Robert Readick and Connie Lembcke star in an adaptation of Jules Archer’s story that first appeared in Doc Savage magazine’s May-June 1948 issue. This Suspense adaptation is by Ronald Dawson and Joseph Cochran. Dawson also appears in the production. The story was also adapted for Escape for its broadcast of 1950-08-04. That production is notably different. It was adapted by “Savage Dollar,” which may have been a pseudonym of William N. Robson who was producing Escape at that time. The Escape pseudonym may relate to the fact the story first appeared in Doc Savage magazine.
Bob Readick plays a man, named Johnny, who saved another man, named Gabor, in the Pacific island nation New Guinea during World War II. A few years later, Gabor contacted Johnny that there was a major gold mine in New Guinea and that he wanted Johnny to join him. Gabor’s wife, Lily, is also along for the excursion. Their journey requires that they navigate their way to avoid natives who want to stop them, including some who are feared as head-hunters. Complicating the expedition is that Lily and Gabor are having marital issues, and she has eyes for Johnny. The real danger, may not be from the natives or the wildlife, or the terrain, but themselves. The story’s title is not “three came back.” Which of them will be subtracted from the dangerous trip, and how?
This episode is one of the more complicated productions of the New York period, and is well done.
The program was recorded on Tuesday, May 31, 1960. Rehearsal began at 3:00pm and ended at 6:30pm. Recording was done from 6:30pm to 7:00pm.
Two recordings of this episode have survived. The network recording is an aircheck from WROW and has some station interference. The recording has a somewhat narrow range, but is very listenable. The Armed Forces Radio Service recording (AFRS#789) has better sound quality (with some minor defects) and is the preferred one.
This script was re-used on the 1965-06-07 broadcast of Theatre 5.
LISTEN
TO THE PROGRAM or download in FLAC or
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https://archive.org/details/TSP600605
THE CAST
Robert Readick (Johnny King), Connie Lembke (Lily), Robert Donley (Gabor Krilovitch), Ronald Dawson (Mackay)
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