Escape
Volume 3
"...designed to free you from the four walls of today for a half-hour of high adventure..."
Escape never received the lavish attention afforded to Suspense but, from July 7, 1947 to September 25, 1954, it managed to transcend its mostly network-sustained origins and provide top-quality entertainment. Occasionally a celebrity would appear in a leading role - Victor Mature, Edmond O'Brien, Vincent Price - but for the most part Escape relied on the tried-and-true veterans of "Radio Row," outstanding performers like Elliott Lewis, Jeanette Nolan, Jack Webb, Lillian Buyeff, Hans Conried, Vivi Janiss, Harry Bartell and Georgia Ellis, to name just a few. Distinguished veterans like William N. Robson and Norman Macdonnell oversaw the production and direction, and exceptional scripts were provided by the likes of Les Crutchfield, John Dunkel, Gil Doud, E. Jack Neumann and Kathleen Hite. Week in and week out, Escape demonstrated that it was truly an outstanding and memorable show...even if it was lacking that "Hollywood gloss" that attracted big-money sponsorship.
While stories of mystery and crime were the bailiwick of Suspense, Escape concentrated more on tales of high adventure — war, westerns, supernatural horror and science-fiction. Esteemed authors like Rudyard Kipling, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Arthur Conan Doyle, H.G. Wells, and Joseph Conrad provided much of the source material for the program, setting Escape apart from most of the other dramatic anthologies on the air at the time.
Escape featured one of radio's most memorable openings, with either William Conrad or Paul Frees intoning: "Tired of the everyday grind? Ever dream of a life of romantic adventure? Want to get away from it all? We offer you...ESCAPE!" The orchestra would then strike up Mussorgsky's "Night on Bald Mountain" and, within seconds, the listener would be transported to a Caribbean jungle or to an icy glacier, effectively putting them in the shoes of that episode's protagonist.
Dead of Night - Audition
Monday, March 24, 1947 - 30:00 - CBS, sustaining
A Shipment of Mute Fate
Wednesday, October 15, 1947 - 30:00 - CBS, sustaining
Jimmy Goggles, the God
Sunday, March 7, 1948 - 30:00 - CBS, sustaining
Misfortune Isle
Sunday, March 21, 1948 - 30:00 - CBS, sustaining
The Fourth Man
Sunday, April 25, 1948 - 30:00 - CBS, sustaining
Leiningen Versus the Ants
Sunday, May 23, 1948 - 30:00 - CBS, sustaining
The Country of the Blind
Sunday, June 27, 1948 - 30:00 - CBS, sustaining
The Man Who Would Be King
Sunday, August 1, 1948 - 30:00 - CBS, sustaining
The Fugitive
Sunday, August 15, 1948 - 30:00 - CBS, sustaining
SS San Pedro
Sunday, August 22, 1948 - 30:00 - CBS, sustaining
The Diamond as Big as the Ritz
Sunday, August 29, 1948 - 30:00 - CBS, sustaining
Dream of Armageddon
Sunday, September 5, 1948 - 30:00 - CBS, sustaining
