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Title

Honeymoon with Death

Plot

Her husband disappears after their return from the honeymoon and the young wife's sister insists that the nuptial was a mere fantasy. She attempts to persuade a cop that her husband was indeed killed.

Episode

0006

Air Dates

  • First Run - January 11, 1974
  • Repeat - February 27, 1974
  • Repeat - November 4, 1978

Actors

Writer

Listen

Rating

709


51 Responses to Episode 0006

Excellent episode. Not technically a "whodunit," the crime and the perpetrators are revealed relatively early, but how did they pull it off, and how would you prove the crime even occurred? Very satisfying ending. Not very realistic (victim would have had to have lived in a plastic bubble for the criminals to enjoy the level of success they had), but still an excellent episode. Crime/mystery drama, no supernatural elements.

Andy

You'll know when it hits, but it lasts less than a minute and the story doesn't suffer. A fine riff on the movie Gaslight, and a terrific ending.

Yisterwald

This one is great! This is a very good example of what makes CBSRMT effective: Plot Twists. Plot twists, not done correctly, are cheap. You see it too often on television. Actors giving winks and nods and behaving very predictably. You believe Jennifer's sister. You want to. No hint is given as to why you shouldn't. The essential elements of a good plot twist are superb acting and good writing. This episode has both. Sam Dann has done it again!

J. Seiter

A good story that kept me interested the whole time

Ron

"She didn't take them, buster. They were given to her--shoved down her throat if you ask me" . . . "That was a real far-out scene you two tried to pull." Love it!

Thomas

An enjoyable episode. I prefer CBSRMT episodes with supernatural, sci fi elements. But this was pretty good.

James

Jennifer Brady and her "husband", Howard, have recently returned from a honeymoon. Before long, it's apparent that Jennifer is suffering from perceived delusions. Her sister, Maggie, is concerned and offers assistance when a flatfoot happens upon he scene. The policeman, Ed Helmut, has a bit of "Columbo" in him and before long, he asks the right questions and annoys the story's antagonists. Soon, he couples the answers to his questions with some cunning intelligence to get to the bottom of the story.

Romeo

Lois Nettleton. I always considered Lois Nettleton as a bit of a babe in her prime. Kind of a minor star in baseball, or the 6th man in basketball. But that was before I listened to Honeymoon with Death. Listening to Lois Nettleton's voice for :30 minutes is enough to drive anyone insane, (ironic considering the plot of this episode). The only way I lasted to the end was because Lois....uuhhh...Jennifer, was put on tranquilizers to keep her quiet for the last half of the story. Then I quickly checked how many episodes that George Lowthar wrote and how many Lois starred in. 7 for Lois and a ton for George. Many more than I would have guessed considering how I felt after listening to this episode. In my humble opinion, Lois + George = 1 star out of 5. And the single star is awarded simply for being a radio drama. (Okay, Teri Keane is worth a couple of stars on her own, but she should have refused a role in this episode, so I am leaving it at 1 star.) Not that I haven't thought at least once throughout my long marriage about how I could drive my wife insane.....I have. But to think that Jennifer would quickly dismiss 1 month of a 'passionate' honeymoon after only a few hours is unbelievable. And to make us sit through a whole episode just to find out how her husband Howard pulled the switcheroo with the help of the adjacent identical brownstone, was cruel....cruel to us the listeners! Even Himan has to be reprimanded for allowing this one to hit the airwaves. (Why he would repeat this episode 2 more times is beyond me.) Am I completely off base here?

C. Strothers

A young girl returns from her honeymoon and that very night finds her new husband murdered in their home. As soon as she tries to report the murder to her sister and the police, everything goes haywire and it seems that she may belong in the loony bin.

Jhaycee Mortis

When A young woman comes home from her "honeymoon" her husband vanishes and her sister tells her the entire marriage was a dream. She tries to convince a young cop that her husband was murdered.

Adorante T.

When A young woman comes home from her "honeymoon" her husband vanishes and her sister tells her the entire marriage was a dream. She tries to convince a young cop that her husband was murdered. Strong characters and good acting carry this incredibly contrived script.

Elijah Desmond

A woman returns from her honeymoon and then finds her husband murdered. When she seeks help from the sister she lives with, the sister tells her she has no husband, was never on a honeymoon, and that she is having another one of her spells. Sister and 'husband' are manipulating things to make her think she is insane so they can commit her an claim her part of their father's considerable estate. The involvement of a Columbo-type policeman keeps the plot moving.

Seymour G.

