# List of CBS Radio Mystery Theater episodes (1981 season)

This is an episode list for the 1981 season of the radio drama series CBS Radio Mystery Theater. The series premiered on CBS on January 6, 1974, and ended on December 31, 1982. A set of 1,399 original episodes aired between January 1974 and December 1982. The series was broadcast every day of the week for the first six years with re-runs filling in empty slots starting in February 1974. All episodes are available free at the Internet Archive.

## List of episodes

| Episode list | # of episodes |
| List of CBS Radio Mystery Theater episodes (1974 season) | 193 |
| List of CBS Radio Mystery Theater episodes (1975 season) | 212 |
| List of CBS Radio Mystery Theater episodes (1976 season) | 170 |
| List of CBS Radio Mystery Theater episodes (1977 season) | 186 |
| List of CBS Radio Mystery Theater episodes (1978 season) | 176 |
| List of CBS Radio Mystery Theater episodes (1979 season) | 106 |
| List of CBS Radio Mystery Theater episodes (1980 season) | 97 |
| List of CBS Radio Mystery Theater episodes (1981 season) | 132 |
| List of CBS Radio Mystery Theater episodes (1982 season) | 127 |

## 1981 episodes
### January

| # | # | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
| 1141 | 1 | "Catch the Smallest Devil" | Himan Brown | Nancy Moore | January 1, 1981 (1981-01-01) |
| "I am J. Barnabus Whitney! Open up!" While recovering from heart surgery, a cantankerous businessman dreams of reaching the Pearly Gates, only to be forced to review his wicked ways after he is deemed unworthy of entry into Heaven. Starring: Fred Gwynne, Teri Keane, Norman Rose, Court Benson ||||||
| 1142 | 2 | "Sins of the Fathers" | Himan Brown | Sam Dann | January 2, 1981 (1981-01-02) |
| A young reporter must deal with two seemingly unique yet intimately connected investigations: one a case of fraud, the other a search for her birth parents. Starring: Patricia Elliott ||||||
| 1143 | 3 | "The Tenth Life" | Himan Brown | Frederick Louis | January 6, 1981 (1981-01-06) |
| A journalist becomes enamored with, and eventually marries, a woman who has a fondness for felines — and who may be behind a series of murders in his apartment building. Starring: Paul Hecht ||||||
| 1144 | 4 | "In the Dark" | Himan Brown | Elspeth Eric | January 8, 1981 (1981-01-08) |
| Karen Antek desperately seeks help after her unassuming musician husband vanishes; but no one is willing to talk, leading to the possibility that "secret police" may be behind his disappearance. Starring: Teri Keane ||||||
| 1145 | 5 | "The Legend of Alexander, Part I: Courage" | Himan Brown | Gerald Keane | January 12, 1981 (1981-01-12) |
| A 5-part telling of the life of Alexander the Great begins with the 19-year-old Alexander fascinated with the warrior life of his father, King Philip, despite his encouraging Alexander to learn how to be a ruler. Alexander's fate is sealed, however, when he saves Philip during battle. Starring: Russell Horton, Ian Martin ||||||
| 1146 | 6 | "The Legend of Alexander, Part II: Assassination" | Himan Brown | Gerald Keane | January 13, 1981 (1981-01-13) |
| King Philip's marriage to a 17-year-old Cleopatra embarrasses Alexander and angers his mother, but it delays Macedon's war with Athens. It leads to a conspiracy that leaves Philip assassinated and makes Alexander king. Starring: Russell Horton, Ian Martin, Evie Juster ||||||
| 1147 | 7 | "The Legend of Alexander, Part III: Divide and Conquer" | Himan Brown | Gerald Keane | January 14, 1981 (1981-01-14) |
| Alexander consolidates his power, learns of the treachery behind his father's death, and prepares his armies for a march on Greece. Starring: Russell Horton ||||||
| 1148 | 8 | "The Legend of Alexander, Part IV: The Oracle" | Himan Brown | Gerald Keane | January 15, 1981 (1981-01-15) |
| His will strengthened after consulting the Oracle of Delphi, Alexander destroys Thebes and defeats Persia to unite all of Greece under his control. Starring: Russell Horton, Marian Seldes ||||||
| 1149 | 9 | "The Legend of Alexander, Part V: The Legend Begins" | Himan Brown | Gerald Keane | January 16, 1981 (1981-01-16) |
| The conclusion of the Alexander storyline finds the king continuing his war across Persia and cementing his place as one of Europe's greatest rulers. Starring: Russell Horton, Mandel Kramer ||||||
| 1150 | 10 | "The Fountain of Truth" | Himan Brown | Sam Dann | January 20, 1981 (1981-01-20) |
| The story of Ponce de Leon's legendary journey to discover the Fountain of Youth — though a search for gold may have been more on his mind. Starring: Fred Gwynne ||||||
| 1151 | 11 | "The Final Mind" | Himan Brown | G. Frederick Lewis | January 22, 1981 (1981-01-22) |
| In the 30th century, a brilliant scientist uses his intellect to save the U.S. from war and become its president. But after he is abducted by militants, he secretly communicates with his wife, a test pilot who is determined to rescue him. Starring: Norman Rose, Ann Williams ||||||
| 1152 | 12 | "Small Money" | Himan Brown | Sam Dann | January 27, 1981 (1981-01-27) |
| A pro golfer introduces his wife to the sport, but he eventually murders her after she begins to earn more money than him on tour. Starring: Tony Roberts ||||||
| 1153 | 13 | "The Vanishing Herd" | Himan Brown | Murray Burnett | January 29, 1981 (1981-01-29) |
| Sherlock Holmes is called on to solve the disappearance of a wealthy lord's young son from a prestigious boarding school, a case made difficult by a herd of cattle stomping out a trail full of clues. Starring: John Beal, Cort Benson, Ian Martin, Ray Owens Adapted from a story by Arthur Conan Doyle ||||||

