Escape Episode Guide: Part 22

Welcome to the final entry of my episode guide on the fantastic old-time radio series Escape!

• #211: "Night of the Guns" (July 31, 1954) Starring: Herb Ellis. Story/Script/Director: Morton Fine/David Friedkin. Setting: Haiti.
  Plot: Two businessmen are mistaken for gun runners while in the midst of a revolution.
  Review: Another everyman in hot water story but nothing memorable. It might have been stronger with a single protagonist instead of two. This episode includes actor John Dehner's final performance on Escape. My Rating: 2.5/5 stars.
• #212: "The Price of the Head" (2nd version August 7, 1954) Starring: Hans Conreid. Story: John Russell. Script: John Meston. Director: Morton Fine/David Friedkin. Setting: Solomon Islands.
  Plot: A redheaded brawler kills a man but an indigenous man offers his help - for a price.
  Review: Appropriately, even in this final batch of episodes we have one final repeated script (from episode #150) - and it's by John Russell, whose stories were part of Escape throughout its history. This version has much cleaner audio than the previous one. However, I still don't find this story very exceptional. Note that this is actor Ben Wright's final appearance on Escape. My Rating: 2.5/5 stars.
• #213: "The Coward" (August 14, 1954) Starring: Barney Phillips. Story/Script: E. Jack Neuman. Director: Morton Fine/David Friedkin. Setting: Caribbean.
  Plot: A pilot schemes to retrieve a fortune lost in a plane he himself had wrecked.
  Review: Another high seas treasure hunt story and pretty average for what it is. In many ways it's a less-interesting version of "Gringo" (#149) which Neuman also wrote. My Rating: 2.5/5 stars.
• #214: "Two and Two Make Four" (August 21, 1954) Starring: Shep Menken. Story/Script: Walter Newman. Director: Morton Fine/David Friedkin. Setting: England.
  Plot: A sailor who was mugged in France awakens to find he's in England.
  Review: The nature of the mystery - how the protagonist got from France to England so quickly - is a bit odd and that keeps this episode a bit more engaging than others of this era. My Rating: 3/5 stars.
• #215: "The King of Owanatu" (August 28, 1954) Starring: Tony Barrett. Story/Script: Robert Tallman. Director: Morton Fine/David Friedkin. Setting: Coral Sea.
  Plot: A self-proclaimed king deliberately wrecks ships on the high seas.
  Review: It's very pleasant to hear Joseph Kearns as a villain one last time. The story itself is somewhat derivative of other stories we've heard over the years (a little bit of #9: "The Most Dangerous Game," a pinch of #125: "The Power of Hammer," heck, a bit of #19: "Wild Oranges" too) but it has romance, adventure and suspense - a good example of the average Escape episode. My Rating: 3/5 stars.
• #216: "The Boiling Sea" (September 4, 1954) Starring: Ted de Corsia. Story: Vincent McHugh. Script: John Dunkel. Director: Morton Fine/David Friedkin. Setting: Pacific Ocean.
  Plot: A ship's crew find themselves endangered by volcanoes at sea.
  Review: Volcanoes on the high seas! Here we have some tense high adventure that feels like the series at its best (Dunkel had been writing for the show since #12: "Pollack and the Porroh Man"). So many of the stories set on ships have been man vs. man that I find it very welcome to have a man vs. nature story, the likes of which I don't think Escape had hosted since all the way back to "S.S. San Pedro" (#50)! This is also the final episode of Escape with actors Ted de Corsia and Harry Bartell. My Rating: 4/5 stars.
• #217: "Carnival in Vienna" (September 11, 1954) Starring: Jack Moyles. Story/Script/Director: Morton Fine/David Friedkin. Setting: Austria.
  Plot: A carnival worker schemes to steal a fortune.
  Review: A pretty average crime story; I'm not sure why it wasn't simply produced on Suspense. Unless... this is a bit like the Suspense episode "The Giant of Thermopylae" which aired 4 months earlier, isn't it? Man trapped in funhouse attraction with laughing clown? My Rating: 2.5/5 stars.
• #218: "The Target" (September 18, 1954) Starring: William Conrad. Story/Script: Tony Barrett. Director: Morton Fine/David Friedkin. Setting: Chile.
  Plot: An insurance investigator pursues a criminal on the run.
  Review: This is the 2nd of 2 episodes written by actor Tony Barrett and the final time Conrad served as protagonist, along with Barrett and Hans Conreid's final appearances on the series. The tale itself is quite average but does at least send us out to the high seas one last time. My Rating: 3/5 stars.
• #219: "The Heart of Kali" (September 25, 1954) Starring: Paul Richards. Story/Script: Ross Murray. Director: Morton Fine/David Friedkin. Setting: India.
  Plot: A former soldier schemes to steal a ruby he discovered during the war.
  Review: And here we have the final episode of Escape, closing on our old friend William Conrad promoting his western series Gunsmoke instead of a new episode. Escape had been moved around the schedule so many times that I wonder if the audience at the time (or even cast and crew) were certain whether or not this was the series' final bow. The show does at least go out strong with one last treasure hunt tale in a remote locale. This is a good mix of crime, adventure and an ironic punishment, elements we heard many, many times during the program's seven year run. There were better episodes and worse episodes but the quality of this one is decent and although I find the quality of many episodes in the Fine/Friedkin era erratic, it feels as though Escape went out as a strong program that still had life in it. Thankfully, Paul Frees was still present and had been one of Escape's most versatile performers throughout its run. My Rating: 4/5 stars.

You can listen to episodes of Escape at the Internet Archive!

Radio Recap: The Tenth Man

The Tenth Man is very different from anything else I've covered in my Radio Recap series. This was a series with a purpose - a goal. The Tenth Man was created by the National Mental Health Foundation and dramatized situations in the lives of normal people who must confront some aspect of mental difficulties. It was a 15-minute show that aired on NBC from October 17, 1947 to January 9, 1948. Ralph Bellamy hosted every episode.

Although some of the science on the Tenth Man probably sounds a bit outdated, I think then - and now - there is a lot of stigma around admitting to mental difficulties and taking appropriate steps to deal with them. The problem could only have been greater in the 1940s, but it seems as though post-war Americans were ready to listen to the subject.

Some of the episodes dealt with big subjects like depression and learning impairments, but I found the Tenth Man was also very capable at handling everyday encounters with mental wellbeing. There's an episode about a woman who worries and frets about her aged father-in-law and thinks she's doing what's best for him by keeping him at home, but she winds up learning that for the sake of his good mental health he does need to be involved in activities and that there are activities appropriate for a man of his age. That might not sound like a novel concept to you, but by 1940s standards I found it very notable as well as a message that still resonates.

The Tenth Man holds up very well; it has a very gentle and informative manner of addressing mental health problems. You can hear the Tenth Man at the Internet Archive.

