Bartlett Robinson plays a ruthless convict who engineers and leads a daring prison escape with two other inmates in the second broadcast of this William N. Robson script. This time, however, it can include his name as author, and not the pseudonym “William Norman” as was necessary in 1951 when his CBS Blacklist problems were beginning. It’s a good script and its surprise ending makes it a very worthwhile listen.
Details about the 1951 broadcast, the historical events that may inspired Robson, and the machinations necessary to get the script on the air can be found at
The surviving 1958 recording is missing its opening announcement, Robson’s monologue, and closing. Its origin is not known but is likely from an Armed Forces Network radio station from a 1960s replay of the program. Robson’s opening monologue, however, is available from the original script:
If someone were to say to you that we are a nation of lawbreakers, you would probably break the law by committing assault and battery to prove he was wrong. Yet, our Pantheon is filled with scoundrels who have fondly made legendary heroes. Jesse James, Billy the Kid, John Dillinger ---. We weave an aura of glamour around the outlaws who had the intestinal fortitude to get away with it... and we secretly wish we had the same nerve. But, glamorous as it may seem, crime really doesn't pay, as we will attempt to prove in the morality play you are about to hear. Listen... listen, then, as Bartlett Robinson stars in “The Steel River Prison Break” which begins in just a moment---
International entertainer and impressionist, and expert on classic radio history, Keith Scott has added his talent to The Suspense Project. For the Suspense episodes that are missing the introductory monologue by William N. Robson, Keith is supplying readings of those openings from the original scripts in the “voice of William N. Robson.” He has been approved by Warner Brothers, Hanna-Barbera, Walt Disney Company, and Universal Studios, for authorized voicings of many of their most famous cartoon characters. Mr. Scott resides in Australia.
The program was recorded on Wednesday, July 16, 1958. Rehearsal began at 2:00pm and concluded at 4:30pm when recording began. That session included in-studio edits and finished at 6:00pm. Additional production editing concluded at 8:00pm.
Despite the editing issues, this low quality Armed Forces Radio station aircheck recording is very listenable. Most of the circulating recordings have significant background hum and noise.
No network recording is known to survive. Two ad spots were committed at the time of recording for Sterling Drug (Bayer Aspirin) and GMC Trucks. The other two spots were allocated before broadcast.
LISTEN
TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or
mp3
https://archive.org/details/TSP580727
THE CAST
BARTLETT ROBINSON (Bragg), Sam Pierce (Radio Voice 1 / Guard 3), Norm Alden (Runt), Jerry Hausner (Moish), Eddie Firestone (Radio Voice 2 / Guard 2), Barney Phillips (Guard), Jack Moyles (Con / Boatman), George Walsh (Narrator)
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