This is, without a doubt, one of the best, if not the best Old Time Radio Shows. Not only in quality of acting, writing and production values, but in number of listeners as well. Airing on CBS in 1947, it was a dramatic anthology series with suspenseful episodes with almost every episode have a twist or surprise at the end.
Escape is similar to another old time radio classic series, Suspense. Each episode started with the following:
"Tired Of The Every Day Grind? Ever Dream Of A Life Of Romantic Adventure? Want To Get Away From It All? We Offer You....Escape"
Don't be mislead by the part that says Romantic Adventure, every other part of that intro is true though, this was escape from your everyday life! The plots sometimes involved some type of crime, of which were usually murders, but there were many scripts that were adventure oriented.
Each episode of Escape was a 30 minute adventure that had you on the edge till the very end. And almost always there was some type of twist or turn in the plot at the end. Some you saw coming, most you didn't. In many ways Escape radio reminds old time radio fans of The Whistler. Where the bad guy is undone by his own mistake(s). Speaking of old time radio fans, Escape is considered to be the same quality show as Suspense, CBS Radio Mystery Theater, or Lux Radio Theater. Great shows that shined not only during the golden age of radio, but today as well.
Because the plots had such a variety of subjects, crime, supernatural powers, adventure, etc., it's a perfect show. You get all different kinds of plots. Just as an example:
The Ambassador of Poker: A poker shark from Virginia tries to swindle a valuable relic from a Chinese warlord.
The Birds: All the birds unite to remove humans from the world. If this rings a bell, it was the basis for the Alfred Hitchcock film 'The Birds'.
Bloodbath: Five men go to South America to verify and takeover a suspected stash of plutonium. If successful, they'll become rich, but it will bring the world to the brink of a nuclear arms race.
As you can see there is a wide variety of plot lines in Escape.Something for every taste. So now we know the stories are good. Lets's name just some of the stars which had leading roles: William Conrad, Frank Lovejoy, Jack Webb, John Dehner, Jeff Chandler, David Ellis, Parley Baer, Van Heflin, and the list of stars on this great old time radio thriller goes on....way past the above mentioned.
Escape finally went off the air in 1954. As mentioned, it is considered one of the greatest old time radio shows, or radio dramas during the golden age of radio. Using 30 minute long tight scripts, it is still a favorite show today with numerous fan sites, discussion groups, etc. It's estimated by old time radio historians and researchers to have from 225-238 episodes, depending on who you listen to. Many of the scripts are east and west coast versions.
Some of the scripts used were also used in Lux Radio Theater, Suspense, and were the basis for movies. The stories were mature and sophisticated, as the audience was now the mature post World War II listener. No fluff, just pure adventure and adrenaline. Not to sound politically incorrect, but Escape was considered a 'mans' show, but of course everyone listened to it.
