 tired of the everyday grind ever dream of a life of romantic adventure want to get away from it all we offer you escape escape designed to free you from the four walls of today for a half hour of high adventure you are on a catch sailing the coral seas snaking your way through the tricky channel toward an island of black pearls while on the shore waiting for you to land is the man who has sworn your death and from whom there is no escape listen now as escape brings you Robert Talman story the king of owanatu the island we were looking for was roughly 15 degrees north by 145 west we sailed around a three-time before we spotted the break in the reef hacker wrote us in on a tricky swell and snake through the channel before the surf would hit back all installed ready for business yeah what's eating you're emick then I don't know I get a funny feeling about this place like what coming through that reef you notice anything special there was a cinch like he's no bars through a canal lock only a little faster little rougher too easy I don't follow you skipper I mean it's not a natural channel and scooped out of the rock it makes you think so you could see where the coral was chipped smooth on the sides this I want to see for myself come here what's up breaking the reef the channel we just came through it's not there anymore it's disappeared look yeah couldn't be skipper it just couldn't couldn't but it is solid wall breaking the rapist close how you said it was like he's in the bars to a canal lock didn't you mean somebody they got some kind of an underwater floodgate or something or something maybe hey hey someone on the beach looks like we'll get some answers pretty soon what island is this stable he's a white man all right yeah looks like he lives here too those natives look like my case you don't belong to these islands neither is that outbreak I'm going belong break out the right don't be stupid hacker they're obviously not on what do you say we should do wait wait'll we find out what it's all about let him do the talking whatever you do don't mention the pearls our story is we're lost we put in for water and supplies but if he asked to see the ship's paper we show them if he asked what happened to the owner he decided to take a plane back from Tahiti we're returning the boat to San Francisco for him sounds good enough I just take it easy and use your head as the outrigger approached our boat I tried to size up our hosts he was a big man solidly built but with sharp aquilin face didn't go with a build he wore a beard closely trimmed and a white linen jacket over a dark shirt open at the neck when the canoe came alongside he was on his feet and up our ladder in just three seconds flat are you the captain of this vessel I'm the skipper Remington is my name this is my mate mr. Hackett and your crew we're at oh excuse me my name is Juro I am resident of this island welcome to our natural gentlemen thank you you'll say that you're the resident not in the usual governmental sense mr. Remington but as I am the only person living here I in my household that is I believe I can lay fair claim to the title have you lived here long mr. Jerome oh no no no let us observe protocol mr. Remington as resident I ask the first questions this craft must have set you back a pretty penny a mr. Remington it did the owner I'm only selling a home for him and home is San Francisco magnificent city I know it well may I ask your employers name Kate's Gerald Kate's Kate's yes I've heard the name and what was the name of this vessel before you changed it mr. Remington the Argo Argo Kate's decided it was a bad luck name so he changed it to the low one and bad luck for you to get off course and wind up in this particular group of islands I don't know what group is this mr. John to a moto the old seafarers used to call it the dangerous archipelago but you're here and a happy circumstance it is I'm seldom blessed with visitors as you may well imagine I trust you gentlemen will do me the honor of dining with me this evening oh thanks we'll be glad and if there's anything I could do to make our stage you're more comfortable you might explain about that reef mr. Jerome the reef oh the floodgate in the channel this island was a pirate base back in the days of the Spanish main you try to tell us that's been here a couple a hundred years and still in working order oh heavens no I've had it restored of course and a very expensive undertaking it was but I find it an amusing toy now I must leave you and make preparations for our feast tonight dinner is at seven shop until seven then oh boy gentlemen brandy gentlemen no no thanks I trust my humble board was worth coming ashore for what's the point mr. Jerome fattening is up for the queue oh dear no mr. hacker I dare say some of my natives have tasted long pig in their time but I have expressly forbidden it here how did you come to this island mr. Jerome I was looking for a refuge mr. Remington a place where I could escape forever the insanity's of this so-called civilized world I noticed that you haven't deprived yourself of any of the civilized comforts that's true mr. hacker