"Tired of the everyday grind? Ever dream of a life of romantic adventure? Want to get away from it all? We offer you... Escape!"
With those words, a magic portal to a world of excitement opened up to radio listeners in the 1940s and 1950s. Introduced at times by William Conrad and at others by Paul Frees (two of old time radio's all-time great voices), Escape was radio's leading anthology series of high-adventure. Produced and directed by Norman MacDonnell, Escape aired on CBS from July, 1947, to September, 1954. Although it did not have a regular sponsor or even a regular airtime (its schedule was often moved around), Escape drew big audiences and is considered to be in the top tier of all radio shows ever produced.
It seems that a lot of people wanted what was offered...Escape!
Tonight, we have three of some of the best episodes that Escape ever aired. First up is an adaptation of the John Collier short story "Evening Primrose." It concerns a strange story scribbled on a notepad found in a deaprtment store. The story purports to tell the story of a poet fed up with the regular world, who decides to break free by living in and off of a store. Unfortunately, the poet discovers that he isn't the only person with that idea.
Next, we have an adaptation of Daphne Du Maurier’s story "The Birds" -- some ten years before Alfred Hitchock's film. Set on a farm on the southern coast of England, the birds throughout the countryside seem unusually perturbed. Soon, pooping on everyone's freshly washed cars isn't enough for them. As the story progresses, they begin attacking people, causing widespread panic, and cutting the survivors off from each other.
Last up is Escape's version of the M. R. James classic, "Casting the Runes." In it, a man is slipped a piece of paper with strange markings on it. The runes foretell his death. Can he break the curse in time?
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