Zero Hour

Rod Serling started the groundwork for a new radio series called THE ZERO HOUR, which was to have featured Ray Bradbury's story as the opener. Norman Corwin took over the project and it evolved into a suspense radio drama series hosted by Rod Serling. It was produced by StudioHouse, who also produced The Salvation Army program, "Heartbeat Theatre". Don Hill produced the series. THE ZERO HOUR was produced in 1973 and featured 5-part stories that ran Monday through Friday, until December of 1973. Each part was approximately 30 minutes long (including commercials). The series was sold to Mutual for syndication. The format was changed to single part shows in 1974, running again 5 days a week, from the end of April through July of 1974. One hundred and thirty episodes were produced, counting each 5-part show as 5 episodes. The shows in circulation are introduced as "THE ZERO HOUR presented by the HOLLYWOOD RADIO THEATER". This ambitious series of shows, said to be a year in the making, premiered on Sep 3, 1973. The Mutual Broadcasting System offered the shows to their member stations on a syndicated basis, allowing the programs to be aired during a time period that was convenient, and at a date that was suitable. For this reason in some areas the series did not begin until late Fall or early Winter of 1973. However, this was not true for the second 13 week of programs. All stations began airing the show on Apr 29, 1974 with the final program broadcasted on Jul 26, 1974. At the beginning the shows ran for 30 minutes but on the 14th week they ran 25 minutes a day until the end. ZERO HOUR was hosted by the famed Rod Serling who offered comments before and after each show. He wrote some of the scripts but for the most part they were done by a group of young Hollywood writers. Since the CBS Radio Mystery Theater began its run on Jan 6, 1974, some comparison should be made between the two offerings. ZERO HOUR used Hollywood film stars who appeared for a week at a time; the stories were exciting and action-packed. The prime mover behind the ZERO HOUR was Mutual. The CBS Radio Mystery Theater, on the hand, had the capable E. G. Marshall, as host. The casts consisted of experienced old-time radio actors and actresses, with an occasional TV or film star. The writing of the Mystery Theater more closely resembled the Suspense and Inner Sanctum plots of old; the script writers being people who wrote in the style of old-time radio. In both the series most of the stories were original in nature but the Mystery Theater did adapt suspense and mystery tales from Edgar Allen Poe, Mark Twain, Sir Conan Doyle and other well known authors. There were two distinct 13 week series. During the first of these there was one story line that was broadcast in 5 daily episodes featuring the same cast of characters. The second 13 week series featured one star in five different stories and a different supporting cast each night. 