Escape
I guess you'd have to say that there were two great suspense-
mystery-adventure series in the Golden Days of Radio. The
greatest would have to be SUSPENSE, with ESCAPE being a close
second. Where SUSPENSE was star-oriented, ESCAPE was all about
the story line. The difference between the two was that while
ESCAPE concerned itself with everyday adventurous situations,
with sometimes awful results, SUSPENSE shows were mystery and
crime stories. In its heydey movie stars clamored to be part
of Suspense but in the background there was ESCAPE with its
unforgetable: Three Skeleton Key, An Occurance at Owl Creek
Bridge, A Shipment of Mute Fate, Evening Primrose, The Most
Dangerous Game, and on and on. These stories and many others
have been retained in the minds of many listeners.
ESCAPE opened with the gripping voice of William Conrad booming out
over the airwaves: "Tired of the everyday grind? Ever dream of a
life of romantic adventure? Want to get away from it all? We offer 
you - ESCAPE!". Moussorgsky's "Night on Bald Mountain", the show's
theme, assisted Conrad in creating the right opening atmosphere.
(The actual series of questions used in the opening varied from week
to week, frequently to match the goings-on of the times.)
The show featured spine-tingling tales from such masters as Joseph
Conrad, Arthur Conan Doyle and Edgar Allen Poe. It was produced by
William N. Robeson, and featured many seasoned radio actors.
ESCAPE was heard on CBS from July 1947 to September 1954. There
were two pilot shows before it's first run. The first pilot was
OUT OF THIS WORLD: "Dead of Night" on February 28, 1947. This show
was repeated as ESCAPE: "Dead of Night" on March 21.
ESCAPE, as a series, started as a summer replacement for half of the
hour normally occupied by THE LUX RADIO THEATER. It then aired for 
the 1947-1948 season, on Sundays. During the early half of 1948,
broadcast day was different on east and west coast. Although the
same scripts were used for both east and west cost shows, the opening
was different. The west coast versions used organ music in place of
the full orchestra of the east coast versions. The series again went
to different days for east and west coasts in 1950, but in this case,
the show was the same for both broadcasts.
Unlike the other CBS adventure series, SUSPENSE, which ran from June
1942 to September 1962 almost without interruption, ESCAPE seemed to
have a rough life. It was frequently moved to different days through
out it's run. There were even a couple of long gaps where ESCAPE
left the air, for example, from August 30, 1951 to October 12, 1952.
Still, thanks to solid scripts, excellent acting and high production
values, ESCAPE is remembered as one of the best radio action adventure
series. 
47/03/21 0 Dead of Night (Audition) 47/07/07 1 The Man Who Would Be King (Raymond Lawrence) 47/07/14 2 Operation Fleur De Lys 47/07/21 3 The Diamond as Big as the Ritz (Jack Edwards, Jr) 47/07/28 4 Typhoon 47/08/04 5 Sire De Maltroit's Door 47/08/11 6 Ring of Thoth 47/08/18 7 The Fourth Man (Paul Frees) 47/10/01 8 Most Dangerous Game 47/10/15 10 Shipment of Mute Fate (Jack Webb) 47/10/22 11 Fall of the House of Usher 47/10/29 12 Pollack and the Parrah Man 47/11/05 13 Evening Primrose (Elliott Lewis) 47/11/12 14 The Young Man with the Cream Tarts
47/11/19 15 Casting the Ruins
47/11/26 16 Country of the Blind
47/12/03 17 Taboo
47/12/10 18 Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge
47/12/17 19 Wild Oranges (William Conrad)
47/12/24 20 Back for Christmas
47/12/31 21 Confession
