 you finding life rather dull dreaming again of exotic places wishing you were somewhere else we offer you escape escape designed to free you from the four walls of today for a half hour of high adventure escape with us now to a small fishing boat off the California coast at a night of terror and death at the hands of a brilliant madman as bud a Nelson tells it in his exciting story seven hours to freedom the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Southern California usually thought of as calm and peaceful where there's very little danger but don't take the Pacific for granted or you'll be writing your name in foam and throwing it into the wind there can be trouble out there all kinds of trouble the winter months of the lean ones along the coast Lou and I scraped the bottom of the barrel to make fuel and stores for my boat the merry widow rigging for macro is fishing the hard way you've seen the mackerel fleet sneak up on the coast those ghostly cities of lights offshore guys like Lou and myself trying to make a payload with lights and stinking chum mashed marinated muck your torso overboard with your bare hands to attract the fish we were anchored alone west of Point Doom whistle boy about a mile out it was dark except for the spot we flashed on the water the flashing of headlights on highway 101 where it dips down to the shore to get a run for zoom a grade there were mackerel around and they were ready and a boy Lou keep it coming I'll move the charm out into the light hi-ya hi-ya come on kids free show good juicy chewy paste come and get it they're swarming into the spot it worked the edges Lou they're about ready for the net oh look at him three or four pounders from the spot boy lay it right in front of me they're ready for the net currents offshore drag toward me right he's into them oh boy they're hot and heavy that's alive fellow up come on kiddies come to pop good boy Lou keep in common swamp us that's the way it works if you hit it you forget the smell the scum the numbness in your hands the icy water in your boots you forget your even 30 to 50 pounds in the end of an eight-foot pole and you see dollars pile up in the bin boards on your deck you forget everything around you until they're gone you notice that there is a world around here they go schools out yeah two tons at least yeah looks like another wreck on zoom a grade yeah look at the headlights people just can't pass up an accident must be a pretty bad one I'll take a boat any day yeah let's get out of here we can make it back in time for chow yeah six fried eggs seasoned with the basket sauce ball of chili and a pot of black coffee it sounds good to me boy that stuff sure gets cold hey get the anchor let's get out of here play up I'm for it what's the matter anchors bowl wanna back down on it feels like rock take a turn on the cleat let the swell break it loose hey she's really caught fast wait a minute Lou give me some slack I'll back off I don't know come here what's up look company the devil of those guys doing out here in a little rowboat at this hour they're either drunk or crazy a sport fisherman I don't see any tackle they're in trouble look guy in the stand punched over you get the boat hook Lou I'll rig offended at tides doing more good than the odds are these boys aren't semen yeah watch the roll when he pulls your long side you and the bow catch the rack hold yourself boy we have an injured man here lend a hand yeah sure get aboard Ellis help Stacy help him that way give me a hand thank you now my injured friend you and a skiff hand him to me right here lift him as high as you can slip your hand up open the hatch to the cabin and move that gear off the bunk unfortunate thing very unfortunate hand me the first aid kit on the bulkhead behind you completely unnecessary efficient shooting wouldn't you say perilously near the heart yeah fatally near here put the kit back it's too late how this happened loaded gun yes loaded gun in expert hands this may be pretty funny to you mr. but I don't think it'll go over very big with the police the police no I suppose not poor Stacy his fourth and final loss look mr. what's the story oh that's right you came in at the end but first what's a gun for your protection and mine forgive me young man for pointing this at you I use it only to establish command outside go on I'm pretty sick your fancy happener no action yeah mastermind you gotta send to this now come up with a way out my friends despise me captain look at them young Ellis shut up Burke I warned you he's a coward a thief and a murderer who fancies himself equal to any known knife you know I'll kill you don't you Burke if it's the last thing I do I'll cut that fat off of you it will be the last thing you do Ellis and out there he killed two men wasn't a doubt two defenseless men feed on your greasy slob you're digging your grave with your tongue and Stacy poor dead Stacy keep talking Burke keep flapping your big mouth while the law sets up another trap why don't we get rid of these two punks and get moving give me that you ain't got the guts to do nothing you're all talk give me that stay right where you are Ellis you too doubt I supplied the intelligence that saw us this far and I really don't need you anymore sit down both of you sit down right by that tank a yellow bird plain dirty yellow make me sit down go on but make me sit down I don't want to have to fire this gun sound carries over water big bird while you've got the gun the only gun down that highway is swarming with police cars now they're saying dead or alive the choice is up to you make one move toward me or these fishermen and I make the choice you make that choice you chose to lead us into a trap because you didn't have the guts to shoot a measly highway cop you got Stacy's shot you wrecked the car then you nearly drowned us in