CBS Radio Mystery Theater producer Hyman Brown Directs Agnes Moorehead.
Some 12 years after the radio drama was dead and buried, the CBSRMT ran 5 nights a week from 1974 to 1982. The actors, many of which are now considered great actors, were paid union scale, about $74 per episode. The day would begin around 9am with an initial read-through of the script. Once everyone was happy they would begin recording. The actors were generally done by noon and would have their check in hand as they left.
While we're at it here's a nod to it's cousin series. In 1977 General Mills wanted to get to a younger audience without investing TV levels of money. That gave birth to "The General Mills Radio Adventure Theater".
It followed the same format as the CBSRMT. Hyman Brown was again the producer. Tom Bosley was the host. It aired Saturdays and Sundays for 26 weeks resulting in 52 episodes. General Mills pulled out as sponsor. The series repeated the same 52 episodes as the The CBS Radio Adventure Theater, with a variety of other sponsors. It was then cancelled.
The biggest difference was the CBSRMT finished with "Join us next time for another adventure in the macabre." It drew from scifi and paranormal resources to accomplish that and were most often original scripts. The General Mills show ended with "Join us again for another exciting tale that you can hear through the magic of radio." The shows for the Adventure Theater were adapted from classic literature and fairy tales.