48/01/07 22 Second Class Passenger (East Coast)(Harry Bartell)
48/01/10 22 Second Class Passenger (West Coast)(Harry Bartell)
48/01/14 23 Leiningen vs the Ants (East Coast)
48/01/17 23 Leiningen vs the Ants (West Coast)
48/01/21 24 Papa Benjamin (East Coast)
48/01/24 24 Papa Benjamin (East Coast)
48/01/28 25 Three Good Witnesses (East Coast)
48/01/31 25 Three Good Witnesses (West Coast)
48/02/01 26 Vanishing Lady (East Coast)
48/02/08 27 Snake Doctor (East Coast) 
48/02/14 27 Snake Doctor (West Coast)(Barton Yarborough)
48/02/15 28 Ancient Sorceries (East Coast)
48/02/21 28 Ancient Sorceries (West Coast)
48/02/22 29 How Love Came to Professor Guildea (East Coast)
48/02/29 30 Grove of Ashtaroff (East Coast)
48/03/06 30 Grove Of Ashtaroff (West Coast)
48/03/07 31 Jimmy Goggles, the God (East Coast)
48/03/14 32 Log of the Evening Star (East Coast)
48/03/21 33 Misfortune's Isle (East Coast)
48/03/27 33 Misfortune's Isle (West Coast)
48/03/28 34 Shipment of Mute Fate (Harry Bartell)
48/04/04 35 Action (Berry Kroeger)
48/04/11 36 The Brute
48/04/18 37 The Drums of the Fore and Aft (Gil Stratton, Jr)
48/04/25 38 The Fourth Man (Berry Kroeger)
48/05/02 39 John Jack Todd 
48/05/09 40 The Time Machine (Jeff Corey)
48/05/16 41 The Match
48/05/23 42 Leiningen Versus the Ants (William Conrad, Jay Novello)
48/06/06 43 Beau Geste
48/06/27 44 Country of the Blind (Paul Frees, William Conrad)
48/07/04 45 A Tooth for Paul Revere
48/07/11 46 She
48/07/18 47 Habit
48/08/01 48 The Man Who Would Be King (Ben Wright)
48/08/15 49 The Fugitive
48/08/22 50 SS San Pedro
48/08/29 51 Diamond as Big as the Ritz (Sam Edwards, William Conrad)
48/09/05 52 Dream of Armegeddon
48/09/12 53 Evening Primrose (William Conrad)
48/09/19 54 The Man Who Could Work Miracles
49/02/12 55 The Lost Special
49/02/19 56 The Orient Express 
49/02/26 57 Red Wine (Jeff Chandler)
49/03/05 58 Conquerer's Isle (David Ellis)
49/03/12 59 He Who Rides the Tiger
49/03/13 60 Shipment of Mute Fate (John Lund)
49/03/19 61 Finger of Doom
49/03/20 62 Country of the Blind (Edmond O'Brian)
49/03/26 63 Adaptive Ultimate
49/03/27 64 The Diamond as Big as the Ritz (Sam Edwards, Helen Thomas)
49/04/02 65 Confidential Angent
49/04/09 66 When the Man Comes, Follow Him
49/04/16 67 The General Died at Dawn
49/04/23 68 The Great Impersonation
49/07/07 69 The Fourth Man (Wilms Herbert)
49/07/14 70 The Drums of the Fore and Aft (Ben Wright))
49/07/21 71 Action (Joseph Kearns)
49/07/28 72 Second Class Passenger (Parley Baer)
49/08/04 73 Leiningen Versus the Ants (Tudor Owen)
49/08/11 74 Red Wine (Willard Waterman)
49/08/18 75 Snake Doctor (Ira Grossel)
49/08/25 76 Evening Primrose (Harry Bartell)
49/09/21 77 Fortune of Vargas
49/09/28 78 Wild Oranges (Van Heflin)
49/10/15 80 The Sure Thing (William Conrad)
49/10/22 81 Night in Havana
49/11/01 83 Flood on the Goodwin (Jack Edwards)
49/11/08 84 Plunder of the Sun
49/11/15 85 Three Skeleton Key (William Conrad)
49/11/22 86 Maracas
49/11/29 87 Letter from Jason
49/12/06 88 Command (Elliott Reed)
49/12/13 89 Border Town
49/12/20 90 Figure a Dame
49/12/27 91 Seeds of Greed
50/01/03 92 The Pistol
50/01/10 93 Vanishing Lady (Del Castillo)
50/01/17 94 The Sure Thing (Anthony Ross)
50/01/24 95 Treasure Inc
50/01/31 96 Present Tense
50/02/07 97 The Outer Limit
50/02/14 98 Two If by Sea
50/02/21 99 The Red Mark
50/02/28 100 The Man Who Won the War
50/03/10 101 Port Royal
50/03/17 102 Three Skeleton Key (Vincent Price)
50/03/24 103 Danger at Matecumbe
50/03/31 104 Green Splotches
50/04/07 105 Ambassador of Poker
50/04/14 106 Golden Snake
50/04/21 107 Shanghai Document
50/04/28 108 Something for Nothing
