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Old-time radio suspense · two new episodes a week

Escape

No sign-up · one tap. It plays right here, around the clock.

Standalone channel One series, every episode in the order it first aired. Part of The Midnight Exchange, where all the series play mixed.

Illustrated cover for Escape: a jungle trail at dusk, an old brass compass and a torn map on a rock, a rope bridge over a gorge
Escape: two new episodes a week, in the order they first aired
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Every episode

6 episodes, in the order they first aired. Each plays on to the next. Subscribe in any podcast app with the feed.

244 more episodes are waiting: Potato Plus members play them all now

    Mostly adventure, mystery and drama stories, by our guides to 248 episodes. Escape: 250 episodes of the old-time radio mystery and suspense series, 1947-1954. Free, live around the clock and as a podcast (two new episodes a week), every episode in the order it first aired.

    About Escape

    Escape is the CBS old time radio adventure series that ran from 1947 to 1954, often ranked among the best dramas radio ever made, and you can listen to it free online here or as a podcast. Each half hour drops an ordinary person into an extraordinary spot: shipwrecked, lost in the jungle or the Arctic, trapped with no way out. It opens with one of radio's most famous invitations: Tired of the everyday routine? Ever dream of a life of romantic adventure? Want to get away from it all? We offer you... Escape!

    Behind that opening plays Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain, and William Conrad and Paul Frees were among the voices who read it. Escape adapted classic adventure and suspense stories and also ran originals by its own writers. It was produced over the years by William N. Robson, Norman Macdonnell, who went on to create the radio Gunsmoke with writer John Meston, and Antony Ellis. For most of its run it had no regular sponsor and moved around the CBS schedule, which left it free to try almost anything.

    The casts were Hollywood's best radio actors: Vincent Price, Jack Webb, William Conrad, Elliott Lewis, John Dehner, Harry Bartell, Parley Baer. Escape is the perfect drive-time show, thirty minutes of nerve and sweat. The episodes play right on this page in the order they first aired, two new ones reach the podcast every week, and Escape is also part of The Midnight Exchange, Stupid Potato's live 24/7 channel of suspense, mystery and the macabre from old time radio.

    What you’ll hear

    Where to start

    Where the recordings come from

    The Escape recordings here come from the Old Time Radio Researchers' Escape Singles set (250 episodes), hosted by the Internet Archive. Our thanks to the Old Time Radio Researchers, the volunteers who found, dated and assembled the set, and to the Archive and the collectors whose uploads it rests on. The sound is our remaster of those files (rumble, hiss and hum cleaned out, levelled to steady broadcast loudness); the recordings themselves are theirs. About our sources.

    Every Escape episode: the full list, with air dates and stories

    More to listen to

    Spotted a wrong date, title or name? Report a mistake · Missing a series? Request a show · Suggest a note

    Questions

    What is the theme music of Escape?

    Escape used Modest Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain under its famous opening.

    When was Escape on the radio?

    Escape ran on CBS from 1947 to 1954, usually as a half-hour sustaining (unsponsored) show that moved around the network's schedule.

    Who were the stars of Escape?

    Escape had no regular star. Its casts came from Hollywood radio's best actors, including Vincent Price, Jack Webb, William Conrad, Elliott Lewis, John Dehner and Parley Baer.

    What is the difference between Escape and Suspense?

    Both were CBS anthologies with many of the same actors and producers. Suspense centered on crime and fear, often with movie stars; Escape focused on adventure and survival, usually with radio's own regulars.

    Is Escape free?

    Yes. Escape is free to listen to, live around the clock and as a podcast: no sign-up, no app and no subscription. Potato Plus is optional and never required.

    Do I need an account or an app for Escape?

    No. It is an internet radio channel, live 24 hours a day: press Listen live, no sign-up and no app needed.

    Are there ads on Escape?

    No modern ads, and we promise none until Valentine's Day 2027 (February 14). Nothing breaks into the show to sell you something you never asked for. Any commercials you hear are the original sponsor spots that aired with the broadcast.

    How do I listen to Escape?

    Press Listen live on https://stupidpotato.com/escape/ , or open the stream address https://stupidpotato.com/escape/live in any audio player (VLC, a smart speaker app, a car's web player). New episodes come out as a podcast: https://stupidpotato.com/escape/feed.xml in any podcast app.

    Who makes Escape?

    Escape is a Stupid Potato channel (https://stupidpotato.com/), made by Stupid Potato Studios and powered by MonsterCast. The other channels and the Stupid Potato cartoons are at https://stupidpotato.com/.