MacDonnell and Meston wanted to create a radio Western for adults, in contrast to the prevailing juvenile fare such as The Lone Ranger and The Cisco Kid. Gunsmoke was set in Dodge City, Kansas during the thriving cattle days of the 1870s. Dunning notes, "The show drew critical acclaim for unprecedented realism."