Creator Credits for Secret Invasion (2023)

Secret Invasion was... well, I found the original comic storyline a bit underwhelming. In that sense, the television adaptation holds up.

My full list of creators who have contributed to the Marvel Cinematic Universe can be found here and I always welcome corrections!

Brian Michael Bendis: co-creator of S.H.I.E.L.D. collecting DNA samples from super heroes following their battles; of these samples being turned over to villains who want to share the powers with their followers (Avengers #18, 2011); of Nick Fury discovering a massive conspiracy by the Skrulls to infiltrate the Earth and replace both his allies and other prestige figures; of the Skrulls impersonating one of Nick's lovers (Mighty Avengers #12, 2008); of Nick Fury gathering allies to fight the Skrull invasion (Mighty Avengers #13, 2008); of Pagon, a Skrull agent who operates undercover on Earth (Mighty Avengers #16, 2008); of the Skrulls capturing humans and keeping them in stasis so their undercover agents can access their prisoners' minds and help them perfect their cover identities (Mighty Avengers #17, 2008); of Dro'ge, a Skrull scientist who learns how to use the DNA of superhumans to share their powers with other Skrulls as part of the Skrulls' beachead operation (New Avengers #40, 2008); of the Skrulls creating multiple new Super-Skrulls while placing their agents undercover on Earth (New Avengers: Illuminati #5, 2008); of the Skrulls arriving on Earth as refugees; of the Skrulls referring to their Earthly invasion as an act of "love" (Secret Invasion #1, 2008); of Maria Hill, a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent; of Nick Fury going deep undercover (Secret War #5, 2005); of Nick Fury depicted as an African-American man (Ultimate Marvel Team-Up #5, 2001)

Stan Lee: co-creator of the Avengers, Earth's greatest super heroes (Avengers #1, 1963); of the Skrulls, an extraterrestrial race of shapeshifters who hide amongst humanity; of the Skrulls' green skin and ridged chins (Fantastic Four #2, 1962); of the Super-Skrull, name given to a Skrull given enhanced superhuman abilities by Skrull scientists so they can duplicate the powers of super heroes (Fantastic Four #18, 1963); of the Kree, an extraterrestrial race of conquerors (Fantastic Four #64, 1967); of Captain Marvel, a super hero (Marvel Super-Heroes #12, 1967); of Nick Fury, a veteran soldier and leader (Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos #1, 1963); of Nick Fury wearing an eyepatch over his left eye in his later years; of Colonel Nick Fury as the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., an international espionage agency based on the massive Helicarrier vehicle; of Hydra, a terrorist organization opposed to S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strange Tales #135, 1965); of Groot, a tree-like extraterrestrial who can expand in size (Tales to Astonish #13, 1960)

Jack Kirby: co-creator of the Avengers, Earth's greatest super heroes (Avengers #1, 1963); of the Skrulls, an extraterrestrial race of shapeshifters who hide amongst humanity; of the Skrulls' green skin and ridged chins (Fantastic Four #2, 1962); of the Super-Skrull, name given to a Skrull given enhanced superhuman abilities by Skrull scientists so they can duplicate the powers of super heroes (Fantastic Four #18, 1963); of the Kree, an extraterrestrial race of conquerors (Fantastic Four #64, 1967); of Nick Fury, a veteran soldier and leader (Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos #1, 1963); of Nick Fury wearing an eyepatch over his left eye in his later years; of Colonel Nick Fury as the director of S.H.I.E.L.D., an international espionage agency based on the massive Helicarrier vehicle; of Hydra, a terrorist organization opposed to S.H.I.E.L.D. (Strange Tales #135, 1965); of Groot, a tree-like extraterrestrial who can expand in size (Tales to Astonish #13, 1960)

Jim Cheung: co-creator of Dro'ge, a Skrull scientist who learns how to use the DNA of superhumans to share their powers with other Skrulls as part of the Skrulls' beachead operation (New Avengers #40, 2008); of the Skrulls creating multiple new Super-Skrulls while placing their agents undercover on Earth (New Avengers: Illuminati #5, 2008)

Alex Maleev: co-creator of Nick Fury discovering a massive conspiracy by the Skrulls to infiltrate the Earth and replace both his allies and other prestige figures; of the Skrulls impersonating one of Nick's lovers (Mighty Avengers #12, 2008); of Nick Fury gathering allies to fight the Skrull invasion (Mighty Avengers #13, 2008)

Khoi Pham: co-creator of Pagon, a Skrull agent who operates undercover on Earth (Mighty Avengers #16, 2008); of the Skrulls capturing humans and keeping them in stasis so their undercover agents can access their prisoners' minds and help them perfect their cover identities (Mighty Avengers #17, 2008)

Roy Thomas: co-creator of the enmity between the Kree and Skrull races (Captain Marvel #2, 1968); of Zirksu, an undercover Skrull agent on Earth; of infrared glasses piercing Skrulls' disguises (Marvel Premiere #35, 1977); of Carol Danvers, a woman connected to Captain Marvel (Marvel Super-Heroes #13, 1968)

Gene Colan: co-creator of the enmity between the Kree and Skrull races (Captain Marvel #2, 1968); of Captain Marvel, a super hero (Marvel Super-Heroes #12, 1967); of Carol Danvers, a woman connected to Captain Marvel (Marvel Super-Heroes #13, 1968)

Chris Claremont: co-creator of Nick Fury and Carol Danvers as close allies (Uncanny X-Men #158, 1982); of Carol Danvers receiving massively powerful energy manipulation abilities, surrounding herself with swirls of cosmic energy (Uncanny X-Men #164, 1982)

Dave Cockrum: co-creator of Nick Fury and Carol Danvers as close allies (Uncanny X-Men #158, 1982); of Carol Danvers receiving massively powerful energy manipulation abilities, surrounding herself with swirls of cosmic energy (Uncanny X-Men #164, 1982)

Daniel Acuña: co-creator of S.H.I.E.L.D. collecting DNA samples from super heroes following their battles; of these samples being turned over to villains who want to share the powers with their followers (Avengers #18, 2011)

John Byrne: creator of the Skrulls as a band of refugees with no homeworld (Fantastic Four #262, 1984); co-creator of James Rhodes, a heroic African-American pilot (Iron Man #118, 1979)

Leinil Francis Yu: co-creator of the Skrulls arriving on Earth as refugees; of the Skrulls referring to their Earthly invasion as an act of "love" (Secret Invasion #1, 2008)

Robbie Thompson: co-creator of Ri'ah, a female Skrull who operates undercover as a human on Earth, becomes affiliated with humanity (Meet the Skrulls #1, 2019)

Niko Henrichon: co-creator of Ri'ah, a female Skrull who operates undercover as a human on Earth, becomes affiliated with humanity (Meet the Skrulls #1, 2019)