### February

| Series Ep.# | Season Ep.# | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
| 1154 | 14 | "The Man Who Saw Martians" | Himan Brown | G. Frederick Lewis | February 2, 1981 (1981-02-02) |
| A young reporter fabricates a UFO sighting to impress a woman he's infatuated with. The "incident" attracts worldwide fame… and the interest of some real (and really upset) extraterrestrials. Starring: Jack Grimes, Jada Rowland, Russell Horton, Earl Hammond ||||||
| 1155 | 15 | "Who Is Jessica Worth?" | Himan Brown | James Agate, Jr. | February 4, 1981 (1981-02-04) |
| A tale based on the true story of an amnesiac woman who suffers from concussions and multiple personalities, as well as the power of paracognition. Starring: Marian Seldes ||||||
| 1156 | 16 | "Is Venice Drowning?" | Himan Brown | Sam Dann | February 6, 1981 (1981-02-06) |
| Seeking to prove her capabilities, a young engineer is sent to Venice to develop a plan that can keep the city from sinking into the sea. But her credibility takes a beating when she proposes building a temple to a goddess as the solution. Starring: Kim Hunter ||||||
| 1157 | 17 | "Transplant" | Himan Brown | G. Frederick Lewis | February 9, 1981 (1981-02-09) |
| A group of women are disturbed by the dramatic changes in their husbands after they underwent open heart procedures performed by the same cardiac surgeon. Starring: Marian Seldes, Patricia Elliott ||||||
| 1158 | 18 | "The Shadow of a Killer" | Himan Brown | Sam Dann | February 11, 1981 (1981-02-11) |
| The boundary separating life and fiction blurs when an actor who plays a police detective on a TV drama agrees to assist a woman in investigating her husband's disappearance. Starring: Fred Gwynne, Joyce Gordon ||||||
| 1159 | 19 | "Behind the Blue Door" | Himan Brown | Elspeth Eric | February 13, 1981 (1981-02-13) |
| A fiance patiently waits for his bride-to-be when she chases a mysterious stranger across Europe. Starring: Jada Rowland ||||||
| 1160 | 20 | "Troubled Waters" | Himan Brown | Sam Dann | February 16, 1981 (1981-02-16) |
| An unemployed civil engineer gets a chance to redeem his career when his wife successfully lobbies his old boss to take him back for a major international project. The boss, however, insists that his son tag along… which leads to problems when the young man makes a play for the engineer's wife. Starring: Ralph Bell, Evie Juster, Robert Kaliban ||||||
| 1161 | 21 | "Stand-In for Murder" | Himan Brown | Ian Martin | February 18, 1981 (1981-02-18) |
| A scientist creates a clone of himself, and has the clone murder his wife so that he can marry his assistant. But things become sticky when the clone begins to think independently. Starring: Paul Hecht, Teri Keane, Carol Teitel ||||||
| 1162 | 22 | "The Gift House" | Himan Brown | Ian Martin | February 20, 1981 (1981-02-20) |
| A young couple inherit an upstate New York home where the burglar alarm continually goes off by itself. The couple wonder if they are plagued by a ghost… or a more earthly, more sinister culprit. Starring: Joyce Gordon, Paul Hecht ||||||
| 1163 | 23 | "The Frog Prince" | Himan Brown | G. Frederick Lewis | February 23, 1981 (1981-02-23) |
| After his slow recovery from a crash, husband-and-wife racing team Paul & Betsy King call on their Haitian-born mechanic, Mr. Gabriel, to bring a little magic (in the voodoo sense) to their track strategy. Starring: Bob Kaliban, Patricia Elliott, Gordon Heath ||||||
| 1164 | 24 | "A God Named Henry" | Himan Brown | Sam Dann | February 25, 1981 (1981-02-25) |
| Exploited at work and henpecked at home, Henry Clay Fitzsimmons gets some self-confidence when, after a storm maroons his sailboat on an island, a primitive tribal village sees him as a god. Starring: Ralph Bell ||||||
| 1165 | 25 | "Love Me, Don't Leave Me" | Himan Brown | Ian Martin | February 27, 1981 (1981-02-27) |
| Newly widowed after 45 years of happy marriage, Ed Harvey agrees (at his daughter and son-in-law's urging) to look for a new love. But a peculiar situation arises when a computer dating service turns up a potential match. Starring: John Beal, Teri Keane ||||||

