Deadly snakes pop up again in an Escape story, this time in "Serenade for a Cobra."
The episode begins with a crabby, frog-voiced pilot named Monk Slavin narrating the story of how he came to be in Calcutta. He is out of work and down on his luck, yet he refuses an offer of employment made to him by Mr. Grant, the owner of a small freight company. The job involves flying between Kathmandu and Calcutta on a regular basis but, Slavin wants to make money in a faster, less ethical way.
Later, Slavin realizes that he can make money on the side using Grant's plane, so he accepts Grant's offer. The only other employee of Grant's is a mechanic named Jafar, who has a habit of serenading his pet cobra with a pungi. Slavin takes a dislike to Jafar and his music, and that dislike intensifies when Jafar questions Slavin's true motives for taking the job.
When Slavin makes his next routine flight, he also makes a profitable side deal with another employer to pick up cargo in China. All goes well until he tries to fly back to Calcutta from China and realizes that Jafar foresaw the possiblity of unscheduled flights and took precautions.
"Serenade for a Cobra" was written by Joel Murcott and produced/directed by William N. Robson. Charles McGraw starred as Slavin, Ramsey Hill as Grant, and Jay Novello as Jafar. Also appearing were Lucille Meredith, Joseph Kearns, and Paul Frees. This episode aired on June 16, 1950.
. Download Escape.1950.06.16_SerenadeforaCobra.mp3
(Image from Wikimedia Commons)
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