you seem uncommonly silent oh perhaps another drama brandy will loosen your tongue I think I'll go for a walk if you don't mind coming along skipper I'll finish my brandy suit yourself see your board you sure you don't feel the urge to go a roaming mr. Remington later or maybe yes you'll have plenty of time to explore the island plenty are you were ready for coffee now oh my man oh you like our coffee and an extra special surprise comes with it something I've been saving to the very last oh really mr. drama desert mr. Remington a different sort of tidbit team out yes mr. Jerome tell me to make a little fetch our coffee yes mr. Jerome mr. Michaela mr. Jerome say you'll bring coffee now I didn't shout the house down ah dear girl prompting a bidding as always oh it set the treasure out for my dad oh pray be seated my dear and join us yes father now what do you think of him Michaela yes and you sir of course so you wouldn't stare so Michaela was not born on the island her mother died in childbirth and I brought her here of baby arms she has no memory of the outside world but a while I told her the idea of sending her back to Europe to be educated but I couldn't bear to be parted from her nor I from him mr. Remington and then there is always the danger of war she is safe here safe my father is always so concerned with my safety mr. Remington sometimes I wish there were a volcano on the island I would climb right up to the crater and spit in it just to give him something to really worry about how did you find us mr. Remington maybe I'm psychic mr. Jerome maybe I just smell that perfume you're wearing is it too much no it's like you it's fresh at the same time mysterious that sounds like my cue to totter off to bed no no no please don't get up take good care of our guest Michaela but don't keep him up too late he's had a very strenuous voyage I promised to stay till she pitches me out sir that's the spirit I like in a man good night Remington good night my dear good night now mr. Remington tell me why I'm so mysterious we shall start with names you may call me Michaela what shall I call you my first name is Charles it's no good the natives will call you Missy Charlie Lisa's better than Chuck is that what they call you at home home I never had one you have one now I have yes right here I'd love to believe that well you may be quite quite certain of it Charles why Michaela because father will never let you leave the island he never let anyone leave you are listening to the king of Ohana to tonight's presentation of escape tomorrow night the coast is clear for comedy with my little Margie on CBS radio she's all set to put on a benefit show for a boys club but has to resort to humorous deception to win the cooperation of her father all as well that ends well and my little Margie does very well tomorrow night on most of these stations and now back to escape and the second act of the king of Ohana to I'd come to the island looking for pearls I found something else and where I stood it looked a lot better than pearls and I said good night to Michaela the son was up hackers still hadn't come aboard I guess that he was sleeping off the effects of the moonlight in a native coconut wine I stretched out on the deck the next thing I knew the son was straight overhead and hacker was prodding me with his foot wake up skipper I got news for you news no who needs it maybe these will make you sit up and take notice hey you're not dreaming skipper those are pearls black ones the kids in the compound play marbles with them I thought that it snapped your attention just thinking what a string of these would look like around the neck of a certain girl where did you go last night stayed right there on the veranda Jerome served her with the coffee I've come his daughter boy he's even more worried about us than I thought what's that supposed to me skipper I had a talk with Jerome's head man last night can I achieve all right so well in the first place Jerome was practically fanatical about that daughter is as I watched night and day exception you left her along with me last night don't be too sure of that why should he ever watch some of the natives are homesick for their own island they're being kept here against their will all right what's that got to do with Michaela Jerome's afraid they might grab her and hold her as a hostage for their freedom they know their way around these waters they're good swimmers too but I doubt if they could make it to the mark cases they could make it in the native boat he wouldn't let them build one they tried to do it secretly but they were always found out and what's his power over them guns Jerome is good on arsenal why don't they break in and take over they tried that too once what happened lucky ones were shot dead on the spot lucky ones yeah the others were tortured hung up over a fire and slowly toasted from the toes up why why I would any man go to such extremes to hold on to a few native workers it could easily be replaced you're the one with a college education you tell me said something last night his daughter I mean she said he never lets anybody leave the island she