for the unrelated film with the same name, see Zero Hour!

Zero Hour!

Zero Hour! is a 1957 movie whose screenplay was written by Arthur Hailey, starring Dana Andrews, Linda Darnell, and Sterling Hayden, and released by Paramount Pictures. Zero Hour! was an adaptation of Hailey's 1956 Canadian Broadcasting Corporation play Flight into Danger...

The Zero Hour (aka Hollywood Radio Theater) was a 1973-74 radio drama anthology series hosted by Rod Serling

Rod Serling

Rodman Edward "Rod" Serling was an American screenwriter, novelist, television producer, and narrator best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his science fiction anthology TV series, The Twilight Zone. Serling was active in politics, both on and off the screen and helped form...

. With tales of mystery, adventure and suspense, the program aired in stereo for two seasons. Some of the scripts were written by Serling.

Originally placed into syndication on September 3, 1973, the series was picked up by the Mutual Broadcasting System

Mutual Broadcasting System

The Mutual Broadcasting System was an American radio network, in operation from 1934 to 1999. In the golden age of U.S. radio drama, MBS was best known as the original network home of The Lone Ranger and The Adventures of Superman and as the long-time radio residence of The Shadow...

 in December of that year. The original format featured five-part dramas broadcast Monday through Friday with the story coming to a conclusion on Friday. Including commercials, each part was approximately 30 minutes long. Mutual affiliates could broadcast the series in any time slot that they wished.

In 1974, still airing five days a week, the program changed to a full story in a single 30-minute installment with the same actor starring throughout the week in all five programs. That format was employed from late April 1974 to the end of the series on July 26, 1974.

Producer J.M. Kholos was a Los Angeles advertising man who acquired the rights to suspense novels, including Tony Hillerman's The Blessing Way, for radio adaptations. In some cases, the titles were changed. For example, the five-part "Desperate Witness" was an adaptation of The Big Clock by Kenneth Fearing

Kenneth Fearing

Kenneth Fearing was an American poet, novelist, and founding editor of the Partisan Review. Literary critic Macha Rosenthal called him "the chief poet of the American Depression."-Early life:...

. To create a strong package, Kholos followed through by lining up top actors, including John Astin

John Astin

John Allen Astin is an American actor who has appeared in numerous films and television shows, and is best known for the role of Gomez Addams on The Addams Family, and other similarly eccentric comedic characters.-Early years:...

, Edgar Bergen

Edgar Bergen

Edgar John Bergen was an American actor and radio performer, best known as a ventriloquist.-Early life:...

, Joseph Campanella

Joseph Campanella

Joseph Campanella in Lewistown, Pennsylvania is an American character actor who has appeared in over 200 TV and film roles since 1955, including such shows as The Eleventh Hour, The Fugitive, Mission: Impossible, Gunsmoke, The Road West, The Golden Girls and Mama's Family. He also had a role in...

, Richard Crenna

Richard Crenna

Richard Donald Crenna was an American motion picture, television, and radio actor and occasional television director. He starred in such motion pictures as The Sand Pebbles, Wait Until Dark, Body Heat, the first three Rambo movies, Hot Shots! Part Deux, and The Flamingo Kid...

, John Dehner

John Dehner

John Dehner was an American actor in radio, television, and films, playing countless roles, often as a droll villain. Between 1941 and 1988, he appeared in over 260 films and television programs. Prior to acting, Dehner had worked as an animator at Walt Disney Studios, and later became a radio...

, Howard Duff

Howard Duff

Howard Green Duff was an American actor of film, television, stage, and radio.Duff was born in Charleston, Washington, now a part of Bremerton. He graduated from Roosevelt High School in Seattle in 1932 where he began acting in school plays only after he was cut from the basketball team...

, Keenan Wynn

Keenan Wynn

Keenan Wynn was an American character actor. His bristling mustache and expressive face were his stock in trade, and though he rarely had a lead role, he got prominent billing in most of his film and TV parts....

, Richard Deacon

Richard Deacon

Richard Deacon CBE is a British abstract sculptor, and a winner of the Turner Prize.-Life and work:Richard Deacon was born in Bangor, Wales and educated at Plymouth College. He then studied at the Somerset College of Art in Taunton, St Martin's School of Art in London and the Royal College of...

, Patty Duke

Patty Duke

Anna Marie "Patty" Duke is an American actress of stage, film, and television. First becoming famous as a child star, winning an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress at age 16, and later starring in her eponymous sitcom for three years, she progressed to more mature roles upon playing Neely...

