Escape and Suspense!

Escape - The Earthmen/Mars is Heaven

Escape adapted two stories from The Martian Chronicles (1950) by Ray Bradbury, a collection of science fiction short stories about the colonization of Mars. "The Earthmen" was first published in Thrilling Wonder Stories in August of 1948 and appears in the The Martian Chronicles under the same chapter title.  "Mars is Heaven!" first appeared in Planet Stories in the fall 1948 issue, but it appears under the chapter title of "The Third Expedition." "Mars is Heaven!" was also published in The Science Fiction Hall of Fame Volume One: 1929-1964 after it was chosen as one of the best science fiction short stories of all time by The Science Fiction Writers of America in 1970. Escape modified the two stories for radio, but overall, their adaptations are good.

"The Earthmen" tells the tale of a captain and his crew after they arrive on Mars. (They are the second expedition.) To their surprise, no one on Mars seems interested in them. When they finally do receive the hero's welcome that they expect, they realize that they are receiving it for all of the wrong reasons. Can they make the Martians believe they are really visitors from Earth-- and not insane?

"The Earthmen" was adapted for radio by screenwriter Walter Newman and directed by Norman MacDonnell. Parley Baer starred. Also appearing were Harry Bartell, Hans Conried, Lawrence Dobkin, Lou Krugman, John Dehner, Sidney Miller, Georgia Ellis, Jack Kruschen, and Byron Kane. This episode aired on July 25, 1951.

. Download Escape_1951.07.25_The Earthmen

"Mars is Heaven" tells the story of Captain John Black and his crew, the third expedition to Mars.  When their rocket lands, they are surprised to find themselves in a world remarkably similar to their own. Not only does Mars have the appearance of home, but it is populated with the deceased loved ones of the captain and crew. Is Mars heaven? Or, is there another reason why this small town exists?

"Mars is Heaven" was adapted for radio by Morton Fine and David Friedkin. William N. Robson  produced/directed. Jeff Corey played Captain Black. Also appearing were Florence Bates, William Johnstone, Walter Catlett, Elizabeth Root, Paul Frees, Ian Wolfe, and Stuart Novins. This episode aired on June 2, 1950.

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(Cover of the first edition of The Martian Chronicles. 1950. Doubleday.)

Escape - Zero Hour

Escape's "Zero Hour" is an adaptation of a Ray Bradbury story about a peculiar game played by young children.

It is a typical day in the New York home of the Morris family, and Mrs. Morris is busy with her usual routine. Her daughter, Mink, as well as all of the other young children, are intensely occupied by new, mysterious game called "Invasion." Mrs. Morris isn't bothered by the game until she gets a call from her friend in Connecticut and finds out that all of the kids are playing it there as well. When she learns that the game's "zero hour" is to be at 5:00 p.m. that day, she does begin to wonder what the kids are really up to. None of the other parents are worried about it, but they should be. The children have learned the game from the Martians that are planning to take over the Earth.

Escape's "Zero Hour" was adapted for radio and directed by Anthony Ellis. Paula Winslowe played Mrs. Morris and Isa Ashdown played Mink. John Dehner narrated. This episode aired on October 4, 1953.

. Download Escape_1953.10.04_Zero Hour.mp3

According to Martin Grams in Suspense: Twenty Years of Thrills and Chills, "Zero Hour" disturbed many listeners when it aired on Escape and CBS received thousands of letters and phone calls in response. Suspense brought the story back to the airwaves two years later on April 5, 1955. Isha Ashdown and Paula Winslowe returned to play the same roles. John Dehner again appeared as the narrator. Antony Ellis again produced/directed.

.  Download Suspense_1955.04.05_Zero Hour.mp3

Suspense aired the story again on May 18, 1958. William N. Robson produced/directed. Evelyn Rudie played Mink and Lillian Buyeff played Mrs. Morris.

. Download Suspense_1958.05.18_ZeroHour.mp3

Suspense aired this story for the last time on January 3, 1960. Francie Meyers played Mink and Ginger Jones played Mrs. Morris. Stuart Metz was the narrator and Paul Roberts produced/directed.

. Download Suspense_1960.01.03_Zero Hour.mp3   

(Image from Stock.xchng)

Escape - Green Splotches

Escape's "Green Splotches" is about plant-men from Jupiter who visit the Andean jungle to collect radium. This episode was closely adapted from the 1920 short story "The Green Splotches" by T.S. Stribling, but lacks the humorous nuances. The short story can be found in The Pocket Book of Science Fiction (1943). T.S. Stribling (1881-1965) was a Pulitzer Prize winning author and literary maverick from the American South.

