I rate this episode ★★★★★ for EXCELLENT. Arnold Moss magnificently wrote one of the darkest, yet compelling CBSRMT episodes that I have ever heard! We all have read history books about the life of Abraham Lincoln, but how many of us knew the life of his wife who had inner demons before, during, and after the Civil War? The sound effects of the thunderstorms, classical dance music, dancers clapping, horses with the carriage, clock bell, more thunderstorms, train whistle, more classical music, more thunderstorms, the telegram, the fatal gunshot, and the crowd murmuring during the hearing brought this story to life again. The music brought in themes of darkness, agony, despair, hopeless, depression, mourning, and tragedy. The horrifying doom theme at the 39-minute mark was my favorite. E.G. Marshall was terrific as Host. In his Prologue, he mentions that some families have doomed lives and this story of the Lincolns is just one example. Not written from a writer’s imagination, but written in the pages of American history. In ACT-1, after mentioning disorders could pass onto one generation to the next, he brings us to 1839 where we meet our main character: 21 year old Mary Todd living in Lexington, Kentucky. Her mental & physical health continued to torture her, or as what E.G. Marshall called it, “the germs of calamity.â€ In ACT-2, he brings up to speed in the middle of 19th Century where Mary Todd’s haunted by an angel of disaster within her. Plus, he compares her to Lady Macbeth from the Shakespearean play that she went mad and couldn’t help herself. In ACT-3, he quotes Daniel Webster for saying, “There is nothing as powerful as truth and often nothing so strange.â€ Another way of saying it, “Truth is stranger than fiction.â€ A story like this is stranger than I expected. In the end, Mary Todd’s eldest son was buried at Arlington National Cemetery, close to JFK’s burial. In his Epilogue, not only does he mention the agonizing evidence in Mary Todd’s letters that destroyed her, he asks us if the eldest son of Mary Todd inherit the dark legacy while he was U.S. Secretary of State from 1881 to 1885? That’s a mystery we’ll have to solve on our own. But the best part of all was this cast. Marian Seldes (as Mary Todd Lincoln), John Beal (as Abraham Lincoln), Carol Teitel (as Elizabeth Edwards), and Lloyd Battista (as Robert Todd Lincoln & Allan Pinkerton). Marian Seldes is one of my favorite actresses on CBSRMT and this was one of her outstanding roles. Listen to her portrayal of Mary Todd Lincoln and you will be spellbound by her voice instantly, just like her portrayal of the vampire in Episode #0318-CARMILLA. Whether you’re a Civil War Buff or not, this is one episode you should listen to. Until next time…pleasant dreams.