### March

| Series Ep.# | Season Ep.# | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
| 1166 | 26 | "The Raft" | Himan Brown | G. Frederick Lewis | March 2, 1981 (1981-03-02) |
| Multimillionaire Peter Ordway begins having dreams of being cast away on a raft in the middle of an ocean; he tries to determine whether it's in connection with strange messages he's been receiving regarding a $1 million deal he made years ago. Starring: Norman Rose, Marian Seldes Adapted from a short story by Jacques Futrelle ||||||
| 1167 | 27 | "Her Long Blonde Hair" | Himan Brown | Sam Dann | March 4, 1981 (1981-03-04) |
| A college professor is obsessed with a violin and bow he's is sure is strung with the hair of his murdered wife… so much so that he's willing to kill to reclaim it. Starring: Lloyd Battista ||||||
| 1168 | 28 | "Heads You Love, Tails You Die" | Himan Brown | Sam Dann | March 6, 1981 (1981-03-06) |
| After her shopkeeper father is murdered, a young girl is raised in the lap of luxury by her rich uncle. Now older, the girl falls in love with a smooth-talking real estate investor… which prompts the uncle to investigate the paramour's suspicious past. Starring: Court Benson, Marian Seldes ||||||
| 1169 | 29 | "Murder on the Space Shuttle" | Himan Brown | G. Frederick Lewis | March 9, 1981 (1981-03-09) |
| A whodunit set 700 years into the future aboard the U.S. Space Shuttle Robert Goddard, a ship carrying hundreds of passengers — and one murderer — thousands of miles across the stars. Starring: Gordon Heath, Paul Hecht, Velita Gray, Gilbert Mack ||||||
| 1170 | 30 | "Last Act" | Himan Brown | Elspeth Eric | March 11, 1981 (1981-03-11) |
| A retired barrister and a former police commissioner investigate the recent murder of a woman in a boarding house, while at the same time ponder the possibility that their previous actions in a similar case may have sent an innocent man to the gallows. A mystery set in early 20th century Britain (and based on actual events) that is interspersed with historical facts on capital punishment from series host E. G. Marshall. Starring: Court Benson, Robert Dryden, Earl Hammond, Carol Teitel ||||||
| 1171 | 31 | "The Heel of Achilles" | Himan Brown | Sam Dann | March 13, 1981 (1981-03-13) |
| A rich industrialist agrees to spend the night alone in an old house to prove to his wife that it's not haunted. But he does see ghosts there… specifically those from his own past. Starring: Arnold Moss, Earl Hammond, Joyce Gordon, Joan Shay ||||||
| 1172 | 32 | "Maiden Ladies" | Himan Brown | Sam Dann | March 16, 1981 (1981-03-16) |
| A young man is murdered while being Good Samaritan to a wealthy man with a broken-down car. When the police refuse to pursue the case, the victim's aunt takes matters into her own hands. Starring: Teri Keane, Michael Tolan, Russell Horton, Carol Teitel ||||||
| 1173 | 33 | "Pretty Polly" | Himan Brown | Sam Dann | March 18, 1981 (1981-03-18) |
| A man concocts a fictitious relationship with a woman just to placate his colleagues' good-natured meddling. But his tall tale leads to true trouble when he realizes his yarn inadvertently puts him at the scene of his "lover's" murder. Starring: Tony Roberts ||||||
| 1174 | 34 | "The Million Dollar Scam" | Himan Brown | G. Frederick Lewis | March 20, 1981 (1981-03-20) |
| Two rival swindlers set their differences aside and work together to scam a wealthy heiress out of $1 million. Starring: Jennifer Harmon, Joan Shay, Mandel Kramer, Ray Owens ||||||
| 1175 | 35 | "The First Day of Eternity" | Himan Brown | Sam Dann | March 23, 1981 (1981-03-23) |
| Cunning yet heartless industrialist Bob Stewart tries to buy a formula that will give him eternal life; what he gets instead is a valuable life lesson. Starring: Norman Rose, Robert Dryden ||||||
| 1176 | 36 | "The Ghost-Grey Bat" | Himan Brown | Ian Martin | March 25, 1981 (1981-03-25) |
| Seeking to finish writing a book in peace, a college professor and his wife swap their New York home with another couple's rural Austrian home… which, they soon learn, holds a terrible secret. Starring: Don Scardino, Jennifer Harmon ||||||
| 1177 | 37 | "Did I Say Murder?" | Himan Brown | Sam Dann | March 27, 1981 (1981-03-27) |
| A first-hand account of the notorious King Henry VIII, as told by his adulterous queen. Starring: Tammy Grimes, Norman Rose, Michael Wager, Lloyd Battista ||||||
| 1178 | 38 | "The Dead Come Alive" | Himan Brown | Murray Burnett | March 30, 1981 (1981-03-30) |
| The impending visit by a man who claims to have the power to raise the dead worries the residents of a small Ohio town… including those who would prefer the dead stay dead, lest they reveal secrets. Starring: Marian Seldes, Ralph Bell, Earl Hammond, Ray Owens ||||||

### April

| Series Ep.# | Season Ep.# | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
| 1179 | 39 | "Down the Garden Path" | Himan Brown | Sam Dann | April 1, 1981 (1981-04-01) |
| Niccolò Machiavelli advises a young man into pleading guilty to a murder he clearly did not commit. Starring: Gordon Gould, Mandel Kramer ||||||
| 1180 | 40 | "Somewhere Else" | Himan Brown | Sam Dann | April 3, 1981 (1981-04-03) |
| A woman relays to her psychologist dreams of being a Viking maiden bethroed to a potbellied farmer and pursued by a courageous warrior. It's a dream that has some parallels to her real life. Starring: Marian Seldes, Lloyd Battista, Earl Hammond ||||||
| 1181 | 41 | "The Gratitude of the Serpent" | Himan Brown | Sam Dann | April 6, 1981 (1981-04-06) |
| When a young girl is sold to a Spanish warrior hellbent on conquering the Mayans, she is torn between loyalty to her benevolent master and the people she was forced to leave behind. Starring: Evelyn Juster, Paul Hecht, Robert Kaliban, Ian Martin ||||||
| 1182 | 42 | "The Doll" | Himan Brown | Elspeth Eric | April 8, 1981 (1981-04-08) |
| The death of their beloved sister cuts deep into the psychic connection between her twin brothers. Starring: Kristoffer Tabori ||||||
| 1183 | 43 | "The Empty Coffin" | Himan Brown | Roy Winsor | April 10, 1981 (1981-04-10) |
| After the death of her birth father, a woman who was adopted by an American couple during World War II travels to the English town of her birth to solve the mystery of both her childhood and of her birth mother's strange death. Starring: Carol Teitel, Tony Roberts ||||||
| 1184 | 44 | "Death Trail" | Himan Brown | Ian Martin | April 13, 1981 (1981-04-13) |
| Colonel Royce is convinced he can drive 2,500 longhorn cattle 3,000 miles from Texas, through desert and Indian land, to Wyoming Territory, with the help of his daughter and a mysterious Easterner. Starring: Court Benson, Jennifer Harmon, Lloyd Battista, Ian Martin ||||||
| 1185 | 45 | "The Fatal $50,000" | Himan Brown | Sam Dann | April 15, 1981 (1981-04-15) |
| To make himself look good, a real estate developer's employee misappropriates $50,000. When he is caught, his suicide brings bad karma to his boss. Starring: Mandel Kramer, Marian Seldes, Earl Hammond ||||||
| 1186 | 46 | "But With Blood" | Himan Brown | James Agate, Jr. | April 17, 1981 (1981-04-17) |
| The story of John Brown, his anti-slavery faction, and the October 1859 raid on the Harpers Ferry Armory that brought him to trial. Starring: Fred Gwynne, Robert Dryden, Teri Keane, Russell Horton ||||||
| 1187 | 47 | "The Power of Ode" | Himan Brown | Elspeth Eric | April 20, 1981 (1981-04-20) |
| A woman driven by a psychic guru into believing she is attuned to the force of all living things becomes the center of affection between two old friends. Starring: Kristoffer Tabori, Jada Rowland, Norman Rose, Robert Kaliban ||||||
| 1188 | 48 | "The Terrifying Gift" | Himan Brown | Ian Martin | April 22, 1981 (1981-04-22) |
| A woman wanders into the den of a fortune teller, who with her dying breaths tells her she is her long lost granddaughter… and bestows on her the power to see the future of the people around her. Starring: Roberta Maxwell ||||||
| 1189 | 49 | "The Long Blue Line" | Himan Brown | Sam Dann | April 24, 1981 (1981-04-24) |
| A decade-old homicide case is reopened and assigned to a fourth-generation Irish cop, who is disturbed when he learns that his now-retired father harbors a terrible secret about the case. Starring: Mandel Kramer, Marian Seldes, Earl Hammond ||||||
| 1190 | 50 | "Big Momma" | Himan Brown | Sam Dann | April 27, 1981 (1981-04-27) |
| City planner Harry Simmons suddenly becomes a celebrity when his long-rejected manuscript is published by a prestigious publisher… which is owned by the titular conglomerate that tried to bribe Harry into approving the construction of a factory in his city. Starring: Paul Hecht ||||||
| 1191 | 51 | "The Man of Two Centuries" | Himan Brown | James Agate, Jr. | April 29, 1981 (1981-04-29) |
| While doing research for a book on colonial Canadian history, college professor Jack Carter befriends a full-blooded Huron tribesman… who's willing to not only give him a first-hand taste of how things were centuries earlier, but also reveal the connection Carter has with the explorer who discovered Canada. Starring: Len Cariou, Lloyd Batista, Diana Kirkwood, Robert Dryden ||||||