Jim Craig: co-creator of Zirksu, an undercover Skrull agent on Earth; of infrared glasses piercing Skrulls' disguises (Marvel Premiere #35, 1977)

Christopher Priest: co-creator of Everett Ross, a US government official who is charged with working alongside super heroes (Ka-Zar #17, 1998)

Kenny Martinez: co-creator of Everett Ross, a US government official who is charged with working alongside super heroes (Ka-Zar #17, 1998)

Paul Neary: co-creator of Alexander Pierce, an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. closely aligned to Nick Fury (Nick Fury vs. S.H.I.E.L.D. #3, 1988)

Bob Harras: co-creator of Alexander Pierce, an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. closely aligned to Nick Fury (Nick Fury vs. S.H.I.E.L.D. #3, 1988)

Mark Millar: co-creator of Nick Fury depicted as Samuel L. Jackson; the Avengers as a team run under Fury's guidance (Ultimates #2, 2002)

Bryan Hitch: co-creator of Nick Fury depicted as Samuel L. Jackson; the Avengers as a team run under Fury's guidance (Ultimates #2, 2002)

Gabriele Dell'Otto: co-creator of Maria Hill, a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent; of Nick Fury going deep undercover (Secret War #5, 2005)

Larry Lieber: co-creator of Groot, a tree-like extraterrestrial who can expand in size (Tales to Astonish #13, 1960)

Mike Allred: co-creator of Nick Fury depicted as an African-American man (Ultimate Marvel Team-Up #5, 2001)

David Michelinie: co-creator of James Rhodes, a heroic African-American pilot (Iron Man #118, 1979)

Bob Layton: co-creator of James Rhodes, a heroic African-American pilot (Iron Man #118, 1979)

Peter David: co-creator of Talos, a Skrull warrior (Incredible Hulk #418, 1994)

Gary Frank: co-creator of Talos, a Skrull warrior (Incredible Hulk #418, 1994)

Steve Englehart: co-creator of Mantis, a woman with empathic powers (Avengers #112, 1972)

Don Heck: co-creator of Mantis, a woman with empathic powers (Avengers #112, 1972)

James Hudnall: co-creator of the Agent, Rick Mason, an intelligence operative (The Agent, 1989)

John Ridgway: co-creator of the Agent, Rick Mason, an intelligence operative (The Agent, 1989)

Mark Gruenwald: creator of Skrullos, the Skrull's homeworld (Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #10, 1983)

Al Ewing: co-creator of Varra, a female Skrull warrior (New Avengers #4, 2016)

Gerardo Sandoval: co-creator of Varra, a female Skrull warrior (New Avengers #4, 2016)

Saladin Ahmed: co-creator of Raava, a Skrull warrior (Black Bolt #1, 2017)

Christian Ward: co-creator of Raava, a Skrull warrior (Black Bolt #1, 2017)

Andy Lanning: co-creator of Agent Keller, a British intelligence agent (Revolutionary War: Alpha #1, 2014)

Alan Cowsill: co-creator of Agent Keller, a British intelligence agent (Revolutionary War: Alpha #1, 2014)

Rich Elson: co-creator of Agent Keller, a British intelligence agent (Revolutionary War: Alpha #1, 2014)

Jeff Christiansen: creator of Zirksu's name (Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe A to Z #12, 2009)

Kurt Busiek: co-creator of Nuro, a superhuman Skrull (Maximum Security: Dangerous Planet #1, 2000)

Jerry Ordway: co-creator of Nuro, a superhuman Skrull (Maximum Security: Dangerous Planet #1, 2000)

Ben Dunn: co-creator of Kreega, a Super-Skrull warrior (Marvel Mangaverse #2, 2002)

Kevin Gunstone: co-creator of Kreega, a Super-Skrull warrior (Marvel Mangaverse #2, 2002)

Kelly Sue DeConnick: co-creator of Carol Danvers as Captain Marvel (Captain Marvel #1, 2012)

Jamie McKelvie: co-creator of Carol Danvers as Captain Marvel (Captain Marvel #1, 2012)

Greg Horn: creator of imagery of humans and Skrulls clasping hands (Secret Invasion "Embrace Change" advertisement)

Radio Recap: Manhunt

"No crime has been committed... yet. No murder has been done... yet. No manhunt has begun... yet."

Manhunt was a syndicated detective program - episodes ran about 15 minutes long and were broadcast from November 28, 1943-June 4, 1944. The short runtime of each episode means they have to get down to brass tacks right away; the dialogue is spat out quickly, the mysteries are not too complex and the plot moves like a freight train. The lead character is a forensic detective played by Larry Haines; his superior, played by Maurice Tarplin, is always skeptical of his conclusions but Haines' character tends to reach the correct conclusions. The presence of Tarplin as the skeptical police chief may well remind you of Boston Blackie as Tarplin's Inspector Faraday was basically the same character. In fact, Boston Blackie was made by the same syndication company just after Manhunt finished.

I find Manhunt is good for what it is - the 15-minute timeslot means the episodes are not very deep but if you want a very quick mystery show, this is it. It's like Boston Blackie but with fewer twists and turnabouts.

You can hear a playlist of Manhunt episodes here at YouTube.

Escape Episode Guide: Part 21

Welcome back to my episode guide to the fantastic old-time radio series Escape! These include the final episodes by producer/director Norman Macdonnell, who was present almost since the beginning of Escape, first when he was William N. Robson's assistant. He's probably better-remembered as producer/director of Gunsmoke, however. Macdonnell was replaced by the writer team of Morton Fine and David Friedkin who will guide us through the final episodes of Escape!

