OTRR_Certified_Escape.jpg

Escape

by: Old Time Radio Researchers Group

Publication date: 2012-02-06

Usage: Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0

Topics: OTRR, Old Time Radio Researchers Group, OTR, Old Time Radio, OTRR Set, OTRR Certified Set, Escape, Anthology, Adventure, Suspense, Drama, 1940s, 1950s, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, OTRR - 2012-02

ESCAPE
In the Golden Days of Radio, back in the 1930s to the 1950s, most popular radio series had a set time for going out each week. Occasionally, there might be a change in the schedule, but on the whole a consistent time-slot was something that helped build a large audience and so was something the big networks aimed to achieve.

One exception to this rule was the dramatic adventure anthology series called Escape, whose time-slot shifted an incredible eighteen times in its seven-year run from 1947 through to 1954. To make matters even worse it had a habit of coming and going and sometimes disappearing off the schedules altogether at short notice for weeks on end only to resurface weeks later in a completely different timeslot.

The quite flagrant disregard CBS paid to having a regular timeslot for Escape could make you think that it was just a run-of-the-mill series that was nothing but a lightweight filler for those times when the regular show was off-the-air, such as during the quiet summer months. In my opinion, and that of many old radio aficionados, this couldn't be further from the truth. Escape is probably the best adventure anthology ever broadcast.

Escape brings together everything that was good about old-time radio drama rolled into one. The title itself almost sums up the very essence of what radio drama is all about. Each of the episodes was a micro drama carefully planned to capture the listeners attention for thirty minutes. Over two-hundred episodes were made and almost all of them are as good today as they were over half a century ago. For the first few years the series was on air the announcement at the start of the show varied almost every week, but by the 1950s it had settled down to be the now famous:
Tired of the everyday grind? Ever dream of a life of romantic adventure? Want to get away from it all? We offer you ... ESCAPE!
This may give the wrong impression as Escape was far more than a swashbuckling adventure yarn. It was a brilliantly scripted and superbly produced series that brought to listeners adaptations of classic works by famous writers as well as brand new work by unknown talent. Many of the stories were later reused by more high profile shows such as Suspense, but on the whole the Escape versions were of equal quality and sometimes more dramatically focused and atmospheric.

When Radio Life wrote "These stories all possess many times the reality that most radio writing conveys", it hit the nail on the head. This is a quality show in every way.

If you've never listened to this wonderful series it's well worth taking the time to listen to it. Whether you listen in the car on your daily commute, whilst doing the housework, relaxing in your favorite easy-chair, or snuggled up in bed - you really will be thrilled!

This Article courtesy of www.educations4u.com.
OTRR Release Information:

Series Name: Escape
Release Status: OTRR Certified Complete
Release Date: November 27, 2011
Release Version: Version 1
Number of CDs: 11
From the Old Time Radio Researchers Group. See "Notes" Section below for more information on the OTRR.

Notes

OLD TIME RADIO RESEARCHERS GROUP

This is a production of the Old Time Radio Researchers (OTRR) Group located at Old Time Radio Researchers Website (www.otrr.org), Old Time Radio Researchers Facebook Group, and Old Time Radio Researchers Group.

It contains the most complete and accurate version of this series in the best sound possible at the time of creation. An updated version will be issued if more episodes or better sounding ones become available.

If you are interested in preserving Old Time Radio (OTR), you may wish to join the Old Time Radio Researchers Group at Facebook and Groups.io.

Relax, listen, and enjoy!

OTRR Definitions:

OTRR Maintained Set -- This set contains all known episodes in the best available audio condition with the most accurate dates and titles known to be in general circulation and based on current research at the time of release. Replaces OTRR Certified Accurate and OTRR Certified Complete.

OTRR Non-Maintained Set -- A collection of shows that has not gone through the OTRR Maintenance process.

Pre-2019 OTRR Definitions:

OTRR Certified Accurate -- A series that was "Certified Accurate" indicated that all the episodes were properly identified and labeled based on current information but that the series did not contain all known extant episodes.

OTRR Certified Complete -- A series that was "Certified Complete" achieved the highest level of certification available under the OTRR Certified Standards. This certification level implied that all the files in the series were "Certified Accurate" and also indicated that the series was as complete as possible and included all circulating episodes.

OTRR Non-Certified -- A collection of shows that has not gone through the OTRR Certification process.

Also, beginning in 2019, the version numbers of our OTRR releases changed format -- instead of v1.0 or v2.1, we are now using a version number that reflects the year and month the set was released. The format used is a two-digit year followed by a two-digit month. For example, "v1906" indicates a set that was released in June 2019, or "v1910" indicates a set released in October 2019.

NOTE: There are no passwords for any of our ZIP files. If you are prompted for a password, before downloading the file again, try unzipping the file into a shorter full folder path name -- for example, unzip to "C:\" instead of "C:\Documents and Settings\your_Windows_ID\some_other_folder\". Sorry, some of our releases contain long folder and file names, which sometimes manifests itself on the Windows platform as prompting for a password for the ZIP file. Or try renaming the ZIP file itself to a shorter name before unzipping.

Addeddate: 2012-02-05 21:35:12

Boxid: OL100020404

Identifier: OTRR_Certified_Escape

Year: 2012

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Reviews

Reviewer: Elisabeta - - October 7, 2013
Subject: Listen to these every night!

As a child, I often fell asleep listening to CBS Radio Mystery Theatre on a tiny transistor radio, hidden beneath my pillow. As I grew older, I found cassette tapes of Escape and many other OTR shows at my public library. The adventures were endless!

There is something about listening to these stories that sparks my imagination, captivates my attention, and engages me in ways the visual arts never have.

Escape is jam-packed with stories by famous authors (Arthur Conan Doyle, H.G. Wells, to name a few), and productions that bring them so vividly to life.

The quality of these OTRR Certified collections is beyond my wildest dreams, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart!

Reviewer: AJ41 - - October 21, 2012
Subject: First Class Series

These productions are perfectly well done and was fortunate i stumbled on them. So many of them and worth your time to collect them and listen.

Reviewer: jesse100 - - May 3, 2012
Subject: One of the Best

Excellent series. As good as or better than Suspense. Great stories and acting. Surely it is one of the top ten radio shows from that era.

Reviewer: electricwarrior - - February 11, 2012
Subject: Fantastic

Have been listening to these for the last few days in the car, great sound once again from OTTR much appreciated! Highly recommended!

Reviewer: Ampico - - February 10, 2012
Subject: One of the Best

Escape belongs in the top ten along with Suspense, Gunsmoke and X Minus One. The magazine review is right on in its comments, but I wonder about CBS's "fragrant" disregard.

Reviewer: Thingone - - February 9, 2012
Subject: Excellent collection

One of the cool things about Escape is the variety of story styles. And these downloads or streams have them all. There are quite a few gems here. From what I've heard so far, this collection lives up to the OTRR standard for quality, as well as incorporating a uniform naming and tagging convention. Thanks, as usual.

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