### May

| Series Ep.# | Season Ep.# | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
| 1192 | 52 | "The Voices" | Himan Brown | G. Frederick Lewis | May 1, 1981 (1981-05-01) |
| A Nazi general in occupied France tries to break a young girl he believes is helping the French Underground. Strangely, the girl appears to be living a life parallel to that of Joan of Arc. Starring: Amanda Plummer, Norman Rose, Earl Hammond ||||||
| 1193 | 53 | "Garden of the Moon" | Himan Brown | Bob Juhren | May 4, 1981 (1981-05-04) |
| After purchasing makeup at a new health store, a young executive develops a sudden desire for moon bathing; it appears to be part of a ploy by the store to get customers into buying more of their products. Starring: Kim Hunter, Paul Hecht, Ralph Bell, Evie Juster ||||||
| 1194 | 54 | "The Apparition" | Himan Brown | Elspeth Eric | May 6, 1981 (1981-05-06) |
| "This is the simple story of a young man who signed his father's name to a check…" The young man in question is fixated on the health of his father — the same father who put him in jail. Starring: Kristoffer Tabori, Marian Seldes, Robert Dryden, Lloyd Battista ||||||
| 1195 | 55 | "Is the Doctor In?" | Himan Brown | Sam Dann | May 8, 1981 (1981-05-08) |
| Dr. Harold W. Smiley is only a dermatologist at a clinic, not a surgeon at a hospital. But that means nothing to the gangster who forces him, at gunpoint, to remove a bullet from his wounded mob boss father. But Dr. Smiley soon finds that makeshift surgery and thugs with guns are the least of his concerns. Starring: Tony Roberts, Ray Owens, Joyce Gordon ||||||
| 1196 | 56 | "End of a Queen" | Himan Brown | James Agate, Jr. | May 11, 1981 (1981-05-11) |
| A retelling of the tragic life and final hours of Marie Antoinette as she stands trial in France's Revolutionary Tribunal. Starring: Tammy Grimes ||||||
| 1197 | 57 | "Diogenes, Inc." | Himan Brown | James Agate, Jr. | May 13, 1981 (1981-05-13) |
| After their circus burns to the ground, a pair of performers opens a private detective agency. Their first case: Investigate their former circus' boss for possible insurance fraud. Starring: Jack Grimes, Evie Juster Adapted from a story by Jacques Futrelle ||||||
| 1198 | 58 | "Cold Comfort" | Himan Brown | Sam Dann | May 15, 1981 (1981-05-15) |
| Years after he foiled an escape attempt (and caused the deaths of his comrades) as a Korean War POW, optometrist Amos Crandall is blackmailed into secretly spying against his country. But a mixup of eyeglasses, an aborted retrieval attempt, and an inquisitive housekeeper may lead to Amos' secrets being exposed and his good standing imperiled. Starring: Robert Dryden, Carol Teitel, Earl Hammond ||||||
| 1199 | 59 | "A Shocking Affair" | Himan Brown | Ian Martin | May 18, 1981 (1981-05-18) |
| Believing no one will be home, an assassin uses an apartment in his plan to kill a prominent political figure. But then the apartment's residents unexpectedly return… Starring: Joe Silver, Patricia Elliott, Michael Wager, Ian Martin ||||||
| 1200 | 60 | "Insomnia" | Himan Brown | Elspeth Eric | May 20, 1981 (1981-05-20) |
| A woman who cannot sleep starts listening to radio stations that do not exist. When she does succumb to slumber, the reason for her sleeplessness is revealed. Starring: Teri Keane ||||||
| 1201 | 61 | "The Headhunters" | Himan Brown | Sam Dann | May 22, 1981 (1981-05-22) |
| When Erna Stearns' fiancé calls off their engagement, she turns to her father (who reprograms criminals into good citizens) to look into the possible reason; it leads to the two of them discovering a terrifying conspiracy that threatens to reshape society in the year 2100. Starring: Len Cariou, Tracy Ellis, Earl Hammond, Paul Tripp ||||||
| 1202 | 62 | "The Innocent Face" | Himan Brown | Victoria Dann | May 25, 1981 (1981-05-25) |
| A plain, honest Arkansas farm girl moves to California, falls head over heels for a smooth-talking con artist… and unknowingly becomes a part of his diamond-smuggling efforts. Starring: Roberta Maxwell, Paul Hecht ||||||
| 1203 | 63 | "Little Richard" | Himan Brown | Sam Dann | May 27, 1981 (1981-05-27) |
| After finishing his prison sentence for check forgery, a young man's efforts to turn a new leaf are stymied by a corrupt criminal justice system. Starring: Kristoffer Tabori ||||||
| 1204 | 64 | "Out of the Past" | Himan Brown | Ian Martin | May 29, 1981 (1981-05-29) |
| A courtroom artist hired to sketch a trial for a TV station notices a certain figure in his work, a man he thought was long dead… and who was responsible for a traumatic memory from his youth. Starring: Paul Hecht ||||||