should know but she was kidding some kidder that she's okay you got it bad yeah I wonder how she'll feel after we've knocked off her daddy what are you talking about about getting off this island one thing I'm sure of will never never make it as long as Jerome was alive there's one sure way to find out how's that ask him hacker my boy ask him mr. Remington you're just in time for Tiffin will you join me in a drink first look let's skip the Tiffin talk mr. Jerome it's time we got down to a few essentials indeed essential such as you did not leave mr. Kate's in Tahiti you were never in Tahiti neither a schooner named Diago nor a catch named Luana ever anchored there your last port of call was in the Marquesas you were quarantined there because the owner of your vessel had fallen ill you abandoned your crew on the beach and sailed off in the dead of night nothing further was seen or heard of you till you arrived here yesterday afternoon so you see I'm not wholly without contact with the outside world yeah obviously I only want to know one thing did mr. Kate's die of natural causes or did you and your friend help him along he was dead when we left no caregiver so you buried him on a beach somewhere and made off with the schooner why not he had no use for it don't assemble with me sir I know that your shipmate has been snooping about the island making inquiries about pearl beds somehow you heard about the pearls on this island and you came here hoping to help yourself to a fortune now isn't that true we took a chance we can do it again you can but you won't why not because the moment you sail out of my lagoon I should radio every police constabulary and Coast Guard station from Australia to San Francisco and you'll be hanged as murderers and mutineers right why why are you doing this to us quite simply I don't want you to leave the island why not why you so determined to keep us here many reasons mr. Remington my daughter likes you you're a man of courage and imagination a man fit to carry on my line I have no worries about you basically you feel as I do well maybe so but what about hacker he's a stupid greedy man all right let him clean out the pearls and go I was tempted that for a moment but no the pearls are too valuable too unusual questions would be asked sooner or later hackers tongue would be loosened whether by whiskey or by force I should be overrun with unwelcome visitors bringing disease and dissension the twin banners of civilization your own what will happen to him if he tries to leave if he tries it mr. Remington he will find out but I wouldn't advise it which also goes for you and now tiffin mr. Remington was that me skipper throw over the ladder look where you've been all day exploring you find anything coming to cabin I drew a rough sketch map of your own setup all right come on let me see turn up the laughter with you here here's the lagoon where we're anchored out on the point here is the radio shed here's where the guns are kept what about the floodgate it's operated electrically the switches in Jerome's room right by his bed what happens when you work at any noise no but lights go on all over the place Michaela might do it first she in this with us all I checked what makes you think you can trust it I've got to what if she plays it on daddy's team I told you I'm not leaving here without him no matter what that makes me patsy doesn't look the both are all yours if you want to go it alone no thing all right I'll help you just the same you don't act like you're too anxious to get away what makes you say that panic me out of here and stick around to pick up the pearls for yourself that's your idea skipper oh come on how do I get out with the pearls if you take the boat don't give me that you know Jerome's got a boat anchored in the other side of the island was the first I heard of it how do you think they get their supplies here by a helicopter Jerome told me he sent it at the Haiti to pick up some breadfruit trees look where's the anchorage on that sure there's a blind inlet there never spotted unless you know just what a look why not take his boat save fiddling with a floodgate it's an old steam yacht smoke it give us away if he fired the boilers by daylight by night that in there's too tricky to navigate all right you just answered your own question with Jerome dead there'd be no problem look it's to be no killing hacker you mentioned it again it's all off between us okay skipper we'll try it your way if it doesn't work on it somebody aboard who's there McKelley you shouldn't have come here don't you want to see me course I do it's just father doesn't know I'm here he's been locked in his study for hours talking with the head man what about did you hear what they were saying I couldn't hear much but father was very angry with him look do you know what about McKelley's it's very important to know he said that someone has seen him at the head man that is diving for pearls in the inlet you know anything about that hacker what if I did you agreed we had to make a choice between a clean getaway in the pearls if Jerome is a slightest suspicion okay skipper it still goes