Escape Episode Guide: Part 8

Welcome back to my episode guide to the fantastic old-time radio series Escape! During this next batch of episodes we have the welcome return of the series' original producer/director William N. Robson, taking one final tour as lead creative force on Escape! You will also note that it's only here - 2 years into the series run - that Escape began to introduce more original plays rather than adapting primarily from other media.

• #71: "Action" (2nd version July 21, 1949) Starring: Joseph Kearns. Story: Charles Montague. Script: Les Crutchfield. Director: Norman Macdonnell. Setting: Switzerland.
  Plot: A man whose health is in decline seeks to end his life mountain climbing by going beyond his margin of safety.
  Review: This performance is virtually identical to the first production (#35), although the audio is much cleaner. Joseph Kearns certainly gave one of the best performances in his life as the protagonist. As ever, a tense, gripping story, extremely well-told. My Rating: 5/5 stars.
• #72: "The Second Class Passenger" (2nd version July 28, 1949) Starring: Parley Baer. Story: Percival Gibbon. Script: William N. Robson. Director: Norman Macdonnell. Setting: Mozambique.
  Plot: A tourist who steps in out of the rain finds himself among hardened criminals then in an adventurous flight across the city.
  Review: Another very good production of this story (first was #22), although I find Baer isn't quite as good as the protagonist as Harry Bartell was in the original. My Rating: 4.5/5 stars.
• #73: "Leiningen versus the Ants" (3rd version August 4, 1949) Starring: Tudor Owen. Story: Carl Stephenson. Script: Robert Ryf. Director: Richard Sanville. Setting: Brazil.
  Plot: The owner of a plantation refuses to flee from ravenous ants - not while he can still fight them!
  Review: The 3rd and final production of this great story (first done in #23 and 42) - unfortunately, William Conrad sat it out and Tudor Owen can't fill that void; it's still a very strong script with great production values but lacks the extra intensity actors such as Conrad grant Escape at the best of times. My Rating: 4.5/5 stars.
• #74: "Red Wine" (2nd version August 11, 1949) Starring: Willard Waterman. Story: Lawrence Blochman. Script: Mort Lewis/Les Crutchfield. Director: Richard Sanville. Setting: Borneo.
  Plot: A lawman goes looking for a killer known for his urbane habits; unfortunately he had 3 suspects and none of them are cooperative.
  Review: An interesting retake of this script (from #57) with Waterman in the lead. Waterman is best-remembered for being the 2nd Throckmorton Gildersleeve on the Great Gildersleeve but he had made a decent career in drama prior to assuming the role in 1950. I think he's great here, but I understand if you find it hard to take him seriously. My Rating: 5/5 stars.
• #75: "Snake Doctor" (2nd version August 18, 1949) Starring: William Conrad. Story: Irvin S. Cobb. Script: Fred Howard. Director: Norman Macdonnell. Setting: USA.
  Plot: A man who hates snakes - and hates the "snake doctor" who tends them - schemes to commit a murder.
  Review: Our Escape Snake #2: the cottonmouth strikes again! Another great adaptation of this story (first was #27), this time narrated by Jeff Chandler, who does quite well. William Conrad is again excellent as the small-minded white trash farmer. Paul Frees also reprises his role as the mule-headed son and is, if anything, even more comical than in his previous performance. My Rating: 5/5 stars.
• #76: "Evening Primrose" (3rd version August 25, 1949) Starring: Harry Bartell. Story: John Collier. Script: John Dunkel. Director: Norman Macdonnell. Setting: USA.
  Plot: A poet conceals himself in a department store to escape the world but finds a terrifying civilization already sharing his living space.
  Review: The last version of this story (first were #13 and 53). This time instead of Lewis (#13) or Conrad (#53) we have Harry Bartell in the lead. He was a fine radio actor although not at the same level as the other two. I find his performance a little too light-hearted at times but then this story does walk a very fine line between humour and horror. My Rating: 4.5/5 stars.
• #77: "The Fortune of Vargas" (September 21, 1949) Starring: Victor Mature. Story: Geoffrey Household. Script: Les Crutchfield. Director: Gordon T. Hughes. Setting: Mexico.
  Plot: A mining engineer who wants easy money goes on a treasure hunt.
  Review: Yet another treasure hunt story but with a Mexican setting (not the last time Escape will go treasure hunting in Mexico). This one is decent, carried primarily by the interplay between the protagonist and the Mexican woman he reluctantly takes on as a partner. Tragically, he fails to trust her in one crucial matter. The tragic ending leaves this story a bit too bitter for my liking. My Rating: 3.5/5 stars.
• #78: "Wild Oranges" (2nd version September 28, 1949) Starring: Van Heflin. Story: Joseph Hergesheimer. Script: John Dunkel. Director: Gordon T. Hughes. Setting: USA.
  Plot: A sailor meets a beautiful woman on a remote estate who is menaced by her hired hand.
  Review: Another pass at this melodrama (first was #19), only this time with a less-interesting cast. I already find this story lacks both an engaging script and a fascinating plot. Take away Paul Frees and what do you have? A pretty dull half hour. My Rating: 2.5/5 stars.
• #79: "The Sure Thing" (1st version October 15, 1949) Starring: John Hoyt. Story/Script: Gwen Bagni/John Bagni. Director: William N. Robson. Setting: Caribbean/Cuba.
  Plot: A doctor tending to a wounded man aboard a boat realizes he's fallen in among criminals.
  Review: This is the first episode of Escape by the Bagnis, who would write quite a few stories (and were already writing for Suspense). This is an excellent outing with a tense high seas situation and a good everyman protagonist - who turns out to be as corruptible as the criminals themselves. My Rating: 4.5/5 stars.
• #80: "Night in Havana" (October 22, 1949) Starring: Tony Barrett. Story: Burnham Carter. Script: Walter Newman. Director: William N. Robson. Setting: Cuba.
  Plot: A Cuban man resolves to clean up his life and get out of crime - but his last job lands him in with gun runners and jewel smugglers.
  Review: Not a bad outing, this is a good crime thriller that only stands apart from others to the setting - plenty of accents and a bit of Caribbean music; it's interesting to note Jack Webb appears here in just a minor role, even though he'd already headlined not only several Escape episodes and series of his own (he was a few months into Dragnet at the time); the man was clearly a good team player to accept such a small part. My Rating: 3/5 stars.

You can listen to episodes of Escape at the Internet Archive! I'll be back with more next week!