- #91: "The Vanishing Lady" (2nd version January 10, 1950) Starring: Joan Banks. Story: Alexander Woollcott. Script/Director: William N. Robson. Setting: France.
Plot: A woman goes to fetch a doctor for her sick mother then finds herself tangled in a conspiracy to deny her mother's existence.
Review: Another good adaptation of the story, virtually identical to the 1st version (#26). If I have any criticism it's that Ben Wright is too stiff as the male lead. My Rating: 4/5 stars. - #92: "The Sure Thing" (2nd version January 17, 1950) Starring: Anthony Ross. 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: I give this outing a slight advantage over the previous version (#79) as I think Ross' performance is a little more interesting than the previous one by John Hoyt. An excellent high seas crime thriller. My Rating: 4.5/5 stars. - #93: "Treasure, Incorporated" (January 24, 1950) Starring: Frank Lovejoy. Story/Script: Gwen Bagni/John Bagni. Director: William N. Robson. Setting: Caribbean.
Plot: A man trying to build a tourist destination in an island paradise underestimates a beachcomber.
Review: A different kind of treasure hunt story, where the "treasure" begins as a trick to impress tourists, then later becomes the real thing! A decent parable about the futility of imposing your way of living on a different locale; Lovejoy is perfect as the increasingly-haggard protagonist. My Rating: 4.5/5 stars. - #94: "Present Tense" (January 31, 1950) Starring: Vincent Price. Story/Script: James Poe. Director: William N. Robson. Setting: USA/Mexico.
Plot: A prisoner condemned to death escapes his bonds - but somehow he is never able to escape his destiny.
Review: This script is something special, something unusual; Price carries the half-hour with his intense performance as his character basically lives out "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" (see #18) multiple times. A bit more psychological and a lot more abstract than most Escape stories but an absolutely perfect drama. My Rating: 5/5 stars. - #95: "The Outer Limit" (February 7, 1950) Starring: Frank Lovejoy. Story: Graham Doar. Script: Morton Fine/David Friedkin. Director: William N. Robson. Setting: USA.
Plot: A test pilot who vanished mid-flight returns to Earth with an account of his meeting with extraterrestrial life.
Review: I believe this was the most-frequently adapted science fiction story on radio. But this production might be the best one, primarily due to Lovejoy's intense performance as the pilot. We don't seem to dread nuclear destruction today to same degree people of the 1950s did but overall it remains a relatable human fear. My Rating: 4/5 stars. - #96: "Two If by Sea" (February 14, 1950) Starring: John Dehner. Story: Roger Bax. Script: John Michael Hayes/E. Jack Neuman. Director: William N. Robson. Setting: USSR.
Plot: The husband of a Russian ballerina turns to espionage in an effort to liberate her from the Russians.
Review: Escape didn't do too much with the Iron Curtain - contemporary South American politics showed up in the series from time to time but unlike Suspense, very little of the European situation. This is a decent espionage story, although the only scene I really like is the one where Dehner identifies the code a journalist is using to speak to him over the radio. This is the only episode of Escape with a script by Hayes, who usually wrote for Suspense; Hayes later gave up radio writing after getting noticed by Alfred Hitchcock and hired to write the script for Rear Window. My Rating: 3.5/5 stars. - #97: "The Red Mark" (February 21, 1950) Starring: William Conrad. Story: John Russell. Script: James Poe/Les Crutchfield. Director: William N. Robson. Setting: New Caledonia.
Plot: Convicts in a penal colony scheme of making their escape from the brutal executioner of the camp.
Review: And we're back to John Russell, one of Escape's favourite authors. Apparently the script is very different from Russell's original story. The story has a strong twist ending but I don't find the journey there as gripping as it ought to be. My Rating: 3/5 stars. - #98: "The Man Who Won the War" (February 28, 1950) Starring: Barton Yarborough. Story: Robert Buckner. Script/Director: William N. Robson. Setting: Belgium.
Plot: A British Navy officer's family attempt to clear his name by proving how he won World War I on land.
Review: I kind of like this story - but the framing feels all wrong. The story is framed as this great repudiation of the blemish placed upon a deceased man. But the actual story isn't anywhere near so heavy, it's a fairly light-hearted high seas adventure tale where a crate of kilts change the outcome of a battle! My Rating: 3.5/5 stars. - #99: "Port Royal" (March 10, 1950) Starring: Charles McGraw. Story: Harry Rieseberg. Script: Gil Doud. Director: William N. Robson. Setting: Jamaica.
Plot: A sailor joins a hunt for sunken treasure but the crew's alliance is quickly put to the test.
Review: I always enjoy an appearance by McGraw - his rough voice is perfect for roles such as this one, where he's a high seas treasure raider. He comes over as a good protagonist in part because although ignoble, he's not as ignoble as the other sailors (such as William Conrad's character) and tries to do right by John Dehner's captain, if only to save his own life. My Rating: 4/5 stars. - #100: "Three Skeleton Key" (2nd version March 17, 1950) Starring: Vincent Price. Story: George Toudouze. Script: James Poe. Director: William N. Robson. Setting: French Guiana.
Plot: Three men are trapped in their lighthouse as rats swarm around them.
Review: Here's the version of this story that most Escape fans highlight as the best, due primarily to Price's performance as Jean (you'll recall I only just covered the 1st version last week as #83, demonstrating how quickly this became a popular story). This is definitely one of Price's best radio performances, but I felt Elliott Reid disappeared into the role more easily in the previous performance. Likewise, Reid was supported by William Conrad as Louis whereas Price has Jeff Corey, who is nowhere near as good as Conrad (Bartell remains perfect in his reprise as Auguste). All that said, this is what Escape sounds like when firing on all cylinders. My Rating: 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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