 I rate this episode ★★★☆☆ for AVERAGE. What I enjoy the most from the CBSRMT series is that there are episodes that combine the Drama-Mystery and the Fantasy-Mystery together. And the writer, Fielden Farrington, did combine those two; a story involving tension & time travel. Everything was going well in every Act, but I think the climax & resolution took a turn downward. I was expecting our main characters to get back to the 20th Century, but apparently, they ended up in the 19th Century and one of them had to ride it out for many years (SPOILER ALERT). Part of this story reminds of the movie SOMEWHERE IN TIME (1980) where a character travels backward to live a particular moment in the past and does a number of things to make sure there would be no time paradox that could damage the future. The title of it was okay, but other titles could work such as, “Time Complexity,â€ “Genie Telephone,â€ “Back In These Days,â€ or even “77 Years Agoâ€ (because that’s where the story took place—it started in 1974 and the 2 main characters traveled back to 1897). SPECIAL NOTE: If you have the CBSRMT Episode Guide Book, you’ll notice a TYPO: it says it was written by Jennifer Harmon. The sound effects of the doors, footsteps, door locks, the antique telephone, pouring of the drinks, traffic noise, opening of the ice box, howling wind, train, horses hooves, tableware clinking, oil lamp, desk drawers, papers, pulling the telephone wire from the wall, front door pounding, gun fire, and the body thud were good, but the music itself needed more. Don’t get me wrong; there were great tracks that brought intensity and suspense. But since this is a story involving time travel, it would be perfect to add sci-fi theme music to it. Sci-Fi music from #0790-A MESSAGE FROM SPACE, #1054-THE GOD MACHINE, or the TWILIGHT ZONE music tracks that were used in #0801-ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE. The cast I liked and admired: Jennifer Harmon (as Norma Glenford), Nick Pryor (as Hal Glenford), Robert Maxwell (as Bill Voight, Hansom Cab Driver, and James Blakely), and Joan Shay (as Maude Spencer and Phone Operator). Both Jennifer Harmon & Nick Pryor were terrific. I’d give Robert Maxwell props for playing 3 roles. But I feel sorry for Joan Shay who played 2 small parts. If you’re going to have more than 3 actors in a radio episode, I think everyone should be entitled to portray their characters with more dialogue and make a bigger contribution to the story instead of doing just a couple of scenes. In our Host’s Prologue, E.G. Marshall jumps in to where the story takes place: 621 East 58th Street in New York City. (SPECIAL NOTE: If you Google this actual address, it’s on the corner of Sutton Square) In ACT-1, he talks about how scientists & philosophers see Time as and how the past is obscured, but obliterated. In ACT-2, he talks about Time as something we don’t understand in our Universe. Later on, he focuses on the paradoxical of time. In ACT-3, it’s about time complexities and points out that no one ever said if they had their great grandparents’ lives to live over. In the end, he asks how many times Justice must be served. In his Epilogue, E.G. Marshall explains the aftermath and asks us fans was it the character Hal Glenford or Harold Glenford who gave the son directions. Our Host was informative on the topic of Time, however, did not add suspense to the mix. If he quoted the topic of Time from the words of H.G. Wells, Mark Twain, William Shakespeare, or Nathaniel Hawthorne, that would bring a powerful message to CBSRMT fans. Overall, it’s an interesting mystery story. Tune in to this one. And if you’re Nostalgic on radio commercials, this particular episode has the commercials on the novel “Lily,â€ the CBS Daytime TV info on “The Young & The Restless,â€ epilepsy, sports news, Pat Summerall for True Value Hardware Stores, the American Library Association, WFAA Good Time Hour, American Express Traveler’s Checks, Smokey the Bear Program, Federal Business Bureau, and the Red Cross. Until next time…pleasant dreams. =0]