"Green Splotches" takes place in the Valley of the Infernal River, between Chile and Peru. The DeLong Geographical Expedition has been sent there to survey the area and chart it for the first time, but they receive little help from the locals.

Undeterred, the expedition goes into the large and forbidding valley.  There, they encounter Mr. Three, from a country called One.  He and his compatriots belong to an advanced civilization which is powered by radium and where all communication is telepathic. (They are also collecting specimens for their zoo, but because they don't understand mammals, they don't realize they need to collect two of everything. They just assume their specimens will sprout.)

Escape's adaptation could have been better, but this episode is worth listening to at least once.

"Green Splotches" was produced, directed, and adapted for radio by William N. Robson. William Conrad and Paul Frees starred. Also appearing were Ted De Corsia, Harry Bartell, Barton Yarborough and Jay Novello. This episode aired on March 31, 1950.

.  Download escape_1950.03.31_Green Splotches.mp3

(Image from Stock.xchng)

Escape - The Time Machine

Escape's adaptation of The Time Machine takes liberties with H.G. Wells' famous story, but it is still a good adventure tale.

Unlike the original story, which only had one time traveller, Escape's version has two, Dudley and Fowler. Dudley is the inventor of the time machine, and he invites the skeptical Fowler to take a trip with him. They travel from the year 1948 to the year 100,080.

When they arrive in the future they find themselves in an unfamiliar, pastoral world populated by a child-like race of humans called the Eloi. The travellers are welcomed, and everything seems pleasant until they realize that their time machine is missing.

Soon they discover that the Eloi are not the only race of humans in the future. The Morlocks, an underground race of humans who live in darkness, are the true masters of this world.

If you want to read the original text, The Time Machine (1895) by H.G. Wells, it is available online at Wikisource. The chapter that was excluded from the book and later published under the title "The Grey Man" is also available.

Escape first presented "The Time Machine" on May 9, 1948. The story was adapted for radio by Academy-award nominated screenwriter Irving Ravetch and was produced/directed by Norman MacDonnell. Eric Rolf starred as Fowler, Jeff Corey played Dudley and Kay Brinker played Weena.

. Download Escape.1948.05.09_The_Time_Machine.mp3

Escape's second presentation of this radioplay is better than the first. John Dehner played the role of Fowler, Lawrence Dobkin played Dudley, and Georgia Ellis appeared as Weena. This episode aired on October 22, 1950.

.  Download Escape.1950.10.22_The_Time_Machine.mp3

(Image of the first edition cover of The Time Machine from Wikipedia)

Suspense - The Black Door

With "The Black Door" Suspense puts forward a story that is engrossing yet absurd. This episode is about the discovery of a "dead city" once inhabited by dog-headed creatures from the moon.

"The Black Door" is a suspenseful adventure story but there are a couple of flaws. The most obvious is that man has visited the moon since this story was written and we know that it isn't populated by dog-headed creatures. The other flaw is that the main character never gives us his name.

The story begins with the main character, an archaeologist, describing the events that led his current situation.  From the sound of it, he is in a piano bar. As he tells it, he wanted to become a full professor and marry his sweetheart but before he could do that, he had to make his mark on the academic world. That opportunity came when he recieved a grant to search for the lost City of the Fire God.

After two months searching the jungles of Central America in a helicopter, the archaeologist meets Pedro Ramidez. He claims to know the remote, mountain location of the legendary city because his grandfather had once been there. Pedro and the archaeologist make a deal to split any treasure that they find and soon they are on their way.

Like the Indiana Jones movies, this is an archeology story wherein priceless artifacts are destroyed and ancient buildings end up in ruins. That's not entirely the fault of Pedro and the archaeologist. It is the result of the earthquake and volcano that they accidentally set off.

"The Black Door" starred Robert Readick and Ralph Camargo. The radioplay was written by Robert Arthur but it was originally presented on the radio program The Mysterious Traveler. Unfortunately, that episode of Mysterious Traveler is one of the many that are now lost.

This episode aired on November 19, 1961.

.  Download Suspense_1961.11.19_TheBlackDoor.mp3

(Image of Alexander the Great fighting dog-headed men from Wikimedia Commons)

Suspense - Plan X

Suspense's "Plan X" is set on the planet Mars in the year 2053. The story opens on the day before the first rocket ship from Earth is expected to land. The citizens of Mars aren't thrilled about the arrival of the Earthlings, but they knew it would happen sooner or later.

