 tired of the everyday routine 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 escape the battle of man against the elements of man against man 30 minutes of flight into the world of action and danger where every minute is a call to adventure these are the moments when a life hangs on the twist of a chance the moments of escape tonight we escape to the wildest mountains of Idaho in the story of love and murder in the midst of a raging forest fire as Anthony Ellis tells it in the Red Forest it had taken me five years three months and four days it had carried me across 21 states and then in the Clearwater country of Idaho I'd found it that was in the afternoon the trail had led from a lumber town along a washboard road and into the forests I'm no woodsman but in the daylight I found the place and then I started back to the car but something was different maybe the late Sun read through the trees maybe tall shadows there wasn't a trail anymore only streams where they hadn't been before trees that were the same but weren't and sounds sounds that were fun when you were a kid on a hike but now scared you I used my last cigarette three or four hours before it was then that I that I started to run run and the fear grows until you want to scream and want the ground to open up for your warm and safe but it didn't and now there was only the dry whirly of a rattlesnake coiled inches away from me I lived then maybe because the snake was more afraid of something else than me it didn't strike just slithered away and became the pattern of the leaves was nearly dark when I found the road I'd come to it about a half a mile below where I parked the car a half hour later on the outskirts of a little town my headlights picked up a girl standing on the side of the road she carried a cheap paper suitcase and she was thumbing a ride I stopped what sure here I'll put your case in the back there we go gee I'm lucky not many cars in the road tonight been walking long I'm on my way to Miss Zula my last try dropped me a mile or so back yeah you live around here no no I don't guess you'd be going as far as Miss Zula for sure gee that's swell I got a job there starting tomorrow kind of broke you know what I mean buses cost money yeah I know what you mean mind if I smoke no no no of course not go right ahead your face you've been hurt you'll scratched up oh well I was hunting I got lost just the other side of town if you want to take a nap it's okay we've got about a hundred miles to go guess I look pooped huh yeah I'm not kidding I am say you're all right mister I'll take you up on it some guys the minute you get in one more in the bus fare I can see you're not that kind you'll be safe I'll wake you when we're at the city limits thanks thanks a lot oh gee it's nice out here kind of lonely smells good I wonder what that is over there what the sky bright like see I don't gee could almost be Seattle from a long way off and a boyfriend used to take me driving at night when we came back you could see a glow just like that I saw that glow in the sky it was on our right and as the road twisted through the trees it fell behind us and who I left and circled into the straight ahead the girl had fallen asleep very quickly I saw her face in the light from the dash then pretty peaceful and it was about 15 minutes after I picked her up that I saw the lights on the road and then closer the figures waving hey there already I just got to sleep no there's something wrong there's a cop coming this way what's the trouble plenty we want you mister want me yeah forest fire bad one we've got to have every man we can find someone else in the car with you I yes a girl good she can help look I'd like to very much the forest Ranger he'll explain well I'm awfully sorry but you see I'm on my way to Missoula tonight I got authority to do this mister I'm sorry but we need you well I you couldn't get much further anyway the roads cut off mountains going up like a torch if it spread there's three towns going to come on I got some clothes and boots for you hey what about me I got to get to Missoula I got a job in the morning sorry sister you got a job serving coffee here you cop five dollars a day a day or a longer depends come on let's go there was nothing else to do so I got under the clothes the Ranger gave me then stood around and waited I wasn't tired anymore just scared scared of going into that forest again the wind came up a bit and with it the smell smell of burning smell of death a long way off but closer than the glow had been we could see flickering against the sky and it was in a lot of places suddenly it was too warm and too quiet all right you guys the telephone's burnt out I made contact with a short wave set are you faster what's your name a pendale and they'll yeah you ever use one of these walkie-talkie well sure I was in the signal core okay and you'll carry it now listen this is bad real bad the fires got behind us we can't get any more men through for several hours they got to come around from the other side and that's 30 miles what's the use then let's get out a crowbar yeah I'm putting you in charge you know what to do get in as close as you can to the river and set a backfire sure I got to stick here with a transmitter you take the walkie-talkie and I'll let you know what's happening sure you stay here with the pretty girl we go get fried out that hey Hanson you'll have to go with them three is not enough sure well the cops gonna do some work for a change you better take along some food and a thermos come on step on it couple of sandwiches I made up here thank you the sure as something is that yeah you're scared scared why your face is white you're scared I'm from the city I know what you mean those trees give me the willies to dark sure that's it you'll be all right listen kid if anything happens you take my car here are the keys what do you mean if I don't come back keep the car you kidding you're coming back yeah sure so long hey my name's Jan what yours Wally you'll be careful Wally we went into the forest men with spades men against fire and terror there was the man they