• #201: "Affair at Mandrake" (April 15, 1954) Starring: John Dehner. Story/Script: Ben Wright. Director: Norman Macdonnell. Setting: England.
  Plot: At Dunkirk, a British officer recognizes one of his German prisoners as a childhood friend.
  Review: This is actor Ben Wright's only stab at writing for Escape. It's another rather slow-moving tale, it takes half the runtime to establish what the actual problem facing the protagonist is; when it does appear, the rest of the story is fairly predictable. My Rating: 2.5/5 stars.
• #202: "The Adversary" (May 20, 1954) Starring: Larry Dobkin. Story: John Russell. Script/Director: Norman Macdonnell. Setting: Thursday Island.
  Plot: A ship's captain participates in a scheme to sink a ship on the high seas carrying a fortune in pearls
  Review: Once again we turn to a story penned by Russell. It's certainly not the most engaging treasure hunt in the series, more concerned with talk (talk using various lower-class English accents) than action. Like many episodes of this era, it takes half the runtime to identify the actual plot (the scheme to sink the ship). My Rating: 2.5/5 stars.
• #203: "An Ordinary Man" (June 3, 1954) Starring: John Dehner. Story/Script: Kathleen Hite. Director: Norman Macdonnell. Setting: Mediterranean Sea.
  Plot: A passenger on the high seas of the Mediterranean poses as a rare gem importer, much to his later regret.
  Review: A very average script by Hite. It's a bit like an Eric Ambler tale with an everyman wandering into a criminal plot but the pace isn't quite snappy enough. Still, Dehner did a very good job with his role. My Rating: 2.5/5 stars.
• #204: "Bencelina and the Fisherman" (June 10, 1954) Starring: Vic Perrin. Story/Script: John Dehner. Director: Norman Macdonnell. Setting: Ireland.
  Plot: A fisherman falls in love with a Gypsy woman, making her fiance murderously jealous.
  Review: This is the 3rd of 3 episodes written by actor John Dehner. It's heavy on environment and accents but not very strong on plot or peril, so like many episodes of this era takes some time to get moving. My Rating: 2.5/5 stars.
• #205: "Blood Waters" (June 17, 1954) Starring: Vic Perrin. Story/Script: Tony Barrett. Director: Norman Macdonnell. Setting: Argentina.
  Plot: A diver goes looking for a sunken fortune, all too aware that he can't trust the man who hired him.
  Review: This is the first of 2 episodes written by actor Tony Barrett. The pace is slow but the development of the environment is great and the audio effects during the actual diving are very good. My Rating: 3/5 stars.
• #206: "Judgment Day at Crippled Deer" (June 24, 1954) Starring: Paul Frees. Story/Script: Les Crutchfield. Director: Norman Macdonnell. Setting: Canada.
  Plot: When a man returns to his Yukon cabin alone the other residents assume he's killed his partner.
  Review: We're getting near the end of Escape and you can see from my ratings that I haven't been giving the series as many high marks as I once did, but even at this late time Escape still had greatness within it and great original tales worth telling. This one is basically a wintry version of the Ox-Bow Incident, all the more disconcerting as the victim keeps trying to reason with his accusers to absolutely no avail as Harry Bartell's performance grows more and more desperate. This is also the final episode of Escape to include performers Larry Dobkin and Georgia Ellis. My Rating: 5/5 stars.
• #207: "The Dark Wall" (July 1, 1954) Starring: John Dehner. Story/Script: Kathleen Hite. Director: Norman Macdonnell. Setting: Andorra.
  Plot: A man seems very concerned about his wife's mental state but the locals refuse to let him near her.
  Review: A very strong script by Hite; we've had plenty of stories on Escape where tourists find themselves in a seemingly dangerous culture where they can't trust anyone; this story flips the script a bit where the seeming protagonist is the one who's dangerous! My Rating: 4/5 stars.
• #208: "The Birds" (July 10, 1954) Starring: Ben Wright. Story: Daphne du Maurier. Script: Robert Ryf. Director: Norman Macdonnell. Setting: England.
  Plot: Without warning, birds begin assaulting humans.
  Review: Even this late in the series we have a few new adaptations of popular stories, getting in on du Maurier's story almost a decade before Alfred Hitchcock would make it world famous. Escape had a long history of stories where animals attack - be they snakes, rats or ants. Here we have a nightmarish assault by birds and the sound effects captured it quite well. My Rating: 4/5 stars.
• #209: "Eye of Evil" (July 17, 1954) Starring: John Dehner. Story/Script: Kathleen Hite. Director: Norman Macdonnell. Setting: Burma.
  Plot: An Englishman goes looking for a friend who has dropped out of contact in a remote Burmese locale.
  Review: Hite's story is heavy on atmosphere but thin on plot. The drama only picks up in the last few minutes when the titular "evil eye" finally enters the story. This is also the final episode with a performance by actor Parley Baer. My Rating: 2.5/5 stars.
• #210: "Flood on the Goodwins" (2nd version July 24, 1954) Starring: Vic Perrin. Story: David Devine. Script: James Poe. Director: Morton Fine/David Friedkin. Setting: English Channel.
  Plot: A one-armed man rescuing survivors from the Channel during the war meets a German spy.
  Review: This version suffers a bit because the circulating version is of lower audio quality than the 1st effort (episode #81). The story is fine for what it is but I don't think it's Escape at its best. This was performer Vic Perrin's last episode of Escape. My Rating: 3/5 stars.

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

Radio Recap: The Warner Brothers Academy Theatre

My Radio Recap series has been looking primarily at crime and adventure programs lately, so let's examine something decidedly different: the Warner Brothers Academy Theatre! Based on the title you might think this is a show similar to Academy Award Theater - it must feature adaptations of Warner Bros. movies that won Academy Awards, right? Nope, not even close.

Warner Brothers Academy Theatre aired on CBS radio very briefly - April 3rd to June 26th, 1938. The series was sponsored by Gruen Watches but what they were really selling was Warner Bros. pictures! The title refers to the "Warner Academy," a training program for future Warner Bros. stars. The series was designed to feature adaptations of familiar Warner Bros. movies but rather than utilizing the original stars would deliberately cast up-and-comers whom Warner Bros. were hoping to promote.

As a listener, this show really encourages you to feel some participation in Warner Bros. The series is, after all, a celebration of their film back catalog and a hopeful look at the studio's future. You want these new stars to succeed! The close of each episode features a visit from a famous Warner Bros. player to lend their approval to the series. Basil Rathbone drops by at the end of "That Certain Woman" Part 1 to gently promote (and rib) his performance in the Adventures of Robin Hood (much is made of him as a villainous character actor but a year later he'd be cast as Sherlock Holmes and be typecast in a completely different manner); in part 2, they're visited by Ian Hunter, who also promoted the Adventures of Robin Hood. Priscilla Lane showed up at the climax of "Don't Bet on Blondes" to promote her film Men Are Such Fools which you might recall is, in my opinion, one of the worst Warner Bros. movies of classic cinema. The adaptation of "The Crowd Roars" is followed by a visit by Frank McHugh from the film version and if Frank McHugh is in your corner, you must surely be on the path to stardom!

Did any of the "Warner Academy" up-and-comers ever make in the business? ...Kinda. Ronald Reagan starred in the first episode, but despite a solid decade of the Warners trying to turn him into a leading man, America didn't love him as an actor (they liked him better as a politician).

You can hear seven surviving broadcasts of the Warner Brothers Academy Theatre at the Internet Archive.

Escape Episode Guide: Part 20

Welcome back to my episode guide to the fantastic old-time radio series Escape! These episodes include Antony Ellis' final episodes of Escape as Norman Macdonnell assumes his third (and final) tour as producer/director.