that leaky robot you can thank me in that leaky rowboat that you're alive right now I feel very kindly toward that rowboat pull it aboard go on pull it aboard you too may need it one ball smooth and you'll find yourselves a drift captain get the anchor up take in what slack we can get low line parts and parts was that your course by this pistol captain our destination is Mexico a word of warning captain I seem to stand alone these fools I took through prison walls have turned against me but I still have a pistol how far is the international border seven eight hours I prefer seven seven hours to freedom my freedom and seven hours for us to consider your fate you can start out to count the laughs in the Red Skelton show but you'll wind up laughing so hard yourself you'll lose the count no question about it Red Skelton is a very funny man with a very funny show and this fall you hear Red Skelton every Sunday evening on CBS rated a top comedian Skelton has a special form of humor a unique brand of mad capillarity that leaves him gasping you'll have a grand time it's entertainment at its best be sure to listen to the Red Skelton show every Sunday evening over most of these same CBS stations and now we return you to escape dawn broke with the Los Angeles Harbor light well on our stern Mary widows bow pointed at Mexican waters and the pistol in Burke's fat hands setting the course the morning was foggy other things were clear someone along zoom a beach would find their rowboat missing we had a dead man in the cabin the lives of Lou and I hung on the whim of a fat maniac our only hope was a radio I switched the frequency to Coast Guard trip the mic to transmit and hope that someone would be listening it's more pleasant up here on the bridge captain the cabin is somewhat stuffy what's your master plan for the body low some things dead man much as I'd like to dispose of it we can't risk cluttering our trail let us hope there will be no more there needn't be you know if you cooperate yeah yeah the Mary widows at your disposal mr. Burke long as you hold that gun on the crew there's no choice but to take you to Mexico we don't have too far to go just about due west Long Beach making 18 knots you are unduly nervous captain is it the pistol look at our friends huddled together down there in the stern planning my assassination and no doubt yours you understand the situation don't you now then I'll tell you this gun and I are your buffers your guardians against the plotters back there in exchange for this protection you give me transportation in a few hours I will be a free man and I shall go my way alone maybe the radio I underestimated you captain very clever now I try and I assume I've been broadcasting for some time you have direct the United States Coast Guard I bow to you how stupid of me and you up to this point you've shown some intelligence these heroics give me no choice all right go ahead and shoot you'll pile into rocks before you hit San Diego you'll never see Mexico lose no pilot none of you are you're right you are still useful resume your course look Burke you're supposed to be the brains of the outfit if you're even half smart you'll get in that skiff and head for sure you better not be on this vote when the Coast Guard catches up with us if you are a religious man captain I would suggest that you pray they don't catch up with us look mr. my advice to you was to launch that skiff and hit for the beach you're a fool captain until your little stratagem shows tangible results I wait and you live the resume your course Newport Harbor bore off our bow swung a beam and slid past the stern with it went my hopes have helped from the Coast Guard out of Newport no more stations now until San Diego at the foot of San Clementi's red tile roofs I saw a Santa Fe streamliner rushing north towards Los Angeles I wished I was on it and headed in the same direction how far are we from the border captain five six hours good if the Coast Guard heard your radio they don't seem to be rushing to your rescue take another look Burke dead ahead and barren down hold your course don't try to attract them or you die right where you stand you look yeah stay where you are hold your course captain mr. that's a Coast Guard picket boat they got guns Ellis down stand up and wave make it look friendly don't overdo it you captain wave to wave wave look at the fools the friendly fools waving back we're just friendly fishermen they didn't even cut their speed two herringbone wakes met merged playfully overlapped in fate with them went my hopes of help from outside our only chance now is to get Burke's gun the fish knives but they were back on the cleaning chute neatly racked I turned to look gone three nights gone my hand rested on the clutch lever cast bronze complete with grip and detachable I had to get that gun I tripped the key the block the lever I've been expecting this they're ready to cooperate you'll lose on the ladder just in case our good captain entertains any rash notions you will be our hostage go ahead happy to apply I watched helplessly while Lou led the way aft where two criminals sat backs to the bait tank they rose as Burke lurch toward them against every roll and pitch of the boat Ellis suddenly stepped between Lou and Burke the pistol roared harmlessly Burke slump balloon like his dow toward a pistol from his hand Ellis knife in hand kept slashing give me that knife give me I said I cut him the fat slobby didn't believe me I look at it blood blood and blood on Lou up that ladder there your buddy come on yes sir sit down there and stay put you buster keep this thing moving which way like Burke said Mexico as long as we come this far we go all the way move in driving closer to shore how close I'll tell you how close and I'll wait a minute I'll pick out a spot to beach the skiff then we'll move back