The Radio Show Escape

Paul Frees, one of the narrators
of Escape

Escape is counted by many Old Time Radio aficionados among the greatest radio shows of all time. This is impressive given that it rarely had a regular time slot. It might disappear for weeks at a time to reappear in a whole, new time slot. It also aired without a sponsor, except for five months in 1950 when it was sponsored by Richfield Oil. Regardless, it proved to be somewhat popular. Debuting on CBS on July 7 1947, it ran until September 25 1954.

In many respects Escape was a sister show to the legendary anthology series Suspense. It was created by William N. Robeson, and by his own admission, Escape was "pretty darned close to Suspense. Even so, there were some fundamental differences between Suspense and Escape, beyond the fact that Suspense had a regular time slot and sponsors. Quite simply, while Suspense was devoted to thrillers and mystery, Escape was devoted to adventure. Another difference between the two shows was that while Suspense mostly featured original radio plays with the occasional adaptation of a novel, short story, or play, Escape mostly featured adaptations of a novel, short story or play with the occasional original radio play.

In keeping with its focus on adventure, episodes of the show would begin with the strains of Night on Bald Mountain by Modest Mussorgsky accompanied by an introduction voiced by William Conrad and later Paul Frees, "Tired of the everyday grind? Ever dream of a life of romantic adventure? Want to get away from it all? We offer you...Escape!"

While Escape was devoted to adventure stories, it featured episodes in a wide variety of genres. There were adaptations of classic action adventure yarns, including The Man Who Would Be King by Rudyard Kipling and "The Most Dangerous Game" by Richard Connell. There were also adaptations of works of science fiction, including The Time Machine by H. G. Wells and "Mars is Heaven" by Ray Bradbury. Other episodes would have been right at home on Suspense, with adaptations of Orient Express by Graham Greene, "The Lost Special" by Arthur Conan Doyle, and The Great Impression by  E. Phillips Oppenheim, Yet other episodes fell in the category of horror, including "Casting the Runes" by M. R. James, "The Fall of the House of Usher" by Edgar Allan Poe, "The Birds" by Daphne du Maurier. Some of the stories used on Escape would later be used on Suspense.

Episodes of Escape featured some well known actors, including Art Carney, Jack Webb, Hans Conreid, Jeff Corey, and Vincent Price, among others. Both William Conrad and Paul Frees, who served as narrators on the show at various times, would star in episodes.

Like Suspense, Escape also made its way to television. The television adaptation was handled by Wyllis Cooper, the legendary creator of the radio show Lights Out.  It was narrated by William Conrad. It would also feature some well known actors, including Kim Stanley, Lee Marvin, and Brian Keith. Unfortunately, the television version of Escape would not prove as successful as either the radio version of Escape or the television version of its sister show Suspense. Debuting on CBS on January 5 1950, it ended its run on March 30 1950 after thirteen episodes.

Escape aired one last time on September 25 1954. Its final episode was "The Heart of Kali." The majority of the 228 episodes of Escape have survived in good condition and are widely available on CD from Old Time Radio sites and on streaming sites as well. If you are ever tired of the everyday grind, then you can find Escape.