• #191: "The Abominable Snowman" (September 13, 1953) Starring: William Conrad. Story/Script/Director: Antony Ellis. Setting: Himalayan Mountains.
  Plot: Hunters venture into the mountains to learn whether the Abominable Snowman is real.
  Review: Another outstanding venture with Conrad. This could have been a story about a wild goose chase but it delivers on its premise and I admire Ellis for sticking to it. My Rating: 4.5/5 stars.
• #192: "The Log" (September 20, 1953) Starring: Larry Dobkin. Story: Francis Rosenwald. Script: Marianne Mosenor. Director: Antony Ellis. Setting: Scandinavia/Atlantic Ocean.
  Plot: Distraught when his old submarine is to be sold as scrap a retired commander decides to become a pirate.
  Review: A strong drama of a proud man who simply snaps under the weight of the indignities he's suffered. A high seas adventure that's mostly concerned with the psychological toll. My Rating: 4/5 stars.
• #193: "The Untouchable" (September 27, 1953) Starring: John Dehner. Story/Script: James Henderson. Director: Antony Ellis. Setting: India.
  Plot: A businessman is terrified of leprosy and fears he's become afflicted with it.
  Review: A very disturbing drama; Dehner's callous narration and indifferent response to his colleague's obvious mental breakdown works very well; Parley Baer is outstanding as the man who's convinced he's become a leper and goes increasingly off the rails. My Rating: 4.5/5 stars.
• #194: "Zero Hour" (October 4, 1953) Starring: Paula Winslowe. Story: Ray Bradbury. Script/Director: Antony Ellis. Setting: USA.
  Plot: Children across the country are playing the game of "invasion." Only it's not merely a game.
  Review: This one was repeated a few times on Suspense, along with scripts for Dimension X and other programs. Bradbury wrote many stories about how terrifying children could be and this certainly depicts children at their worst! The climax is most chilling. My Rating: 4.5/5 stars.
• #195: "Elementals" (October 11, 1953) Starring: Tony Barrett. Story: Stephen Vincent Benet. Script: Meyer Dolinsky. Director: Antony Ellis. Setting: USA.
  Plot: A wealthy man offers to award a couple a fortune if they agree to a sadistic experiment in food deprivation.
  Review: A very good adaptation of Benet's story. It's been adapted to radio many times; this version is elevated by the presence of William Conrad at his most sinister as the horrible man conducting the experiment. My Rating: 4/5 stars.
• #196: "The Bird of Paradise" (March 11, 1954) Starring: John Dehner. Story: John Russell. Script: John Meston. Director: Norman Macdonnell. Setting: Indonesia.
  Plot: Seeking to make a quick fortune a man goes hunting for rare birds but finds a hunter and his lover already have a claim staked where the birds reside.
  Review: A fairly simple high seas story: man finds rare birds; man loses rare birds. And there's a beautiful woman, but although she's the one who influences most of the story's action she's mostly a passive figure of beauty. My Rating: 3/5 stars.
• #197: "Violent Night" (March 18, 1954) Starring: William Conrad. Story/Script: Les Crutchfield. Director: Norman Macdonnell. Setting: Caribbean.
  Plot: A plantation owner takes the new governor's daughter as his hostage while fleeing the country.
  Review: This story seems to reflect contemporary anxieties about independence movements in Latin America. Conrad is great as the first-person narrator and there are some fine tense moments, although nothing that elevates this material into something special. My Rating: 3/5 stars.
• #198: "The Second Shot" (March 25, 1954) Starring: John Dehner. Story: Alexandre Dumas. Script: Les Crutchfield. Director: Norman Macdonnell. Setting: France.
  Plot: A brash soldier keeps challenging men to duels; when he challenges his superior officer he finally learns a valuable lesson.
  Review: This is Dehner at his best, portraying the cool-headed superior officer. It's an excellent outing, tense and suspenseful with a good moral lesson to share. My Rating: 4/5 stars.
• #199: "The Return" (2nd version April 1, 1954) Starring: Larry Dobkin. Story/Script: Kathleen Hite. Director: Norman Macdonnell. Setting: North Africa.
  Plot: A man eager to avoid struggle finds himself invited into the perfect place.
  Review: Larry Dobkin is good in both of his performances of Hite's story (the first was episode #153). This version has much cleaner audio than the previous production. My Rating: 4/5 stars.
• #200: "The Scarlet Plague" (April 8, 1954) Starring: Vic Perrin. Story: Jack London. Script: Les Crutchfield. Director: Norman Macdonnell. Setting: USA.
  Plot: A horrific plague quickly spreads among the population and chaos engulfs civilization.
  Review: An updating of the story that works very well, following in the footsteps of "Earth Abides" (#128-129). This is one that OTR fans began to share as a bit of grim commentary on COVID-19 (which was thankfully not like the Scarlet Plague). Where "Earth Abides" was concerned with what happened after civilization fell, this story is involved in what the downfall would look like, anticipating many future works of fiction of this type. This is also the last episode of Escape with performer Sam Edwards. My Rating: 4/5 stars.

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

Snoodiversary on the Marvel Appendix!

Today my friend Snood of the Marvel Appendix is celebrating his birthday so I decided to create an event to celebrate by featuring animal-themed profiles in lieu of his career in veterinary medicine. Check out Battle the dog, Combat Cat the cat, Flame the alien who posed as a dog, Frisky the dog, Gyrene the dog and Krauss the parrot owner. This impromptu plethora of profiles inspired my friend Proto-Man to contribute a few new profiles today too, you can see them all on the update page. Happy Snoodiversary, Snood!

Radio Recap: Confession

Confession was an unusual true crime radio drama that aired on NBC for just one summer - July 5 to September 13, 1953. The show's conceit was that it offered tape recordings of confessions given by criminals in which they described their crimes. This had been known to be a great source of radio drama for decades - going back to Charles performing "The Moat Farm Murder" confession on a 1944 Columbia Presents Corwin series. With radio budgets being slashed circa 1953, this kind of gripping, adult fare showed what could be accomplished with minimal expenses.

Each episode of Confession begins with the criminal starting their recording, with Paul Frees addressing them and seeming to guide the conversation (although it's possible Frees' voice was added through editing). There's also a very annoying beep that goes off at regular intervals; I think it's present to make the confessions sound more realistic but it only distracts from the confessions themselves.

Confession was almost certainly trying to tap into the zeitgeist of interest in true crime that Dragnet had helped foster. Although the centerpiece of each episode is the criminal's taped confession, the bulk of the program itself is an audio recreation of the criminal's activities, performed by familiar radio actors. There are also some very unwelcome drop-ins at about the halfway mark of each broadcast where a psychologist offers commentary on the crimes being described. Not only is the neuroscience being described badly out-of-date by today's science (especially how the psychologist uses schizophrenia) but sometimes he spoils what's coming up in the audio drama. There's also a strong "crime does not pay" message that feels far too conclusory. These sequences should have been kept to the climax, if used at all.

