Prominent actors from the stage, radio, film and television performed on the series. Notable regulars included
Mason Adams,
Lloyd Battista,
John Beal, Robert Dryden,
Teri Keane, Ralph Bell,
Howard Da Silva,
Keir Dullea,
Patricia Elliot,
Morgan Fairchild,
Bernard Grant,
Veleka Gray,
Jack Grimes,
Fred Gwynne,
Marian Hailey,
Larry Haines,
Paul Hecht,
Celeste Holm,
Russell Horton,
Kim Hunter,
Richard Kiley,
Beatrice Straight,
John Lithgow,
Roberta Maxwell,
Mercedes McCambridge,
Kevin McCarthy,
Arnold Moss,
William Redfield,
Tony Roberts,
Norman Rose,
Alexander Scourby,
Marian Seldes,
Kristoffer Tabori and
Michael Tolan. The series introduced a new generation of listeners to many of the great voices from radio's golden age, including
Agnes Moorehead,
Joan Banks,
Jackson Beck,
Virginia Gregg,
Victor Jory,
Lon Clark,
Mandel Kramer,
Marvin Miller, Dan Ocko,
Santos Ortega,
Alan Reed,
Rosemary Rice,
Anne Seymour,
Arnold Stang,
Les Tremayne,
Lurene Tuttle and
Janet Waldo. A number of well-known veteran and future stars of stage, film and TV made appearances, including: •
Diane Baker ("Picture on a Wall," October 15, 1974; "The Little Old Lady Killer," September 15, 1975)) •
Theodore Bikel ("Just One More Day," May 29, 1975) •
Joseph Campanella ("Murder to Perfection," September 30, 1974) •
Len Cariou ("The Man of Two Centuries," April 29, 1981; "The Headhunters," May 22, 1981) •
Ralph Carter ("Accounts Receivable", January 16, 1974) •
Hans Conried •
Richard Crenna ("Ghost Plane," September 12, 1975) •
Ruby Dee •
Sandy Dennis ("Snake in the Grass," July 14, 1975) •
Nina Foch •
John Forsythe ("The Golden Blood of the Sun," October 3, 1974) •
Vincent Gardenia •
Jack Gilford ("It's Simply Murder," March 27, 1974) •
Joan Hackett ("Mother Love," January 30, 1974; "The Eye of Death," March 7, 1975) •
Margaret Hamilton ("Triptych for a Witch," October 30, 1975) •
Mariette Hartley •
Casey Kasem ("The Headless Hessian," September 23, 1975) •
John Lithgow ("The Deserter," February 6, 1980) •
Anne Meara ("The Killer Inside," April 1, 1975) •
Agnes Moorehead ("The Old Ones Are Hard to Kill" (January 6, 1974; "The Ring of Truth," January 26, 1974) •
Julie Newmar ("Ordeal by Fire," March 21, 1974) •
Patrick O'Neal •
Jerry Orbach ("The Follower," January 25, 1975) •
Sarah Jessica Parker ("The Child Cat's Paw", May 17, 1977) •
Mandy Patinkin ("Lost Dog," January 9, 1974) •
Brock Peters ("The Black Whale," September 25, 1975) •
Kathleen Quinlan ("Ring of Evil," April 16, 1979) •
Stephan Schnabel •
Frances Sternhagen •
Jerry Stiller ("The Frontiers of Fear," August 13, 1974) •
Holland Taylor •
Roy Thinnes ("Journey Into Terror," August 14, 1974) •
Ruth Warrick ("Conspiracy to Defraud," February 8, 1974) When the program began in 1974, actors were paid union scale; at the time around $73.92 per episode. Writers earned a flat rate of $350 per episode. Production took place with assembly-line precision. Brown met with actors at 9:00 a.m. for the first script reading. After roles were assigned, recording began. By noon, the recording of the actors was complete, and Brown handed everyone checks. The program was taped in New York at the
CBS Studio Building, 49 East 52nd Street in Studio G, formerly Studio 27 (renamed Studio 'G' in honor of
Arthur Godfrey whose programs originated in the building for decades). ==Episodes==