- #61: "Finger of Doom" (March 19, 1949) Starring: Harry Bartell. Story: Cornell Woolrich. Script: John Dunkel. Director: Norman Macdonnell. Setting: USA.
Plot: After his girlfriend vanishes an increasingly-frantic man finds he's a suspect in her disappearance.
Review: Woolrich was frequently heard on Suspense (in fact Suspense also adapted this story) but Escape did a fine production - I like this version more than the Suspense version and a lot of that is due to Bartell's performance as the confused, frantic boyfriend. It's kind of a twist on "the Vanishing Lady" but much more sinister. My Rating: 5/5 stars. - #62: "The Country of the Blind" (3rd version March 20, 1949) Starring: Edmond O'Brien. Story: H. G. Wells. Script: John Dunkel. Director: Norman Macdonnell. Setting: Ecuador.
Plot: A lost mountain guide discovers an isolated valley where blind men live. He wrongly assumes his sense of sight will make him their superior.
Review: Yet one more production of this story (see #16 and 44) but with Paul Frees replaced by O'Brien. Frees is impossible to outdo but I think O'Brien handles the role well, adding a sense of fragility that Frees' performance didn't have. My Rating: 5/5 stars. - #63: "The Adaptive Ultimate" (March 26, 1949) Starring: Edgar Barrier. Story: Stanley Weinbaum. Script: Chet Spurgeon/Herb Futrand. Director: Norman Macdonnell. Setting: USA.
Plot: A scientist grants a nearly-dead woman great adaptive powers; her powers save her life but seem to rob her of her human conscience.
Review: A woman's ability to adapt to circumstances around her has men upset - probably because she has no conscience and intentionally abuses her power for personal gain. I think this episode is slightly held back by its perspective - I think if it had been told from the woman's perspective as her morality slipped away it would have been phenomenal. As it is, it's very good. My Rating: 4/5 stars. - #64: "The Diamond as Big as the Ritz" (3rd version March 27, 1949) Starring: Sam Edwards. Story: F. Scott Fitzgerald. Script: Les Crutchfield. Director: Norman Macdonnell. Setting: USA.
Plot: An obscenely-wealthy family invite a college man to their home.
Review: One last production of Fitzgerald's dark comedy (previously in #4 and 51). Once again Sam Edwards is great as the protagonist; the performances seem more relaxed than Macdonnell's previous take on this script. My Rating: 4.5/5 stars. - #65: "Confidential Agent" (April 2, 1949) Starring: Berry Kroeger. Story: Graham Greene. Script: Ken Crossen. Director: Norman Macdonnell. Setting: England.
Plot: A European agent heads to England to obtain support for his nation but his enemies are present and much more capable than he at espionage.
Review: Another Greene novel shortened to fit the half-hour format. This works much better than "Orient Express" did (#56), I think it hits all of the highlights of the novel. I think it lacks some of the mundane aspects of the agent's life (part of what makes Greene's espionage fiction atypical is that his spies are such average people) but it hits the right pace for Escape. My Rating: 4/5 stars. - #66: "When the Man Comes, Follow Him" (April 9, 1949) Starring: Paul Dubov. Story: Ralph Bates. Script: Les Crutchfield. Director: Norman Macdonnell. Setting: USA.
Plot: A blind man heads into the desert for a complicated treasure hunt.
Review: An unusual story as the blind man constantly needs visual things explained to him, which is helpful to listeners at times - although the descriptions are frequently ridiculous because the man's aide is not terribly smart (and unfortunately imagines himself to be cunning). The solution to the treasure hunt is great although it's a bit slow-moving to get there. My Rating: 4/5 stars. - #67: "The General Died at Dawn" (April 16, 1949) Starring: William Conrad. Story: Charles Booth. Script: Walter Newman. Director: Walter Newman. Setting: China.
Plot: An American mercenary pursues lost treasure in China but a Chinese general is also after the goods.
Review: This story was also the subject of a decent 1936 film; this version is... likewise decent. It was only a handful of episodes ago that we had a story about Conrad hunting treasure in China (#59: "He Who Rides the Tiger"), I'm not sure why this was a popular topic (we'll get back to it in the series, in fact). All of these tales are harmed by the absence of Asian actors as the attempts by white performers to speak English with accents are awful and racist (in that order). This one is solid but not exceptional. My Rating: 3/5 stars. - #68: "The Great Impersonation" (April 23, 1949) Starring: Ben Wright. Story: E. Phillips Oppenheim. Script: Walter Newman. Director: Norman Macdonnell. Setting: Tanganyika/England.
Plot: A German officer goes undercover in England, posing as a British gentleman.
Review: This is a bit odd for Escape - the espionage elements suit the series' usual tropes but the English country manor drama feels more suitable for Suspense. Still, the big reveal at the end is good and Wright is an excellent lead. My Rating: 3/5 stars. - #69: "The Fourth Man" (3rd version July 7, 1949) Starring: Joseph Kearns. Story: John Russell. Script: Irving Ravetch. Director: Norman Macdonnell. Setting: New Caledonia.
Plot: Three men attempt to escape a penal colony on a raft. The raft's indigenous pilot is their best hope of escape.
Review: Once again, a good effort at adapting this high seas story (previously in #8 and 38). Joseph Kearns - who was the 3rd convict in the original performance - is here the lead convict. He's good in the role, but not the equal of Paul Frees. My Rating: 4.5/5 stars. - #70: "The Drums of the Fore and Aft" (2nd version July 14, 1949) Starring: Ben Wright. Story: Rudyard Kipling. Script: Les Crutchfield. Director: Norman Macdonnell. Setting: Afghanistan.
Plot: Two young army musicians who believe in the glory of combat try to inspire their comrades.
Review: Another strong production of this story with a few cast changes from the previous version (#37). Although ostensibly a tale about the glory of war it instead seems to reflect primarily on the senseless waste of young life and that's a recurring motif in war stories. 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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