outside the three-mile limit until dark so that Mexican patrols can't find it ain't that nice the dark I move in as close to shore as I can and you go ashore in the skiff and I head back up the coast just like that well buster it better pick a good spot to make a landing because you're going in with us going in with you what about this boat leave it the Mexican authority gonna drive this boat right up on the beach that's what right up on the beach record look down we draw close to 10 feet of water the ground a city block offshore so what I can swim got nothing to worry about you ain't gonna need this tub no more look looked out if we beach this boat remarked a spot where you go ashore but put in by skiff and you won't attract any attention my radio shot it's a it's two hours run back to San Diego I can't holler anything that'll hurt you it ain't two hours to Mexican cops I can't go to Mexican cops I haven't got a clearance I'm not gonna put into a Mexican port and have my boat impounded am I I told you how it's gonna be as soon as a Mexican authorities find this boat with bodies on board they'll know you boys are over the border and how you got there maybe you got something I'll talk it over with Ellis don't try nothing blue yeah I'm gonna fake engine trouble the master switch one of us has to get down to the engines the short hose on the manifold cooling system port engine side saltwater intake yeah it's our only chance disconnected follow the bilge pump screen flood the bilges yeah we risk fire but it's our only chance to frighten them guys into the skiff cut it he's coming back that's the way it's gonna be how like I said first pile it on a beach now let's go okay what's matter no no just quit now we've been beaten these engines she's hot get it going I'll have to get at the engines down below no you don't step on the starter come on try it it's hot I tell you 180 degrees I look for yourself that's 40 degrees too hot what does that mean means I got it on you know what to do yeah yeah I know check the oil filter first and the screen ahead of the pump wait a minute you okay try it again first go on it's no use the troubles down the engine room go on Lou Ellis yeah I don't know what this guy plenty of water now plenty good plenty of water all the salt water that should be flowing through the water jackets of two big exhaust pipes pouring into the bilges and two red hot manifolds absorbing all the heat of the two big engines I took a site on the hull chine lying two feet above water bilge pump sucking nothing but air ten minutes riding six inches lower one foot down three quarters of an hour 18 inches lower water would be clamming up to drown out the batteries exhaust pipes white hot I yanked the release on the co2 system white clouds sizzled up from below before she explodes fire extinguisher Lou cover me I'm going below get the skip over down there Jeff rats left us I'll be right up we nearly over did it wood was smoldering you're telling me batteries wet inch to go boy that manifold was hot nearly didn't make it that our friends beat water yeah this proves the story about rats and sinking ships yeah come on Lou up on the bridge watch their faces now did you drop the bill pump back in the well no we need that water in the bilges boy we throw a wake like a little Queen Mary that's still a little hot I'm on 3000 look behind us we're throwing a wake like a destroyer come on baby big big bird 3000 turn come on around that's a nice tight circle what are you gonna do crash them last so I'm with our wake yeah we let chop it's their skiff from four sides I think they're in a sow Easter look at doubt trying to get a feed on us he's there they go capsized that's just what I want a deal of the boat I let him take wood for about half an hour rather that water's cold you should know let's see if doubt still got a gun looks like he has but he won't have for very long his hands will get so numb you think they're sawed off except the bilge pump blue we lighten ship while we wait on on your way back you break out that bottle of Johnny walk might as well enjoy ourselves now that we got them guys where we want them I wonder about prices Lou mackerel 42 bucks didn't mean that I meant bounty reward state of california's is quite a little dough mileage two ton of spoiled mackerel one radio transmitter for escape convicts two of them on ice well get the boat hook two live ones are ready for the gas escape is produced and directed by Norman McDonald today we have brought you seven hours to freedom by bud A. Nelson with Jack Moyle starred as Jeff featured in the cast were Stan Waxman Jack Krushen Barney Phillips and Lou Krugman the special music for escape was arranged and played by Ivan Ditmars ladies and gentlemen next week escape will present one of the most unusual and terrifying stories of recent years the earth the bides by George Stewart especially adapted for radio by David Ellis it's a story of such scope that the producers of escape to dramatize its full impact are presenting it in two episodes so listen next week when we bring you the story of a man who wakes one morning to find human life has practically vanished from the face of the earth CBS's lovely red-headed Saturday night comedian Lucille Ball pays an extra visit to CBS the stars address tonight Lucille will be the special guest of Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy more famous guests mr. and mrs. Ronald Coleman will pay one of their hilarious calls and Jack Benny and don't forget it's later today that Frank Sinatra starts a new Sunday afternoon series on this network over most of these same stations now stay tuned for make believe town which follows immediately on most of the CBS stations Roy Rowan speaking this is where you spend an hour with Frank Sinatra every Sunday afternoon the Columbia broadcasting system