But the show is very gripping. Music was minimal, provided primarily by a cimbalom. One episode's criminal called "Martin Everett" describes what we'd now term dissociative identity disorder as he projected his crimes upon an imaginary accomplice. At times the drama reminded me of Edgar Allan Poe's "William Wilson."

I find Confession to be a very strong radio series. You can listen to Confession in this Internet Archive playlist.

"You're German. Don't try to be funny." Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is the newest and supposedly final entry in the Indiana Jones franchise, released this summer. Unlike the previous four films it was directed by James Mangold rather than Steven Spielberg.

Because both the Star Wars and Indiana Jones franchises grew out of George Lucas and Steve Spielberg's love of old cinema but were themselves original concepts, I've frequently wondered in recent years whether there is any point in continuing those franchises without the men who originated them. Obviously LucasFilm is a business who want to keep making money from what are two valuable piece of intellectual property, but in this instance, what does James Mangold get to achieve by creating an Indiana Jones film? At best, people might call his work "worthy." But if you're a filmmaker who really likes the Indiana Jones films, why not do what Lucas and Spielberg originally did - make your own adventure film, set your own rules, invent your own hero. Lucas and Spielberg could have probably afforded the rights to Plunder of the Sun and made a really great adaptation; instead they went one better and gave us Raiders of the Lost Ark, adding something new to popular culture.

Oh, well. Spoilers after the dial.

Seeing a trailer ahead of the film for this week's release Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1 reminds me that there are still great action-adventure films out there with plenty of terrific death-defying practical stunts. Boy, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny looks good enough, but really lacks the set pieces visible in that Mission: Impossible trailer - or set pieces from the earlier Indiana Jones films. I think part of why that trailer pops is because most of the stunts we glimpse are staged in broad daylight, where it's more difficult to cheat and hide - and for those reasons easier to impress the audience. So many of the stunts of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny are set in dark or enclosed spaces where the viewer can't appreciate any sense of choreography.

I wasn't terribly impressed by the previous film, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, owing mainly to the bad CGI effects. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny does at least have very good CGI - certainly the effects used to de-age Harrison Ford for the opening sequence are impeccable. Pity they couldn't de-age his voice though, it spoils the illusion.

Set (mostly) in 1969, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny finds former Nazis seeking a relic which they hope will function as a time machine, enabling them to alter the past and win World War II. Dr. Jones is roped into this adventure because he possesses one half of the device. Eventually he loses his half to the Nazis and so tries to obtain the 2nd half to keep it out of their hands.

Complicating matters is the character Helena Shaw (Phoebe Waller-Bridge), Indy's goddaughter. Although raised by an archaeologist and adept in such matters, she claims to be in it for the money. For about half the movie she repeatedly tricks, stonewalls or refuses help from our hero, Indiana. Indy cares about her, but it takes a very long time for her to demonstrate she genuinely cares about him. She reminds me of the problem I noted with the Angel character Connor (as well as the Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan character David Marcus). Indiana is the audience's established hero and so because he cares about Helena, we care about her. But own her own merits, Helena is not very likeable.

It's okay for a character to have unlikeable character traits and experience an arc during the film that leads them to another place by the climax (indeed, her arc is basically to be like Han Solo in the original Star Wars). I found Helena Shaw problematic because the filmmakers seemed to think she was much more entertaining than I did. She puts down our hero, Indiana Jones; she makes cute James Bond-esque quips; she gets thirsty whenever she sees a good-looking man. I never found those character quirks endearing. I would have been happier if the filmmakers had treated her as a wild card for most of the film so that when she finally proved herself a staunch ally to Indiana Jones in the end I would have felt she earned her place. Giving her 'humourous' quirks felt like the film was rushing to assume I liked her character and already accepted her as Indy's sidekick, which I really did not. (Re: The Scrappy)

The film is okay; it has an agreeable light-hearted tone. The cameos by John Rhys-Davies and Karen Allen were most welcome. The time travel was kind of ridiculous but mostly in a good over-the-top way. My girlfriend opined that she wanted to see it again and that's the highest praise you can give an action film.

Radio Recap: The Whisperer

The Whisperer was an adventure program heard on NBC radio during the summer of 1951 - July 1st to September 23rd. The series had a very involved opening which I'll recap here:

The Whisperer! A brilliant man who, losing his voice in an accident which crushed his vocal cords, worked his way deep within the crime syndicate to destroy it from within! To the underworld, his familiar rattling hiss is the voice of authority, to be obeyed without question. Then a miracle of surgery performed by Dr. Benjamin Lee restored his natural voice, enabling him to resume his real identity. Now as Philip Galt, aggressive young attorney, he skirts the thin edges of death living his dual role. For as the Whisperer he sets in motion the forces of the syndicate in Central City, then as Philip Galt, uses his knowledge to fight the organized network of crime which seeks to control the fate of millions in cities and towns across the nation.

This might be one of the worst intros I've heard in radio. There are so many superfluous phrases ("within" is used twice in the same sentence) and information which raises more questions than answers. Based on the text above, you would think Philip Galt (played by Carleton Young) was an attorney who had his throat crushed and so became a criminal - the Whisperer. Then his voice was restored so he went back to being an attorney, but continued to use his Whisperer identity. Yet I don't think that's what happened - it seems to me as though Galt's throat was damaged and he used that as an opportunity to assume the Whisperer role to destroy the syndicate from within, but continued this after his throat was repaired.

You might also wonder why it's important to hear every episode that Dr. Benjamin Lee performed the surgery to restore Galt's voice, considering Dr. Lee is not a character in the series. On the other hand, you'll wonder why this long intro never mentions Dr. Lee's nurse Ellen Norris (played by Betty Moran), Galt's constant ally and presence in every episode!

But why even mention the damage to his throat and the surgery that restored his voice? In the drama of the program, Galt merely disguises his voice on the telephone by rasping in a whisper - a voice anyone could assume, whether their vocal cords were damaged or not. So why is it important to hear every single week that Galt's vocal cords were damaged - then fixed - before the series began? For comparison, listen to the succinct intros of the Shadow or the Green Hornet which have a lot of important information to share with the audience and get it across quickly and effortlessly. The Whisperer's intro is both incomplete (lacking an intro for Ellen) and over-complicated.

But once you're past the poorly-written intro, the program itself is pretty good by the standards of an OTR adventure series. Much like the Shadow, our hero has an unusual vocal effect and a female sidekick - and as a vigilante he frequently crosses paths with the law but can't let them know exactly what he's doing. There are plenty of very good radio performers in the supporting cast, such as Larry Dobkin and William Conrad. Conrad in particular seems to portray a different member of the syndicate each week!

Many of the episodes have similar plot outlines - the syndicate orders someone's death, the Whisperer telephones the killer to hand out the assignment (the Whisperer is basically a middleman in the organization), then Galt and Ellen work to stop the killer. Somehow, despite the seeming failure of the syndicate's operations every time they involve the Whisperer, they rarely express dissatisfaction with his work.