you're sure of that you're the skipper skipper okay break out a rifle you know that dinghy and Roy sure grab that head man when he leaves Jerome and bring him aboard what for I want to know how much he's told your home okay but I won't need a rifle you've got a lot of trust in that Kanaka we got a lot in common he wants to get away from this island too okay good morning see you skipper what's it all about what did it mean listen to me please McKelley look I'm I'm leaving the island I thought you loved me well you let me finish up I want to take you with me leave the island leave my father that's right you don't love me you love me you wouldn't ask that of me but that's why I want to take you away from here because I do love you you want me to be killed with bombs and die of diseases look I wouldn't ask you to go with me if I did Charles how do you believe me oh yes yes I believe all right and it's settled but what about father what if he tries to stop it's a chance we've got to take I'm afraid Charles it's funny all my life he's talked about keeping me safe and all I've ever really been afraid of is him look McKella McKelley you trust me don't you you're not afraid of me oh no with you I I could never be afraid even if bombs were falling all around then you'll help me you'll help us get away yes oh yes Charles I get away was planned for the following night we chosen it because the natives were celebrating one of their feast days which meant that most of Jerome's police force would be a wall of drunk Jerome himself was over in a native compound making like a white king among the savages was wearing a lay over his dinner jacket enjoying the drummers Remington you're just in time for the shock dance that's a bit of luck I suppose Mr. Hacker has gone to look for my head man I wouldn't know he'll be disappointed I fear Kauna is in the Warriors hut making ready for the shock dance I didn't know your head man was a dancer oh they're all dancers dear boy but Kauna is something special in this he dances both the part of the shark and that of the fisherman who spears him you know say I'm sorry Mikaela had to miss it she had a headache for girl and had to remain in the bungalow I'm sorry to hear that just as a precaution however I disconnected the wires to the power switch that controls the floodgates oh okay you've won this round but you must know you can't keep us here forever we shall see about that now we shall see some dancing my boy the only difference between the shark dance and the others I'd say was the wicked looking fish spear that Kauna kept brandishing as he went through his paces Jerome's attention was riveted on the dancers and someone touched my sleeve it was Mikaela child child the most terrible thing has happened I know I know your father just told me how did he find out who hacker who else I shouldn't know when we heard that head man of a dining with pearls I don't understand look over there to the north the smoke hack is getting upstain for a getaway in the yacht he spilled our plan to your father to divert his attention to our boat in Lagoon Kauna's probably in it with him for his getaway plus a cut of the pearls where's going now out there with the dancers making like a shark what are we going to do a hacker can't get that yacht out without help so he may as well watch it dancing for a while what that isn't the shark dance he's doing what is it I don't know Charles what is it what's the matter you stay here you stay right here dead in the killer I'm sorry look you go back to the house wait for me I won't be long where are you going I'm gonna tell Mr. Hacker that his sailing will be postponed indefinitely I could have saved myself a hike across the island Hacker didn't have a prayer of navigating that inlet without the headman's help and Kauna never made it to the North Shore a couple of Jerome Jean-Dame's cut him down just outside the compound just like they did the hacker on the boat I found the pearls in the galley cans labeled coffee sugar and flour I picked out enough for a matching string for McKella and I dumped the rest back into the water was a crazy thing to do but as I look back on it maybe it wasn't so crazy after all in a way Jerome was right it was a nice island and the way things are going in the world I might want to go back and settle down there myself someday so why spoil it escape produced and directed by David Friedkin and Morton Fine has brought you the King of Ohana to a story by Robert Tallman featured in the cast were Anthony Barrett Clayton Post and Joseph Kearns also heard were Sammy Hill and Jack Carroll your announcer Bill Anders the special music for escape is composed and conducted by Leith Stevens next week you are somewhere in the Pacific out of later in the Philippines charting a course of South by Southeast when out of the deep of the sea a new volcano was born and your ship is caught in the middle of it from which there is no escape so listen next week when escape brings you Vincent McHugh's story the boiling sea stay tuned now for night watch which follows immediately on most of these stations America listens most to the CBS radio network