73/11/01 Zero Hour Closed Circuit Press Conference 73/11/02 Mutual Promo ( Forced Date) 73/11/15 Zero Hour Promo Show 73/12/17 1 The Wife of the Red Haired Man - Chapter 1 (Patty Duke, John Astin, Howard Duff) 73/12/18 2 The Wife of the Red Haired Man - Chapter 2 73/12/19 3 The Wife of the Red Haired Man - Chapter 3 73/12/20 4 The Wife of the Red Haired Man - Chapter 4 73/12/21 5 The Wife of the Red Haired Man - Chapter 5 73/12/24 6 Desperate Witness Chapter 1 (Richard Crenna, Kennan Wynn, Julie Adams) 73/12/25 7 Desperate Witness Chapter 2 73/12/26 8 Desperate Witness Chapter 3 73/12/27 9 Desperate Witness Chapter 4 73/12/28 10 Desperate Witness Chapter 5 73/12/31 11 If Two of Them are Dead - Chapter 1 (Earl Holloman, Katherine Burnes, Nina Foch) 74/01/01 12 If Two of Them are Dead - Chapter 2 74/01/02 13 If Two of Them are Dead - Chapter 3 74/01/03 14 If Two of Them are Dead - Chapter 4 74/01/04 15 If Two of Them are Dead - Chapter 5 74/01/07 16 Fourth of Forever - Chapter 1 (John Dehner, Susan Oliver, Marvin Miller) 74/01/08 17 Fourth of Forever - Chapter 2 74/01/09 18 Fourth of Forever - Chapter 3 74/01/10 19 Fourth of Forever - Chapter 4 74/01/11 20 Fourth of Forever - Chapter 5 74/01/14 21 But I Wouldn't Want to Die There - Chapter 1 (Nehemiah Persoff, Brock Peters, Marge Redman) 74/01/15 22 But I Wouldn't Want to Die There - Chapter 2 74/01/16 23 But I Wouldn't Want to Die There - Chapter 3 74/01/17 24 But I Wouldn't Want to Die There - Chapter 4 74/01/18 25 But I Wouldn't Want to Die There - Chapter 5 74/01/21 26 Dead Man's Tale - Chapter 1 (George Maharis, Craig Stevens, Charles McGraw) 74/01/22 27 Dead Man's Tale - Chapter 2 74/01/23 28 Dead Man's Tale - Chapter 3 74/01/24 29 Dead Man's Tale - Chapter 4 74/01/25 30 Dead Man's Tale - Chapter 5 74/01/28 31 Heir Hunters - Chapter 1 (Ken Berry, Joanne Worley, Edgar Bergen) 74/01/29 32 Heir Hunters - Chapter 2 74/01/30 33 Heir Hunters - Chapter 3 74/01/31 34 Heir Hunters - Chapter 4 74/02/01 35 Heir Hunters - Chapter 5 74/02/04 36 A Die in the Country - Chapter 1 (Peter Marshall, Susan Strausberg, Andrew Dugan) 74/02/05 37 A Die in the Country - Chapter 2 74/02/06 38 A Die in the Country - Chapter 3 74/02/07 39 A Die in the Country - Chapter 4 74/02/08 40 A Die in the Country - Chapter 5 74/02/11 41 Someone's Death - Chapter 1 (George Kennedy, Joyce Boulifant, Robert Reed, Jessie White, Daws Butler) 74/02/12 42 Someone's Death - Chapter 2 74/02/13 43 Someone's Death - Chapter 3 74/02/14 44 Someone's Death - Chapter 4 74/02/15 45 Someone's Death - Chapter 5 74/02/18 46 Face of the Foe - Chapter 1 (Jessica Walter, Joseph Campanella, Judy Carne, Richard Dawson, Lurene Tuttle) 74/02/19 47 Face of the Foe - Chapter 2 74/02/20 48 Face of the Foe - Chapter 3 74/02/21 49 Face of the Foe - Chapter 4 74/02/22 50 Face of the Foe - Chapter 5 74/02/25 51 The Blessing Way - Chapter 1 (Ed Nelson, Barbara Anderson, Ti Andrews, Richard Deacon) 74/02/26 52 The Blessing Way - Chapter 2 74/02/27 53 The Blessing Way - Chapter 3 74/02/28 54 The Blessing Way - Chapter 4 74/03/01 55 The Blessing Way - Chapter 5 74/03/04 56 Princess Stakes Murder - Chapter 1 (Howard Duff, Julie Adams, Ray Dantan) 74/03/05 57 Princess Stakes Murder - Chapter 2 74/03/06 58 Princess Stakes Murder - Chapter 3 74/03/07 59 Princess Stakes Murder - Chapter 4 74/03/08 60 Princess Stakes Murder - Chapter 5 74/03/11 61 Queen in Danger - Chapter 1 (Juliet Mills, Robert Brown, Murray) 74/03/12 62 Queen in Danger - Chapter 2 74/03/13 63 Queen in Danger - Chapter 3 74/03/14 64 Queen in Danger - Chapter 4 74/03/15 65 Queen in Danger - Chapter 5 74/04/29 