There are variations; in one case, the syndicate's target is Galt himself! In another, Ellen's life is threatened and Galt spends some time cursing himself for treating his war on crime so cavalierly (the series does have a very whimsical tone). And in one case the man the syndicate wants killed turns out to be a dirty stinkin' communist so Galt is quite pleased to help speed the man on his way to death!

The series music is primarily organ; the intended audience seems to be juveniles but there are enough sarcastic remarks by the performers to keep grown listeners entertained too. If the series had launched earlier it would probably have lasted a few years, but by 1951 juvenile adventure programs were slowly fading out as kids turned to television instead.

Here is a YouTube playlist containing all 13 episodes of The Whisperer for your enjoyment!

Escape Episode Guide: Part 19

Welcome back to my episode guide to the fantastic old-time radio series Escape!

• #181: "A Source of Irritation" (July 5, 1953) Starring: Ben Wright. Story: Stacy Aumonier. Script: Meyer Dolinsky. Director: Antony Ellis. Setting: Germany.
  Plot: A British turnip farmer is kidnapped by a Nazi pilot because he happens to resemble an important Frenchman.
  Review: A very silly story, quite atypical for Escape, so much so that it's practically the series satirizing itself. My Rating: 3/5 stars.
• #182: "The Outstation" (July 12, 1953) Starring: Ben Wright. Story: W. Somerset Maugham. Script/Director: Antony Ellis. Setting: Borneo.
  Plot: Two British officers clash with each other during their assignment.
  Review: I think I've mentioned before that I don't have a lot of patience for "British manners" stories, stories where all the drama comes from British class-isms. Here, there's a stiff-upper lip Englishman and a working-class boor. The story doesn't like either of them. Well, fine, I don't like them, the story, or the high horse they rode in on. My Rating: 2.5/5 stars.
• #183: "The Open Boat" (July 19, 1953) Starring: Edgar Barrier. Story: Stephen Crane. Script: E. Jack Neuman. Director: Antony Ellis. Setting: Atlantic Ocean/USA.
  Plot: The survivors of a sunken ship try to reach land but it's not easily accomplished.
  Review: I studied this story in college; it's Crane's 2nd best-known work (after "The Red Badge of Courage") and I'm delighted that Escape brought it to life. The high seas setting obviously plays to audience expectations but the drama - the men trying repeatedly to save themselves against an indifferent audience, dry land so close yet unattainable - it's a different kind of 'man vs. nature' peril than other episodes and very well performed. My Rating: 4.5/5 stars.
• #184: "The Notebook" (July 26, 1953) Starring: John Dehner. Story/Script: William J. Radcliff. Director: Antony Ellis. Setting: USA.
  Plot: Two men who just found a valuable piece of property are stalked by thieves who want to beat their claim.
  Review: An intense and ultimately bleak western story. The last third of the story is especially well-told as the surviving characters are forced to rely on each other to survive against a pack of wolves, yet it's too little, too late. My Rating: 4/5 stars.
• #185: "The Red Forest" (2nd version August 2, 1953) Starring: William Conrad. Story/Script/Director: Antony Ellis. Setting: USA.
  Plot: A man on the run finds his way blocked by a forest fire as he's forced to help fight the blaze.
  Review: Another good production of this script (from #120); this time Ellis got to direct it himself. Conrad reprised his role from before, as did Georgia Ellis. Escape Snake #6: the rattlesnake makes a quick appearance! My Rating: 4.5/5 stars.
• #186: "Three Skeleton Key" (3rd version August 9, 1953) Starring: Ben Wright. Story: George Toudouze. Script: James Poe. Director: Antony Ellis. Setting: French Guiana.
  Plot: Three men are trapped in their lighthouse as rats swarm around them.
  Review: One last time, Escape tackles the story (previously as episodes #83 and 100). This time there's no Vincent Price but I think Wright is fine in the role of Jean (though his thick English accent is in no way French!); Paul Frees is fine as Louis although William Conrad did it best in the 1st version; unfortunately, Jay Novello is not that great as Auguste, a role that Harry Bartell played to perfection in the two earlier versions. Further, the circulating copy has some patchy audio in places. However, this is the best man vs. nature story in the entirety of Escape and these minor defects only appear when you compare versions. Even as the least-impressive adaptation of the tale, it's still a phenomenal production. My Rating: 5/5 stars.
• #187: "The Thirteenth Truck" (August 16, 1953) Starring: Hy Averback. Story: Douglas Smith/Cecil Carnes. Script: Gus Bayz. Director: Antony Ellis. Setting: Libya.
  Plot: British soldiers scheme to infiltrate a convoy of Nazi trucks in order to access and destroy an airfield.
  Review: A very pulpy adventure tale. It's all right but far-fetched and Averback's performance is too stiff for Bayz's light-hearted script. My Rating: 3/5 stars.
• #188: "The Man from Tomorrow" (August 23, 1953) Starring: Larry Dobkin. Story/Script: Irving Reis. Director: Antony Ellis. Setting: USA.
  Plot: A former pilot is recruited for scientific experiments to heighten his sensory powers to their greatest possible degree.
  Review: This episode is not well-liked by other Escape fans but I'm into it; I enjoy how the protagonist's abilities gradually increase and the audio tricks used to enhance his sensory experience for the listeners. Dobkin's protagonist realizing he has to get out of the experiment is also well-handled. My Rating: 4/5 stars.
• #189: "The Game" (August 30, 1953) Starring: Sam Edwards. Story/Script/Director: Antony Ellis. Setting: USA.
  Plot: Two teenagers play a game of Russian roulette.
  Review: Utterly unlike anything else on Escape - this is a Suspense story that wound up on the wrong desk. But who cares? It has a tiny cast and a tough premise that manages to maintain tension for the entire half-hour. My Rating: 5/5 stars.
• #190: "Train from Oebisfelde" (September 6, 1953) Starring: William Conrad. Story/Script: Ross Murray. Director: Antony Ellis. Setting: Germany.
  Plot: An American agent escorting a nuclear scientist who has just defected learns the train they're aboard has a bomb hidden somewhere.
  Review: I think this one is very underrated by Escape fans; the train setting is good and the problem of how to locate the bomb in time is intense, while Conrad is always game as the staunch protagonist. Really good stuff. 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!

Radio Recap: Intrigue

Intrigue was a summer program that aired on CBS from July 24-September 11, 1947. There were just 7 episodes and only 3 of those are currently circulating. The series starred actor Joseph Schildkraut and was an anthology program dedicated to stories of espionage.