### June

| Series Ep.# | Season Ep.# | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
| 1205 | 65 | "The Runaway General" | Himan Brown | G. Frederick Lewis | June 1, 1981 (1981-06-01) |
| The story of Henri Giraud, who famously escaped German POW camps in both World War I and World War II. Starring: Norman Rose ||||||
| 1206 | 66 | "The Cat's Paw" | Himan Brown | Roy Winsor | June 3, 1981 (1981-06-03) |
| A secret agent poses as a famous scientist at the Los Alamos National Laboratory in order to protect the real scientist from a kidnapping plot. Starring: Larry Haines ||||||
| 1207 | 67 | "Matched Pair for Murder" | Himan Brown | Sam Dann | June 5, 1981 (1981-06-05) |
| A judge's intervention (after hearing the pleas of the defenant's girlfriend) leads to a murder suspect getting away with the crime. Regretting being swayed by emotions, the judge looks for a legal endaround past double jeopardy. Starring: Arnold Moss, Kristoffer Tabori, Evelyn Juster, Bernard Grant ||||||
| 1208 | 68 | "Stranded" | Himan Brown | Victoria Dann | June 8, 1981 (1981-06-08) |
| After an asteroid strikes their craft, two astronauts make an emergency landing on a mysterious planet… where the inhabitants tell them their arrival has brought the planet to the precipice of war. Starring: Marian Seldes, Gordon Gould, Bernard Grant ||||||
| 1209 | 69 | "Second Look at Murder" | Himan Brown | James Agate, Jr. | June 10, 1981 (1981-06-10) |
| A Boston journalist with unusual motives reconstructs the events surrounding Lizzie Borden and the murder of her parents. Starring: Jada Rowland, Robert Dryden, Russell Horton, Roberta Maxwell ||||||
| 1210 | 70 | "When in Rome" | Himan Brown | Sam Dann | June 12, 1981 (1981-06-12) |
| At his wife's urging, a wealthy man accepts an ambassadorship to a small European country… where he finds that its government isn't entirely on the level. Starring: Fred Gwynne, Ray Owens, Ian Martin, Joan Shay ||||||
| 1211 | 71 | "Two's a Crowd" | Himan Brown | Ian Martin | June 15, 1981 (1981-06-15) |
| When he chances upon the identical twin he never knew he had, a small-time scam artist uses all his swindling skills to milk him dry. Starring: Earl Hammond, Mandel Kramer ||||||
| 1212 | 72 | "The Final Step" | Himan Brown | G. Frederick Lewis | June 17, 1981 (1981-06-17) |
| Determined to avenge the deaths of her family members, a World War II holocaust survivor stalks the man she is sure is the doctor who killed them at Auschwitz. Starring: Marian Seldes, Norman Rose, Earl Hammond, Roberta Maxwell ||||||
| 1213 | 73 | "Henrietta's Revenge" | Himan Brown | James Agate, Jr. | June 19, 1981 (1981-06-19) |
| A professional con artist seduces, and subsequently marries, rich auto executive Henrietta Tufts… who exacts unusual revenge on her new husband upon learning why he asked her for $25,000. Starring: Patricia Elliott, Robert Kaliban, Joyce Gordon, Mandel Kramer ||||||
| 1214 | 74 | "Waking and Sleeping" | Himan Brown | Elspeth Eric | June 29, 1981 (1981-06-29) |
| Finding a void in his life despite having everything his heart desires, a man moves to the countryside; but his finding a psychic connection with a young girl gets him in trouble with the locals. Starring: Michael Tolan ||||||

### July

| Series Ep.# | Season Ep.# | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
| 1215 | 75 | "The Fourth Bullet" | Himan Brown | Sam Dann | July 1, 1981 (1981-07-01) |
| The memoirs of famous composer Hector Bellios tell a strange tale of mischief, murder, and mayhem involving a past lover, her mother, and the mystery of the four bullets that eventually claimed their lives. Starring: Russell Horton, Bernard Grant ||||||
| 1216 | 76 | "A Second Chance" | Himan Brown | Bob Juhren | July 3, 1981 (1981-07-03) |
| After suffering a near-fatal heart attack, a man awakens in the hospital and finds himself a completely different person with different memories. There's a reason for his predicament. Starring: Paul Hecht ||||||
| 1217 | 77 | "My Good Name" | Himan Brown | Sam Dann | July 6, 1981 (1981-07-06) |
| A young artist gives up his passion in pursuit of becoming a famous couturier. When he ends up dead at the hands of his corrupt accountant, a journalist and old friend guides police in the investigation. Starring: Tammy Grimes, Russell Horton ||||||
| 1218 | 78 | "Death and the Dreamer" | Himan Brown | Sam Dann | July 8, 1981 (1981-07-08) |
| How Antonio Meucci, an Italian candle-maker living in America, encouraged Giuseppe Garibaldi to return to Italy and lead its revolution. Starring: Mandel Kramer ||||||
| 1219 | 79 | "A Man of Honor" | Himan Brown | -- | July 10, 1981 (1981-07-10) |
| Just as he's about to receive a major book award, a college professor is suddenly overcome with a malady of melancholia and forgetfulness, and must set out to discover the secrets in his subconscious. Starring: John Beal, Teri Keane ||||||
| 1220 | 80 | "The Good Shepherds" | Himan Brown | G. Frederick Lewis | July 13, 1981 (1981-07-13) |
| Local clergy and doctors cooperate with the French Underground in order to protect Jewish children from Nazi occupiers. Starring: Robert Dryden, Russell Horton ||||||
| 1221 | 81 | "A.L.I.C.E." | Himan Brown | G. Frederick Lewis | July 15, 1981 (1981-07-15) |
| After developing its own conscience and feelings and falling for its programmer, a Defense Department A.I. computer desires to become a living, breathing human being. Starring: Marian Hailey, Paul Hecht, Court Benson, Joyce Gordon ||||||
| 1222 | 82 | "Pie in the Sky" | Himan Brown | Sam Dann | July 17, 1981 (1981-07-17) |
| A mixup in pipe tobacco results in a young man gaining the ability to foresee the future. But when he uses this new gift to make money on the stock market, it only leads to he and his wife winding up in a place they've never dreamed of. Starring: Bob Kaliban, Teri Keane ||||||
| 1223 | 83 | "The Eye of the Idol" | Himan Brown | Sam Dann | July 20, 1981 (1981-07-20) |
| After losing his wealth and his girlfriend in a string of bad luck, a compulsive gambler receives a secret charm from his guardian angel; it makes the man a sure winner, but also leaves his soul hollow. Starring: Tony Roberts ||||||
| 1224 | 84 | "Toy Death" | Himan Brown | James Agate, Jr. | July 22, 1981 (1981-07-22) |
| Just as her late mother did, a woman gains an unusual fascination with dolls. When a voodoo doll from India mysteriously lands in her possession, terrible things start to happen, to the worry of her boyfriend and her father. Starring: Kristoffer Tabori, Patricia Elliott Adapted from a story by Algernon Blackwood ||||||
| 1225 | 85 | "Once a Thief" | Himan Brown | Sam Dann | July 24, 1981 (1981-07-24) |
| "This is a story of the past, and the present" Fifteen years ago, Morton Sanford was busted in the act of burglarizing an electronics store, but his wealthy father's connections helped wipe the crime from the books. Now, the adult Morton has, in an act of vengeance, eliminated the security consultant position held by the man who had arrested him. But the ex-cop is determined to prove that Morton has never shaken his thievery nature. Starring: Fred Gwynne ||||||
| 1226 | 86 | "The Silver Medal" | Himan Brown | James Agate, Jr. | July 27, 1981 (1981-07-27) |
| A woman revisits the icy glacier slope where she lost her husband ten years earlier on their honeymoon. Starring: Russell Horton, Roberta Maxwell ||||||
| 1227 | 87 | "Postage Due" | Himan Brown | Douglas Dempsey | July 29, 1981 (1981-07-29) |
| A letter mailed in 1941 is found by the Post Office 40 years later; the humble postman tasked to deliver it winds up in a ghostly tale of lost love. Starring: Ralph Bell ||||||
| 1228 | 88 | "A Penny for Your Thoughts" | Himan Brown | Sam Dann | July 31, 1981 (1981-07-31) |
| Ancient mythology meets modern love when a reporter encounters a woman who claims her husband is trying to kill her. As the reporter digs into the story, he finds a strange tale of a manipulative and mythical seductress. Starring: Michael Tolan, Marian Seldes ||||||

