“Killing Time is the essence of Comedy, just as the essense of Tragedy is the killing of Eternity.”

Today is the first post from The Mind’s Eye, a new weekly feature on SCREENPHILES.

Growing up I watched as much television as any young person, though with the added benefit of being a voracious reader.  This meant that I was well-equipped to supplement the fabulous worlds of Gerry Anderson and comics with those of my imagination.

I also had the benefit of growing up across the street from Central Park in Manhattan, 26 miles of parkland who fucunity was almost as great as the imagination of a child that seemingly ran wild there.

In my mind rock formations were transformed into the bridge of a starship and bushes hid perils only the young could imagine (or safely navigate).

My imagination was like a furnace, and it required constant stoking, which was why one of my favorite pastimes was reading and listening to old time radio and serials like The Shadow, The Mysterious Traveller, The Whistler and CBS Radio Mystery Theater, among many others.

And speaking of the latter, that’s where today’s adventure originates but before we begin,  a little history on The CBS Radio Mystery Theater.

It was created by Himan Brown and ran for a remarkable 1399 episodes from 1974 to 1982.  The bulk were hosted by E.G. Marshall, though he was replaced in the last year by Tammy Grimes.

Here’s Episode 1290: Nickels And Dimes, where an honest cop is given a chance to get whatever he wants, all he has to do is betray all that he is.