called fat 300 pounds of ungainly body topped by a tiny and almost disgustingly childlike face there was crowbar a big dark man quiet and filled with the knowledge of the woods Hanson the state trooper thin and wiry his natty khaki shirt stained with sweat and dirt and me we'd gone about a mile when we first heard it it came in gusts with the wind high above us wait a minute holy shut up let's get out of here about three miles away I figure coming fast we're about that far from the river aren't we yeah listen you guys if it's crossed the river we're sunk let's get out hey Wally yeah get the ranger tell them it's coming this way pretty fast look look sparks up there see sure fat sparks fire hello hello and Dell calling row and Dell calling row over we're still about three miles from the river we can hear it over right well he says go back that's okay with me boy I wanted to run again that same feeling I'd known before the fear all around us closing in and down there was no sky above only blackness tinged with red pressing and behind the living forest running overtaking and passing us when we reached the road again the sound was steady I had a strange feeling of relief when I saw the forest ranger and the girl Jan was like coming home I think it was then that I stopped being afraid come on row we can't do no good now yeah you're not kidding we got to try and join up with the others what do you mean the fires on three sides of us that means we had southeast can we take the road back nope 200 men trying to keep a path open for us we got to make five miles in a hurry that is that yeah worse if we don't get there in time and they can't make a fire break we're going to be smack in the middle and there's not going to be any way out our country faces a critical problem excessive hoarding and purchasing by thoughtless people panic buying is senseless buying it helps no one and create situations which are as dangerous as they are unnecessary the American grocery manufacturers association reports that we have a surplus of 450 million bushels of grain stocks of lard or 189 million pounds above what we had last year production of vegetable oil is above the average of the last 10 years quantities of fresh and canned vegetables are 10 percent above normal supplies of sugar are 950,000 tons above last year's figure there's a surplus of eggs growing at the rate of 15 million dozen every month the only shortages are temporary local shortages so don't help to create them the good citizen is the thoughtful consumer buy what you need don't deny yourself the things to which you're accustomed but don't take somebody else's share you'll buy what you need if you need what you buy the size of your shopping bag is the test of your allegiance to your country now we return you to escape we didn't carry anything but canteens it was hot and because it was hot it made you thirsty even when you didn't need water the going was rough and we could only head in what we thought was the general direction of safety it was at the ridge that we've lost the first man winds changing again crowbar which way can't tell it's haywire with this fire don't we go straight ahead might as well wait a minute see that red yeah why don't I get up there shouldn't take more than 10 minutes now be able to get a better look give me the flash now signal to you I don't know I haven't got much of a start ours behind us and a lot faster there's better than walking toward it remember it's on three sides okay you make it fast crowbar sure good luck hey what do we do just sit and wait yeah that's right listen you're the Ranger why don't you go would you sing crowbar for he's fought fires before and he knows he's a better man to climb up there he's faster than me yeah yeah hey kid kid are you okay sure Willie just fine guess I'm not used to walking no these high heels don't help yeah take it easy huh my feet feel like they did once at a dance I went to some big glunt climbed all over me guess you won't have a job at Missoula huh if I get out of this that's all I care about yeah it's tough I'm scared give me a hand were you she held on to my hand tight it wasn't the darkness that frightened her now there wasn't darkness anymore but a yellowish red light that came from everywhere it was another kind of fear fear of something you you could see here and with every minute feel more and I only waited there 10 minutes 11 12 and then you hear something yeah seem to come from over there from the ridge maybe maybe listen you you think something got crowbar a lion or something I'll go up nope and what do you mean no no time we waited too long now but he may be hurt yeah I know that it'll take you long and then took crowbar to get there now come on you couldn't find him in the dark who says he's hurt anyway we'll move on and he'll catch up I say we go after him not me I'll put it to a vote but hurry up now answer we go on all right fat let's get out of here and I say go on that leaves you mess I'm staying with Wally all right I'll go with you we never saw crowbar again maybe a lion got him maybe he got lost we never saw him again the ranger went ahead finding trails somehow keeping us moving we began to climb and after a while we were on another ridge for the first time we could see the fire it stretched out for miles like a huge red sea it was all around us oh gee Wally I know I know well hurt much I don't know he's not scared is he I guess not because he's a ranger because he's very brave you're a funny girl no I'm not hey give me a kiss were sure why did you want me to do that I don't know you're a nice fella I miss you listen Janna I want to tell you something what if we get out maybe yeah look I'm all right I mean we could have fun together I know I I did something wrong once I I killed a man why he framed me got me pulled away for something I didn't do we were driving in the east and ran over a woman he was at the wheel but he took a powder and left me that's what I say but I've been drinking and went to sleep when I woke up I was behind the wheel he put me there that's how the cops found me I got five years I was married