Stars Over Hollywood CBS · January 26, 1946

Soh 46 01 26 Ep243 Whats In A Dream

· GHOST OF RADIO ·
0:00 --:--

# Stars Over Hollywood: "What's In A Dream"

On this chill January evening in 1946, tune your dial to CBS for a journey into the shadowy corridors of the human mind. "What's In A Dream" unfolds as a psychological mystery that begins innocently enough—a Hollywood starlet awakens from a vivid nightmare, convinced she has glimpsed a terrible truth. But as the hours pass, the line between dream and reality begins to blur dangerously. Is her premonition genuine, or has her imagination become her greatest enemy? Guest star Ruth Hussey delivers a performance of exquisite vulnerability, her voice trembling with uncertainty as circumstances begin to mirror her darkest fears. The orchestra swells with discordant strings, and the sound effects—footsteps in empty hallways, the sharp ring of a telephone in the dead of night—create an atmosphere of mounting dread that will keep you riveted to your loudspeaker.

*Stars Over Hollywood* distinguished itself during radio's golden age by eschewing the formulaic mysteries that dominated the airwaves. Instead, this CBS anthology series mined the peculiar psychology of the entertainment world itself, exploring how the glamour and artifice of cinema could warp the minds of those who inhabited it. Each episode traded in nuance and character study rather than mere plot mechanics, reflecting the sophisticated storytelling that made the mid-1940s a renaissance for dramatic radio.

This episode stands as a masterclass in that approach—intimate, unsettling, and profoundly human. If you've ever wondered whether our dreams hold secrets our waking minds refuse to acknowledge, "What's In A Dream" offers both a thrilling answer and a question that will haunt you long after the final fade-out. Don't miss it.