“Our mystery drama, ‘ Honeymoon with death’ was written especially for the Mystery Theater by Sam Dann. The story line, particularly the mystery, is clever. Some of the “hows” add doubt to poor Jennifer’s story- the wet tub that is dry, the corpse and blood that is not there. The solution is OK, and works because Jennifer is perpetually hysterical. Fortunately she meets up with a police officer that likes the pleading type...or so it seems. This may seem rather a hard view of our suffering lady in light of the fact that she was married and as far as she can tell saw her husband done in. It is a personal thing. Her nasally, about to cry or breakdown voice gets to me. In radio, the voice must carry emotions in such a way that conveys them alone, no physical cues. Our pathetic Jennifer has the emotions poured in and overflowed. And they tend to be pretty much the same emotions...”ooooh oooh”, etc. I also thought officer Ted tried to be cute with some Columbo like lines, “ Hey, you do have a red sports car”....just thought you would like to know you have a 1000 miles more on it than you said, just thought you might like to know”. This was the second or third listening of this episode, I did enjoy them more with the previous listenings. It’s not a bad episode overall, and the creepy Howard and Margaret help quite a bit. If it weren’t for all that whinning.

K. Mullins

I think this story is intriguing enough to warrant a listen and since I selected it, I hope all of you find some entertainment from it as well. Jennifer Brady and her "husband", Howard, have recently returned from a honeymoon. Before long, it's apparent that Jennifer is suffering from perceived delusions. Her sister, Maggie, is concerned and offers assistance when a flatfoot happens upon the scene. The policeman, Ed Helmut, has a bit of "Columbo" in him and before long, he asks the right questions and annoys the story's antagonists. Soon, the young policeman couples the answers to his questions with some cunning intelligence to get to the bottom of the story. This play is interesting in that, from the perspective of Jennifer Brady, it must be very confusing to have everything you've thought to be true come into question - to find that everything you see or experience is a figment of your imagination and that others think you are insane. The acting in this play is on par with the excellence we all appreciate in a CBSRMT presentation. Though I didn't hear any significant morals in this play, I was entertained by the writing and think this is a good RMT presentation for someone new to the series.

Gabe

Good story. It shows that every episode doesn't have to be a spooky mystery to be good and that some mysteries have a perfectly good explanation.

Ace O Heart

"Her nasally, about to cry or breakdown voice gets to me. In radio, the voice must carry emotions in such a way that conveys them alone, no physical cues. Our pathetic Jennifer has the emotions poured in and overflowed. And they tend to be pretty much the same emotions...”ooooh oooh”, etc. I also thought officer Ted tried to be cute with some Columbo like lines, “ Hey, you do have a red sports car”....just thought you would like to know you have a 1000 miles more on it than you said, just thought you might like to know”. I certainly can appreciate your comments and though the acting didn't affect me negatively in this play, I've had similar comments about the acting in others shows. For me, the acting worked and I found it interesting that we both picked up on the Columbo-isms. I was a Columbo fan so I appreciated the fact that our policeman had an annoying quality that had to bug the people he was pursuing. "You believe Jennifer's sister. You want to. No hint is given as to why you shouldn't." I too WANTED to believe the crooked sister but my faith was shaken when I realized she knew of Howard. Previously, she had denied his existence and then I knew that something was awry. Great comments, both of you. Half the fun of these posts is in seeing how differently we see things.

Rudy

"Half the fun of these posts is in seeing how differently we see things. I agree, it is a good deal of fun to read the other reviews, when they agree or disagree. Looking forward to more of this.

M. Lobrigo

I love the commercial with Himan Brown soliciting comments on the "new" series that appears about 35:00 into the copy of the program that I have. I will try to cut that out and make it available for download. I have not heard this program before - and a good one it is! Great story line, easy to listen to, easy to stay with it without confusing the characters or what is happening. The setup to make us think that Jennifer is crazy is convincing. Of course the presence of the police officer (Lt. Colombo style) is proof otherwise. 42 minutes in, I find that I am still wonering what Maggie and Howard are up to. What is the purpose of all this? Ahh, money. Surprise, surprise. But, it is a little far-fetched to think that someone would actually go on a fake honeymoon all the way across the country to set up someone as being crazy. Plus, there would have to be a previous relationship before someone actually got married. Complex it is! Seems there would be easier ways to drive someone buggy than that. But hey, it takes that to make a good program. All in all, a great program and the suspense continues to the end.

Lyle S.

I noticed the cop was a clone of "Colombo" as well...