my wife killed herself ashamed I guess I lost my job and my friends I swore I'd get my pal and I did it was a lousy knew I was after him and ran but I caught up with you I don't care don't you hide I don't know why I told you that maybe because if we do get out sure I know I know it's okay come on pin Dell the Rangers moving on it was the state trooper Hanson I wondered how much he'd hurt but there wasn't any time to worry then Roe thought he'd seen a break in the fire and we headed for it when we got down on the trees again I began to get a feeling that I'd been there before it was nothing I could recognize just a feeling and then a couple of hundred yards that long I knew why looks like someone's living there better have a look doors open hey it's a man right give me a hand sure being shot yeah few hours ago from the looks of it you think the man who did this might have started it what do you mean the fire started a few miles north of here we figured somebody got careless with a match and maybe the killer running away I'd like to get the fella that did that maybe I will yeah me too well we can't do anything here come on from there on nobody talked it was hard enough to lift your feet Jan was nearly through and I half carried him if Roe knew where he was leading us he didn't say we followed and knew that sooner or later we'd stop because we were too tired to go on fat was the first listen fellas wait wait a minute oh you gotta go on there's still a chance no the best just just for a minute no get up please please one minute that fall get up I can't I can't okay you stay no no come on I can't I'm sorry you catch up to us and stay on the trail all right come on Shay we're gonna leave him no we have to help please don't leave me I'm coming back please Mr. Wade can we help him oh we're almost there ourselves don't know whether it was because none of us liked him because we knew that we couldn't do anything it's funny how you can lose a man and know he's going to die and put him right out of your mind perhaps we wanted to live so badly we figured the fire would take time out from us to attend to him Hanson was next I'm finished no you're not just a bit more to go we can still get through now no you go ahead save the girl I'm sorry I go on maybe I can catch up I I got a rest you Wally do me a favor what I lost my gun somewhere you know what I mean it'll be quicker that way you got one yeah thanks one bullet fired that's all I wanted to know okay Pindell I've had enough rest I can keep up with you now feel a little safer with this army go ahead so he knew I didn't care now I was too tired to care if he wanted to play cop that was his business sure the man in the shack was Lenny Gillan sure I'd kill him it was my match on that last cigarette when I was lost that must have started this fire but it wasn't important anymore right now I wanted to get Jan Oliver's get my cell phone was that it's behind us it sounded look like handsome what you must have fallen no time that's you we didn't help fat white him I don't know please all right stay here handsome leg broken I guess know about me don't you yeah yeah I know girl knows too I heard you're telling her she won't say anything no no I guess not Gillan had it coming to him I wouldn't know I'm a cop yeah getting hot put your arm over my shoulder you can't get me up there well I can try now come on come on come back no no time go on no I get nobody I'll ever know Hanson I'm sorry go on get out somehow I made it up the trail again thought I heard a shot him maybe it was a burning tree going down Jan was waiting for me and we went on until the trees began to thin out and we heard the shots of men I don't remember anything else because I passed out for a long time Jan was sitting by my bed and it was cool again did they get Hanson no Jan listen to about what I told you back there you know the man I killed I'm not sorry I I mean it was all right about him but not Hanson crowbar in fact that was my fault you know that yeah well I want you to call a cop listen kid I've been dreaming about it it's no good no be a good kid and call a cop with him I don't have to there's one outside no what do you mean when you passed out I guess you would delirious or something you told them I told them that's good you want me to hang around that's up to you I guess I guess it is I'll hang around each year thousands of Southern Californians contribute to the pension and sick and injured funds of the Sheriff's Relief Association you can do your share for this a deserving organization by attending the Sheriff's annual rodeo in the Los Angeles Coliseum on August 27th cowboy star Roy Rogers and trigger will head the great array of talent on this thrill-packed show June Haver has been selected as rodeo queen and Joel McCray will act as grand marshal there'll be exhibitions of roping and riding by champions from all over the country and a thousand other exciting events at the Sheriff's annual rodeo the greatest spectacle of its kind in the world it's at the Los Angeles Coliseum 2 30 Sunday afternoon August 27th it's a treat the whole family will enjoy don't forget the date Sunday August 27th escape is produced and directed by William M. Robeson and tonight has presented the Red Forest by Anthony Ellis featured in tonight's cast were George Ellis as Jan Bill Conrad as Wally Paul Freese as Hanson Ben Wright as Roe Jane Ovella was fat and will gear as crowbar special music arranged and played by Ivan Ditmars next week you're in the middle of the most barren desert of Mexico watching a wealthy Oriental voluntarily being strangled to death by the priests of his strange religion dangerous fanatic priests from whom there is for you also know escape next week at this time CBS invite you to escape with an exciting story of a man trapped by the priests of a weird cult in the desert wastes of Mexico as Gouverneur Morris tells it in the footprint be listening goodbye then until this same time next week when once again we offer you escape for radio entertainment at its best keep tuned to your CBS station this is CBS the Columbia broadcasting system