Escape's premier episode was based on one of the stories from the classic British horror film Dead of Night (1945). The movie is a collection of supernatural tales, including the urban legend of "The Phantom Coachman." Its most famous segment is about a ventriloquist named Maxwell Frere, played by Michael Redgrave, and Hugo, his dummy. Dead of Night was also one of the inspirations for the famous Twilight Zone episode "The Dummy" in 1962. Richard Attenborough's 1978 film Magic also borrowed a little from this story. Escape's "Dead of Night" stars Barry Kroeger as the ventriloquist and Art Carney (pictured left) as the dummy.