CBSRMT Episode Information Next Episode

Title

The White Wolf

Plot

A family living at the heart of a remote wilderness is haunted and plagued by a stalking werewolf. Despite the mystery surrounding the strange creature, the children have their own theories as to the real identity of the werewolf.

Episode

0591

Air Dates

  • First Run - January 26, 1977
  • Repeat - May 21, 1977

Actors

Writer

Listen

Rating

128
99     29


20 Responses to Episode 0591

I vividly remember listening to this show when it first aired Jan 26 1977.I was in bed the lights out wearing my headphones it was snowing outside just like in the episode. Listened to it again on Halloween last year still gives me the shivers!

Terry Harris

A family living in the remote wilderness is haunted and stalked by a werewolf. The children have strong suspicions as to who the werewolf really is.

Matt Tull

The synopsis makes it sounds like a Scooby Doo episodes, but its actually a great listen!

Wilma

A family living in the remote wilderness is haunted and stalked by a werewolf. The children have strong suspicions as to who the werewolf really is.

Matt Tull

This is an adaptation of a story by Captain Frederick Marryat who apparently wrote other adventure stories (some for children). This one, however, doesn't have very many winners, but unlike some similar episodes where families are profoundly affected ("The night of the wolf" (a totally different storyline), "Out of focus", "The real printer's devil") I had a certain enjoyment of it...kind of like the feeling one gets trading stories around a nighttime camp fire. Norman Rose plays a kindly man who is a fugitive no longer on the run. He's got three children, an older, devoted son who is sick with a debilitating illness (the episode opens up as he's getting bled by their family doctor), an older daughter and a middle school aged son. The doctor knows Rose's secret...he was a Romanian nobleman's valet who killed his wife in a fit of passion after she was bedding his (Rose's) wealthy employer. Rose has moved the family to a remote cabin in the Hartz Mountains in Bavaria. There are more secrets out there, though...a wolf keeps howling in the distance. The doctor says it will stop when he leaves, as it can smell blood. Later, Rose's character and his oldest son are hunting the wolf, which keeps howling in the distance. The son thinks he sees it, and draws a bead on it with his rifle, but is stopped by his Dad...who says what the son sees is no wolf, but a beautiful woman. This is a fascinating tale.

Nancy Tull-Boggs

This story is gothic horror at its best! Very atmospheric. You can almost feel the wet snow faillng on your shivering cheeks. Nothing quite like the howl of a wolf late at night! Norman Rose and Kristoffer Tabori are first--rate. Jada Rowland also contributes nicely. You really feel her growing fear and foreboding. The ending may be one of the bleakest and darkest RMT offered. (Very clever way to kill a werewolf-- though-- If Not Drastic!) No happy ending for any of the characters. I stated once before, that's what makes RMT so compelling-- never knowing how it's going to end-- they always managed to keep you guessing to the very end! Great Choice!!! Until Next Time.........................

E. Pall

One really can't predict who's gonna git it. I've mentioned being a bachelor before, but I swear to Apollo that I used to date this girl. Well anyway, she seemed to draw sustanence from draining my heart's blood, I can tell you that much. I remember talking to her dad once, when she and I were getting kinda serious, and he asked me to swear to the most outlandish things; somehow I had the fortitude to say no and so avoided this kind of inevitable gruesome carnage. I count my stars; do you think it really was the same girl?

N. King

Just read in the morning paper that Larry Haines died at age 89 on July 17. He played Stu Bergman on "Search for Tomorrow" for almost the show's entire run from 1951 to 1986-- winning 2 Day time emmys for the role. He also had a successful career on Broadway. And, as we all know, he was in numerous RMT's. 

V. Hizon

The White Wolf is a contender for best RMT ever (I rank it second). The show creates a very creepy atmosphere and the ending is very clever. I wish RMT had tackled the werewolf theme more often. The only other werewolf show I can recall was Night of the Howling Dog. An outstanding selection that would make my Best Of..... list.

Charlie S.

Yep, this is a real good one! Finally got through it LOL!

Mr. Carbonel

Excellent show. Couple of things: 1. If you read the original ending to the story "The white wolf of the Hartz mountains" which inspired this show as it was written back in the day by Frederick Maryat, the ending is still - dark and bleak but - er, "different". (One hint - instead of a winter temperate climate, the ending appears to take place in a tropical one, with a different type of apex predator. ) 2. Great use of music, as usual. 3. I learned a new word I hadn't heard of before in this episode: "Margrave". 4. The theme of judgment (against Norman Rose's character) was a powerful subtext here. 5. Back to "Hartz Mountains" - too bad they didn't play the commercial for the eponymous pet care product that sometimes ran in the RMT: "And teach a flea...it's no fun to be...a flea anymore."

Rael M.

Good Grief! The White Wolf is a dark Fairytale in which all Brother Grimms fears about the young helpless girl comes true and more- no glass slipper here!! I would say a Double feature to this would be the episode "Train Stops", where another young girl slips into the dark, but in circumstances that are not entirely clear and quite vague, in contrast to this episode which is quite clear!!!! Another Dark Duo Double Feature that I had recently suggested were "Island of the Lost" and "Star Sapphire". Can anyone else please suggest some good Double Features, two episodes back to back, similar in mood or atmosphere, that you enjoyed?