Duane

I had heard this play before and thought it was good enough to recommend it. In fact, I'm looking for a few good shows to give to friends so they get a feel for the CBSRMT. Charlie's initial recommendation, The 36th Man, and this presentation, Honeymoon with Death, are two very different plays that give us at least two bounds of Sam Dann's ability. I have no idea if Mr. Dann is alive today, but I do believe he was a brilliant radio writer.

Neil Tull

The first portion of one copy I have is terrible but I've also got a very clean copy of this play. Just let us know your streamload account and we'll send it to you.

Marv

I hadn't listened to "Honeymoon with Death" before and found it to be pretty interesting. The twist ending at the end wasn't what I was expecting. I felt the author did an excellent job at misleading the listener, drawing premature conclusions and then busting them up. When Howard showed up, I first thought he would end up being someone who had hypnotized Jen, leading her to believe what she thought she saw. I hadn't placed any blame on the sister at all. The cop was a little too helpful to be realistic, but otherwise it wouldn't have worked out the way it did. I thought it was an excellent choice for the Show of the Week! Great idea by the way.

Russel

in a lot of episodes, the characters are somewhat unbelievable. Many of them are too good, or resemble Snidely Whiplash. But it's radio drama and those actors have to convey a lot their stage and screen bretheren do not because all they have is their voice. Sometimes, though, it gets a bit out of hand, I'll have to agree with you.

Aljohn

I find myself in eager anticipation of the next show to review.

Robemar

"When Howard showed up, I first thought he would end up being someone who had hypnotized Jen, leading her to believe what she thought she saw. I hadn't placed any blame on the sister at all." Original thinking! I hadn't even considered the hypnotized angle at all. Now that I hear this thought, I wish I had. Further, this thought would have made for a different, but equally interesting play. I'm also looking forward to the next play - participation in the show of the week is a great deal of fun.

Bing

One of the most interesting RMTs I have heard. I listen to this one often.

Rowan Franco

The episodes that take ahold of the listener do so because the character is believable and likable ( or despised ) but in some sense significant. When they are ridiculous then the weight of the story equals fluff...In me opinion.

Arthur

just reading the title i knew something was up and being cbsrmt i knew i couldn't take things at face value. the twists were good. i almost didn't want to believe the wife because she annoyed me. it did seem a bit much to go through just to make someone look crazy. all in all i liked it.

Bambam

This episode was a little bit on the bland side, and the sound quality was below average. If I were you, I might skip it and try another episode...there are loads of much better stories on CBSRMT.

Phillip M.

Really good, no... Great! I especially like the way this CBS radio mystery theater promotes good, chivalry - a regular NYC beat cop who rescues a good woman from the clutches of demonic evil. Well done.

Jack Ryan

A good episode where you don't really know what's going on until about half way through, then you're pulling for the underdog to figure it all out.

Alec

There seems to be some confusion about the author.I believe it was George Lowthar.

Robert K

I'm just glad that the butler didn't do it.

E. G. Marshall

...Except for Jennifer's continual crying and exasperated complaining (with considerable justification), this is one of my favorite radio dramas. The plot has several brilliant strokes which I must now disguise to discuss with spoiling things for those who have not yet listened to it. They are the "shadow in the street," the "you parked where?" the "quick real estate deal," and the "service, anyone?" ... These lead our clever cop and wanna-be private eye to solve the mystery rather neatly!! Loved it!!

Frank D

Another great show!

Kim

PERFECT example of a story, that if you REALLY examine it too closely, is absolutely ludicrous.....but if you don't, and just 'go with it', is A LOT of fun! The performances are (mostly) good (LOVE Tony Roberts!), and the story's mystery is intriguing, and I couldn't wait to find out if the "Jennifer" character was really losing her mind, or if (as most will probably guess at some point before the end) something far more nefarious was going on. The true sign that an episode of this show (for me, anyway) is a "winner", is if I am able to listen to it many, many times, and still enjoy it.....and this one passes that 'acid test'! Highly recommended !!