50/05/05 109 The Man Who Stole the Bible (Ben Wright)
50/05/12 110 Rim of Terror
50/05/19 111 Pass to Berlin
50/05/26 112 Command (Harry Bartell)
50/06/02 113 Mars Is Heaven
50/06/16 115 Serenade for a Cobra
50/06/23 116 Sundown
50/06/30 117 Blood Bath
50/07/07 118 Shipment of Mute Fate (David Ellis)
50/07/14 119 Shark Bait
50/07/21 120 Yellow Wake
50/07/28 121 Poison
50/08/04 122 Two Came Back
50/08/11 123 Red Forest (Ben Wright)
50/08/18 124 The Footprint
50/08/25 125 Crossing Paris
50/10/01 126 Sleeping Draught (John Dodsworth)
50/10/08 127 Roulette
50/10/15 128 Power of Hammer
50/10/22 129 Time Machine (John Dehner)
50/10/29 130 Seven Hours to Freedom
50/11/05 131 Earth Abides Part 1
50/11/12 132 Earth Abides Part 2
50/11/19 133 Journey into Fear
50/11/26 134 Funeral Fires
50/12/03 135 This Side of Nowhere
50/12/10 136 A Passenger to Bali
50/12/17 137 Wild Jack Rett (John Dehner)
50/12/24 138 The Cave
50/12/31 139 Man Who Could Work Miracles (East Coast Broadcast)
51/01/07 140 Conquest
51/01/14 141 A Bullet for Mr Smith
51/02/11 142 Killer Mine
51/02/18 143 The Follower
51/07/11 144 The Island (Harry Bartell)
51/07/18 145 Macao
51/07/25 146 The Earthman
51/08/01 147 The Gladiator
51/08/08 148 Up Periscope
51/08/15 149 Rough Shoot
51/08/22 150 The Silent Horror
51/08/30 151 The Man Who Stole the Bible (Sam Pierce)
52/10/12 152 Gringo
52/10/19 153 Price of the Head (William Conrad)
52/10/26 154 Robert of Huntington
52/11/02 155 The Running Man
52/11/09 156 The Return
52/11/16 157 The Loup-Garon
52/12/07 160 Incident in Quito
52/12/14 161 Four Went Home
52/12/21 162 The Man Who Liked Dickens
53/01/11 165 Conquerer's Isle (Harry Bartell)
53/01/18 166 A Matter of Conscience
53/01/25 167 Diary of a Madman
53/02/01 168 A Study in Wax
53/02/08 169 Jetsam
53/02/15 170 Wild Jack Rett (Harry Bartell)
53/02/22 171 I Saw Myself Running
53/03/01 172 The Tramp
53/03/08 173 The Island (William Conrad)
53/03/15 174 The Man with the Steel Teeth
53/03/22 175 Pressure
53/03/29 176 The Invader
53/04/05 177 A Sleeping Draught (Alec Harford)
53/04/12 178 Classified Secret
53/04/19 179 El Guitarero
53/04/26 180 The Derelick
53/05/03 181 Lili and the Colonel
53/05/10 182 The Vessel of Wrath
53/05/17 183 North of Polaris
53/05/31 185 A Good Thing
53/06/07 186 The Voyages of Sinbad
53/06/14 187 Clear for Action
53/06/21 188 The Far-Away Island
53/07/05 190 A Source of Irritation
53/07/12 191 The Out Station
53/07/19 192 The Open Boat
53/07/26 193 The Notebook
53/08/02 194 The Red Forest (Tom Tully)
53/08/09 195 Three Skeleton Key (Antony Ellis)
53/08/16 196 The Thirteenth Truck
53/08/23 197 The Man from Tomorrow
53/08/30 198 The Game
53/09/06 199 Train from Olbiefelde
53/09/13 200 The Abominable Snowman
53/09/20 201 The Log
53/09/27 202 The Untouchable
53/10/04 203 Zero Hour
53/10/11 204 Elementals
54/03/11 205 Bird of Paradise
54/03/18 206 Violent Night
54/03/25 207 The Second Shot (repeat)
54/04/01 208 The Return
54/04/08 209 The Scarlet Plague
54/04/15 210 Affair at Mandrake
54/05/06 211 The Adversary
54/06/03 212 An Ordinary Man
54/06/10 213 Benchillina and the Fisherman
54/06/17 214 Blood Waters
54/06/24 215 Judgement Day at Crippled Deer
54/07/01 216 The Dark Wall
54/07/10 217 The Birds
54/07/17 218 Eye of Evil
54/07/24 219 Flood on the Goodwins (Vic Perrin)
54/07/31 220 Night of the Guns
54/08/07 221 The Price of the Head (Hans Conreid)
54/08/14 222 The Coward
54/08/21 223 Two and Two Make Four
54/08/28 224 The King of Owanatu
54/09/04 225 The Boiling Sea
54/09/11 226 Carnival in Vienna
54/09/18 227 The Target
54/09/25 228 Heart of Kali (last show)