In response, the Martian Grand Council decides to put Plan X into effect. All Martians have been trained in the proper execution of this plan for the last fifty years and know what to do. The Grand Council also needs to appoint someone to head the mission and greet the Earthlings, but on Mars, diplomats have been obsolete for many years. Instead, the person with the necessary character traits for the job is selected by the Grand Council's computer. It chooses Xeno, an assembly line worker from an escalator factory.

"Plan X" is an episode of Suspense with subtle humor and a message about colonialism. Jack Benny stars as Xeno in what was the third of his four appearances on Suspense. William Conrad played the voice of the Grand Council. This episode had an unusually large cast, too. Also appearing were Joseph Kearns, Mary Jane Croft, Norma Varden, John McIntire, Trudi Marsden, Howard McNear, Jack Kruschen, William McNear and Stuffy Singer. "Plan X" was written for Suspense by television writer Richard Powell.

This episode was broadcast on February 2, 1953.

.  Download Suspense.1953.02.02_PlanX.mp3

(Image of Mars through the Hubble Space Telescope from Wikimedia Commons)

Escape - The Invader

"The Invader" is a simple science fiction tale from 1953, but it still holds up as one of Escape's best episodes. It shares some strong similarities to The Twilight Zone's 1961 episode "The Invaders" and to an X Minus One episode from 1956 called "Pictures Don't Lie" but neither has the wit of Escape's story.

"The Invader" begins with an atomic bomb test in the Nevada desert. The explosion is observed by a space ship on its way to visit the Earth carrying the advance guard of a more evolved race. These beings already know a few things about human beings and the Earth, and they seem irked that their superiors stuck them with an exploration mission to such a tedious and primitive planet.

We then meet Mr. Albert Tanner and his wife Martha. Mr. Tanner is a genius trapped in a lousy job teaching high school chemistry in La Mirada, California. He finally catches a break in life when he accidentally makes contact with the incoming space ship on his radio set. His wife then makes hysterical phone calls to the police and the army about the space men her husband talks to on his radio.

"The Invader" was directed by Antony Ellis and written by Michael Gray. It starred Howard McNear as Albert Tanner, Fay Baker as Martha, and Edgar Barrier as the Commander. Also appearing were Paul Frees, Peter Leeds, Bill Bissell and LeRoy Leonard.

.  Download Escape_1953.03.29_ The Invader.mp3 

Here also is X Minus One's similar story, "Pictures Don't Lie."

.   Download xmn1.1956.10.24_Pictures_Don't_Lie.mp3

(Image from Morguefile.com)

Suspense - 2462

While Escape's attempts at presenting heroic stories about poets fell flat, (see El Guitarrero and Evening Primrose), Suspense produced 2462, a superb episode about an American poet who rebels against the system. In this story, a man is put in prison in Arizona for wasting time and writing "doggerel" at his government job. His world, the Earth as it is 400 years into the future, is grossly overpopulated. "Nonproductive" workers like this poet are superfluous because they are not contributing to the survival of mankind with mathematical and scientific skills. He has spent his time at his job expressing himself creatively and now he has to face a trial by a computerized judicial system. Here we also learn that workers of the future are given "tranquil gum" and "happy gum." So, the future doesn't sound all bad.

"2462" is a thought provoking episode that makes a statement about the value of artistic expression. It was written by George Bamber and starred Lawson Zerbe as the poet and Robert Dryden as the old prison guard.

This episode aired on January 21, 1962.

Download Suspense.1962.01.21_2462.mp3

(Photo from Morguefile.com)

Escape - North of Polaris

Polaris, also known as the North Star or Pole Star, is always visible in the night sky and aids navigation. "North of Polaris" is an episode of Escape about a group of astronauts who travel twenty million miles to visit a post-apocalyptic planet. A small surveying crew has to spend 48 hours there, but this is a place where armies of rats have become the masters and humans are the scavengers. Their challenge is to stay alive in this dead world until their ship comes back to get them.

"North of Polaris" has a lot to say about atomic warfare and the arrogance of mankind. It was written for Escape by Charles Smith and stars William Conrad, Hy Averback, Eddie Firestone, Vivi Janiss, Ralph Moody and Frank Gerstle.  Suspense did a similar but shorter episode called "Report from a Dead Planet" in 1960.

"North of Polaris" aired on May 17, 1953.

Download Escape.1953.05.17_North_of_Polaris.mp3

(Photo of Polaris by NASA and the Hubble Space Telescope.)