Melanie

In honor of the big snow storm Juno in Boston, I listened to some good CBSRMT storm episodes snuggled in a lounger with a cup of hot chocolate and only a candle eerily burning! The "White Wolf" is superb Radio Mystery Theater- the darkest coldest winter fears and chills! Another excellent one for the storm was "Return to Shadow Lake"- the howling wind and snow matched the amazing sound effects and atmosphere of this episode! Then onto "Silver Medal" for incredible suspense suspended on a freezing snowy mountain! Then onto another type of storm with great effects in the "Devil god"! WOW, thanks to this Website for some great entertainment during this long Blizzard night!

Melanie

I like the white wolf

Michael

Great episode, just listened to it again last week.

Josh

vividly remember listening to this show when it first aired Jan 26 1977. One of the best episodes ever!!!!!

Terry

I rate this episode ★★★★☆ for GOOD. Here's what I LOVED about this episode. First, our talented cast: Norman Rose (as Wilhem Krantz: the father), Kristoffer Tabor (as Herman Krantz: the son), Jada Rowland (as Marcella Krantz: the daughter), Ann Shepard (as Christina: the White Wolf (SPOILER ALERT)), and Paul Tripp (as Franz Baum: the doctor & Manfred Debaun Stolf: Christina’s father). Kristoffer Tabori’s voice for storytelling was gripping; convincing enough to feel like you were there in the Hartz Mountains of Germany in 1784 A.D. Jada Rowland is one of my favorite actresses and listening to her scream at the 36-minute 17-second mark; that actually gave me chills! Norman Rose is always great to hear. Kudos to Paul Tripp for playing 2 roles in this. As for Ann Shepard, she pulled it off very well to play as a Fräulein, which means “an unmarried woman” in German. The sound effects & music were a delight to hear. The sounds of a wolf howling/barking/snarling, gun shots, tableware clinking, howling wind, the wedding march of thunder, doors opening and closing, and the repeating sounds of thunder and the howling wolf fit perfectly in this. The music brought suspense, agony, tension, and fear to rise up in every scene. Now here’s what I LIKED about this episode, but with Puzzling Questions. In our Host’s Prologue, E. G. Marshall brings up the topic of Gothic Horror and mentions Captain Frederick Marryat for writing “Midshipman Ready.” SPECIAL NOTE: Marryat wrote “Midshipman Easy” in 1836 and “Masterman Ready” in 1841; which means that E.G. Marshall got the titles wrong. Plus, Marryat wrote stories about high sea adventures and I haven’t found any story of his that’s Gothic. In ACT-1, our Host mentions Lycanthropy; which is a good concept for CBSRMT. In ACT-2, his narrations got interesting when he described the dark beauty of the mysterious Christina and then describes her as she smiles with blood afterwards. In ACT-3, he gave away the ending: the White Wolf died. E.G. Marshall said this was a gripping tale, but how can it be gripping if we don’t get to hear the sound effects of the White Wolf dying? In his Epilogue, his idea of dealing with a story such as this is to hide under a blanket; very old school. And as for the script written by Ian Martin, it was bloody-enjoyable, but not bloodcurdling-enjoyable. I give Ian Martin props for giving Kristoffer Tabori a lot of dialogue to narrate this story with details of the time, place, and situation. However, he mentions a third child in the story: 11-year old Caesar Krantz, but he has no lines. Why create a character that has nothing to say or do? Why couldn’t Paul Tripp play that role since he did 2 roles? At the last scene of ACT-3, our main character says, “No bullet, no dagger, no mortal means could damage this White Wolf. Only the tainted blood which flows my veins.” So, the White Wolf just died from drinking our main character’s blood? Also, if you hear the White Wolf howling at the 36-minute mark, right after Jada Rowland’s scream, the howling continues as Christina enters the room. I think they got the timing of the effect wrong when they recorded this. Also, why is the White Wolf named Christina? The name CHRISTINA is English, meaning “Follower of Christ.” It would make more sense if her name was ADOLPHA, which is German for “Noble She-Wolf.” And since we know the father’s back story for killing his first wife, wouldn’t it make more sense if the White Wolf was actually his dead wife returning and she just killed him and didn’t kill the daughter and the youngest son at all? Lot of Puzzling Questions here. Now, don’t get me wrong; this CBSRMT episode was really entertaining, but not as “hair-raising” as #1245-THE JUDGE’S HOUSE involving of a rat. Or “spine-tingling” as #0002-THE RETURN OF THE MORESBYS involving of a cat. But still, this particular episode is as classic as #0367-THE SUMMER PEOPLE, #0167-THE BLACK ROOM, #0957-HICKORY, DICKORY, DOOM and many others. It's worth checking out. Until next time…pleasant dreams. =0)

Russell

Good episode with excellent atmosphere and story. The sound effects could be way better than they are-- the gunshots sound like thunder for some reason (that's what I thought it was at first).

Zombieman

I was 17 when this played. I had a small blue transistor radio left me by my grandfather that I put beside my ear so I could keep the volume down and not catch hell because it came on at 11pm and we were a farm family and everybody was in bed because we had to getbup at 4:30am to milk, feed, etc before school and my parents town jobs. I was dreaming of becoming a veterinarian so the medical parts of this episode ( using the sons fatal blood cancer aka leukemia, as the weapon to kill the wolf) was so cool! I vividly remembered this episode as one of my favorites for many years. So I got to hear the wolf again after more than 20 years. Holds up well and now I listen to it a few times a year....savoring it each time. All that missed sleep didnt seem to have any sidezzzzzz Um, effects

JERRY ALLEN

Another great story from CMT. This is my 5th New Year listening to these great shows. Happy new year to all !

Gina Schackel


Leave a comment