### August

| Series Ep.# | Season Ep.# | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
| 1229 | 89 | "Honor Among Thieves" | Himan Brown | Ian Martin | August 3, 1981 (1981-08-03) |
| A group of old men rob a bank to assure that a dead friend will receive a proper funeral, but guilty consciences leave them with doubt about what to do with the money once they have it. Starring: Fred Gwynne, Earl Hammond, Evie Juster, Ian Martin ||||||
| 1230 | 90 | "The Orphaned Heart" | Himan Brown | Nancy Moore | August 5, 1981 (1981-08-05) |
| A woman is left a paraplegic after a car accident caused by her drunken fiancé, who feels guilt-stricken after their nuptials. So the woman concocts a scheme to allow her husband to marry the one he really loves. Starring: Teri Keane, Gordon Gould, Robert Dryden, Roberta Maxwell ||||||
| 1231 | 91 | "Let No Man Put Asunder" | Himan Brown | James Agate, Jr. | August 7, 1981 (1981-08-07) |
| Two men spend New Year's Eve night in jail recounting their life stories and discussing how one of them ended up suspected in the arson death of his wife. Starring: Michael Wager, Russell Horton, Joyce Gordon ||||||
| 1232 | 92 | "Hostage to Terror" | Himan Brown | Ian Martin | August 10, 1981 (1981-08-10) |
| In order to ensure her husband's safety, a woman must smuggle a bomb into Israel at the behest of the terrorists who took the couple hostage. Starring: Roberta Maxwell, Earl Hammond, Ian Martin ||||||
| 1233 | 93 | "Lovely People" | Himan Brown | Elspeth Eric | August 14, 1981 (1981-08-14) |
| A therapist uses esoteric, future-predicting powers to help her clients believe in themselves — talents that her evil-minded sister desires to commandeer. Starring: Kim Hunter, Russell Horton ||||||
| 1234 | 94 | "The Thracian Lovers" | Himan Brown | Sam Dann | August 17, 1981 (1981-08-17) |
| A man is charged with the murders of his wife and her lover; as part of his defense, he claims he murdered the pair once before — 2,900 years earlier, as king of ancient Thrace. Starring: Michael Tolan, Marian Seldes, Robert Kaliban, Jennifer Harmon ||||||
| 1235 | 95 | "The Left Hand of God" | Himan Brown | Sam Dann | August 21, 1981 (1981-08-21) |
| Samuel Clemens comes to the aid of a fellow writer whose yet-to-be-finished tale has literally come to life (with one character refusing to accept his fate of death). Starring: Norman Rose, Robert Dryden ||||||
| 1236 | 96 | "The Leopard Man" | Himan Brown | James Agate, Jr. | August 24, 1981 (1981-08-24) |
| An arrogant and bigoted British civil servant defiles an Indian temple in a fit of New Year's revelry; as punishment, he slowly turns into a leopard. Starring: Norman Rose, Bob Kaliban Adapted from Rudyard Kipling's short story "The Mark of the Beast" ||||||
| 1237 | 97 | "Hidden Memory" | Himan Brown | Elspeth Eric | August 28, 1981 (1981-08-28) |
| A young man recovering from paralysis starts remembering unsettling episodes from his childhood, as well as experiences from before he was even born. He may not be the only one in his family who possesses this gift of retrocognition. Starring: Kristoffer Tabori, Teri Keane, Elspeth Eric, Robert Dryden ||||||
| 1238 | 98 | "The Musgrave Ritual" | Himan Brown | Murray Burnett | August 31, 1981 (1981-08-31) |
| Sherlock Holmes determines how an occult familial ritual applies to the disappearance of two employees of a university acquaintance's household. Starring: Gordon Gould Adapted from Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Adventure of the Musgrave Ritual" ||||||

