Escape | Old Time Radio

Escape presents “The Most Dangerous Game,” originally broadcast on CBS on October 1, 1947, as episode 8. Adapted by Irving Ravetch from Richard Connell’s celebrated short story, the drama stars Paul Frees as Sanger Rainsford and Hans Conried as General Zaroff.

After becoming separated from his yacht near a remote Caribbean island, renowned hunter Rainsford reaches shore in search of help. What begins as refuge in an isolated estate becomes a tense test of nerve, ingenuity, and survival against an unnervingly sophisticated host.

Escape presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned and mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:55 Original Broadcast
30:25 Closing

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Escape presents “The Red Mark,” originally broadcast on CBS on February 21, 1950. Often listed as episode 111, this tense drama was adapted by Les Crutchfield and Manny Grotnik from a short story by John Russell, and directed by William N. Robson.

At a French penal colony in New Caledonia, convict-barber Dumai and his young friend Bijou find themselves caught in the shadow of the colony’s feared executioner and his troubled wife. William Conrad stars as Dumai, with Harry Bartell, Will Geer, and Barbara Whiting.

Escape presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:49 Original Broadcast
30:20 Closing

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Escape presents “El Guitarrero,” originally broadcast on CBS on April 19, 1953. Episode numbering varies among surviving guides, which list it as either episode 172 or 179. Written by E. Jack Neuman and directed by Antony Ellis, the drama features Eddie Firestone and Jack Kruschen.

In Mexico, an American poet seeks the help of El Guitarrero when the poet’s wife is kidnapped for ransom. Their uneasy alliance leads into a tense confrontation, with guitar music lending the story much of its distinctive atmosphere.

Escape presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:49 Original Broadcast
30:22 Closing

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Escape presents “The Bird of Paradise,” originally broadcast on CBS on March 11, 1954. Common sequential listings identify it as episode 205, though numbering varies among surviving catalogs. John Dehner stars as fortune hunter Andrew Harben in this adaptation by John Meston of a short story by John Russell, directed and produced by Norman Macdonnell.

Harben’s pursuit of a rare bird-of-paradise takes him through the East Indies and across the Solomon Sea to a remote tropical island. There, the promise of a valuable prize brings competing ambitions into uneasy conflict.

Escape presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:43 Original Broadcast
29:49 Closing

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Escape presents “The Country of the Blind,” an archival episode of the CBS Radio adventure series Escape. This local archival recording is one of several Escape adaptations of H. G. Wells’s classic short story, dramatized for radio by John Dunkel.

After surviving a fall in the high Andes, mountain guide Juan Nuñez finds a hidden valley whose people have lived without sight for generations. Certain that his vision gives him an advantage, Nuñez struggles to explain a world the villagers neither know nor need—while becoming drawn to Medina-Saroté, the daughter of an elder. Paul Frees, Edmond O’Brien, and Peggy Webber are among the performers associated with Escape’s surviving productions of this story.

Escape presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:51 Original Broadcast
30:21 Closing

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Escape presents “The Man Who Won the War,” originally broadcast on CBS on February 28, 1950 (episode 100). This alternate archival recording features Ben Wright, John Dehner, and Paul Frees in a William N. Robson adaptation of Robert Buckner’s story.

In October 1914, British destroyer commander Edward Bradman patrols the North Sea near the Flanders coast when a desperate signal from shore forces him to weigh a difficult wartime decision. Set amid the uncertainty of World War I’s opening months, the drama brings naval danger and divided responsibilities into sharp focus.

Escape presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:52 Original Broadcast
29:48 Closing

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Escape presents “The Man Who Liked Dickens,” originally broadcast on CBS on December 21, 1952 (episode 162). Adapted by John Meston from Evelyn Waugh’s 1933 short story, the drama stars Terry Kilburn and Joseph Kearns.

In the remote Brazilian jungle, a weakened English traveler, Paul Henty, finds refuge with the isolated Mr. McMaster, whose devotion to Charles Dickens is as remarkable as it is unsettling. This darkly ironic tale of survival and hospitality was directed and produced by Antony Ellis.

Escape presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:45 Original Broadcast
29:43 Closing

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Escape presents “Misfortunes Isle ALT2,” originally broadcast March 21, 1948, and generally listed as episode 33. This CBS seafaring adventure was adapted by Les Crutchfield from Richard Matthews Hallet’s story “Misfortune’s Isle,” with William N. Robson producing and directing.

In 1790 Manila, American trader Captain Arad sees opportunity in the pirate threat near Borneo. With his friend Yang Po and their crews, he sets out toward Misfortune’s Isle on a dangerous voyage shaped by colonial politics, uncertain alliances, and the perils of the sea. Paul Frees stars as Arad, joined by Virginia Gregg and William Conrad.

Escape presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:52 Original Broadcast
29:05 Closing

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Escape presents “20 the Country of the Blind,” episode 4903, originally broadcast March 20, 1949. This CBS adaptation of H. G. Wells’s “The Country of the Blind” was written by John Dunkel and produced and directed by Norman Macdonnell, starring Edmond O’Brien as mountain guide Juan Nuñez.

After surviving a perilous journey in Ecuador’s high Andes, Nuñez finds an isolated valley community whose understanding of the world challenges everything he knows. Berry Kroeger and Peggy Webber co-star in this fantastical adventure of discovery, communication, and belonging.

Escape presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:55 Original Broadcast
30:47 Closing

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio

Escape presents “The Return,” originally broadcast on CBS on April 1, 1954, as episode 208. This Kathleen Hite drama was directed by Norman Macdonnell and features Lawrence Dobkin and William Conrad.

In a walled North African city, a weary traveler confides in a blind beggar about his wish to leave hardship behind and find a perfect refuge. The beggar offers a path toward that dream, setting the traveler on an unsettling, parable-like search for the life he believes he wants.

Escape presents the original broadcast with a newly produced contextual introduction, a short closing announcement, and gently cleaned/mastered audio for a more consistent listening experience.

Chapters:
00:00 Victor Sterling Introduction
00:48 Original Broadcast
28:49 Closing

Support Old Time Retro Radio at https://www.patreon.com/oldtimeretroradio