I've looked at a few spy programs before, but what sets Intrigue apart is that it drew most of its content from famous works of spy fiction. The 7 episodes included:

1. "Rogue Male" (July 24) from the novel by Geoffrey Household
2. "Dawn Over the Amazon" (July 31) from the novel by Carleton Beals
3. "Sinister Errand" (August 7) from the novel by Peter Cheyney
4. "The Great Impersonation" (August 21) from the novel by E. Phillips Oppenheim
5. "The Smiler with a Knife" (August 28) from the novel by Nicholas Blake
6. "I Accuse" (September 4) from the letter by Emile Zola
7. "Satan Was a Salesman" (September 11) based on the life of Basil Zaharoff

Of the 7 above, just "Sinister Errand," "The Great Impersonation" and "Satan Was a Salesman" are circulating. The scripts were apparently all developed by Robert Tallman, a busy radio writer who worked on Suspense, Escape, the Adventures of Sam Spade and the Voyage of the Scarlet Queen.

Perhaps if Intrigue had caught on it would have joined fellow CBS anthology shows Escape, Romance and Suspense as single-word titles that tell you exactly what to expect. Based on what we have of Intrigue, it was a strong series with a lot of talent behind it. Although Joseph Schildkraut was the series' star, they also rotated in other actors including Vincent Price in "Sinister Errand." It's a pity that nothing more came from its run as a summer series, I would be happy to hear more from this program.

Escape Episode Guide: Part 18

Welcome back to my episode guide to the fantastic old-time radio series Escape!

• #171: "Classified Secret" (April 12, 1953) Starring: Parley Baer. Story/Script/Director: Antony Ellis. Setting: USA.
  Plot: A hired spy decides not to complete his assignment; the enemy agents refuse to let him escape.
  Review: I criticized Ellis' earlier attempts at penning espionage drama but this time he really came through - this is one of the best spy stories Escape ever told and Baer is terrific as the likeable yet cold-blooded spy. My Rating: 4.5/5 stars.
• #172: "El Guitarrero" (April 19, 1953) Starring: Eddie Firestone. Story/Script: E. Jack Neuman. Director: Antony Ellis. Setting: Mexico.
  Plot: A poet needs the help of a guitarist to rescue his wife.
  Review: This episode wasn't helped by the abrupt news break that interrupts the beginning of the drama; since Escape was transcribed I guess it's possible a non-broadcast copy might turn up with the full drama. As it is, the story is very underwhelming - it takes half the runtime to reach the premise (wife kidnapped; the two leads don't like each other) and it's just too thin to hold my interest. Nice guitar playing, though. My Rating: 2.5/5 stars.
• #173: "The Derelict" (April 26, 1953) Starring: Charlotte Lawrence. Story: Victor Schwartz. Script: Larry Roman. Director: Antony Ellis. Setting: Indian Ocean.
  Plot: A crew stranded in the ocean with a fortune begin in-fighting to possess the wealth and the one woman present.
  Review: A different kind of high seas adventure; Lawrence portrays a woman who could have been a typical femme fatale but to a great extent, I came away thinking the problems were really the fault of the men's inability to cooperate and solve their mutual problem. My Rating: 4/5 stars.
• #174: "Lily and the Colonel" (May 3, 1953) Starring: Ben Wright. Story/Script: John Dehner. Director: Antony Ellis. Setting: Kenya.
  Plot: In the midst of the Mau Mau uprising a British officer's bored wife takes note of the newly-arrived officer.
  Review: The 2nd of 3 episodes written by actor John Dehner; it's very much in the style of W. Somerset Maugham. I have to say, it does nothing for me. I think Dehner wanted to make some kind of critique about British colonialism but since it climaxes on the Mau Mau murdering a defenseless woman it lacks a perspective I can actually sympathize with. My Rating: 2/5 stars.
• #175: "The Vessel of Wrath" (May 10, 1953) Starring: Parley Baer. Story: W. Somerset Maugham. Script/Director: Antony Ellis. Setting: Indonesia.
  Plot: A missionary is terrified of an infamous high seas drunkard - then becomes fascinated with him.
  Review: A decent enough adaptation of a rather comical story, albeit one that's presented in dramatic fashion. It all feels very outdated by the standards of the 1950s. My Rating: 2.5/5 stars.
• #176: "North of Polaris" (May 17, 1953) Starring: William Conrad. Story/Script: Charles Smith. Director: Antony Ellis. Setting: USA.
  Plot: Astronauts on another world find the planet is nearly deserted.
  Review: There are plenty of radio science fiction plays which tell more-or-less the same tale (see "The Planet Zevius" on the Mysterious Traveler), but Escape handles this pretty well just thanks to its great stable of performers, led by Conrad. The climax didn't surprise me but I thought it was entertaining getting there. My Rating: 4/5 stars.
• #177: "A Good Thing" (May 31, 1953) Starring: Tony Barrett. Story/Script: Kathleen Hite. Director: Antony Ellis. Setting: Philippines.
  Plot: An unstable drunkard goes exploring for headhunters with his brother.
  Review: Another episode that's slow to get moving and only really speeds up in the last third. It's okay, but with a snappier pace it might have been great. My Rating: 3/5 stars.
• #178: "The Voyages of Sinbad" (June 7, 1953) Starring: Ben Wright. Story/Script/Director: Antony Ellis. Setting: Arabia.
  Plot: Sinbad the sailor narrates about his adventures on the high seas, including the time he was buried alive and beset by the Old Man of the Sea.
  Review: Another oddity; we heard another script by Ellis - "Robert of Huntingdon" (#151) that seemed like a pilot for a juvenile adventure series - perhaps this one is another. But as a departure for Escape it's a welcome one; the music by Rimsky-Korsakov does an excellent job of setting the stage and similarly marking this episode as something quite different. My Rating: 3.5/5 stars.
• #179: "Clear for Action" (June 14, 1953) Starring: William Conrad. Story/Script/Director: Antony Ellis. Setting: Caribbean.
  Plot: An American Naval officer leads his crew against British and French warships.
  Review: Another high seas adventure in a historical vein. The only real colour in this tale is when Conrad's captain orders one of his men to masquerade as a woman in order to deceive the British ship. Although Conrad helped prove in "Pressure" (#168) that submarine drama worked well on radio, I'm less convinced that traditional naval combat makes for interesting radio. There's only so many times you can stand to hear Conrad bellow out instructions for the sail. It would be stronger radio drama if Conrad had been a first-person narrator. My Rating: 2.5/5 stars.
• #180: "The Far Away Island" (June 21, 1953) Starring: Ted de Corsia. Story/Script: Charles Smith. Director: Antony Ellis. Setting: Polynesia.
  Plot: A man on the run from the law finds his own son is one of the men pursuing him.
  Review: Ted de Corsia had a great rough voice, but I don't find this high seas tale engaging. The twist that the pursuer is his son doesn't come up until the halfway point and it's about as close as the story gets to being interesting. My Rating: 2.5/5 stars.

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