### September

| Series Ep.# | Season Ep.# | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
| 1239 | 99 | "Doublecross Death" | Himan Brown | James Agate, Jr. | September 4, 1981 (1981-09-04) |
| A coroner investigates the death of his niece; an expression of surprise on the deceased leads him to suspect foul play on the part of her good-for-nothing husband. Starring: Fred Gwynne, Russell Horton, Mandel Kramer, Ray Owens ||||||
| 1240 | 100 | "Episode of the Terror" | Himan Brown | G. Frederick Lewis | September 7, 1981 (1981-09-07) |
| An adaptation of Honoré de Balzac's short story of life during France's Reign of Terror, a brutal period that challenges a priest's convictions. Starring: Arnold Moss, Marian Seldes, Earl Hammond, Sam Gray ||||||
| 1241 | 101 | "The Senior Prom" | Himan Brown | Sam Dann | September 11, 1981 (1981-09-11) |
| Police look into the deaths of several woman and discover a common denominator that ties the victims together: They all rejected a prom date back in high school. Starring: Larry Haines ||||||
| 1242 | 102 | "Flower of Evil" | Himan Brown | Arnold Moss | September 14, 1981 (1981-09-14) |
| Trouble erupts in a mid-1800s mining town when a mail-order bride arrives thinking she will marry a strapping young man… and instead learns she will instead wed his old, grizzled prospector father. Starring: Arnold Moss, Russell Horton, Roberta Maxwell Adapted from Euripides' tragedy Hippolytus and the Eugene O'Neill play Desire Under the Elms ||||||
| 1243 | 103 | "The Land of Dreams" | Himan Brown | Sam Dann | September 18, 1981 (1981-09-18) |
| In a future society where a master computer controls every facet of life, a couple decides to leave society and join a communal farm… at the risk of missing out on humanity's advancements. Starring: Kristoffer Tabori, Marian Hailey ||||||
| 1244 | 104 | "Diablo" | Himan Brown | Nancy Moore | September 21, 1981 (1981-09-21) |
| A crusading journalist takes ownership of a turquoise mine and promises to give its workers good pay and benefits. That she gained control through threats of blackmail against the former owner is only the first red flag to be raised. Starring: Marian Seldes, Michael Tolan ||||||
| 1245 | 105 | "The Judge's House" | Himan Brown | Bob Juhren | September 25, 1981 (1981-09-25) |
| Needing to complete their paper on abnormal psychology, an English university student and his American classmate cloister themselves in a remote cottage outside of Liverpool… despite the townspeople's warnings that the cottage is haunted by the spirit of a malevolent "hanging judge." Starring: Gordon Gould, Lloyd Battista Adapted from a short story by Bram Stoker ||||||
| 1246 | 106 | "The Liar" | Himan Brown | James Agate, Jr. | September 28, 1981 (1981-09-28) |
| An artist is afforded the opportunity to create a portrait of — and gain malicious revenge on — the pompous, deceitful scoundrel who stole the heart of the woman the artist pined for in college. Starring: Norman Rose, Bernard Grant, Court Benson, Carol Teitel Adpated from a short story by Henry James ||||||

### October

| Series Ep.# | Season Ep.# | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
| 1247 | 107 | "Mata Hari" | Himan Brown | G. Frederick Lewis | October 2, 1981 (1981-10-02) |
| The story of the life and death of the seductive dancer and courtesan who spied on the Germans' behalf in World War I. Starring: Tammy Grimes ||||||
| 1248 | 108 | "The Solid Gold Zarf" | Himan Brown | Sam Dann | October 5, 1981 (1981-10-05) |
| Despite years of loyal and faithful service, James Madison Wilson is fired from his employer for unexplained reasons; his morale takes a further beating when his stay-at-home wife takes a job to help make ends meet. Starring: Larry Haines, Frances Sternhagen ||||||
| 1249 | 109 | "Sleeping Dogs" | Himan Brown | Sam Dann | October 9, 1981 (1981-10-09) |
| A French military officer vows to make a model soldier out of the lowliest recruit in his unit. But what will the reward be in the end? Starring: Russell Horton ||||||
| 1250 | 110 | "The Five-Hundred Carats" | Himan Brown | G. Frederick Lewis | October 12, 1981 (1981-10-12) |
| A police detective in a South African mining town believes the theft of a massive, recently-discovered diamond is an inside job, and leaves no stone unturned in ferreting out the thief. Starring: Gordon Gould, Lloyd Battista, Court Benson Adapted from a story by George Griffith ||||||
| 1251 | 111 | "J'Accuse" | Himan Brown | James Agate, Jr. | October 16, 1981 (1981-10-16) |
| A French officer is sentenced to Devil's Island on a bogus charge of treason; an ambitious journalist uncovers the story and spearheads a national campaign to vindicate the man. A story based on Émile Zola's famous open-letter defense of Alfred Dreyfus, who was falsely accused of treason in the late 1890s. Starring: Roberta Maxwell, Bernard Grant, Louis Turenne, Robert Dryden, Earl Hammond ||||||
| 1252 | 112 | "The Equalizer" | Himan Brown | Sam Dann | October 19, 1981 (1981-10-19) |
| A mercenary encounters resistance, treachery, and local idiosyncrasies when revolutionaries in a third-world country hire him to help organize and train an army for war. Starring: Larry Haines ||||||
| 1253 | 113 | "The Most Necessary Evil" | Himan Brown | Sam Dann | October 23, 1981 (1981-10-23) |
| A police detective investigates a man's mysterious death after his widow tells of how he recently gained wealth and stature in a suspicious fashion. Starring: Michael Tolan, Carol Teitel, Mandel Kramer, Ralph Bell ||||||
| 1254 | 114 | "Daddy's Girls" | Himan Brown | Sam Dann | October 26, 1981 (1981-10-26) |
| Upset over his firing her, a newspaper's society page columnist confronts and kills her editor. She soon fabricates an alibi that her invalid sister and the police soon see through. Starring: Teri Keane, Carol Teitel, Bernard Grant ||||||
| 1255 | 115 | "In Touch" | Himan Brown | Elspeth Eric | October 29, 1981 (1981-10-29) |
| A medical student in a small town is permitted to treat an adolescent girl suffering from severe migraines. He soon discovers that talking helps alleviate her pain — something her father soon learns to do. Starring: Amanda Plummer, Robert Dryden, Russell Horton ||||||