, Nina Foch

Nina Foch

Nina Foch was a Dutch-born American actress and leading lady in many 1940s and 1950s films.- Personal life :...

, George Maharis

George Maharis

George Maharis is an American actor who portrayed Buz Murdock in the first three seasons of the TV series Route 66...

, Susan Oliver

Susan Oliver

Susan Oliver was an American actress, television director and aviator.-Early life and family:Susan Oliver was born Charlotte Gercke, the daughter of journalist George Gercke and astrology practitioner Ruth Hale Oliver, in New York City in 1932. Her parents divorced when she was still a child...

, Brock Peters

Brock Peters

Brock Peters was an American actor, best known for playing the role of Tom Robinson in the 1962 film To Kill a Mockingbird...

 and Lurene Tuttle

Lurene Tuttle

Lurene Tuttle was a character actress, who made transitions from vaudeville to radio, to films and television. Her most enduring impact was as one of network radio's most versatile actresses...

.

The opening theme music was by Ferrante & Teicher

Ferrante & Teicher

Ferrante & Teicher were a duo of American piano players, known for their light arrangements of familiar classical pieces, movie soundtracks, and show tunes.-Career:...

. Don Hill produced the series for StudioHouse, which also produced the Salvation Army's Heartbeat Theatre. Counting each five-part show as five episodes, there were a total of 130 episodes. It failed to find a large audience due to the initial weekly serial format and the lack of promotion. According to director Elliott Lewis

Elliott Lewis (radio)

Elliott Lewis was active during the Golden Age of Radio as an actor, producer and director, proficient in both comedy and drama. These talents earned him the nickname "Mr Radio"....

, "They wanted as much name value as possible to help with sales. They forgot they had to sell it. Everybody sat in the office and waited for someone to call them up and buy the show."

Highbridge Audio released some of the five-part stories on audiocassettes.

