Escape | Old Time Radio

Escape presents “27 the Diamond as Big as the Ritz,” originally broadcast March 27, 1949. This local archival recording is identified as episode number 4903.

Adapted by Les Crutchfield from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Diamond as Big as the Ritz,” this CBS Escape drama follows college student John Unger as he accepts a summer invitation from his wealthy friend Percy Washington. On a remote Rocky Mountain plateau, John encounters the Washington family’s astonishingly luxurious and closely guarded world—and Percy’s sister, Kismine. Sam Edwards stars as John Unger, with Nina Clouden as Kismine and Hugh Thomas as Percy.

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
00:56 Original Broadcast
30:26 Closing

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

Escape presents “Snake Doctor,” originally broadcast on August 18, 1949. This local archival recording is episode 4908. Adapted by Fred Howard from Irvin S. Cobb’s short story, the CBS drama stars Jeff Chandler—billed here as Ira Grossel—along with William Conrad and Paul Frees.

In the worn-out farm country around Cashier Creek, a mysterious recluse known as the Snake Doctor makes his living collecting deadly cottonmouths for their oil. His unnerving command of the snakes feeds local superstition, while a suspicious neighbor begins to wonder what else the isolated man may be hiding.

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
00:53 Original Broadcast
30:24 Closing

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

Escape presents “The Rim of Terror,” originally broadcast on CBS on May 12, 1950, as episode 110. Adapted by William N. Robson from Hildegarde Tolman Teilhet’s novel, the drama stars Nancy Kelly and Hans Conried.

On a lonely Nevada desert highway, a young woman in a Bentley convertible gives a lift to a soaked and unsettling hitchhiker named Alex. With pursuers seemingly close behind, the ride becomes a tense Cold War-era thriller of uncertain identities, shifting appearances, and danger on the road toward Winnemucca.

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
00:39 Original Broadcast
30:10 Closing

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

Escape presents “Mars Is Heaven,” originally broadcast on CBS on June 2, 1950. Commonly listed as episode 125, though some logs number it 113, this Ray Bradbury adaptation was written for radio by Morton Fine and David Friedkin and directed by William N. Robson.

Captain John Black leads an Earth rocket expedition to Mars, where the crew discovers a peaceful small American town that seems uncannily familiar—and far removed from the alien world they expected. Jeff Corey, Florence Bates, Paul Frees, and Ian Wolfe star in this haunting science-fiction drama adapted from Bradbury’s short story “Mars Is Heaven!”

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 “Poison,” originally broadcast on CBS on July 28, 1950. Often listed as episode 121, this tense adaptation of Roald Dahl’s short story was written for radio by James Poe and directed by William N. Robson.

In Bombay, American construction workers Woody and Harry Pope face a terrifying crisis in their shared quarters when Harry becomes convinced that a deadly krait is trapped beneath his mosquito net. Jack Webb stars as Woody, with William Conrad as Harry and Jay Novello as Dr. Ganderbai. The drama also confronts Harry’s deep prejudice toward the Indian people around him; listeners should note that it includes period racial slurs.

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
00:50 Original Broadcast
30:20 Closing

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

Escape presents “Dead of Night Audition,” originally broadcast on CBS on March 21, 1947. This unnumbered second audition program preceded the regular Escape series, which began later that year.

In this supernatural-tinged drama adapted by Charles Gusman from John Baines’s “The Ventriloquist’s Dummy,” British ventriloquist Eric Hickson faces professional pressure from an American rival as his wooden partner, Toby, becomes an increasingly disturbing presence. Berry Kroeger and Art Carney star.

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
25:22 Closing

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

Escape presents “The Man Who Stole the Bible,” originally broadcast on CBS on May 5, 1950. This archival recording is identified as episode 5005. Written by John and Gwen Bagni and directed by William N. Robson, the drama stars Rick Vallin as traveling salesman Cummings.

During Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Cummings takes the Gideon Bible from his crowded hotel room in search of something to read. Before long, suspicious visitors, searches, and costumed strangers make the small book the center of a mounting mystery. Ben Wright, Will Geer, and Lou Merrill co-star in this fast-moving thriller.

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
00:54 Original Broadcast
30:24 Closing

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

Escape presents “The Lost Special,” originally broadcast February 12, 1949. Cataloged here as episode 4902, this CBS sustaining production adapts Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s railway mystery, with Ben Wright as Inspector Collins.

When a special train vanishes on an English railway route, Collins must sort through trackside evidence, witness accounts, and public speculation in search of an explanation. Les Crutchfield adapted the story for radio; Norman MacDonnell produced and directed.

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
00:53 Original Broadcast
30:24 Closing

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

Escape presents “The Log of the Evening Star,” originally broadcast March 14, 1948. This archival recording is episode 4803 of Escape.

First mate Harper records a troubling voyage aboard the South Seas schooner Evening Star as fear and uncertainty spread among Captain Burgess, his wife, the cook Kato, and the crew. Adapted by Les Crutchfield from Alfred Noyes’s sea tale, this CBS drama stars Jack Webb and was produced and directed by William N. Robson.

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
00:50 Original Broadcast
30:20 Closing

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

Escape presents “28 the Man Who Won the War ALT1,” originally broadcast February 28, 1950. This archival recording is identified as episode 5002; established Escape catalogs also list the broadcast as episode 100.

In October 1914, a British destroyer patrolling the North Sea spots a desperate signal from the Flanders coast. Commander Edward Bradman must weigh duty, danger, and the uncertain consequences of answering the call in this World War I naval drama, adapted by William N. Robson from Robert Buckner’s short story. The cast includes John Dehner, Ben Wright, and Paul Frees.

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
00:40 Original Broadcast
29:36 Closing

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