66 Bye Bye Narco (Mel Torme) 74/04/30 67 Terror In The Night (Mel Torme) 74/05/01 68 Scream of the Hawk (Mel Torme) 74/05/02 69 The Extortionist (Mel Torme) 74/05/03 70 The Price of Admission (Mel Torme) 74/05/06 71 A Shortage Story (Jackie Cooper) 74/05/07 72 Escape to Nowhere (Jackie Cooper) 74/05/08 73 Fair's Fairs You Know (Jackie Cooper) 74/05/09 74 The Housecall (Jackie Cooper) 74/05/10 75 The Violation (Jackie Cooper) 74/05/13 76 An Arms Length (Dick Sargent) 74/05/14 77 Some People Die Only Once (Dick Sargent) 74/05/15 78 The Reward (Dick Sargent) 74/05/16 79 The Villainous Verdict (Dick Sargent) 74/05/17 80 The Strange Odyssey Of Sally Mitchell (Dick Sargent) 74/05/20 81 White Flame Burn Bright (Lyle Waggoner) 74/05/21 82 Mind of the Beholder (Lyle Waggoner) 74/05/22 83 Why Is Ted Marcosi Driving Aunt Sally Insane (Lyle Waggoner) 74/05/23 84 There's a Man in 211 (Lyle Waggoner) 74/05/24 85 Death is the Puppeteer (Lyle Waggoner) 74/05/27 86 Dr Rivington Presumably (William Shatner) 74/05/28 87 Wanted a Willing Companion (William Shatner) 74/05/29 88 Pigs Could Put You in the Pen (William Shatner) 74/05/30 89 Sky Lab Are You There (William Shatner) 74/05/31 90 A Favor You Can't Refuse (William Shatner) 74/06/03 91 Death at Half a Length (Greg Morris) 74/06/04 92 Floating Down The River (Greg Morris) 74/06/05 93 Once A Thief (Greg Morris) 74/06/06 94 Other Sins Only Speak, Murder Shrieks Out (Greg Morris) 74/06/07 95 Rehabilitation of Citizen Fimple (Greg Morris) 74/06/10 96 Bonnie & Clyde Are Alive And Living As Mary And Bill (Lee Meriwether) 74/06/11 97 Sisters of Satan (Lee Meriwether) 74/06/12 98 The Mannequin Sham (Lee Meriwether) 74/06/13 99 Double Date to Destiny (Lee Meriwether) 74/06/14 100 Clay Pigeons (Lee Meriwether) 74/06/17 101 The Past Is Always Present (Peter Lupus) 74/06/18 102 The Woman In Black (Peter Lupus) 74/06/19 103 Come Light My Fire (Peter Lupus) 74/06/20 104 Riders Wanted - Share Expenses (Peter Lupus) 74/06/21 105 Death on Canvas (Peter Lupus) 74/06/24 106 The House That Clemont Built (Shelley Berman) 74/06/25 107 The Joint Account (Shelley Berman) 74/06/26 108 The Tiger Cages (Shelley Berman) 74/06/27 109 Violence Takes A Curtian Call (Shelley Berman) 74/06/28 110 The Children Are Dying (Shelley Berman) 74/07/01 111 Bend, Spindle and Mutilate (Bob Crane) 74/07/02 112 Murder Is a Work of Art (Bob Crane) 74/07/03 113 Edwards Tug & Salvage (Bob Crane) 74/07/04 114 Larceny on the Lake (Bob Crane) 74/07/05 115 On the Lam (Bob Crane) 74/07/08 116 The Corpse Takes A Sleigh Ride (Monte Markham) 74/07/09 117 Marionettes (Monte Markham) 74/07/10 118 The Ghost Of The Black Plague (Monte Markham) 74/07/11 119 A Trunk Full Of Trouble (Monte Markham) 74/07/12 120 The Grand Prize (Monte Markham) 74/07/15 121 Welcome Home Denny Shakleford (Joe Campanella) 74/07/16 122 Death of a Genius (Joe Campanella) 74/07/17 123 Remember Me (Joe Campanella) 74/07/18 124 Lost in Time (Joe Campanella) 74/07/19 125 Once upon a Truck (Joe Campanella) 74/07/22 126 The Corpse Takes A Stand (Ross Martin) 74/07/23 127 Carnival Of Menace (Ross Martin) 74/07/24 128 Chicago John And The Glitter People (Ross Martin) 74/07/25 129 Smoke Screen (Ross Martin) 74/07/26 130 The Holdout (Ross Martin) _____________________________________