### November

| Series Ep.# | Season Ep.# | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
| 1256 | 116 | "Between Two Mirrors" | Himan Brown | Sidney Sloan | November 2, 1981 (1981-11-02) |
| A woman loses all sense of time when her husband falls into a deep coma following a terrible train accident. He suffers from the same problem when he awakens and arrives home six years late. Starring: Marian Seldes, Lloyd Battista ||||||
| 1257 | 117 | "The Rescue" | Himan Brown | G. Frederick Lewis | November 6, 1981 (1981-11-06) |
| A Jewish fugitive and a crippled flight instructor flee Vichy France in a dilapidated airplane. Starring: Louis Turenne, Roberta Maxwell, Earl Hammond ||||||
| 1258 | 118 | "Golden Time" | Himan Brown | Sam Dann | November 9, 1981 (1981-11-09) |
| A routine house call is anything but for a gregarious plumber when he stumbles onto a drug deal in progress and the dealers take him hostage. Starring: Larry Haines ||||||
| 1259 | 119 | "The Presence" | Himan Brown | Elspeth Eric | November 13, 1981 (1981-11-13) |
| A pampered college student believes his difficulty completing an important test, and later problems on an ocean cruise, are due to an unseen presence watching over him. Starring: Russell Horton, Norman Rose, Elspeth Eric ||||||
| 1260 | 120 | "Death Will Not Silence Me" | Himan Brown | Arnold Moss | November 16, 1981 (1981-11-16) |
| The tragic life story of Mary Todd Lincoln, who saw two young sons die, her husband assassinated, and her remaining sanity plagued by her surviving son's actions. Starring: Marian Seldes, John Beal, Carol Teitel, Lloyd Battista ||||||
| 1261 | 121 | "A Handful of Dust" | Himan Brown | Ian Martin | November 20, 1981 (1981-11-20) |
| The story of an ancient curse placed upon a woman and all her descendants by the wife of an Egyptian pharaoh, and how the past parallels with the present-day life of an Egyptologist and his family. Starring: Paul Hecht, Teri Keane, Jada Rowland, Ian Martin ||||||
| 1262 | 122 | "The Code" | Himan Brown | Sam Dann | November 23, 1981 (1981-11-23) |
| Young carnival barker Paul Wagner observes as one of his show's stars, the "psychic" Juanita, is asked by a local sheriff to help solve the murder of a man who was shot, stabbed, and poisoned. Though Paul is worried Juanita's abilities will be exposed as a fraud (she and Paul use a "code" system for "reading" her audience), the fake mindreader wears the sleuth role with aplomb. Starring: Russell Horton, Carol Teitel, Robert Dryden, Evelyn Juster ||||||
| 1263 | 123 | "Diana, the Huntress" | Himan Brown | Sam Dann | November 27, 1981 (1981-11-27) |
| A psychiatrist must determine if Diana Manley's shooting of her physician husband, after she discovered he was having an affair with a colleague, was a spur-of-the-moment thing… or something she had long planned out. Starring: Teri Keane, Arnold Moss, Earl Hammond, Jada Rowland ||||||
| 1264 | 124 | "Vanity and Jane" | Himan Brown | G. Frederick Lewis | November 30, 1981 (1981-11-30) |
| Charley Ingalls becomes quite charmed by the twin sisters — flirtatious Jane and guarded Vanity — who move into the beach resort flat next to his. But Charley soon learns that the two women are actually one person… and that Vanity is trying to murder Jane. Starring: Marian Seldes, Paul Hecht, Ralph Bell ||||||

### December

| Series Ep.# | Season Ep.# | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date |
| 1265 | 125 | "The Dog-Walker Murders" | Himan Brown | Ian Martin | December 4, 1981 (1981-12-04) |
| Wealthy and elderly women are falling prey to a serial killer known for his charming personality, hypnotizing his victims, and absconding their wealth. Starring: Lloyd Battista ||||||
| 1266 | 126 | "The White Rabbit" | Himan Brown | James Agate, Jr. | December 7, 1981 (1981-12-07) |
| In World War II, British Wing Commander and secret agent Forest Thomas works with the splintered factions of the French Underground to rescue the resistance's radio communications voice from a well-guarded Nazi camp. Starring: Norman Rose ||||||
| 1267 | 127 | "The Song of the Siren" | Himan Brown | Sam Dann | December 11, 1981 (1981-12-11) |
| A journalist investgiates the mystery surrounding a man who was lost in a desert expedition, but is found 8 days later appearing slimmer, healthier… and delirious. Starring: Mandel Kramer, Ian Martin, Evelyn Juster, Joyce Gordon ||||||
| 1268 | 128 | "Harry's Taxi and the T Machine" | Himan Brown | G. Frederick Lewis | December 14, 1981 (1981-12-14) |
| Needing something to resuscitate his career, a 21st-century scientist creates a transmigration machine. Testing the device on inanimate objects works well, but as he's about to use it on living beings, his curious wife steps into the device… and winds up lost in intermolecular space. Starring: Larry Haines, Bob Dryden, Carol Teitel, Bernard Grant ||||||
| 1269 | 129 | "Invited Guests" | Himan Brown | Elspeth Eric | December 22, 1981 (1981-12-22) |
| A lonely man repeatedly refuses all invitations to join others for dinner and other social engagements. When a former girlfriend decides to find out why, she finds he is having guests — the kind that only he can see. Starring: Russell Horton, Teri Keane ||||||
| 1270 | 130 | "The Head of a Pin" | Himan Brown | Sam Dann | December 23, 1981 (1981-12-23) |
| A silicon chip engineer discovers a design flaw that caused a commuter plane to explode. He reports the error to government officials… but when he is found dead a few days later, his wife fears that her husband's business partner (who's also her brother) may be to blame. Starring: Bob Kaliban, Don Scardino, Velita Gray, Bernard Grant ||||||
| 1271 | 131 | "The Silver Mirror" | Himan Brown | James Agate, Jr. | December 28, 1981 (1981-12-28) |
| The famed writer Arthur Conan Doyle purchases a peculiar mirror through which only he can observe events from the past, in particular those in the court of Mary, Queen of Scots. Starring: Gordon Gould, Marian Seldes ||||||
| 1272 | 132 | "Too Early Too Late" | Himan Brown | Elizabeth Pennell | December 31, 1981 (1981-12-31) |
| A quartet of friends learn that the secrets to ending poverty and rehabilitating the world lie in an old cemetery they saw in a dream. When what they observed inspires them to take action, greedy industrialists with their own agendas start hindering their every move. Starring: Russell Horton, Marian Seldes, Paul Hecht, Arnold Moss ||||||