Mark D

I rate this episode ★★★★☆ for GOOD. I give props to George Lowthar for this was his very first episode he wrote for CBSRMT. A suitable Drama-Mystery that would be fitting for the TV series of ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS. I did find it, however, predictable that the minor characters were messing with the main character's head. Plus, the hero in this story was too nosy in his investigation, but he eventually found the clue to solve the mystery. The music was good and suitable that added suspense, especially the dark tune played at the 29:14 mark when an actual murder had to be set. The sound effects of footsteps, doors, traffic noise, front door bell, background noise at Police Station, thunderstorm, dialing the telephone, and the sirens were helpful, but many of them were repeated. In our Host's Prologue, E.G. Marshall begins with his unforgettable words: "Welcome to the sound of suspense. The fear…you can hear." But also, bringing up the topic that the human brain is like a spider web. In ACT-1, meet our main character where we don't know if she's out of her mind. In ACT-2, our Host questioned a lot in his narrations. In ACT-3, after discovering the setup and solving the case, our Host brings up the house where the story took place, but there's no mentioning on the aftermath of our 2 heroes and 2 villains. We had the Climax, but there was no Resolution. In his Epilogue, E.G. Marshall brings up the human brain & spider web comparison again. His narrations were quick and short, but his contribution to CBSRMT got better overtime. What I liked the most in this, was the cast: Lois Nettleton (as Jennifer Brady), Tony Roberts (as Officer Ed Helmut), Teri Keane (as Margaret Brady), and Norman Rose (as Howard Lansing). Each and every one of them stole the show, especially Lois Nettleton. Her dramatic performance in this was captivating as her performance in #0458-THE INTRUDERS and #0476-THE SERPENT OF THE NILE. Anyone who is a fan of Lois Nettleton's work should tune in to this episode. And check out George Lowthar's other written works for CBSRMT such as his adaptions from Edgar Allan Poe, Robert Louis Stevenson, Oscar Wilde, and Guy de Maupassant. Until next time…pleasant dreams. =0)

Russell

So, the sister lets her guy go on a honeymoon with her sister which I imagine includes all the "fun stuff" that happens on a honeymoon?

Scott H

A rookie policeman sympathizes with a young newlywed bride who claims that her husband has been murdered. No one else will believe her, including her sister who says that she just imagined the murder. The neophyte cop soon wonders who’s actually telling the truth.

Adam

I listened to this one last week and was wowed, as always, by how clever it was and how deeply you become immersed in the story because of the actors. Loved it!

Barbieri

A standout episode for me! Simply exceptional.

Anastasia

This story is totally unrealistic and very implausible. First of all, who would go to all the trouble to buy up a whole apartment building just to furnish it exactly like the one next door to pull off a fake murder? It seems a bit far fetched to me, even for a fantasy drama. The story is supposed to be at least somewhat believable, but I find myself not being able to believe in the whole premise of the story. Also Lois Nettleton really overplays her role and I get tired of her weeping and wailing. In this particular role, her voice is loud and whiny and grates on my nerves. After having heard this episode a few times, I find it hard to listen to her whining again.

Amy

Thanks, Amy! I thought I was being gaslighted by all the glowing reviews. The plot is clever, with nice twists, but every piece of furniture, carpets, curtains, antiques, mementos, personal files, photos, toiletries, dishes, jewelry, every book, stitch of clothing... you'd have to somehow find exact duplicates in junk shops or else have them custom made. It would take decades. You can't just pretend one identical house is another- you approach and enter it from a different location, and it has a different street address, different neighbors, different view, different yard, different locks. And, major giveaway, the real house would still be in plain view sitting right next door! Any visitor, mailman, milkman, etc. would say "Didn't you used to live in that one??" It would be easier to just fake the knifing, when the wife goes for help, the husband then peels some dried gloss red paint off the floor and pops out the back door. Fun listening, but similar plots have been done tighter on Suspense, The Thing in the Window for example.`

Verner

A very imaginative story line, although the ending was somewhat unbelievable to me. It kept me intrigued, as I had no idea where it was leading. The acting was good and convincing. This was not one of my favorites, although it was acceptable.

Sam

The sound became garbled right when she discovered her husband murdered. It slowly became fixed after the cop is on the scene. Otherwise, a great show!

Barbara

Truly enjoyed this one! The plot was well done because it was believable in how the actors portrayed their characters. The cop reminded me of Columbo in his persistence.

Nancy

A clever "whodunit" with a nice twist at the end. It's the little things that always are overlooked that trips up the criminal(s).

ZipperBook

That rookie cop has to be related to Columbo. :)

JediOre

I have not commented in a long time. I see many new commenters and some of the “old timers”. Any episode with Norman Rose is a good one.

Melanie

Lots of comments on these early episodes…. I liked this one BUT have to wonder at Maggie’s level of practicality. How many women do you know who would have their paramour sleep with their sister for a month AND get legally married to her! And for what, a million and a half? I guess that is like 10 million today but still. And didn’t the guy say he didn’t need to have a job, implying he was already well-off?

Andrew

I just found theses old radio stories I love listing to them,it was like being a little boy again riding with my mom and dad listing to radio stories on our way home from my grandmother house.it's wonderful

joe


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