Welcome back to my episode guide for the great raido series Escape! We've now reached the (brief) era where Escape had a sponsor, the Richfield Oil company. This means some episodes are a bit truncated to make room for commercial advertisements, but at least the sponsor helped keep the series thriving.
- #101: "Danger at Matecumbe" (March 24, 1950) Starring: Frank Lovejoy. Story/Script: Gwen Bagni/John Bagni. Director: William N. Robson. Setting: USA.
Plot: A drifter is hired to impersonate a famous author only to become a fall guy in a murder frame-up.
Review: A pretty good thriller, the type of story the Bagnis did very well with; frankly, my favourite parts are the comical scenes of the sheriff escorting Lovejoy out of town. My Rating: 4/5 stars. - #102: "Green Splotches" (March 31, 1950) Starring: William Conrad. Story: T. S. Stribling. Script/Director: William N. Robson. Setting: Andes mountains.
Plot: A scientific party in the mountains encounters a plant-like man.
Review: I'm given to understand the original story wasn't a science fiction tale, suggesting it was changed quite a bit. It's intriguing and very much in the mould of "Conqueror's Isle," but the audio quality is poor. I might rate it higher if a cleaner version emerges. My Rating: 3.5/5 stars. - #103: "The Ambassador of Poker" (April 7, 1950) Starring: Elliott Reid. Story: Achmed Abdullah. Script: John Dunkel. Director: William N. Robson. Setting: China.
Plot: A gentleman from Virginia ventures into China, relying on his skill with poker to see him through.
Review: This might be my favourite Escape story set in China; it succeeds thanks to Elliott Reid's performance as the somewhat comical poker player. I mean, this is a story where a man's unbeatable skill at cards is how he solves every problem; that's fun, and helps mitigate the usual bad "yellowface" voice acting. My Rating: 4/5 stars. - #104: "The Golden Snake" (April 14, 1950) Starring: Tony Barrett. Story: Paul Pierce. Script: Les Crutchfield. Director: William N. Robson. Setting: Mexico.
Plot: Treasure hunters go exploring for a lost Mayan fortune but it seems the Mayans are still active and don't want it found.
Review: An interesting story that oozes with menace, even supernatural overtones, but it's very restrained. This is a very good treasure hunt story, focused more on an anti-plunder message than on greed, which is the norm in Escape. My Rating: 3.5/5 stars. - #105: "The Shanghai Document" (April 21, 1950) Starring: John Dehner. Story/Script: Gwen Bagni/John Bagni. Director: William N. Robson. Setting: China.
Plot: An American reporter traveling by boat to Shanghai is caught up in espionage.
Review: Yet another story from the Bagnis, set in a boat (but not at sea). It's very much in the tradition of Eric Ambler but I find it only just okay; it takes half the runtime just to get to the problem and I'm a little incredulous that John Dehner's character is named "Dehner!" Ben Wright's foppish missionary is fun though. My Rating: 3/5 stars. - #106: "Something for Nothing" (April 28, 1950) Starring: William Conrad. Story: H. Vernor Dickson. Script: Sylvia Richards. Director: William N. Robson. Setting: USA.
Plot: A struggling actor happens across a murder scene; he decides to blackmail the dead man's wife and impersonate her husband.
Review: This feels like the premise for a Suspense tale (or heck, the Whistler) but with a star like Conrad leading it comes off very nicely. My Rating: 4/5 stars. - #107: "The Man Who Stole the Bible" (1st version May 5, 1950) Starring: Rick Vallin. Story/Script: Gwen Bagni/John Bagni. Director: William N. Robson. Setting: USA.
Plot: During Mardi Gras, a salesman steals a Bible from his hotel room then finds he's targeted by a mob.
Review: Another good premise from the Bagnis; using Mardi Gras as cover for a criminal gang is a good choice and I do enjoy that the protagonist's problems all come about because he genuinely wants to take a Gideon Bible! My Rating: 4/5 stars. - #108: "The Rim of Terror" (May 12, 1950) Starring: Nancy Kelly. Story: Hildegarde Terihet. Script/Director: William N. Robson. Setting: USA.
Plot: A woman travelling by car picks up a German hitchhiker and learns he's a double agent.
Review: This story doesn't entirely work for me. I think the premise is great (maybe a better premise for a Suspense episode though) but I just can't buy Hans Conreid as the romantic lead. I think the first time I listened I kept expecting him to be revealed as a villain and was shocked when there was no double-cross. I think another actor (Paul Frees?) could have done a better job of selling the character as a love interest; Conreid is just a bit too stiff. My Rating: 3.5/5 stars. - #109: "Pass to Berlin" (May 19, 1950) Starring: Stacy Harris. Story/Script: Morton Fine/David Friedkin. Director: William N. Robson. Setting: Germany.
Plot: A killer fears that a mind-reading blind woman might possess actual psychic powers and know what he's done.
Review: This script originated on William Spier's Philip Morris Playhouse (as "Leona's Room"). That version had the benefit of Vincent Price's performance but the story is still strong enough without him. The killer's unease as he wonders just how much the blind woman really knows is palpable and as it turns out, she does know just enough to catch him. My Rating: 4/5 stars. - #110: "Command" (2nd version May 26, 1950) Starring: Harry Bartell. Story: James Warner Bellah. Script/Director: William N. Robson. Setting: USA.
Plot: A junior officer in the Calvary disagrees with his superior's judgement.
Review: Another good rendition of this production (first done as #96), although lacking Bill Johnstone's great performance from the previous version. My Rating: 4.5/5 stars.
You can listen to episodes of Escape at the Internet Archive! I'll be back with more next week!
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