Episodes

Broadcast date	Episode title
November 15, 1973	Promo Show
December 17, 1973	"Wife of the Red Haired Man" - Part 1
December 18, 1973	"Wife of the Red Haired Man" - Part 2
December 19, 1973	"Wife of the Red Haired Man" - Part 3
December 20, 1973	"Wife of the Red Haired Man" - Part 4
December 21, 1973	"Wife of the Red Haired Man" - Part 5
December 24, 1973	"Desperate Witness" - Part 1
December 25, 1973	"Desperate Witness" - Part 2
December 26, 1973	"Desperate Witness" - Part 3
December 27, 1973	"Desperate Witness" - Part 4
December 28, 1973	"Desperate Witness" - Part 5
December 31, 1973	"If Two of Them Are Dead" - Part 1
January 1, 1974	"If Two of Them Are Dead" - Part 2
January 2, 1974	"If Two of Them Are Dead" - Part 3
January 3, 1974	"If Two of Them Are Dead" - Part 4
January 4, 1974	"If Two of Them Are Dead" - Part 5
January 7, 1974	"Fourth of Forever" - Part 1
January 8, 1974	"Fourth of Forever" - Part 2
January 9, 1974	"Fourth of Forever" - Part 3
January 10, 1974	"Fourth of Forever" - Part 4
January 11, 1974	"Fourth of Forever" - Part 5
January 14, 1974	"But I Wouldn't Want to Die There" - Part 1
January 15, 1974	"But I Wouldn't Want to Die There" - Part 2
January 16, 1974	"But I Wouldn't Want to Die There" - Part 3
January 17, 1974	"But I Wouldn't Want to Die There" - Part 4
January 18, 1974	"But I Wouldn't Want to Die There" - Part 5
January 28, 1974	"Heir Hunters" - Part 1
January 29, 1974	"Heir Hunters" - Part 2
January 30, 1974	"Heir Hunters" - Part 3
January 31, 1974	"Heir Hunters" - Part 4
February 1, 1974	"Heir Hunters" - Part 5
February 4, 1974	"A Die in the Country" - Part 1
February 5, 1974	"A Die in the Country" - Part 2
February 6, 1974	"A Die in the Country" - Part 3
February 7, 1974	"A Die in the Country" - Part 4
February 8, 1974	"A Die in the Country" - Part 5
February 11, 1974	"Someone's Death" - Part 1
February 12, 1974	"Someone's Death" - Part 2
February 13, 1974	"Someone's Death" - Part 3
February 14, 1974	"Someone's Death" - Part 4
February 15, 1974	"Someone's Death" - Part 5
February 18, 1974	"Face of the Foe" - Part 1
February 19, 1974	"Face of the Foe" - Part 2
February 20, 1974	"Face of the Foe" - Part 3
February 21, 1974	"Face of the Foe" - Part 4
February 22, 1974	"Face of the Foe" - Part 5
February 25, 1974	"Blessing Way" - Part 1
February 26, 1974	"Blessing Way" - Part 2
February 27, 1974	"Blessing Way" - Part 3
February 28, 1974	"Blessing Way" - Part 4
March 1, 1974	"Blessing Way" - Part 5
March 4, 1974	"Princess Stakes Murder Case" - Part 1
March 5, 1974	"Princess Stakes Murder Case" - Part 2
March 6, 1974	"Princess Stakes Murder Case" - Part 3
March 7, 1974	"Princess Stakes Murder Case" - Part 4
March 8, 1974	"Princess Stakes Murder Case" - Part 5
March 11, 1974	"Queen in Danger" - Part 1
March 12, 1974	"Queen in Danger" - Part 2
March 13, 1974	"Queen in Danger" - Part 3
March 14, 1974	"Queen in Danger" - Part 4
March 15, 1974	"Queen in Danger" - Part 5
April 29, 1974	"Bye-Bye Narco"
April 30, 1974	"Terror in the Night"
May 1, 1974	"Scream of the Hawk"
May 2, 1974	"The Extortionist"
May 3, 1974	"Price of Admission"
May 6, 1974	"A Shortage of Story"
May 7, 1974	"Escape to Nowhere"
May 8, 1974	"Fair's Fair, You Know"
May 9, 1974	"The Housecall"
May 13, 1974	"An Arm's Length"
May 14, 1974	"The Reward"
May 15, 1974	"Villainous Verdict"
May 16, 1974	"The Stranger"
May 17, 1974	"White Flame Burning Bright"
May 21, 1974	"Mind of the Beholder"
May 22, 1974	"Driving Aunt Sally Insane"
May 23, 1974	"There is a Man in 211
May 24, 1974	"Death is a Perfect Cure"
May 27, 1974	"Dr. Rivington Presumably"
May 28, 1974	"Wanted: A Willing Companion"
May 29, 1974	"Pigs Could Put You in the Pen"
May 30, 1974	"Sky Lab Are You There?"
May 31, 1974	"A Favor You Can't Refuse"
June 3, 1974	"Death at Half a Length"
June 4, 1974	"Floating Down the River"
June 5, 1974	"Once a Thief"
June 6, 1974	"Murder Shrieks Out"
June 7, 1974	"Rehabilitation of Citizen Fimple"
June 10, 1974	"Bonnie and Clyde are Alive and Living as Mary and Bill"
June 11, 1974	"Sisters of Satan"
June 12, 1974	"Mannequin Sham"
June 13, 1974	"Double Date to Destiny"
June 14, 1974	"Clay Pigeons"
June 17, 1974	"Past is Always Present"
June 18, 1974	"Woman in Black"
June 19, 1974	"Come Light My Fire"
June 20, 1974	"Riders Wanted: Share Expenses"
June 21, 1974	"Death on Canvas"
June 24, 1974	"House That Clement Built"
June 25, 1974	"Joint Account"
June 26, 1974	"Tiger Cages"
June 27, 1974	"Violence Takes a Curtain Call"
June 28, 1974	"Children Are Dying"
July 1, 1974	"Bend Spindle and Mutilate"
July 2, 1974	"Murder is a Work of Art"
July 3, 1974	"Edwards Tug and Salvage"
July 4, 1974	"Larceny on the Lake"
July 5, 1974	"On the Lam"
July 8, 1974	"Corpse Takes a Sleigh Ride"
July 9, 1974	"Marionettes"
July 10, 1974	"Ghost of the Black Plague"
July 11, 1974	"Trunkful of Trouble"
July 12, 1974	"The Grand Prize"
July 15, 1974	"Welcome Home Denny Shackleford"
July 16, 1974	"Death of a Genius"
July 17, 1974	"Remember Me"
July 18, 1974	"Lost in Time"
July 19, 1974	"Once Upon a Truck"
July 22, 1974	"Corpse Takes a Stand"
July 23, 1974	"Carnival of Menace"
July 24, 1974	"Chicago John & The Glitter People"
July 25, 1974	"Smoke Screen"
July 26, 1974	"The Holdout"

External links

• Jerry Haendiges Vintage Radio Logs: The Zero Hour
• Rod Serling's ZERO HOUR PROMO PODCAST - Original audio promo for the series from 1973.
• Libsyn podcasts First 7 programs; subsequent on subsequent pages.